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Baltimore Police Officer Caesar Goodson Jr., the driver of the van in which Freddie Gray suffered a fatal spinal cord injury, will go to trial Thursday before a judge rather than a jury.
Bills that allow people to break into vehicles to save children and animals have been signed into law by Gov. John Kasich and a third will likely become law later this month.
After several unsuccessful attempts, a swath of South Los Angeles won a hard-fought battle to receive "Promise Zone" designation, a move that pushes the neediest neighborhoods to the top of the list when applying for competitive federal grants to tackle issues related to poverty.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed an executive order Sunday morning in Manhattan denouncing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement against Israel, saying New York state will not conduct business with companies that participate.
Federal law bans states from regulating air ambulance companies, leaving patients with exorbitant out-of-pocket medical bills.
Even with high approval ratings and a strong state economy, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock has to fight hard to keep his job this year.
Dr. James Gill walked through the morgue in Farmington, Connecticut, recently, past the dock where the bodies come in, past the tissue donations area, and stopped outside the autopsy room.
Replacing 13 miles of water mains every year for the next 50 years. Repairing or replacing five dams. Switching out at least 2,000 lead service lines every year for five years.
The Emanuel administration's release of massive amounts of evidence in nearly 90 pending investigations of police shootings and other incidents marked a watershed moment for a city that fought for decades to keep videos in excessive force cases hidden from the public.
When Larry Harmon tried to vote on a marijuana initiative in November in his hometown of Kent, Ohio, the 59-year-old software engineer found his name had been struck from the voter rolls.
Within months of starting the process of adopting her son, Susan Callahan knew something was wrong.
Officials in Mosier, Ore., are objecting to Union Pacific's decision to restart train traffic after a fiery oil-car derailment Friday prompted an evacuation and disrupted the town's sewage and water systems.
If approved, a new rule would make it easier for groups to challenge the tax exemptions that state and local governments get from the feds.
Government and most other sectors of the economy aren't adding many jobs.
Scores of residents in this Houston suburb were evacuating as another round of storms descended on southeast Texas, driving floodwaters into roads and homes_some for the third time in two months.
Superintendent Carole Smith put the district's chief operating officer and top health and safety manager on paid leave Thursday, saying the two men were in charge of a department that "didn't deliver" on handling lead hazards, communicating with the public and providing her with accurate and timely information.
A panel of federal judges Thursday rejected the most recent challenge of North Carolina’s newly drawn congressional districts.
Oregon State University will open an on-campus dorm this fall specifically designed for students recovering from drug and alcohol addiction.
Long before Trump University fell in the crosshairs of Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton, one of Donald Trump's fellow Republicans drew a bead on the now-defunct school: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
When she discovered she was pregnant, the 22-year-old aspiring veterinarian started calling abortion clinics in her home state of Oklahoma. It was a short list _ there are only two, and neither could get her an appointment quickly.
Courage provides the strength to say and do the right things. It's also what separates the best of us from the crowd.
Some are managing fairly well, but a lot of them aren't, and a few are in a place where the math is "very difficult."
A roundup of money (and other) news governments can use.
A lawsuit by supporters of Bernie Sanders seeking more time and information from election officials for independent voters -- the bloc crucial to the Vermont senator's presidential hopes in next week's California primary -- failed Wednesday to impress a federal judge, who called the suit tardy, misdirected and meritless.
The Baker administration is reversing a Deval Patrick-era policy that barred the state police from detaining undocumented immigrants at the request of federal immigration officials in a major policy shift officials say is intended to capture dangerous convicts living in the country illegally.
With Opa-locka on the edge of bankruptcy, Gov. Rick Scott declared a financial emergency for the city on Wednesday, calling for a special oversight board to take over the city's finances and stem the bleeding that has led to crippling debts and cutbacks that have impacted every level of government
City officials in Chicago plan to release videos, reports and other materials next week from about 100 police incidents, including officer-involved shootings, as part of an effort to improve public trust in Chicago police, according to a memo obtained Friday by the Chicago Tribune.
