Archive
In Boston, an experiment with bringing music to subway platforms has been dropped after only two weeks. The culprit, among others, was Phil Collins: Some ...
I have a short piece in Governing's November issue about how the Kansas legislature this year passed a bill that will make theirs the first state to own its own casinos. Since then, I've noticed gambling is a topic of debate in a number of states. Which makes me wonder -- why?
Former IL Gov. Ryan is reporting to jail. AP
A city-county merger for Pittsburgh? Business Journal
An ethics quiz for AK legislators. Anchorage Daily News
...
Today's Chicago Tribune has a startlingly strong op-ed, in which the paper advocates a recall vote to take Gov. Rod Blagojevich out of office. Given ...
Schoolkids in Tennessee are about to get a lot less proficient at reading. (No, not because of video games or television.)
It's because the state ...
Today's Chicago Tribune has posted several readers' reponses to yesterday's opinion piece calling for a recall of Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
The comments are really thoughtful ...
State report: Texas has too many reports. Dallas Morning News
Are cities' gay neighborhoods becoming passé? NYT
Gridlock over how to end airlines' gridlock. CS ...
If the state of Kentucky gets its way, the joke tonight will be on Snickers, Good & Plenty won't be plentiful and Almond Joy will ...
Are you an illegal immigrant? Do you live in a state with a complicated drivers license process, making it harder for you to get a ...
Halloween in Iowa might be a little scarier than other places this year. Why? Because there's a new pumpkin tax (oooooo! scary!) in the state.
...
NV DEM party launches program to teach rural kids how to caucus. CNN
Zipcar and Flexcar agree to merge. WaPo
Those new gunshot sensors actually ...
Another day, another gay Republican legislator sex scandal.
Washington State Rep. Richard Curtis has resigned his seat amid revelations of a sexual encounter he had ...
It's Halloween, and that means it's time for another round-up of "cracking-down-on-sex-offenders" stories: Washington Post: Md. Pays a Holiday Checkup on Child Sex ...
YouTube isn't just for cute kitten contests, crazed Britney fans, and wise Ninja advisers.
It's also for gangs, who, according to the Boston Globe, have ...
Over in Annapolis, Maryland lawmakers are meeting in special session to debate a bunch of possible tax code changes to fill a $1.5 or $1.7 billion budget ...
Chicago's Daley says Trib's wrong on Blago recall push. Sun Times
...Meanwhile, Blago's lawyers stall on answering subpoena. Sun Times
Seattle mayor tries to live &...
TN town runs out of water. AP
Health care for bridges: A search for diagnostic tools. NYT
Seattle and Dallas have the same traffic issues? ...
The word everyone is using to describe Fred Thompson: lazy. Fewer people realize that he's calling for the federal government to be just as lazy ...
Without a single result to report, I can already tell you what the 2007 elections will portend for 2008: Nothing.
Arnold on Jacuzzis and political aspirations. AP
Ozzy Osbourne's ticked over police sting operation staged in his name. AP
Former Governing staffer lays out case ...
Are DC's traffic cameras too effective for their own good? Examiner
All these forclosures are hurting cities, too. Star Tribune
Battle of the beer towns: ...
From the Clarion-Ledger , Mississippi's largest newspaper: Republicans rolled to victory Tuesday in what could signal the virtual end of the two-party system in statewide races, ...
Is Mike Bloomberg getting coy about a prez run? AP
Gay-marriage advocates in NJ go on the air. Blue Jersey
State & local election roundup. ...
Now that New York City has started chasing after marriage moolah, will the city stoop to trying to profit from another type of tourism? New ...
I wrote 560 words about the ballot measures voters faced this year, but I can summarize in just one: Huh?
If you need a slightly longer ...
Commuters in San Diego yesterday didn't have to pay for public transit. That's because Washington Mutual bank paid for all riders' fares: A bank spokesman ...
On Tuesday, voters in Ferndale, Michigan, a 22,000-person suburb of Detroit, elected Craig Covey their new mayor. Covey, who is gay, is the first openly ...
MN First Lady Mary Pawlenty "got her wish" -- "her head carved in butter." Star-Tribune
Jury in FL Rep. Bob Allen's ...
You're probably aware of the kerfluffle over NASA's records indicating there have been a lot more near mid-air crashes than previously thought.
