A study compared how well old-city street layouts handled traffic versus modern approaches. The results set off a firestorm.

Consolidating call centers is proving to be a boon to cities, but the roll-outs are rough.

State politicians have returned to the slippery slopes of social investing and pension divestment. In the 1980s, South Africa was the target. Last year, it was Sudan, followed quickly by Iran, and now "all terrorist nations" are on blacklists in some states.

Increasingly, state and local governments are expecting their workers to pay a greater share of their own health care and prescription drug costs.

States are cracking down on the proliferation of contraband cell phones in prisons.