Governing: State and local government news and analysis
Hasan Ikhrata recently announced his resignation, ending five years of acrimony with local officials around transportation policy. Left unresolved is how the region will fund its highways and transit systems long term.
The local figures who used to move their communities forward are in painfully short supply.
Following labor unrest with writers, actors and hotel workers, a one-day strike by city workers in Los Angeles was aimed at getting stalled negotiations going again. It also reflected a desire for respect.
Having mayors run school districts became a big trend 30 years ago. Now most cities are returning power to independently elected school boards.
A training program operated by the National League of Cities helps small cities apply directly for federal infrastructure funding. Participating cities have won $428 million since last summer.
Private credit has gained a growing share of pension portfolios over the past decade. It’s time to take a second look under the hood.
The state brought together a remarkable coalition and waived red tape to get traffic on I-95 moving again just 12 days after a bridge collapsed. That kind of focus on results, not procedures, can help restore trust in government.
They can help public health departments overcome staff shortages and reach those most at risk. Food programs in San Antonio are a case study in what’s possible.
Managed charging, battery storage and other technologies will be key to helping utilities build electric grid resiliency and stability.
Current government budgeting processes are not up to the demands of a world where the future looks less and less like the past.
There’s more to the elite college admissions game than a tilted playing field. It’s also about zoning squabbles and NIMBYism. State governments should take a larger role in land-use policy and overrule local stakeholders.
Stories and statistics point to mixed success since the new 3-digit number launched last July.
Currently, abortion is legal in Ohio until 22 weeks. Meanwhile Michigan Democrats' have a fragile majority, other election action and the death of a trailblazer.
Transit agencies are facing worker shortages around the U.S. A new report says reforming human resources practices can help hire, train and retain workers of all types.
Ghana's spirituality informs its approach to governing. It shows up in everything from the way streets are used to the belief that unity is strength.
It’s the only city in the U.S. to own an interstate railway. Now Cincinnati wants to sell to Norfolk Southern and create an infrastructure trust fund. But first, voters need to give the plan their OK.
After an unsuccessful attempt to identify their unsheltered population in January, one Pennsylvania county hopes for better results in the summer.
Across the country, turnover and vacancies are high. Counties are raising salaries but still can't compete with the private sector.
It's the world’s most popular music genre, and some of its stars are making big investments in their communities. People who work on building local economies should pay attention and nurture this opportunity.
It is irresponsible and dangerous for politicians to dictate which investments public asset managers must favor. States, municipalities and public pensions are paying higher interest rates on bonds and getting poorer returns on investments.
Shifting demographics and changing migration patterns have impacted the city, moving it toward the future with programs that reflect the country’s history of blending cultures.
We don’t bulldoze poor neighborhoods the way we used to. But African countries are heavily into it.
They can help clear the air over UFO sightings by letting residents know if they live near military operations airspace, says a new RAND report. Public help is most needed to spot and report human misbehavior.
Too many neighborhoods are not designed for today’s record-setting heat. There is a solution: “Smart surfaces” can make cities cooler and less vulnerable to flooding.
Since the earliest days of the Internet, much of the world’s data flows through Northern Virginia. But power limitations and environmental concerns could slow down the region's relentless pace of data center activity.
Housing deterioration is a serious problem for lower-income households. Home repairs address deep-seated racial and environmental injustices, and substandard housing can be a matter of life and death.
City planning agencies and business improvement districts are increasingly relying on cellphone tracking data from groups like Placer.ai to understand how cities are changing.
As a new Arizona survey shows, voters want to take the partisanship out of how top state and local election officials are chosen. The system we use now erodes public trust.
Everything from fatal overdoses to the number of people suffering from severe depression has been growing at alarming rates. Counties have been providing services but insist that Washington must do more.
Inflation rates are coming down, but state and local labor costs will be sticky, as will public-employee health-care expenses. Overall, though, it’s a better outlook for pension funding and astute government cash managers.
