Features

• Bleak Outlook for State Finances
• By: Rob Gurwitt

• States are experience their worst fiscal situation in decades, but it's not just the bank that's broken, it's the system.

• In Wisconsin, Partisan Battles Rule the Legislature
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• State legislatures may not be as partisan as Congress, but they're getting closer.

• Top 10 Legislative Issues to Watch 2010
• By: Josh Goodman

• In the wake of the Great Recession, here are the topics that will capture the attention of state legislators.

• Is Municipal Bond Insurance Dead?
• By: Penelope Lemov

• Bond insurers used to back roughly half of the entire municipal market. Not anymore.

• Is Social Media a Friend or Foe of Government?
• By: Tina Trenkner

• States and localities want to engage citizens, but social media comes with a lot of legal risks and management concerns.

Departments

• The Rise of the Megaregion
• By: Alan Ehrenhalt
• The idea of "megaregions" is getting a bit too much mega-hype.

Politics + Policy

• An "Ordinary Joe" Runs Indianapolis
• By: Josh Goodman

• Indianapolis' Greg Ballard may be the closest thing to a "citizen mayor" any big American city has.

• Energy Program Comes Under Fire
• By: Josh Goodman

• Oregon's popular energy tax credit program may have created green jobs, but it's drained millions from the general fund.

• A Showdown Over Nuclear Power Wages in Vermont
• By: Josh Goodman

• The state legislature holds the future of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in its hands.

• Following An Ethically-Challenged Governor
• By: Josh Goodman

• Illinois Governor Pat Quinn can't shake Rod Blagojevich's ghost.

• Washington Plays Catch Up On Climate Change
• By: Peter Harkness
• States, localities and the private sector are already confronting climate change. Washington has just scratched the surface.

• States Weigh Pot Reform
• By: Josh Goodman

• With the feds turning a blind eye to medical marijuana use, could states take pot reform a step further?

• Primary-Care System Lags Behind Other Developed Nations
• By: Penelope Lemov

• Not only does the demand for primary-care doctors already exceed supply, but a survey finds primary care is behind in a of myriad ways.

• Cities for Cycling Embrace European Street Designs
• By: Linda Baker

• America is still far from being bicycle-friendly, which is why they are experimenting with innovative, European-style street designs.

• Eminent Domain Outrage in Connecticut
• By: William Fulton
• A struggling town made a big bet on a big company — and got left holding the bag.

• Las Vegas Rolls the Dice on a New City Hall
• By: Christopher Swope
• Mayor Oscar Goodman sees a new city hall as the catalyst that will set off a wave of development downtown.

Problem Solver

• Fighting Foreclosures Using Emergency Management Tactics
• By: John Buntin

• Local governments are building ad-hoc networks to tackle housing foreclosures.

• Awaiting the Meaning of Waiting Lists
• By: Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene
• They are supposed to give you solid information about program demand. Instead, they mislead the public.

• Tweeting for the Public Good
• By: Steve Towns
• Utah allows employees to use social media on the job, but lays down the rules.

• Defining State Debt
• By: John E. Petersen
• State borrowing takes on so many forms that it's hard to figure out what the total is.

• Bernard Melekian
• By: John Buntin

• Pasadena's former police chief is trading anonymity to revive a languishing federal office.

Training Opportunities

• Accelerating Economic Growth and Vitality
• This white paper describes how developing competencies in five key area can help public safety agencies more effectively do their jobs in the face of extremely important and difficult sets of issues.
• Crime Prediction and Prevention


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