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The Florida Supreme Court says the issue comes down to public trust and confidence.
Two major wildland fires continued to burn out of control Sunday in Northern California despite the efforts of more than 5,000 firefighters to halt the progress of the blazes, which had burned hundreds of homes and scorched more than 164 square miles in Amador, Calaveras and Lake counties.
Seattle Public Schools teachers are heading into the second week of a strike, with no school planned Monday.
In his weekly address this Saturday, President Obama introduced the revamped College Scorecard website, meant to help prospective university students “identify which schools provide the biggest bang for your buck.”
What began as a niche innovation is creating a wider transformation of government culture.
Whether or not this is legal is a matter of debate. The bunk beds are advertised on Airbnb with a 30-night minimum stay, so they don’t fall under the city’s short term rental ordinance.
The former Texas governor is the first GOP candidate to quit the race.
Before constructing new infrastructure, government agencies are starting to evaluate projects' potential economic, environmental and social impacts first to prevent problems down the road.
With sizable win, Barry becomes Nashville's first female mayor, proclaims 'tonight we start a new chapter ... The Nashville Story'
A majority of respondents opposed easing environmental restrictions. Voters also strongly favored other approaches to boosting supplies, such as water recycling, capturing storm runoff and increasing groundwater storage.
GE plans to decide by the end of the year whether to move its headquarters of more than 40 years from Connecticut, a choice prompted by what the company considers an inhospitable climate for business.
Former state and federal prosecutor LaHood — the son of former GOP Rep. Ray LaHood, who represented the district for seven terms before President Barack Obama appointed him transportation secretary in 2009 — announced he'd run for the seat the day after Schock said he'd resign and never drew a formidable opponent.
It looks like Scott Walker gets his "marching orders from the Koch brothers and just goes down the list," Clinton said.
Combined grants from the Manhattan DA and the U.S. Justice Department will provide funds to law enforcement jurisdictions across the country to pay for crime-lab processing of 70,000 untested sexual assault evidence kits.
With ridership flat and costs going up, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority says fare hikes could be coming, as they have come every two years in the past.
As the city prepares for tens of thousands to come see the pontiff, Mayor Muriel Bowser suggests working from home and avoiding driving downtown Sept. 22 through 24.
What the highly publicized instance of mistaken identity--and the rough handling of retired tennis player James Blake--was really about.
The prospect of months of heavy rain has become a cause for concern as well as celebration — a cloud on the horizon that could bring this state more natural disasters.
The matter moves to the full House of Representatives, which is anxious to move beyond the controversy; lawmakers could take up the matter on the fate of State Reps. Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat soon.
A Baltimore Circuit Court judge determined that the defense had failed to prove that the six officers cannot receive a fair trial in the city.
A new study indicates that the massive Bakken oil boom caused the demand for government services to outpace the growth in tax revenue by as much as 40 percent.
A library in a small New Hampshire town started to help Internet users around the world surf anonymously using Tor. Then the Department of Homeland Security raised a red flag.
A new book explores if putting public assets under professional management leads to greater government wealth.
Andrew Cuomo will try for a $15 hourly minimum wage in New York.
The integrity of the election is under threat—in Ohio and across the country.
The president's plan to cut ozone pollution could hurt the low-income minority areas it seeks to protect, some argue.
An investigation identifies more than 200 biosafety level 3 and 4 lab facilities that work with dangerous pathogens - and reveals safety records that some of them fought to keep secret.
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser would exempt broad categories of video, including all assaults, from public release, a move that council members said backtracked from an earlier proposal.
How Robert Gray became the odd choice of the Democratic Party illustrates the forlorn state of affairs for the party in the South.
“You have rocks. Right out there,” the New Jersey governor told the University of New Hampshire. “What the hell do you need a rock climbing wall for? Go outside and climb those rocks."
Law enforcement officials and some Somali leaders said new city programs can stop extremism early. But others, wary of police surveillance, are skeptical of the government’s role in the projects.
Eli Broad's plan to transform Grand Avenue into a sort of tourist-worthy “museum mile” still faces substantial roadblocks.
