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May 1, 2014
How Zambian Cities Are Like American Suburbs
While the two regions' poverty problems are difficult to compare, both places have ignored the needs of their struggling populations -- until now.
Las Vegas Rolls the Dice on a New City Hall
Mayor Oscar Goodman sees a new city hall as the catalyst that will set off a wave of development downtown.
The Fascinating History of Parking
It's the untold chapter of America's love affair with its cars.
An Iconic 'Super Suburb' Seeks an Urban Makeover
Can Tysons Corner break with its auto-choked past?
Cyclists: Traffic Scofflaws
Cities are asking bikers to obey the rules.
A Competition to Re-Think the Suburbs
A little bit of absurdity may not be such a bad thing.
Urban Harvest
For urban agriculture to work, however, we'll need to stop talking about it in utopian terms.
High Time for the High Line
New York City is creating a park in the sky
June 3, 2009
NYC Transportation Commissioner on Shutting Down Broadway
Photo by Christopher Swope Janette Sadik-Khan is the transportation commissioner of New York City, and a leading proponent of idea that streets serve many uses...
Meet the Mayor
Touring the world of small-town mayors.
May 31, 2009
The Great White Right of Way
The biggest production on Broadway this summer won't be in a theater. Rather, the show will be out in the street, starring the road itself....
May 31, 2009
Recycling Recession
Recycling programs may be local in nature, but they're tied intrinsically to the global economy. That's never been clearer than in the past several months....
May 31, 2009
Envisioning the New Great White Way
The biggest production on Broadway this summer won't be in a theater. Rather, the show will be out in the street, starring the road itself....
The cul-de-sac, that symbol of suburban bliss, seems to be going out of favor.
April 30, 2009
Great Park Takes Shape
Ask 10 people what a park should be, and you're likely to get 10 different answers. Some think parks are for strolling, hiking, bicycling or rollerblading. Others...
A Gentler Jackhammer
No one would confuse Manhattan with a library reading room. But Mayor Michael Bloomberg's thinking did produce a noise code that is now a national model.
March 31, 2009
Road to Katrinaville
The idea of the Katrina cottage was always bigger than the house itself. It started with New Urbanist architects, who began drawing pictures of colorful...
March 31, 2009
Cottage Industry
A short walk from the quaint main street in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, architect Bruce Tolar is assembling a living museum of the Katrina-cottage movement. On...
Philly Aglow
The head of Philadelphia's business improvement district set out to bring European-style lighting to Philly's arts district,
February 28, 2009
Lofty Goals
Suddenly, everyone is talking about "green jobs." Task forces in Connecticut, Minnesota and New Mexico, among other states, are looking at how to attract, create...
December 31, 2008
One Crowded Capital
Nobody knows for sure how many people will descend on Washington, D.C., this month to witness Barack Obama's presidential inauguration. Mayor Adrian Fenty has...
November 30, 2008
Flakes of Danger
As winter sets in, mayors in northern climes may want to reflect on something that David Axelrod, one of the masterminds of Barack Obama's presidential...
August 31, 2008
Locked Up
On a ranch outside Cranfield, Mississippi, workers for the state's largest oil and gas operator are shooting a dense liquid 10,300 feet into the earth. The...
May 31, 2008
Revolution in the Stacks
Shalique Edmond has come to the Loft at Charlotte's children's library, as he does nearly every Saturday, to record a hip-hop song. In the library's...
December 31, 2007
The Man Who Owns Flint
On a cold, gray day in Flint, Michigan, Dan Kildee is walking down Stone Street. Like a lot of residential blocks in Flint, it looks...
Local Warming
It's too late to stop climate change. What we can do is plan for it.
Parks for Sale
Want to buy a city park? Detroit is looking at putting 92 of its parks up for sale. Most of them are tiny "pocket parks" in de-populating neighborhoods.
November 30, 2007
Local Warming
It's a blue-sky morning in Seattle, which means that Ron Sims can see the Cascades all the way from his downtown office. The mountain range...
November 30, 2007
Local Warming
It's a blue-sky morning in Seattle, which means that Ron Sims can see the Cascades all the way from his downtown office. The mountain range...
November 1, 2007
Cool Pragmatist
In his first inaugural speech, Bill White urged Houston to "embrace strangers." At the time, the new mayor didn't know just how much his call for inclusiveness, a big theme in his 2003 campaign, would be put to the test. Less than two years later, Hurricane Katrina would ravage Louisiana and Mississippi, and more than 100,000 strangers--neighbors, White likes to say--showed up on Houston's doorstep. Mayor White, and his city, gave them a bear hug.
Shrink Rap
On a sunny afternoon in Pittsburgh several weeks ago, a few dozen civic leaders from declining industrial cities met on the 31st floor of a downtown skyscraper.
October 12, 2007
Heads Up: 10.12.07
The rich really do get richer. WSJ (paid subsc) Why do MN docs see fewer pharma sales reps? NYT Detroit already has one ...
October 11, 2007
Heads Up: 10.11.07
Deer Park, that's an interesting tax! Chicago Trib Where the subprime loans are. (Hint: everywhere). WSJ (paid subsc) Outgoing head of AEI tells all about ...
October 10, 2007
Heads Up: 10.10.07
Can a California Raisin wannabe teach transit civility to a 17 year old? Our tipster in Sacramento thinks not. Bee Seattle Mayor Greg Nickles is everywhere. ...
October 1, 2007
Sweat, No Equity
Some states offer the chance to live in a run-down historic house for free in exchange for fixing it up.
October 1, 2007
The Wi-Fi That Wasn't
Citywide wireless networks aren't dead. It's just that the terms of the deals are changing--radically.
