Governing: State and local government news and analysis
Hilly Los Angeles has hundreds of outdoor staircases connecting residential neighborhoods with main streets.
The scrubbed rail extension illustrates the financial crisis at Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and at other transit agencies around the country. Still, some advocates say it’s an opportunity, too.
The pullback of Twitter’s blue check marks led to the quick rise of fake accounts spreading lies about public services and officials. What comes next, and how can state and local governments deal with this new reality?
We’ve long known that its roots aren’t biological or genetic. It’s time for Americans to discuss it rationally and speak out against efforts to turn us against each other.
Big-box retailers are using a controversial legal argument in their assessment appeals. As the courts sort it out and some legislatures step up, there’s a role for government associations to help strengthen the hands of local tax authorities.
As the rainy season begins for most of the country, a new report offers the first baseline assessment of the systems in place using green infrastructure to manage stormwater.
Most of the people who buy lottery tickets are the very ones who can ill afford to squander their money in such a manner. Yet lotteries are likely to continue to expand, given how effective they are in generating revenue for states.
What we can learn from the tragedy and now vindication of the father of the atomic bomb.
While more than half of states have banned TikTok on state-owned devices and networks, some governors still use the platform — and some unofficial accounts use their names and photos. Is it a cybersecurity risk?
Will the massive tranche of money be used to help the people who suffered the most and for programs shown to be effective in curbing the epidemic? Or will elected officials use the money for politically infused projects?
As the 53rd Earth Day approaches, leaders with a wide range of responsibilities describe big problems — and big possibilities — that lie ahead.
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced an award of $21 million for 64 communities to coordinate transit, mobility, and land-use plans and navigate infrastructure funding opportunities.
Republican attorney general Jeff Landry seems the likely successor to Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards. Also, Michigan Democrats utilize their full control of state government while election officials across the nation feel forced out.
Everyone likes getting something for nothing, but history shows why the math behind free public transit doesn’t add up.
Layoffs, buyouts, closures and mergers have resulted in spreading news deserts. There are a few scattered bright signs, efforts to revive local journalism in some form.
Ya Fav Trashman wants to clean up Philadelphia. But even with an army of Instagram followers who volunteer to help, his personal war on illegal trash dumping hasn't been easy.
When bus service was eliminated for five years in Clayton County, in the Atlanta metro area, residents endured substantial increases in poverty and unemployment rates.
There are lots of ideas out there for bringing the numbers down. But so far nothing seems to work better than simply getting a roof over their heads, even if it’s only a dilapidated motel room.
The winning combination these days is Black and Hispanic voters aligned with white progressives with college degrees.
State law gives Andalusia Mayor Earl Johnson the right to work directly with private partners. For years, he’s been using this freedom to make the most of city resources.
The current detention of a young Wall Street Journal correspondent echoes a high-stakes game played by governments that dates back to the American Revolution.
More than 10 percent of statehouse reporters are university students, and in some states they are a significant presence in the statehouse media corps. They have stepped up coverage at a time when newspapers are pulling back.
More than 100 million people, or nearly one-third of the nation, have trouble accessing primary care. The problem is more acute in rural areas, which have long struggled to recruit and retain doctors and other medical professionals.
Black Americans are still being incarcerated at nearly five times the rate of whites. There’s much that state lawmakers can do to reduce inequities and make legal processes fairer.
Voter turnout is lower in rural places, something researchers say is a symptom of unequal amounts of civic infrastructure.
Pandemic expansion of Medicaid benefits ended on March 31. A former Medicaid deputy director offers thoughts on what lies ahead.
Some conservatives want to rein in journalists’ protections established long ago by the Supreme Court. That would be a blow to the news coverage that aims to keep state and local governments accountable.
Only a few states require judges to sit out cases involving their campaign contributors. The Wisconsin Supreme Court's new liberal majority has expressed support for strengthening recusal rules. Will other states follow its lead?
Agencies are spending new money — lots of it, in some cases — to crack down on fare evasion, with new fare gates, updated collection systems and beefed-up policing. But some experts question the cost.
COVID is far from the only explanation for the United States’ dismal trend line. Other diseases, along with drug overdoses, were also contributors, along with politics, policies and inequality.
