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New York Isn't the Only State to Set an Aggressive Climate Goal This Year, and Might Not Be the Last

As the Trump administration rolls back carbon dioxide emissions regulations, several Democratic states are drastically raising their clean air standards.

Probation and Parole Violations Are Filling Up Prisons and Costing States Billions

According to the most comprehensive report of its kind, states spend more than $9 billion a year incarcerating people who violate community supervision terms that even corrections officials admit are difficult to comply with.

Late State Budgets Are Less Common This Year. There's 2 Big Reasons for That.

Still, a few states may miss the July deadline, leading to a government shutdown in some.

Trump's Immigration Policies Could Take a Toll on Long-Term Care

Immigrants make up a quarter of the long-term care workforce, which struggles with high turnover. Without them, shortages could worsen and make it harder for people to age at home.

Supreme Court: Virginia House Lacks Authority to Defend Gerrymandering

The ruling, which united an unusual coalition of justices, could boost Democrats' chances in November.

Is 311 Fair?

A new study examines whether cities respond to complaints as quickly in poor neighborhoods as they do in rich ones.

In the State Where Teacher Strikes Started, Lawmakers Aim to Prevent More

The West Virginia Senate passed a bill that would not only punish teachers for protesting but also includes a charter school provision they recently fought to defeat. The House could vote on it as early as Monday.

Northeastern University sign.

Nonprofits Don’t Have to Pay Taxes, But Boston Still Hopes They’ll Chip In

Half the city’s land mass is occupied by tax-exempt institutions. Some city councilors say they’re not paying their fair share.

People walking by the Internal Revenue Service building in Washington, D.C.

Final IRS Rules Leave States Few Options for Evading the SALT Cap

"There is something to upset everyone in the IRS rule."

COMMENTARY

What Happens When Evidence-Based Policymaking Meets the Real World

Problems arise.

COMMENTARY

A Common Economic Language for Development

Transportation and land-use agencies often don't work with the same data as economic development offices. A new tool aims to bridge that gap.

COMMENTARY

Participatory Budgeting: A Powerful Civic Education Tool

In expanding its program that lets residents vote on public spending, New York City is enlivening democracy and engaging the electorate.

NEWS IN NUMBERS

34 years old

Age of Quinton Lucas, the Kansas City Councilor who won the mayor's race on Tuesday. He will be the city's youngest mayor in more than a century.

MORE DIGITS

Can Surge Pricing Cut Energy Use?

California will be the first state where utilities charge more for power used during peak hours.

MOST READ

  1. 1

    With Fewer Police Applicants, Departments Engage in Bidding Wars
  2. 2

    Why Illinois' Marijuana Legalization Law Is Different From All Others
  3. 3

    Why Are Residents Leaving Illinois in Droves?
  4. 4

    L.A. Says Goodbye to ‘Shade Balls’
  5. 5

    In Tribe v. State Cases, Court Shifts Support to Native Americans
  6. 6

    Probation and Parole Violations Are Filling Up Prisons and Costing States Billions
  7. 7

    Final IRS Rules Leave States Few Options for Evading the SALT Cap
A male customer smelling marijuana at a pot shop with a female worker.

Why Illinois' Marijuana Legalization Law Is Different From All Others

It will be the first state where the legislature -- not voters -- legalized cannabis sales. But that's not all that makes it unique.

• Will Marijuana and Sports Betting Solve Illinois' Budget Problems?

WHO SAID THAT?

“To a large extent, everybody could benefit from having a pet. When is it an emotional support animal and when it is a pet?”

MORE QUOTES

Right to an Attorney? Most Tenants Face Landlords Without One.

But a handful of cities are starting to provide counsel in civil court.

Are Public Employees Safe at Work?

Whether it's violence like the Virginia Beach shooting at a municipal building, or danger due to the nature of the job, government workers lack health and safety protections in nearly half the states.

Batteries or Hydrogen? Cities Weigh the Best Way for Buses to Go Electric

As transit agencies move away from fossil fuels, they are figuring out which environmentally friendly option is right for them.

California Set to Expand Health Care to More Undocumented Immigrants After Other States Fail

Gov. Gavin Newsom struck a deal with lawmakers over the weekend.

CONTENT PROVIDED BY OPTUM

How can modern solutions pave a new path to healthcare?

We know how. We are the how.

SEE HOW

What the Governors Feuding With Their Own Parties Have in Common

The governors of Kentucky, New Jersey and West Virginia face different controversies, but they're all wealthy businessmen who had never before held elected office.

Rising Funeral Costs Put Pressure on Local Governments

Funerals have become a luxury that many Americans can’t afford. Cities and counties are paying the price.

• Human Composting, Liquid Cremation: States Search for Greener Funeral Options

Where’s the Beef? States Ban Veggie Burgers From Being Labeled 'Meat'

Lawmakers say they want to clear up confusion over plant-based meat substitutes.

Governments Rethink Their 'Moral Obligation' to Municipal Bondholders

In the post-recession era, some struggling governments are choosing not to pay bondholders -- and judges are allowing their refusal.

How Governments Are Transitioning Their Gender Policies to Nonbinary

A growing number of states and cities are letting residents identify as neither male nor female, setting up a cascade of tough policy questions.