Archive
The governor is redirecting economic development incentives. Will it work?
Gov. Bev Perdue and at least 30 state lawmakers have decided not to run for reelection this fall, many of them citing the loss of civility and willingness to compromise when it comes to doing the public’s business.
Some chiefs say it could lead to numerous lawsuits and distract officers from more vital duties.
Five-term Rep. John Sullivan (R-Okla.) unexpectedly lost his reelection bid to tea-party-backed Navy Reserve pilot Jim Bridenstine.
Three new reports show wide variations in the rebound from the 2007-09 economic recession, both at the state and local levels.
The governor signs a budget that makes deep cuts to social services and assumes that voters will pass $8 billion in tax hikes in November.
A federal judge denied the U.S. Department of Justice’s request for an emergency restraining order to halt Florida’s non-citizen voter purge and said the controversial scrub does not violate federal law.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposes eliminating a beach water testing grant program nine months after Florida reduced testing at beaches as a result of state spending cuts.
Lawmakers met for a final time to take up 13 of Gov. John Lynch's vetoes. They overrode six of them, including not only bills on voter identification and education tax credits, but also legislation banning late-term abortions and reforming medical malpractice litigation.
The District’s departments of Health and Human Resources, along with union leaders, kicked off a campaign with the goal of testing 35,000 city employees over the next three months.
Compromises on sticky environmental and safety issues enabled House and Senate negotiators to reach agreement on a two-year bill to overhaul federal highway and transit programs.
A marquee piece of Governor Deval Patrick’s effort to bolster the life sciences industry, the stem cell bank will run out of funding at the end of the year and close.
Gov. Jay Nixon signed a bill to allow charter schools to expand statewide, but he rejected a bill that would have let some students attend public schools that are closer to their homes but outside their districts.
The Chicago City Council voted overwhelmingly to decriminalize marijuana possession, joining a wave of states and big cities that have opted for fines instead of arrests for small amounts of the drug.
Seeking a solution to the bedeviling problem of untested rape evidence that is in some cases decades old, council imposed a $5-per-customer fee on strip clubs so it can buy speedier lab work.
The Great Recession was hard on private workers. Will states and localities have to rescue them?
The City Council hopes bankruptcy protection will help it avoid a total collapse, but experts say it's only a short-term fix.
The Republican senator from Utah tacked right to face a tea party candidate. The Democratic congressman held off a Dominican American and others in a new majority-Latino New York district
Some alumni from the teaching program are making runs for state office. Many are facing opposition from teachers’ unions.
The U.S. Senate banned chemicals used to make the synthetic drug known as "K2" or "bath salts."
Alaska's Medicaid office will pay $1.7 million to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for possible violations of a federal law that protects patient privacy.
The tea party, big-spending PACs and challenger Dan Liljenquist failed to force 78-year-old Orrin Hatch into retirement, so now only Democrat Scott Howell stands between him and a record-shattering seventh term.
Charles Rangel’s victory capped a gripping campaign for a Congressional seat that for decades has been at the center of black political power — and preserved a career in Washington that had been threatened by ethics troubles and changing demographics.
The University of Virginia governing board voted unanimously to reinstate Teresa Sullivan as president, more than two weeks after board leaders had forced her to resign and unleashed a storm of campus upheaval.
The $1.2 million program will offer free rapid HIV tests at pharmacies and in-store clinics in 24 cities and rural communities. Officials are hoping testing for the AIDS virus will become another routine service.
Gov. Bob McDonnell shifted from his usual response when questioned about a potential vice presidential bid, indicating he might soon become one of the other public figures Mitt Romney is now openly vetting for the position.
The Wisconsin governor, who does not rule out running for president in 2016 after winning his June recall election, wants to help elect as many GOP candidates as possible in 2012.
Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law a roughly $49 billion state budget that includes increased funding for education and public safety, while paying down debt, tucking away savings and granting a small tax break to individuals.
