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Former Rep. Tyrone Brooks Jr. says he misappropriated almost $1 million in charitable funds.
A roundup of money (and other) news governments can use.
Attorney General Derek Schmidt is asking the state Supreme Court to strike down the ballot initiative Wichita voters passed Tuesday to reduce penalties for marijuana possession.
To many black residents, the overt hatred and segregation that ruled this place during the Jim Crow era has morphed into something more insidious: the routine traffic stop.
Voters on Tuesday approved letting state Supreme Court justices choose who will lead them -- a change to a 126-year-old system that is likely to result in the demotion of Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson.
A Republican-backed effort to legalize marijuana for limited medicinal purposes in Tennessee is officially dead for the year.
Washington was one of two states nationwide in which the number of people buying health insurance through government-run exchanges went down in the second round of open enrollment, which ended in February.
Lincoln Chafee on Thursday became the second Republican-turned-Democrat to offer himself as an alternative to all-but declared presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Schoogle, a new app that monitors everything from tablets to trombones, can help districts save time and money.
The organization brought doctors on because it was getting a lot of calls that weren't emergencies.
Some 54 percent of registered voters in New Jersey disapprove of the governor's job performance.
The body camera bill will get a hearing in the South Carolina Senate as soon as next week.
Putting the checkbooks of cities, counties, villages, townships and schools online, state Auditor Dave Yost says, could accomplish that rarest of things: restoring Ohioans faith in government.
Attorney General Kathleen Kane fired the head of her appeals office Wednesday and had armed agents escort him from the office.
The Obama administration spoke out Wednesday against using so-called conversion therapy on minors, saying the practice, in which mental health providers try to change a person's sexuality or gender identity, "is neither medically nor ethically appropriate."
A Wisconsin state board made up of elected officials voted 2-1 Tuesday to ban staff members of a small agency from on-the-job discussion or work related to climate change.
Kansas became the first state Tuesday to ban a common second-trimester abortion procedure that critics describe as dismembering a fetus.
The Michigan Supreme Court, rejecting arguments from unions, has upheld a 2012 state law requiring teachers and other school employees to put more of their pay toward their pension plans or face cuts to benefits such as post-retirement health care.
For most Americans, especially the poor and minorities, the number of jobs near home is declining.
The Bay Area city will light-up SL Wi-Fiber in a four-block radius that encompasses the core of its downtown area this summer.
Wealthier Los Angeles neighborhoods consume three times more water than less affluent ones.
What will the cop's defense be? Murder charges against officers for shootings are rare.
The city has filed a batch of lawsuits against various nonprofit organizations the city says are in arrears for a combined $834,000.
The evidence that chemical abortions can be turned around, however, is incredibly thin.
Now that a win for marijuana reform is in the books in Kansas' largest city, the focus shifts to Topeka, where the attorney general has called Wichita's voter-approved initiative unlawful and the Legislature could consider as many as three marijuana-related bills in the coming weeks.
Gov. Rick Scott threw more cold water Monday on the state Senate's push for expanding health insurance for low-income Floridians, saying it was too risky to rely on support from the federal government.
A downed power transmission line in southern Maryland caused a momentary loss of power that led to "widespread outages" in the nation's capital Tuesday afternoon, according to officials.
A federal judge refused late Tuesday to lift a temporary hold on President Obama's executive action seeking to shield up to 5 million immigrants from deportation.
With his re-election victory Tuesday, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel renewed his lease on a municipal fixer-upper, one with buckling and painful-to-repair financial underpinnings caused by decades of deferred maintenance.
For the first time in Ferguson's 120-year history, the City Council will have three black members, but even so, Tuesday's election was less than a clear victory for the throngs of volunteers who poured into the city in a last-minute push to sway voters.
A South Carolina police officer was charged with murder in the shooting death of an unarmed black man after authorities obtained a video that showed him unleash a volley of gunfire while the victim ran away, officials said.
