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The Wisconsin governor and two top Republican lawmakers are seeking to eliminate the state's civil service exams and shorten by more than half the process for employees to appeal their dismissal or discipline.
In a pioneering experiment in “participatory budgeting,” city residents aged 12 to 25 are invited to come up with ideas for where to spend capital dollars and to vote on those ideas.
A project to fix the city's stormwater problems has blossomed into so much more.
A study looked at Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida and Texas and found no connection between allowing concealed weapons and crime rates, which are trending downward nationwide.
They're a big success in Massachusetts. So why doesn't the state have more of them?
The state Legislature on Thursday failed once again to override a veto by Governor Christie, this one involving the purchase of a firearm by someone with a record of mental illness.
Federal transit officials said Thursday they have approved a plan by Metro to correct numerous safety-management problems in its subway and bus operations, including poor training of employees, outdated information technology and inadequate staffing and procedures at the rail system’s central control facility.
Pennsylvania schools have a new source of disparity: A state budget impasse that has driven some districts to borrow while others expect no problems for months.
County Executive Steve Schuh's administration vowed to press forward with a proposal to prohibit medical marijuana facilities in Anne Arundel County despite a letter from the Maryland Attorney General's Office stating that counties cannot ban operations allowed by state law.
Over the objections of Attorney General Ken Paxton's office, the Texas Supreme Court issued a ruling in June making it easier for private companies to keep secret details of their contracts with the state of Texas and local governments, a move that public information advocates warn is ripe for abuse.
Large numbers of poor teenagers will be able for the first time to get free birth control from the state as officials aim to reduce Texas' high teen pregnancy rate, state health agencies announced Wednesday.
In local government, chief financial officers are starting to find a clearer path to the top spot.
Most have avoided upgrading the systems that run our biggest health-care program themselves. But some are looking to outsource.
A roundup of money (and other) news governments can use.
Many states have rainy day fund policies, but many don't have the right kind of policies. Wyoming is looking to change that.
Several businesses and public entities have banded together to share camera feeds and sensor data in an effort to identify security threats early.
Many are feeling the pinch of budget impasses as programs are reduced or eliminated. More than half a dozen states began fiscal year 2016 without a budget.
Davis, a former Fort Worth city councilwoman, drew national attention for her 2013 filibuster at the Texas Capitol against new abortion restrictions. She's interested in running for some public office in the future.
After a two-year delay, U.S. hospitals have to start using a new coding system in October -- a move that could hurt rural and smaller hospitals particularly hard.
Gov. Bill Walker plans to call a special session of the Alaska Legislature this year, focused on issues surrounding the development of a natural gas pipeline from the North Slope.
The investments made by New Jersey’s pension funds fell short of targets and well below the double-digit gains of recent years, but it still outperformed benchmarks, state officials said Wednesday.
Kentuckians will be able to register online in time to vote in next year's presidential elections, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes said Tuesday.
Second-grade students at Walker-Jones Education Campus this week are learning a new alphabet: The ABC’s of bike safety.
Most out-of-work Floridians will never see a jobless benefits check from the state.
Tennessee accused the Federal Communications Commission of unlawfully violating state sovereignty in an appeal filed last week, alleging that the federal government is attempting to arbitrarily rewrite state law and vest itself with new powers not granted by the Constitution.
Many challenges lie ahead. Cities and counties will need to collaborate and innovate as never before.
The truck driver who won the Democratic bid for Mississippi governor -- without spending a cent -- is the latest in a string of nominees for statewide office who lack any political experience.
If Republicans do win in every state this year, it could be a bad omen for Democrats in 2016.
State presidential primaries have strayed far from their original purposes. So why must taxpayers pick up the tab?
The new law, passed in reaction to a pricey buyout deal awarded to the College of DuPage president this year, prohibits boards from giving departing presidents more than one year of salary and benefits.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel floated the idea of privatizing the 311 call center, saying that bringing in an outside operator would save the city the cost of making technology upgrades at the nonemergency information center.
The candidates promise to improve the roads and traffic -- but they haven't said how they'll find money to do it.