September 1, 2007
Tough Times For Locals
Florida lawmakers make deep cuts in the property tax and leave it to voters to OK even deeper cuts.
Fears of Collapse
Since last month's bridge disaster in Minneapolis, everyone's heard about America's 75,000 "structurally deficient" bridges. Although the label doesn't mean any of them are about to fall, the staggering stat reminds us how much government at all levels has neglected its infrastructure.
Something in the Water
Want to know how hooked on drugs your town is? There's a remarkable and rather gross new way to find out. Scientists now believe they can measure the prevalence of cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin in a community's raw sewage.
August 30, 2007
Muni WiFi: Not Dead Yet
Two bits of news have some media outlets putting municipal WiFi on life support.
Desert Downtown
A few years ago, I went to Phoenix in July. The temperature downtown was 106 degrees in the shade. Walking from my hotel to the convention center was a sweaty, lonely experience. Nobody else seemed brave enough, or perhaps dumb enough, to venture into this kiln on foot.
July 31, 2007
Powering Down
Saving electricity has never been a big priority in North Carolina. Power is cheap and plentiful, as it is across much of the South. These...
July 27, 2007
Heads Up: 7.27.07
WiFi may end a NJ institution: the beach badge. Newsday David Broder: Guvs on the sidelines in race for president. WaPo Wall Street relishes as ...
July 26, 2007
The Naked Road
What happens when you rip out all of the pedestrian "safety" features of a city street--the guardrails, the signposts, the white lines on ...
July 26, 2007
Heads Up: 7.26.07
Hurricane forecaster: global warming not linked to Atlantic storms. WSJ (paid subs) Study finds obesity spreads among social circles. WaPo FL spends $1 mil to tout ...
July 25, 2007
Heads Up: 7.25.07
Doctor shortage crimps MA health care experiment. WSJ Oakland weighs "goose poop Zamboni." SF Chronicle Iowa spends $4 million to save $3 million. Des Moines ...
July 25, 2007
Next Up For Zach: People Mag
Zach Patton, our colleague and 13th Floor blogmeister is out today. Which is the only reason why I'll get away with posting this item from ...
July 1, 2007
Domain Poisoning
How states and localities lost ground after their Supreme Court win on eminent domain--a tool they can use to turn around dying or dangerous neighborhoods.
July 1, 2007
Web Custodians
Kentucky's decision to block political blogs has rankled many state employees.
July 1, 2007
A Revenue Revives
Left for dead, corporate income taxes are making an unexpected contribution to state income.
Sell Out Already!
The sale of naming rights for stadiums, arenas and other public buildings is not nearly as controversial as it used to be. Perhaps we've all grown accustomed to the weird ring of venues such as Quicken Loans Arena or Merchantsauto.com Stadium. Or maybe, in an advertising- saturated world, we're now pros at tuning out corporate gobbledygook. Either way, our tolerance for sponsorship is growing
June 18, 2007
Don't Mess With Texas' Image
Last week, Texas followed in the footsteps of many states by passing a big tax break for movie productions. The hope, as always, is to ...
June 3, 2007
Surveying State Blogs
Attention, readers and writers of state blogs: Who are you? What blogs are you reading? What are you writing? Why? Don't tell me. Tell Emily ...
June 1, 2007
Heads Up: 6.1.07
Too-big big rig is a tin can in the Lincoln Tunnel. NYT Luxury hotel developer bets big on downtown Detroit. WSJ (paid subsc) Is Villaraigosa ...
In With the Old
One reason why the affordable housing problem seems so insurmountable is that we usually try to build our way out of it. There's never enough money to finance new homes for all the low-income people who could use them. And if you want to wake up the NIMBYs, just propose building a large subsidized housing complex.
May 31, 2007
Heads Up: 5.31.07
An artist's rendering of what an offshore wind farm would look like from the beach. WaPo A D.C. bureaucrat who's gettin' it done. WaPo ...
May 30, 2007
WiFi in the Ambulance
When I wrote about WiFi applications for government this month, I focused mostly on Corpus Christi, Texas, which has become something of a national laboratory ...
May 30, 2007
Heads Up: 5.30.07
Denver tests new model of child welfare. Rocky Mountain News Spitzer's new take on Wall Street. NYT NV Guv gets off to "suboptimal" ...
May 22, 2007
Sell Out Already
The selling of naming rights for stadiums, arenas and other public buildings is not nearly as controversial as it used to be. I'm not sure ...
May 21, 2007
Heads Up: 5.21.06
Is MI too broke to show the governors' convention a good time? Free Press Sal DiMasi: from Governing's cover to MA's top pol. Boston Globe. ...
Fiscal Romance
The town of Clayton, Missouri, loves neighboring Richmond Heights for its money. And Richmond Heights loves Clayton for its looks. If these two St. Louis suburbs get hitched, it'll be a Donald Trump-style wedding.
April 30, 2007
Working Without Wires
If you're looking for cadres of BlackBerry addicts or Bluetooth-heads, don't look in Corpus Christi. There's nary a laptop computer to be seen on the...
April 24, 2007
Big But on Baseball Bats
So much for the conservative crusade against the nanny state. Check out this quote from NYC, where the health issue du jour is baseball bats. ...
April 24, 2007
Queen of the State Blogs
I used to think that I'd keep up on state politics around the country by reading a lot of blogs. This was ages ago, maybe 2005, ...
April 20, 2007
On the Catwalk. On the Catwalk.
He was too sexy for his shirt. He was too sexy for your party. He was too sexy for Milan, New York and Japan. But ...
April 20, 2007
Heads Up: 4.20.07
Baby boomers are less fit than their parents. WaPo Corzine's well-wishers mix sympathy with resentment. NYT WSJ calls FL Gov. Crist's home insurance plan "...
