Archive
He was too sexy for his shirt. He was too sexy for your party. He was too sexy for Milan, New York and Japan. But ...
Auto emissions regulations are the rage in Vermont. The state recently adopted the "California standards," a policy stance that is now playing out ...
Small animals get CA legislature's attention. San Diego Union-Tribune
NY Gov. Spitzer's idol. Washington Post
Heads up -- literally! Great Falls Tribune
Real blood spilled ...
I used to think that I'd keep up on state politics around the country by reading a lot of blogs. This was ages ago, maybe 2005, ...
KY Lt. Gov. candidate says he's not qualified to be governor. Herald-Leader
The "Frankenstein," the "Vanna White," and other quirky vetoes. ...
How many governors currently have blogs? The same number that communicate through smoke signals, homing pigeons and telepathy (so far as I know). Zero.
Here's ...
A student was waving a gun late Monday night outside the University of Virginia's engineering building. It turned out that his reasons were entirely innocent ...
So much for the conservative crusade against the nanny state.
Check out this quote from NYC, where the health issue du jour is baseball bats. ...
RI library subscribes to Netflix. Shifted Librarian blog
ND cops wrestle with a boa constrictor. Bismarck Tribune
Is Boston's ugly city hall a landmark? Globe
&...
Governors offices and I don't see eye to eye. Many (though not all) of them seem to think e-mail is just like snail mail -- ...
Early in my career at Governing, I wrote this feature about methods that courts were using in order to speed along their dockets. The lead, ...
The Ohio legislature is setting up a committee on how to handle "e-mails about government business sent through private e-mail accounts." "It ...
MT House Maj. Ldr. to Gov: "Go to hell" -- and more. Billings Gazette + video
Breaking the jinx of Chicago's Lot 37. NYT
Turns ...
Exclusive pics of Mike Bloomberg multitasking! Gothamist
London's mayor on Bloomberg's proposed congestion charge. Guardian
NJ poll: 91% want Corzine ticketed for not wearing a seatbelt. ...
In one of yesterday's "Heads Up" links, Montana House Republican Majority Leader Michael Lange lashes out at Governor Brian Schweitzer with ugly temper ...
NJ's Corzine wants a ticket for not wearing his seatbelt. Philly Inquirer
WA gets an official state frog. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
AZ toys with 24-lane freeways. ...
Berkeley City Council opposes use of cages. East Bay Biz Times
In NY State, big tax breaks for just a handful of employees. AP
The ...
Why, more than anything else, does Anne Northup say she should be the Republican nominee for governor of Kentucky? Not because she'll fix the state's ...
In OR House, refuse to vote on the floor and risk a $5,000 fine. Oregonian
NC county gives hefty tax breaks to snag NASCAR wind tunnel. ...
Los Angeles' traffic congestion, of course, is well documented. You might even say "legendary."
So maybe it's no surprise that some LA residents ...
Young adults aren't a politically viable demographic in the health insurance debate, but they comprise the largest uninsured segment of the population. Healthy twentysomethings fretting ...
posted by Will Wilson
On Tuesday night, I had the pleasure to participate in a focus group conducted by the team that will be designing ...
Attention, all you fans of viande chevaline : Despite a Congressional ban, the last remaining horse slaughterhouse in the U.S. is staying open -- for ...
If McGreevey becomes a priest, can we stop talking about him? Jersey Journal
If forwarding email illegal? A law prof says yes. AP
CA DHS ...
Blasphemy as it might be for a writer for the Magazine of States and Localities, I'll admit it: Local government is the vanilla level of ...
People are walking 10% faster than they did a decade ago. ITV News
Seatbelts for dogs? Boston Herald
QE2 was introduced to the VA House yesterday ...
Canada and Michigan have long had a bizarre relationship. Michigan sends its teenagers across the border to get trashed (legal drinking age in Ontario: 19), and ...
The NFL has banned mayors and governors.
Team owners have decided that the political pressure applied by elected officials "detracted" from Super Bowl ...
How Philly & Detroit handled highway collapses. San Jose Mercury News
Are ports ready for the next decade's surge in cargo? CalTrade Report
Paris Hilton ...