Jerry Brown signed a measure that would create entities similar to redevelopment agencies to fund affordable housing, hazardous waste cleanup and other projects in disadvantaged communities.
Gov. Steve Bullock will hire 33 frontline staff members at child advocacy centers to reduce their caseload, as well as improve evaluations and training to improve the system.
The site provides information on quality for five common conditions or procedures: childbirth, hip and knee replacement, colon cancer screening, diabetes, and back pain. And it gives cost information — by county for 100 procedures, ranging from treating a broken ankle to cancer chemotherapy.
The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday announced that it will hear Longmont's fracking ban case.
Acknowledging their failure to stem a surge in homelessness, Los Angeles' elected leaders on Tuesday said they would declare a "state of emergency" and devote up to $100 million to the problem. But they offered few details about where the money would come from or how it would be spent, leaving some to question the effort's chances of success.
A state judge has overturned New York City's ban on plastic foam containers, finding the nearly 30,000 tons of dirty meat trays and to-go cups now sent to landfills can be recycled in a cost-effective way, according to a decision made public Tuesday.
The super PAC backing Scott Walker was on pace to raise as much as $40 million by the end of the year and planned a series of as many as 10 advertisements in Iowa to showcase the Wisconsin governor’s record.
Outrage over a pharmaceutical company's decision to increase the price of a decades-old drug by 5,000 percent ignited debate for measures to impose anti-gouging regulations in an industry that's free to charge whatever it wants for its products.
Premiums for job-based medical insurance rose moderately — 4 percent in 2015 — but employers continued to shift in expenses to workers, according to a new survey.
Most have evolved toward a no-kill policy but lack the money or resources to keep every animal alive and well.
They can't just improve the physical environment if they want to revitalize poverty-stricken areas.
In making his decision, Gov. Paul LePage cited tensions between the Legislature and the executive branch, and said he won’t even consider naming possible replacements until January.
The Federation of Tax Administrators gave Lynn Bartolo, acting deputy director at the Board of Equalization, its Charles Mills Lifetime Achievement Award.
School-construction groups have collected enough signatures to place a $9 billion bond on the November 2016 ballot.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice N. Patrick Crooks died Monday at the court in Madison.
In an unprecedented move, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Monday suspended the law license of Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane, a step that could increase the chances that the Legislature will try to remove her from office.
Last Wednesday, Steven M. Fulop, the mayor of Jersey City, got ready for one of his regular morning bike rides.
With the departure of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker from the 2016 GOP presidential race, middle America appears wide open for John Kasich.
Gov. Tom Wolf today said it is legal for schools to stock and administer the overdose antidote naloxone and encouraged school districts and colleges to do so.
The way a mid-sized city in Spain built a signature park holds many lessons.
With his prospects and funds dwindling, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker dropped out of the race for president Monday, saying he wanted to clear the way for a conservative optimist to take down real estate mogul Donald Trump.
The pope is a great supporter of public transportation, and in a spring encyclical he urged cities to prioritize public transportation to help the environment and to alleviate "undignified conditions" endured by riders.
In upstate South Carolina, where many Latinos speak English with a Southern drawl, both parties have reached out to Latino leaders about grooming future candidates. But polls show Republicans' intransigence on immigration has turned many Latinos away from the GOP.
Rather than acting as former offenders' enemies, parole and probation officers are now working to be their mentors. Can it reduce recidivism?
Helping poor people move from high- to low-poverty neighborhoods can improve their health and cut the government's costs.
Rocked by heavy immigration and demographic change, Nevada must retool its government to cope with the new reality. It’s a sign of things to come in the rest of the country.
More than 20 percent of people in every state are obese, with the rate exceeding 35 percent in three states.
Most of them have been in office for decades. Here's what they've learned about government.
Desperate for more money, public pension systems have been making high-risk investments hoping for a higher profit. But they may ultimately cost taxpayers more.
The ‘complete streets’ movement is reshaping urban boulevards, small-town main streets and even rural highways. But there are still plenty of bumps in the road.
The once bustling hamlet of Johnsonville, Conn., now a ghost town, is up for sale -- again.