The measure to significantly curb greenhouse gas emissions over the next 35 years, passed the Democratic-controlled Senate but faced almost certain defeat in the Assembly after an intense campaign by the oil industry.
City Manager Harry Black cites a "lack of sufficient and proper communication" and "consistent and pervasive disregard for chain of command" among the reasons for Blackwell's termination.
Planned Parenthood is not the only health program the GOP is targeting. Dozens of other health programs were set for cuts as well.
The former Oregon governor had staff involve Cylvia Hayes in official decisions early on. Kitzhaber and Hayes are being investigated in connection with consulting contracts she received to promote policies she also pursued as the state's first lady.
Gov. Bill Walker's says it's time to curtail the state's $600 million oil and gas tax credit program, saying it has worked and is no longer necessary.
A spokeswoman for the Ohio Public Employee Retirement System says officials can't use "the system's money to achieve political or social agendas."
Thursday's election will test the appeal of anti-government populism in a booming Democratic city.
Waves of asylum seekers have risked their lives to escape conflicts particularly in Syria and northern Africa. The influx of refugees has strained European countries’ abilities to deal with the demand and Mayor Marty Walsh says he'd be willing to take some in.
The early success of a Pennsylvania program for parolees shows the potential for one form of privatization.
A handful of cities have installed solar-powered benches that can charge phones, sense heat and track traffic.
The Oregon Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability announced that a state judge faces alleged conduct violations, including one over his refusal to perform gay weddings.
Taxi companies in Tallahassee and Fort Lauderdale have sued the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in the latest attempt to curb the growth of tech companies like Uber and Lyft.
Civil District Judge Kern Reese held New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu in contempt Friday (Sept. 4), but said he would give Landrieu one week to come up with a reasonable plan to pay an outstanding judgment due to the city's firefighters before imposing a house arrest sentence.
Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis emerged from the Carter County jail Tuesday afternoon flanked by Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee and her attorney, who pledged that Davis would continue her stand against same-sex marriage.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's decision to pay Freddie Gray's family a $6.4 million civil settlement drew praise and criticism Tuesday, with some Baltimore leaders saying the move will help heal the city and others calling it premature.
Seattle teachers will be on strike Wednesday, the first time in 30 years they have walked out over stalled contract negotiations with the city's school district.
America has too much sprawl to put fast trains though the regions that need it most.
The popular review site is giving public employees a place to directly engage with citizens. Whether that improves services or trust remains to be seen.
Private automobiles are prohibitively expensive in Bethel, Alaska, and so is gas. Public transit is nonexistent.
The Los Angeles City Council has approved a new transportation plan that will add hundreds of miles of bicycle lanes, bus-only lanes and pedestrian safety features.
A 40 percent cut to the state's Legislative Research Services comes at a time when staff says they expect research requests to increase.
The civics law signed recently by Gov. Bruce Rauner creates the most prescriptive state graduation requirement on the books in Illinois,
The city is in the midst of crafting a broader program that could offer income-based bills and debt forgiveness. Some worry that it will come at a cost: higher rates for the rest of Philadelphians.
When Tina Marshall got laid off in 2014, she was confident that she’d quickly find work again. A few years earlier, she’d gone back to school to get her bachelor’s degree, so she had a recent graduation date on her resume and solid experience in her second career in manufacturing sales and operations.
The Obama administration’s controversial new clean water regulations apply in Texas after all.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo expressed sadness and outrage Sunday in the wake of a street shooting that has left one of his staff members gravely injured.
More than a year ago, a state Supreme Court ruling spurred a full-court press by state government to find space for patients with mental illness.
Though a New York federal judge struck down a Long Island town's ban on day laborers soliciting work on public sidewalks, advocates say day laborers are still vulnerable to exploitation and that local governments are trying to find new ways to restrict their ability to find work.
The Obama administration issued a sweeping proposal Thursday to bolster civil rights protections in health care, barring medical providers and insurers from discriminating based on gender, whether in treatments or access to facilities or services.
An exceptional project from the past illustrates how beneficial measuring public-sector performance can be.
