Mayors from across the nation were in Kansas City, Missouri, last week for the 92nd annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Hillary Schieve, mayor of Reno, was leading it.

Schieve said it is important for local leaders to have a chance to meet with federal officials to discuss the issues impacting cities. Schieve was happy to report the city of Reno recently received a $30 million grant from the Bureau of Reclamation, which will help fund Nevada's first advanced purified water facility.

The city also received a $150,000 grant, which will go to cybersecurity and was given $30,000 from Walmart to award to a nonprofit to help with river cleanup.

"There is no Democratic or Republican way to fill a pothole, right?" Schieve pointed out. "It's just been good to be together, share stories, share best practices. It is great to learn what is working and what isn't working, so we aren't making the same mistakes in our cities."

And while securing federal dollars for infrastructure projects was a main focus of the conference, Schieve pointed out addressing the lack of mental health services was another. She considers the lack of mental health support the biggest crisis impacting the U.S. Nevada ranks among the states with the highest levels of mental illness and lowest rates of access to care, according to Mental Health America.

Schieve noted along with federal funds, more attention is also being placed on public-private partnerships, which she contended can make a real difference in addressing many of the issues cities face by supplementing limited public sector capacities as well as speed up infrastructure development.

"Especially when you're looking for someone that understands how to go after federal tax credits and build affordable housing," Schieve emphasized. "Build workforce housing. It is a specialty, right? You have to sort of seek out the people that know how to do it, the experts. It is sort of a niche market."

Schieve added working with the right partners is critical, so cities are not passing on the cost to the people who need affordable housing options. She encouraged local leaders to be open to learn from experts on how to best address the specific needs of their respective cities.


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A grant from the federal government is helping improve transportation planning options in the Puget Sound region.

The nonprofit Hopelink received a $519,000 Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility Project grant, a program created through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021.

Staci Sahoo, director of mobility management for the nonprofit Hopelink, said the funds will support the second phase in the development of its online tool, the Find a Ride Trip Planner. She pointed out different transportation resources each have their own avenues for signing up.

"We're so excited for is to make it as seamless as we possibly can with all the systems diverging," Sahoo explained. "How do we bring it all into one tool so that somebody just has to apply, just has to sign up one time?"

Sahoo noted the ultimate goal of the Find a Trip Planner tool is to create a seamless process for the booking and payment of transportation. Many people currently need to work across different apps and tools to navigate the process. The planner provides transportation options across King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties.

Sahoo stressed finding transportation can be hard especially for people who may have mobility issues. However, the tool could help them identify resources for transportation.

"An individual who uses a mobility device, a person who identifies as low vision or blind, they're likely eligible for a lot more services than they realize," Sahoo observed. "That's what we're trying to help connect them with."

Sahoo added the tool has also helped to identify gaps in transportation services. For example, Snoqualmie Valley recently launched service on the weekend.

"Our first priority is the end user, the person who will be using the tool," Sahoo asserted. "We've already seen benefits on actually increasing services because we're able to more easily see what's lacking."

The Find a Ride Trip Planner was among 17 projects selected to receive an Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility Project grant. The Federal Transit Administration distributed a combined $7.8 million to the projects.


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Half a century after the goal was first conceived, Indianapolis and Evansville are now officially connected via an interstate highway.

The I-69 and I-465 interchange is opening this week on the southwest side of Indianapolis, as the sixth and final section between the two cities. Crews broke ground on the I-69 extension in 2008 in southwest Indiana, but the dream of an interstate connecting Evansville to Indianapolis spanned decades.

Gov. Eric Holcomb said the project completes a major economic vision for Indiana.

"The cost of not doing this far exceeded the cost of doing it," Holcomb contended. "This was an investment in us, this was an investment in our future, this was an investment in realizing our potential."

According to the Indiana Department of Transportation, I-69 features more than 26 miles of new interstate, more than 35 new lane miles of local access roads, 39 new bridges and 35 rebuilt or replaced bridges and the elimination of 14 traffic signals. It also reduces travel time from Indianapolis to Martinsville by 11 minutes.

Former Vice President and Gov. Mike Pence spoke at the opening of the highway, telling those in attendance that the project has been dreamed about in Indiana since before the end of World War II.

"It required patience, determination, vision and unwavering commitment," Pence emphasized. "Since 1944, I'm told, citizens, transportation planners, elected officials always looked forward to this day."

Crews are working on the finishing touches. I-69 now runs continuously from the Canadian border to Evansville. It will eventually go all the way to the Mexican border.


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Concerns about environmental and economic disruption by the proposed "Corridor H" four-lane highway project have led dozens of small businesses in two West Virginia towns to call for an alternative route.

The towns of Thomas and Davis cradle Blackwater Falls State Park and are surrounded by state parks, a national forest, two wilderness areas and a national wildlife refuge.

Matt Marcus, manager of Blackwater Bikes in Davis, said he is worried the highway will decrease foot traffic and dollars to independent businesses that are the backbone of the local economy.

"People are coming here to get away from the city and the highways," Marcus contended. "These trails will be negatively affected with the proximity of the road, road noise, the light pollution at night."

Critics of the Corridor H plan said a northern route would avoid the towns and help reduce the effects of a highway. Supporters of the project argued it will open up remote areas in Grant, Hardy and Tucker counties to economic development and boost travel into West Virginia from other states.

Linda Reeves, owner of The Studio Gallery in Thomas, recently signed a letter along with other business owners, expressing deep concerns about the economic impact of the proposed 10-mile Corridor H route. She said she has watched the region blossom since she opened her business in 2010.

"Things were pretty depressed here," Reeves recounted. "Then people came in and saw the possibilities and the beauty of these two towns and the charm of them, and started to revitalize, rent out spaces and start businesses and did very well."

Marcus added the state's Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the project has not been publicly released but he anticipates it will be under review by the Federal Highway Administration.

"Our letter to Pete Buttigieg, we have not received an answer from that yet," Marcus emphasized. "Although we are hopeful, because the Secretary of Transportation has stated that he does not want to see communities divided by the highways."

The towns are adjacent to the Blackwater River, flagged earlier this year by the group American Rivers as one of the country's most endangered waterways. It cited threats from the Corridor H project, including construction pollution, unearthing acid mine drainage into headwater streams and disrupting wildlife habitat.


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