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Spurred by lawsuits and a growing understanding of the population’s challenges, some states are making detention centers safer for and more accepting of LGBT youth.
One of the nation’s most prominent libertarian legal activists is the newest member of the Arizona Supreme Court.
New York governors and mayors have often squabbled, but no one can remember a time when relations were worse -- and costing New York City so much.
With more qualified people in the position, the job is becoming more of a stepping stone to higher office.
Panama City Beach, Fla., gives new meaning to the phrase drunk tank.
Puerto Rican immigrants -- many of them sick and in need of care -- are flocking to the states in unprecedented numbers. New York has volunteered to help the island, but it may not be able to.
Divided government is always challenging, but what's happening in Maine right now -- where Gov. Paul LePage and the legislature are barely on speaking terms -- is an exercise in extreme political hostility.
Can the strategy, which was originally developed to reduce gang violence, be replicated elsewhere?
In order for driverless cars to conquer the road, someone has to write the rules for their use. Right now, it’s not clear who that someone will be.
Despite federal pressure to find a new approach to dealing with the homeless, San Francisco has joined the long list of cities that have forced them out of public spaces.
Massachusetts, like many states, uses tax credits to attract companies. But also like many states, it struggles to track the effectiveness of these programs.
A roundup of money (and other) news governments can use.
The most important election news and political dynamics at the state and local levels.
Robert Davis, a self-described corruption crusader who has also been jailed on embezzlement charges, has filed his latest lawsuit alleging faulty governmental practices.
With a bit more snow in the Sierra than in years past, California officials on Wednesday boosted the amount of water they expect to deliver this year from the state's mountain-fed reservoirs.
A dispute over the constitutionality of a 2014 state law restricting the use of abortion-inducing drugs is headed back to a lower court.
A question buzzed through the Oregon Senate late Wednesday, an hour before a scheduled 5 p.m. floor session: Where are the Republicans?
The U.S. Department of Justice will spend the next four years looking over the shoulders of Miami's 1,300-member police force, after city commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to approve a policing agreement with the federal government.
The White House is considering picking the Republican governor from Nevada to fill the current vacancy on the Supreme Court, scrambling political calculations in what is expected to be a contentious confirmation battle in which Senate Republicans have pledged to play the role of roadblock.
The Obama administration is winning praise from conservative Republicans for initiating a change in federal policy that could encourage so-called sanctuary cities to abandon their stance against cooperating with deportation requests.
With federal incentives to go electronic expiring this year, many wonder what can be done to reach physicians who still rely on paper.
A few cities are using leftovers to power buses and buildings.
In an effort to boost their economies, cities in the Midwest and Rust Belt have launched initiatives in recent years to attract immigrants. Are they working?
Gov. Wolf has been diagnosed with a "mild" but treatable form of prostate cancer, he said Wednesday.
Texas' highest criminal court on Wednesday dismissed the remaining felony charge against former Gov. Rick Perry in the abuse-of-power case that he blamed for his early exit from the Republican presidential race.
Gov. Greg Abbott has endorsed Ted Cruz for president, becoming the highest-ranking elected official in Cruz's home state — and the country — to support the U.S. senator's campaign.
The state Board of Equalization on Tuesday approved lowering the statewide excise tax rate on gasoline by 2.2 cents.
It’s a scene repeated often in Texas towns along the Rio Grande: a white U.S. Border Patrol van sporting the agency's trademark green stripe competing with a Laredo Police Department car at a busy Stripes convenience store.
Underage drinkers can call 911 for medical help for themselves or another person without fear of being prosecuted for their illegal drinking.
After Charlotte's City Council voted to expand its protection of gay and transgender people Monday night, North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore said Tuesday that lawmakers will take steps "to correct this radical course."
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety apologized Monday for issuing vanity license plates containing a slur against Muslims and said it will revoke them immediately after a photo of the plates caused a stir on social media over the weekend.