Brian Fletcher ran the town between 2005 and 2011. he wants another shot, but he thinks the city is doing just fine as it is.
The 15-year effort required help, money and patience from two countries, one state and a railroad operator.
The role of lieutenant governors is expanding in many states because the role of governors has grown.
Since the state imposed new rules two weeks ago on the energy industry aimed at reducing suspected man-made earthquakes, people are noticing a difference. It might be a coincidence, however.
The cuts, which will take effect July 1, were planned well before Gov. Jerry Brown imposed a 25 percent mandatory restriction on urban water use last week.
On Monday, the state Department of Education announced that Keonepoko Elementary will reopen in the coming school year because the threat from a nearby volcano has subsided.
Now, with his approval rating at home at an all-time low and his rankings in presidential polls dropping, the New Jersey governor will take the events that helped him gain a reputation as a straight shooter to a key early voting state.
Voters go to the polls Tuesday in the city's first mayoral runoff election, with the outcome determining not only Chicago's future but the direction of its Democratic politics.
This week, Crystal Stovall will choose between two black candidates running to represent her City Council ward in Ferguson, Mo. The election is the first chance at citizen-led change in the St. Louis suburb nationally notorious for racial turmoil.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is distributing playing cards with photos of unsolved homicide victims featured on the face, hoping to get people to help solve cold cases by providing a few details with each case and a phone number to contact police.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe on Friday signed an executive order to eliminate questions about criminal history from applications for most state jobs.
Jeb Bush admitted Monday that he made a "mistake" in 2009 when he listed his ethnicity in a Miami-Dade County voter-registration form as "Hispanic."
As he courts Republicans across the country, Jeb Bush boasts that an executive order he signed that ended race-based college admissions in Florida upheld conservative principles while helping minorities.
Metro areas earning top positions in the Gallup-Healthways survey are geographically diverse, but the Northeast continues to trail the rest of the country.
The latest presidential candidate cut government's role and taxes every year he was governor.
The challenge for Wisconsin will not be convincing recipients of nutrition assistance to find work. Rather, the state must convince recipients that it's worthwhile to work the required 80 hours in exchange for a little more than $150 worth of food.
The Louisville area is one of the few regions in the country that still buses students among urban and suburban neighborhoods.
"School Play" is based on interviews with parents, students, teachers and state policymakers about the state's funding issues.
The hospital also announced that 2014 was an “extraordinary” financial year, with operating income up 60 percent.
Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act prompted a major backlash from demonstrators and others.
The state Supreme Court ruled Monday that New Jersey did not break the law when it eliminated state-funded Medicaid benefits for legal immigrants who have been in the country for fewer than five years.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner suspended $26 million in social services and public health grants as part of his push to whittle away at a $1.6 billion shortfall in the current state budget.
Local police and a city official in Ferguson, Mo., sent racially charged emails comparing minority welfare recipients to dogs and made insensitive comments about Muslims, copies of the emails released by the city show.
Georgia's brush with the "religious liberty" controversies engulfing Indiana and Arkansas appeared to fizzle Thursday as the end of lawmakers' annual legislative session approached without passage, putting off an issue likely to be back here next year.
Kansans will be able to carry a concealed weapon without training under a bill signed by Gov. Sam Brownback on Thursday.
Former Gov. John Kitzhaber was more active than previously known in clearing the way for fiancée Cylvia Hayes to be active in his administration even while working as a paid consultant to outside interests, according to newly released state emails.
Compared to most American systems, London's is a model of efficiency and fiscal prudence.
Technology is important, but it doesn't work without the right governance structures and partnerships.
See just how far state and local government employment lags behind other sectors of the economy.
An historic city just outside Pittsburgh is digging into the past to try to change the public's perception of blighted property.
A roundup of money (and other) news governments can use.
Across the country, cities such as Columbus, Philadelphia, Niagara Falls and Detroit are putting out the welcome mat for coveted professionals aged 25-34 in targeted social media and advertising campaigns, and with offers of internships, housing subsidies and student loan reimbursements.
