RICHMOND, Va. -- Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is critical of the federal government's use of gas taxes and its failures to improve rail service -- issues that both are hot topics in Virginia.

The United for Infrastructure conference in Las Vegas, billed as the first 2020 campaign event to focus on the issue, featured Democratic candidates Buttigieg, Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and businessman Tom Steyer. All agreed that the nation needs to invest more to repair aging roads and bridges, but they were more cautious on whether to raise the federal gas tax for the first time since 1993 for infrastructure needs.

Buttigieg told the crowd that the nation needs to be realistic about the future of gas taxes.

"We are going to have to graduate from the gas tax because we're going to have to graduate from gas," said Buttigieg, who will attend a town hall in Fairfax this Sunday. "We know that it is not a viable, long-term funding mechanism for our highways."

Virginia's General Assembly just passed two separate bills raising the state gas tax: Senate Bill 890 and House Bill 1414.

All four candidates said they support more commuter and high-speed rail investment to reduce highway traffic, but Buttigieg focused on the need to improve rail service on the busy Northeast corridor, particularly between Washington and New York and between Washington and Richmond. He said the Amtrak line that follows Interstate 95 is antiquated and causes bottlenecks in regions that still run on single tracks.

"We've got to decide whether we think it's OK for the greatest country in the world to have inferior transportation when it comes to rail," he said. "It just doesn't make sense, and I don't know why Americans should be tolerating inferior service relative to fellow members of industrialized economies."

The Commonwealth has pledged to invest almost $4 billion in rail over the next decade to reduce the number of single-track areas and increase train speeds. The number of Amtrak trains operating in Virginia is expected to double by 2030.

The texts of SB 890 and HB 1414 are online, as is information about the United for Infrastructure conference.


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The U.S. Department of Transportation has frozen millions in grant dollars awarded by the Biden administration, leaving those counting on them in limbo.

Powell County, Montana was set to receive more than $6.3 million for its Parks to Passes project, a collaboration with neighboring groups and governments to close gaps in a pedestrian and biking corridor spanning roughly 230 miles between Butte and the Idaho border. The trail is part of the larger Great American Rail-Trail route.

Kevin Mills, vice president of policy for the Rails to Trails Conservancy, said the eventual coast-to-coast trail will stretch 3,700 miles from Washington, D.C., to Washington state.

"It's really stalling an important connection in that nationwide trail," Mills pointed out. "That puts at risk Montana's potential to tap into what we've calculated to be $16 million in new economic development."

The grant was part of President Joe Biden's Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the Biden administration delayed construction with, quote, "leftist social requirements" including the consideration of a project's climate change and social justice impacts.

In addition to economic and climate benefits, effective trail corridors improve safety. Mills noted 9,000 pedestrians and cyclists die on roads each year in the U.S. and 130,000 more are injured.

"This is a problem that's really grown over the last decade because we don't really provide safe places to walk and bike," Mills explained. "These federal grants that are on hold are sorely needed to make the situation better."

In Montana, he added, about $200 million in grants have been frozen, including $10 million for trail projects.

New data show Arizona's two largest airports have fared well for on-time departures and arrivals but the same cannot be said about U.S. airlines in general.

Air travelers filed about 67,000 complaints last year, up 9% from 2023, according to a new report from the Public Interest Research Group Education Fund. The top grievances were cancellations and delays, not receiving refunds and luggage being lost or damaged.

Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog director for the group's Arizona education fund, said the number of travelers was expected to increase by about 7% this year but economic uncertainty and concerns from international travelers has curbed it. She noted Delta, Southwest and United have all indicated they will cut their number of flights in the months ahead.

"Then you throw in the safety issue," Murray added. "We don't have any way of knowing -- and I don't think the airlines really know for sure -- what to expect in the months ahead, although it is certainly expected that maybe we won't see a 7% increase in passengers this year."

Murray pointed out travelers have more rights this year than they did a year ago. For instance, complaints about refunds and delays prompted action from Congress on an FAA reauthorization bill, which mandates airlines to issue fast, no-hassle refunds if a flight is canceled for any reason. Online, people can visit pirg.org/flighttips for more information.

Murray noted overall, cancellations and delays across the nation increased last year. Just this week, Newark Airport saw many delays and cancellations after the FAA issued a ground stop following an outage at one of its air traffic control facilities. Murray argued flyers need to be in the know and on alert about where they are flying through.

"Pay attention to the news," Murray urged. "Because there are going to be other hot spots where, because of the air traffic control shortages and because of equipment, there may be some airports that are just a little bit more headache-inducing than what we've seen."

Murray realizes some are on edge about the current state of the airline industry but emphasized being courteous and respectful to fellow passengers and airline representatives goes a long way.

A new report shows housing and transportation are key factors that can keep young professionals from leaving Nebraska for opportunities elsewhere. Better pay is also near the top of the list.

To counter the brain drain happening across much of the Midwest, the City Of Omaha has launched a brain gain initiative, trying keep the state's young, professional talent in Nebraska.

Omaha Chamber of Commerce Director of Workforce Development Merrick Brtek said they did a survey to find out why young people are leaving.

"One of the reasons was job opportunities - that they were seeking job opportunities elsewhere," said Brtek. "Maybe they had their first career role here and were looking to advance, and they found an advancement role in another state."

Brtek said the city is helping young professionals understand that many of the priorities they're looking for elsewhere, including those advancement opportunities, already exist in Nebraska.

She added that Omaha is working to address the things that could be better, like creating more access to reliable mass transit, availability of affordable housing and higher wages.

Brtek said economic development teams are also shifting their focus to the younger demographic, trying to dispel the perception that good opportunities don't exist in Nebraska.

"We're trying to spend time working with kiddos that are a little bit younger, maybe high school students or college students, to make sure they're aware of the opportunities that are available," said Brtek. "Not just in Omaha but in the state of Nebraska to keep talent here, as well."

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau show Nebraska has been consistency losing population for the last 15 years, though some larger communities are seeing growth, mostly immigrants relocating from other countries.