Archive
Our magazine only comes out once a month. Collectively, we only write a couple of blog posts a day. So how on Earth do Governing ...
States find no easy fix for aggressive driving. Stateline
Out with the old: Seattle's selling its old street signs. Seattle Times
PA's Rendell likens political ...
IL Gov. Blagojevich spends $600 on a makeup artist. AP
Iowa DOT: Watch out for tall corn. QC Times
Public officials' cars run the gamut. New ...
Mmmm. The smell of the French fries. The sight of the pizza. It's lunchtime!
But before Phoenix city employees can enter their building's cafeteria, where ...
Think that gubernatorial endorsements will make or break next year's presidential primaries? Consider that, far from winning his party's nomination, the candidate who Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack endorsed last November was the first to drop out.
Bill O'Reilly backpeddles on "lesbian gangs" story. CQ Politics
AK group wants permission to save orphaned moose calves. KTUU
TX Gov. Perry: raising ...
The anti-immigration fight has been moving beyond the borders. Increasingly, it's a debate that's happening in the American heartland. From the Wall Street Journal (free ...
Mitch Daniels' new conference table was made in prison. Courier-Journal
" 130-year-old Ventura toilets yield odd collection of artifacts." Mercury News
MySpace turns over ...
Detroit can't decide whether to blow up the old Tiger Stadium in order to make room for new development or to renovate the old stadium.
Yesterday I told you about the Republicans. Now here's all the news, speculation and intrigue, surrounding the presidential endorsements of the nation's 28 Democratic governors.
Stateline has an interesting look at the governors -- and which ones have to tell how much about their personal finances: Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire (...
The Florida governor's mansion just got a little bit greener. Gov. Charlie Crist has installed several new features that are more eco-friendly, including solar panels ...
Legislative lubrication: Wine helps soften CA budget impasse. Sac Bee
Airline passengers' bill of rights takes shape. Politico
MO tests a new kind of highway ...
VT town bands public nudity (for 30 days). Reuters
AZ gov't test drives its upcoming worker ID law. AZ Republic
VA pols: Don't like those crazy ...
Joe Bruno has been in a bad relationship for more than six months now. In January, he was on a "honeymoon" and in a "love fest."
I just got off the phone with Jay Pfeiffer, the deputy commissioner of education in Florida. He mentioned a counseling program in the state called ...
The Sacramento Bee has a story about the capital city's statue commemorating and honoring Mexican American soldiers. It's not in terrible shape but it could ...
AL gov's Alabama-shaped pool is no longer leaking. Mobile Press-Register
Philly Mayor Street and aides help out at fire scene. Daily News
Chaos and disorganization ...
There's a bill in California that, if it becomes law, would offer greater protection of the images of celebrities who are deceased. The state adopted ...
I had to find out for myself if Virginia's new speeding fines were slowing down the traffic and if officers were fleecing speeders. So ...
Zach Patton, our colleague and 13th Floor blogmeister is out today. Which is the only reason why I'll get away with posting this item from ...
NY AG says Spitzer improperly leaked info about political rival. AP
Invasion of the jumbo squid in CA's Monterey Bay. Mercury News
In CA, "...
Doctor shortage crimps MA health care experiment. WSJ
Oakland weighs "goose poop Zamboni." SF Chronicle
Iowa spends $4 million to save $3 million. Des Moines ...
Hurricane forecaster: global warming not linked to Atlantic storms. WSJ (paid subs)
Study finds obesity spreads among social circles. WaPo
FL spends $1 mil to tout ...
What happens when you rip out all of the pedestrian "safety" features of a city street--the guardrails, the signposts, the white lines on ...
The Detroit riots, 40 years later. Washington Post
Cities are suing gangs -- and winning. Chicago Sun-Times
Is Louisiana's budget a ticking time bomb? Times Picayune
...
WiFi may end a NJ institution: the beach badge. Newsday
David Broder: Guvs on the sidelines in race for president. WaPo
Wall Street relishes as ...
TX officials spend campaign $$ long after elections. Houston Chronicle
Despite fire threat, Missoula, MT's Testicle Festival still a go. AP
Earth too warm? States could ...
To the extent anyone is paying attention to the Democratic Leadership Council's annual convention in Nashville, it's to point out who isn't there.