A few years ago, when a young woman delivered her baby at Alleghany Memorial Hospital in Sparta, North Carolina, it was in the middle of a Valentine’s Day ice storm and the mountain roads out of town were impassable.
With some in the GOP trying to stop billionaire Donald Trump from becoming the presidential nominee and Ohio Gov. John Kasich's 5th place finish in South Carolina this weekend, it was only matter of time for a headline like this: "GOP to Kasich: Get out."
At one time, the statewide office was mostly held by conservative Democrats. Now Republicans dominate.
Rhode Island is likely the first U.S. state to toll truckers and use the money to fix its bridges, which are in the worst shape of any state.
Pennsylvania's April 26 Democratic primary election for president is nine weeks away but the campaign is coming to Philadelphia this week.
With the recent addition of West Virginia, a majority of states now make it harder for unions to collect dues. More could soon be added to the list.
When people refused -- sometimes violently -- to help health officials contain an outbreak of tuberculosis in rural Alabama, the state resorted to paying people to get tested. Did it work?
After rejecting several similar petitions in recent weeks, the Board of State Canvassers on Monday approved a recall petition against Gov. Rick Snyder over the lead contamination of Flint's drinking water.
The Supreme Court resumed hearing arguments Monday for the first time since Justice Antonin Scalia's unexpected death and immediately plunged into a heated dispute over police powers that underscored how the remaining eight justices might find themselves increasingly deadlocked this term.
After more than three hours of public comment and debate, the Charlotte City Council approved Monday new legal protections for gay, lesbian and transgender residents _ a decision that will likely provoke a battle with the General Assembly, which could nullify the city's historic vote.
He may be the most popular Republican in the country. So why does it feel like every GOP candidate is running in the other direction?
For the fourth year in a row, the Legislature has rejected extending Medicaid coverage to 20,000 low-income Wyomingites.
The vast majority of states have adopted Common Core academic standards, but individual states are still setting different definitions of “proficient” on annual math and reading tests, according to a new study.
Only one state follows the new federal recommendations for seat belts in school buses. That could change soon, but money remains an issue.
Only a few regions experienced multiple fatal crashes in the last decade.
The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, is making some public health messages harder to get across — namely, in most communities, the tap water is perfectly safe. And it is so much healthier than sugary drinks.
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday handed a victory to farmers, ranchers and other longstanding water rights holders by declining to take up a Brazos River case with widespread implications for future water battles in drought-prone Texas.
With former Gov. Jeb Bush out of the presidential race, Northeast Florida Republicans who backed him are choosing new candidates to support.
One day after a fifth-place finish in the South Carolina Republican primary, Ohio Gov. John Kasich insisted his campaign was going to "just keep going."
Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed a bill Sunday prohibiting the state from contracting for health services with any organization that performs or promotes abortions, blocking government funds to Planned Parenthood.
In their meeting with the president Monday, a bipartisan group of governors sought his help in their fight against prescription drug abuse.
Young people are as motivated by the idea of public service as they ever were. Governments aren't doing what they should to take advantage of that.
Reform efforts and an ongoing court case show what happens when the bills come in for overly generous retirement programs.
Policy and technology are driving innovation in the energy sector, and much of it is coming from the utilities themselves.
Minnesota residents who live part time elsewhere could see a dramatic jump in their tax bills as a result of a ruling Wednesday by the state Supreme Court.
The Oregon House on Thursday approved historic increases to the minimum wage, rebuffing outcry from businesses to deliver what could be the highest statewide rate in nation.
Angered by bills in the state Legislature they consider anti-immigrant, thousands of Latinos and their allies descended Thursday on the state Capitol in what they hoped would be a persuasive show of unity and opposition.
In a rare move, Maryland's highest court agreed Thursday to halt trial proceedings against the Baltimore police officers charged in the Freddie Gray case, taking up competing appeals on whether Officer William G. Porter can be compelled to testify against his five fellow defendants.
Gov. Scott Walker signed two bills Thursday that cut by several million dollars a year the amount of public money that goes to Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin.
