Archive
Improving and reinventing technology isn't a choice for governments -- it's a necessity. That was the message from Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, who ...
Government technology is undergoing a shift unlike anything else in the past decade -- or perhaps ever. The federal stimulus plan is completely overhauling how ...
President's Obama's pledge to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has created the ultimate NIMBY problem: Where will we put all the ...
Things are humming along at Governing's Managing Technology conference. I just got out of a standing-room only session on IT consolidation. No surprise that ...
What a difference a year makes! At last year's Managing Technology conference in Seattle, the attendees spent a lot of time discussing Web 2.0 tools ...
While I was in Arkansas recently to report this profile of Gov. Mike Beebe, I visited Searcy, where he practiced law for many years. Beebe ...
Alex Ross, music critic for The New Yorker, posted this picture on his blog of Times Square, through which car traffic on Broadway is now ...
George Tiller, a Kansas doctor who was one of the few physicians in the country to perform late-term abortions, was shot dead today as he ...
Update: In March we wrote about a topless coffee shop in Maine and the ordinance banning nudity that it inspired. Well, don't plan your ...
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak was in Asia last week, meeting with Chinese officials and promoting his city as a business and tourism destination. So ...
Three of the nation's most notable governors -- Pennsylvania's Ed Rendell, New York's David Paterson, and California's Arnold Schwarzenegger -- have ...
The Supreme Court today ruled that judges who are elected must recuse themselves in "extreme" cases -- those in which the contributions to ...
This week, the 13th annual Webbys were awarded to Web sites that exemplify the best on the Internet each year. The distinctive aspect of the ...
The central role of Twitter in helping to organize the protests in Iran and getting news and pictures out of that country despite the ban ...
Cities like New York and San Francisco have been aggressively marketing the drinkability of their tap water in recent months. With the skyrocketing number of ...
Fans of regionalism and metro cooperation will want to read a column that William Stafford has up on Citiwire.net. Stafford is president of the ...
Everyone in government knows about the Washington Monument strategy. When budget times are tough, you threaten to shut down the most visible and popular programs ...
I truly cannot believe what it took to get a $3.65 refund from the Metro system in D.C., also known as WMATA, the Washington Metropolitan ...
In case you hadn't heard, pickets by firefighters angry over negotiations with Providence Mayor David Cicilline kept Vice President Joe Biden and other administration ...
From Grist comes this very interesting story about one reporter's experiment with new media: When Adam Klawonn quit his job at a shrinking major ...
The news that Gov. Mark Sanford had taken off without telling even his wife where he was -- and not letting Lt. Gov. Andrew Bauer ...
Plenty of chatter questioning whether SC Gov. Mark Sanford really was on the Appalachian Trail during his absence from Columbia/duty.
TPM has been on ...
If there's one thing Mark Sanford's trip down South America way illustrates, it's the notion that public officials need to get out ...
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has spent the last several days in Argentina, he tells The State.
Sanford said he had considered hiking on the ...
2:10 - hasn't started. crowded hallway space not good optics.
2:12 - someone just said, "guys, it's going to be about 15 minutes, just to ...
South Carolina Sen. Jake Knotts, the lead whistleblower/critic of Gov. Sanford's disappearance, tells MSNBC:
"Lies. Lies. Lies. That's all we get ...
Update: Here's video of Sanford's announcement, if you missed it:
2:33 - Sanford announces he will resign as chair of Republican Governors Association, both ...
If you scroll down, you'll see that I tried to be a willing dupe for Sanford as long as I could. I took his ...
If I were a reporter in South Carolina, I would be tracking down Sen. Tom Davis and some of the other Sanford friends that the ...
During his news conference, Sanford kinda sorta ducked the question of whether he and his wife Jenny are separated.
South Carolina's first lady has ...
Mark Sanford was elected to Congress as part of the "Republican Revolution" Class of 1994. If you were a reporter, he was always great ...
A theme in our coverage here and on Ballot Box has been that South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has been the type of politician to ...
The State has some of the emails between Gov. Sanford and Maria, the woman with whom he's had an affair. The paper has removed ...
From Sanford's post-news conference statement:
I apologize to my staff. I misled them about my whereabouts, and as a result the people of South ...
DemConWatch notes that Sanford has traveled to and referred to Argentina quite often, including in two State of the States.
hat tip: Ben Smith
Campbell Brown got an interview with Tom Davis, the South Carolina state senator and former top Sanford aide whom Sanford repeatedly apologized to during his confessional news conference.