Though state efforts to topple the Electoral College are stymied, North Carolina is tinkering away.
NYC's Bloomberg not quite the straphanger he claims. NYT
Foie gras ban workaround: faux gras. WSJ (subs req'd)
TX to list gas stations that are ...
If you've ever visited Washington, DC, you may know we have an awfully quirky taxi system. Your fare isn't based on how long you're ...
One kooky California gambler has an idea: The state should make money off of online poker.
Vegas city manager gets a raise he didn't want. LVRJ
Free Krispy Kreme donuts for Nashville voters today. Tennessean blog
LA city council votes to ...
Over and over during the past few months, states have moved forward the dates of their presidential primaries to try to get to the front ...
LA mayor's girlfriend suspended from her job. LA Times
In Illinois, Pepsi is it. AP
NM's wood-burning energy plan hits a snag. Santa Fe New ...
The Orlando Sentinel did a Q&A with Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, and -- seriously -- it's got all the answers to questions you didn't even know you wanted to ask.
Chestnut tree poised for a comeback. Christian Science Monitor
America's fastest growing 'burbs. Forbes
New WA State law lets kids sue to get their parents ...
This week is National Stop on Red week. Which does not mean you get to Go on Red all other times.
The week of ...
Well, that's one way for a town to get on the map. Portland Press-Herald
NYC's Bloomberg showed up for jury duty, but he wasn't chosen. ...
If Grover Norquist is liberal with one thing, it's press releases. If you ignore the ideological pronouncements, his tax-cut advocacy organization, Americans for Tax Reform, ...
NCSL's annual meeting this week in Boston is dominated, as you would expect, by sessions covering issues such as taxes, health care costs and homeland security.
The death march continues through the 200-plus policy sessions here at NCSL's annual meeting in Boston. Some of them are lively, though, including one on he question of whether school boards should give way to mayoral control.
Didn't want Kinky for Governor? How 'bout a Kinky Cigar? Dallas Morning News
Should U.S. police get disciplined with a Hello Kitty armband? NYT
...
States start offering new help to Iraq War vets. Stateline
Stop Internet hunting -- before it starts! WSJ (subs req'd)
Judge orders Oakland bakery/murder ...
In the August issue of Governing, I described how South Carolina's response to the coastal property insurance crisis differs from Florida's. This was actually quite ...
Now that Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy G. Thompson has dropped out of the race for president, I guess breast cancer is going to remain a ...
Vegas judge loses his position over MySpace comments. LVRJ
TX Gov. Perry's program: Business initiative or slush fund? Dallas News
CA lawmaker holds out on ...
Different tacks when it comes to big box stores. Stateline
Chicago gets few takers on citywide parking permits. Sun-Times
It takes a village to age ...
We sometimes entertain foreign guests on the 13th Floor, local officials from other countries who are touring our country courtesy of the State Department. Yesterday, ...
Uh, not to beat a dead horse here, but there's an interesting bit of news from the world of horsemeat regulation: Animal-rights activists campaigning to ...
Brownback: Governors aren't qualified to be president. AP
Advocacy group: Don't hide homeless during political conventions. Denver Post
California raises taxes on sugary alcoholic beverages. ...
Word leaked last month that New Orleans' tap water hadn't contained fluoride since Hurricane Katrina. For almost two years, no one in city or state ...
The uncertain future of municipal WiFi. WSJ (free link)
St. Paul mayor: The state is to blame for higher property taxes. Pioneer Press
Are carbon ...
Texas Youth Commission spokesman pepper sprayed -- at his request. Morning News
Introducing the electric scooter. Union-Tribune
Can mesh network solve San Fran's wifi politics? ...
A year ago, Arkansas, with the signature of then-governor Mike Huckabee (has he been in the news lately?), became the first state to ban smoking in cars when children are present. Now the idea is finally spreading to the boonies.
One thing a lot of people don't think about when discussing the idea of a national health records exchange is that it all begins in ...
When I saw the headline that a state senator is becoming the head of the Nevada Mining Association, I had to read more. A special ...
The sexiest futuristic cars run on electricity and hydrogen. A few months ago, I wrote a feature describing how state and local governments were picking ...
In a conversation last week with Michael Nutter, who is all but certain to become mayor of Philadelphia in a few months, I was struck by a couple of things: the dramatic return of the crime issue in urban politics right now, and the dilemma an incoming mayor such as Nutter faces in trying to deal with it.
