Archive
A federal appeals court left intact California’s ban on race-based affirmative action as a means to boost the ranks of minority students in the state university system, throwing out a lawsuit that sought to overturn the policy.
Big winnings could mean big taxes for states that sold winning tickets.
Use of “poticrete” helped Bellingham, Wash., earn a green credential for sustainable walkways.
Federal agents raided a San Francisco Bay area medical marijuana training school at the heart of California's pot legalization movement.
The National Archives released 1940 census records, lifting the veil on details for Americans living through the Great Depression.
Gov. Tom Corbett will move swiftly to recommend another financial custodian to help restore stability to Pennsylvania's debt-laden capital after his first appointee said he was resigning.
Storage devices lost in the mail are not believed to have been accessed or misused, officials said.
A day after Seattle's mayor proposed nearly two dozen police reforms in response to a damning federal report, U.S. Justice Department representatives delivered their own list of proposed changes during a closed-door meeting with city officials.
A California campaign treasurer pleaded guilty Friday to defrauding at least $7 million from a high-profile roster of politicians in the largest embezzlement case of its kind.
The opinion of Judge William M. Conley, of the Western District of Wisconsin, was viewed as a partial victory for labor unions, though the judge also upheld central elements of the law, currently in effect around the state.
The third time was the charm for Brian Kalk on Sunday as he emerged as the North Dakota Republican Party nominee for U.S. House. He won in the third round of voting by delegates.
Gov. Christine Gregoire signed a bill into law, the first of its kind in the country, to require websites within the state to obtain documentation that escorts advertised there are at least 18.
In a legal brief filed earlier this week, the attorneys for 11 states told the justices that Arizona's SB 1070 conflicts with federal immigration laws. They disputed the state's contention that the state law is merely assisting the federal government in enforcing federal law.
Embracing Scott Walker offers major short-term advantages for Mitt Romney in Wisconsin, which holds its primary contest Tuesday, as the GOP front-runner looks for the last few wins he needs to lock up the nomination. But it may also risk alienating voters in union-heavy swing states such as Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania — at just the time when Romney and his campaign hope to turn their attention to the general election.
Victims of the California campaign treasurer who embezzled more than $7 million from dozens, if not hundreds, of clients’ accounts may have to hire private attorneys and scramble to replenish re-election funds even as the government’s case ended in a guilty plea Friday.
Atlanta Public Schools will close 10 schools and eliminate about 5,500 of 13,000 extra seats under the final redistricting proposal released by Superintendent Erroll Davis.
Beginning May 7, New Jersey will require additional proof of identification to secure a new license. New Jersey will join eight other states in issuing a driver’s license with a gold star in the upper right corner, signifying that it is a federally-approved document.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett offered a pledge not to attack his fellow Democrats in the recall race for governor, and he asked his opponents to do the same. State election officials ordered a recall election for Scott Walker, making him the third governor in the country to face recall.
Under the spending framework adopted by lawmakers, elementary and secondary education would receive roughly $6.4 billion for the next budget year. That's about $236 million less than what's currently set aside for schools, and more than $290 million less than what Quinn has proposed.
Roll-your-own machines let consumers save money in part because state taxes don't apply to the machine-produced cigarettes. As state budget negotiations progress, some lawmakers are pushing for that to change.
Five months ago, the Brown administration raised the proposed cost of California's high-speed rail project to nearly $100 billion. Now it's $68.4 billion because of major design changes in and around Los Angeles and the Bay Area in an 11th-hour bid to improve the project's chances of approval by the Legislature.
In what might be the first suit of its kind, a federal judge ruled the mortgage giants must pay transaction taxes owed to state and local governments.
Unemployment rates declines in 29 states, with workers exiting the labor force driving much of the largest declines.
Embattled first-term Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker will face a recall this spring after an election was ordered following the collection of more than 900,000 signatures in the wake of his push against union bargaining rights.
After twice finding out lottery winners continued to use food stamps after collecting the jackpot, Michigan lawmakers gave final approval to legislation aimed at making sure it doesn't happen again.