With one notable exception, all age groups are employed at rates below pre-recession levels.
Using the financing mechanism, Santa Clara County, Calif., can finally afford to try an expensive-but-proven method of reducing chronic homelessness.
Women have held less than 25 percent of all state legislative seats for years. But both parties are trying to recruit more female candidates.
U.S. District Court judge told six Rowan County, Ky., deputy clerks they could either issue marriage licenses or join Davis in jail. The one deputy who refused to comply was Davis’ 21-year-old son, Nathan.
Many states are embracing early education, but are supporting it in different ways.
Of the 254 counties in Texas, 185 have no psychiatrist. How do you persuade students to become psychiatrists, social workers and psychologists, and then be willing to work in rural areas?
Cole County Circuit Judge Dan Green ruled against a woman Tuesday whose public defender tried to argue that cultivating marijuana falls under the farming-rights amendment,
The New Jersey governor has signed the GOP pledge to support the party's nominee.
Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation to reduce the amount of severance pay California school boards can offer departing superintendents, some of whom were collecting six-figure payouts after being fired.
Last month, Gov. Jerry Brown raised eyebrows by dodging questions about debates over legislation and joking that he stands "above the fray."
Saying that increased transparency can help ease tensions between police and the public, California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris on Wednesday unlocked state databases on police killings and arrests, while saying law enforcement agencies should be required to report more information about incidents involving force.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Thursday defended the massive property tax hike he's set to propose in his new budget, even as some of the aldermen who will be asked to approve it are balking at the idea of voting for what would easily be the largest property tax increase in modern Chicago history.
Marion County Circuit Judge Vance Day, a former chairman of the Oregon Republican Party, took steps Thursday to create a legal defense fund in an apparent response to his decision not to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies.
The Federal Reserve may rethink raising interest rates for the first time since 2008. But even if it does, it wouldn't be all bad news for governments.
When gay and lesbian couples return to the Rowan County clerk's office Friday, deputies are expected to finally grant the requests for marriage licenses even though their boss remained in a Kentucky jail after she refused to issue the documents because of her religious objections.
Wehby said she wants to focus on her practice as a pediatric neurosurgeon. She'll continue promoting her political action committee, MonicaPAC, which launched in May in hopes of supporting conservative causes and candidates in Oregon.
The refund offer comes after state lawmakers decided this year to cut the cost of college tuition. Guaranteed Education Tuition (GET) payouts are based on tuition at the most expensive public university in the state, but because tuition is falling, some investors might never recover all of their initial purchase price.
What’s the role of auditors general?
Mediators can either make the already-uneasy relationship between reporters and public officials worse or better.
The General Fund faces a shortfall of at least $200 million. Gov. Robert Bentley will call the state legislature back into session next week to try to fix it.
A Justice Department report warns similar unrest could happen in other places roiled by mistrust between law enforcement and the community.
A roundup of money (and other) news governments can use.
Critics of the St. Louis-area municipal courts have long pointed to an absence of oversight in state government that allowed some municipal courts to operate as constitutionally deficient revenue machines.
A circuit judge ruled Wednesday that the case against six Baltimore police officers charged in the arrest and death of Freddie Gray will go forward in separate trials, with Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby remaining at the helm of the prosecution.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner scored the biggest legislative win of his short tenure on Wednesday when Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan fell three votes short in a bid to override the governor's veto of a major labor bill.
Michigan plans to meet aggressive targets and deadlines for carbon dioxide emissions from power plants announced by President Barack Obama and the administration of Gov. Rick Snyder will not follow Attorney General Bill Schuette in a multi-state court action to block the new rules, officials said Tuesday.
The Christie administration on Wednesday officially moved to block the federal Environmental Protection Agency's implementation of new clean energy rules, blasting them as "unprecedented regulatory overreach."
The White House on Wednesday announced new efforts and funding to encourage energy efficiency in remote villages and the appointment of a federal coordinator for “climate resilience” in Alaska, in conjunction with President Barack Obama's trip to Kotzebue.