As an illustration ...
Tollbooths are becoming much more common sites along American roadways, and as more states look for ways to fund transportation infrastructure investment, toll plazas will ...
When between 45 and 50 percent of registered voters cast ballots in Washington state last Tuesday, the Seattle Times described turnout as "meager."
Governing doesn't check in with hip, stylish men nearly enough. So, today, we present you with the cool guys' view on city versus suburban living.
...
FL Rep. Bob Allen found guilty of soliciting prostitution from male police officer. Orlando Sentinel
VA LUVS VNTY PL8TS. AP
Key facts about NYC's ...
All of the state bureaucrats toiling away in obscure positions should take heart. You might be the next Rob Wittman.
Republicans in Virginia gathered last ...
The fish are back in New Orleans' aquarium, but FEMA wants off the hook for payments. Times-Picayune
Meanwhile, N.O.'s historic streetcars are back ...
I just checked the weather in Atlanta today. It's 52 degrees and very sunny, (see the bright yellow sun on weather.com?). Georgia has had it ...
Yesterday, Governor Sonny Perdue asked a crowd of 250 Georgians outside the Capitol to "pray up a storm."
The state and the region badly ...
A few years ago, when I was in college in Chattanooga, TN, I remember community leaders talking about how Chattanooga was always competing with Atlanta to attract business. But it seems the gods are smiling on Chattanooga. Well, at least the water gods.
Jon Bon Jovi might not be the most qualified person to run for the governor of New Jersey, but you can't deny that he'd be ...
In the ongoing saga of Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue's prayers for rain to end his state's epic drought, it seems the Lord has had something ...
Step right up, ladies and gentleman, and see for yourself!
It's the amazing, one-of-a-kind, Aldo Leopold Legacy Center , located in Baraboo, Wisconsin. THE GREENEST BUILDING ...
Last week's episode of NPR's This American Life was completely devoted to the story of Harold Washington, Chicago's first (and so far only) black mayor, ...
The Washington state Supreme Court recently overturned the state's one percent annual cap on property tax increases, which voters approved in 2001.
This looked like a ...
School buses go green. USA Today
KY gov-elect to throw "Kentucky themed" inaugural. Bold. AP
Got a Heads Up for us? Email 13thfloor@...
Charlie Crist ?'s Wal-Mart. Palm Beach Post blog
Eliot Spitzer vows to push for gay marriage next year. NY Post
Richard Daley walks out of ...
Governors have been ahead of the federal government on certain policy changes for years. But one of the most prevalent issues where the states are ...
I once got a massage at this spa that was, while itself a totally reputable and completely legit place, in a kind of borderline seedy ...
Charlotte, NC's first light-rail line opened for business over the weekend, and the initial reviews are good.
The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) gave reporters ...
NY DMV renegs on "GETOSAMA" vanity plate. Newsday
Kansas City's urban renewal project headed for the silver screen. LA Times
Philly to give ...
The pundits all agree on immigration:
"Immigration -- couched as border security -- is undoubtedly going to be a way Republicans look to change ...
I grew up just a few miles from the Jack Daniels distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee, so I can tell you a thing or two about ...
In AZ, "Sec of State" might become "Lt. Gov." AZ Daily Star
In Portland, "Fourth Avenue" won't become "...
Should states get out of the marriage business?
Stephanie Coontz thinks so. She's a history professor and the author of "Marriage, a History: How ...
Philly Mayor Street presides over same-sex commitment ceremony. NBC10
"FORNO 1" sounds kinda pervy to me. Houston Chronicle
Ray Nagin is "disgusted" ...
Chicago's out to redefine the way you think about alleys.
The city is embarking on a hugely ambitious effort to make its alleyways -- which ...
New stats in Washington, D.C., suggest that drivers are largely ignoring the District's three-year-old ban on using hand-held phones while driving: "Obviously the ...
Wash State risks losing out on Vancouver Olympics $$$. Seattle Times
Sucks to be AL State. Rep. Alvin Holmes. Montgomery Advertiser
NAACP objects to Chinese artist (...
If you're a public official, how do you renovate your office when you've made hay of someone else doing the same thing?
If you're Massachusetts ...
Arnold Schwarzenegger's story goes like this: -He was a celebrity actor and bodybuilder with no political experience.
