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Carl Smith

Senior Staff Writer

Carl Smith is a senior staff writer for Governing and covers a broad range of issues affecting states and localities. For the past 30 years, Carl has written about education and the environment for peer-reviewed papers, magazines and online publications, with a special focus on conservation and sustainability. He has guest-edited special issues of the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health focused on the Precautionary Principle and the human rights dimensions of environmental degradation. Carl attended the University of Texas and the University of Georgia. He can be reached at carl.smith@governing.com or on Twitter at @governingwriter.

Primary and preventive care have been shown to reduce negative health outcomes. A new report outlines strategies for reverting a primary-care shortage.
A new national study finds that people believe state and local governments can make their communities better — and they want to help.
Kentucky Secretary of State Michael G. Adams is one of the few public officials who's found a way to address both election security and ballot access concerns.
In recent months, major cities including San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego, Fresno and Los Angeles have significantly stepped up efforts to clear encampments. Officials say it's an overdue shift in policy around homelessness.
Southern states saw huge amounts of growth in renewables last year, but they'll need to work to keep the momentum going.
A new federal program provides a historic level of funding for rural health care. But the application presents challenges and the timeline for submission is short.
Police departments are understaffed and recruiting has become more difficult. In recent years, the number of communities using community responders to handle non-violent situations has skyrocketed.
Changing federal guidelines are creating uncertainty about access to the updated COVID-19 vaccination. Connecticut has found a way to bring clarity.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office details the ways that recent changes have diminished FEMA capacity. Local officials responsible for response and recovery want to be part of the conversation about what comes next.
Turnover rates in election offices are at an all-time high. Training for these jobs has new importance.