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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.

Supreme Court: Virginia House Lacks Authority to Defend Gerrymandering

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

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.

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.

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."

Is 311 Fair?

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

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.

Can Surge Pricing Cut Energy Use?

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

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.

COMMENTARY

What We Can Do to Keep the Climate Crisis From Killing Jobs

Cities and states have the tools to help shape a future that is both clean and equitable.

NEWS IN NUMBERS

13th

On Monday, New York joined the 12 other states that let undocumented immigrants get driver's licenses.

MORE DIGITS
Doctors standing in line to speak at a microphone.

Who Should Approve Medical Vaccine Exemptions?

Amid concerns over "fake" exemptions, California is debating a bill that would make public health officials sign off on them like they do in other states. Doctors support the legislation, but the Democratic governor has criticized it.

MOST READ

  1. 1

    Why Illinois' Marijuana Legalization Law Is Different From All Others
  2. 2

    With Fewer Police Applicants, Departments Engage in Bidding Wars
  3. 3

    L.A. Says Goodbye to ‘Shade Balls’
  4. 4

    In Tribe v. State Cases, Court Shifts Support to Native Americans
  5. 5

    Final IRS Rules Leave States Few Options for Evading the SALT Cap
  6. 6

    What the Governors Feuding With Their Own Parties Have in Common
  7. 7

    The Growing Importance of the Arts to Rural America
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?

“We’re doing a disservice to patients if we protect them from hospital bills but bankrupt them on the way there.”

MORE QUOTES

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.

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.

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

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.

Chicago Prosecutor Kim Foxx Is Unapologetic

The first African-American woman to lead Cook County's State's Attorney's Office talks about how she's making it more transparent and where her confidence comes from.

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.

Trash in the ocean.

First Bags Then Straws: The Next Front in the War on Plastic

States are wading into what used to be a local issue, and styrofoam containers are their next target in the effort to reduce waste that pollutes the environment.