Cover Story
For This Pot Guy, States Are His Biggest Customers
BY J.B. Wogan
After leading the creation of the nation's first legal marijuana market in Colorado, Andrew Freedman took the lessons he learned and made a business out of helping states regulate the drug.
FEATURES
Health & Human Services
What If Government Just Gave Everyone Cash, No Strings Attached?
The radical idea of a universal basic income is far from new, but it's finally being tested around the world -- even in America.
BY Zach Patton
Public Safety & Justice
Don Willett’s Lone Star Legal Show
The Texas Supreme Court justice is witty and approachable, and he's huge on Twitter. He's also one of the most influential conservative jurists in the country right now.
BY Alan Greenblatt
Finance
How Driverless Cars Could Be a Big Problem for Cities
The technology could signal the beginning of the end of parking tickets and other revenue sources. Some cities' budgets could take a big hit.
BY Mike Maciag
Management & Labor
Legal or Not, States Forge Ahead With 401(k)-for-Everyone Plans
Congress jeopardized the future of state plans to help private employees save for retirement. States don't seem to care.
BY Liz Farmer
OBSERVER
Politics & Elections
In State Budget Talks, Governors Play Hardball
Some negotiations have become so heated that legislatures have taken their fight to the courts.
BY Alan Greenblatt
Management & Labor
Work for Us – Or Else: The Rise of Noncompete Contracts
It's now common, even for lower-paying jobs, to make employees pledge their loyalty to companies. Some states are stepping in to stop the corporate abuse.
BY Alan Greenblatt
Public Safety & Justice
Are ‘Blue Lives Matter’ Laws Just Symbolic?
Critics say laws that treat attacks against police officers as a hate crime are unnecessary and hard to enforce.
BY Alan Greenblatt
Politics & Elections
What Happens When the Attorney General Refuses to Defend a Law?
In lawsuits involving high-profile partisan issues, some state AGs choose to sit out.
BY Alan Greenblatt
POLITICS + POLICY
Assessments
What Judges Don’t Understand About Transportation
There are no crystal balls, yet some judges expect planners and policymakers to predict the future anyway.
BY Alan Ehrenhalt
Washington Watch
Infrastructure Lessons From One of the Nation’s First P3s
A 75-year-old highway project offers clues to solving a critical present-day problem.
BY Donald F. Kettl
Politics & Elections
In Minneapolis, Liberal Isn’t Good Enough for the Left
“The Trump dystopia is clearly motivating people to do something, and at the local level that means running for office, even against your own party.”
BY Alan Greenblatt
Health & Human Services
As Health Departments Expand Their Role, Can They Keep Up With Basic Services?
The conflicts playing out in one North Carolina county could be plaguing other places.
BY Mattie Quinn
Infrastructure & Environment
Can States and Cities Really Uphold the Paris Climate Deal?
They have pledged to carry out the landmark accord on behalf of America. We asked environmental experts for the most effective and politically practical ways they can help do that.
BY Natalie Delgadillo
Transportation & Infrastructure
The Rise of the Rootless Economy
Increasingly, people are selling everything from everywhere. It’s given hope to communities once shut out of the global economy.
BY Alex Marshall
Urban Notebook
Why Sun Belt Cities Need Unique Solutions to Common Problems
The typical tools of urban America don’t always work in the rapidly growing region.
BY William Fulton
PROBLEM SOLVER
Management & Labor
Is Automation Anxiety All Hype?
Fears are spreading that automation will be a massive job-killer. But the extent to which that could be true depends on the region and industry -- and which researcher you talk to.
BY Mike Maciag
Smart Management
Why Are Government Websites So Bad?
Broken links, outdated information and mysterious abbreviations are just a few of the problems.
BY Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene
On Leadership
Throwing Money at Businesses Has Been a Bad Idea Since the Start
It's time to abandon corporate tax breaks. Just look at their history.
BY Mark Funkhouser
Tech Talk
Drowning in Data, Cities Turn to 'Citizen Scientists'
Governments have more data than they have the manpower to handle. Some recruit volunteers to help analyze it all, but they're far from being experts in data.
BY Tod Newcombe
Public Money
What's Good Enough for the Gherkin Should Be Good Enough for Americans
The most sophisticated risk managers in the world invest in state and local governments. So why are Americans so hesitant?
BY Justin Marlowe
Infrastructure & Environment
Music Rocks! Especially in Denver.
It's home to Red Rocks, “the only naturally occurring, acoustically perfect amphitheater in the world.”
BY David Kidd
