Archive
The new standards adopted by the California Energy Commission would slash water flows by 20 percent on showerheads manufactured after next July 1. Flows would decrease an additional 10 percent on showerheads made after July 2018.
Seattle, Tacoma and Everett have banded together to manage dwindling water supplies.
The state legislature has decided to extend, yet again, the longest budget impasse in 13 years.
The Philadelphia School Reform Commission has said that requiring teachers to pay for a portion of their health care would save the district $200 million over four years.
One new law creates tougher drug possession penalties, while the other reduces them, so the increased penalties cannot take effect until lawmakers address the conflict next year.
Several states have too few residency positions for the graduates of their medical schools.
A man convicted of taking part in a notorious 1971 escape attempt from San Quentin State Prison that left a founder of the Black Guerrilla Family prison gang dead was slain Wednesday in a riot in Folsom State Prison, officials said.
Call it anticlimactic. Call it a breather between two very difficult budget debates.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane proclaimed her innocence on criminal charges Wednesday, and blamed her legal troubles on enemies trying to conceal their involvement in emails laced with "pornography, racial insensitivity, and religious bigotry."
A last-minute decision by California education leaders cost scores of students around the state -- including at least a dozen in San Francisco -- a final chance to graduate from high school and go to a four-year college this fall.
A Vermont social worker gunned down by an angry mother after she lost custody of her daughter is a reminder of the dangers local caseworkers face every day, said the union president for DCF staffers.
Ohio will vote on a constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana in November, state officials announced Wednesday.
When the Justice Department surveyed police departments nationwide in 2013, officials included for the first time a series of questions about how often officers used force.
Thousands of black plastic “shade balls” offer an elegant solution to water loss and environmental threats.
Marcus Jerry asked to cover up facial tattoos for murder trial.
In the past, changes to federal tax policy have led to a number of changes to state tax policies.
New rules allow prisoners to grow facial hair but will require more frequent ID photos. Prisoners have to pay the addition cost themselves.
Asa Hutchinson said policymakers will develop frameworks for a comprehensive K-12 computer science curriculum.
A report released Tuesday, however, indicated that states are not prepared to administer public lands within their boundaries, adding that the bills do not have widespread public support.
Out-of-pocket costs for health care will double next year for state workers, after Gov. Scott Walker signed the budget in July authorizing changes approved by the state's Group Insurance Board in May.
Oklahoma's track record of trying to restrict abortion took another hit Monday when an Oklahoma County judge threw out a law restricting medication abortions, saying it violated the state constitution.
As the Environmental Protection Agency continued to monitor 3 million gallons of mine waste released into Colorado's Animas River, residents in two states downstream decried the federal agency Tuesday, saying it failed to alert them to mustard-colored sludge headed their way.
Officer Brad Miller showed "poor judgment" when he decided to go into a car dealership showroom alone and without a plan to confront an erratic burglary suspect, Police Chief Will D. Johnson said Tuesday.
Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Tuesday making California the first state in the nation to ban the use of grand juries to decide whether police officers should face criminal charges when they kill people in the line of duty.
It started with in-state tuition. Then came driver's licenses, new rules designed to limit deportations and state-funded healthcare for children. And on Monday, in a gesture heavy with symbolism, came a new law to erase the word "alien" from California's labor code.
We're wasting billions on professional development, as a new study documents. What can be done about a culture of low expectations?
Today, Latinos make up more than 70 percent of the neighborhood's population. But almost every organization, committee and board is headed by African Americans.
The state would put $250 million toward the arena, with interest adding up over decades. The subsidy, approved last month with bipartisan support in Wisconsin's Republican-controlled legislature, wasn't addressed in the first presidential debate Thursday.
The more water people save, the more money utilities lose. But new pricing models could change that.
After falling in the 1990s, the number of poor people living in high-poverty areas has been growing fast.
Shell says it will allow its membership in the lobbying group American Legislative Exchange Council lapse over disagreements over climate change. The oil giant supports a carbon price, while, ALEC has worked against such measures.
