Sustainable Communities

• Survey Signals Possible Public-Sector Hiring Rebound
• BY: Mike Maciag   |   February 13, 2013
• State and local governments may start to hire, but employment remains below pre-recession levels.

• Texas Gov. Perry Attempts to Lure Businesses Away from California
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Texas   |   February 13, 2013
• Texas Gov. Rick Perry is on a hunting trip in California. And the prey is Golden State businesses -- and jobs.
• 1 Comments

• U.S. Labor Dept. Threatens to Withhold Unemployment Insurance Funds from Pennsylvania
• Source: Philadelphia Inquirer   |   Pennsylvania   |   February 12, 2013
• The commonwealth has often underperformed so profoundly in the timely handling of unemployment insurance forms and other matters, according to the feds, that the federal government may consider sanctions that would restrict budget money to the state.

• Tennessee to Open Export Offices in 4 Countries
• Source: Tennessean   |   Tennessee   |   February 12, 2013
• Export development offices are being set up in China, Mexico, Germany and the United Kingdom with the goal of increasing the state’s exports by 10 percent over the next three years.

• Study Measures Immigrants' Children's Success
• Source: New York Times   |   Nation   |   February 8, 2013
• Americans who were born to immigrant parents are doing better than the foreign born on important measures of socioeconomic success, and in at least one area — education — have outperformed the population as a whole.

• Can Medicaid Dental Coverage Boost Massachusetts' Economy?
• BY: Dylan Scott   |   February 6, 2013
• Few states provide comprehensive dental coverage. Massachusetts is hoping that better teeth will lead to better jobs for low-income adults.
• 1 Comments

• Advancing the Debate: Why 2013 Is (or Isn’t) Right for Comprehensive Immigration Reform
• BY: J.B. Wogan   |   February 4, 2013
• Pundits think the stars are aligned for comprehensive immigration reform.

• Cuomo Hopes to Buy Homes Wrecked by Sandy But Not Rebuild
• Source: New York Times   |   New York   |   February 4, 2013
• Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is proposing to spend as much as $400 million to purchase homes wrecked by Hurricane Sandy, have them demolished and then preserve the flood-prone land permanently, as undeveloped coastline.

• New Orleans Opens New Streetcar Line Just in Time for Super Bowl
• BY: Ryan Holeywell   |   NEW ORLEANS   |   February 2, 2013
• New line extends service to French Quarter, Superdome and downtown.

• Boulder, Colo., Likely to Adopt Its Own Green Utility
• BY: false   |   Boulder, Colo.   |   February 1, 2013
• The City Council is expected to vote in favor of the controversial idea, putting it on the vanguard of efforts to break the monopoly of corporate utility companies.

• California Bullet Train Route Land Still Not Purchased
• Source: The Los Angeles Times   |   California   |   February 1, 2013
• Construction of California's high-speed rail network is supposed to start in just six months, but the state hasn't acquired a single acre along the route and faces what officials are calling a challenging schedule to assemble hundreds of parcels needed in the Central Valley.

• Great Plains Cities Experipence Strong Growth from Agriculture, Energy
• Source: USA Today   |   February 1, 2013
• While city governments in certain regions of the country muddle through the fallout from the Great Recession, many cities in the Great Plains are pondering what to buy instead of what to cut.

• The Income Tax Rebellion: Can It Work?
• BY: Liz Farmer   |   January 31, 2013
• The loudest collective rallying cry from governors this year is not over the usual themes of growing jobs and having a more competitive economy. This year, the buzz is all about the race to zero.
• 13 Comments

• Cities Strengthening Bonds with Their International Sisters
• BY: Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene   |   February 2013
• There's a new push to get these 2,000 international partnerships working together on concrete development programs.

• What China's Unique Urbanization Can Teach America
• BY: Alan Greenblatt   |   February 2013
• Nineteen of the 20 fastest-growing cities in the world last year were in China. For more from Governing's first-ever International Issue, click here.
• 2 Comments