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Teen meth use in Idaho dropped 52 percent between 2007 and 2009, the largest decline in the nation for that period and a year after a 2008 anti-meth program began.
Map shows where baby boomers live across U.S. counties
States are behind in implementing a federal law that requires electronic verification for Medicaid long-term care patients.
Some worry terrorists could shut down the economy with the click of a mouse.
Governments are struggling with how to properly manage sick leave to prevent employees from abusing it.
It’s more crucial than ever to know whether government programs are effective.
The nation’s capital is more about what you own these days than what you do.
While it’s unclear how many public universities use a similar system, a survey this year by executive compensation consultants Yaffe & Company suggests that just over one-third of presidents at private universities have some of their pay tied to performance.
Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist on Sunday urged voters to support President Barack Obama in the crucial swing state where the Democratic incumbent and Republican candidate Mitt Romney remain in a razor-thin race.
As the United States nears 2,500 days without a Category 3 or higher hurricane, weather and disaster experts worry that Hurricanes Wilma, Katrina and Rita will become hazy memories and Americans will go soft.
Local officials in Texas are discussing whether to band together to expand Medicaid coverage in some of the state’s biggest counties, making an end run around Gov. Rick Perry’s opposition to the expanded program included in President Obama’s health-care law.
Most offenders who qualify for rehab services instead of incarceration under the state's new realignment policy are still being sentenced to time behind bars, reports show.
A federal court in Washington considers a lawsuit challenging whether South Carolina's voter ID law is legal.
The law requires cellphone carriers to provide law enforcement with a customer's location information in an emergency.
Convention organizers have stacked the schedule with nearly a dozen Republican governors who have defined the party’s agenda — and helped redefine its national brand — since 2008.
Republicans will cancel the first night of the Tampa convention due to the onset of Tropical Storm Isaac.
The shooting was a rare example of the drawbacks posed by so-called hollow-point bullets, which have become standard issue for many law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, as a replacement for traditional bullets that can pass right through a suspect.
Two previous attempts to add PTSD to Oregon's program have failed, and Colorado and Arizona officials recently rejected efforts to add the condition to their medical marijuana programs.
All too often, the first meeting of a collaborative group is a waste of time. Here are some ways to keep that from happening.
Everything we know about the automobile is under scrutiny, and so is everything we know about the parking lot. Should they be made of concrete or grass? Is their greatest purpose to generate revenue, store cars or act as a public space for people?
State government employment and payroll figures by job type: 2010-2011
Value engineering can reduce the costs of capital projects. But it also can save money over the long haul.
A man who opened fire on the crowded streets outside the Empire State Building in New York City, shooting indiscriminately and hitting multiple people, appears to have been motivated by a workplace dispute, not terrorism, according to an FBI official who received the initial reports from police on the scene.
A group of immigration agents, led by the Kansas Secretary of State, is suing the administration over its deportation policy for young illegal immigrants.
If consumers are curious to know where these most serious of medical errors are happening, they’re out of luck. Names of reporting hospitals are kept confidential and reporting is spotty.
Savannah, the fourth largest container port in the nation according to the Department of Transportation, is among several South Atlantic ports that want to deepen their shipping channels for super-sized container ships expected to come through the expanded Panama Canal starting in 2014.
Mark David Chapman, 57, was sentenced in 1981 to 20 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.
Recent mass shootings have galvanized advocates of tougher gun laws in Albany, and residents of a community whose economy are indelibly linked to one of America’s more celebrated gunmakers are starting to worry.
The bulk of voters who follow current events daily turn to traditional sources, especially local TV news, the USC Annenberg/Los Angeles Times Poll on Politics and the Press finds.
Pennsylvania, a presidential battleground, is joining at least 15 other states that have agreed to make it easier for welfare recipients to register to vote in agency offices.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker has told Democratic Party county chairs that he is considering a run for governor in 2013.
With the agreement, the state avoids having to defend itself against charges in a federal lawsuit that it is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by improperly putting people with mental illnesses in adult care homes, when they are capable of living independently.
Gay-rights advocates see a symbolic milestone in Indianapolis joining the roster of about 200 municipalities nationally that already offer such benefits.
In letters sent by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the 23 targeted businesses were warned they could be charged criminally if they didn't close within 30 days.
11 states are reviewing proposals to update or implement cyberbullying laws.
New data shows many state and local governments cut full-time staff last year while adding part-time workers.
We’re trying to use financial risk-management tools to solve political problems. That’s putting the people who manage public money in a tenuous position.
A Lubbock County, Texas, judge is asking for a tax increase to hire deputies for the inevitable civil war he believes would follow President Obama's re-election.
