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Mayor Nutter on Tuesday recommended scrapping the School Reform Commission, which has governed Philadelphia schools for the last 15 years, saying it is time for "the experiment to end."
Gov. Mary Fallin ordered state agencies on Monday to prepare plans to cut 10 percent of "non-mission-critical" expenses for the remainder of this fiscal year and the entirety of the next.
Students across the nation are taking tests that are redundant, misaligned with college- and career-ready standards, and often don't address students' mastery of specific content, according to a long-awaited report that provides the first in-depth look at testing in the nation's largest urban school districts.
On the often cloudy shores of the Buffalo River, where a steel factory once thrived, lies the rising framework of one of New York’s most ambitious economic endeavors ever: a giant solar panel factory that the state says will be the largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.
Los Angeles lawmakers voted unanimously Tuesday to pass a new law requiring Angelenos to lock up or disable their handguns at home if they aren't close at hand.
President Barack Obama on Tuesday sought to balance minority concerns of overaggressive policing with an attempt to enlist law enforcement's help to push for stronger federal gun-control laws.
The island’s future depends a lot on San Juan.
In our nostalgia for the postwar era, we ignore some things that weren’t so good.
Seattle is largely run by older white men, but changes in the city's election law will likely make its politicians more representative of the people.
Businessman Bruce Rauner, the first Illinois governor with no prior political experience, promised to "shake up Springfield." Now he and lawmakers are locked in the state's longest budget showdown -- with no end in sight.
Federal firearm laws are unlikely to change, so it’s up to states and localities to lead a societal effort.
In the lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court, the federal government accused Pittsfield Township of breaking the law in denying zoning approval to the Michigan Islamic Academy, which wants to build a school on undeveloped land
Lisa Kaplan, principal of Andrew Jackson Elementary School, is the winner of the 2015 Escalante-Gradillas Prize for Best in Education.
To avoid a traffic nightmare for millions of Americans, Congress is giving railroads more time to install a safety system to prevent deadly crashes.
The Richland County Sheriff's Department is investigating an incident between a school resource officer and a female student at Spring Valley High School on Monday, after a video showing a confrontation was posted online.
Like scores of other Ole Miss students, Barrett Teller couldn't help glancing up at the flagpole in Lyceum Circle as he walked to class Monday morning.
The State Board of Education moved a small step closer to meeting Superintendent Diane Douglas’ goal of adopting Arizona-based learning standards when the board voted Monday to officially allow changes to Common Core-based standards.
Processed meats such as bacon and hot dogs cause cancer in humans, according to the World Health Organization — but consumers shouldn't worry about it, according to Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller.
Ohio is adding a weapon to its arsenal in fighting drug abuse by providing doctors and pharmacists with a one-click link to the state opiate tracking system.
When parents go to prison, it’s the children who pay.
Most public policy decisions are best described as transfers of wealth where somebody wins and somebody loses.
Ohio voters struck down a citizen-led measure that would have made it the first Midwestern state to legalize marijuana. But it won’t be the last time the issue makes it to the ballot.
The ongoing probe showed officers from Bal Harbour and the Glades County Sheriff's Office posed as money launderers while they jetted into a dozen cities to pick up drug cash in a sting operation to clean money for cartels and other groups with the stated goal of arresting suspects. Ultimately, they kept at least $2.4 million for themselves.
Urban planners are noticing a cultural gap between bike advocates and others who bike.
Twitter’s newly announced polling feature looks like a lot of fun for its throngs of avid users, but could it also bring value to savvy organizations looking for instant feedback from the public?
Florida wildlife officials, which closed bear hunting in Central Florida after one day, shut the whole thing down Sunday.
After many years without health insurance, Cathy Ingram recently got a subsidized policy through the state-run Kynect exchange. Her first stop was the dentist, who pulled some rotten teeth infecting her gums.
Louisiana Republican Sen. David Vitter will face John Bel Edwards, a Democratic state legislator, in a runoff to become Louisiana's next governor, The Associated Press projects.
Get Covered Illinois, amid a sharp reduction in federal funding, has only enough money this year to pay for about 150 counselors who help consumers buy health insurance through the federal Affordable Care Act.
When consumers turn on their laptops and tablets Monday morning, they should be able to check premiums for 2016 under President Barack Obama's health care law.