Dozens of U.S. communities have launched similar programs, but Blacksburg, Va.'s is different.
The strategy that's improved the management of fires has, paradoxically, made it harder to know who’s really in charge of putting them out.
Studies are mixed on the effectiveness of incentivizing employees to get healthier. But one county is chalking up some big savings.
One conservative billionaire wants to convince his fellow Republicans to believe in climate change. Can his money make a difference?
They have become a staple in several cities. Whether they stay around is up to new mayors in charge.
It was a major issue in recent mayoral races. This year, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee is one of the few candidates talking about it.
The reasons for citizens' dissatisfaction vary from place to place -- but age isn't one of them.
Gary McCollum of Virginia Beach said that he is "currently a major in the Army Reserve" despite being discharged in 2001.
The Texas General Land Office has dropped its lawsuit against Denton's obliterated ban on hydraulic fracturing and moratorium on new gas drilling, officially resolving all litigation over the local vote,
The Kansas Hospital Association has a ticker on its website showing the amount of federal money Kansas has passed up by not expanding since January 2014. It's nearing $738 million, or about 12 dollars a second.
Some common public records like traffic accident reports and tickets would remain off limits to news outlets, under an argument made to the state Supreme Court on Friday in a case that could drastically alter long-standing Wisconsin law, based on a failed class action lawsuit in Illinois.
The Valley fire that has been scorching Lake, Napa and Sonoma counties now ranks as the third worst in California history based on total structures burned.
Gov. Robert Bentley Thursday signed a $1.7 billion General Fund budget into law, ending a six month battle over state funding that needed three sessions of the Alabama Legislature to resolve.
The new state budget signed into law Friday includes about $400 million in income tax cuts, which will be offset by new sales taxes on repair, installation and maintenance services.
Turning aside objections from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Travis County judge approved an out-of-court settlement Tuesday that recognizes the eight-year relationship of two Austin women as a common-law marriage.
Members of Seattle's educators union voted Sunday to approve their contract deal with Seattle Public Schools, officially ending a strike that began nearly two weeks ago.
As new ways of buying and selling energy emerge, the system of monopoly control is being challenged.
The temptation to cut income taxes and raise sales taxes could leave some states less prepared for an economic downturn than they were for the Great Recession.
Lots of folks who used Sacramento city government titles and worked out of City Hall while doing Johnson’s dirty work in the NCBM fiasco were not employed by the city government. They were instead charter school advocates, funded by charter school ideologues, who kept their true allegiances and mission hidden.
Thirty states and the District of Columbia restrict investments by pensions and public entities in companies doing business in the country. Fifteen Republican governors, including four presidential candidates, last week sent a letter to Obama saying they would fight to keep their constraints if the administration lifts its nuclear-related sanctions.
The lawsuit alleges that the child's behavior created an "as-yet unquantified chilling effect on the otherwise 'hot' local real estate market" and that "people feel constrained in the marketability of their homes as this issue remains unresolved and the nuisance remains unabated."
Michigan donors have given more than $4 million to 2016 campaigns and super PACs. The biggest shares have gone to Bush, Christie and Walker.
Richard Greeno has made a donation of ice picks, razor blades, meat cleavers, a set of brass knuckles and a 1930s-era Tommy gun with a violin carrying case.
But nationally, the poverty rate was 14.8 percent last year, meaning 46.7 million people lived in poverty—as many people as there have been the past four years.
In October .MIAMI will join New York (.nyc) and Las Vegas (.vegas) in creating a global Internet identity through which the city's businesses, communities and residents can identify themselves.
Attorney General Herbert Slatery says state law requires lawmakers' approval before the state may use any public funds, even if those funds are provided by the federal government.
At least 80 injured state workers in the past decade have been taken to court by Texas' Office of Risk Management after being awarded compensation from the state's Division of Workers' Compensation.
The state's suspended voter list will be cut significantly next month when a new rule takes effect.
Employees in Philadelphia City Hall's 311 call center were sent home Thursday after a bedbug was found in the office, city officials said.