While the rest of us have to wait until June, the justices of the Supreme Court will know the likely outcome of the historic health care case Friday morning.
State election administrators have determined there are more than 900,000 valid signatures to recall Gov. Scott Walker and more than 800,000 to recall Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch - well above the minimums needed. The board, which runs state elections, is to consider the staff's findings and is expected to order recall elections, which would likely be held June 5.
Virginia state Sen. Chap Petersen is all but certain to run for governor in 2013, according to an adviser to the Fairfax County Democrat. Petersen said he intends to run for statewide office, but he has left up in the air whether he would run for attorney general or governor.
State and federal elected officials eyeing a run for city offices could soon be required to resign before becoming a candidate if an introduced amendment to the city's Home Rule Charter passes the city council and voters in November.
Against the wishes of counties and tea party leaders, Gov. Rick Scott signed a controversial bill into law that will change the way counties are billed for Medicaid costs and could set up a legal showdown.
In a rebuke of Florida, a judge ruled that autistic children covered by Medicaid deserve the same access to vital therapy as wealthier kids covered by private insurance.
Gov. Rick Snyder's latest version of a consent agreementgives the Detroit City Council and the mayor more power than the previous proposal, but it adds a twist that has put the council in a tough predicament. The new plan calls for the city to ignore recently ratified union contracts and it includes permission to, among other things, outsource work and consolidate departments.
The city is proposing a sweeping and ambitious package of changes in response to a scathing federal report on the Seattle Police Department after a series of high-profile incidents involving minorities.
Across the Capitol in the House, about two dozen members who will retire or run for the Senate came forward as a group on the last day of the session, leaving large sections of the House chamber empty.
he Constitution Party of Wyoming announced that it has submitted enough petition signatures to become the state’s fifth recognized political party. It’s the most political parties Wyoming has had in more than a decade.
Gov. Jerry Brown's administration vowed to continue pushing forward elements of the federal health care overhaul in California, even if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes it down. If the court does rule the federal law unconstitutional, state Health and Human Services Secretary Diana Dooley said California should at least consider enacting its own universal health care legislation, including requiring every Californian to buy insurance.
States have recently accelerated efforts to boost Internet connection speeds and expand access to unserved regions of the country.
Legislators in Georgia want to the state to be able to create new charter schools without local approval, while legislators in New Jersey would like to slow down the process by requiring local consent.
View coverage on broadband availability, including detailed data for U.S. counties.
After the failure of repeated efforts to end llinois legislators' power to hand out a few scholarships every year without regard to students' needs or qualifications, opponents are making a new push to eliminate the waivers.
A New Jersey congressman has spent at least $97,000 in campaign money on at least 18 trips over the past five years to California.
A judge in the state of Oklahoma struck down a state law requiring women seeking abortions to have an ultrasound image placed in front of them and to listen to a detailed description of the fetus before the procedure.
Colorado Democrats unleashed some of their strongest criticism yet of Secretary of State Scott Gessler, saying he should be removed from office after he opposed an election-related bill that was later killed by fellow Republicans.
After an at-times heated debate that included charges of racism and repeated references to debunked allegations that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States, lawmakers passed a bill that would require candidates for president or vice president to prove their U.S. citizenship to the state before they can appear on Missouri ballots.
Blame redistricting: Many state House members are house-hunting, running for a different office, or plan to sit out the next legislative session.
White House officials said Wednesday they remain “confident” that the healthcare reform law is constitutional and is implementing all the provisions of the law.
The doomsday clock is ticking down on a Sunday expiration of surface transportation programs, and state transportation departments are already preparing for the worst.
After being pummeled in the media for weeks, the beef additive made from leftover trimmings is getting support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the governors of five states, who argue it has been unfairly labeled and is actually a safe, low-cost way to make ground beef leaner.
Swamped with a near-record number of tax appeals, New Jersey municipalities are choosing to settle more than ever rather than fight them, costing the state billions of dollars in lost tax base and wreaking havoc on local budgets.
The political split between moderates and conservatives within Arizona's Republican party led to the downfall of a controversial bill to allow employers and insurance companies to opt out of covering contraception for religious reasons.