Gina Smith of The State has expanded her story from yesterday about her Atlanta airport interview with Gov. Mark Sanford, turning it into "how ...
In case you're joining us late, another link to the emails between Gov. Sanford and "Maria" at The State.
In its story today, The State of Columbia, S.C., indicates that although the paper had emails between Gov. Mark Sanford and his lover since ...
Former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey was booked on the Today show and says honesty is Sanford's best policy.
Says McGreevey: "He can be ...
I've lost track of the number of times events in the New York Senate have been compared to a circus, and I have to object. ...
posted by Rob Gurwitt That's the title of an excellent rundown exploring that question by Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine, former high-profile political editors ...
Josh has a post over at Ballot Box suggesting that Sanford's viability, like that of any politician caught in a big scandal, depends on the depth of the reservoir of popularity and goodwill he may have enjoyed before getting caught out.
Gov. Mark Sanford has flown out to Sullivan's Island to be with his wife and sons, AP reports.
That's a shot of a ...
On the misuse of funds watch, here's a tidbit from CNN:
Sanford visited Argentina in June 2008 as part of a state-funded trade mission, according ...
The Spartanburg Herald-Journal calls for Sanford's resignation:
Mark Sanford cannot navigate a deep and painful personal crisis and lead the state through its economic ...
Every time I stick my neck out for this guy, more bad news follows.
As noted earlier, Sanford went to Buenos Aires on a trade ...
Update: Gossip site TMZ quotes Guido's owner Carlos Soto as saying he's seen Sanford and Maria Belen Chapur in his place several times ...
South Carolina state troopers didn't know where Sanford was during his absence and couldn't find out from staff, the Washington Post reports.
The ...
Here's a sure sign that the Sanford story may start cooling off: Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer tells The Associated Press in an interview this ...
I have to admit that when I heard the news about Sanford taking time out from an official trade mission to meet up with his ...
South Carolina Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer has issued a cagey statement that does not call for Gov. Mark Sanford to resign:
However, do not look ...
AP is reporting that Gov. Mark Sanford wanted more time and meetings in Argentina during last year's trade mission, citing a state Commerce Department ...
Washington Post :
"I go back to this larger voyage we're all on, and so you take everything a day at a time," ...
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford tells the Associated Press today that he has considered resigning but won't.
"Resigning would be the easiest thing ...
New York Times :
A business associate of Mr. Sanford's Argentine mistress said Friday that private messages between the two lovers had been sent anonymously to ...
The lead story in The State brings us up to date on the latest buzz on lawmakers wanting Gov. Mark Sanford to resign. As has ...
New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch says he'd consider furloughing himself as part of the state's budget-cutting efforts.
"I think we are all ...
A story in Friday's Richmond Times-Dispatch about how the "embattled" Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) interim CIO met with and praised employees, ...
Mark Sanford has posted an open letter on his Web site offering apologies and offering a spiritual explanation for staying in office.
Immediately after all ...
The State uses its turn to interview South Carolina Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer to profile the man and his career. Bauer confirms yesterday's news ...
AP has interviewed Gov. Mark Sanford:
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford said Tuesday that he "crossed lines" with a handful of women other than his ...
If S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford hoped to quiet his personal controversy by laying out more of his past indiscretions, the strategy hasn't worked. ...
Chris Cillizza of The Washington Post suggests that Mark Sanford's AP interview today, in which he admitted to non-line-crossing encounters with additional women and ...
A blog called Shankbone outlines former New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey's good works:
McGreevey volunteers at Exodus Ministries at the Church of Living Hope ...
Glenn McConnell, Senate President Pro Tempore, joins the chorus:
"That decision is his alone. I do believe, however, that the Governor has lost the ...
The number of Republican senators signing Majority Leader Harvey Peeler's petition for South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford to resign is up to 12, out of 27 ...
Finally, $4 billion dollars in loans and grants will be available for expanding broadband access in underserved and un-served areas, Vice President Joe Biden announced Wednesday. ...
Saying his agency doesn't "intend to be used in a political battle about the governor," Reggie Lloyd, head of South Carolina's ...
Always finding new ways to look bad, S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford is backing away from a promise to release financial records relating to his ...
"When it comes to jump-starting the economy, a playground isn't going to cut it," according to a story in the Virginian Pilot ...
posted by Josh Goodman
I wrote 2,300 words last year about how even the smallest local
governments are reluctant to merge with neighbors -- and how ...