April 19, 2007
Heads Up: 4.19.07
Crisis-prep refresher: Vincent T. Covello's 77 questions journalists ask during a crisis. Why governors drive dangerously fast. NYT Joel Kotkin says baby boomers will retire in ...
April 18, 2007
The First 100 Days...
How the time flies. The latest crop of new governors and mayors are finishing their first 100 days in office. Is the honeymoon over? Or are ...
April 5, 2007
If KITT Were a Bus, What Would He Say?
I've got Knight Rider on the brain. Really, I can't stop thinking about it. I didn't even watch the show much growing up. And I ...
March 31, 2007
The Retail Chase
Next month, legions of retailers, developers, bankers and brokers will descend on Las Vegas for one of the biggest schmooze fests in the world. It's...
March 31, 2007
The Retail Chase Q&A: Cynthia Stewart
Cynthia Stewart is director of community relations for the International Council of Shopping Centers. That makes Stewart something of a liaison between local government and...
March 31, 2007
The Retail Chase Q&A: Robert Gibbs
Robert Gibbs is a retail consultant based in Birmingham, Michigan, who works with cities as well as shopping center developers. I spoke with him about...
March 31, 2007
The Retail Chase Q&A: Timothy Angell
Timothy Angell is the deputy director for community and economic development in Des Plaines, Illinois. He also co-chairs an Illinois committee on public-private partnerships for...
March 15, 2007
A Better King
Talk about rebranding. King County, Washington was originally named in 1852 after Vice President William Rufus de Vane King, a plantation slave owner from Alabama. Later, ...
March 1, 2007
Static on the Grid
States that deregulated are trying to make competition work better for consumers and the state's power supply.
You can hardly blame Mayor Tom Menino for hating the building he works in. Boston's city hall is an intimidating concrete battleship from the 1960s. Nobody loves it except for a few architecture snobs, who value it as an icon of a style fittingly known as "Brutalism."
February 22, 2007
Warming Up in the Bullpen
For all the innovations that are spinning out of NYC under Mayor Mike Bloomberg, the idea that almost no other mayors are stealing is the ...
February 1, 2007
Disasters Unlimited
Insurance companies see a potential Katrina almost everywhere they look. And they want homeowners to pay in advance.
January 26, 2007
Guerilla Video, Gone Too Far
Forget all those legislative issues to watch we told you about. The big issue in legislatures this year is going to be YouTube, or more ...
January 24, 2007
See Ya Later, Gas Tax
So President Bush now wants to cut gasoline use by 20 percent. What's not to love about that? Here's one thing, if you're in the state ...
January 23, 2007
More Wiki Wackiness
Oh Wikipedia, when will you grow up? The latest victim of wiki-vandalism is Philly Mayor John Street. A couple of days ago, it seems, Hizzoner's ...
January 22, 2007
Your Legislative Fantasies, Realized
There's fantasy baseball, fantasy football and fantasy basketball. And if you scrape around the internet a bit, you'll find that there's even fantasy lacrosse, fantasy ...
January 17, 2007
It wasn't so long ago -- what, 2005? -- when Google would blow my mind, week after week, with new web toys. Just when I'd get ...
January 12, 2007
Mayor on Blogging: The Smartest Thing I've Ever Done
I've been trading e-mails with Bill Gentes, the "Blogging Mayor of Round Lake" in Illinois. Hizzoner has been keeping a blog for about ...
January 11, 2007
Wither the City Manager?
I'm sure all the city manager types among you have seen this NYT story by now. If you haven't, get reading. According to the Times, ...
January 11, 2007
Gentrification Fight Takes to YouTube
This Old House it's not. But this video and others on YouTube, posted by preservation activists in Houston, does represent something of a breakthrough. The ...
January 5, 2007
For Sale: Jonathan Walters' Driveway
After reading my article on how state and local governments are selling off their toll roads, parking garages and other assets, Governing Correspondent Jonathan Walters ...
January 1, 2007
Chipping in for Silicon Valley
San Jose capitalizes its own venture fund
December 31, 2006
Unloading Assets
Richard M. Daley might say, with a wink and a nod, that he's got a bridge he'd like to sell you. Except that Daley has...
December 31, 2006
Bradley Abelow
Bradley Abelow is the treasurer of New Jersey. In September, he asked the investment bank UBS to scour state government for assets to consider selling...
December 31, 2006
Dana Levenson
Dana Levenson is the chief financial officer of Chicago. A former banker, Levenson came to city government in 2004 as Chicago was wrapping up its $1.83 billion...
December 31, 2006
Edwin Harrison
Edwin Harrison is director of financial services for Harris County, Texas. Last year, Harris County looked into selling or leasing its 83 miles worth of toll...
December 19, 2006
Heads Up: 12.19.06
Philly heads explode with excitement over new Rocky flick. Inquirer Ding! St. Charles streetcar rides again in New Orleans. Times Picayune Will India follow U....
December 11, 2006
Nature's Redevelopment
Within minutes of arriving at the National League of Cities conference in Reno last week, I was out the door on a bus tour of ...
December 1, 2006
Competition For Credit Raters
Muni-bond issuers could have more agencies to choose from.
December 1, 2006
The 24-Hour Rush
In many metro areas, distinct periods of congestion have morphed into heavy traffic all day long.
December 1, 2006
A Question of Hours
Recent court rulings fail to settle a firestorm over how localities should deal with overtime pay for paramedics.
December 1, 2006
Bus Shelters Get a New Smell
I'm pretty keen on the marketing power of public transportation. Here in D.C. lately, brown-wrapped city buses have been turned into massive candy bars, ...
November 22, 2006
Just Ride It
If you were the C.E.O. of an airline, say, or a chain of restaurants, it would be pretty easy to put yourself in ...