The board of the Adelanto School District in California's Mojave Desert voted 5-0 to reject a petition invoking the controversial "parent trigger" law that permits parents to effectively seize control of low-performing schools.
Justices raised questions about the fundamental relationship between the federal government and the states.
A reform aimed at Wall Street is taking a shot at the bonds states and localities issue.
Don Bivens, a top Democratic challenger in Arizona's U.S. Senate race, announced that he was ending his campaign because a competitive primary battle was draining resources the party needed to win in November.
In Collaborate or Perish!, William Bratton and Harvard Kennedy School senior researcher Zachary Tumin tell governments how they can work together more often and more effectively.
Idaho's Republican-controlled Legislature is backing away from a bill requiring women seeking an abortion to get an ultrasound first, capping weeks of Capitol demonstrations, a live Senate ultrasound exhibition on pregnant women and threats against at least one lawmaker.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says his successor shouldn't live in the mansion that has long been the official mayoral residence because it would reduce the number of official events that can be held there and would burden the city with unnecessary rental costs.
Democratic campaign treasurer Kinde Durkee defrauded at least 50 candidates, officeholders and political organizations out of $7 million in a scheme that dates back more than a decade, according to a court filing by federal prosecutors.
Democrat Libby Garvey won a three-way race for a vacant Arlington County Board seat Tuesday in a special election that set a record for low turnout at just under 12 percent.
The city gave broad authority to the Civilian Complaint Review Board to prosecute police misconduct cases, a significant shift that comes as the department faces criticism over its street tactics and handling of mass protests.
Mayor Nutter joined leaders of four other Pennsylvania cities to deliver a singular message to the General Assembly: Don't strip of us of our ability to make public safety decisions in our communities. That, the mayors fear, would be the consequence of bills pending in the state House and Senate that would penalize municipalities for enacting gun-control ordinances that go further than existing state law.
Sanford cops asked prosecutors to file charges in the Trayvon Martin case, but the Seminole County State Attorney’s office held off.
Gov. Chris Christie said he will ask the state attorney general and the governor’s counsel whether he has the power to revamp the state’s higher education system without approval from the state Legislature.
In an effort to stabilize a city teetering on bankruptcy, the Detroit City Council approved borrowing millions of dollars to help address a cash-flow problem that could lead to payless paydays and service cuts.
The Wisconsin recall fight remains a close call, with Gov. Scott Walker leading potential challengers Tom Barrett 47% to 45% and Kathleen Falk 49% to 45% in a new statewide poll.
Population density map shows 2010 census data for all U.S. urban areas.
A student group called “Fix UC” suggests colleges take a share of each student’s salary for the first 20 years after they graduate.
Residents use geographic info systems to learn more about where they live.
The recalls of Gov. Scott Walker, his lieutenant and four state senators could top $100 million, but that's just a prelude to the fall when the parties will fight for control of the state House.
Different parties saw different omens during last week's oral arguments.
States are slashing or eliminating programs that could save them money.
Municipal drinking water is safer, more cost effective and better for the environment -- three facts cities want their residents to know.
Police Chief Chris Burbank’s diplomatic ways helped the city avoid the violent clashes that plagued other places.
Meth labs are on the rise again and federal funding can’t keep up. Now states have to pick up the mess -- and the bill.
The hit movie details how the Oakland Athletics baseball team analyzed patterns and huge sets of data to improve their record. Colorado is doing the same to improve public policy.
The technology is there, but many state and local agencies still aren’t using it.
Much of President Barack Obama's federal effort to bring jobs back home depends on states' ability to educate and train workers.
The park, which is part of a trend of turning urban, industrial spaces into green space, pairs a functional railroad with an amphitheater, walking trails, grassy lawns and more.
When home, work, school and shopping are in closer proximity, travel is easier. What can cities do to help get people out of their cars and onto their feet?
People are finally starting to bounce back from the recession, and they’re looking to local governments -- not the feds or the states -- to guide them into a better future.
With a potential shutdown of federal highway and transit programs looming, House Republican leaders abruptly canceled a vote Monday on three-month extension bill aimed at keeping aid flowing to states while Congress debates an overhaul of transportation policy.