Federal authorities said Wednesday that they would not pursue civil rights charges against two Minneapolis police officers in the shooting death of Jamar Clark, a decision met with both outrage and resignation by activists who for months have demanded prosecution.
Lawmakers lashed out at the state Supreme Court and each other Wednesday but left Topeka without addressing the court's order to fix inequities in school funding by June 30 or risk closure of the state's schools.
A 31-year-old woman from Honduras, a nation ravaged by the Zika virus, gave birth to a baby girl suffering from the devastating effects of the virus on Tuesday at Hackensack University Medical Center, the first believed to be born with microcephaly in the continental United States, her physician said.
<i>The Week in Politics</i>: Dems' Fightin' Words, Plus How Term Limits May Actually Help Incumbents
The most important election news and political dynamics at the state and local levels.
From coast to coast, governments are teaming up with nonprofits to fight one of the most common yet most preventable kinds of cancer.
An environmental assessment from two federal agencies released Friday determined that fracking off the coast of California causes no significant impact, thus lifting a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing that was instituted earlier this year.
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt's office announced Wednesday that the state will join a legal challenge to the Obama administration's directive to local schools on the rights of transgender students.
A Cook County judge ruled in favor of the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday by declaring that Mayor Rahm Emanuel's emails, texts and other communications are not exempt from disclosure simply because they are transmitted over private devices.
The Philadelphia School District will add two Muslim holidays to its calendar, placing it among the first in the nation to do so.
Political leaders agreed Friday to extend Illinois' medical marijuana pilot program to July 2020 and added post-traumatic stress disorder and terminal illness as qualifying conditions.
The federal appeals court for Virginia on Tuesday denied the Gloucester County School Board's request for a review of its recent ruling in the lawsuit filed by 16-year-old transgender student Gavin Grimm.
California Gov. Jerry Brown said Tuesday he will vote for Hillary Clinton in the state's upcoming primary, explaining that she has the best chance of thwarting the "dangerous candidacy" of Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday took action in two death penalty cases, rejecting a broad constitutional challenge to capital punishment from Louisiana and reversing a death sentence from Arizona.
Before the Kansas Legislature adjourned in Topeka early this month, lawmakers passed a budget that let the governor sort out the details of where to cut spending.
Approximate education requirements, occupational employment and wage data for all metro areas.
Legislative attempts to tax nonprofits have fallen short. But recent legal challenges could present a financial problem for nonprofits and a financial boost for governments.
The Texas Supreme Court has strengthened protections for landowners who don’t have rights to the water underneath their property.
The National Hurricane Center will launch storm surge inundation maps for the first time this summer, predicting where and how deep flooding will hit here and elsewhere.
Ruling in the case of an Eastern Iowa teenager who killed his grandparents, the Iowa Supreme Court has concluded that sentencing a juvenile offender to life without the possibility of parole violates the state constitution.
The Alabama Supreme Court on Friday vacated its ruling last September that refused to recognize a same-sex adoption from Georgia and denied visitation rights to one of the lesbian mothers.
State lawmakers dealt a surprise loss to Gov. Bruce Rauner on Monday when a handful of Republicans joined with Democrats to override his veto of a bill to provide Chicago with financial relief in paying for police and fire pensions.
The state has taken over a struggling health insurance cooperative based in Westerville that was set up to be a lower-cost option for Ohioans who shop the federally run health insurance marketplace.
As states begin stepping in to fill a void left by private employers, there are management challenges to keep in mind.
Significantly more state and local workers are retiring or quitting, according to a recent survey.
The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday dramatically expanded the number of juveniles -- all of them convicted decades ago when the state still had a parole system -- who can now ask a judge to set them free.
A judge reinstated voter-approved limits on the amount of cash Montana political parties can give to candidates on Thursday, nine days after he struck down those limits as unconstitutionally low and less than two weeks before Montana's primary elections.
