News
A roundup of money (and other) news governments can use.
Setting the stage for a showdown with the state legislature, Gov. Corbett on Thursday signed the $29.1 billion spending plan it passed last week -- but only after striking more than $72 million from the legislature's own budget.
The American Federation of Teachers will open its annual convention Friday morning with a startling announcement: After years of strongly backing the Common Core, the union now plans to give its members grants to critique the academic standards — or to write replacement standards from scratch.
The Public Safety Personnel Retirement System on Wednesday halted illegal pay raises of up to 27 percent that were improperly authorized late last year for five investment-staff employees and were uncovered by The Arizona Republic.
The law makes New York the largest municipality in the nation to introduce such a plan, following several other cities, including Los Angeles, New Haven and San Francisco.
Tired of waiting for states to reduce their backlogs of Medicaid applications, the Obama administration has given six states until Monday to submit plans to resolve issues that have prevented more than 1 million low-income or disabled people from getting health coverage.
A judge threw out Florida's congressional redistricting map Thursday, ruling that the Legislature allowed for a "secret, organized campaign" by partisan operatives to subvert the redistricting process in violation of the state Constitution.
Just days after Clayton County leaders took a giant step toward mass transit, the federal government clawed back $45 million for a commuter rail line in Clayton.
One Texas sheriff wants legal action against a company responsible for a toxic spill.
While newspapers continue to cut their coverage of state capitols, a new study shows students and nonprofits are picking up some of the slack.
Number of U.S. counties that account for half of the country's 316 million people. The rest of the population is distributed across 2,998 counties.
Emergency rules proposed by the State Water Resources Control Board would add teeth to California's water-conservation rules.
California water authorities proposed emergency regulations this week that would prohibit wasteful lawn watering and car washing, with fines of up to $500 a day for residents who break the rules.
Eschewing lobbyists, states advocate for themselves to try to get federal transportation funding.
Making it easier to get rid of bad teachers is worthwhile. But it's equally important to reward the good ones.
Cara Smith, executive director of the Cook County Jail in Illinois where a man visiting his son recently got locked in a maximum security cell for 32 hours. He was finally released after setting off the sprinkler system.
All the public-sector management news you need to know.
Percent decline in the number of full-time statehouse newspaper reporters since 2003.
Declaring himself "outraged," Department of Corrections Secretary Mike Crews announced Wednesday that he will travel to Miami to accelerate the investigation into the death of inmate Darren Rainey, who was locked in a scalding-hot shower by guards at the Dade Correctional Institution.
A state-produced study has concluded that high taxes and fewer stores are keeping Colorado medical-marijuana consumers from switching to the recreational cannabis market, a trend that, if it continues, will have a major impact on the state's predicted marijuana tax windfall.
Alaska, like local governments across the U.S., is grappling with the pension costs of its retired workers. Unlike other states, Alaska opened its purse and paid a quarter of the bill in cash.
The Republican nominee for Maryland governor, Larry Hogan, has become the first candidate in 20 years to participate in the state’s public financing system in the fall election, a move likely to leave his campaign with far less money to spend than his Democratic opponent.
Arizona's top health official said Wednesday that people authorized to use medical marijuana may soon begin using the drug to relieve symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, if a physician recommends it.
Medical marijuana dispensaries in Berkeley will likely soon be required to provide free pot to low-income members and homeless people, according to an ordinance approved by the city council on Tuesday.
The first formal valuation of the entire city-owned collection at the Detroit Institute of Arts finds that the roughly 60,000 pieces of art are worth between $2.8 billion and $4.6 billion.
The letters were tied with blue and green ribbons, piled high in a little red wagon and pulled to the Governor’s Mansion by children to whom the words "Amendment 3" mean nothing.
An Adams County District Court judge on Wednesday declared Colorado's ban on same-sex marriages unconstitutional, but he immediately stayed his ruling.
The Senate voted overwhelmingly to confirm Julian Castro as the new secretary of Housing and Urban Development on Wednesday, elevating the rising Democratic star to President Barack Obama's Cabinet.
The city's Sustainable Systems Framework -- a collaboration with the University of Chicago -- will help officials gather feedback and make forecasts for urban development programs and construction.
