• Santa Claus and a Civics Lesson
• BY: Paul W. Taylor   |   December 2012
• A 115-year-old editorial on the existence of Santa Claus sheds light on the future of civics in America.

• Unarmed Civilian Officers to Aide New Camden County Police
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Camden, N.J.   |   October 22, 2012
• Next year, when a new county police force starts patrolling Camden, replacing an embattled city department, residents will see many new faces beyond the armed officers.

• Making Citizens Part of Government
• BY: Robert J. O'Neill Jr.   |   October 17, 2012
• Local governments are leading the way in engaging the public in decision-making. More and more, technology is the key.

• What Makes the Boomers the Boomers?
• BY: Neil Howe   |   September 2012
• The baby boom generation is about to retire, and it has vastly different wants, needs, likes and dislikes than the generations before them.
• 7 Comments

• Transportation Plan? Atlanta Voters Say No Thanks
• BY: Alan Greenblatt   |   September 2012
• Voters in the Atlanta region rejected a ballot measure to raise sales taxes by a penny to fund some $6 billion in transportation projects.

• Poll: Attitudes Soften on Children of Illegal Immigrants
• Source: USA Today   |   Nation   |   August 23, 2012
• Four in 10 Americans now favor "providing free public education, school lunches and other benefits" to children whose parents are in the USA illegally, up from 28 percent in 1995.

• Gallup: Utah Named Best State to Live in the Future
• BY: Dylan Scott   |   Nation   |   August 7, 2012
• In the future, Utah looks like it will be the best state to live, according to a new Gallup poll that combines a cross-section of metrics to determine a state's livability.
• 1 Comments

• IT Lessons from Roseville’s “Footloose” Moment
• BY: Steve Towns   |   August 2012
• A rapidly spreading rumor about the California city last year offers a cautionary tale for public officials who think social media has little to do with the business of governing.

• Transparency in Spending for the Long Haul
• BY: John M. Kamensky   |   July 30, 2012
• States have been on the front lines of a stimulus-driven revolution in accountability. A new report urges them to build on the lessons they have learned.

• Most Support Stand Your Ground Law, as Florida Weighs Changing It
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Florida   |   July 16, 2012
• Nearly 65 percent say the 2005 law -- which allows people who believe they are in grave danger to use deadly force to defend themselves -- does not need to be changed.
• 1 Comments

• If Atlantans Reject Transportation Plan, is There a Plan B?
• Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution   |   Atlanta   |   July 16, 2012
• Voters in the 10-county Atlanta region will vote yea or nay on the $6.14 billion list of projects, plus an additional $1 billion for smaller local projects. If the measure passes, residents of each county will pay an additional 1 percent sales tax for the next 10 years.

• Detroit Closes Expensive 311 Call Center
• BY: Government Technology   |   Detroit   |   July 12, 2012
• Noted by Pew Charitable Trust researchers as having the most expensive per-call cost among cities that it recently analyzed -- $7.78 per call -- Detroit ceased operations at its 311 Call Center.
• 3 Comments

• D.C. Museum Explores Design with Miniature Golf
• BY: Ryan Holeywell,Lauren Henry   |   District of Columbia   |   July 11, 2012
• Miniature golf will draw those in Washington, D.C., to explore design while having fun at the National Building Museum.

• Chicago Brings Participatory Budgeting to the U.S.
• BY: Tod Newcombe   |   July 2012
• Participatory budgeting, which started in Latin America, lets citizens determine spending priorities.
• 4 Comments

• The Public’s Problem with Performance Measurements
• BY: Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene   |   July 2012
• The average citizen isn’t interested in government-tracked measurements. But if it’s results-based data that directly affects their lives, they might be.