Republican state Sen. Jane Orie was convicted on 14 counts of theft of services, conflict of interest and forgery and likely will be forced from the Senate.
Congressman Charles Rangel and his campaign have agreed to pay $23,000 stemming from his use of a rent-stabilized apartment in New York City as a campaign office.
New Mexico activists have ramped up their call for a Justice Department probe into Albuquerque police after officers shot and killed two men last week, bringing the total of such shootings to 18 in just over two years.
Can the federal government require people to buy health insurance? The two-year debate finally came before the Supreme Court Tuesday during the second day of oral arguments on the Affordable Care Act.
The decision by authorities not to charge a homeowner who shot dead an unarmed black man in a small Wisconsin town three weeks ago has drawn scrutiny to the state's new "castle doctrine" law and comparisons to the Trayvon Martin shooting in Florida. The law allows homeowners facing imminent danger to their lives to protect themselves using deadly force if necessary.
A state House resolution declaring 2012 the "Year of the Bible" in Pennsylvania violates the U.S. Constitution and should be immediately withdrawn, a national association representing atheists and agnostics is contending in court.
For every dollar spent on the program that distributes free female condoms in areas of the city with high HIV rates, there was a cost savings of nearly $20 in future medical savings, according to the study. At least 3 percent of Washington residents have HIV or AIDS, a prevalence rate that is the highest of any U.S. city.
The Virginia Senate passed a state budget that includes tens of millions of additional dollars for public schools, health care and transportation. But the evenly divided chamber rejected an attempt by Democrats to force the state to pay $1.5 million each year for a Republican-supported law that requires women to undergo ultrasounds before abortions.
Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks’ unconventional third-party bid for Congress would be groundbreaking under California’s new election laws, and she has a realistic shot at becoming the first Independent elected to the House since 2004.
Tennessee lawmakers passed a bill that would encourage classroom debate over evolution, sending it to Gov. Bill Haslam for signature. The Family Action Council of Tennessee and other social conservatives have backed the measure, but science organizations have opposed it, saying it will set back the state’s efforts to improve its education standards.
Utahns who need financial help from the government will have to prove they are not using illegal drugs to continue receiving that aid, now that Gov. Gary Herbert has signed of HB155.
From Washington, D.C., to California, read about the five biggest projects in the country right now -- and the five biggest ones in jeopardy.
Government can’t succeed with massive projects? It can, and it does. But there are some characteristics that are key to successful major endeavors.
Though the number of homeless has increased since numerous pledges were made in the early 2000s to end it, some progress has been made on the nation's understanding of the phenomenon.
Several Supreme Court justices raised the question during Monday's hearing...
States and localities keep trying on the same pair of pants and expecting them to fit differently.
View city population density statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau's updated list of urban areas.
The opening day of the Supreme Court’s hearings on the Affordable Care Act made strange bedfellows: both the law’s opponents and the federal government argued that the Court should rule on the individual mandate now.
Bills in both houses would update the Hatch Act to end federal prohibitions on state and local government employees seeking elected office.
The U.S. Justice Department could bring a hate crime charge against the shooter in the killing of a black Florida teenager if there is sufficient evidence the slaying was motivated by racial bias and not simply a fight that spiraled out of control, legal experts and former prosecutors say.
The few people that get to see arguments over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act this week will see a wide range of style, personality and temperament among the nine justices.
Rick Santorum picked up another win in Louisiana, but the victory won’t significantly change the delegate advantage held by Mitt Romney in the GOP nominating contest.
About two-thirds of Democratic Members who lost in November 2010 voted for the law. This year, Republicans hope they can continue to tie vulnerable incumbents in tossup states and districts to their vote for the unpopular legislation, which would cut about $500 billion from future Medicare spending.
Steven A. Baddour is expected to announce his resignation from the Massachusetts State Senate Monday, ending a decade-long run representing the First Essex District to take a job at a law firm, according to an official with knowledge of his plans.
Suspicious test scores in roughly 200 school districts resemble those that entangled Atlanta in the biggest cheating scandal in American history, an investigation by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution shows. The findings represent an unprecedented examination of the integrity of school testing.