-He championed a popular ballot measure in California ...
IL gov sneaks out of special session for a hockey game. Sun-Times
MA's "anti-spanking" bill stirs debate but has little chance of passing. ...
Which high schools send the most grads to elite colleges? WSJ
Art panel: Plans for statue of former Balto Mayor William Donald Schaeffer too boring ...
The city of Denver has shelved an employee diversity training video because of complaints that the video itself is racist -- against white people. The ...
I recently called up Arkansas state Rep. Jon Woods to ask him about legislation he's sponsored designed to crack down on illegal immigration. I also wanted to ask for his thoughts on former governor Mike Huckabee, a fellow Republican with very different views on immigration.
Is Chicago's top cop worth $310,000? Sun Times
Ex-gov.: Politicians run better on booze. Sacramento Bee
Even submerged under water, Seattle can't get support for flood ...
A new Gallup poll reports that Republicans are more likely than Democrats to consider themselves in good mental health.
Of course, the study also notes ...
What do gay bars have to do with urban planning? Maybe a lot.
In a very interesting Boston Globe op-ed, writer Robert David Sullivan discusses ...
Wasn't it just the other day that you were thinking, "Man, I wish I could find a blog that covered issues of fairness and ...
Some CA lawmakers "no" to pay hike. Sacramento Bee
How would you run a subway? NYT
Wyoming Gov. Freudenthal doesn't like any of ...
Charlie Crist, the governor of Florida, enjoys an approval rating around 60 percent. Marco Rubio, the speaker of the Florida House and a fellow Republican, is apparently part of the other 40.
America's drunkest cities. Men's Health
Looking for legislative action in CA next year? Don't hold your breath. Sac Bee
Corrupt official used Louisiana's film incentive ...
Arnold distances himself from "Conan" video game. Oakland Tribune
CRISIS SOLVED!!!! Atlanta public schools ban saggy pants. AJC
Los Angeles' water savings just ...
Indianapolis' new library addition has been a long time coming, with years of delays and millions of dollars in cost overruns. (I mentioned it briefly ...
TX Gov. Perry's Huckabeean slip. Dallas Morning News
Rest easy, Ohio state lawmakers! No criminal background checks for you! Toledo Blade
Got a Heads Up ...
A few days ago, the official Web site of the governor of Kentucky looked like this. There were more than 50 buttons total on the sides ...
Alaska Gov. Palin strikes a pose for Vogue. AP
Another day, another presidential denial from Mike Bloomberg. NYDN
MO Gov. Blunt fails to put his &...
This picture's been making the rounds on the Internets. Everybody knows that former Arkansas Governor -- and, you know, presidential candidate -- Mike Huckabee used ...
For public employees, is reading a blog a First Amendment right or a waste of taxpayers' money? Should state governments be able to block ...
D.C.'s voting-rights tea party. DCist
How much does it cost to remove 2,400 Indian head logos from an arena? Bismarck Tribune
Mortgage-relief plan divides ...
So we've gotten some really negative comments for my earlier posting of Mike Huckabee's Christmas card. I've got to say, I'm a little surprised ...
Fed shrugged as subprime mortgage spread. NYT
SLC loooves watching movies. SL Tribune
Is the new solar tech capital...Toledo?? WSJ
13 states face total shortfall ...
There's a vampire living in your house! Actually, probably several vampires.
Okay, maybe they're not sucking your blood, but they are draining your energy -- ...
Congrats, Alabama, on no longer being a "judicial hellhole"! AP
What's up with this floating bench in NYC? PAPERMAG
Hot dog vendor stands ...
The most discussed provision of the new federal energy legislation, just signed by President Bush, is that vehicle fuel economy standards will go up for ...
Score! IL Gov. Blago gets free Hannah Montana tix!!! Sun Times
2,500 OR residents: Stop giving our money to schoolkids! Oregonian
Atlantic City to hire a &...
CA House Speaker's Xmas gifts to lawmakers? "Anti-coal." Sac Bee
Jamie Lynn Spears is totes preggers! And states' statutory rape laws are totes ...
We can't leave for the holidays without a good old-fashioned "War on Christmas" story. So...
T'was the week before Christmas, and a couple ...