The Virginia Board of Health voted Thursday evening to reverse hospital-style rules and building codes for abortion clinics, fulfilling a campaign promise of Gov. Terry McAuliffe and delivering a setback to abortion foes.
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that the Ohio Ballot Board crafted misleading language for the Nov. 3 marijuana-legalization constitutional amendment and ordered the board to redo it.
A federal judge in Baton Rouge denied Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's attempt to block Common Core nationally Wednesday (Sept. 16). Countering conservative arguments, U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick wrote that Common Core is not a curriculum and that federal education laws don't infringe on states' rights.
Cautious Federal Reserve officials, spooked by a slowing Chinese economy and turbulent markets, delayed a long-awaited interest rate increase and, in the process, heightened the uncertainty engulfing financial and business communities worldwide.
A new study of the controversial but popular EB-5 program details the successes and challenges of foreign investment in America.
The Knight Foundation is launching its second search for innovative and unorthodox ideas for developing U.S. cities.
Amid the review, the district spent more than $500,000 since July 1 on outside food and beverages, records show. That includes more than $135,500 to Alonti, roughly $74,000 to Dave & Buster's, nearly $65,700 to Panera Bread and more than $58,600 to Subway.
Public employers can't legally get rid of their employees as easy as Trump and his private-sector peers can. But there are ways to make it easier.
With the bill now on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk, the church’s ability to affect the outcome of legislation is again being put to the test.
The attorneys for both the Ketchikan Gateway Borough and the state of Alaska relied on differing interpretations of the Alaska Constitution in asserting or denying if the state violates constitutional provisions when it requires that municipalities help pay for education
The assets to be counted if the new rule is applied include bank account balances, snowmobiles, boats, motorcycles, jet skis, all-terrain vehicles, recreational vehicles, campers and other valuable assets, according to a news release.
A roundup of money (and other) news governments can use.
Gov. Larry Hogan on Tuesday announced plans to cut dozens of state agency fees by a combined $10 million a year, saying the changes would help families and businesses save money without negatively affecting public programs.
The Department of Health and Hospitals has notified Planned Parenthood Gulf States the organization is being kicked out of the state's Medicaid program again, this time because of a $4.3 million whistleblower settlement in Texas.
A lawyer in Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's administration who was shot in the head by an errant bullet on Labor Day died Wednesday night after he was taken off life support, the family said.
Applause erupted in the the House chamber Wednesday as Republican leaders' goal to make Missouri the 26th "right to work" state died when members failed to vote to override Gov. Jay Nixon's veto.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio Wednesday announced plans to spend as much as $186 million a year on a new education agenda spanning all grades -- a blueprint that extends beyond the maximum term of his mayoralty.
Embattled Secretary of State Dianna Duran entered not-guilty pleas Tuesday to charges that she diverted thousands of dollars from her campaign funds to her personal bank accounts, mostly during a stretch when she withdrew prolific amounts of money from automatic teller machines at casinos around the state.
In a startling comeback, convicted felon Joe Ganim squeezed out a win in the Democratic primary for his old job as mayor Wednesday night, defeating two-term incumbent Bill Finch.
They all have at least one thing in common.
Younger gamblers are shying away from slot machines, which poses a revenue problem for casinos and for states.
Many U.S. cities remain deeply segregated. Strict new federal rules require local governments to publicly report segregation in their communities and come up with a plan to combat it.
An appeals court gave Richard Glossip a two-week reprieve after Several celebrities and Oklahoma public figures have urged the state not to execute Glossip, who claims he's innocent.
Several places, including the nation's fittest city, want to regulate personal trainers. Is the new push about safety or boosting public revenue?
View detailed data on what Americans are spending their money on.
Some are taking longer than they have in decades to pass a budget. Why can't the GOP work together?
Sen. Dan Kotowski of Park Ridge said Tuesday that he will be leaving office Oct. 5 to become president and CEO of a children's advocacy organization.
The Obama administration called on Congress to start treating the ravenous blazes like hurricanes, tornadoes and other disasters_as emergencies exempt from spending limits.