The vast majority of the governor's plan is focused on urban water use--lawns, golf courses, parks and public medians--which constitute less than 25 percent of Californians' overall water use.
Grad students want to combat black boys' low reading levels by adding books that cater to them to barbershop waiting areas.
Cities have offered financial counseling to low-income people for years, but only recently have some tracked the impact of these services on clients' debt, credit and savings.
A federal court judge ordered Medicaid coverage continued or reinstated to several low-income Ohioans in a lawsuit against the state.
A state appeals court has sided with farmers, ranchers and other longstanding water rights holders in a Brazos River case with widespread implications for future water battles in drought-prone Texas.
A federal judge Thursday ordered that a California prison inmate be allowed to undergo gender reassignment surgery.
In what is believed to be a first in the nation, the Madison City Council has voted to amend the city's equal opportunities ordinance to make "nonreligion" a protected class.
The governors of Arkansas and Indiana on Thursday quickly signed revised versions of their respective religious freedom laws, hoping to quell a national uproar that united business leaders and gay rights activists who fought the measures as potentially discriminatory.
A Superior Court judge has set a timeline to move forward with a settlement in the court case over the state pension overhaul.
National organizations that represent states and localities are finding ways to keep partisanship out of their ranks.
Denver is pioneering an innovative website that promises to save taxpayers money while improving the services they get.
Many states are questioning whether state lotteries have gone too far in promoting things like scratch-off lottery games.
Gay marriage is likely coming to Mississippi, either at the hands of a New Orleans federal appeals court or when the U.S. Supreme Court takes action in June. But hostility toward homosexuality here explains why many gay families predict their problems won't end with a legal victory for same-sex marriage.
Delaware, New Jersey and Nevada have moved forward with laws to legalize websites offering casino-type games including poker, blackjack and slot machines. Now a Texas congressman is hoping to legalize online poker with bill.
Several states have enacted measures that would allow the use of cameras to target the dangerous action of "fly-bys" or "pass-bys" by scofflaw drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses.
The proposed amendment explicitly says the law cannot be used as a legal defense by those who deny goods and services to customers because of their sexual orientation or gender.
The winning idea of a public policy competition addresses a nationwide problem that makes many uncomfortable to discuss: menstruation and female hygiene.
Senate and House budget negotiators on Wednesday reached accord to avoid multi-million-dollar cuts to the University of Kansas and Kansas State University, and to freeze tuition at all six state regents universities for the next two years.
Earning praise from frequent critics, Ohio Gov. John Kasich vetoed language on Wednesday crafted by fellow Republicans that would have required out-of-state residents who register to vote in Ohio to obtain an Ohio driver's license and vehicle registration within 30 days.
A judge on Wednesday dismissed a four-count felony indictment against Joseph D. Morrissey, the former Virginia lawmaker who spent his nights behind bars during the recent legislative session.
Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, who a decade ago was one of the leading Republican lawmakers seeking to ban gay marriage, will officiate at state Senate President Stanley Rosenberg’s wedding to his domestic partner, according to people with knowledge of her decision.
Standing in a browned meadow that should have been buried in deep snow, Gov. Jerry Brown ordered California's first-ever mandatory water cutback, imposing a 25 percent reduction to force residents and businesses to significantly tighten up water use.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday had been expected to sign his state's version of legislation billed as a religious freedom measure, despite complaints that it could lead to discrimination, especially against gays and lesbians.
A jury found 11 of 12 former teachers, principals and administrators guilty of conspiring to change student answers on standardized tests.
See recommended preparedness measures and how often they're adopted.
A new survey shows the extent to which Americans around the country have taken measures to prepare for natural disasters or other emergencies.
History shows that large-scale protests are no guarantee for change.
Government managers all appear to be speaking English, but the same words and phrases often have multiple, contradictory meanings.
Mayor Mike Duggan says emergency management hasn't improve the public school system.
How can a chronically underfunded system have room for big companies to make profits?