States are offering special lower income tax rates on military pensions to attract retirees.
2 years into Obamacare, only one state still has more than 20 percent uninsured.
But proposed legislation in Congress would fix the wording in the federal health-care law that's leaving some foster youth uninsured.
Gov. Christie on Monday took action on 40 bills and resolutions, ranging from a law he says will help drug addicts to measures addressing dogfighting, gun rights, and the underfunded pension system for public workers.
Protesters and police gathered on West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson Monday night.
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez Monday afternoon declared a state of emergency in San Juan County after EPA workers caused a spill that released 3 million gallons of toxic mine waste into the Animas River.
Barely 60 days after declaring that he'd run for president, Rick Perry faces a financial crisis that threatens to short-circuit his comeback candidacy months before the election begins.
Amid scattered instances of balking, Ohio judges who perform marriages cannot ethically or legally refuse to wed same-sex couples, an arm of the Ohio Supreme Court counseled the jurists on Monday.
The Alcoholic Beverage Control agents involved in the bloody takedown of a University of Virginia student in March went back on active duty Monday.
Eli Houdyshell wants to be a doctor, but he worries the classes he’s taking at Pierre Middle School won’t challenge him enough to achieve his dream.
Kim Kelly's adult son is so profoundly disabled that she must dress, feed and care for him much as she would a baby.
Turnout in local elections has gotten so low that some places might start practically paying people to vote. But there's a simpler, cheaper way to get more people to the polls.
They look like simple lines on a map, but they will make and break political careers.
The business office for the Michigan House of Representatives worked throughout the weekend to examine e-mail and personnel records of state Reps. Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat, a pair of Republican lawmakers caught up in an alleged cover-up of an extramarital affair.
Former Broward Teachers Union President Pat Santeramo is due in court Monday to face new federal fraud charges, court records show.
Gov. Robert Bentley Thursday said he was moving to end Medicaid's contracts with Planned Parenthood, following the release of videos showing members of the organization discussing the sales of fetal parts.
Super-utilizers are the frequent fliers of the health care system, whose serious illnesses send them to the hospital multiple times every year and cost the system hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.
Gov. Bruce Rauner promised a leaner, more transparent administration than his predecessors, yet he's rigorously following their time-honored practice of asking other departments to sign paychecks for his staff.
With a new school year approaching, districts around the country are issuing urgent pleas for teachers to come work for them.
A peaceful day of protest and remembrance dissolved into chaos late Sunday after shots were fired. St. Louis County police said an officer was involved in a shooting, but the circumstances were not immediately known.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a statement of interest Thursday in an ongoing lawsuit filed by several homeless people against the city of Boise over its ban on sleeping in public places.
Gov. Maggie Hassan has declined a request from Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas that she declare a public health state of emergency over the heroin epidemic in the Queen City and the rest of the state.
A state appeals court on Thursday agreed with a Dane County judge who ruled last year that a Madison city policy banning guns on city buses does not violate Wisconsin's concealed carry law.
Texas’ strict voter identification requirements kept many would-be voters in a Hispanic-majority congressional district from going to the polls last November — including many who had proper IDs — a new survey shows.
Florida's chief land and water regulator won reappointment Wednesday from Gov. Rick Scott and the Cabinet, despite mounting public opposition to his plan for private money-making ventures at state parks.
Gov. Paul LePage's end-of-session gambit backfired Thursday, when the Maine Supreme Judicial Court said the governor has missed his chance to veto 65 bills.
Most people turn to Yelp, the popular consumer review site and mobile app, when they're looking for a late-night takeout restaurant or a great spot for brunch.
About 12% of providers kicked out of their state Medicaid programs for fraud, integrity or quality issues are still participating in other states' Medicaid programs, according to a report released Tuesday by HHS' Office of Inspector General.
Arrests by Philadelphia police dropped by 16 percent during the first half of 2015, the biggest plunge in six years, records show.