Trends in spending on roads, schools, prisons and stadiums.
As Medicaid expansion moves forward in Alaska, a lawsuit on the issue continues to simmer between Gov. Bill Walker's administration and the state Legislature.
FBI agents and investigators from the Riverside County district attorney's office seized documents Tuesday from City Hall and the mayor's home as part of what the FBI called a public corruption investigation.
Vermont's governor pushed to change state laws to focus on treatment instead of prosecution in attacking an epidemic of drug addiction.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration has sued Chicago's former red light camera operator, Redflex Traffic Systems, for more than $300 million on grounds the entire program was built on a $2 million bribery scheme at City Hall that has already led to federal corruption convictions.
Embattled Secretary of State Dianna Duran could become the first major politician in New Mexico to face the possibility of losing her public pension because of corruption charges.
A federal judge Tuesday dealt a blow to Uber's efforts to neutralize a major legal challenge to its business model, finding that a lawsuit against the growing ride-booking company can proceed as a class action on behalf of most California drivers who have worked for the Bay Area outfit since 2009.
A federal judge has ordered Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis and her deputies to appear in his courtroom Thursday and explain why Davis should not be held in contempt of court for refusing to issue marriage licenses.
The U.S. Justice Department told a federal judge that Gov. Bobby Jindal's decision to oust Planned Parenthood from Louisiana's Medicaid program appears to violate federal law by denying Medicaid patients the right to choose their healthcare providers.
Ending years of litigation, hunger strikes and contentious debate, California has agreed to move thousands of state prisoners out of solitary confinement under the terms of a landmark lawsuit settlement.
Sam Brownback says his state's work requirements have had "positive results."
The New Jersey governor has proposed tracking immigrants because "If FedEx can do it, why can't we use the same technology to do it?" The technology FedEx uses is based on bar-code scanning.
The state reports the second-largest drop nationally in the percentage of kindergarten-age children who were not vaccinated last year.
The state and local tax holiday applies to almost all purchases of firearms, ammunition and other hunting supplies, as well as ATVs.
Without more money, the Forest Service would have to borrow from other programs the it runs, a practice that has become increasingly common as wildfires grow in size and intensity and increasingly threaten populated areas.
In a move that has the potential to either shake up the Department of Corrections or validate the status quo, prisons chief Julie Jones has asked for the 12 top officials in charge of prisons and probation to reapply for their jobs by Tuesday as part of a major realignment designed to centralize power at the agency.
The state is officially challenging an appeals court ruling last month that dismissed one of two counts in the abuse-of-power indictment against former Gov. Rick Perry.
Former Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell's bid to overturn his corruption conviction got a boost Friday from the Supreme Court, which granted his request to remain out of prison as his lawyers press an appeal.
If anyone asks Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis for a marriage license Tuesday -- and a number of couples are expected to, with news cameras following -- she must comply or risk fines, or potentially even jail time.
Dr. David Burkons graduated from medical school and began practicing obstetrics and gynecology in 1973 – the same year of the Supreme Court’s landmark abortion decision in Roe v. Wade.
Planned Parenthood Southeast filed a lawsuit against Gov. Robert Bentley Friday, saying his recent decision to to cancel Medicaid contracts with the organization violated federal law.
A total of 90 claims were reviewed, with 17 in error; because of it, 54 improper monthly payments were made to seven individual veterans.
Why Ohio cares so much about the name of a mountain in Alaska.
For the first time small farms will have to certify with the state and undergo routine farm inspections to make sure they're doing everything they can to keep pollutants out of the water.
Washington, D.C., is turning to taxi cabs to help improve disabled people's access to transportation. But advocates worry the move may prove pointless because it exempts the ride-hailing industry.
This is the second time in four years that federal officials have raised concerns about questionable reimbursement claims.
New Jersey’s bid to become a trailblazer in offshore wind energy appears to have stalled.
Energy Future Holdings, saddled with more than $40 billion in debt and struggling to reorganize in court, owns all or part of three crucial pieces of the state's grid.
Scott Walker, during an appearance Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," would not rule out the idea of a northern wall when asked about his foreign policy plan to secure the country's borders.