November 3, 2006
Oregon Indexes Min Wage, Sky Doesn't Fall
As 13th floor readers know, I believe that indexing the minimum wage to inflation would be an excellent way to get Democrats and Republicans to ...
November 1, 2006
California's Auto Upgrade
Car insurance rates in the state can no longer be based first and foremost on the driver's address.
November 1, 2006
Abolitionist Apostle
On a mission to end chronic homelessness.
November 1, 2006
Smart Decline
In 40 years, Youngstown has lost more than half its population. Those people aren't coming back. But shrinking doesn't have to mean dying.
November 1, 2006
Checkout Challenge
I hope that every super- market executive in the country sees these pictures. What they show is the checkout line at the Trader Joe's grocery ...
October 19, 2006
Fried Coke Is More It Than Ever
The fried Coca-Cola craze is on. According to the Dallas Morning News, two more states--Arizona and North Carolina--are joining Texas in serving fried Coke at ...
October 17, 2006
Fenty v. Bobb
Here comes the next battle royale for control of a big-city school system. And it's happening right here on the streets below the 13th floor. ...
October 16, 2006
Heads Up: 10.16.06
Why do fewer people vote these days? WSJ (paid subsc) Forget hacking. Vote fraud's real problem is the voter database. MIT Tech Review Inner city ...
October 10, 2006
Fried Coke Is It
You've probably heard about "fried Coke," the latest delicacy at the fried-food bonanza that is the Texas State Fair. Well, I had the ...
October 8, 2006
Happy Columbus Day!
We're not working today because, frankly, neither are you. This is a new holiday for us here on the 13th floor -- thanks HR! -- ...
October 5, 2006
Reporters generally dislike press spokespeople. That's mostly because the P.R. folks, whom we call "flacks," make more money than we do. But ...
October 5, 2006
Heads Up: 10.5.06
Mormons like walkability in SLC. Salt Lake Tribune Are online classes easy As? UC cracks down. SacBee "Do they wear shoes?" One city's ...
October 4, 2006
An Inconvenient Poll
Still doubting global warming? Alaskans aren't--and they have a better read on the situation than the rest of us. A new poll shows that four ...
October 4, 2006
Heads Up: 10.4.06
Who are all those Goldman Sachs alums running New Jersey? NY Times Omaha discovers urban design. Metropolis What to do with that obsolete convention center? ...
October 2, 2006
Modern or Mundane?
As I wrote in October's Governing, mid-century modernism is turning 50. That means a slew of ranch houses, boxy glass office buildings and mimimalist concrete monuments ...
October 1, 2006
Honey, Our House is Historic!
Buildings from the mid-20th century are becoming eligible for landmark status. Local governments are trying to decide which are worth preserving.
September 22, 2006
Hear Evil, See No Evil
Now I'm all in favor of town hall meetings, feedback sessions, listening tours, whatever you want to call 'em. But this is pretty funny. The ...
September 19, 2006
How to Hack a Voting Machine
Wanna know how to hack the election? Not only have some scientists at Princeton told us how to do it. They've also made a hacker-friendly ...
September 15, 2006
What's Really in McGreevey's Closet
Brace yourselves. In the next week you'll hear more than you probably cared to know about Jim McGreevey's sex life. As the ex-NJ Guv's tell-all ...
September 6, 2006
On the Fence '06
DC Mayor: Who Should Chris Vote For? Boring Establishment Candidate Brash Charismatic Candidate Make Free Polls Help! Next Tuesday, we here in Washington, D.C., ...
September 1, 2006
The Clean-Coal Contest
Illinois and Texas are competing to host a demonstration project they hope will ignite a whole new industry.
Mississippl's Urbanist Odyssey
The ravaged Gulf Coast has a rare opportunity to recreate itself. But it has to decide what it wants to look like.
August 31, 2006
Fuel on the Fire
When it comes to disaster preparedness, sometimes you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't. Just ask the folks in storm-wary south ...
August 29, 2006
You could forgive Maryland Guv hopeful Martin O'Malley if Watergate crossed his mind. It seems an intruder broke into his Baltimore campaign office the other ...
August 23, 2006
Bad Reefers
Sinking ships, airplanes or even piles of rocks in the ocean to form aritificial reefs is a good idea. My dad, an avid SCUBA diver ...
August 21, 2006
Not So Sharpe
We gave you a Heads Up about this a little earlier, but it deserves a little more discussion. You can hardly blame Sharpe James. He ...
August 21, 2006
Pension Woes Mounting?
My "pension doom ahead" folder is bursting with clips lately. E.J. McMahon, writing in today's WSJ (paid subsc), argues that public pension ...
August 17, 2006
More Bobbletower Fun
Thanks to one of our readers for pointing out that the famous Leaning Tower of Sioux Falls, SD, the undemolishable ZIP Feed mill, is now ...
August 11, 2006
The Governor of Seattle
D.C. United, our hometown soccer club, played Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw the other night in a match played in Seattle. ...
August 9, 2006
Sensationalism on Parade
Most Sunday mornings when I read the newspaper, my issue of Parade Magazine goes straight into the garbage can, along with all the other stuff ...
July 21, 2006
Gulf Coast Day 5: The Wake in Waveland
There is so much destruction up and down the Mississippi coast that you can become inured to the sight of bombed out buildings and concrete ...
July 20, 2006
Gulf Coast Day 4: Big Box Bonanza
Like many of the towns along Mississippi's Gulf Coast, Gulfport has fallen in love with New Urbanism since Katrina. The city has held a series ...
July 19, 2006
Gulf Coast Day 3: Don't Leave Me High, Don't Leave Me Dry
Biloxi Councilman George Lawrence took me for a drive through his ward yesterday. It's a U-shaped gerrymander around the point of East Biloxi, where people ...
