New Jersey's ill-fated pension reform plan is history. As 2006 drew to a close, the governor and legislature, hoping to pay for property-tax reduction through pension plan reforms, failed to come to an agreement--much to the relief of thousands of state workers, unionized and otherwise, who marched on Trenton to make known their concerns about benefit adjustments.

Five years ago, I started a daily column called Urban Notebook on the Governing Web site. Eventually, it found its way here to the print edition. In those years, I've written 1,200 columns on everything from economic development and transit issues to neighborhood renewal and public safety--with a sprinkling about the sometimes bizarre world of urban life.

Lots of juicy local plums won't be ripening this year.

It's not just for the young and hip. State and local IT officials are tapping into a cool Google tool to create maps with new, improved uses.

A new federal law gives the military a domestic function it hasn't had before.