County

• Maricopa County Department of Public Health confirmed one new measles case in a county resident, adding to the total number of confirmed cases. • Public health officials have identified specific public exposures linked to this new case. • This development underscores ongoing measles transmission risks in the region amid national outbreak concerns.

Councillor announces plan to withdraw from government-funded programme in run-up to May electionsUK politics live – latest updatesThe Reform-led Lancashire county council will withdraw from the government’s refugee resettlement scheme, one of its cabinet members has said.Councillor Joshua Roberts announced plans for Lancashire to leave the scheme, which would make it the first local authority to do so. Continue reading...

Fulton county is trying to fend off subpoena from federal prosecutor looking to get contacts of 2020 election workersFulton county, Georgia, is trying to fend off a subpoena from a federal prosecutor in North Carolina seeking contact information for thousands of poll workers from the 2020 election.The subpoena, issued in April by Dan Bishop, the interim US attorney of North Carolina’s middle district, demands the county provide rosters of election staff members who served in the November 2020 election, including their identification by name, position, residential and email address and personal telephone number. Continue reading...

• A new report from Harris County Public Health reveals Houston has the highest tuberculosis rates in Texas, highlighting urban transmission risks. • The data shows elevated cases linked to dense populations and socioeconomic factors in the Houston area. • Rising TB incidence demands targeted screening and treatment expansions to curb spread in high-risk communities.

• East Bay man in Contra Costa County died after consuming toxic wild mushrooms amid statewide spike. • California recorded 35 mushroom poisoning cases from Nov. 18 to Jan. 4, far above average of under five yearly. • Surge prompts health warnings on foraging risks during wet weather conditions.

• The Snohomish County Board of Health approved new protections mandating septic system inspections prior to any home sale. • Ordinance aims to prevent buyer exposure to faulty systems, promoting public health and property safety. • Impacts thousands of rural Washington homes reliant on septic over municipal sewer.

• Public health officials confirmed two cases of measles in Sacramento County, California, amid ongoing monitoring for potential spread. • The cases highlight persistent risks despite national vaccination efforts, with officials urging unvaccinated residents to seek immunization. • Measles outbreaks underscore gaps in herd immunity, particularly in localized communities, prompting heightened surveillance statewide.

Report examines how the effects of slavery and Jim Crow at the county level continue to harm Black Georgia residentsA Georgia taskforce has released a landmark report that details the lasting impact of slavery and its afterlives in Fulton county.The report, spanning more than 600 pages, is based on original research by the Fulton county reparations taskforce and a review of primary source documents. It is the first-of-its-kind in the nation, according to county leaders and researchers. Rather than examining the impact of slavery and racism at the federal or state level, the harm report investigated the role of the county government. Continue reading...

Charities suggest ‘gendered understanding’ of crime means services often fail to recognise girls and young women as victimsAn increasing number of girls are being identified as victims of county lines exploitation, figures have shown.Data from Catch22, the charity that provides the national county lines support service, said girls and young women formed 22% of its caseload in 2025, up from 15% the previous year. Continue reading...

Homes evacuated in Lurgan as police carry out controlled explosion on device, which man was forced to carry in ‘terrifying ordeal’Gunmen hijacked a car, placed a device inside and forced the occupant to drive the vehicle to a police station in Northern Ireland on Monday, prompting a security alert and the evacuation of about 100 homes.Some streets in Lurgan, County Armagh, remained shut on Tuesday morning as police investigated the scene. Continue reading...

• County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CHR&R) refreshed data in March 2026 for 34 measures covering physical/mental health, clinical care, housing, and more, including poor or fair health, preventable hospital stays, and uninsured rates. • No typical annual data release will occur in 2026; users access updates via 2025 county/state snapshots, with the website active through December 2026. • A webinar on March 31, 2026, explains changes and supports community health efforts.

Levi Vargas, 30, was competing in Baker to Vegas race through Mojave desert as US south-west faces extreme heatLos Angeles county sheriff’s deputy Levi Vargas died on Saturday after a medical emergency while participating in an annual relay race through the Mojave desert. He was 30 years old.Vargas had been competing at the Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup relay race, which follows a 120-mile (193km) course from Baker, California, to Las Vegas, Nevada, through the Mojave desert. Several law enforcement agencies send 20-runner teams annually to compete in the race. Continue reading...

Lawyers say agency made misrepresentations in affidavit to obtain search warrant for January raid of election officesLawyers arguing in federal court for the FBI to return Fulton county’s 2020 election records said the agency’s affidavit to obtain a search warrant relied on misrepresentations that rise to the legal standard of a “callous disregard” for the county’s rights.“The only element that turns the election into a crime is intent, and nothing in the affidavit shows intent,” Abbe Lowell, who is representing Fulton county, said during the Friday hearing at the Richard Russell courthouse in Atlanta. He argued that the FBI is pursuing crimes for which the statute of limitations has expired. Continue reading...

Riverside county sheriff had last month seized more than 650,000 ballots cast in the state’s November special electionCalifornia’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, is seeking a court order to stop the Riverside county sheriff’s department from continuing its recount of ballots from the November 2025 special election.The LA Times reports that Bonta filed a petition with the fourth appellate district on Monday, writing that “the Sheriff’s misguided investigation threatens to sow distrust and jeopardize public confidence” in upcoming elections. Continue reading...

• The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament First Four games kicked off on March 17, 2026, at the University of Dayton Arena with Maryland-Baltimore County facing Howard at 6:40 p.m. ET on truTV/HBO Max. • The evening featured multiple First Four matchups including Texas vs. North Carolina State at 9:15 p.m. ET, with broadcasts featuring prominent analysts including Charles Barkley and Dick Vitale. • Coverage of the tournament's opening night included comprehensive studio programming on multiple networks, with NCAA Tip-Off at 6 p.m. and extended bracket analysis continuing into the late night hours.

In one Washington county, measles cases escalated from three to 12, prompting rapid exposure tracking, resident testing, and quarantine enforcement as of March 11. Local health workers are persuading contacts to isolate amid community resistance. The response highlights challenges in curbing outbreaks through compliance, critical for protecting vulnerable populations. Future actions focus on vaccination drives and surveillance to prevent wider transmission.

Wyoming health officials report 26 confirmed pertussis cases in 2026 so far, with two-thirds in Fremont County, following 148 cases last year—the highest in over 70 years. Underreporting is likely due to unrecognized symptoms. Rising rates signal need for boosted vaccination amid waning immunity. Officials urge testing and reporting to curb community transmission.

A Washington county is intensifying efforts to curb measles transmission as cases have rapidly escalated from three to six to 12 confirmed infections, requiring aggressive contact tracing and community response measures. Public health officials are working to identify exposures, conduct testing, and persuade infected individuals and close contacts to quarantine to prevent further spread. The escalating case count reflects the highly contagious nature of measles and the challenges communities face in controlling outbreaks.