Governing: State and local government news and analysis
Many immigrants to the U.S. are fleeing violence and persecution. They are motivated to put down roots and become part of their new communities, but they need support.
Supplementing early childhood educators’ wages has gone a long way toward addressing a longtime crisis. Even if the program doesn’t survive the city’s budget process, it should remain an example for local, state and federal efforts.
Patrick Morrisey earned the Republican nomination for governor in the state's primary election on Tuesday, May 14, with 33 percent of the vote. Morrisey has served as the West Virginia attorney general for 12 years.
A recent study suggests that private schools are slightly more effective than public schools when it comes to boosting student achievement in civics and their understanding of it.
Although it’s not unusual for voter rolls to fluctuate, local election officials want residents to know that anyone who didn’t vote in the 2022 general election must register again to vote this year.
State agencies are trying to address technical shortcomings that led to as much as $135 billion in fraud during the pandemic. But declining and volatile federal funding for administration is impeding those efforts.
The Biden administration has updated Title IX to cover sexual orientation and gender identity. Officials in red states are suing to block what they call “gender ideology.”
The University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communication has a new prize meant to highlight the best work of journalists covering state and local politics.
A new city office focused on homeless services has given a boost to programs to help the unhoused in New Orleans.
The state has a surplus of 15,000 prison beds. Consolidating and deactivating prisons could free up billions of dollars for safety net programs, education, housing and workforce development.
Research shows that traditional defined-benefit plans still play a key role in attracting and retaining government employees. To maximize these benefits’ impact, employers need to make sure their workers understand them.
Admissions offices are trying everything from entrepreneurship programs to hunting classes.
Chicago and San Francisco are looking to consolidate the transit agencies in their respective cities, proposals backed by state lawmakers. Advocates say such reforms could improve service for riders and make it easier for politicians to address funding issues.
Propaganda doesn’t need to go viral to sway elections anymore. That makes artificial intelligence’s impact more insidious and harder to detect.
A new survey from the Public Religion Research Institute finds that a significant majority of religious Americans think abortion should be legal in most or all cases.
Rather than calling in police to remove students and faculty, those who lead our colleges and universities should come out of their offices and let protestors know that they are being heard. It’s about academic freedom.
The South Florida company has announced plans to buy Lilium electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) jets, and to begin flying in Miami in 2026. It’s believed to be the first U.S. airline to integrate eVTOL craft into its fleet.
Electricity demand in Northwest states is expected to grow more than 30 percent in the next decade, partly due to the rapid expansion of data centers across the region.
Stolen and lost firearms are much more likely to be used in crimes, but when it comes to penalties and requirements for reporting thefts and losses, state policies are all over the map — if those policies exist at all.
Over nearly two centuries, the tracks linked rival port cities to create the Northeast Corridor. It’s a bond that will only strengthen with new federal investments in passenger service.
Citing political interference from investment firms, legislators in red states continue to restrict a set of investment considerations known as environmental, social and governance (ESG).
The unknowns keep piling up. The stakes are too high to let that continue.
States are beginning to use artificial intelligence to multiply the power of their audit teams. But the tax collectors risk political blowback unless they can convince the public that it’s just the artful tax dodgers they’re after.
The London transportation agency’s unit has focused on the needs of the customer by leveraging existing assets and shifting from traditional procurement models to engage with private-sector innovators.
Lawmakers in Mountain West seek to provide permanent tax relief without harming local revenue.
Future in Context
With a crowd of more than 900 people, the NASCIO Midyear Conference buzzed with energy about generative artificial intelligence, along with concern that humans remain in charge.
A look back to look forward in Cincinnati's best-known urban neighborhood.
Faced with penalties ranging from academic probation to arrest, students continue to push back against the idea they should stop protesting.
Rural America’s population grew by 108,000 last year. Ninety percent of that growth was in the South.
It will be one of the most noticeable ways climate change threatens human health in the years to come. It could cause as many as 27,800 U.S. deaths per year by 2050.
