Let’s pause for a moment — amid the fire and ice of war; the GOP House conference congratulating itself for choosing an election denying, conspiracy theorizing speaker; and more murderous consequences of our infatuation with an unregulated militia — to bring you this announcement: As of this writing, I’ve shaved every day since Halloween.

‘Governing on the Ground: The Past, Present, and Future of Country Government’ is a collection of personal anecdotes from government officials across the country on the issues that they focus on fighting against in their counties. Published this year, it covers issues from health, human services, public safety, the environment and land uses, communication and economics, transportation, and technology.

Some lower courts have divined in the First Amendment’s penumbra a right to follow politicians on social media. On Tuesday the Supreme Court will consider whether the Constitution bars public officials from blocking constituents on their personal accounts (O’Connor-Ratcliff v. Garnier and Lindke v. Freed).