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The political landscape has shifted dramatically in Vermont. Nationally, the election showed that partisanship matters most but active campaigning still makes a difference.
When people think about higher ed, they picture the Ivy League. But state officials are trained almost exclusively at their own state’s schools.
Latinos make up ever increasing shares of student bodies and the workforce but lag behind whites in science and technical education. One North Carolina county has a promising approach.
Hurricane Helene put rural Western North Carolina’s home-based child-care providers under an existential threat. The natural disaster exacerbated problems caused by years of insufficient funding and lack of support, causing many child-care providers to fear they won’t be able to start over.
Sweeping police reforms in 2020 stripped Colorado law enforcement of qualified immunity, a legal defense that previously blocked officers and sheriffs from being sued in their individual capacities in most cases.
The five-year budget outlook is poorer than the one the state faced in the Great Recession and, without any changes, Maryland will only be able to cover 84 percent of planned spending through the 2030 fiscal year.
Local taxes to fund public transit fared well on Election Day. But state and federal election results could alter the outlook for infrastructure investment long term.
Future in Context
The Gates Foundation’s Allan Golston outlines a vision for equitable opportunities and the future of the American dream. As the transformative power of generative AI becomes clear, equitable access to education and jobs remains crucial.
They’re good for our children’s health and for the environment, and transitioning away from diesel-powered buses is the fiscally conservative thing to do. Unsubstantiated claims about them only serve as political theater.
Other states, including Nevada, are deleting references to slavery in their constitutions and banning forced prison labor. California voters rejected that path when they turned down Prop. 6.
The pandemic prompted many downtowns to rethink their futures. Omaha’s evolution beyond a traditional business district was already underway.
The meat industry’s multimillion-dollar lobbying fight succeeded in stopping the city’s slaughterhouse ban, which will result in the continued operation of one of the nation’s largest lamb processing facilities.
Thanks to a celebrated book, we know all about Robert Moses’ dictatorial misdeeds in New York City. But the truth is that many of his worst visions were being realized in cities across the country.
State constitutional amendments that voters approved in seven states on Nov. 5 also are vulnerable to federal moves that could essentially override them.
It will be the leadership of our states and cities that will have the most direct impact on the issues that animated the presidential campaign.
Dallas voters narrowly passed a new city charter that mandates the Texas city maintain a police force of at least 4,000 cops, an increase of about 900 positions. It’s unclear when the city will complete the “monumental task.”
The city government will discuss a proposed state of emergency over pedestrian and cyclist safety just six days after the city’s 31st traffic death of 2024.
State air regulators voted last week to update the Low Carbon Fuel Standard to aim to reduce carbon emissions of transportation fuels by 30 percent by 2030.
Having won a big victory, Donald Trump can claim a mandate. But recent history shows that voters punish politicians who change things too much.
Moderates have been largely squeezed out of political relevance. There is room for a new party, and it would have to start at the state level. It could bring pragmatic solutions to critical problems the major parties avoid.
An initiative to cut a carbon tax out of the Washington Climate Commitment Act was soundly rejected by voters. Gov. Jay Inslee sees the margin of defeat as an important message.
Less than 36 hours after Trump’s resounding victory, the California governor called to bolster the state’s legal resources with the aim of protecting reproductive health care, climate policies and immigrant communities in California.
The new boundary officially returns the pump station on one of the nation’s largest manmade lakes fully back into the Lone Star State.
Voting and election administration became contentious topics after 2020. This time, years of preparation, efforts to improve transparency and collaboration with law enforcement helped things run smoothly.
For decades, young people chose to move to cities and large metros for greater opportunity. Since the pandemic, that migration has reversed.
Local officials are sorting out the impacts from the approval of 16 propositions. Voters rejected salary increases for councilmembers, tightened term limits and streamlined pathways to sue officials.
The Texas city has just 4 percent of land left to develop, making future development above ground more appealing. The city is considering air taxis, Uber-like gondolas and other aerial solutions to further develop microtransit.
If it moves on Taiwan, it’s likely that China would try to distract the United States by attacking our water, power and communications systems. It’s already demonstrated those capabilities here, and we need to be better prepared.
A half-dozen states rejected ranked-choice voting, although Washington, D.C., approved a measure. School choice fared poorly, while increasing criminal penalties proved to be popular.
Oakland voters recalled the mayor and county prosecutor, while Los Angeles voters fired their progressive district attorney. Across the country, several major cities elected new mayors.
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