Sustainable Communities

• Recycling Paint in California
• BY: Brian Peteritas   |   California   |   October 22, 2012
• A new law requires paint manufacturers to put a system in place to make recycling leftover paint easier for residential and commercial customers.

• The Mayor Who's Determined to Bring Flint Back
• BY: Mark Funkhouser   |   October 22, 2012
• Dayne Walling came back to his hometown intent on turning it around. Don't bet against him.
• 1 Comments

• Unemployment Rates Fall in Most Battleground States
• BY: Mike Maciag   |   October 19, 2012
• Jobless rates dropped in most swing states last month. View updated data for all 50 states.
• 2 Comments

• Wisconsin Gov. Walker Promises 'Dramatic Moves' to Fix Job Agency's Problems
• Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   |   Wisconsin   |   October 19, 2012
• Following the revelation that millions in past-due loans had been ignored by state officials for more than a year, Gov. Scott Walker vowed to take aggressive action at the embattled state jobs agency that he has championed.

• NCAA Yanks 5 Championships from New Jersey as State Vows to Charge Ahead with Sports Betting
• Source: Newark Star-Ledger   |   New Jersey   |   October 17, 2012
• Hours after New Jersey announced it would begin issuing sports betting licenses in January, the National Collegiate Athletic Association pulled a half-dozen regional championship tournaments out of the state.

• New York’s Rising Unemployment Rate Poses Test for Gov. Cuomo
• Source: New York Times   |   New York   |   October 16, 2012
• In the last year, New York was the only state with a statistically significant increase in unemployment.

• Military Communities Brace for Sequestration Cuts
• BY: Ryan Holeywell   |   October 11, 2012
• Virginia and Maryland municipalities are likely to be hardest hit by defense spending cuts set to take effect in January.

• States Struggle to Pay Unemployment Trust Fund Debt
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   October 8, 2012
• The more than $26 billion in lingering debt has gained little notice, but forced states to scale back unemployment benefits, raise taxes, tap general funds and even turn to the private bond market.

• A Manhattan Project for Failing Cities
• BY: Ryan Holeywell   |   October 2, 2012
• One expert says the effort that developed the atomic bomb is exactly what's needed to turn some of America's financially distressed cities around.
• 10 Comments

• Bicycles, Beer and the Factory Jobs that Aren't Coming Back
• BY: Mark Funkhouser   |   October 1, 2012
• Manufacturing is going the way of agriculture, which technology has reshaped to employ ever-fewer workers. But traditional manufacturing isn't the only game in town.
• 2 Comments

• How Private Services Became Public
• BY: Alex Marshall   |   October 2012
• Things we take for granted today -- public police, roads and libraries -- were only achieved through long, hard political battles that lasted decades and sometimes centuries.
• 2 Comments

• DIY Urbanism Makes Creative Use of Public Spaces
• BY: Tod Newcombe   |   October 2012
• As the economy continues to take big bites out of arts and city planning budgets, this bottom-up approach is changing the look of some cities. Are governments ready to embrace these grassroots ideas?
• 1 Comments

• Can Credit-Exchange Programs Clean Up Lakes?
• BY: Elizabeth Daigneau   |   October 2012
• The concept has been used for the past 40 years as a means of restoring the health of rivers, streams, lakes and oceans -- but it's getting new attention.

• When the Music Stops
• BY: Mark Funkhouser   |   September 27, 2012
• A lot of our symphony orchestras are in trouble, and the changing nature of cities is part of the problem. But Buck Owens may have some lessons for Beethoven.

• The Farm Bill Expires This Week. Does It Matter?
• BY: Ryan Holeywell   |   September 26, 2012
• Not much -- for now. But lawmakers, especially those from agriculture-producing states, have warned Congress about the troubles that could ensue.
• 2 Comments