Colorado governor declares emergency: too much wheat. Denver Post
KY governor visits Illinois city to argue against casinos. Sun-Times
Oakland School Board member asked to ...
A short article in the Chicago Sun-Times last week got me thinking again about a local politics issue that's more interesting than it may seem: the rules for zoned residential parking.
Texas to rate preschools. Morning News
Does D.C. really have a textbook shortage? Washington Post
Ad controversy continues in LA governor's race. Times-Picayune
State ...
If there's one place for premature speculation, it's the blogosphere. That's why I say with pride that I was speculating prematurely when I wrote about ...
"Official" state items are a perennial favorite topic on the 13th Floor -- Kentucky's clogging, Hawaii's humuhumunukunukuapua, Georgia's clay, New Hampshire's pumpkins.
I've ...
Denver mayor, 4 council members smoked pot. [Insert Mile High joke here] Denver Post
OH Gov. Ted Strickland can not help you find that in your ...
Two bits of news have some media outlets putting municipal WiFi on life support.
Not too much to say about Statetris. It's a game just like Tetris, except you have to flip states so they're right-side up and ...
This is juvenile and base politicking -- and just a little bit funny.
Wisconsin state Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, a Republican, is upset at a political ...
Bill Richardson: God wants Iowa's primary to be first. DM Register
Ex-NJ Gov. McGreevey heads to seminary. Newsday
Beware! Your new pooch may have come ...
I like a lot of different foods -- pie, hash browns, apple danish and lamb rogan josh to name a few -- but there's nothing ...
In Gabriel Garcia Marquez's celebrated novel One Hundred Years of Solitude, Colonel Aureliano Buendia leads the Liberal revolutionary forces, without success, through nearly 20 years of ...
When it comes to recycling empty bottles and cans, Michigan is the place to be. It's the only state in the nation where each empty ...
Miami might be about to become a little short on vowels: As part of its branding campaign for a new, up-and-coming urban core, Miami's Downtown ...
Dan Walters of the Sacramento Bee has a characteristically smart column today about the end of California's legislative session, which looks like the usual mad ...
New York City's Michael Bloomberg might be the self-proclaimed (but maybe not-all-that-accurate) "subway mayor," but Washington, D.C.'s Adrian Fenty has joined ...
Portland mayor: Beard or no beard? You decide! Oregonian
Why the GOP's losing the Hispanic vote. Houston Chronicle
More than you ever wanted to know ...
Married couples are the new minority in California. Mercury News
Impeachment for Iowa judge who blocked gay-marriage ban? DM Register
NC legislature tries to use ...
This is why I love late night on Comedy Central. What other late shows would have New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein on as ...
Homeland Insecurity: Ports in a Storm. Mother Jones
For a day, the A train is the most historic way to get to Harlem. NYT
The ...
I know I praised the a city-branding effort last week. But seriously, sometimes the whole hiring-a-consultant-to-come-up-with-a-new-slogan thing seems kiiiiinda pointless.
Like in Burlington, Vermont. That ...
Arizona is doing something that, so far as I know, nowhere else has tried: A statewide effort to automate speeding enforcement on state highways.
If you've been following the flurry of state legislation in recent years to punish sex offenders and prevent their future crimes, you'll want to know ...
Fashion police: FBI says that hat you're wearing is CRIMINAL. Seattle Times
Iowa schools denied grants because req's weren't double-spaced. Sioux City Journal via Stateline
...
Bill Richardson: "Arrest me" for medical marijuana support. MPP
Tax protesters pay Indy's Bart Peterson a house call. Indy Star
Wichita considers a ...
Louisiana has a unique way of making government more bipartisan. Consider the major candidates for governor this fall:
-Foster Campbell, a Democrat
-Walter Boasso, who ...
Protesting frivolous lawsuits, Nebraska senator sues God. USA Today
Chi Town's got the cleanest hands in all the land. Sun-Times
Louisville tries a welcoming approach ...
posted by Zach Patton
The New York Times has a really interesting story about Arcosanti, an experimental Arizona "town" that was begun in 1970 ...
In Governing's September issue, I wrote about how the University of California is establishing a law school at its Irvine campus, over the objections of of some state policy makers. So far, the institution is off to a rough start.