The American Civil Liberties Union sued Kansas officials on Thursday over what it calls illegal demands for additional proof of citizenship for people trying to register to vote when they renewed or applied for drivers' licenses.
After nearly five hours of often emotional testimony from porn stars and others in the adult film industry, state regulators voted Thursday against a controversial set of workplace safety regulations that would have required performers to use condoms.
All morning at the Autism Academy of South Carolina, 6-year-old Brooke Sharpe has been doing what her therapist tells her to do: build a Mr. Potato Head; put together a four-piece puzzle of farm animals; roll a tennis ball.
A roundup of money (and other) news governments can use.
To get people to teach in expensive or rural areas, some school districts are offering to help pay their rent or mortgage.
The Baltimore health system put Robert Peace back together after a car crash shattered his pelvis. Then it nearly killed him, he says.
Two states announced Tuesday that they would experiment with an unusual method of financing human service programs that allows governments to pay nothing unless the programs are successful.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on Wednesday framed the state's precarious financial situation as a choice for lawmakers this year: work with him on a long-term mix of budget cuts, tax hikes and his pro-business, union-weakening agenda -- or steep cuts will have to be made.
Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton on Wednesday delivered a hard-hitting critique of Republican Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, accusing him of pushing an agenda that would return the state to "the robber barons of the 19th century."
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said Wednesday that she endorsed U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., for president because he was best suited to restore Republican principles of limited government and cutting debt.
California Gov. Jerry Brown may have found a way to get some of his Republican counterparts to sign on to the clean energy revolution -- drop all mention of climate change.
The most important election news and political dynamics at the state and local levels.
States often adopt the same tax policies as the feds, but should they?
Gov. Christie, making his first public appearance since dropping out of the GOP presidential race last week, returned to the Statehouse on Tuesday and proposed a $34.8 billion budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
If a California-based company has its way, the following scenario could become common across Texas: A police officer pulls over a driver, not for speeding or some other traffic violation, but for outstanding court fines.
The state's child protection agency will now license immigrant family detention centers, all but guaranteeing that the two Texas facilities housing thousands of mothers and children will remain open.
Facing criminal charges, a suspended law license and potential impeachment, Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane on Tuesday said she would not run for re-election.
Flint residents paid the highest water rates in America even as their water was tainted with lead, according to a national study released Tuesday by the public interest group Food and Water Watch.
At precisely 8:30 a.m. on a Tuesday morning, the doors to the needle exchange on Skid Row open and the daily procession of injection drug users begins.
The deal between the governor and lawmakers makes the state's driver's licenses compliant with federal law and more secure but also lets unauthorized immigrants drive legally.
Procurement is at the heart of almost everything a government does. But states vary widely when it comes to how well they manage the things they buy.
As their potential for value creation gains recognition, airport public-private partnerships are picking up momentum.
California is hatching plans to pilot a next-gen open data portal to house all of its public agency data under one roof.
With exterior walls still carrying the bullet scars of a Nov. 27 shooting that killed three, the Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood clinic reopened for business on Monday.
What's good for the goose is good for the gander.
Rep. Max Gruenberg, a longtime member of the Alaska House, died Sunday at his residence here.
Speculation that California Atty. Gen. Kamala D. Harris could be on President Obama's short list of possible nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court has reached a fever pitch -- but don't fit her for a robe just yet.
The future of the United States Supreme Court, and the hundreds of millions of people affected by its decisions, has just changed.
Pension investments are increasingly complex, but disclosure standards have not kept pace.
St. Paul took an unusual path to improving a vital public service, one that holds promise for other city operations.
The federal government wants to ban smoking in public housing nationwide. It could save millions of dollars, but that doesn't allay some cities' concerns.
State policies that require more price transparency could give consumers a powerful tool.
Fears over eating produce from gardens in Flint fed by suspect water. The plight of children who drank city water but now live elsewhere. A lack of information about how to survive when lead-tainted water still flows from taps.