Cities across metro Detroit, already grappling with declining revenue from property taxes, also are contending with soaring legal bills related to cases involving property owners challenging tax assessments; others are from residents suing cities for basement flooding.
The weekend's events mean state Reps. Nora Slawik, Denise Dittrich, Ron Shimanski and Marion Greene will not be returning to the Capitol next year.
Now — not after the November elections — is the time to prepare to leverage technology to improve productivity across government.
Gov. Gary Herbert will sign a bill that demands the federal government relinquish control of public lands in Utah by 2014, setting the table for a potential legal battle over millions of acres in the state.
Local leaders join the growing chorus of advocates pushing for immediate passage of a transit and highway bill.
Transit agencies are looking for good deals for operating their commuter-rail systems. Amtrak and its allies have a different idea.
Convictions for public corruption cases, broken down by state
Our map tracks Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy filings throughout the country.
The nation's big insurers are spending millions to carry out President Barack Obama's health care overhaul even though there's a chance the wide-reaching law won't survive Supreme Court scrutiny.
Key legislators received significantly larger donations from telecom groups than their colleagues as controversial community broadband legislation was being debated.
President Barack Obama announced the administration would “cut through the red tape” for the southern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline — disappointing environmentalists who had counted it a victory when the president denied a permit for the project’s full, Canada-to-Texas version. At the same time, Obama incited the ire of some political opponents who called his late embrace of TransCanada’s oil pipeline disingenuous.
An Idaho Senate committee killed House-passed legislation that would have banned kids under age 16 from using tanning beds and required those ages 16 and 17 to get parental consent, because of the melanoma risk. According to an American Cancer Society spokesperson, the state is “first in the nation for melanoma deaths.”
Virginia’s partisan budget standoff came to a close Thursday, the second day into a special General Assembly session, as Republicans and Democrats on a Senate committee unanimously agreed to shift tens of millions of dollars toward schools, Medicare and toll relief, and to borrow $300 million more for the Metro-to-Dulles rail project.
Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli announced that he had filed his paperwork with the State Board of Elections to formally establish a campaign committee for governor.
New Hampshire conservative leader Jennifer Horn, the GOP’s 2008 nominee for the 2nd District U.S. House seat and the founder of the nonprofit issues group We the People, endorsed Kevin Smith for Granite State governor, calling him “a new voice” that will bring “new energy” to the Republican Party and the state.
The GOP-controlled House of Representatives voted to repeal theIndependent Payment Advisory Board, a 15-member panel that is supposed to check Medicare costs if they rise too quickly. The measure is primarily an election-year vehicle because it is unlikely to even be brought up in the Senate, and President Barack Obama has promised to veto it if is passed.
State Rep. Tony J. Payton Jr. withdrew from the April 24 Democratic primary, after a two-day Commonwealth Court hearing made clear that he didn't have enough valid signatures on his nominating petitions to stay on the ballot.
The Demoratic-led Senate Judiciary Committee rejected Chris Christie’s nomination of Phillip Kwon to the state Supreme Court, marking the first time in modern history lawmakers have turned down a governor’s choice for the state’s highest court.
Lt. Gov. Greg Bell’s office rejected a request to disqualify Bell and his boss, Gov. Gary Herbert, from the 2012 ballot over allegations that he broke the law by financing his 2010 bid for governor largely from his political action committee, rather than an official campaign committee.
Children in state protective service programs face any number of challenges, not the least of which is getting good health care.
Some think overturning the Medicaid expansion could have far-reaching effects.
Another Democrat is dropping out of the race for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts, leaving Elizabeth Warren with an even clearer path to her party's nomination.
A judge has ruled that former U.S. Sen. Bob Kerrey will appear on Nebraska's Democratic primary ballot in May.
Legislation would prevent transportation projects from going on hold at the end of the month.
A review team appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder to examine Detroit's troubled finances determined Wednesday that a "severe financial emergency" exists in the city, a finding that could lead to the appointment of an emergency manager should state and city leaders fail to agree on an alternative solution in time.
