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Updating property assessments often causes headaches for political leaders, especially in areas with rapid increases in home value. A backlash recently led to a county executive’s recall in Missouri.
With federal support diminishing, local governments are on the forefront. They have plenty of effective approaches to draw on to direct resources toward proven ideas — and away from ineffective ones.
The decline in the U.S. arrest rate since its peak in 1994, according to a new analysis by the Council on Criminal Justice ...
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, announcing he will sign legislation banning intoxicating hemp products and revising parts of Ohio’s voter-approved marijuana law. DeWine said the bill, passed by Republican lawmakers, would rein in delta-8 THC products sold outside licensed dispensaries and could take effect as early as March if signed before the new year. (Ohio Capital Journal)
As the city weighs renewing its multimillion-dollar ShotSpotter contract, officials acknowledge they can’t verify sensor locations, raising oversight and transparency concerns.
A new state audit finds vacancy rates above 30 percent despite hundreds of millions spent on salaries, bonuses and contract labor.
Utilities are spending billions to modernize transmission for renewables, manufacturing and data centers with costs passed on to ratepayers statewide.
The order calls for suing and denying grants to states with “onerous and excessive” artificial intelligence regulations, and for recommending a “minimally burdensome” national standard to pre-empt state laws.
A proposed new city in California demonstrates the benefits of packing more people and businesses into a small geographic area. Removing daunting roadblocks can open up vital experiments in city-building.
The approximate number of students New York City public schools lost in enrollment this fall, marking the first significant decline since post-pandemic stabilization ...
Gina Rieger, a Berkeley, Calif., resident, reacting to California’s delayed effort to require homeowners in fire-prone areas to maintain a 5-foot “ember-resistant” zone around their homes. Her comments reflect growing concerns among residents about the cost and practicality of the proposed wildfire safety rules, even as new research suggests homes with less flammable material near structures are significantly more likely to survive major fires. (The Spokesman-Review)
The state’s minimal oversight draws families who value autonomy, even as some lawmakers warn it lacks safeguards for quality and child welfare.
Workers can access up to 20 weeks of combined leave, funded through a new payroll tax shared by employers and employees.
The new CalRx insulin will hit the market in January at $55 a month, part of a broader state effort to rein in drug costs.
There was plenty of coverage, but it provided little perspective on politics and government or on the important relationships among the people who ran cities and states. Newer forms of journalism might be evolving into something better.
New AI tools and proven best practices can enhance the work of government purchasing teams. It’s time to transform the process.
The vote by which the Indiana Senate rejected a proposed congressional map that would have favored Republicans, as GOP lawmakers joined Democrats to defeat the plan ...
Illinois state Sen. Linda Holmes, the lead Senate sponsor of the medical aid-in-dying legislation, during floor debate over the measure. Holmes defended the bill as one that preserves individual autonomy for terminally ill patients, even as opponents warned it could lead to coercion or discrimination. With Pritzker’s signature, Illinois joins at least 11 other states and Washington, D.C. that allow medical aid in dying, including California, Oregon and Colorado. (Chicago Tribune)
With nearly 1,500 vacancies, the Department of Social Services is requiring mandatory overtime and risking burnout while struggling to process SNAP and cash-assistance cases.
The Trump administration is shifting billions in federal aid away from permanent housing and toward treatment, enforcement and work requirements.
Universal access to transitional kindergarten in Los Angeles County coincided with more than 150 pre-K centers shutting their doors.
Legislation states passed or enacted in the past 30 days.
A district at the edge of the Mojave Desert is part of a network of California schools harvesting environmental, behavioral and academic benefits from a school forest.
New federal funding policy pits minority-serving technical and community colleges against other institutions that serve the nation's most vulnerable learners. State and local leaders must do what they can to limit the damage.
The number of states that will restrict the use of federal SNAP benefits for certain foods and beverages ...
Colonel Richard Ligon, criminal justice instructor for the Gary, Ind., Police Department, describing the purpose of a virtual reality training system used during a special session with Gary high school students. The technology places students and officers in randomized, high-stakes scenarios to practice communication, decision-making and de-escalation tactics as part of the career center’s criminal justice program. (Northwest Indiana Times)
They argue the devices infringe on the privacy of drivers who have not violated any laws.
One Social Security number was found to have been used for 125 policies in 2023.
Over the past decade, nearly 40,000 people have died and more than 2 million have been injured on California roads. Many of those crashes were caused by repeat drunk drivers, chronic speeders and motorists with well-documented histories of recklessness behind the wheel.
Mississippi is hoping IT upgrades, new trainings and other efforts can reduce its SNAP “error rate” — or how often it over- or underpays benefits — before new federal penalties come into effect.
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