It's not getting much attention here in Washington, with all eyes on the Sotomayor hearing, but President Obama's Office of Urban Affairs held ...
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin offers a sobering variation on the Peter Principle --
the idea that because talented people are usually
promoted, they "rise ...
Everybody who attends meetings of the National Governors Association wears a name tag imprinted with a photograph. Everyone, that is, except governors. But as governors ...
What if you could hold a video conference from your home? What if your doctor could send your MRI electronically to another of your doctors ...
Jefferson County, Alabama, is likely the nation's most financially troubled large local government. Alabama's most populous county (home to Birmingham) could go bankrupt ...
Lots of Facebook users share things on their own and on others' profiles, like how much they can't wait for the new Harry Potter ...
Pennsylvania is getting into the fun and games of YouTube, something the Millennial set has been engaging in for ages now. Although the state's ...
Prepaid phones are a nice option for people who don't want a monthly wireless bill. But they're a scary prospect for the 911 emergency ...
According to the New York Times , there's a hip new thing all the kids are trying these days: home funerals. Apparently, a growing number ...
Find out what's happening to law enforcement and police officers with tattoos.
Adults can talk, talk, talk about the stupid things teens shouldn't do. But how to get them to listen? Ben Blasdel, the coroner for ...
This clip has been popping up all over the Internet this week (which is a little weird, since it's more than a year old). ...
The National Conference of State Legislatures' Grasscatcher blog, being a good sport, links to a Paul Rolly column looking at how legislators in Utah and ...
I was up in Boston earlier this week, so of course I heard lots of talk about the Henry Louis Gates/Officer Crowley controversy. But ...
Which current governor is represented by a bowl of oatmeal? Click to find out.
Uh oh. Those prepaid cards that San Francisco drivers use to feed the meter? Totally hackable. That's according to engineers and programmers who say ...
The Los Angeles Times is reporting that LAPD Chief Bill Bratton plans to announce his resignation later today. Evidently, he's stepping down to head ...
You know what the city of San Jose, California, really needs? More street-level retail in the downtown area. And a convention center twice or three ...
It's been a day of encomiums for retiring LAPD police chief Bill Bratton, and no wonder. As my own post of yesterday made clear, the ...
Ousted former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is on the air! Or at least the Internet. Blago will not be silenced! From the Chicago Sun-Times : He'...
When you're a dying Rust Belt city and you find yourself on a "top 10" list of the worst, it doesn't help ...
This morning on the TODAY show, Ann Curry interviewed Brad Pitt, and she asked if he would consider running for mayor of New Orleans. Most ...
A behind-the-scenes look at John Buntin's August 2009 feature, Job Freedom. Story Behind the Story will appear on the 13th Floor each Tuesday.
Governing doesn'...
Once upon a time there was a "don't malign vegetables" movement. In Florida recently, it was doughnuts and other fried or sugary ...
You know a technology has arrived when the media stories are not about whether a government entity should be using it, but how it currently ...
Smack. Down. Typically, when a celebrity attends a hearing or other political event in Washington, D.C., members of Congress and surrounding staff members go ...
Everyone who's been to reconstruct and preserve New Orleans has been going about it all wrong, apparently. While they were foolishly toiling to rebuild ...
Will the wonders of the states as labs of democracy never cease? Certainly not when it comes to health care reform. There is, for starters, ...
GOVERNING's design director David Kidd and c orrespondent Rob Gurwitt traveled to the Niagara Falls region for a September story comparing the economic conditions ...
In this installment of Story Behind the Story, correspondent Rob Gurwitt learned just how much someone would travel to see both sides of Niagara Falls.
...
News flash: Government Web sites can be boring. Even the ones that are attractive and user-friendly (and there are plenty that aren't) can be ...
I'm currently working on a story for Governing's November issue about an innovative approach to enforcing probation being pioneered by a judge in ...
Now that Comedy Central has canceled "Reno: 911!", the Biggest Little City in the World has launched a campaign to save it. Via Facebook, ...
This story is about a week old but it's too amusing not to pass on. In fact, I first heard about it on NPR'...
One of the first things GOVERNING's editors taught me when I started here four years ago is that when reporting a story you have to think long and hard about where you call.
The New York City health department has a new ad campaign aimed at reducing consumption of sodas and other sugary drinks. The campaign takes an ...
One of the positive developments in the fracturing of the media world is that real experts are now blogging on just about every subject, obviating ...
I've had the chance this year to visit Chicago and Memphis and in both cities I took in at least one blues show. Judging ...
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, who's in the worst shape of all?