The popularity has craft breweries bumping up against the country's longstanding system that governs the beer industry. In many states, microbreweries can serve their beer at their locations and brewpubs, but lose that ability when they exceed production caps.
A new National Institute of Mental Health research plan could change how mental illness is diagnosed and treated.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected state Attorney General Kathleen Kane's challenge to a grand jury investigation that concluded with a recommendation that she face criminal charges.
When Chris Christie privatized New Jersey's lottery two years ago, he said its new overseers would "modernize and maximize" the games.
North Carolina’s gas tax will drop by a few pennies over the next 15 months – starting Wednesday with a reduction of 1.5 cents a gallon – under a law enacted Tuesday to ward off a larger tax cut that was expected to cost the state $800 million in transportation money over the next four years.
Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's proposed Insure Tennessee plan flopped for a second time Tuesday in a Senate committee and that's thrown the House effort into confusion with two top supporters disagreeing over whether to try to move it today in a subcommittee there.
Attorney General Leslie Rutledge on Tuesday certified the wording of a proposed initiated act that would amend the Arkansas Civil Rights Act of 1993 to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, if approved by voters.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence has urged lawmakers to send a bill to his desk by the end of the week to clarify the intent of a new religious-objections law that critics fear could permit discrimination against gays and lesbians.
In a 5-4 decision, justices ruled medical providers can’t sue state Medicaid agencies over low payment rates -- a strategy doctors and patient advocates have used for decades.
Defying partisan politics, one Colorado city vows to be carbon neutral.
The Bradley Foundation is the conservative group behind the Wisconsin governor's political success.
Gov. Doug Ducey signs a law that bars women from buying healthcare plans through the federal marketplace that include abortion coverage and requires abortion providers to tell women they can reverse the effects of a drug-induced abortion.
A bill amending the state budget unveiled in the session's final hours authorized the transfer from the health insurance fund to government's "rainy day" fund where it will allow the state to pay for appropriations made this session.
Gov. Doug Ducey vetoed a bill Monday the would have kept the names of policemen in serious or deadly shootings from the public.
From "houselets" to "regional play days," the Knight Foundation is giving $5 million to people or organizations around the country with new ideas to improve cities.
States searching for drugs to use in executions by lethal injection may soon find another door slammed in their face, this time by the pharmacists who are the last-ditch source for execution drugs.
Police were working Monday to piece together the final days and hours of Robert "Spence" Jackson's life, as Missouri Republicans struggled to make sense of the second suicide of a prominent state party member in four weeks.
A North Carolina program that uses GPS systems to monitor sex offenders will get scrutinized again by the state's highest court.
The tax Utahns pay for a gallon of gas will be headed up by a nickel and could climb higher in the future, after Gov. Gary Herbert signed into law Friday a nearly $76 million increase to the state fuel tax.
Republican leaders in the Indiana General Assembly said Monday they are looking at options to clarify the state's controversial religious freedom law, though they don't believe the law would allow discrimination against gays and lesbians as opponents fear.
Powdered alcohol, a product marketed as a fast way to mix and carry drinks on the go, will be taxed and regulated like liquid booze in Colorado with a bill signed into law Monday by Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper.
The tribe begins a 2 percent tax on junk food in an attempt to curb rampant obesity, diabetes and heart disease, the first of its kind nationwide.
The proposal would allow companies with factory and mercantile workers to schedule employees to work seven days in a row with no 24-hour rest period.
A year-long probe by the Department of Health and Human Services found no fraud or criminal wrongdoing, but auditors said the state lacked oversight and internal controls.
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley sounded Sunday like someone who plans to challenge Hillary Rodham Clinton in Democratic primaries.
It's a simple question -- but also one of the most contentious in Indiana, which is under siege by LGBT activists urging a boycott of the state.
Standing in the basement dining room of a West Loop Greek restaurant Sunday afternoon, Mayor Rahm Emanuel accepted the endorsement of one of his chief antagonists -- former mayoral candidate and outgoing 2nd Ward Ald. Bob Fioretti.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and legislative leaders on Sunday night reached an agreement on the next state budget, capping weeks of deliberations over issues like deterring public corruption and improving public schools.