Mike Bloomberg creates a "street fair tsar." NY Sun
The world's languages are disappearing. NYT
Colorado turns poison into profit. Denver Post
Blowing ...
Nebraska media reported this week that Governor Dave Heineman is planning his fourth trade mission to Cuba, with nothing more than a hint that the ...
New report: La. didn't get its fair share of fed Katrina $$. Times-Picayune
IL abortion clinic held up by local permitting process. AP
KY airport workers ...
I know two things:
1) I've never spoken with anyone who, in a casual conversation, follows "way" with "forward."
2) Politicians, marketers and ...
NYC's subways are getting cell service. NYT
10-yr-old girl to city council: I WANT A PONY! Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Survey: Giving to the homeless can really ...
Tom Leppert, Dallas' new mayor, won his first major policy battle by overturning an interesting policy with a dull name: "verified response."
Under ...
CA Mega Millions players get shortchanged. San Mateo County Times
Mayor in WY plays criminal. Casper Star-Tribune
NYC experiments with a new kind of bike ...
Yesterday's news is that the U.S. Department of Transportation, with the approval of the White House, fought behind the scenes to stop California from ...
Political appointees make for bad bureaucrats. Journal of Politics
Response to ad plans for Golden Gate is lukewarm. Contra Costa Times
A mini-horse in Arden ...
Seattle's atwitter over a streetcar line being built in the city's South Lake Union neighborhood. Not because the residents just get giddy for public transit (...
Brad (with Bill Clinton) unveils Florida's plans for first large-scale solar power plant. St. Petersburg Times
Brad announces plans (and donates $5 million) for 150 storm-safe, eco-friendly ...
If you're a married female driver in Georgia, you may be in trouble. AJC
A not-so-brief history of the City of Los Angeles. LA Times
...
What's public transit for? Is it a way to provide government-subsidized transportation with the goal of moving the most people possible? Or is it part of a larger strategy to encourage walkable, livable cities with neighborhoods clustered around transit stations?
Six months ago, gay-rights advocates cheered as a same-sex civil union law took effect in New Jersey.
But now, many of those people say civil ...
What's Larry Craig got to do with childhood obesity? YouTube
Dallas teachers in hot water over gold-plated trip to Canada. Morning News
Terror plot on ...
Gulf Coast cities trying to shut down FEMA trailer parks. USA Today
DOTs say new lingo is needed for "structurally deficient." AP
Introducing ...
Is Florida over? WSJ
Infrared scans may regulate HOT lanes. WaPo
IL county to redo "boring" official seal. Chicago Tribune
LA city council ...
San Francisco's about to get a lot taller. The city recently approved a final design for a new skyscraper connected to a revamped transit center. ...
Our readership, which is largely made up of public officials, might like to read this exchange from one of The Washington Post's regular political online ...
Imagine if a mayor could have this list of accomplishments: -A budget surplus
-Rising test scores for K-12 students
-A new NFL stadium and a ...
TV Reporter who had affair with LA mayor leaves Telemundo. AP
NV might adopt MT's scary anti-meth ads. LVRJ
How's MD doing at curbing sprawl? ...
Calling all Newarks of the world: Time to celebrate your "Newarkness." AP
NYC Mayor Bloomberg's identity (and $400k!) was stolen. NYT Two men ...
Governing is a magazine, and a Web site, and newsletters and conferences and books.
What's the point of all this stuff? To inform, to entertain, ...
Who says marriage is on the decline? New York City is banking on it to draw scores of new tourists -- and their cash.
NYC ...
Bill Gates on what's wrong with health care. WSJ
Why are doctors fleeing to Texas? NYT
Does San Diego have two mayors? Union-Tribune
Competing hammer ...
The Louisville Courier-Journal took a look this week at the records of who donated money in the most recent gubernatorial campaign, and the paper found ...
Housing slump slows Baltimore's recovery. NYT
"Bike-riding mob" owns the streets of Minneapolis. Star-Tribune
OH lawmaker shows nude photo to students. AP
Got ...
It kinda seems like a no-brainer: Retiring Boomers are looking for a good second career. Schools are strapped for volunteers and teachers. States ...
Let's say you want to set up a charter school, but your state doesn't allow them. What should you do? Start it anyway!
