Governing: State and local government news and analysis
Against all odds, election officials delivered a safe and secure election during a public health crisis. But a year later, they are looking for innovative ways to restore public trust in their work.
When cities reject new projects because they don’t fit an ideal notion of “affordability,” they further worsen the housing shortage.
Smart cities’ focus on technology has made the digital divide worse, not better. The new infrastructure law could change that.
The over-65 population is growing faster than the generations who will take their place. Demographer James Johnson Jr. discusses the opportunities for growth given current demographic trends.
Before the pandemic, Marin County had the lowest vaccination rates in California. Now, more than 90 percent of its adults are protected against COVID-19.
For decades, toxic runoff from abandoned coal mines has left streams and rivers lifeless in the Mountain State. Then two men decided to reverse the damage taking place in their own backyards.
Too many lives that could be turned around are being wasted. We should be reforming and rehabilitating the people we lock away, giving them the opportunity to become productive citizens.
In 1918, with the Spanish flu raging, workers had little choice but to continue riding the trams and trains. Today, at least in America, they can work from home or ride alone in their car.
Native Americans have had a deep-seated dislike for Thanksgiving and its sanitized version of colonial history. Fifty years ago, they took action and said enough is enough. A protest was born.
In responding to the pandemic, state and local governments quickly put in place new program infrastructure to distribute housing aid with flexibility and expediency. We need to build on that for the future.
Hint: It’s not politics or failed strategy. But we have a 23-state region spanning the Great Plains, Midwest and Northeast, as well as some border states, that have consistently trailed the rest of the country.
Five innovative policymakers were recently honored for their proposals that would best improve Americans’ economic well-being and overall quality of life, and make government work more effectively to meet communities’ needs.
From sports teams to high schools, we’re in turmoil about what we consider a deserving name. But we shouldn’t rewrite history as a byproduct of ignorance.
It’s little wonder that so many Americans are dissatisfied with their jobs — and quitting them. We need new approaches to education beyond high school that give every learner the opportunity to flourish.
To accelerate the transition to electric vehicles, every burg along our “blue highways” is going to need a place for motorists to plug in. For states, that means tax credits, matching grants or similar incentives. But we’re not talking big money.
Author and federal judge Jeffrey Sutton argues the legislative branch of states should take a larger role in constitutional experimentation, and we should ask less of the judicial branch.
California’s official unemployment rate is 7.5 percent. But a newer method of measuring unemployment reveals a far larger portion of the state is struggling to find full-time employment that pays enough to cover the cost of living.
To fight false narratives and foster trust in reliable information, governments can invest in local news, support empathy-building initiatives, and ensure election processes are traceable, a new report says.
The right to disconnect can be the catalyst an organization needs to review its workplace policies. But what’s really needed is a cultural shift that gives workers more control over how they work.
The best and worst state highway systems have common traits that have little to do with miles of roadway.
Everyone agrees Bryan Hughes is amiable and polite. He's also emerged as one of the most-effective conservative legislators in the country.
The new federal funds should be targeted to projects that protect communities from climate change and promote social and economic mobility. Cities have hundreds of such projects ready to go.
Historian Richard White talks about the greed, ineptitude and economic cost behind the transcontinental railroads of the 19th century, and what that says about the development of infrastructure today.
Aftab Pureval is an ethnic trailblazer in a deeply segregated city. He comes into office with a long list of policy goals — many of which will not be easy to implement.
Building energy use accounts for nearly 30 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions. The latest energy codes can reduce carbon dioxide, but many states continue to use standards that are outdated.
With $65 billion on the way from Washington to expand Internet access, it’s time for businesses, research organizations and others to join with the public sector to shape strategies to make the most of the funds.
It’s shaped politics, government and culture throughout our history. Schools may not be teaching critical race theory as such, but today’s students — tomorrow’s leaders — need to explore why these disparities continue to exist.
Transportation experts say that much of the funds in Biden’s big bill just go towards highways and a carbon-intensive status quo.
Taking public meetings online was supposed to broaden civic engagement, but little has changed: The same vocal residents, interest groups and activists still dominate them. We need to find better ways.
With the passage of the federal infrastructure bill, transportation leaders in Illinois are gaining hope that the high-speed rail project that would connect Chicago to St. Louis can gain momentum.