After attending a conference this weekend in Cleveland, I can report firsthand that Ohio Governor Ted Strickland's new ethics rules are being taken seriously. Both ...
State Treasurer Jonathan Miller's decision to end his campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor of Kentucky simplified (slightly) a maddeningly complicated election. Democrats still ...
This is part of a series of reflections on a conference I attended last weekend in Cleveland: "The Changing Face of Cities," organized ...
SLC's Rocky fights a downtown sky bridge, loses. SL Trib
Video of Berkeley's bike-parking station. Streetsblog
Making it tougher for sex offenders to change their ...
Temperatures have been in the upper 70s in Oklahoma City this week, perfect weather for flip-flops.
That might explain why Governor Brad Henry signed a ...
UT DOT planting oil-producing crops along highways. Deseret News
MA hasn't collected a cent from businesses for expanded healthcare. Globe
"Like, wow." Vegas ...
This is part of a series of reflections on a conference I attended May 4 & 5 in Cleveland: "The Changing Face of Cities," organized ...
It is sooo tempting to make fun of a story that starts of this way: The Los Angeles Housing Department has paid thousands of dollars ...
A "Terminator" without the Governator?? Variety
NASA tech inventors help roads and air travel, too. Houston Chronicle
States crack down on dangerous highway ...
Worst. Idea. Ever. Teachers stage fake gun attack on class. CNN
When you're on the train...and you gotta go. Chicago Tribune
CT squares off ...
Tommy Thompson was one of the great governors of recent years and no doubt possessed the ability to have done great things as a Cabinet ...
I know, I know. You read all these different posts on the 13th Floor about the legal status of horsemeat in the U.S., and ...
AZ moves to outlaw anti-war t-shirts with fallen soldiers' names. Daily Star
Just 3 years old, but troubles on Pittsburgh's light-rail line. Centre Daily
Talk of ...
Stateline has a pretty interesting look at governors' annual salaries, which range from over $200,000 at the top end all the way down to a dollar ...
Three weeks ago, Montana House Majority Leader Michael Lange got nasty on the chamber floor, replete with profanity and unpleasant anatomical imagery.
As of yesterday, ...
I've spent the week in Atlanta, where I've acquainted myself with MARTA, the city's transit system. I've found MARTA's trains to be clean, spacious, reliable ...
Houston switches plans from light rail to bus rapid-transit. KPRC Local 2
Mayors unveil carbon footprint calculator. NYT
New Anchorage logo replaces blog. Daily News
Planning ...
From "I Do" to "He Does." Proxy marriages booming in MT. Bismarck Trib
Going solar in the rainy Northwest. The Olympian
...
Hey there, U.S. metropolitan area! Are you tired of chasing after the same tired old biotechnology firms, day in and day out?
Well, wake ...
GA DOT proposal: No new freeway lanes in Atlanta -- EVER. AJC
Did you bike to work today?
Atlanta city workers protest proposed budget. AJC
...
This is part of a series of reflections on a conference I attended May 4 & 5 in Cleveland: "The Changing Face of Cities," organized ...
Is MI too broke to show the governors' convention a good time? Free Press
Sal DiMasi: from Governing's cover to MA's top pol. Boston Globe.
...
Lower gas tax revenues mean more potholes and tolls. AP
"Czar": What's in a name? NYT
867-5309: What's in a number? AP
Hey, ...
The selling of naming rights for stadiums, arenas and other public buildings is not nearly as controversial as it used to be. I'm not sure ...
Chris Cillizza, the political columnist for Washingtonpost.com, presents a good overview of the potential upsides of a presidential run by New York Mayor Michael ...
I was in Lexington, Ky., this past weekend -- a town I've written about before for becoming more bike-friendly -- and I noticed all these ...
Mayors' climate change pact hits 500-city mark. Sierra Club blog
Bill Fulton's retailing adventures in Las Vegas. Bill Fulton's blog
San Jose's clean-tech economic strategy. ...
Am I the only one who thinks Jordin Sparks' victory on "American Idol" is a good omen for Barack Obama, based on their ...
