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Cover Story

How Long Can a State Go Without Repairing Roads and Bridges?

BY Daniel C. Vock

Mississippi is about to find out. Decades of neglect have closed hundreds of bridges, putting the state at the forefront of America's infrastructure fight.

FEATURES

Urban

The Importance (and Neglect) of America's 'Middle Neighborhoods'

When a neighborhood isn't rich -- and isn't poor -- government tends to forget about it. BY
Education

With Shootings on the Rise, Schools Turn to 'Active Shooter' Insurance

Gun violence costs lives -- and money. The financial burden can overwhelm governments, especially when they're small or struggling. BY
Finance

Scott Wiener Thinks He Knows How to Fix California's Housing Crisis

Other legislators aren't so sure. BY
Health & Human Services

Can Homelessness Programs Make Money -- and Should They?

"Pay for success" is changing the way cities confront the problem. BY

OBSERVER

Public Safety & Justice

How Old Is Old Enough to Get Married?

States are raising the age of consent to protect children from forced marriage. No state has gone as far as Delaware. BY
Urban

White Flight Returns, This Time From the Suburbs

White residents are either moving back downtown -- or to farther-out exurbs. BY
Urban

The Architecture Critic Who Wants to Remake Los Angeles

The city's first chief design officer comes to the job from the Los Angeles Times. BY
Education

The Problem With School Takeovers

Studies show they're ineffective and may unequally impact black and Hispanic communities. BY

POLITICS + POLICY

Assessments

Is Government Corruption More Common, or Are We Just Better at Finding It?

Some of today's scandals would have gone unseen a couple decades ago. BY
Washington Watch

Programs Like D.A.R.E. and Scared Straight Don't Work. Why Do States Keep Funding Them?

There's a better way for governments to focus on effective initiatives. BY
Politics & Elections

Can the California GOP Stop Its 'Death Spiral'?

Republicans are split over whether they should move to the middle or embrace their right-wing base. BY
Health & Human Services

Amid Opioid Crisis, Drug Take-Backs Gain Popularity

A change in federal law lets more than just law enforcement agencies collect unused and unwanted pills. BY
Infrastructure & Environment

As Storms Worsen, Many Coastal States Aren't Prepared

Lax building codes and poor enforcement are a big problem in some places. BY
Transportation & Infrastructure

How the Mutation of Main Street Is Reshaping Cities

Brick-and-mortar stores are surviving, but what they’re selling is changing. BY
Urban Notebook

In Fights Between States and Cities, It's Not Just Red vs. Blue

Preempting local laws is no longer a trend in just conservative states. BY

PROBLEM SOLVER

Health & Human Services

Where Evictions Are Most Common

A new database provides the first-ever national look at evictions. It shows that they happen more often than you think in places you might not expect. BY
Smart Management

See Public Records? Governments Are Making It Harder.

A growing number of states are limiting access to them. BY
On Leadership

The Truth About Racial Equity That Most White Leaders Don't See

Sometimes the morally right thing to do is also the economically smart thing to do. BY
Public Money

A Glimpse Into the Future of P3s

The real money isn't in roads and bridges. It's in people and services. BY
Urban

Behind the Lens: In Detroit, Police Bring Neighborhood Baseball Back

Photos and musings from our photographer. BY

PUBLISHER'S DESK

Publisher's Desk

The Real Housing Issue

Despite what you might think given recent media coverage, the U.S. city with the worst affordable housing problem is not San Francisco. BY

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