The Kaiser Family Foundation has been making the answer to that question ...
We all learned in school about the Battle of New Orleans, the glorious American military victory in the War of 1812 that took place weeks after ...
Drive at night on a certain section of Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and you'll routinely see bright white lights flash. This is ...
To live in Washington, D.C., is to have friends and family in other parts of the country. And while talking to people I know ...
In his Urban Notebook column last month, Governing managing editor Chris Swope explored the idea of urban farming -- the concept of utilizing vacant properties ...
I was drawn to the bmighty site by a tweet on my Twitter account that mentioned the Top 10 Best Technology Ideas...That Really Aren't.&...
I finally got around to seeing Julie & Julia. No one told me how anti-government-work it is.
by Penelope Lemov National Nanny is the usual charge when a government -- federal, state or local -- tries to legislate better health behavior. There ...
Before I went to Memphis for our September 2009 cover story on Shelby County, Tennessee, Mayor A C Wharton Jr., at least two people had told ...
I'll admit to feeling some ambivalence about the Roman Polanski case, but my bottom line is that if he's extradited and serves time, ...
I've become something of the go-to guy around Governing when it comes to food stories. I've written about street food carts, urban farm ...
Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Cory Booker knows you think his city is a punchline. But he's out to change that.
After Conan O'Brien ...
Over the last few days, Governing's office has been buzzing over our Managing Performance conference in Atlanta this week. In lieu of another installment ...
If you're looking for a snapshot of the hard times states are going through in this Great Recession, look no further than new numbers from ...
I'm in Atlanta for Governing's 2009 Managing Performance conference. It's always great to come to these things and meet individuals who are truly ...
Of course we've all heard a lot about the stimulus over the past several months. And we're about to hear a lot more ...
After hearing from Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue earlier this morning about how he's changed state government to make it more efficient, we got a ...
As I mentioned yesterday, Governing chose Atlanta as the site for its 2009 Managing Performance conference. And it wasn't just because you can get a ...
Great panel discussion this morning on a daunting topic: Is there really anything you can do to change the culture of state governments? Can you ...
Nothing is certain but death and taxes. That doesn't mean they have to occur in the same place.
Anne Gannon, the tax collector in ...
It's true that any the current economy, any place to work is a good place to work. But seriously, how can governments transform themselves (...
Here's the good news: Thanks to federal stimulus money under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, states got a lot of help with their Medicaid ...
Just got out of the panel I co-moderated on Attracting and Keeping Young Leaders in Government. It was great -- one of those terrific sessions ...
The classic childhood question is "Where do babies come from?" Well, that's the classic question other than "Are we there yet?&...
Alan Greenblatt, writer of this month's feature on what age states and towns should consider teens as adults, is scheduled to appear on NPR'...
Cities from New York to Missoula, Montana, are urging residents to "take the stairs" instead of an escalator or elevator. It's a ...
It's really a shame that David Letterman and his sex-extortion scandal are all anybody can talk about in late-night TV right now, because there'...
I spent several days in New Mexico last week, speaking at the Council of State Governments' western regional meeting and enjoying much of the stunning ...
The National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University on Long Island will be hosting a big academic conference later this week on the increasing ...
If you're following the news about the news, you've probably heard that many media companies are hoping to find successful niches in so-called ...
Photo courtesy of Jorge R. Perez/City of Miami Updated November 3, 2009: This post has been corrected to show that the above image is an actual ...
I wrote a cover story early last year on foreclosures, looking at Dayton, Ohio, to give a sense of what the effects were like in ...
There's been a debate of sorts in recent days in the liberal blogosphere on the question of whether states should be eliminated.
Matthew Yglesias, ...
This stairway leads down tow the largest hand-dug well in the world. Photo by David Kidd
I recently flew into Wichita on my way to ...
You may recall that New York City began requiring fast-food restaurants to post calorie counts alongside all of their menu items. The city's thinking, ...
Some conversations tend to be of "high" priority. Photo by David Kidd
As part of Governing's 2009 Public Official of the Year coverage, I spent the ...
I just bought some software for my home computers, and all through the installation process the program urged me to go online to register it ...
I have to admit that I'm a very late adopter. I'm a big music fan, but all my friends had iPods before I ...
Writer Rob Gurwitt and I were in Providence City Hall: he to gather information for an upcoming story, and I to take pictures of whomever ...
President Obama's critics have accused him of being a Socialist, a Communist, a Fascist and, yes, a terrorist. But in a recent Twitter post, ...