The Idaho Capitol was part medical clinic, part reality TV show and all cultural battlefield on Wednesday, as an anti-abortion advocate secured a basement meeting room to conduct live ultrasound procedures on six women before a mostly female audience of 150.
An explosion of interest in home beer brewing is forcing lawmakers across the country to review long-forgotten alcohol laws, some of which date back to Prohibition.
Florida is among 21 U.S. states with a "Stand Your Ground Law," which gives people wide latitude to use deadly force rather than retreat during a fight. The self-defense law helps explain why a neighborhood watch captain has not been arrested in the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager — a case that has caused widespread outrage.
More than 100 protesters from the reawakened Occupy Wall Street movement were ejected from Union Square Park after a standoff with police resulted in six arrests.
SEPTA'S 219 unionized transit cops went on strike just 20 minutes after their final offer was rejected at a bargaining session. Richard Neal Jr., president of the Fraternal Order of Transit Police, said his union was striking over a "measly" 50-cent hourly raise. SEPTA's final offer of 15 cents an hour was "an insult," he said.
With 10 days left until current transportation funding expires, House leaders said they plan to introduce legislation that would continue transportation funding at current levels for 90 days. If approved, it would be the ninth such extension since the last long-term funding plan expired more than two years ago.
The fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin is bringing heated calls for the resignation of the local police chief, and the city's commissioners voted "no confidence" in the chief Wednesday night. Sanford police have not arrested 28-year-old George Zimmerman, who says he shot Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teen, in self-defense.
With new resources from Congress in hand, regulators and public safety agencies are just now beginning to translate their vision for an upgraded communications system into reality. How they meet a series of tough benchmarks over the next six months will be critical to the success or failure of the long-sought network.
County attorney Robert Cuevas concluded that a new state law that prohibits the hiring of companies with business ties to Cuba conflicts with federal law and cannot be enforced until the federal government authorizes states to enact such procurement limitations, or a federal court finds the law constitutional.
A controversial proposal to post details about each abortion performed in Tennessee on a state website has been withdrawn, with its chief sponsor accusing opponents of spreading lies about it and inciting threats of violence against him.
Legislative immunity gives lawmakers a potential pass on most offenses that fall short of treason or felony when the Legislature is in session. But now two legislators, at the urging of students from Concordia University in St. Paul, are working to at least restrain that immunity so lawmakers cannot use it to escape drunken-driving charges.
The law, passed by lawmakers who were outraged by a controversial Indiana Supreme Court decision, allows people to resist police, including with deadly force, but only if police are acting illegally. Police, however, doubt many people will take the time to read the new law and understand what they can and cannot do in a confrontation with police.
Gov. Pat Quinn and members of the Illinois congressional delegation said the decision by the Federal Emergency Management Agency did not reflect the seriousness of the damage from tornadoes in southern Illinois communities, which killed seven people in tiny Harrisburg, Ill., and damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses across a five-county area.
Pledging to make jobs and the repeal of the federal health law his top priorities, Paradise Valley Councilman Vernon Parker said that he will campaign for Congress in the increasingly crowded race for District 9. Parker joins three other Republican candidates: retired Air Force pilot Wendy Rogers, former Chandler City Councilman Martin Sepulveda and aviation businessman Travis Grantham.
The state Department of Health Care Services violated disclosure law last year by refusing to provide background information on Medi-Cal cuts that a federal judge has since blocked, a Sacramento Superior Court judge has ruled. Under federal law, the department had to show that Medi-Cal cuts would not undermine access to care.
See how your state compares to others.
The Justice Department says juveniles were subjected to sexual misconduct and other abuses at a privately run Mississippi prison, though the report comes three weeks after plans were revealed to move youth to another facility.
Five trustees voted to hire a lawyer to potentially sue the city if one of Mayor Francis Slay's pension overhaul bills to control and reduce pensions goes into effect.
A Michigan judge restored power to Flint's mayor and City Council, the latest legal setback for Gov. Rick Snyder and a state law giving state-appointed emergency managers sweeping powers to help struggling cities and schools fix their finances.