Vaccination rates for children have steadily risen well over 90 percent the past few years, but the rates for Americans older than 60 getting flu, pneumonia, tetanus or shingles shots – the four most used vaccines among the elderly ‑- have stayed stubbornly flat.
Detroiters and people who work in the city will be able to pay their individual city income taxes electronically starting with the next tax season after the state Treasury Department begins processing the city's income tax collections in January, officials said today.
Everyone knew the heavy, wet storms that settle over the Mojave Canyon could turn the dry wash into a deadly river, but no one did anything to fix it.
Investigators pinpointed a possible origin of the Valley Fire on Tuesday -- a small shed outside a home in the all-but-destroyed town of Cobb -- while firefighters gained ground on the 67,000-acre inferno.
School will start Thursday for Seattle students, now that the city's teachers union has suspended its five-day-old strike, following all-night contract talks between the bargaining teams from the union and the district.
The Louisiana Supreme Court has ruled that New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu can remain free while his overriding contempt of court appeal is being resolved.
The governors of New Jersey and New York on Tuesday submitted a plan to President Obama to fund a new Hudson River rail tunnel, proposing that the federal government cover half the cost of the estimated $20 billion project.
The D.C. region's Metro system is facing one serious problem after another. What's needed is a new focus on serving its customers.
A Michigan resident has contracted the rare, life-threatening bubonic plague -- the first documented case in Michigan's public health history, state officials confirmed.
The Silver State Health Insurance Exchange will not operate brick-and-mortar enrollment stores during this year's sign-up period for government-subsidized health insurance.
A redistricting reform group filed a lawsuit Monday, arguing that 11 General Assembly districts violate the state constitution.
A switch from twice monthly to biweekly would get really expensive over a decade.
The Environmental Protection Agency says a threat by Gov. Paul LePage to give key regulatory powers back to the federal government would likely result in lengthy water permitting delays.
Municipal leaders will spell out how they plan to help meet goals set last fall in a landmark climate agreement between President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker vowed to "take on big government union bosses in Washington," in a speech today in Las Vegas, continuing to position himself as one of the harshest critics of organized labor running in the primary.
A survey of families that have a family member in jail or prison has found that nearly two-thirds struggle to meet their basic needs, including 50 percent that are unable to afford sufficient food and adequate housing.
William Scarborough, a former state assemblyman from Queens, was sentenced on Monday to 13 months in prison after he admitted submitting at least $40,000 in false expense vouchers for days he did not actually travel to Albany.
Just before the Rev. Starsky Wilson, co-chair of the Ferguson Commission, officially provided Gov. Jay Nixon a copy of the commission's 198-page report, he told an audience of media, elected officials and community members that the process had not been easy.
She prayed with friends. She consulted political allies and business leaders. She spoke with her husband, mother and 11-year-old daughter.
When California Gov. Jerry Brown stood in a snowless Sierra Nevada meadow on April 1 and ordered unprecedented drought restrictions, it was the first time in 75 years that the area had lacked any sign of spring snow.
Economists say capital-intensive industries such as oil extraction have contributed to a gap between economic growth and median household income in many states.
The U.S. Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide has state and local governments reconsidering their domestic partner benefits to save money or avoid lawsuits.
In the absence of federal drone regulations, states rush in to pass their own laws on when and where drones can fly.
Francis chose to visit East Harlem's Our Lady Queen of Angels School on Sept. 25 in large part because its student body _ largely immigrant and underprivileged _ reflects the population he sees as most deserving of attention and assistance.
The Kentucky clerk says deputies can issue marriage licenses without her name and title.
The state's moderate Assembly Democrats – a loosely formed group elected with the help of corporate interests – is thwarting liberal legislation, from climate change to minimum wage.
Critics say the water-management system will destroy the Emiquon Preserve. The Nature Conservancy and its advocates say the opposite; they believe the project is crucial to restoring wetlands — likened to the lungs of waterways — and their polluted rivers across the globe.
The Alaska observer network promotes grass-roots environmental science.
The Texas State University System has an idea for future students busy with families and jobs: Don't even show up on campus freshman year.
This spring, Doug Walker did what would have seemed unthinkable a year ago: He bought a car.