The Obama administration executed a significant about-face in its education policy Saturday, calling for a cap on the amount of time students spend taking standardized tests.
Voters in Washington state increased the penalties for trafficking animals or parts of animals that are at risk of becoming extinct.
Voters made Texas the 19th state to add legal protections for hunting and fishing, which are now also the preferred methods for controlling wildlife.
More and more, governments are turning to data to answer a crucial question: What works?
Mississippi voters, facing two competing (and confusing) ballot questions on school quality, chose to make no changes to the state constitution.
Texas is suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over President Obama’s plan to combat climate change, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Friday. It is doing so in partnership with a bipartisan coalition that includes 23 other states.
Presidential coverage may be dominating headlines, but it's not the only election worth your attention.
A state law limiting the income towns can draw from traffic fines means many places, without other good sources of revenue, have to get rid of police.
Many of the low-elevation forests are going to disappear if trends continue. As much as 20 percent of the state's forests are at risk.
ew Mexico Secretary of State Dianna Duran resigned from her post late Thursday night just before she was due in court on Friday on fraud charges.
The New Jersey Senate voted Thursday to override Gov. Chris Christie's veto of gun legislation, a stunning political development that had eluded Democrats for nearly six years.
In Texas' latest salvo against Obamacare, Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed suit over a fee states must help cover to pay for the sweeping federal health reform law.
A federal judge has issued a final judgment rejecting Gov. Bobby Jindal's federal lawsuit against the Common Core education standards, clearing the way for him to take his case to an appeals court.
Taking action on a political issue that has long been stalled in Albany, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Thursday announced executive action intended to protect transgender people from discrimination in housing, employment and other areas.
After a historic legal settlement that will allow a California inmate to undergo sex-reassignment surgery, the state's prisons will implement the nation's first guidelines that would authorize surgical procedures sought by transgender inmates who are suffering from severe mental problems.
Starting next year, many Americans won't have to make the difficult choice between talking to family members in prison and paying their bills.
Regulating them will be a challenge for governments at all levels, but we're going to have to figure out how to do it.
With no income tax and high sales taxes, the state is asking poor people to pay far more than their fair share.
The more you look at the California high-speed rail project's finances, the shakier they seem.
From governors to treasurers, several states are voting on their leadership starting this weekend.
Rick Scott proposed $1 million in funding Monday to create a paid summer residency program in science, technology, engineering and math. The program, announced at Florida Power & Light's Juno Beach office, would expand on a one piloted by seven Palm Beach County teachers this past summer.
Alaska Gov. Bill Walker and lawmakers will convene in Juneau for a testy special session. The governor promises coffee. The legislature promises committee hearings.
The mayor’s decision not to run for reelection has set the stage for what will likely be the most expensive city campaign since Johnson defeated former Mayor Heather Fargo in 2008.
Texas will sentence fewer people to die in 2015 than in any other year since the state’s death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
Many states struggle to know how much property they have and how best to use it. Some, though, are fixing the problem -- and it's saving them money.
A roundup of money (and other) news governments can use.
Video technology is giving Minnesota inmates a glimpse of the outside world -- and often a window into their former homes -- from behind bars.
The office of Attorney General Ken Paxton says he is recusing himself from some of his professional responsibilities as he fights an indictment on securities fraud charges.
On Wednesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo indicated that Uber might present another occasion for the the state to step in and organize something New York City — and its mayor — couldn't.
A federal judge Monday barred Indiana from enforcing a new law that prohibits voters from taking photos of their election ballots and sharing the images on social media.
As President Barack Obama sat in a small community center gym on Charleston's East End on Wednesday, Cary Dixon told him what opioid addiction has meant to her family.
Chicago police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, joined by law enforcement brass and prosecutors from across the country, called Wednesday for major changes how the criminal justice system handles low-level offenders, a message he and others plan to take to the White House.
When states ran out of execution drugs, it appears they started paying tens of thousands of dollars to Chris Harris, a salesman in India with no pharmaceutical background.
Years after voters made medical marijuana legal, Montana and some other states struggle to regulate it.
Several states may soon follow California and Oregon's lead, but almost all of them are Democratic-led.
Michael Nutter has angered the Democratic political establishment by endorsing independent at-large candidate Andrew Stober.
