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When will it feel like winter in Missouri?

2 years 1 month ago
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its predictions Thursday for the next three months, showing most of the country is in for above-average temperatures through the end of the year.
Alix Martichoux

Censoring the news won’t keep kids safe

2 years 1 month ago

At a time when disinformation is running rampant, KOSA will cause social media platforms to remove real journalism. "Texting Congress 1" by afagen is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Lawmakers in both parties and the White House are pushing the Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, a bill that would require online platforms to mitigate harms like anxiety and depression to minors as a solution to the alleged dangers the internet poses to teens. But more than 90 LGBTQ+, human rights, and civil liberties organizations already oppose KOSA, arguing it will make kids less safe.

It will also make kids — and everyone else — less informed, as Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) Deputy Advocacy Director Caitlin Vogus explains in Tech Policy Press:

Many news outlets reach people through social media, and half of Americans say that they use social media sites as a source of news at least sometimes. But if KOSA passes, platforms will strip news from their services as they try to comply with the law.

Some platforms may intentionally remove news content, which they may consider both depressing and anxiety-producing. But even if they don’t remove the news on purpose, platforms will inevitably end up taking it down by accident as they try to moderate other content. Content moderation tools are blunt instruments that don’t understand context or nuance. Platforms will erroneously flag and remove news reports about suicide, eating disorders, illegal drugs, and other topics KOSA covers.

Read more in Tech Policy Press about how KOSA will cause platforms to overremove news content and censor important information that kids need to know.

Freedom of the Press Foundation

VIDEO: Introducing “Mind-Set” Worker Mental Health Video Series With Dr. John Gaal

2 years 1 month ago
During September’s focus on suicide prevention in the construction industry, Construction Forum videotaped an interview with Dr. John Gaal, director for the MO AFL-CIO’s Missouri Works Initiative’s Worker Wellness Program. What was to be a short video segment morphed into a 45-minute, wide-ranging discussion with Gaal. We decided to edit it into short segments for […]
Tom Finan

Site Logistics: The Next Frontier in Construction Technology

2 years 1 month ago
From Bluebeam:  Site logistics planning in construction is a bare-bones process, incorporating the planning details required by the authorities—entrances, exits, tracks for the movement of materials—and little more. When your organization becomes more committed to in-depth site logistics, there’s an opportunity to make jobs run more smoothly. Seizing this untapped advantage is a way to […]
Kacey Crawley

Concrete Paves the Way to a More Sustainable Future

2 years 1 month ago
From Construction Business Owner:  Millions of miles of pavements are placed or rehabilitated across the globe every year. Nearly 2.8 million lane-miles of pavement are in the U.S. and are a focus in the effort to lower U.S. greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), according to a February 2023 study from the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub (CSHub). […]
Kacey Crawley

YouthBuild Gifts Making L&C’s Godfrey Campus More Accessible

2 years 1 month ago
From Illinois Business Journal:  Lewis and Clark Community College’s Godfrey Campus just became a little more accessible – thanks to the gift of several new picnic tables created by Building Futures YouthBuild AmeriCorps students. YouthBuild donated the handmade wheelchair-accessible picnic tables, as well as benches and a brand-new coffee cart for College for Life’s (CFL) […]
Kacey Crawley

Secrets of a Structural Engineer

2 years 1 month ago
From Building Design + Construction: By Scott Martin Recently, I was asked to present to a group of aspiring engineers at the Florida A&M-Florida State University College of Engineering. Below is a summary of the presentation “Secrets of a Structural Engineer” that I gave to the students. More experienced engineers in the AEC industry may […]
Kacey Crawley

3 Can't-Miss Events in St. Louis This Weekend, October 19 to 22

2 years 1 month ago
Thursday 10/19 Scream Extreme As a frighteningly fun treat this spooky season, Arkadin Cinema and Bar (5228 Gravois Avenue, 314-221-2173) presents Hysteria Fest 2023 this week, which sees the micro-cinema offering up five nights of scary movies beginning Wednesday, October 18, and running through Sunday, October 22.
Riverfront Times Staff

Chesterfield May Cut Ties With Landmark Preservation Committee

2 years 1 month ago
From West Newsmagazine:  City staff in Chesterfield are looking to disband the Chesterfield Historic and Landmark Preservation Committee (CHLCP). In lieu of its current form, CHLPC would be disbanded, and its regulatory activities would be assumed by the Architectural Review Board (ARB) and Planning Commission. Other activities such as education and promotion would be taken […]
Kacey Crawley