July 18, 2006
Gulf Coast Day 2: Well Hedged
Biloxi is a town that likes a good bet. Before Katrina, the city was pulling in $20 million a year in revenue from casinos. But how's ...
July 17, 2006
Gulf Coast Day 1: A Tale of Two Cities
I'll be down on the Gulf Coast all week, working on a year-after Katrina story. I'm focusing more on Mississippi (Rob Gurwitt drew the Louisiana ...
July 14, 2006
Pee in a Cup. Right Now.
How's this for a double dog dare? Bridgeport, Conn., Mayor John Fabrizi, who not long ago confessed to a coke habit, declares that he's ...
June 30, 2006
Who Needs a Governor's Mansion?
NJ Guv Jon Corzine isn't getting much sleep these days, what with a budget showdown looming and the Delaware River bursting its banks. So yesterday ...
June 29, 2006
A Bobblehead Too Far
Need more proof that the bobblehead craze is three years past peak? Introducing the state legislator bobblehead, starring New York Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno. ...
June 27, 2006
The Sarbox Tax
I'm doing some reporting on corporate income taxes, and looking at why collections are shooting up so fast in almost all 50 states (See this NGA/...
June 27, 2006
WiFi Buzzkill
Uh oh. The New York Times popped the question that no city official who's drunk on WiFi hype wants to think about. Here it is: ...
June 26, 2006
TQM Fades PDQ
Why do management fads come and go so fast? Blame consultants, says a new study, reported in yesterday's Wall Street Journal (paid subscription). Looking at ...
June 26, 2006
Profile in Courage
When Doug Duncan dropped out of the Maryland governor's race last week due to his struggles with clinical depression, he achieved a civic good ...
June 1, 2006
Is There a Druggist in the House?
A Florida county brings the pharmacy to its workplace
June 1, 2006
In the Zone
The pictorial approach to building codes
June 1, 2006
Stranded Seniors
Suburban life revolves around the car. When elderly residents are no longer able to drive, getting around gets complicated.
May 18, 2006
Hybrids in the HOV: It Works!
For as long as states such as Arizona, California and Virginia have let drivers of hybrid-electric cars ride solo in highway carpool lanes, there's only ...
May 12, 2006
The Blogging Bill Bratton
Add LAPD Chief and noted gang-buster Bill Bratton to the list of high-profile local bloggers. Bratton's opening post today calls the newly launched LAPD blog &...
May 11, 2006
I've just spent an hour listening to various governors' podcasts. I wouldn't normally fill my mornings with such masochism. But ever since my optometrist squirted ...
May 1, 2006
When Winning is Losing
Eminent domain is now a hammer property rights proponents are using to alter zoning codes.
May 1, 2006
WIFI Free-For-All
Strategies for building municipal wireless networks are evolving fast. But are they prudent in the long run?
April 25, 2006
Whose Roadkill is This?
Local governments always complain about states passing responsibilities (and costs) down to them. But this takes the cake. NJ Guv Jon Corzine is proposing to ...
April 21, 2006
The Patronage Trap, ctd.
There's an interesting debate over political patronage going on at Illinois' Capitol Fax Blog. You'll want to check it out, especially if you're one of ...
April 21, 2006
A Little Less Creative
Burnt out on the Richard Florida wars yet? Wait! There's more! The Census Bureau just released some data on domestic migration. By this gauge, the ...
April 19, 2006
Sell American
So you're thinking of selling off a highway or two. But you saw how that whole Dubai ports thing shook out. Foreign ownership = bad politics, ...
April 14, 2006
He Does Know Disasters
I was aware that Michael D. Brown, that is, Brownie, the man who depending on your point of view either botched the feds' response to ...
April 13, 2006
To Zone or Not to Zone
Among land-use planners, Houston, the only big city without zoning, is a handy punch line. Houstonians, in turn, tend to sound both defensive and Texas-proud ...
April 13, 2006
Walkable Tax Breaks
Critics have long called tax incentives for businesses "corporate welfare." But are those tax breaks any better if they're directed at companies that ...
April 12, 2006
How to Fix the Property Tax
Eric Anderson, the city manager of Tacoma, came by the 13th Floor last week and floated an interesting idea: What if we paid for local ...
April 3, 2006
What do you get when you cross the plumbers' union with flushless toilets? A political disaster, if you're Philadelphia. The city, it seems, has been ...
April 3, 2006
Flu Pandemic: Fend for Yourself
Maybe this goes without saying, after Katrina. But lately Mike Leavitt, the federal health secretary, has been saying it directly to local officials: you're on ...
April 1, 2006
Coal Converts
When it comes to lining up new energy sources, a number of states see plain old coal as the cleanup hitter.
April 1, 2006
Wiki Skirmishes
Online profiles of politicians have become battlegrounds for both spin doctors and mischief makers.
April 1, 2006
Heavyweights on TV
Cable and telecom companies are slugging it out over franchises. Some localities may get hurt.
March 28, 2006
Life in the Plutoburbs
Here in the D.C. area, everyone knows the most rapid growth is occuring out in the exurbs. A list of fast-growing counties without Virginia's ...
March 27, 2006
P.R. on a Platter
There are two tried-and-true routes to good P.R. You can earn it through effective spin, or buy it through effective advertising. Now Alaska Guv ...
March 24, 2006
Technicolor Transit
Don't let anyone tell you L.A.'s not a transit town. In fact, the city's got so many transit lines -- the Red Line, ...
March 22, 2006
Joining Them
Have big telecom and cable companies had a change of heart? It used to be that whenever the topic of municipal wireless came up, they ...
