Posts Tagged: state&local

WellPoint sets up private insurance exchange to compete with states

WellPoint, the nation’s largest health insurer is setting up a private health insurance exchange to compete with those created and managed by governments under federal health care reform legislation. The exchange is a joint effort between WellPoint, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and Health Care Service Corporation. The exchange will serve all national marketsRead… Read more »

No more free ride on LA Metro

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (CA) will start locking turnstiles at four rail stations as part of its system-wide transition to the Transit Access Pass farecard. Locking the turnstiles will help the agency understand how many customers are using TAP cards and how many are still using paper passes. “This will help usRead… Read more »

Telling stories

Creating a visualisation of data has the power to tell a story behind the data. This article in Rustwire.com uses indicators of deprivation to create visualisations that illustrate how poverty has spread across Cleveland over the past two decades. This article by Simon Rogers in the Guardian discusses the most deprived areas in the UK,Read… Read more »

OpenData Race Begins in Philadelphia

Several months ago, with the unveiling of the OpenDataPhilly website, the City of Philadelphia joined the growing fraternity of cities across the country and around the world to release municipal data sets in open, developer friendly formats. But the City of Brotherly Love did things a bit differently than most of it’s contemporaries. The cityRead… Read more »

Illinois adds to mortgage assistance

Illinois is utilizing more federal funds to keep unemployed and underemployed residents in their homes. Approximately 15,000 homeowners in the state are under the threat of foreclosure due to employment conditions and the Governor is using $345 million in federal funds to help them cover their mortgage payments. The program gives 10-year low cost loansRead… Read more »

NJ Transit adds cameras, wants riders to go digital

NJ TRANSIT plans to launch an educational campaign to help riders access the agency’s different electronic applications. “We want to highlight the various ways we keep customers informed. We need to do a better job communicating information when there are disruptions,” said communications director Penny Bassett-Hackett. “This is the first time we will compile themRead… Read more »

Los Angeles agency moves forward with WiFi for Gold Line

Free WiFi on the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (CA) Gold Line is a little closer. Last week the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles (CA) approved a contract with Xentrans to prepare design specifications and a request for proposals from vendors. According to The Eastsider LA, the process began withRead… Read more »

What Can Advertising Learn From PR When It Comes to Social Media?

Image Courtesy of Flickr user cgallent Public Relations vs. Advertising. Earned media vs. Paid media. Huge budgets vs. tiny ones. Advertising and Public Relations have been engaged in a love-hate relationships for decades. What’s more effective? What offers better ROI? How should they work together? Should they work together? For years, advertising has been theRead… Read more »