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• Crime, Not Debt, is Detroit’s Biggest Problem
• Aug. 1, 2013
• Two powerful women in Detroit are pushing hard for the city to focus its resources on fighting its high violent crime rate, which, in 2012, was five times the national average.

• 3 Cities That Used Disaster to Revitalize Their Future
• Aug. 1, 2013
• Hit by tornadoes and earthquakes, Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Greensburg, Kan.; and San Francisco all learned how to turn local tragedy into a new and vibrant vision. Their lessons are a playbook for local officials dealing with disasters.

• How & Why Irvine Plans to Prepay Its Pension Bill
• Jul. 31, 2013
• The well-to-do city in Southern California will pay off 30 years worth of liabilities in a decade.

• Commentary
• The Flexibility We Need to Budget for the Unknowable
• Jul. 31, 2013
• Analysis of long-term government commitments such as pensions is important, but overly rigid funding rules are a formula for intergenerational conflict.

• California City 1st in Nation to Use Eminent Domain to Save Homes
• Jul. 30, 2013
• The power of eminent domain has traditionally worked against homeowners, who can be forced to sell their property to make way for a new highway or shopping mall. But now the working-class city of Richmond, Calif., hopes to use the same legal tool to help people stay right where they are.

• Minnesota May be 1st State to Regulate Retail Coin Dealers
• Jul. 29, 2013
• A state law takes effect Thursday that will provide consumer protections for precious metals buyers and, effective next July, give the Minnesota Department of Commerce oversight over dealers and their employees.

• California's Landmark Environmental, Consumer Regulations Under Federal Fire
• Jul. 29, 2013
• California has a reputation for having some of the nation's most aggressive rules on workplace safety, consumer protection and environmental quality. Now some impacted companies are fighting back, and officials in Sacramento worry that some of the state's landmark laws may be in danger.

• 80% of U.S. Adults Economically Insecure
• Jul. 29, 2013
• Four out of 5 U.S. adults struggle with joblessness, near-poverty or reliance on welfare for at least parts of their lives, a sign of deteriorating economic security and an elusive American dream.

• NBA, NHL Reps Grill Tennessee 'Jock Tax'
• Jul. 26, 2013
• Representatives for the Memphis Grizzlies, the National Basketball Players Association and the National Hockey League Players’ Association appeared at a hearing in Legislative Plaza on Tennessee’s “jock tax,” a surcharge of $2,500 per game levied on pro basketball and hockey players.

• D.C. Budget Autonomy Bill Advances
• Jul. 25, 2013
• A key House committee has approved a bill that would grant a measure of budget autonomy to the District, the latest step in the city’s long-running effort to win the ability to spend its own money freely.

• Feds Have Jurisdiction over Detroit Bankruptcy Case, Court Rules
• Jul. 24, 2013
• U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes on Wednesday stayed lawsuits challenging Detroit's historic bankruptcy filing.

• Illinois Governor Signs Bill to Cut Benefits for Politically Appointed Transit Officials
• Jul. 24, 2013
• Generous health care and pensions will go by the wayside for future political appointees overseeing the Chicago area's local bus and train service, but the current officeholders will get to keep the benefits until they are reappointed to new terms under new legislation signed by Gov. Pat Quinn.

• Denver Auditor: 5% Marijuana Tax Rate Risks Black Market
• Jul. 24, 2013
• Denver Auditor Dennis Gallagher disagrees with Mayor Michael Hancock's recreational marijuana tax target, arguing the city should seek a starting tax rate of 3.5 percent instead of the mayor's suggested 5 percent tax rate.

• Illinois Governor Hints at Special Session for Pensions
• Jul. 24, 2013
• Gov. Pat Quinn hinted Tuesday that he may summon lawmakers back to Springfield again this summer to take up public employee pension reform, saying next month's State Fair would provide an ideal time for legislators to work on the issue while also having a little fun.

• Federal, Not State, Bankruptcy Judge to Take On Detroit Pension Case
• Jul. 23, 2013
• The contentious dispute between the City of Detroit and the city’s pension funds will be decided by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes in a federal courtroom and not in state court in Ingham County, Rhodes has declared.