March 15, 2006
Kitty Kooks
Cat owners are nuts. There, I said it. Bring on the hate mail. The latest proof is the response to a bill recently introduced in ...
March 13, 2006
Friendly Skies?
Who's the most frequent flyer on Alaska's new state jet? Not Guv Frank Murkowski. The AP analyzed the jet's first three months of action and ...
March 8, 2006
Street Fight
It didn't win an Oscar on Sunday, but one of the documentaries that was nominated is a film that anyone interested in local politics would ...
March 1, 2006
A Merger's Ripple Effect
Department store buyout will be a job close-out
March 1, 2006
Coming Up for Air
Strong revenues spell less stress for states and localities, but budget relief may be short lived.
February 22, 2006
Does the Middle Class Need Housing Subsidies?
$70,000. That's the household income level that Fort Lauderdale is considering as the cutoff for a new housing aid program. Yeah, Fort Lauderdale's got some pricey ...
February 19, 2006
Got Breast Milk?
A growing number of states and cities have a message for people who get squeamish about seeing women breast-feed their babies in public. And that ...
February 14, 2006
We hear big business saying it again and again: Washington, save us from the states! It's tough enough being regulated by one government in D....
February 14, 2006
Having a hard time keeping track of Chicago's corruption scandals? Try this "game" of Clue--called "Clout"--by the Chicago Tribune. Did ...
February 10, 2006
A Fireable Offense?
Did NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg go overboard when he sacked one of his employees in Albany for playing solitaire on the job? "I expect ...
February 10, 2006
Wiki Wackies
The first time I saw Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that anyone can add to or modify, my very first thought was--like everyone else's--this is pretty ...
February 1, 2006
Faster Than a Speeding Turtle
New high-tech tools can make buses a lot more efficient than they used to be. Will that be enough to satisfy riders?
February 1, 2006
Closing Time: A Master Plan for Doing More with Less
Hoping to shore up its ailing hospital industry, New York is shrinking the number of health care facilities in the state. It is doing so by using a process similar to the way the Pentagon closes military bases.
January 31, 2006
Kaine's Management Message
On the campaign trail last year, Tim Kaine never hesitated to mention Virginia's top-shelf grade in Governing's last management scorecard. So I wasn't too surprised ...
January 27, 2006
House Seat For Sale
No, this isn't about Jack Abramoff. It's about a listing on eBay. Someone is currently selling a vintage chair from the Illinois House of Reps. ...
January 25, 2006
Franchise Players
The U.S. Conference of Mayors is meeting in Washington this week, a convenient two blocks from our perch on the 13th floor. I popped ...
January 24, 2006
The Smoke Vote
There's still a lot of opposition to banning smoking at bars. Just ask any member of the puffing masses standing outside pubs in a growing ...
January 20, 2006
Minimum Wage (ctd.)
There's a friendly battle going on in the comments section over my last post on indexing the minimum wage. Just to stoke the fire a ...
January 18, 2006
How To End The Wage War (Updated)
Maryland's legislature continued its pro-labor tear this week by voting to raise the state's minimum wage to $6.15 an hour. I'll leave aside for now the ...
January 17, 2006
Do State Blogs Tilt Left?
I've been doing a lot of hunting for blogs lately. I'm looking for blogs that are both tightly focused on state government news, politics or ...
January 12, 2006
NJ Slogan: The Winner Is...
Acting-Guv Codey was pulling for "New Jersey: Love at First Sight." I was pulling for "New Jersey: The Real Deal." ...
January 11, 2006
An Arena Done Right?
When it comes to stadiums and arenas, the argument we hear again and again in favor of them is that they'll spur economic development in ...
January 11, 2006
Arnold "Never Thought About" Cycle License (UPDATED)
Apparently the Governator didn't have the appropriate motorcycle license when he crashed his Harley into an SUV on Sunday. Staff says he won't ride again ...
January 10, 2006
Smoking's Last Bastions
Smoking bans aren't big news any more. Actually, what I find more interesting than a city or state passing a new ban is seeing which ...
January 10, 2006
Statehouse Blogs: Easy Come, Easy Go
Figuring out which statehouse blogs are worth reading is a bit like playing whack-a-mole. Blogs pop up, gain fans, and then disappear as soon as ...
January 9, 2006
Who Said Mag Rankings are Bogus?
Is fat fit? How else do we explain this? * Men's Fitness magazine ranks Baltimore the #1 fittest city in the U.S. * Men's Health magazine ranks ...
January 9, 2006
Schwarzenegger, Son Hurt in Crash
The good news is Arnold and his 12-year old son are OK after crashing their Harley yesterday. The bad news is that the Governator has ...
January 6, 2006
Don't Drink the Water
Yesterday on the 13th floor, the water cooler talk was about the water cooler itself. I'm not sure which Governing staffer was the first to ...
January 4, 2006
San Diego Sack Attack
Jerry Sanders, the new mayor of San Diego, wants resignation letters from all of his middle- and top-managers this week. Going out with a bang? ...
January 3, 2006
The Voice in Our Heads
Say it loud: "DOORS CLOSING!" Say it dorky: "Doooors Cloooooosing!" Say it sultry, say it breathy, say it Iraqi, but however ...
January 3, 2006
A Par $20 Million Hole
How did Tennessee taxpayers wind up in the drink on a bunch of Jack Nicklaus-designed golf courses? The Tennessean has this great story showing how ...
January 1, 2006
The Code War
As governments move toward uniform building codes, they are being lobbied by two rival groups that offer competing sets of standards.
January 1, 2006
Mining the Future
For 125 years, miners hauled gold out of the Homestake mine in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Now that the mine has closed, Governor Mike Rounds thinks Homestake is due for a second gold rush, led by scientists whose work must be performed deep underground.