The state, which has not expanded Medicaid under the health law, struggled with huge Medicaid cost overruns from 2010 through 2013. That sent lawmakers looking for a better way to manage it, even though a signature part of the program has won national awards for quality and cost.
Many states are passing laws designed to stop minors from being sexually exploited by distinguishing between voluntary prostitutes and women who are forced into selling sex.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors sent a strong message Tuesday about the sanctuary city policies that came under attack after the July killing of Kathryn Steinle, allegedly by an immigrant with no legal standing: The existing policies are just fine.
Dismissing what they described as nativist political grandstanding, Senate Democrats blocked legislation Tuesday that would cut off federal funds to San Francisco and other cities that refuse to turn over people who are in the U.S. illegally to federal immigration authorities.
A polarizing symbol is disappearing from the Florida Senate, after senators endorsed a proposal Monday to remove the Confederate battle flag from their official seal.
New York State has agreed to hire a monitor and a research expert to serve as watchdogs of the New York City foster care system to settle a federal class-action lawsuit that alleges foster children are enduring irreparable harm after lingering too long without permanent families.
Arizona will become the first and only state to impose a one-year lifetime limit for impoverished households receiving federal benefits from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program – a move that will cut payments to about 1,600 families in July.
Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson will not seek a third term next year, he announced late Tuesday.
In a county with more than 50 districts, schools are putting parents in charge of tackling problems that may have otherwise been ignored. It may be a model for other municipalities.
Voters agreed to invest taxpayer money into infrastructure but rejected a measure to divert money from the state's rainy day fund toward transportation.
Already in the minority, Democratic attorneys general face upcoming elections in a tough mix of states. We break down the likely outcome of each.
Officials in the states have signed an agreement to cooperate to promote the region's shared energy interests.
Same states have increased efforts to reunite owners with their property. Others many have changed laws to let state governments take control of unclaimed property faster.
Gov. Robert Bentley reversed his position and announced last week that the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency would return driver's license examiners to 31 rural counties, at least on a limited basis.
Since Assembly Bill 60, which resulted in driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants, went into effect in January, the state’s organ and tissue registry, operated by the nonprofit organization Donate Life California, has seen its donor list grow by 30 percent.
A cold winter and an improved economy fueled a 14 percent rise in carbon emissions in 2014, despite years of progress.
The Judicial Conduct Board, said 50 images emailed to Justice Michael Eakin could "best be described as mildly pornographic or sexually suggestive in the vein of material that appears commonly in Playboy magazine."
The state of Ohio on Monday put off its resumption of executions for another year as it continues to struggle to find the drugs it would prefer to use for lethal injections
A pro-death penalty group has submitted enough valid signatures to postpone the repeal of capital punishment and place a referendum on the issue on the November 2016 ballot, it was confirmed Friday.
Judge Marvin Wiggins’s courtroom was packed on a September morning. The docket listed hundreds of offenders who owed fines or fees for a wide variety of crimes — hunting after dark, assault, drug possession and passing bad checks among them.
A video campaign aimed at Planned Parenthood continued to ripple through women's health services Monday, as Texas officials announced that the Lone Star State would eliminate funding for the organization on the same day a federal court halted efforts in Louisiana to do the very same thing.
Fitch Ratings lowered Illinois' bond rating on Monday, citing the "continued deterioration of the state's financial flexibility" as Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner remains locked in a budget fight with Democrats who control the legislature.
Gun-rights advocates vowed to take their case to the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday after a federal appeals court upheld the gun-control laws Connecticut and New York established after the Newtown school shooting.
Is it still gambling if the sports are fake? The Nevada Gaming Commission concluded that daily fantasy is gambling and needs to be licensed in the state.
The new law aims to reduce the number of consumers who get surprise bills when they unknowingly see providers who are not part of their insurance plan networks.
Under the Police Department's new rules on shootings by officers, the Police Advisory Commission's director will have equal standing with four deputy commissioners in deciding whether or not police actions are justified. The city's police union is not on board with the changes.
Bill Beardsley is on record supporting the teaching of creationism alongside evolution in Maine public schools. Now he's Paul LePage's appointee for acting education commissioner.
The city is nearing record for rat complaints. 'I've seen rats walking upright, saying, "Good morning."