The federal Securities and Exchange Commission has censured the town of York for failing to properly disclose information to investors about municipal bond sales in 2006-2008, but has agreed to a settlement that does not fine the town for its compliance failure.
Mike DeWine, the state attorney general and a former U.S. senator, confirmed Thursday what political prognosticators have reported for months: He’s running for governor.
The U.S. Department of Justice detailed plans Thursday for its review of the Chester Police Department, one set to be the first fully independent and robust evaluation in the force's history.
The New Jersey Legislature on Thursday sent Gov. Chris Christie a pair of bills that would give Atlantic City until late October to develop a five-year financial plan that likely would necessitate deep budget cuts even with state aid.
Ohio concealed-carry permit holders no longer need pass a federal background check to purchase firearms, the office of Attorney General Mike DeWine announced.
There's a new movement percolating, a "Blue Lives Matter" push that seeks to raise penalties for violence against police and first responders but that also could serve as a controversial counter to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Missouri is driving the push to make state highway maps more accurate and easier to update.
Convictions in animal cruelty cases are rare but could become more common if Connecticut adopts an unprecedented law.
The Connecticut Supreme Court has upheld its decision to abolish the state's death penalty, including for inmates on death row.
Right to work is back on the books in Wisconsin, at least temporarily.
Even if an area has no cases of the virus, it could feel a financial impact.
Shayne Elementary School needs a new principal for the 2016-17 school year, and Metro Nashville Public Schools is asking the community to have a say in the type of leader the school needs.
The most important election news and political dynamics at the state and local levels.
Some Pennsylvanians caught driving drunk for the first time will be required to use ignition interlock devices under a bill Gov. Wolf signed into law Wednesday.
Instructor Matt Schaefer thought it best that police lock up their loaded guns before pepper spraying one another.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley signed into law Wednesday a ban on abortion at 20 weeks of pregnancy or later.
Portland Mayor Charlie Hales on Tuesday placed Police Chief Larry O'Dea on paid administrative leave a day after new details emerged that the chief misled an investigator about his involvement in an eastern Oregon hunting accident.
Texas and 10 other states are suing the Obama administration over its directive that schools must allow transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms corresponding to the gender with which they identify.
A roundup of money (and other) news governments can use.
Several big cities are decluttering and redesigning their government websites to make them easier to use.
Governments’ increasing reliance on special funds can put them in financial and legal trouble.
"Blended" models have the potential to bridge some big gaps in infrastructure finance.
Money that lobbyists once spent in Washington is being redeployed to fight battles in state capitals.
Regardless of where they live, urban amenities are no longer a bonus but a requirement for many millennials.
Are mayors' open-door policies for illegal immigrants hurting their efforts to raise wages?
There are lots of ideas out there. None of them are working very well.
Texas will sue to stop a federal directive instructing school districts to let transgender students use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity, Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday.
A federal court ruling Tuesday declaring Ohio GOP lawmakers' voting restrictions unconstitutional could easily wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court -- and generate a 4-4 split decision, a voting-rights expert says.
A crowd of roughly 8,000 people lustily cheered Donald Trump and booed protesters inside the Albuquerque Convention Center on Tuesday night, as other protesters outside clashed with armored police.
Gov. Rick Snyder has declared an energy emergency in Michigan, citing concerns about gasoline supplies as one of the biggest driving weekends of the year approaches.
In a stunning comeback, State Board of Education hopeful Keven Ellis won Tuesday's District 9 Republican primary runoff over Mary Lou Bruner, who drew national attention for social media posts touting far-right conspiracy theories and other fringe views.
This winter, a small group of advocates, teachers, parents and students began meeting each week at a church in Portland, Ore., to figure out how their schools could do a better job of preparing the next generation to fight climate change.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson, shortly after Arkansas lawmakers gave final approval Monday to plan to raise nearly $50 million for the state's highways in the coming fiscal year, signed the measure into law.
City Attorney Stephanie Karr left no doubt about the extent of her influence.
