Features

• State Governments: The Latest Venture Capitalists
• By: Russell Nichols
• With venture capital firms scaling back, state governments are stepping in to fund early-state, high-risk startups.

• Are CIO-Led Organizations Endangered?
• By: Tod Newcombe
• State and local governments are questioning the need for large, centralized, costly IT departments.

• The Spreading Cloud
• By: Tod Newcombe
• With governments facing fiscal pressures, IT services and applications delivered through computer servers may save on costs.

• Tablets: Government's Newest Tool
• By: Elizabeth Daigneau
• From mayors to police departments to high schools, tablet computers are changing the way government works.

• Peer Assistance Review Helps Teachers in Toledo
• By: Jonathan Walters
• When it comes to easing inept teachers out of the classroom, Toledo has been charting the way.

• Investing in Greener Fleets During Tough Times
• By: Ryan Holeywell
• Eco-friendly fleets aren't all stalled, but they've shifted to a lower gear.

Departments

• Why Hasn't Voting by Mail Spread?
• By: Paul W. Taylor
• Voting by mail is popular in the states that allow it. But some states are hesitant to make such a switch.

Politics + Policy

• The Troubled State of Mental Health Funding
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• States have cut mental health funding by more than $2 billion. Things may get worse this year.

• The Immigration Enforcement Divide
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• Legislators are trying to pass laws requiring immigration checks, but they're running into resistance from the people who would enforce them.

• School Vouchers Are In ... Again
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• Different circumstances and a favorable political climate make school vouchers more attractive than before.

• Time to Ban BPA?
• By: Andy Kim
• While the feds struggle with their own assessment of the chemical, several states enact bans.

• Public Servants as Public Enemy #1
• By: Peter Harkness
• At all levels, denigration of public service is a legacy of the recession.

• Emergency Workers Push for More Bandwidth
• By: Ryan Holeywell
• Public safety workers and the Federal Communications Commission have feuded over the future of a section of broadcast spectrum known as "D Block."

• Libraries Now Offering Books and Workouts
• By: Jessica Mulholland
• Public libraries are now the place to stretch your mind and body.

• States Pushing Green Education in the Classroom
• By: Ryan Holeywell
• Forty-seven states are in the stages of developing "environmental literacy plans," which could help student engagement and achievement.

• The Economic Development President
• By: William Fulton
• In his State of the Union speech, President Obama was using the language of economic investment -- language mayors and governors use all the time.

• Motorists and Light Rail Struggle to Share the Road
• By: Tod Newcombe
• City motorists need to remember that streets aren't just for cars anymore.

Problem Solver

• Library Shutdown in Camden, N.J.
• By: Heather Kerrigan
• Times are tough for libraries. To keep the doors open, one city is turning its operations over to the county.

• The Legislative Funding Flaw
• By: Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene
• When state legislatures pass new programs but don't fund them, they may do more harm than good.

• Laptops at the Push of a Button
• By: Steve Towns
• Can self-service laptop dispensers help libraries offer more public computers?

• Is Federal Help Truly a Myth?
• By: John E. Petersen
• History says cities and states can look to the feds for a fiscal rescue plan.

• Oakland, Calif. Elects First Female, Asian-American Mayor
• By: Tina Trenkner
• Former City Councilmember Jean Quan hopes to make her office more accessible and transparent.

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


• FutureStructure: A New Framework