The armed standoff at an Oregon wildlife refuge appeared to be headed to a violent climax.
As Gov. John Kasich moves on to the South Carolina primary, he will soon sign a Planned Parenthood defunding bill that could help boost his conservative bona fides.
The Kansas Supreme Court on Thursday gave the state until June 30 to enact an "equitable" school funding formula or, it said, the state's public schools won't open for the 2016-17 school year.
After more than a decade of getting high on illicit opioid painkillers and heroin every day, Christopher Dezotelle decided to quit. He saw too many people overdose and die. “I couldn’t do that to my mom or my children,” he said.
Barely two months out of office, former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear on Thursday launched a campaign to try to stop his successor, Gov. Matt Bevin, from dismantling the health care initiatives he enacted.
The city has created a path for other municipalities to make it easier than ever for agencies to share information with the public and each other.
Bills to make feminine hygiene products tax-exempt have been introduced in several states this year. So far, the legislation has already failed in one.
The federal government gave Alabama the go-ahead to change the delivery of Medicaid and move to a managed care system advocates hope will control cost growth and lead to better outcomes.
In several ways, Councilman Joel Barajas has been completely alone.
Gov. Paul LePage suggested Thursday that he plans to take over the title, at least, of education commissioner rather than put forward another nominee to fill the role.
A roundup of money (and other) news governments can use.
Map shows all traffic fatalities occurring in school buses between 2005 and 2014.
The most important election news and political dynamics at the state and local levels.
For the first time in its 44-year history, the California Coastal Commission on Wednesday fired its executive director _ a decision made despite an overwhelming show of public support for the land use agency's top official.
Michigan faces two unique challenges -- the Flint public health crisis and the financial meltdown at Detroit Public Schools -- that require immediate attention in the 2016-17 state budget, Gov. Rick Snyder said in a presentation to lawmakers Wednesday.
Health care spending by state and local governments changed by the second smallest rate on record in 2014, a year in which millions of Americans gained health insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of state Medicaid programs.
Retired Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca pleaded guilty Wednesday to lying to federal investigators, a stunning reversal for the longtime law enforcement leader who for years insisted he played no role in the misconduct that tarnished his agency.
After striking out on a months-long quest for the White House -- and laying groundwork for years prior -- the governor suspended his presidential campaign Wednesday following a disappointing finish in the New Hampshire primary.
The U.S. Supreme Court has put the Obama administration's plan to cut carbon emissions on hold.
Is a 30-year bond realistic when the economic lives of stadiums are proving to be much shorter?
More than 40,000 recently released Maryland felons will regain the right to vote in time for this year's election.
A third Supreme Judicial Court justice in the matter of weeks announced her retirement today, further clearing the seven-member bench and allowing Gov. Charlie Baker to reshape the state's highest court.
The U.S. Department of Justice accused Ferguson of numerous constitutional violations in a 56-page lawsuit filed Wednesday, saying that the City Council had in fact rejected a proposed agreement the night before _ despite Ferguson officials repeated claims to the contrary.
In a fresh bid to confront a problem that has confounded lawmakers for decades, Los Angeles city and county officials approved sweeping plans Tuesday aimed at getting thousands of homeless people off the streets.
Expanding Medicaid coverage in Wyoming is the right thing to do, Gov. Matt Mead told a group of like-minded residents Monday.
North Carolina's legal fight over its election map approached its end game Tuesday with the state asking the Supreme Court to take the case in hopes of protecting next month's primary.
A Black Lives Matter activist killed himself on the front steps of the Ohio Statehouse just minutes before 6 p.m. Monday, according to the Ohio Highway Patrol.
With a late surge propelling him to a solid albeit distant second place in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, Ohio Gov. John Kasich vaulted into the top tier of GOP presidential contenders.
The Supreme Court dealt a surprising setback to President Barack Obama on Tuesday by putting his climate change policy on hold while coal producers and Republican-led states challenge its legality.
