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State and local governments are likelier to face a ransomware attack than they are almost any other major emergency. These attacks' true damage goes far beyond the price of the ransom.
That's the share of Americans who will live in states where medical aid in dying is legal by September 2026, when Illinois' new law takes effect, making it the 13th state plus Washington, D.C., to authorize terminally ill patients to end their lives with a lethal prescription ...
Regan Dunn, a paleobotanist and curator at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, describing what makes the site irreplaceable and what makes moving its 3.5 million fossils for a two-year renovation so daunting. The museum closes July 6 for a massive overhaul, with every bone requiring a custom foam shell, before reopening in 2028 as the Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research. (Los Angeles Times)
Facing persistent labor shortages, state leaders are investing millions in youth robotics programs to create a new generation of manufacturing and STEM workers.
Supporters say the policy helps working parents serve in office, while critics argue some expenditures highlight the need for clearer guardrails.
A reform designed to produce more centrist candidates has largely yielded traditional Democrat-versus-Republican contests, prompting renewed questions about whether the system is working as intended.
From AI and customer experience improvements to shared services and smarter IT, state and local governments are using modern tools to deliver faster, simpler and more cost-effective services for residents.
An array of non-traditional investment vehicles will likely be offered up to governments’ defined-contribution plans. Consultants, plan sponsors and overseers need to approach them with caution.
The cancellation of these funds has left communities scrambling to scale back long-planned infrastructure projects meant to reduce future disaster risks.
That's how many jobs local governments added in May 2026, the second-largest sector for job gains in the June 5 Bureau of Labor Statistics report ...
Mandy Drogin, a senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, defending proposals before the Texas State Board of Education that would embed biblical figures in social studies standards and add Scripture passages to a required student reading list — changes critics say give Christianity privileged status over other faiths in public schools. The foundation, which championed several of the policies, gave a $70,000 grant to a university department whose faculty member helped lead the social studies standards overhaul. (Dallas Morning News)
State lawmakers are advancing new legislation that would further limit local governments’ authority, extending one of the nation’s most aggressive state pre-emption efforts.
For the first time, residents can see weekly data on heat-related emergency room visits and deaths, giving the public a clearer picture of the health impacts of extreme heat.
A new law significantly increases criminal penalties for injuring or killing police dogs and horses, reflecting their growing role in law enforcement operations.
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.
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