Faced with what could be the driest June in history, officials in a growing number of Indiana counties have temporarily banned the use of fireworks. But if they continue to do so, they could end up running afoul of a state law that, in essence, prohibits fireworks bans around the Fourth of July.
Idaho officials have abandoned their original bidding process meant to equip public school teachers with laptop computers starting this fall. Instead, the state will negotiate directly with providers of computers and services, in hopes of keeping public schools chief Tom Luna's "Students Come First" reforms on track even as he tries to fend off repeal measures on November's ballot.
The Seattle area is leading the nation in a manufacturing renaissance as its governments make strategic investments that build on the region's strengths.
The latest highway and transit bill extension expires at the end of the week. Can Congress pass a new one by then?
San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed explains what led up to voters’ approval of major changes to the city’s retirement system.
Rob Sampson’s Great American City points the way toward a new understanding of how cities function.
Governments' Facebook and Twitter activity presents a distinct challenge for states and localities committed to transparency.
A push to regulate California's medical marijuana industry amid heightened federal scrutiny of cannabis producers and sellers has fizzled due to a lack of support in the state Senate.
More than 100 of the soon-to-be laid off firefighters could get their job back though, if the city secures a federal SAFER grant. They won't know until at least September.
Several states are taking steps to increase penalties for talking and texting while driving in the wake of a study that found current bans are not reducing the risk or amount of crashes.
Arizona Gov. Brewer said the "heart of the bill" was upheld, and state legislators around the country sounded emboldened, arguing that the ruling will not only help similar laws survive constitutional challenges but will lead to more laws when state legislatures reconvene in January.
Some 220 cities and counties across the United States are sharing $111 million in federal grants to retain and hire police officers.
The budget for the coming fiscal year, on which Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council reached agreement, relies on several uncertain assumptions.
The longtime Harlem icon faces the toughest election of his long career. Since his last election, he has been bludgeoned by a Congressional censure over ethics violations, health woes, a newly configured district that is less favorable to him and an ambitious and credible challenger in state Sen. Adriano Espaillat (D).
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) is favored to win Tuesday’s primary after running a near-perfect campaign against a much younger challenger and a Tea Party angry at his tenure in office.
The Assembly unanimously approved legislation sponsored by state Sen. Teresa Ruiz, capping more than a year of debate on how best to reshape the first tenure law in the United States.
Gov. John Kasich signed a bill that steps up public education standards across Ohio and includes a requirement that some third-graders be held back if they cannot read at grade level.
A Washington judge blocked the collection of taxes on roll-your-own cigarettes, citing a voter-approved initiative that makes it harder for lawmakers to raise taxes.
Data shows that as population rises, cities often look to change their form of government.
Our cities and counties enjoy the highest level of citizen trust of any level of government. That’s why they will lead the way despite the fiscal challenges to come.
New nationalized nutrition standards for schools could improve student health, while also increasing revenue, according to a new report from the Health Impact Project.
Public workers can submit their cost-cutting ideas to the state and receive 10 percent of the savings, if implemented.
Many city and county government agencies across Georgia have failed to comply with a key part of the state's year-old anti-illegal immigration law, putting them at risk of losing access to state loans and grants, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis of public records.
No town in California's San Joaquin Valley accepted a pollution control grant to hold a July 4 laser light show instead of fireworks.
Pilot programs in Indiana and Ohio will measure the effects of expanding access to prescription drug monitoring.
A year and a half after the abrupt end of Wisconsin's high-speed rail plan, the federal government has reimbursed the state for the money spent on the project.
High rates of physical activity helped to propel Minneapolis-St. Paul to the top of the list of the American College of Sports Medicine's 2012 American Fitness Index (AFI) for the second year in a row, while raised obesity levels and smoking pushed Oklahoma City to the bottom.
Public retirement systems will have to make major changes in how they disclose their pension assets and liabilities.
Immediately following the election, which Gov. Scott Walker won easily, politicians from both sides expressed interest in addressing the law’s shortcomings. But in the past few weeks, strident lines have formed.