Megan Barry and David Fox are headed for a runoff election to decide the next mayor of Nashville, giving voters a one-month race that pits a favorite of liberals versus the choice of many conservatives.
Data includes migration, outmigration and gross income statistics for local areas.
A controversial statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis will remain in the Kentucky Capitol rotunda.
A roundup of money (and other) news governments can use.
Critics say the now-popular technology needs to be regulated, but cops worry too much regulation will hurt their ability to fight crime.
With the anniversary of Michael Brown's shooting only days away, the city appears to have rebuffed a Justice Department draft proposal to reform Ferguson's police and courts and requested more time to come up with a counteroffer.
District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman of Montgomery County has criminally charged Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane with leaking confidential documents and then lying to a grand jury about it under oath.
Aldona Wos, the secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, is resigning after a tenure that moved the agency to financial stability but which was marked by persistent questions from lawmakers about its operations.
A group of armed bounty hunters surrounded the home of Phoenix's police chief Tuesday night, and one of them was arrested after a flawed search for a fugitive ended in a confrontation with the city's top cop, police said.
Capping years of scandal, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has agreed to federal oversight of its jail system in an effort to end abuse of inmates by sheriff's deputies and to improve chronically poor treatment of mentally ill inmates.
It was election night Aug. 2, 2007, and Karl Dean and Bob Clement had just emerged as the evening's two winners.
California is going up in smoke as wildfires continue to burn in mostly dry terrain.
The Executive Council voted 3-2 on Wednesday along party lines to deny contracts that would help fund two Planned Parenthood offices in the state, in the wake of controversial videos that show national Planned Parenthood staffers casually discussing the sale of fetal body parts for use in medical research.
Long-awaited migration data show where people are relocating to and the wealth that they're bringing. View data for your county.
Hanna Skandera, New Mexico's Cabinet secretary of public education, is dropping a small part of her controversial program for evaluating teachers.
Texas' strict voter identification law violates the U.S. Voting Rights Act through its discriminatory effects, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.
Beginning next year, the federal government will conduct a five-year, 40-state experiment to determine whether there is a better way to help elderly Americans come to grips with terminal illnesses and prepare to die.
California election officials are reversing a policy that prevents 45,000 felons from casting ballots, placing the state in the forefront of a movement to boost voting rights for ex-criminals.
Kansas has dropped its limit on the amount of cash assistance welfare recipients can withdraw from an ATM after federal officials said that policy conflicted with federal law.
California's drought police, slapped down in court just a few weeks ago, have been cleared to go after water districts accused of illegally diverting water.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday announced a two-week moratorium on issuing termination notices as the state Department of Human Services works to verify the eligibility of hundreds of thousands of Arkansans enrolled in the private option and other Medicaid programs.
Despite his well-chronicled affinity for publicity, Rod Blagojevich has served his time in a Colorado prison for more than three years without so much as a peep.
Disposal well operators in parts of Logan and Oklahoma counties must cut their water volumes over the next 60 days under new guidelines the Oklahoma Corporation Commission put in place Monday.
Someday in the not-too-distant future, first responders may be able to livestream video, vital signs and EKG results while en route with a patient to the Ben Taub emergency room.
General Assembly Republicans won't sign off on Gov. Terry McAuliffe's pick for the state Supreme Court, they announced late Sunday, going instead with Appeals Court Judge Rossie D. Alston.
Despite a legal challenge, state wildlife authorities began selling licenses today for the first bear hunt in Florida in more than two decades.
Fox News on Tuesday announced the lineup for the first Republican presidential debate, one that will probably be dominated by the figure standing at center stage, Donald Trump, whose attention-grabbing skills have allowed him to leap to the front of a crowded GOP field over the last six weeks.
Projects that define cities are complex, difficult undertakings. We need a template for putting these efforts together.
A roundup of public-sector management news you need to know.
A state-by-state breakdown of the 14 upcoming elections shows where Democrats can take a few seats from Republicans.