Happy Holidays from the 13th Floor! If you need us, we'll be in an egg nog coma for the next several days.
We're not ...
When I lived in Pittsburgh in the early '80s, I developed an appreciation for pierogies and became reasonably fluent in the charming local lingo ...
Driving around a city can be a good way to get to know it. Detroit Free Press columnist Bill McGraw has taken that idea to ...
Philadelphia Mayor John Street's Christmas present to himself is going to leave a bad taste in the mouths of his constituents. He has decided to ...
On the morning of November 5, 2008, the day after Election Day, social conservatives may be celebrating Florida's vote on a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.
It's officially winter, and it's officially after Christmas.
For many cities, that means entering into a period of slumber, when residents stay off the city ...
2008 is here! Among other things, this year marks the first time Smart Cars are available in the United States.
You know Smart Cars, right? Those ...
Wasn't it already 2008? All this presidential election coverage is confusing us.
Ohio Governor Ted Strickland must REALLY not want to be vice president. Either that or he suffers from a political Achilles Heel: uncontrollable honesty.
Strickland, ...
Iowa and New Hampshire have a lot in common: They get to vote first in the presidential nominating process, both are racially homogenous and both ...
There hasn't been a Republican primary season like this in my memory. Even when Republicans haven't started with a clear frontrunner, as in 2000, they quickly ...
Obama looks like a winner. His big Iowa victory will remove lingering doubts from many minds about whether he is for real, whether people will ...
This might say something about the status of tennis in the United States. When the Minneapolis Star Tribune ran an interesting article headlined, "Cities ...
Today's Supreme Court hearing on Kentucky's death penalty may be a prelude to the end of lethal injection nationally -- or perhaps the end of ...
Assuming Barack Obama wins the Democratic nomination -- not such a risky bet at this point -- we will have at least nine months of conversation and coverage about what his candidacy means.
Paper names "the illegal immigrant" as "Texan of the Year." Sparks fly. AP
Katrina claims add up to quadrillions. Times-Picayune
Another ...
Psst! Wanna buy a new $2,500 car? NYT
GR8IDEA? South Dakota bill would dump vanity plates. AP
The Onion's take on cities' drinking water problems. ...
"The punditocracy has been humbled once again. (But it won't work--you won't see much humility from them, now or ever!)" -- Bob Kaiser, ...
The country of China isn't exactly known for being environmentally progressive. (I know, who are we to talk? But still.)
So I was ...
Mark Blumenthal at pollster.com has a fascinating post looking at why the pre-election surveys didn't anticipate Hillary Clinton's victory in the New Hampshire Democratic ...
Peter Groff is now officially the first black state Senate president in Colorado history. But this passage in the Denver Post article on Groff is ...
Is wearing an ascot considered contempt of court?? AP
No news here: New report ranks D.C. school system 51st in nation. WaPo
CA's "...
Alabama doesn't want anyone to have to make a choice between voting and partying: Alabama is one of 24 states voting on Feb. 5. Early voting will ...
When I was a little kid, I had this children's book that, depending on how you look at it, either scarred me for life or ...
Missouri town might ban swearing, drinking contests and table-dancing in bars. AP
NYC's first public pay toilet makes a splash. NYT
Virginia might mandate yellow ...
Former Vermont Governor Madeleine Kunin writes in the Washington Post this morning that gender was key to Hillary's comeback in New Hampshire, but not in ...
A guide to NYC's free public restrooms. NYT
New ideas to stop car-deer crashes. CBS News
Vegas monorail taps into cash reserves for 1st time. ...
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said recently that he's studying whether he can offer illegal immigrants in-state tuition without legislative approval. A few years ago that ...
For those of you who have been wondering about what became of my years-long quest for an electric car, here's an update: I still don't ...
Many state legislatures decided they wanted to influence federal politics by moving up their presidential primaries. So which level of government has to shoulder much ...
The New York Times has a report on voting by mail, one of my favorite topics: LOS ANGELES -- The first Tuesday in February, when 22 ...
Frequently, those of us who work on the Citizens and Performance section of Governing.com receive emails from project directors around the country telling us about projects relevant to the topic of citizen involvement in performance management.
Wanna pay for public transit with your cell phone? SF Biz Times
New CO Rep. Douglas Bruce off to a rocky start, thanks to kicking ...