Idaho has gotten a one-year extension from complying with the federal REAL ID requirements, the Idaho Transportation Department announced Thursday.
A federal judge ordered Utah to keep sending money to the local arm of Planned Parenthood on Thursday amid a lawsuit over the governor's decision to defund the organization_at least for now.
Stepped up federal oversight of Metro’s troubled subway system will include surprise inspections, specified deadlines for making safety fixes and the potential loss of funding if the transit agency fails to comply with mandates from its new watchers, according to details released this week by the Transportation Department.
Frustrated by a lack of legislative progress on gun control, Gov. Terry McAuliffe promised zealous enforcement of existing laws Thursday, tasking Attorney General Mark Herring and others with a "creative and aggressive" crackdown on illegal sales.
A federal judge ruled Friday that Texas officials can continue to deny U.S. birth certificates to the children of immigrants who cannot supply required identification because they entered the country illegally.
Medicaid spending soared nearly 14 percent last year—its biggest annual increase in at least two decades—as a result of millions of newly eligible low-income enrollees signing up under the Affordable Care Act, according to a report released Thursday by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Providence's new mayor has taken an innovative program for preschoolers launched by his predecessor and expanded it.
A robust career management program can pay dividends not only for employees but also for the governments they work for.
As STD rates rise among the elderly, health-care providers and public health departments continue to shy away from discussing their sexual health. Is it time for a sexual revolution?
A leader in urban innovation in both the public and private sectors, Gabe Klein offers lessons for local leaders around the country.
To remain relevant, many states are adding drones, virtual reality attractions and craft beers to traditional agricultural offerings at state fairs.
During the third quarter the Chris Christie campaign raised $4.2 million and spent $2.8 million.
Carson, Bush, Cruz, Fiorina and Rubio have all raised more in the third quarter than John Kasich.
Despite an Obama administration effort to stop using the justice system to round up low-level suspects for deportation, an inadvertently released email indicates local police are still using ethnic profiling against immigrants.
With the support of both Democrats and Republicans, voters ended some of the tactics that political parties use to increase their advantage in redistricting. It could be a big deal.
The Obama administration is again dramatically scaling back projected enrollment in health plans purchased through the Affordable Care Act, predicting that about 10 million people will have coverage through the health law's marketplaces by the end of next year.
The emergency message crackled over the car radio, warning listeners of looming flash floods.
As firefighters began making progress on the Hidden Pines fire Thursday, surveys of the destruction revealed that at least 34 homes and structures had been destroyed by the Bastrop County wildfire.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker raised $7.4 million for his short-lived presidential bid but spent his cash as quickly as it came in, leaving the campaign with a debt of at least $1 million once all the bills roll in, according to sources and a report filed with federal elections officials Thursday.
An attorney for celebrated Los Angeles Unified teacher Rafe Esquith on Thursday accused the district of employing an "investigative hit squad" to drum up false charges against older, well-paid teachers in an effort to avoid paying their retirement benefits.
Signaling a major gun rights battle to come, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and a group of activists announced their intention Thursday to put a tough firearms-control measure on California's ballot next year aimed at requiring background checks for ammunition purchases and forcing gun owners to give up large-capacity magazines.
A roundup of money (and other) news governments can use.
A nonprofit Tennessee health insurer founded with $73 million in loans provided by the Affordable Care Act won't offer insurance next year.
Massachusetts is plagued with unnecessary state boards, and hundreds of seats on them are going unfilled. Now, some lawmakers have brainstormed a fix that would warm the heart of any shrewd bureaucrat: create another board to eliminate boards.
In Kentucky, one of the few Southern states where Democrats still hold power, it's a tossup between a Republican businessman appealing to religious conservatives and a Democratic AG distancing himself from Obama.
Politicians have been touting their states' low jobless rates as proof that they've bounced back from the recession. But unemployment only tells part of the story.
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has filed three voter fraud cases he plans to prosecute, his office confirmed Tuesday.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday unveiled a 10-year plan to encourage healthier lifestyles and improve the health of Arkansans.
In a decisive and uncommon rebuke, the Minnesota Supreme Court removed an Anoka County district judge from the bench Wednesday for living outside of his district and lying to voters about his residence on his affidavit of candidacy.