December 30, 2005
Part D-Day
The new Medicare prescription drug benefit begins to kick in on Sunday. Given the confusion swirling around "Part D," Baltimore is treating the ...
December 29, 2005
And the Transit Strike Winner Is...
The NYC transit workers' union got in 60 hours of right hooks, then went up against the ropes. And the New York Times today declares that ...
December 27, 2005
Eminent Domain: Is Winning Losing?
The backlash against the Supreme Court's affirmation of eminent domain has grown so intense that a key state redevelopment official now says "we would ...
December 26, 2005
Hip to Be Square
What makes a great public square? The people at the Project for Public Spaces, who Rob Gurwitt profiled in Governing in April, spend a lot ...
December 22, 2005
Alaska Preps for Tsunami
Augustine, an island volcano off the coast of Alaska, is rumbling. The photo here is from December 12. Scientists say the chances of an eruption triggering ...
December 22, 2005
NJ Slogan Update
After sorting through thousands of "What exit?" jokes and lines from the Sopranos, my home state's hapless search for a new slogan is ...
December 21, 2005
Sack The Transit Workers?
Stephen Malanga of the Manhattan Institute wants New York to rip a page from the Gipper's playbook. Fire the striking transit workers, he says today ...
December 21, 2005
Windfelled Windfall
Who says hurricanes are all bad? Florida's coffers are stuffed with $800 million in sales tax revenue related to hurricane reconstruction. (That's the 2004 hurricanes). Even more ...
December 20, 2005
Just when you thought labor unions were dying, New York's transit strike reminds us that labor, at least in state and local government, remains quite ...
December 18, 2005
Who Pays for Pollution?
Do sprawling residential and commercial developments cause air pollution? Officials in California's San Joaquin Valley think so. Last week they passed what they believe to ...
December 9, 2005
Cell Towers: Unfine Pine
Wait: Is that a tree on steroids or a cell phone tower? It's usually not hard to tell the difference. As these pictures show, communications ...
December 7, 2005
Mel Gibson for California Guv?
First it was liberals who bandied the names of actor Warren Beatty and director Rob Reiner as '06 Arnold alternatives. Now it's conservatives who are ...
December 6, 2005
The Leaning Tower of Sioux Falls
What do you do when you throw a demolition party, but the building to be imploded refuses to cooperate? Sioux Falls, South Dakota has this ...
December 6, 2005
The Wizards From Oz
Who are those Aussies who are going around building, buying and investing in U.S. highways? The Wall Street Journal today (paid subscription) profiles Macquarie ...
December 5, 2005
Interview With Ed Rendell
Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell stopped by the 13th floor last week. He was in town to talk about some clean energy initiatives he's been promoting. ...
December 2, 2005
Friday Morning Irony Report
The mayor of a village called Justice, Illinois gets indicted? No way. Way.
December 2, 2005
City Schools Improve (Some)
Here's the big-urban school performance report that's getting so much press today. (Look here for city-by-city results in reading; here for math). The news overall ...
December 1, 2005
Taking The Heat
States are ponying up millions to keep homes warm.
December 1, 2005
A Roof To Start With
Cities are moving homeless people straight from the street into permanent housing--no questions asked. It's controvesial, but it's showing results.
November 28, 2005
Gambling on Hedge Funds?
Hedge funds are the really hot thing on Wall Street, which may be as good a sign as any that they are something for investors ...
November 23, 2005
Ouch! A Reality Check on Retirees
The Wall Street Journal has a frightening front-page piece (paid subsc.) today on (yet another!) looming financial crisis facing state and local governments. This one ...
November 22, 2005
Who Knew? Water Employees Make Great Bloggers
We've given a few blogging mayors and governors a hard time on the 13th Floor for infrequent posting, ghost-posting and not loosening their, ahem, bow ...
November 21, 2005
Those Polls on Sexy Pols
Blogs have only been around for a couple of years, so the medium is still evolving. Yet I'm ready to declare one unassailable truth: all ...
November 17, 2005
It Was the Best of Time, It Was the Worst of Time
Somehow we on the 13th Floor let Time Magazine's 5-best/3-worst governors piece slip by us this week. It's not that we didn't notice it. ...
November 17, 2005
Ethics: That'll Cost You
Ethics reforms passed by Philadelphia voters last week will cost $1 million to implement, the Philly Inquirer reports today. Want to regulate no-bid contracts more tightly? ...
November 17, 2005
Lovefest for an Acting Governor
My mom can be pretty tough on politicians. She's been dumping a lot on President Bush lately, just as she dumped on President Clinton before ...
November 16, 2005
Jesse Ventura Bodyslams Lady Luck
There are lots of respectable ways for governors to sell out once they leave office. Lobbying, for example, is lucrative and perfectly legal. But Jesse ...
November 16, 2005
A Mini-FEMA?
Here's a twist on FEMA Bashfest 2005: the mayor of Pembroke Pines, Fla., proposes creating a "mini-FEMA" for his city. The Sun-Sentinel reports that ...
November 15, 2005
The Omnipotent Ray Kelly
Who are the most powerful unelected state and local officials in the country? When Governing writer John Buntin and I got talking about this some ...
November 14, 2005
More People Working in their Peejays
Is telecommuting becoming more popular than transit? A new report by the Reason Foundation looks at this and other questions around working from home. One ...
November 11, 2005
Toll Time for the Big Apple?
Could high-tech congestion tolls work in Manhattan as they have in London? The NYC media is buzzing about this, apparently in the expectation that Mike ...
November 11, 2005
Back to the Future at New City Hall
Is this the city hall of the future? That's what Governing asked back in 2000, when San Jose was planning its new civic center. Well, the ...