Is "displaying replicas of human genitalia on vehicles" really that much of a problem? AP
Dems pick KS Gov. Sebelius to give State ...
My head is still spinning from reading about all the government laptops that go missing, potentially exposing private data.
Connecticut has had a heck of ...
Liar, extremist, flip-flopper -- there's more than one way to skin a politician. But Hillary Clinton managed to come up with a new putdown when ...
Rhode Island falls in love with Richard Gere. Pawtucket Times
Border fence: Mother of all eminent-domain disputes. Chicago Tribune
Online chat with Gov. Tim Kaine. ...
Thousands of public libraries have jumped on the "One Book, One City" bandwagon since Seattle sponsored the first citywide reading program a decade ...
Here's a story you've read somewhere before. John Leopold, county executive in Anne Arundel County, Maryland (that's Annapolis for you auschlanders), raised $504,325 in campaign funds ...
TX state employees can no longer hide their ages. Dallas Morning News
Burying the long-dead Seattle monorail. Seattle Times
It's Nuh-VAD-uh, not Nuh-VAH-duh. Las Vegas ...
Is that cup half-full or half-empty? The answer is yes, if you compare two newspapers' accounts of a new study forecasting what would happen if ...
In this year's presidential contest, we are once again seeing candidates punished for daring to tell the truth. The conventional wisdom holds that McCain lost ...
Lou Jacobson has a great roundup of state attorney general races on Stateline.org. Jacobson lists the contests in Missouri, Montana and West Virginia as ...
Bill Richardson grows a beard to "decompress." AP
Drivers take on DMVs over vanity plates. USA Today
Got a Heads Up for us? ...
Michael Aguirre, the city attorney in San Diego, has earned both praise and enmity for his frequent criticism of other city officials. He was early ...
We're now mostly through the quadrennial discussion of why Iowa, New Hampshire and the other early voting states are not representative of the nation as ...
With the U.S. Conference of Mayors in town, we were just treated to an interesting visit from Melvin "Kip" Holden, the mayor-president ...
BREAKING! Mike Bloomberg does laundry. NY Observer
After 4 years, Utah's capitol building is back -- and earthquake-ready. SL Tribune
Got a Heads Up for ...
Support is weakening for California's Proposition 93, which would change the state's term limits law. According to the latest Field Poll, "yes" and "...
Are you a public official who's concerned that your not-so-svelte figure might be an obstacle to your campaign for a higher office? Don't want to ...
The nation's economic problems are hurting state budgets and roiling state politics. Just look what the office of Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell reported: Governor M. ...
I've just finished reading David Halberstam's The Best and the Brightest. Reading this history of how we got into Vietnam certainly sheds instructive light on ...
Just out of curiosity, I ran the numbers to see how many states have elected women to major statewide office, which I'm defining as governor ...
Alaska state Rep. Richard Foster is sick. The lawmaker had a stroke last week, and he's in need of a new kidney. Fortunately, several people ...
Nation's 1st green homeless shelter opens in Oakland. Oakland Tribune
Which prez candidates will speak to metropolitan issues? Chicago Sun-Times
Got a Heads Up for ...
November 2010 is only about a 1,000 days away, so it's high time we had some news about the election after next. Finally, we do.
In California, ...
Most political analysts agree that endorsements are largely meaningless. Most political analysts also discuss endorsements endlessly.
But I'm proud to be able to point you ...
A Field Poll shows that only a quarter of Californians would consider voting for Michael Bloomberg for president, while two-thirds would "definitely not."
...
The son of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is selling a board game that's a little less Kansas and a little more "Oz."
John ...
FINALLY! "Surf City USA" gets official OK. Santa Cruz Sentinel
Rethinking the meat-guzzler. NYT
Got a Heads Up for us? Email 13thfloor@governing....
The Washington Post commented on Barack Obama in an editorial this weekend: "He is inclusive, forgiving and inspiring -- but can the nation afford ...
Amid the presidential hoopla, Floridians vote today on an important policy question. A constitutional amendment on the ballot would create new limits on property taxes ...
Who doesn't like to watch a guy skiing down a subway escalator or a reporter getting an on-air taser demonstration? But streaming video is not just the domain of amateurs posting homemade masterpieces and snippets of TV programs.
