Features

• Wilder's Last Crusade
• By: Rob Gurwitt
• Virginia's ex-governor has made a career out of accomplishing the unexpected. He is betting he can do it one more time as mayor of a proud but messed-up city.

• The Politics of Preschool
• By: Christopher Conte
• Most states are sold on the benefits of universal preschool, but limited funding may compromise its quality and availability.

• Power Alignment
• By: Christopher Swope
• Four Western states agree to back a "superhighway" for electricity.

• Dock Shock
• By: Zach Patton
• The competition for federal grants pits the security concerns of small ports against big ones and leaves all of them short of what they say they need.

• Opening the Mail
• By: Ellen Perlman
• When is an e-mail like a phone call--and when is it a public record or a secret meeting?

• Stranded Seniors
• By: Christopher Swope
• Suburban life revolves around the car. When elderly residents are no longer able to drive, getting around gets complicated.

Up Front

• Border Wars
• By: Donald F. Kettl
• Immigration used to be considered strictly a federal issue. But it's heating up in legislatures all over the country.

• Local Avenger
• By: Rob Gurwitt
• Todd Smith has declared war against the red tape his state imposes on county government.

• Be a Ref, Give a Kidney, Save a Bundle
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• Every legislator has a list of constituents who need a break

• A Brake on Breaks?
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• States still like giving tax subsidies to big corporations, but they get nervous when their localities do it.

• White-Collar Blues
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• Public employee unions have suffered setbacks, but they're not as weak as they sometimes claim to be.

• Sagging in Sacramento
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• Somewhere between last year and this year, Arnold Schwarzenegger forgot how to focus.

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• By: Alan Greenblatt

• Curbing Parking
• By: Alan Ehrenhalt
• Local zoning laws mandate parking spaces as if empty lots were a virtue.

The Business of Government

• Survivor's Guide
• By: Alex Marshall
• It's federal, state and local governments--not individuals or even companies--that determine if a transportation idea sinks or swims.

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• By: Alex Marshall

• Hurricane Hubris
• By: Ellen Perlman
• Evacuating residents from the path of a storm is often a frustrating task for emergency officials.

• Portfolio Pressures
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• A Regular Way to Run a Pension Fund

• Splish Splash
• By: Christopher Swope
• A City Sees a New Way To Keep Kids Cool

• Price Shopper: Vermont Mandates Details on Drug Prices
• By: Zach Patton

• Rx Data on Demand
• By: Ellen Perlman
• A computer system helps reduce pain-killer abuse.

• Easy Ride: California Will Figure Out Your Taxes For You
• By: Elizabeth Daigneau
• As tax season rolled around for Californians this past April, residents got an unexpected present from Uncle Sam: a pre-prepared state tax return.

• Topping Out
• By:
• State and local sales tax rates inch higher

• Keeping the Outdoors Open
• By: Tom Arrandale
• The opportunities for Americans to explore those places in the natural world that molded their country may be dwindling.

• The Stimulator
• By: William Fulton
• President Bush's proposal to change the way urban grants work raises questions about local economic development that have been ignored for too long.

Training Opportunities

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• Learn how IBM InfoSphere Identity Insight helps social services organizations reduce time and labor for caseload management, comply with new regulations fast and cost-efficiently and identify fraudulent behavior rapidly to stop it before it occurs.
• A Safer Public Through Advanced Analytics
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