Trends
Massachusetts is showing the way by going to the end users of the products and services governments buy. It’s good for suppliers as well, and produces better results for everyone.
A new book by a founding member of Boston’s Urban Mechanics calls for changing how government addresses its problems and provides an operating manual for generating new ideas and putting them into practice.
Rapidly maturing technologies hold the key for dramatic improvements across an institution that was designed for incremental change. Governments need to act quickly, deliberately and flexibly.
State legislatures will have a lot on their plates. They’ll deal with issues in wildly differing ways. We set the context for the 2021 session with an overview of everything from abortion to redistricting.
Enthusiasm for the space industry has grown during the Trump Administration, but it is uncertain if that momentum will continue into the Biden Administration.
One of the top contractors claims construction of the California bullet train project is riddled with problems that have exacerbated delays and predicts it will only get worse.
President-elect Joe Biden has selected Gina Raimondo to serve as Commerce secretary, which will put her in charge of the 2020 Census closure and economic recovery from the pandemic-driven recession.
Mayor Martin Walsh, who has had a long tenure with labor leadership, was selected to act as Labor secretary for the Biden Administration.
As the summer months approach, state energy officials are scrambling to find ways to reduce stress on the state’s power grid, including reductions in air conditioner use and briefly powering down refrigerators.
The contested Senate race will determine which political party has control of the U.S. Senate. If Republicans maintain majority, Biden will enter into a divided government that has not been seen since George H.W. Bush.
America uses tons of rock salt to de-ice roads, but the chemical is harmful to the environment and concrete. Emerging methods could reduce the need for machines, salt, and high snowplow budgets.
Former Kentucky State Auditor Adam Edelen hopes to provide about 300 former coal miners with jobs for years to come working on a solar farm. But the jobs would be part time and the solar farm is still in development.
Sen. Harry Reid made sure Nevada became a key state for presidential elections, which helped to cinch President-elect Joe Biden the nomination. Now he wants Nevada to start the next presidential nominating process.
The Tennessee Valley Authority is beginning preparations to support a large increase in electric vehicles over the next eight years. Currently, there are just 14,000 EVs in the utility’s region.
After months of COVID-19 spikes and suffering economies, many Californians are fed up with restrictions and have launched a recall petition that could yield a special statewide election if Gov. Newsom doesn’t fight back.
Biden has promised to ban new oil, gas leases and maybe hydraulic fracking, which would be a big win for environmental groups. But for states, like New Mexico, the bans could worsen the economy.
Faced with a cascade of unprecedented and overwhelming challenges, legislators still found time to acknowledge the simple pleasures of life, including onions, country music and a hound dog named Jo Jo.
Both parties have reinvigorated their campaigning efforts as early voting for the Jan. 5 Senate runoff has begun. The stakes are high, as U.S. Senate control has come down to these two seats.
The City Council president is ready for the police department to change from gasoline to electric-powered vehicles, like Teslas, but some council members are wary and still unsure of a pilot program.
The new administration hopes to achieve a shift in federal immigration policy. Recent proposals from state legislators reflect an existing climate of compassion, including financial support, health care and safety.
An eight-week pilot program will deliver fresh produce and school supplies to 50 students in Miami-Dade County. The program will help prepare for more self-driving services to begin in 2022.
Most methods of determining whether electoral maps are fair require a lot of math and some tough computation. But there is an easier way.
Due to the high level of paper ballots, this was the first year that the state conducted a post-election audit. Despite success at ballot counting, it is unclear whether vote by mail is here to stay.
California has never sent a Latino to the U.S. Senate despite its large immigrant population. That may change when Gov. Newsom appoints someone to fill Sen. Kamala Harris’ seat.
The availability of a proven COVID vaccine may be weeks away, but many Americans remain wary. State lawmakers have introduced bills to address its administration, including the boundaries of enforced immunization.
The county will analyze the cost of the technology as well as the data management system that would allow storage of footage and other evidence. For some, the purchase is an investment in public transparency.
The president-elect has made economic equality a focus for the upcoming term, and many lawmakers and financial technology experts expect Biden will encourage personal ownership of digital identities and close loopholes.
The police department found that the Tesla Model S 85 met the performance needs of being a patrol vehicle and was cost-effective. Now the city plans to replace more patrol and city vehicles with electric options.
The California city will vote on the proposal on Tuesday and, if passed, natural gas will be banned from new commercial and high-rise residential buildings starting in August 2021.
A new book from Harvard Business Review provides policymakers with practical help on how to catch up with and adapt to rapid change in democratic capitalism at the end of a weird year.
Self-driving vehicle company TuSimple plans on establishing its autonomous truck hub in Fort Worth and may even send out driverless trucks without human safety operators onto routes as soon as next year.