The giant endeavor to dig a new tunnel under the Hudson River took its first concrete step forward Wednesday when the board of NJ Transit voted unanimously to lead a study of the project’s environmental impacts.
Baltimore police arrested at least 12 protesters who occupied City Hall overnight, hours after a City Council committee approved the permanent appointment of interim Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis on Wednesday.
When an agency fails as spectacularly as the Boston region's transit system has, it's time for some competition.
The mayor of Oklahoma City declared war on obesity, launching health campaigns and implementing pedestrian-friendly new infrastructure. Is this one possible solution to the nationwide epidemic?
Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey will retire at year's end, he said Wednesday morning at a City Hall news conference.
The Cyber Center of Excellence was created in San Diego to stay one step ahead of hackers.
In 2011, biking advocates from the non-profit group Gearing Up persuaded prison administrators to let them bring in bikes to teach indoor cycling to female inmates, who tend to gain more weight in prison than men.
Experts say cutting ozone, the lung-damaging gas in smog, to federal health standards while meeting state targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions will require a radical transformation of California's transportation sector over the next two decades.
Bill Walker says expanding the search for oil is necessary to cope with the damage caused by climate change.
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert shares why he thinks his state is so competitive in today's tough financial climate.
As she took over as chief of the Chicago Public Schools three years ago, Barbara Byrd-Bennett was touted as an experienced administrator who was going to help the Emanuel administration turn around a system beset by a recent teacher's strike, huge budget deficits and pending school closings.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who is laboring to make inroads with potential Republican voters flocking to Donald Trump and Ben Carson, is intensifying attacks on the Affordable Care Act and making renewed pledges to repeal and replace the 2010 law.
A federal appeals court in Philadelphia Tuesday reinstated a civil rights lawsuit over the NYPD's surveillance of Muslims, ruling that claimed public safety and national security concerns did not justify discriminatory scrutiny.
Sexual misconduct allegations against Kevin Johnson have been reported locally for nearly a decade, and voters have twice elected him Sacramento mayor by wide margins.
California officials on Tuesday abruptly reversed course on a plan that would have allowed state prison inmates convicted of violent crimes to fight fires next year.
A Milwaukee state court jury ordered Badger Guns, one of the country’s most prominent firearm retailers, to pay $5.73 million after the suburban West Milwaukee store was found liable for negligence Tuesday in the 2009 shooting of Bryan Norberg and Graham Kunisch, two local law enforcement officers.
Growing demand for bilingual teachers, fed by increasing numbers of Spanish-speaking public school students, is forcing local school districts to get creative in their recruiting. A major target for their efforts is Puerto Rico: the teachers, already U.S. citizens, don’t require a visa if they decide to leave the island and its struggling economy to go work on the mainland.
Judge Barry Williams denied a motion by attorneys for Sgt. Alicia White to suppress two statements that she provided to internal investigators. Five of the officers' attorneys had filed motions to have their statements suppressed on the grounds that they were made under duress and in violation of their rights.
Sgt. Terie Evans, who is white, has sued the LAPD, alleging that her supervisors retaliated and discriminated against her because of the racial connotations in accusations against her by a black policeman.
While many places try to regulate or ban sharing-economy companies, a few are taking advantage of them to improve their emergency preparedness and transportation options.
In Maine on Tuesday, voters strengthened the public campaign financing system that became a model for other states and helped the legislature become the nation's most blue-collar.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office was more involved in a $20.5 million school contract with a now-indicted consultant than previously disclosed, public records indicate, but his administration has refused to release hundreds of emails that could provide a deeper understanding of how the deal came to be.
Long before he was exonerated of a 1994 home invasion, robbery and sexual assault, Christopher Coleman imagined starting a real estate business in his hometown of Peoria.
It's not exactly trick-or-treat, but the Milford school system has done an about-face just days after canceling elementary school Halloween parades.
The largest private provider of health insurance policies on Kynect, Kentucky's health insurance exchange, is going out of business.
A long-awaited deal between Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will ensure $26.1 billion in MTA transportation infrastructure projects can go forward, including the completion of East Side Access and the construction of a second LIRR track between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma, officials said Saturday.
Attorney General Roy Cooper presented himself to voters Monday as a standard-bearer who can restore North Carolina to a legacy tarnished by three years of Republican domination by recommitting to education and fighting for the working class and small businesses.
