FEATURES

• Billionaires in the Classroom
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• Bill Gates and other philanthropists are reshaping public education policy with private cash. Can they succeed at making schools perform to their liking?

• Office of Intergovernmental Affairs: More Influential Than Ever
• By: Ryan Holeywell
• The White House office is more prominent and responsive than it ever was.

• Georgia Overhauls Its Mental Health System
• By: Russell Nichols
• Georgia is the latest state to comply with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling to move mental health patients out of hospitals and into the community.

• The Indiana Toll Road: A Model for Privatization?
• By: Ryan Holeywell
• Public-private partnerships have been portrayed as a miracle cure for the country’s crumbling infrastructure. Indiana’s experience may prove otherwise.

• Linear Parks Are Reshaping Urban Landscapes
• By: Tod Newcombe
• Cities are turning abandoned freight train rail lines into parks that attract millions of visitors and investment dollars.

POLITICS + POLICY

• Your Day in Court? Get in Line.
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• As San Francisco County closes more than a third of its courts, local lawyers are trying to find ways to raise more revenue.

• South Carolina's Ethics Problem
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• Scandal and corruption have plagued Palmetto State politics for years. Some say it’s because it's virtually a one-party state.

• Should Governments Start Borrowing Again?
• By: Alan Greenblatt
• The word 'borrow' may be taboo still, but one economist says states and localities should take advantage of historic low interest rates.

• Taking the Speed Out of High Speed Rail
• By: Paul W. Taylor
• Some studies say that sticking with faster (rather than the fastest) rail would allow the Northwest to transport more riders for half the cost.

• 2011 May Mark the End of Federal Aid
• By: Donald F. Kettl
• The modern era of federal aid championed by President Nixon and his “new federalism” program draws to a close.

• Would-Be Laws Threaten State and Local Revenue
• By: Ryan Holeywell
• Bills to restrict states and localities’ taxing abilities are moving through Congress. If enacted, governments may have no choice but to raise taxes.

• Freeing up Space (and Money) in the Emergency Room
• By: David Levine
• A surefire way to cut health-care costs is to steer frequent ER visitors to less costly care.

• States May Lose Ability to Predict, Prepare for Bad Weather
• By: Elizabeth Daigneau
• The feds cut funding for a satellite that predicts the location and intensity of tornadoes, hurricanes and snowfall.

• Can Light Rail Unite Two Va. Cities?
• By: Alex Marshall
• Virginia Beach voted against the building of a light rail years ago. Now that it’s up and running in nearby Norfolk, Va., some think beach-dwellers may rethink their decision.

• Quincy, Mass., Rebuilds from Scratch
• By: Tod Newcombe
• The city is clearing land to rebuild its downtown using a unique business model that some say could be a game changer.

PROBLEM SOLVER

• Students' Green Solutions Save Governments Money
• By: Caroline Cournoyer
• Tapping into young peoples’ creativity in search of green improvements has paid off for an Alaskan school district and its taxpayers.

• Do States Really Balance Their Budgets?
• By: Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene
• Loopholes, unexpected expenses and glorified revenue predictions make balanced budgets an unattainable reality for some legislatures.

• Attacking the Connectivity Gap
• By: Steve Towns
• A new initiative in the nation’s capital is looking to close a stark digital divide.

• New Pension Accounting Rules Roll Out
• By: Girard Miller
• The Governmental Accounting Standards Board released new rules that are expected to become final next year.

• Fighting for Union Equality in Wisconsin
• By: Tina Trenkner
• Even though Gov. Scott Walker left public safety employees out of his attack on unions, the president of the Madison fire fighters union protested as if it were his own.

Training Opportunities

• Outsmarting the Social Services Fraudster
• 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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• Accelerating Economic Growth and Vitality