In an enterprising bit of reporting, the Orlando Sentinel looked at suburban crime statistics in Orlando, comparing property crimes in gated and ungated subdivisions.

Patronage and hiring violations are facts of life in almost all governments.

With the high price of gasoline, drivers are pouring so many dollars into their tanks that Exxon-Mobil reported record profits in October of $10 billion. And that was for one quarter. Paradoxically, drivers were pouring relatively fewer dollars into other entities that depend on gasoline spending: the various state and federal transportation trust funds.

A union trades retiree health care for a raise.

Facing ever-increasing costs for health care, officials in Vermont have brokered a landmark deal with the federal government. The state will get more flexibility in managing and distributing Medicaid funds. In exchange, it will accept a limit on the amount of federal Medicaid money it receives over the next five years.