Financially struggling cities, transit systems and school districts around the country are trying to weather the economic downturn by selling advertisements, naming rights and sponsorships to raise money.
A California initiative to increase the tax on tobacco to pay for cancer research has failed by less than a percentage point after remaining too close to call for more than two weeks.
Gov. John Lynch signed into law a bill that prohibits New Hampshire from planning, creating or participating in a state health care exchange under the 2010 federal health care law.
Jerry Sandusky was convicted of molesting 10 boys over 15 years, closing the first chapter in a scandal that tarnished the reputation of Pennsylvania State University and led to the ouster of four of its top administrators.
Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said that he's told Mitt Romney's presidential campaign to look elsewhere for a running mate.
The program will reward those among the state's nearly 39,000 employees who propose successful ideas by giving them 10 percent of the savings.
The American Time Use Survey measures time people spend working, relaxing and a range of other activities.
See how much time Americans work, relax or engage in other activities in an interactive chart with Labor Department data released Friday.
While Ted Cruz has been running for more than a year on a platform of challenging the GOP establishment in the Senate, his opponent, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, tried to one-up him by calling for policy changes that Dewhurst said would "blow up politics as usual in Washington, D.C."
GOP Senate Candidate Richard Mourdock surprised everyone yesterday when he applauded the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Most surprised of all may be the Justices of the Supreme Court, as the ruling will not come until next week.
Forty-seven projects across all modes awarded nearly $500 million.
Efforts to update student identification cards to meet new Pennsylvania voting regulations are under way on campuses. In April, the legislature passed a bill requiring voters to show photo identification with an expiration date before casting a ballot.
A new Louisiana law requires sex offenders and child predators to state their criminal status on their Facebook or other social networking page, with the law's author saying the bill is the first of its kind in the nation.
The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit against two towns dominated by a polygamous sect, accusing officials of failing to protect nonmembers and enforcing the edicts of leader Warren Jeffs above the law.
Members of the nation's largest public employees' union elected Lee Saunders to be their first new president in 31 years and help them battle an unprecedented onslaught of layoffs and reductions in benefits and bargaining rights.
Under the plan, unveiled by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, parents will be allowed to see the evaluations of their children’s current teachers, but the public will be allowed to see evaluation data only with the names of the teachers removed.
The decision in the class-action suit could potentially mean the employees are owed hundreds of millions of dollars in lost wages and benefits, although the losing side is expected to appeal.
More than 80,000 retired government employees will have to start paying for health insurance under legislation Gov. Pat Quinn signed, ending a major benefit that Illinois had promised to employees.
The agreement calls for reductions in welfare rolls and cuts in other social services but leaves education relatively untouched.
Using residential roof shingles will save money and the environment simultaneously.
Good management is a four-quarter commitment, not a last-ditch effort.
Maricopa board rejected $5,000 in private donations on Wednesday, to fund a deputy sent to Hawaii in May to investigate President Obama's birth certificate.
Former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux announced he is dropping out of the Republican race for U.S. Senate in Florida and endorsing U.S. Rep. Connie Mack IV.
can engage people when they're excited, we have an opportunity to create a lifelong voter."
The Legislature moved closer toward embracing one way to help Californians seize that moment by allowing voter registration to take place through Election Day — an approach that has sparked sharp partisan divisions in the past.
A poll by Quinnipiac University reported that 60 percent of the state's registered voters support the governor's efforts to clear voting rolls of people who aren't citizens.
Recent cutbacks in daily print schedules will leave communities less informed.
New data shows education spending and revenues per pupil for each state.
Thanks in large part to a boom in oil production, the state’s budget reserves are expected to top $2 billion by the end of June 30, 2013, the end of the two-year budget cycle, according to new figures.
Sanford police Chief Bill Lee, who stepped aside temporarily three months ago amid a national outcry over his department's handling of the Trayvon Martin shooting, was fired.
Environmental groups and others had criticized Gov. Brown's plans to protect the construction of California's high-speed rail network from injunctions.