Dana Cope, the former longtime head of the 55,000-member State Employees Association of North Carolina, was indicted Monday on felony charges that he took $570,000 of the organization's money and spent it on flight lessons, landscaping, home appliances, vacations and other unauthorized purchases.
Federal agents met with Baltimore Police Department homicide detectives Monday to begin a two-month partnership with the goal of curbing this summer's record pace of violence.
A federal judge in Danville said Friday that Virginia can stop issuing license plates with Confederate battle flag emblems.
With its new two-year budget in place, Wisconsin now has passed up more than $550 million in federal money available under the Affordable Care Act.
Dozens of inmates at a Utah state prison entered the fourth day of a hunger strike Monday, hoping to force corrections officials to improve conditions for maximum-security inmates who, civil rights activists say, face extremely restrictive living conditions.
A federal judge ruled Monday that an Idaho law making it illegal to secretly film animal abuse at agricultural facilities violates the right to free speech.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D- NY) and his cousin, actress-comedian Amy Schumer, teamed up Monday to revive a gun control movement that faltered in Congress after the Dec. 2012 Newtown massacre.
When Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was indicted on three felony charges alleging securities law violations last week, he joined a long list of Texas politicians who have faced indictments.
If the rule survives the inevitable legal challenges, it will mark the first time the federal government limits air pollution from carbon dioxide.
What's shaping up to be a bad year for pension plans could give ammunition to politicians who want to change how they work and cut employee benefits.
More than 48,000 Arkansans have lost or are on the verge of losing coverage under the private option or traditional Medicaid — the vast majority of them because they did not respond quickly to a mailed notice, a development some officials have called surprising and troubling.
Groups of state lawmakers have been meeting to weigh their options, including looking at new taxes, cuts and transfers of money from the Education Trust Fund to the General Fund.
It was a stubborn, quick wildfire, but nothing particularly unusual.
On Christmas Day in 2013, Donyelle Hall and her husband, Roland Jr., gave a party for friends and family at their apartment.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the state’s top law enforcement officer, turned himself into jail Monday to be booked on felony securities fraud charges.
Most Americans who signed up for coverage on the federally run health insurance marketplaces had more choice of health plans in 2015 compared with the previous year, and the increased competition helped hold down the growth in premiums, according to a report released Thursday by federal officials.
The latest federal data illustrates how benefits are becoming more costly for states and localities.
More than half of states are funding their public colleges based on outcomes such as graduation rates,
Amid a growing controversy over the alleged sale of fetal tissue, Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday called for an investigation of Florida's 16 Planned Parenthood offices that perform abortions.
Backers of an effort to put the question of legalizing marijuana before Ohio voters in November filed nearly 96,000 new signatures Thursday in hopes they'll patch a roughly 30,000-signature hole identified in their prior petitions.
Gov. Sam Brownback will issue $62.6 million in budget cuts and fund transfers to shore up the state's cash reserves, his budget director announced Thursday.
Gov. Larry Hogan said Thursday that he will immediately shut down the decrepit Baltimore City Detention Center, moving inmates to nearby facilities and ending a long-standing "black eye" for the state.
Johnny Waller Jr.’s 1998 felony drug conviction has haunted him since the day he left a Nebraska prison in 2001.
With just a day to spare, Congress approved a stopgap measure to fund the federal highway program, sending President Barack Obama the legislation to avert a Friday shutdown of transportation projects nationwide.
But can he survive in an increasingly liberal Seattle?
A social policy experiment is spreading across the country as a new way to finance, deliver, and improve public services and problems. But its merits are so far unproven.
A roundup of money (and other) news governments can use.
Legislation to give the state's auditor better oversight would be a boon for taxpayers.
Almost 20 percent of the uninsured have a behavioral health condition, according to a new GAO report.
Uber is adding the Texas city to a small list of cities where it has wheelchair-accessible vehicles,
In several states, the Democratic party is dropping the name of slave-owning presidents from annual fundraising dinners.