From the Big House to a luxe hotel: Buddy Cianci's new start. NYT
AK lawmakers: 90-day session is not enough! ADN
SF's Human Svcs. Dept. ...
Public service announcements don't always make the most interesting television.
But NJ Gov. Jon Corzine -- who, of course, survived a horrific traffic accident last ...
Bees swarm Phoenix city hall. AZ Republic
If Trafalgar Square can go green, why not Times Square? Streetsblog
Miami gets its first-ever citywide parks plan. ...
IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed a bill into law yesterday that eliminates dozens of jobs in his state.
It's the latest -- and probably the ...
The 13th Floor is taking off for a long weekend. Please enjoy this video of Cincinnati residents breaking the Mentos-Diet Coke record:
See you ...
FL's property tax mess. WSJ (subs req'd)
TN propane tax would hit backyard cookouts. Tennessean
What Atlantans learned on a trip to Vancouver. AJC
TX ...
Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part, but I'm starting to believe that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is running for president as ...
Denver tests new model of child welfare. Rocky Mountain News
Spitzer's new take on Wall Street. NYT
NV Guv gets off to "suboptimal" ...
When I wrote about WiFi applications for government this month, I focused mostly on Corpus Christi, Texas, which has become something of a national laboratory ...
Normally I don't publish off the record remarks, but this one is so charming and innocuous -- and I'll keep the person in question anonymous ...
An artist's rendering of what an offshore wind farm would look like from the beach. WaPo
A D.C. bureaucrat who's gettin' it done. WaPo
...
It's good to see Mitt Romney finally taking some credit for the health insurance mandate bill he signed into law last year as governor of ...
A taste of Napa Valley on the South Dakota plains. Bismarck Tribune
Killing gators in FL might get easier. Sun Sentinel
Michael Nutter, Philly's reluctant ...
Attention, readers and writers of state blogs: Who are you? What blogs are you reading? What are you writing? Why?
Don't tell me. Tell Emily ...
Too-big big rig is a tin can in the Lincoln Tunnel. NYT
Luxury hotel developer bets big on downtown Detroit. WSJ (paid subsc)
Is Villaraigosa ...
There's an interesting conversation going on over at DCist about cops on segways, and whether they, well, look ridiculous.
Many of the comments seem to ...
Bikes and trails -- the solution to the nation's problems? Des Moines Register
LIRR tunnels, old and new. Newsday, via APA
Transit makes for better ...
In MN, using turkey waste to generate electricity. NYT
AK's leg. session: Meeting in Anchorage costs way more than Juneau. ADN
CA regs may halt ...
Sure, the U.S. as a whole emits more harmful gases that any other country. But when you look at the latest data on a ...
So I'm working on a story for an upcoming issue of Governing. I'm looking at what Gen X and Gen Y want out of a ...
My copy of the May 21 New Yorker got delivered to a neighbor's house, so I've only just gotten around to reading Connie Bruck's profile of ...
New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg is getting a lot of attention over comments he made to WCBS-TV this week, in regards to the (barely nascent) ...
Some residents of Rosemont, Il., are claiming that a tree in the middle of town has revealed the Second Coming.
No, not that Second Coming. ...
Homeowner insurance crisis puts huge risks on states' shoulders. WSJ
Last putt for GA's Golf Hall of Fame. AJC
Does blogging improve high schoolers' writing ...
Frank Gehry, the architect known for his swooping, organic forms of shiny metal, is going to design his first playground. The one-acre playspace will be ...
How Paris Hilton's new ankel jewelry works. LA Times
Phoenix lobbyist rescues Mexican fisherman. AZ Republic
Giuliani would use a version of Compstat if he's ...
So I'm at the dentist's office this morning, waiting for my name to be called. And I'm kind of mindlessly flipping through the latest ...
Water bottles in Oregon are about to get a little more valuable.
Gov. Ted Kulongoski has signed into law a measure that will require Oregon ...
Starting tomorrow, Florida lawmakers will take a swing in special session at revising the state's dozen-year-old cap on property taxes, which has led to gross ...
LA's Villaraigosa and his wife are splitting. LA Times
New life for commuter rail in NH. Union Leader
Hosting All-Star Game with cost SF $700k. ...