Lawyers representing Wichita and 47 other Kansas school districts petitioned a court Thursday to block a new school finance law signed by Gov. Sam Brownback.
Since the Pennsylvania police arrested Anthony Kofalt last March for walking out of a Walmart with 21 boxes of Crest White Strips he had not paid for, his wife, Heather, has spent $3,000 — about $60 a week — on phone calls to the prisons and jails where he has been held.
Pay-for-success programs seem to hold promise as a way to find the up-front investments for programs that save money in the long run.
States haven't been enforcing laws to guarantee mental health coverage, but long-awaited federal guidelines and New York's aggressive approach could spur more to start.
Automatic vehicle location and passenger counting systems create data that can fine-tune the running of a transit system.
Keith Foster and four others were arrested on federal drug charges, was arrested on federal charges to distribute and/or possess with the intent to distribute oxycodone, heroin and marijuana.
There's growing skepticism about tax incentives to create local movie industries.
The governor says he wants to eliminate New Jersey's very high estate taxes, but the state has no alternative revenue source to make up the difference.
A roundup of money (and other) news governments can use.
Guards at San Francisco's main county jail orchestrated "gladiator-style" fights between inmates.
Some lenders are going back to their roots and making money lending to small and mid-size manufacturers.
The “homeless billionaire,” a world-renowned architect and the future of Brick City.
Salesforce founder Marc Benioff has cancelled all programs that requires employees to travel to Indiana.
The former home of the Seattle Seahawks NFL team and the Seattle Mariners baseball team, was imploded on March 26, 2000. The county that financed the Kingdome says it has collected enough money to finally pay off what it owes on the building.
The line for free seeds at the event, intended to promote home growing, snaked through the Adams Morgan neighborhood in the nation’s biggest legal marijuana giveaway
Students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have been asking the school to change the name of Saunders Hall for years, but with national events such as the shooting in Ferguson, Mo., setting off strong emotions about race, campus protests have picked up urgency.
Gov. Mike Pence declared a public health emergency on Wednesday after 79 new cases of H.I.V. were confirmed in Scott County.
Development plans set off a preservation fight over a 65-year-old mural in a condemned building.
A powerful explosion in the East Village caused two buildings to collapse and ignited a fire that injured at least 19 people.
A health food store employee and a coworker say the Chicago mayor is a notoriously bad tipper, and once left a 37-cent tip on a seven-dollar shake.
The state hasn't yet found a way to fix its depleted transportation funding system. Nearly all the state's transportation money is dedicated to paying off more than $18 billion in debt, with little left for maintenance projects or new construction.
Many poor towns want the fracking money Pennsylvania has, regardless of health risks.
America's Playground is running low on cash and faces key debt payments over the next three months.
Chicago voters turned out in large numbers for the first two days of early voting ahead of the mayoral runoff, and suburban voters in the upcoming election will get newly designed stickers to show everybody they cast ballots, election officials announced.
A state House committee unanimously rejected a proposal to legalize medical marijuana after an emotional hourlong hearing that ended with a legislator saying he was assaulted by a marijuana advocate.
A bill that overhauls the way schools are funded in Kansas was signed by Gov. Sam Brownback in a closed ceremony Wednesday.
After Republican and Democratic leaders could not agree on a proposal that linked immigration reform with an education tax credit in Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s proposed budget, the governor said on Tuesday that both would be dropped as negotiations continued.
The Supreme Court's conservative justices sharply questioned the high cost of a new Obama administration environmental regulation Wednesday, raising the prospect they may block the strict emissions standards for coal-fired power plants.
The Supreme Court delivered a rare victory for minority voting rights Wednesday, finding that a 2012 Alabama redistricting plan appeared to violate federal law by shifting black voters into districts they already dominated to dilute their influence elsewhere.
