Developer Scot Matteson assured The Oklahoman that the $1.5 billion Legends Tower project in Oklahoma City is fully funded. However, some uncertainties remain about the feasibility of the project.

Matteson needs approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration and city zoning, and the first-phase apartment towers must achieve sufficient leasing.

• Legends Tower: Planned to be 1,907 feet tall, potentially the tallest building in North America, if approvals are granted and at least 50% of units in the initial smaller towers are leased.

Addressing skepticism about building such a tall structure in Oklahoma City, Matteson stated, "I’m used to this skepticism by the public and other people, but we have goals, and we seem to meet them all the time."

Matteson Capital also noted that a building permit won't be available until at least September.

The Census Bureau's May 16 press release highlighted a positive trend for the Northeast, the only region to lose population from July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2023. According to the latest data, large cities in the Northeast and Midwest grew in 2023, reversing earlier population declines.

• Fastest Growing Cities: Among the 15 fastest growing cities with populations over 20,000 as of July 1, 2023, over half were in Texas, with most others in the South. Exceptions included Lathrop, California (#5), and Athens, Ohio (#15).

The Census Bureau has created an interactive map showing the 15 largest cities in each state with their population data and percent changes between July 1, 2022, and July 1, 2023.

Nationally, more states experienced population growth in 2023 than any year since the pandemic began, with the U.S. population growing by 0.5%, adding 1.6 million people to nearly 335 million.

Lime, a major U.S. bike-share operator, has chosen Washington D.C. (pop. 671,803) and Bloomington, Indiana (pop. 79,107) to share its data and expand equity in micromobility, according to Government Technology. These cities were selected from a dozen applicants in the 2024 Mobility Insights Competition organized by Lime and the League of American Bicyclists.

Lime highlighted both cities for “recognizing the ways shared micromobility data can speak to broader issues in the transportation system, including safety, equity, and accessibility,” reports senior writer Skip Descant.

• Data Sharing: Lime will provide extensive data on trips, survey responses, and safety metrics.

• Collaboration: Lime will help the cities analyze the data to better understand biking issues and address transportation challenges.

“It’s the melding of tech, policy, and infrastructure that creates modern, relevant transportation features like mobility hubs, or streets reimagined for more than just cars,” said Gene Oh, Tranzito CEO.

More than a third of U.S. drivers were distracted by their cellphones before crashing, according to a 2024 report from Cambridge Mobile Telematics. Smartphones, however, can also help prevent collisions by pinpointing where distracted driving leads to more accidents, says Gary Hallgren, president and CEO of Arity, an Allstate company.

Arity collects data on risky driving behaviors like speeding, hard braking, and cellphone use. Hallgren notes that “clusters of accidents” can reveal future hotspot areas for collisions.

• Distracted Driving Increase: Up 30% from 2019 to 2024.

• 2021 Statistics: 3,522 fatalities and over 363,000 injuries from distracted driving.

Arity's data shows high levels of distracted driving in states like Hawai’i, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New York, while Wyoming, New Mexico, Montana, and Missouri have the least. New York City metro area leads in distracted driving among cities, followed by Miami-Dade and Cook County.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched a campaign in April to highlight the dangers and legal consequences of distracted driving, supported by increased law enforcement.

Hallgren emphasizes that understanding where future accidents might happen can help transportation authorities act proactively, improving safety and resource allocation.