A bill before the Senate Judiciary Committee would beef up the state’s driving-while-intoxicated laws by mandating an ignition locking device — similar to a Breathalyzer — for all first-time offenders.
The office of Lt. Gov. Greg Bell disqualified Aaron Davis — a Provo Democrat running for State Senate District 7 — from appearing on the ballot because he failed to file his pre-primary election financial disclosure statement.
Gov. Jerry Brown's tax hike on sales and upper-income earners officially qualified for the November ballot, as did a rival measure to hike income taxes on all but the poorest residents as well as an initiative to raise taxes on multistate corporations based elsewhere.
Federal-state collaboration could save taxpayers billions and help deter runaway inflation.
The department's new firearms training system teaches them to make split-second judgments, using scenarios modeled on real-life stories from departments around the country.
Gov. Pat Quinn is moving forward with plans to shut down several prisons for adults and juveniles, even though lawmakers set aside money to keep them open.
Following in the footsteps of New York City, Cambridge is considering limiting the size of sodas and sugar-sweetened beverages in city restaurants.
Abortion clinics across the state have asked for and received a six-month reprieve from the Department of Health from complying with a tough new law that goes into effect today that they meet the same standards as free-standing ambulatory centers.
Gov. Bev Perdue’s staff drafted a pair of false letters last week in an effort to start the flow of money for two major toll road projects that transportation officials say won’t be ready for state funding until 2014.
The Institute for a Competitive Workforce grades each state on how well its public colleges and institutions prepare students for postgraduate careers.
New Jersey has suspended its controversial red-light camera program over questions about the accuracy of the devices that have frustrated motorists while generating millions of dollars for towns.
A new self-paced, competency-based program for finishing a college degree online, and ostensibly making college more affordable and accessible, was announced by Gov. Scott Walker and two top University of Wisconsin System officials.
The Missouri Supreme Court ruled that candidates for state legislative seats in redistricting years do not have to live in the newly redrawn districts.
Colorado Attorney General John Suthers said state-supported institutions of higher education do not have the authority to create discounted tuition categories for illegal-immigrant students without legislative approval.
Only 29 percent of Americans said they had a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the country’s public schools, just half the 58 percent who had confidence in the schools when Gallup first started asking the question in 1973.
A new poll shows that independent Angus King is the heavy favorite to succeed U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, and that a ballot question that would allow same-sex couples to marry in Maine has strong support.
USDOT is studying technology that allows cars to communicate with each other to warn drivers of potential collisions.
Federal, state and local public health initiatives have received more than $1 billion from the ACA funding stream, with billions more to come if the law stands.
Six days after State Rep. Lisa Brown garnered national attention by saying the word “vagina” on the floor of the Michigan state House, she joined other female legislators on the Capitol steps to recite the “The Vagina Monologues."
If the Supreme Court strikes down Obama's health insurance mandate, hospitals still must treat all emergencies — and everyone pays.
Gov. Rick Snyder will sign a group of bills into law banning K2, Spice and similar synthetic drugs in Michigan.
Change in the District’s child welfare laws has resulted in uneven financial support for adopted children and those with legal guardians.
Congressional backers of the Opportunity Scholarship Program reached an agreement with the White House.
Gov. Chris Christie downplayed his administration’s responsibility for problems at the state’s halfway houses that were documented in a newspaper report, but promised to inspect all facilities.
A week of chaos and uncertainty set off by the removal of University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan ended when the university’s Board of Visitors appointed an interim leader after almost 12 hours of debate.
Del L. Scott Lingamfelter has filed paperwork with the State Board of Elections to raise money for the 2013 race.
Facing resistance from the Republican-controlled Senate, a proposal by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana in public view appeared near defeat on Monday as lawmakers approached the end of this year’s legislative session.
Rep. Allen West said that Florida’s controversial effort to purge its voter rolls is not an attempt to target minorities, as some progressive leaders have charged, and he accused the federal government of “going after sovereign states.”