Gov. Rick Snyder is abandoning hopes of setting up a state-run health insurance exchange system after repeatedly failing to convince fellow Republicans in the state House to authorize the program.
Gov. Christie gave his ceremonial imprimatur at Rutgers-Camden to a historic overhaul of the state's higher education system, one of his greatest political triumphs.
Tampa, Fla., Mayor Bob Buckhorn said he would have no problem delaying, canceling or moving the Republican National Convention in a worst-case scenario where a hurricane-strength storm hit the city.
The Super PAC App for the iPhone has already climbed to No. 4 on iTunes’ list of most-downloaded free news applications.
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.
The U.S. economy will hurtle into a recession if Congress fails to avert a series of tax increases and budget cuts due in January, the Congressional Budget Office said.
New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority could lose $1.5 billion of revenue a year after a state court ruled that a payroll tax was unconstitutional, partly because it applies to only 12 counties in the state.
Drug overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in New Jersey.
Only one in four high school seniors met college readiness benchmarks in English, reading, math and science this year.
States have different provisions for older drivers needing to renew their licenses.
A federal judge weighed arguments in court about whether a new injunction should be issued against Section 2B, or what some critics refer to as the "show me your papers" clause, in Arizona's immigration-enforcement law.
Alaska sued to overturn federal oversight of state elections, saying that Voting Rights Act provisions aimed at protecting African Americans in southern states are not applicable in the far north.
Some state officials say federal regulators have been too industry-friendly or too mired in bureaucracy to quickly react to misconduct. Federal regulators argue that coordinated action is the most efficient way to handle enforcement and that sudden moves by lone actors could compromise the larger efforts.
Only one in three applicants for unemployment compensation in Florida receives any money, ranking the state dead last among the 50 states.
Sheriff Daron Hall announced that his office will not renew its federal agreement to participate in the 287(g) immigration screening program, which allowed local jailers to function as immigration authorities.
The council approved the citywide ban unanimously.
The issue of granting driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants has raged in the Legislature for much of the past decade, without resolution, but fighting is largely moot now due to a new federal policy that gives a select group of undocumented immigrants the right to live and work in the United States for two years without fear of deportation.
Texas officials are vowing to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood after a federal court sided with the state in a challenge over a new law that bans clinics affiliated with abortion providers from getting money through a health program for low-income women.
The city is spending millions to improve its aesthetic appeal before hosting the national convention next week.
The city will be the first in the nation to test the experimental financing model for social programs.
The Corbett administration has issued a strong rebuke to what it called an "unprecedented" request by the U.S. Justice Department for information related to the state's new voter identification law.
Gov. Jerry Brown has until the end of September to act on it.
Harris County, Texas, rolls out the first pieces of what could become a nationwide broadband wireless network for public safety.
Gov. Jerry Brown has told legislative leaders he intends to call a special session to deal with issues related to the federal healthcare law signed by President Obama in 2010.
What started as a quiet scheme to draw down excessive leave hours built up by state parks managers quickly spread, first to hardship cases and then to the rank and file, according to recently released state investigative documents.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel will address the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., next month.
City leaders were relying on the maneuver, which allows municipalities to unilaterally cut employee compensation during challenging financial times, to fill a $40 million gap in the $485 million operating budget.
All but a few Massachusetts districts will probably miss a quickly approaching state deadline to implement a new teacher evaluation system that would put a significant emphasis on student achievement.
The state has reduced the number of children in state custody to a historic low. But it has cost the state about $49 million in federal reimbursements.
AHCA argues that Medicaid covers emergency care for undocumented patients, but not the ongoing treatment needed to keep the patient stable.
Justice officials found that the law, which closes a provision that had allowed Virginians to vote without identification but also expands the types of ID accepted at the polls, does not violate the Voting Rights Act.
Gov. Deval Patrick is back on the campaign trail for President Barack Obama.
The decisions were in line with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on a similar Arizona law, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta continued to block other parts of the two Southern states' laws.
In dealing with its combined-sewer-overflow problem, Philly is demonstrating a better approach to big infrastructure projects.
Nine-week program that teaches good morals, ethics and behaviors has resulted in increased reporting of incidents.
If our ratings prove correct, Democrats will be far behind the GOP in overall control of chambers on Election Night.
Payments increased from 2006 to 2010, but the exact number remains unknown.
Agencies are seeking ways to curb the growing use of expensive paratransit service, but advocates question their methods.
In a single election this fall, Maryland voters will get the final say on whether gay couples may wed and illegal immigrants should pay in-state college tuition rates -- two privileges that no other state has granted at the ballot box.