A top lawyer for Texas fiercely defended the state’s strictest-in-the-nation voter identification law on Tuesday in a high-profile case that could ultimately determine at what point states that assert that they are protecting the integrity of elections cross over into disenfranchisement.
Despite many failed attempts, only one city in America taxes sugary drinks. The results of a new study might change that.
Some say political parties are missing opportunities to boost their numbers. But others argue quality is more important than quantity.
In states across the country, conservatives are starting to question the cost and legality of capital punishment.
Despite $1 billion worth of investment, San Diego’s school buildings are still in disrepair.
Taking a stance can not only benefit a cause but also a company.
After watching tax-slashing states struggle financially, some governors and legislators have stopped calling for cuts. But that doesn’t mean they won’t start again.
The titleholder has been replaced -- by itself.
Most corrections facilities detain mentally ill people instead of providing them with timely care.
A new tool could help cities test whether (and how much) specific energy policies can slow global warming.
Slow to build and expensive to operate, streetcars could be the most maligned mode of transportation in America. Still, cities keep building them.
Sharing economy companies like Uber and Lyft claim that the people who work for them are “independent contractors,” thus ineligible for most employee benefits. That argument may prove difficult to sustain.
At Denver’s innovative Peak Academy management program, there’s a big focus on celebrating small-scale wins.
States haven’t been the willing political partners President Obama once hoped they would be. He’s found some ways to work around that.
Boulder, Colo., may be the first county to combine the two agencies, but it likely won’t be the last.
More and more employers are demanding college degrees -- but not all are created equal.
The real power lies with the state’s increasingly conservative legislature, which may be hurting Gov. Pat McCrory’s chances of re-election in November.
At first blush, a federal judge believes Gov. John Kasich and Republican lawmakers who support abortion restrictions acted unconstitutionally to end state funding for Planned Parenthood.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rebuked Georgia prosecutors for improperly assembling an all-white jury in a murder case involving a black man and then giving trumped-up explanations as to why they excluded blacks from the trial.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday unanimously rejected an attempt by Virginia's Republican members of Congress to block new district boundaries that led Rep. Randy Forbes to seek election this year in a district where he doesn't live.
The U.S. Department of Justice has been investigating Gov. Terry McAuliffe since at least last year over donations to his gubernatorial campaign, CNN reported late Monday afternoon.
New Jersey lawmakers have agreed to a plan to help Atlantic City fend off bankruptcy and could send the legislation to Gov. Christie's desk by the end of the week.
Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams on Monday rejected the state's case against Officer Edward Nero, acquitting him on all counts for his role in the arrest of Freddie Gray.
As the gas tax brings in less and less revenue, states are watching Oregon and California as they experiment with different ways to charge by mile.
Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard is going on trial this week for corruption charges. He's just one of the state's many top government officials facing legal or ethics scandals.
Judge Barry G. Williams is scheduled to issue a ruling Monday in the case of Officer Edward Nero, one of six Baltimore police officers charged in the arrest and death of Freddie Gray. Nero, 30, is charged with second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and two counts of misconduct in office, all related to his role in Gray's initial detention and arrest on April 12, 2015.
South Dakota corrections officials said Wednesday that better pay for prison guards is helping to reduce turnover at its adult lock-up facilities.
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin has vetoed a measure that would have effectively banned abortion, the latest and most extreme state restriction in the nation.
In a week in which transgender issues have been debated nationally, an apparent first for Tennessee occurred on Tuesday when a transgender woman was appointed to a local government commission.
A federal lawsuit alleging widespread confusion over California's presidential primary rules asks that voter registration be extended past Monday's deadline until the day of the state's primary election on June 7.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is changing the way it counts Zika cases — a move that triples the reported number of pregnant women with possible infections from the virus.
A new report says the fees pension plans pay private equity and hedge fund managers aren't worth it.
The earned income tax credit is a rare antipoverty program that has enjoyed a long history of bipartisan support among state and federal policymakers.
