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The cancellation of these funds has left communities scrambling to scale back long-planned infrastructure projects meant to reduce future disaster risks.
A new analysis from the Urban Institute finds only 10 percent of American homes are located within half a mile of frequent public transit service, with significant variation from place to place.
The laws that grant immunity to bystanders calling 911 when someone overdoses can save lives. But by drawing police presence, they also are disrupting the illicit drug trade. Policymakers can build on that.
A Housing and Urban Development report awaited since December shows homeless numbers went down for the first time since 2016.
That's how much major crime declined across New York City in May, with murders down nearly 21 percent year-to-date at 102, the lowest level ever recorded for the first five months of any year ...
Mark Jones, a spokesperson for the Missouri National Education Association, describing a $1.9 million contribution to the campaign pushing Missouri voters to replace the state income tax with expanded sales taxes. The measure on the Aug. 4 ballot is a top priority for Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe. The money came from Missouri Promise Inc., a nonprofit incorporated in Delaware just weeks before the 2026 legislative session began, with a mailbox address in St. Louis and no publicly identifiable donors. When the Kansas City Star asked the attorney general's office about the contribution, the response was that state law prohibits revealing the identity of any entity under investigation, leaving voters with no way to know who is bankrolling one of the most consequential tax decisions in Missouri's recent history. (Kansas City Star)
Residents of a Southern California city overwhelmingly approved what appears to be the nation’s first voter-enacted ban on data centers, reflecting growing local opposition to the industry.
State agencies are spending millions to update eligibility systems and verification tools ahead of a federal deadline for new Medicaid work rules.
From Iowa to New Mexico, a series of competitive gubernatorial contests is offering early clues about voter sentiment heading into the midterms.
Benefits that travel with workers from job to job give them stability, and they’re a recruitment and retention tool for businesses. State laws that provide legal clarity can make it work for everyone.
That's the share of households earning under $50,000 a year that reported not having enough food or having children miss meals in early 2026 ...
Jonathan Alexander, president of Pittsburgh's Sheraden neighborhood community council, putting his finger on why fixing missed garbage pickups, which have more than tripled in 311 complaints since 2019, won't solve the waste problem in neighborhoods like his. Illegal dumpsites are the deeper issue. The nonprofit Allegheny CleanWays has identified more than 2,000 such sites across the city, with about 10 in Sheraden alone, and residents say sanitation trucks sometimes leave an area messier than they found it after rummaging animals or broken bags scatter debris that workers aren't required to clean up. The city's garbage fleet hasn't grown since before the pandemic even as 311 missed-collection requests have climbed steadily. (Pittsburgh Public Source)
Data center projects are drawing fierce opposition in rural communities that form the backbone of Republican support, putting state leaders at odds with a White House eager to accelerate AI infrastructure.
A statewide study found that students in the most effective schools attended about seven more days per year than similar students in the least effective schools.
The latest round of a state-backed debt relief program will wipe out medical debt for more than 97,000 residents, offering financial relief without requiring an application.
Votes aren’t fully counted, but the general-election duels for California governor, L.A. mayor and other offices are starting to take shape.
The design of political constituencies is an important element in the maintenance of community. The way we have manipulated voting districts has eroded a relationship that ought to be fundamental to public life.
Our system for dealing with these emergencies is weaker than it once was. Leaders closest to the people need to strengthen their communications, operations and community engagement before the next crisis arrives.
That's how many new officers New York City's Police Department (NYPD) plans to hire this year. That would bring the force to 35,555 uniformed officers by year's end ...
Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, making his pitch to voters in a state where Trump won three consecutive presidential elections but where farmer frustration with tariffs, surging diesel prices and collapsed soybean exports to China is scrambling the political math heading into November's midterms. Turek, a four-time Paralympic wheelchair basketball player born with spina bifida, represents a Republican-leaning district in the Iowa House and is running on what he calls "prairie populism," affordable healthcare, a living wage and opposition to Medicaid cuts. Iowa's governor's race has already moved from "lean Republican" to "toss-up," and Democrats see as many as three of the state's four House seats as competitive. (Bloomberg News)
A new law restricts law enforcement access to ballots, voting systems and voter data, reflecting growing concerns about election interference ahead of the midterms.
Police departments across Idaho are embracing AI-powered surveillance tools to solve crimes faster, even as critics raise concerns about privacy and oversight.
New forecasting efforts aim to help policymakers anticipate emerging budget risks before they evolve into major deficits or funding crises.
Seven states that rely on Colorado River water couldn’t agree on a plan to share a shrinking resource. What comes next could be especially fateful for Arizona.
It’s not just uncertainty coming from Washington. It’s a structural shift in who bears fiscal risk, and local governments are at the bottom of that ladder.
Revised estimates suggest the state will save only a fraction of what officials initially expected.
A major increase in construction and maintenance spending will help dozens of projects, yet most of the state’s school infrastructure backlog remains unresolved.
Lawmakers approved significant investments in child care access, but proposals to boost pay and stabilize the workforce failed to make the final budget.
That's how many states require regular election audits under state law, with Georgia among the most visible this week, as Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger opened the state's risk-limiting audit of the May 19 primary to the public, rolling 10-sided dice to randomly select batches of ballots for hand-counting across all 159 counties ...
Former San Diego City Councilmember Mark Kersey, defending middle managers even as he acknowledged the city must make tough choices, a rare moment of nuance in a budget debate in which middle managers have become the go-to scapegoat for San Diego's $118 million deficit. Mayor Todd Gloria is proposing to cut 37 unclassified positions to save $9.3 million from a general fund that spent more than $49 million on such roles this fiscal year. (Voice of San Diego)
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