That's ...
Can a California Raisin wannabe teach transit civility to a 17 year old? Our tipster in Sacramento thinks not. Bee
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickles is everywhere. ...
SEIU says it won't endorse a presidential candidate, just state ones. Wash Wire
How to dispose of a washed-up whale. LAT
Brazilian mayor gets LA ...
We're in New York City for Governing's annual Managing Performance conference -- two days full of more management talk than you ever thought possible.
Check ...
Every once in a while, a city elects an underaged mayor. In the case of Hurley, South Dakota, this idea didn't work out too well.
...
Deer Park, that's an interesting tax! Chicago Trib
Where the subprime loans are. (Hint: everywhere). WSJ (paid subsc)
Outgoing head of AEI tells all about ...
The rich really do get richer. WSJ (paid subsc)
Why do MN docs see fewer pharma sales reps? NYT
Detroit already has one ...
Politicians on the campaign trial make a lot of lofty promises. But here's one that I think would actually be kept: Donnie Corker, aka Dirtwoman, ...
I had a really interesting conversation here with the guy in charge of Indiana's state government Web site. We were chatting before a conference session, ...
Portland, Oregon, has long been lauded as one of the nation's friendliest cities to bikers. Miles and miles of bike lanes, dedicated bicycle stations, even ...
Isn't 414 people, like, half the population of Rhode Island? Projo
New Orleans airport back to 80% of pre-Katrina capacity. Airport Biz
Panama Canal expansion might boost ...
DC's cabs come out of the Dark Ages. WaPo
Houston debates zoning. Again. WSJ
Dismantling Pittsburgh: Death of an airline hub. USA Today
Are giant ...
At Governing's management conference last week, a former hospital administrator mentioned at dinner that some private companies are sending employees to India for open heart ...
Customer-service vigilante takes a hammer to Comcast. WaPo
Chicago City Council's growing a spine. Sun Times
University president, 54, takes down her Facebook profile. WaPo
Got ...
There's a lot of speculation right now about whether the Supreme Court will rule that lethal injections -- by far the most common method of ...
Here on the 13th Floor, we have, unsurprisingly, paid more attention to the state and local officials running for president than the Washington types. In ...
Sea-Tac Airport vows to avoid "war" on Christmas this year. Seattle Times
Does Philadelphia have the ugliest citizens in the country? Philly Daily ...
In some strange, scary alternate universe, tomorrow is election day. They call that universe "Louisiana."
The big questions are whether the frontrunner for ...
With delays, quart-size Ziplocs, sock-footed security lines, lost luggage and gold-plated ticket prices, air travel these days is no fun. But at Sioux City, Iowa's ...
Good politicians don't always make good neighbors.
Just ask the residents of the tony Oak Hill neighborhood in Nashville, the location of the Tennessee governor's ...
KY gov. candidates can at least agree on Skywalker and Sean Connery. Herald Leader
Uh...Happy Veterans Day, Delaware state Wilmington city employees! Wilmington News ...
The nasty side of the Vegas wedding chapel industry. Review-Journal
Richmond's Douglas Wilder: Strong mayor? Ask the judge. Post-Dispatch
OR could get hydrogen fuel stations. ...
Quick! What's America's fastest-growing high school sport?
Any guesses? Lacrosse? Skateboarding?
Nope. Apparently, it's bowling. Yep, bowling has taken the lead (from ice hockey) as ...
I just had lunch with two secretaries of state, Jennifer Brunner of Ohio and Beth Chapman of Alabama. For both, their jobs have been made complicated by the fact that their predecessors were so controversial.
Sucks to be a deer in WV. Argus Leader
In 3-way, Stephen Colbert gets more youth support than Giuliani. Rasmussen
Got a Heads Up for ...
Press reports indicate that 950,000 people have been ordered to evacuate their homes as a result of the California wildfires. Just how many people is 950,000?
It's ...
You won't win too many friends by banning the circus. Weekly Dig
Bush takes a shot at Blanco while touring wildfires. Times-Picayune
More from that ...
The people of Maryland, by large majorities, want their taxes to be raised. The details of the Washington Post poll:
-69% want cigarette taxes to ...
As we know, there is no issue more threatening to cities today than men's pants that are worn far too.
Why else would the city ...