Former Gov. Marvin Mandel, who won acclaim during two tumultuous terms in the State House as one of Maryland's most effective chief executives only to be forced from power on corruption charges in 1977, died Sunday afternoon, his family said. He was 95.
Mayor Ras J. Baraka came into office last summer practically taunting his doubters.
A Colorado birth control program that has cut unintended pregnancies and abortions by nearly half since 2009 will stay alive for at least one more year thanks to $2 million in donations from private foundations.
North America's tallest peak is getting a new name as the administration resolves a decades-long dispute between Alaska and Ohio.
A state judge said Friday that Alaska Gov. Bill Walker's administration could expand the Medicaid health care program beginning next week, dismissing a request by the state Legislature to temporarily block enrollment while attorneys argue lawmakers' underlying legal challenge.
During his 21 years in law enforcement, Cpl. Wayne Curry hasn't worried much about the approach of strangers.
California considers regulation to change the minimum age to purchase tobacco and hike taxes. It already has the second-lowest percentage of smokers in the nation, though it ranks 35th in terms of per-pack taxes on cigarettes.
The state comptroller must cut the checks for lottery winnings of more than $25,000. But because lawmakers have yet to pass a budget, the comptroller's office can't release the funds.
The weakening storm may never become a hurricane, but when it makes landfall in South Florida early Monday, winds could still reach 60 mph.
As technology evolves, governments are going to need to rethink how they do business.
Most cities contract out for jobs driving people with disabilities. The people in these positions often earn low wages, work long hours and sometimes even qualify for food stamps and Medicaid.
To deter questionable (but not necessarily illegal) conduct, the state plans to publicize when officials abuse their power.
Women make up nearly half of public-sector workers but just over 10 percent of city managers -- a rate that's barely budged in three decades.
A new opera seeks to capture the conflict between two of the 20th-century titans who shaped American cities.
The business community has a reputation for being skeptical about public spending and regulations. But on some issues, they're actually government’s strongest ally.
A judge has determined that the university can go ahead with the move. A lawyer for the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the group that sued to prevent the removal, has not yet decided whether the group would appeal.
The director of the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs said allowing the use of medical marijuana for autism might do more harm than good to mildly afflicted autistic children.
ResponsibleOhio accuses Secretary of State Jon Husted and the Ballot Board of trying to "mislead, deceive or defraud voters" in how Issue 3 is worded for the Nov. 3 ballot. The issue would legalize marijuana.
Following the Virginia shooting the former Maryland governor said he would push "sensible gun safety legislation."
In this era of partisan politics, some are bold enough to take a bipartisan path.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's first courtroom appearance as a criminal defendant was a 30-minute affair in which Paxton's lead lawyer quit for unspecified reasons, the attorney general requested that no cameras be allowed at his trial and the judge admonished everyone to limit public statements about the case.
The Nevada Health Co-Op, a consumer-owned and operated health plan created under the Affordable Care Act, is going out of business because of high costs, state officials announced Wednesday.
A judge ruled Wednesday that a hospital assessment that pays for the expansion of the state’s Medicaid program did not require a supermajority vote of the Legislature to be enacted and is therefore constitutional.
Californians are letting their lawns turn brown. They are driving dusty cars and using buckets to collect shower water. They are saving billions of gallons of water every day.
State lawmakers shelved bills Thursday to raise the minimum wage, ban oil drilling off the coast and provide work permits to agricultural laborers who are in the country illegally.
As President Barack Obama toured the Treme neighborhood of this city on Thursday, admiring the neat rows of brightly painted houses on a street battered by Hurricane Katrina, a 92-year-old woman _ a local icon _ told him she was proud of all he had done.
A federal judge in North Dakota acted late Thursday to block the Obama administration’s controversial water pollution rule, hours before it was due to take effect.
View demographic data showing representation of racial and ethnic minorities in each police department.
The region's port authority tapped the taxpayers for $22 million to build a dock for cruise ships. It's not working out so well.
Playful bus stop designs are common overseas but relatively new to America.