As technology and social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace have transformed how people communicate, they're also shaping how police agencies investigate crimes and reach out to the community.
Severe weather and other emergency alerts are coming soon to Minnesotans' smartphones and cellphones. The Wireless Emergency Alerts are specific to location. That means recipients will receive the alerts based on where they are, not where they live.
The Ohio Supreme Court indefinitely postponed the execution of a convicted killer on the heels of a lower court’s ruling last week that he could not be executed because he is mentally incompetent.
How governors have learned to work with Legislatures controlled by the other party.
Plus: A well-written plea for audtiting, and more management news
The brash New Jersey governor has found success working with a Democratic Legislature, but will his national role as a Republican superstar get in the way of his agenda?
A new social network helps local health departments and community organizations connect, stay up-to-date on emerging trends and mine through extensive data sets.
In an attempt to curb the rising number of overdose-related deaths, several states passed legislation this year that gives legal immunity to people who call 911 to report a drug overdose.
New study shows states owe $1.38 trillion more to retirees than they've set aside. That's about 9 percent higher than last year's report.
Rodney King’s unexpected death on Sunday has caused the country to reflect on his legacy in Los Angeles and across the country.
State lawmakers took aim at stalkers this session by creating more ways for victims to get protection. But questions remain about enforcement of the orders.
Managing an enterprise requires keeping the focus on “the main thing” and not being distracted by the daily tasks and deadlines that always seem urgent.
What happened in San Diego and San Jose is likely to reverberate across the country. And it isn't all bad news for the public workforce.
Four California universities with big-time sports programs are fighting a legislative effort that could radically change the way schools recruit, educate and retain student athletes.
After deliberating for months, Mayor Rahm Emanuel decided to throw his public support behind a plan to issue tickets to people caught with small amounts of marijuana instead of arresting them.
Lawmakers barely make the deadline to pass a state budget before their pay was affected, but details on cuts to social services still need to be worked out.
Hundreds of mayors from across the United States this weekend called for new laws letting parents seize control of low-performing public schools and fire the teachers, oust the administrators or turn the schools over to private management.
Two Alaska state troopers were shot in a remote town north of the Arctic Circle, touching off a near-nine hour standoff that ended with the suspected gunman apparently taking his own life.
In a slow, somber procession, several thousand demonstrators conducted a silent march on Sunday down Fifth Avenue to protest the New York Police Department’s stop-and-frisk policies, which the organizers say single out minority groups and create an atmosphere of martial law for the city’s black and Latino residents.
Could Detroit, a predominately black city with all black elected officials, be poised to select its first white mayor in nearly four decades?
For the past seven years, the George Benson Waterfront Streetcars have been collecting dust in a warehouse.
Governments produce tens of thousands of new laws every year, confusing citizens and driving business away. Instead of more laws, what we need is a focus on outcomes.
American Planning Association poll finds only 6 percent of respondents oppose UN policy.
View current statistics on numbers of housing units in each U.S. county.
The justices voted 5-4 to uphold the Affordable Care Act, effectively declaring the law’s individual mandate and Medicaid expansion to be constitutional.
Nearly 70 of the 400 candidates for the Florida Legislature have net worths of more than $1 million.
Opponents of the state's toughened emergency manager law scored a victory in the Michigan Court of Appeals on Thursday as they fight to get the repeal of the law on the Nov. 6 ballot. But the issue remains far from settled.
The Detroit City Council made good on its pledge to move forward on the city's consent agreement with the state, approving three key positions on a nine-member financial advisory board that will have major sway over the city's budgets.
Smoke from the High Park fire has sent particulate pollution to some new peaks in Fort Collins, pushing the warning bar into the full, red "unhealthy" range.
House Republicans prohibited state Rep. Lisa Brown from speaking on the floor Thursday after she ended a speech against a bill restricting abortions by referencing her female anatomy.
A city-commissioned report into the first violent Occupy Oakland protest found that police made numerous mistakes that are indicative of major shortcomings within the department.