The high cost of educating students with special needs is disproportionately falling on traditional public schools as other students increasingly opt for alternatives that aren't always readily open to those requiring special education.
For many of those who don't have an ID and face complications to secure one, the process seems humiliating and daunting.
Debate over vaccines has been heated in state legislatures across the nation.
President Barack Obama’s administration eliminated $473 million in old transportation earmarks, telling states to reallocate the money by the end of the year or lose it for good.
Under the new, more rigorous formula that the federal government made all states use this year, the state's graduation rate plunged from 80.9 percent to 67.4 percent -- one of the nation's lowest. For years, inflated graduation rates helped state and local districts meet political pressures and claim success but did nothing for the kids who quit school unnoticed.
Missouri's contentious U.S. Senate race has been unexpectedly jolted by U.S. Rep. Todd Akin's comments that victims of "legitimate rape" will rarely become pregnant, causing some pundits to predict it could shift momentum and put U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill back in the lead.
Democratic Rep. Derrick Smith became the first lawmaker tossed out of the Illinois House in more than 100 years, but he might not be gone for long.
A U.S. District Court judge ordered Arizona to accept federal voter-registration forms that do not comply with a 2004 state law requiring proof of U.S. citizenship.
Corrections is one area in which a handful of states and their local governments are seeing big improvements in results — and saving millions in the process — through a novel funding approach.
Plus: The return of the Manager's Reading List, and more management news
The July jobs report shows an uptick in unemployment for nearly every state. View current and historical data for each state.
Gov. Jack Markell signed legislation aiming to boost Delaware’s ability to track child abuse.
Oracle survey finds that states are moving away from manual reporting processes.
UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Holden Thorp, under increasing pressure to dig deeper into an academic fraud scandal that has now drawn national attention, said he is bringing in a former governor and a national management consulting firm to look for "any additional academic irregularities that may have occurred."
State officials have for months been seeking approval to use a federal immigration database to see if some registered voters were non-U.S. citizens and ineligible to vote.
It can take decades for the blood-borne virus to cause liver damage and symptoms to emerge, so many people don't know they are harboring it.
The Republican-controlled Florida legislature last year cut the number of early-voting days to 8 from 12.
In a rare move, a frustrated Mayor Thomas M. Menino asked state labor officials to investigate the more than two-year stalemate over a new teacher contract and to recommend a resolution.
A federal judge has ordered Minnesota to reform its system for civilly committing and confining paroled sex offenders to indefinite treatment, a controversial practice that has drawn international criticism because almost no one has gotten out.
Those with a permit may still live in dorms on both campuses but may not have weapons in their possession in those general living quarters.
With nearly half of all West Nile cases in the United States so far this year in Texas, Dallas County has launched an aerial assault on the mosquito population for the first time in more than 45 years.
Older drivers are keeping their licenses for longer and getting behind the wheel more often than ever before. Should this worry all the other drivers?
Nearly three-quarters of Americans say that the cost of health care and health insurance will be an important factor in their vote this November.
Minnesota was the nation's second costliest state for center-based child care last year, relative to the state's median income, according to a new report.
Democratic Rep. Derrick Smith of Chicago faces expulsion for allegedly taking a $7,000 bribe, a charge that arose from a federal sting in which authorities said they caught him on tape accepting $100 bills from a campaign aide working undercover for the FBI.
As new laws require third graders to pass reading before moving up, research suggests it may improve performance.
National, state and county health officials are urging everyone over age 10 to get a booster shot to help stanch the rapid spread of a disease that has infected 508 county residents so far this year, a 300 percent jump in confirmed cases from the same time in 2011.
He's resigning less than a month after helping to win a coveted international accreditation for the department's seven crime labs.
If enacted, New Jersey would have the nation’s toughest seat belt law for pets. But on the other paw, a group of Republican lawmakers has introduced another bill that would make sure dogs and cats can ride seat-belt free.
By the numbers, no swing state is better off economically than it was four years ago. But many see stronger recoveries than the U.S. How will that affect the presidential election?
The state's new $302 million hospital for the mentally ill represents a stark departure from state mental hospitals of old where patients fought delusions in locked wards, with little focus on privacy and choice.
Data shows obesity prevalence for U.S. states and metro areas.
The Pennsylvania case ranks among the most widely watched because of its potential to impact the presidential race in a critical swing state.
A report suggests pension funds pay too much in fees for paltry returns. See how much each state pays Wall Street.
Fending off the toughest challenge of his 20-year congressional career, U.S. Rep. John Mica easily defeated fellow U.S. Rep. Sandy Adams in a rare primary election pitting two sitting members of Congress against each other.