Effort launched to recall sheriff who let Paris Hilton out of jail. LA Times
Playground prank + potato gun = arrested and tried as an adult. Denver ...
I just received a call from my cell phone service company asking if I wanted to renew my contract. I said, "No. I have ...
SHOCKING NEWS!!!!!! The federal government has released an interesting report.
That would be a Department of Education study, which reveals (or at least seems to ...
This is an absolutely fascinating map. It renames each U.S. state with the country that has a simlar GDP.
It's kind of stunning. You ...
A rocky week for Rocky (the L.A. city attorney). LA Times
A rocky week for Rocky (the SLC mayor). Tribune
America's worst traffic traps. ...
In 1786, Thomas Jefferson declared the United States "a country where the will of the majority is the law, and ought to be the law.&...
One great thing about being a journalist is that you can raise questions with absolutely no obligation to answer them.
Wait, what's Flag Day mean again, Gov. Kulongoski? Portland Oregonian
Uhhhh... "McGreevey blasts wife's taste in clothes." USA Today
KC Mayor Funkhouser in ...
DC Vote, the bill that would give DC and Utah each one new representative, just made it through Senate committee and is headed to the ...
Dallas voters will decide on a new mayor tomorrow, with the choices being businessman Tom Leppert, who the local media has deemed "a pleasant, ...
Last week, Texas followed in the footsteps of many states by passing a big tax break for movie productions. The hope, as always, is to ...
S.L. City releases new video of mayor's skirmish with developer. SL Tribune
Steroid tests move to high schools. Stateline
Bill Richardson wants a Water ...
The Bonnaroo music festival was held this weekend in Manchester, TN. (Which, incidentally, is only a few miles from where I was born and raised.&...
I know, I know, it's tough to keep up.
You're probably still reeling from National Peanut Butter Cookie Day. And you're just now getting over ...
John Rowland's life after prison. Washington Post
Funds for NYC's congestion pricing plan might not exist. WCBS
Kansas City violates federal Clean Air Act. KC ...
The New York Times has an interesting profile of the 29-story Cleveland Trust Tower, located in, uh, Cleveland.
Built in 1971, it's the only skyscraper ever ...
Critters aren't using the $25K tunnel NH built for them. Boston Globe
TIME's (puff) piece on Bloomberg and Schwarzenegger. TIME
States looking at alternatives to ...
Don't know whether you've been following the saga of Ed Jew, a San Francisco supervisor accused of having shaken down constituent business owners for $40,000 to ...
KC's Funkhouser changes his mind about that free car. KC Star
Balto's new(ish) mayor wants to change the city charter. Sun
How the passport ...
Sure, sewers and street-cleaning and road maintenance are all really important. But have you ever really stopped to think about how important those sorts ...
When I wrote a piece (5th item) about San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's potential electoral problems, I erred on the side of good taste and ...
posted by Zach Patton
Remember a couple months ago when those members of Congress took the "Food Stamp Challenge," trying to eat on ...
Bad math forces Schwarzenegger to redo schools plan. Union-Tribune
NYC poor to get cash for good behavior. ABC News
NV House: No more "Yucca ...
View former Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger on the cover of Muscle and Fitness magazine.
Where's your best bet for retaining the value of your home? Biz Times
SF might get a tourist zeppelin in 2008. CNET
Paris Hilton case sheds ...
Woo-hoo! "Michigan not worst in taxes or spending." Detroit Free Press
Will Wal-Mart ruin this Hasidic Jewish town? NYT
Lost your monkey? Here's ...
The mayors of New York and San Francisco are pushing a radical, bold new idea: It's okay to drink the tap water.
NYC Mayor Mike ...
When I was updating Governing's Sourcebook the other day, I came to a startling realization: State economic development department Web sites have some really goofy ...
In one race, it could be Oh Bus Horse vs. Sticky Rice or Virtue Soup. In another match-up, people will likely put their money on ...
Yesterday, we wrote about cities' touting the drinkability -- nay, deliciousness! -- of their tap water. Unsurprisingly, the International Bottled Water Association isn't took keen on the whole idea of the tap.