The short-term contract extension, which prevents both sides from initiating a strike or lockout before Sept. 30, comes as a previous one-month contract extension was set to run out Friday.
A study indicates that nearly three years after storm waters surged through the state more than one in four residents whose houses were damaged still experienced emotional distress.
Physicians in Florida could now risk license suspensions and disciplinary action from the Board of Medicine if they talk to patients about gun ownership or use.
Republicans want to make Kentucky the next Southern state with a GOP governor. It won't be easy.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has declared drought emergencies in 23 of the state's 36 counties and ordered state agencies to conserve water as another parched year threatens fish and forests, limits agriculture and recreation, and worsens the risk of wildfire.
Defying sharp warnings from gun rights groups, Los Angeles thrust itself into the national debate over gun control Tuesday, as city lawmakers voted unanimously to ban the possession of firearm magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.
U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah and four associates were indicted Wednesday on racketeering conspiracy charges stemming from several alleged schemes to misuse campaign funds and hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal grant money to further their political and financial interests.
Tyler Frahme, a University at Albany junior, had never even heard of affirmative consent, the unequivocal O.K. to sex that is mandated by state law.
Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore officially became the GOP field’s 17th candidate Wednesday.
The Michigan Supreme Court, in an opinion that has the effect of making state employees subject to Michigan's 2012 right-to-work law, ruled Wednesday that Michigan's Civil Service Commission never had the authority to impose union fees on state workers, even before the controversial law was passed.
Christie's gruff may be proof that he isn't another politician, but his positioning in the contest always relied on an appeal to establishment contributors and voters--especially in the Northeast.
Scrutinizing the numbers beneath the rhetoric shows how bubbles, booms and outside forces can make state "miracles" look distinctly down to earth.
The city had been bracing from the possible fallout as the Hamilton County grand jury weighed the evidence in the case of Officer Ray Tensing, who on July 19 stopped Samuel DuBose for a missing front license plate.
Olympic officials are insisting on a U.S. bid for the 2024 Summer Games.
While other cities have struggled to finance their existing transit, Sun Belt cities like Phoenix have embraced light rail as a way to transform urban life.
America’s jails are filled with people suffering from severe psychological problems. But largely thanks to one judge, Miami found ways to keep the mentally ill out of incarceration and in treatment.
A program that the state in 1997 estimated would cost $4.5 million a year now costs $140 million.
There are now 18 farmers and ranchers in the Arkansas Legislature -- making agriculture the most common profession among lawmakers. Only 14 lawyers are legislators.
Gov. Larry Hogan is sporting a new bald look as he undergoes chemotherapy treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has been out of office for a year and a half, but his influence over New York schools is practically as strong as ever.
The New Jersey State Police will spend $1.5 million to purchase body cameras for 1,000 troopers, Gov. Christie's office said Tuesday.
Former Durham mayor Nick Tennyson has been named acting secretary of the N.C. Department of Transportation following the Tuesday resignation of Secretary Tony Tata.
Frustrated by legislative inaction on climate, Gov. Jay Inslee plans to wield his administration's executive authority to impose a binding cap on carbon emissions in Washington state.
Gov. Scott Walker wants to all but eliminate the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and place each state in charge of controlling air and water pollution within its borders if he is elected president, he told a conservative newspaper.
Texas’ Republican leaders and environmentalists are both claiming victory Tuesday following an appeals court ruling that requires the federal government to ease limits on certain emissions for Texas and a dozen other states.
Wells are running dry as farmers and ranchers across the Great Plains pump the ancient Ogallala Aquifer faster than it can be replenished naturally.
State cigarette tax rates range from 17 cents per pack in Missouri to $4.35 in New York.
Last week, crews with San Francisco Public Works began painting buildings in the city with a clear-coat sealant that will splash back urine, or any other liquid sprayed onto it.
The kitty loaner program helps humans relieve stress at work and helps cats acclimate to humans.