Community colleges throughout California are facing sanctions from the agency that accredits colleges in the West, largely a result of the state cutting funding for several years as the federal government has stepped up performance standards.
Former one-term state Rep. Elizabeth Esty grabbed the Democratic nomination in the 5th Congressional District from House Speaker Christopher Donovan in Tuesday's primary
Linda E. McMahon, a former wrestling executive, easily defeated Christopher Shays, a former United States representative and longtime fixture in moderate politics in the state.
The primary election sets the final lineup for a showdown to determine whether the GOP can hang on to its majorities in the House and Senate, which it won in 2010 for the first time in nearly 40 years.
Tommy Thompson won a fierce Republican primary for U.S. Senate on the theme of electability, as voters agreed with the former governor's claim that he represented the best chance to win the seat in November and help the GOP regain control of the Senate.
Mayor Carlos Gimenez cruised to victory but his chief rival, County Commission Chairman Joe Martinez, refused to concede despite returns that showed Gimenez winning by nearly 25 percentage points.
Miami Dade and Broward voters returned three incumbents to Tallahassee and elected the state’s first openly gay state representative in what was one of the most bitterly fought primary seasons on record.
Voters would get the final say in November on whether the plan goes forward, following what is expected to be a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign.
Six weeks after Virginia began enforcing one of the toughest drunken-driving laws in the nation, federal officials said they are finalizing plans to entice other states to follow suit.
Rep. Jason Fields (D-Milwaukee) lost to community organizer Mandela Barnes, and Rep. Peggy Krusick (D-Milwaukee) lost to law student Daniel Riemer.
A nationwide USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll of people who are eligible to vote but aren't likely to do so finds that these stay-at-home Americans back Obama's re-election over Republican Mitt Romney by more than 2-1.
Bottom-up reforms have a better chance of turning schools around than state-imposed, centrally managed approaches.
A new state law allows for court-ordered outpatient therapy for people with severe mental illness and it will be tested at a facility in Knoxville.
Atlanta-area voters rejected a one-cent tax for transit projects. But voters in three regions chose to make the investment.
Take the World Health Organization's survey to see if your city is age-friendly.
Fairfax County Public Schools must pay the federal government $1 million after forging signatures on a U.S. Department of Education grant application more than a decade ago.
Gov. Nikki Haley was cleared twice of ethics allegations this spring, but the state Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal of the dismissal of the original lawsuit against the Lexington County Republican.
In October, the Supreme Court will hear an appeal on the issue, over which it has been closely split for decades.
A provision of the Affordable Care Act requires insurance companies to return a portion of the premiums if they spend less than 80 percent on medical care. Texans received $166.9 million in rebates, more than residents of any other state.
A bill to ban outdoor advertising by medical-marijuana dispensaries in Denver passed unanimously.
Speaker Steve Tilley, who helped Republicans build a historic majority in the Missouri House, resigned five months before his term ends.
Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) is facing one of the toughest reelection battles of his nearly 20-year career in a primary that will test the strength of the Tea Party in Florida.
In a Senate primary that could determine control of Congress, no one’s paying much attention.
Fifteen states and the District of Columbia now prohibit teenagers from driving with another teenager, and all but seven states forbid them from driving with more than one.
Gov. Chris Christie, who has electrified GOP audiences in appearances across the country, will deliver the keynote address at the Republican National Convention in Tampa this month.
The act of serving an eviction notice during the sleepy days before fall classes begin in Aggieland turned into a half-hour shootout.
The decision of where to place a child should be made by everyone in that child's support system.
Hospital payment rules will be relaxed at select hospitals during a 3-year pilot in an effort to avoid leaving seniors with unexpected bills.
The Games may be over, but public workers must still find the drive to go for the gold.
A new initiative hopes to pair the science of alternative energies with the power of bond financing.
With the backing of Gov. Rick Scott, and a mostly silent Legislature, the state-run insurer has advanced an aggressive agenda of higher rates and reduced coverage.
States in the South and Midwest had the highest proportion of obese residents, according to new estimates.
The state is on pace to exceed last year's number of whooping cough cases, with about 1,200 cases reported already.
A few hundred residents have already used the system to register to vote.
In the Republican race, Christopher Shays, a former congressman, appears to be far behind Linda E. McMahon, who has lent her campaign $12.5 million.
It is not unusual for a teenager to serve on the board of a small school system, experts say. But three board members younger than 21 in a system that serves 123,000 students would be rare.
The Maryland Senate signed off on Gov. Martin O’Malley’s proposal for a Prince George’s County casino, capping a contentious day-long debate over its impact on the state’s five other gambling venues.
The results come from the first large national look at the effectiveness of the state laws over time.
