Coast to coast: Economic development, infrastructure and public safety were top concerns as U.S. mayors summed up the state of their cities this year, but current events helped frame those longstanding issues in discussions of race and inequality, a new study finds. The Associated Press reports remarks on the economy often included calls for raising the minimum wage, for instance, and talk of public safety often touched on officer-worn body cameras and other measures aimed at building trust between police and citizens, according to a National League of Cities analysis of 100 “state of the city” speeches being released this morning. Last year’s speeches evoked similar overall priorities, says study co-author Brooks Rainwater, but the emphasis within them shifted toward addressing race and equity. Read the full story.
There’s always next year: Goldman Sachs says lower oil prices will probably disappoint the U.S. petroleum industry’s hope of a drilling recovery in the second half of the year. As FuelFix.com reports, the U.S. oil price’s recent fall to around $52 a barrel will rule out the possibility that oil companies will send 100 to 150 drilling rigs to U.S. oil fields this year—a bullish market expectation born out of two months of stable $60 oil, which ended late last week. Goldman Sachs analysts project only 20 to 50 rigs will return to work by the end of the year. Goldman believes the price of U.S. crude will sink to $45 a barrel by October. That’s a bearish forecast compared to most, including the U.S. Energy Information Administration, which expects light, sweet crude to average $55 a barrel this year. Read the full story.
On the small screen: About half of U.S. smartphone owners check their devices several times an hour or more frequently, including 11% who say they check it every few minutes and 41% who check it a few times an hour. According to new survey findings by Gallup, another 20% of Americans claim to check their phones about once an hour, leaving 28% who check them less frequently. The survey was conducted among 15,747 U.S. adults who say they have a smartphone. The frequency with which Americans check their smartphones essentially means that they must be keeping their smartphones by their sides during the day. The data bear that assumption out: 81% of smartphone users say they keep their phone near them “almost all the time during waking hours.” Read the full story.