The Supreme Court on Thursday made it easier for the government to deport immigrants who have committed crimes under state laws.
A day after a Louisiana House member proposed weight limit for strippers, a House committee, as expected, voted down Thursday legislation demanding equal pay for men and women.
Philadelphia's former mayor explains the steps his city took to make effective use of data and bring it to bear on performance.
Should voters believe what politicians say to get elected?
With the technology maturing and public support growing, it's looking more and more realistic.
Growing the power of women in the workforce is about more than fairness. It could add trillions to our economy, and a new report shows the way.
Louisiana will become the sixth state to make women wait three days before they can get an abortion.
San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr resigned Thursday at the request of Mayor Ed Lee, hours after the fatal police shooting of a woman renewed questions about whether the Police Department had lost the confidence of minority communities in the city.
Gov. Larry Hogan signed legislation Thursday aimed at reducing the state prison population by more than 1,000 inmates while plowing millions of dollars into crime prevention.
Three months after New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie threw his endorsement to Donald Trump, the billionaire businessman lent a hand to the governor Thursday at a New Jersey fund-raiser for Christie's defunct presidential campaign.
A federal judge upheld Virginia's voter I.D. law Thursday, saying the state's Democratic Party failed to show that it targets minority voters.
The Brownsville-based judge who halted President Obama’s 2014 executive action on immigration has decided that ethics classes are in order for the attorneys who defended the policy.
Seven of the nation's fastest-growing cities are in Texas, according to new data. See how population changes in your city compare to others.
A roundup of money (and other) news governments can use.
Joining the S.C. House of Representatives, the S.C. Senate voted Wednesday to override Gov. Nikki Haley's veto of a bill that would make $40 million in aid available to South Carolina farmers who were affected by the October 2015 historic rainfall.
The most important election news and political dynamics at the state and local levels.
Gov. Sam Brownback's office announced $97 million in budget cuts on Wednesday, with more than half of that coming from the state's Medicaid system.
Marking a major shift in California water policy, state regulators Wednesday voted to lift the statewide conservation targets that for the past year have required dramatic cutbacks in irrigation and household water use for the Sacramento region and urban communities across the state.
Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation Wednesday to expand the state Supreme Court to seven justices from five, saying the additional judges will allow the court to take on more cases and ensure "swift justice."
It was supposed to be the easiest section of the high-speed rail project: a 119-mile stretch in the Central Valley that would serve as the testing ground for the high-speed trains before tracks are expanded south to Los Angeles and north to San Francisco.
A former Arizona state representative has been charged with first-degree murder Monday in the shooting death of a man at a remote cabin in southeast Alaska, according to court documents.
A federal judge on Tuesday struck down Montana's campaign contribution limits, just three weeks before the state's primary.
Near rock bottom in state chambers, Democrats are hoping to capitalize on a presidential year.
State Treasurer John Chiang's Tuesday entry into California's 2018 governor's race kicks off what is expected to be a fierce and crowded contest for the state's premiere political prize.
Salem oncologist Bud Pierce defeated Allen Alley for the Republican bid to unseat Democratic Gov. Kate Brown in November.
Front-runner Ted Wheeler won the race to become Portland's next mayor Tuesday night, securing enough votes to claim the election outright and avoid a protracted campaign into November.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, under fire for months over how the city investigates excessive force allegations against Chicago police, plans to propose abolishing the city's beleaguered Independent Police Review Authority.
Bernie Sanders clashed with Democratic Party leaders Tuesday over violence that erupted over the weekend at the Nevada Democratic convention, which party official blamed on a disgruntled group of Sanders supporters.
In a Phoenix suburb in March, protesters parked about two-dozen cars in the middle of the highway to stop drivers on their way to an outdoor rally for Donald Trump and Joe Arpaio, the controversial Arizona sheriff.
In a strike against the District’s strict firearms laws, a federal judge has blocked the city’s police chief from requiring gun owners to prove they have a “good reason” to obtain a concealed carry permit.