The president's budget outlines ambitious spending proposals in health care and infrastructure -- though their likelihood of passing is slim.
More companies than ever now offer digital services and tools designed specifically for government. Here are a few.
The state's welfare agency tried new strategies to help parents and child care providers avoid an interruption in benefits.
More than a dozen states have strengthened laws over the past two years to keep firearms out of the hands of domestic abusers, a rare area of consensus in the nation's highly polarized debate over guns.
The Obama administration will ask Congress for $1.8 billion in emergency funding to combat the Zika virus _ a disease that the president says is a cause for concern but not panic.
More than eight months before Gov. Rick Snyder disclosed a deadly Legionnaires' disease outbreak in the Flint area, federal health officials worried a lack of cooperation in Michigan could be hampering the public health response.
This time last year, talk in the Capitol swirled around how newly elected Gov. Wolf's first budget was going to be bold and controversial.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont prevailed in an early test of the New Hampshire primary, with a quaint town's nine voters casting the state's first-in-the-nation ballots at midnight Monday.
Former New York mayor and billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg has confirmed for the first time that he is looking at a possible bid for the US presidency, British media reported Tuesday.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Saturday issued a series of rules designed to stop the use of conversion therapy, in which therapists try to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of gay, lesbian or transgender people.
Two Republican governors whose White House dreams hinge on Tuesday's New Hampshire primary were the biggest winners at Saturday's GOP debate, while first-term Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who has been surging in recent polls, saw his hopes damaged when he was exposed as being overly scripted and inexperienced.
In her final State-of-the-State address to lawmakers, Gov. Maggie Hassan touted the work they have done together and urged them to continue addressing the critical challenges facing New Hampshire.
A Chicago police officer who fatally shot a 19-year-old college student and accidentally killed his neighbor filed a lawsuit against the teenager's estate Friday, arguing the student's actions prompted the shooting and caused the officer "extreme emotional trauma."
George "Duf" Sundheim, donning his "Duf Sundheim" navy blue fleece jacket and khaki pants, strode down the center aisle inside the Destiny Fellowship Church, wading into the crowded pews at a tea party meeting in the northern reaches of California.
Solving the problems of contaminated water in Flint has to remain a local, state and national priority for the foreseeable future, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton told city residents gathered in a Baptist church Sunday afternoon.
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory escaped injury after the vehicle he was riding in was rear-ended on Highway 237 less than an hour after Super Bowl 50 let out at nearby Levi's Stadium, authorities said.
With the workforce aging, identifying and nurturing talent within the ranks is more important than ever.
It's looking like 2016 will be another year with employment cuts in some states and little to no growth in others.
Washington, D.C., may offer some people financial incentives to follow the law. It wouldn't be the first.
President Obama will propose a $10-per-barrel tax on oil in next year's budget to modernize the U.S. transportation system, using the fossil fuels tax to pay for a transition to clean energy, administration officials said Thursday.
Gov. Wolf signed a bill Wednesday that would delay for two years the use of high-school graduation exams, thus allowing time to study whether such tests should be a requirement.
California has its first weed czar -- otherwise known as chief of its Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation -- and it's a Republican, Lori Ajax, who is now chief deputy director of the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
Television personality Montel Williams has endorsed Ohio Gov. John Kasich in the GOP presidential race.
A federal appeals court dealt a potentially serious blow to Maryland's landmark 2013 gun control law and similar measures across the country, ruling Tuesday that a lower court was wrong when it upheld the state's ban on assault rifles.
About 12.7 million Americans enrolled in private health insurance through the federal and state marketplaces for 2016, the Obama administration said Thursday.
Gov. Charlie Baker will endorse New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's bid for the Republican presidential nomination today, a source confirmed -- repaying Christie for his strong support during Baker's own race for governor in 2014.
A roundup of money (and other) news governments can use.
DeRay Mckesson joins a crowded field at the last minute, but there's no doubt he's a serious contender to replace the outgoing mayor.