Because we, as a news Web site, are legally obligated to cover Paris Hilton's release from jail. Everywhere
No cannonball for DC Mayor Fenty. WaPo
...
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper talks up "brewpub regionalism." CP&DR
Is the SF Board of Supes a "clown show"? SF ...
NPR says there's a group that's having a newfound impact on state-level politics: the gays. Specifically, the rich gays: A new force is emerging in ...
MD legislative leaders try scare tactics with "Doomsday budget." Balto Sun
New rules would force many CA pot clubs to close. SF Bay ...
Okay, I promise I'm not promoting a film or anything. But I saw the trailer for "I Am Legend," coming out this winter, ...
AL Gov issues proclamation calling for week of prayer for rain. AL.com
Court says"driving under the influence" includes hangovers. NJ.com
...
Maryland lawmakers blissfully signed off on the 2008 fiscal year budget in April, which included new funding for school construction and stem cell research, without major ...
Events of the past week have not been cheery for fans of campaign finance laws.
The home of the $3,000 traffic ticket. USA Today
Rough road ahead for state-owned "Arizona Highways" mag. AZ Republic
KY's First Dog is getting ...
OMG it's July 2nd and you don't have an iPhone yet???
Philly Mayor John Street and DC Mayor Adrian Fenty both do.
Street camped out ...
LA's Villaraigosa acknowledges "relationship" with Telemundo reporter. ABC7
NCSL prez gets some props. Houston Chronicle
GA approves nation's first commercial cellulosic ethanol plant. ...
Of course road traffic is going to be horrendous this Fourth of July -- record-breaking, in fact, according to AAA.
But it's not just cars ...
Every once in a while, a word or phrase or rhetorical trope will spread throughout the writing world like kudzu. A few years ago, there ...
Speech snub? Seattle mayor delivers "State of the City" to Rotary Club, not city council. Seattle Times
Applications for U.S. citizenship surging. ...
From a 13th Floor operative in Colorado comes this interesting update of LovelandSexualSculptureGate '06, in which some residents of Loveland, CO, were upset that a ...
I happen to live in Silver Spring, a Maryland suburb of Washington that has staged a successful revitalization of its downtown. Silver Spring landed the ...
So "Sicko" has finally landed. The Michael Moore film came out in my neighborhood theater last Friday, and I went right over to ...
Fliers' bill of rights advances. AZ Republic
High-speed rail may link Midwest. Indy Star
The new way to measure student achievement. NYT
Independent Bloomberg ...
Los Angeles is 50 percent bigger in area than New York City, but LA has only half the cops. That means they spend most of their ...
Hey, don't know if you heard, but President Bush commuted Scooter Libby's prison sentence. Depending on your perspective, it was either a slap in the ...
Why CA's "green" fleet is actually worse for the environment. Mercury News
FL's Crist says he's not Romney's VP. AP
NJ's Corzine walks ...
Okay, this is easily the single greatest song ever written about a state commissioner of labor.
Yep, the smiling face of North Carolina Labor Commissioner ...
Governors are fair-weather Facebook friends. Stateline
Shaq for sheriff, and Charles Barkley for AL gov? Birmingham News
No more roadside parking in Arkansas. Today's THV
...
Lean Star State? TX will be first to test its kids' fitness. Morning News
OR town's residents upset that the traffic posts look like...you ...
Sorry, Illinois, Massachusetts, Tennessee and 31 other states.
Springfield, Vermont, has won the coveted title of "Springfield." You know, from "The Simpsons." ...
Here's something that perhaps no municipal official has ever asked: Which is a better bargain, a baseball team or a giant panda cub?
I went to public schools from kindergarten all the way through college. I actually take a lot of pride in that.
But Pittsburgh thinks there's ...
The Merriam-Webster dictionary folks have come out with their list of new additions for the year.
Topping the list? "Ginormous" and "crunk.&...
Yesterday, Josh offered an intriguing comparison of pandas and baseball stadiums as economic development strategies.
If you're wondering just how that stadium is coming along, ...
White firefighters sue over promotions. Sun-Times
Vegas monorail plunges to "junk" bond status. Vegas Sun
LA County offers "inland port" plan. ...