November 9, 2005
VA Gov Race: Kaine = Warner Worked
The Washington Post's take on the VA governors' race: Gov. Warner's got coattails. Also: Kaine finds religion in a way that works for Democrats.
November 9, 2005
Voting Booth, Box Office Divorce
Here's the LA Times' take on why all four of Arnold's ballot measures failed: He wasn't asking voters so much to "join Arnold" ...
November 9, 2005
Governing.com Election Coverage and Analysis
Full coverage is here. Initiatives & referenda roundup is here. Mayors & local race roundup is here.
November 9, 2005
Did Rosa Parks' Death Help Kilpatrick?
The Detroit Free Press calls Parks' passing "the unquantifiable X-factor" in Kwame Kilpatrick's comeback.
November 8, 2005
Election Night LiveBlogging
Yummy off-year election results! Eat them up tonight. Mmmm! The feast begins at 6 pm ET.
November 8, 2005
Iowa A.G.: There's no Tobacco Cartel
Iowa's Attorney General, Tom Miller, called me the other day to complain about a story I wrote in Governing's October issue. The piece, about the ...
November 7, 2005
Election Night LiveBlogging
Admit it, junkies: This is why you got broadband at home. Tomorrow night, on the 13th Floor. Here's the pre-game.
November 4, 2005
Election Night LiveBlogging
Here, on the 13th Floor. If we don't do it, who will? Get the preview.
November 3, 2005
Prince Charles, New Urbanist
It's not exactly Royal Fever that's hit D.C. this week, but the visit by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall is ...
November 3, 2005
Pandemic Planning's Missing Link
The Washington Post reports today that the new federal plan for handling pandemic flu "counts heavily on the public's cooperation and good sense." ...
November 1, 2005
Disaster's Wake
The aftermath of Katrina and Rita has states and localities dusting off their disaster-response plans. But there's more they could and should be doing.
November 1, 2005
Reaching Into The Lab: Illinois Puts An Added Value On Stem Cell Scientists
States are accustomed to poaching businesses from one another using tax breaks. In the biotech era, however, it may be enough to poach scientists.
November 1, 2005
First Tuesday Confusion
Josh Goodman's post below sizes up the stakes in today's Colorado TABOR election. But the question I was left with was this: Why is Colorado ...
October 25, 2005
A Breakthrough on Homelessness?
I'm headed off to San Francisco tomorrow to see how Mayor Gavin Newsom (pictured) is handling his city's notorious homeless problem. San Francisco, like a ...
October 19, 2005
Pensioners' Plaza
I still can't decide whether to file this item in my "Pension Fund Power" folder, or the newly created "Haley Barbour & ...
October 18, 2005
UnSaintly Economic Development
Has the Lone Star State's noteworthy generosity after Hurricane Katrina morphed into old-fashioned Texas opportunism? One can't help but wonder, with the news that San ...
October 17, 2005
Be Careful What You Blog
Is blogging becoming a workplace hazard? It is for one elementary school teacher in Texas. According to the AP, she resigned after it became known ...
October 13, 2005
Rebel Mayors No More
Kwame Kilpatrick, Detroit's "hip-hop mayor," said yesterday that he'll stop wearing the diamond earring that has been his trademark for the past four ...
October 13, 2005
A Win for Anonymous Bloggers
Bloggers everywhere are beating their chests about the Delaware Supreme Court's decision last week that an anonymous blogger's identity can stay a secret. The case ...
October 6, 2005
Blue in the Seat
I wasn't thrilled to see this piece in yesterday's New York Times about how avid bicycling can contribute to male impotence and, well, other boy ...
October 5, 2005
Conquering Alaska
My friend Jim is a travel fanatic. He is also a list man. He is intent on stepping foot in all 50 states and their capitals, ...
October 4, 2005
Wi-Fi for All?
People who believe that cities should provide wireless Internet for all their citizens are feeling pretty good this week. Philadelphia picked Earthlink to build and ...
October 3, 2005
Sunday Reads
Ism alert! The New York Times Magazine assesses: Spitzerism: "Spitzer's approach...has infuriated Republican critics and helped individual Democrats win statewide office, [but] so ...
October 1, 2005
Risk and Responsibility
If the feds always pay the tab for disaster relief, there's little local incentive to halt risky development.
October 1, 2005
Like Putting Mascara On A Battleship
Big-box stores with fancy decoration are still just big boxes.
October 1, 2005
Puff Of Collusion
Cigarette companies and state regulators have discovered it pays to stick together.
October 1, 2005
Duop Music
Broadband politics is turning out to be mostly just a game for two. That's not always good.
October 1, 2005
Hybrid Confusion
Some hybrid cars can save government a lot of money. Others don't save it a dime.
October 1, 2005
Rethinking The Urban Speedway
For decades, highway engineers focused on designing wider, straighter, faster roads. Now, moving traffic quickly is no longer the sole goal.
September 30, 2005
We All Make Mistakes
Be careful what you blog. Fernando Ferrer, the Democrats' hopeful for NYC mayor, is in trouble for a mistake on his campaign blog. In a ...
September 29, 2005
Broadband Duopoly, ctd.
If it feels a bit drafty around your state's capitol these days, the breeze may be coming from all those telephone and cable lobbyists chatting ...
September 28, 2005
White Lawmaker Wants to Join Black Caucus
No, this isn't from the Onion. For real: Tennessee State Rep. Stacey Campfield, pictured here, has been asking what it would take for him to ...
September 26, 2005
Houston Jam Session
Now the lessons learned from Rita are coming in. The biggie for now has to do with evacuating a giant city like Houston--and that massive ...
September 23, 2005
Godspeed, Rick Perry
As Rita nears, the conventional wisdom seems to be that Katrina's lessons have already been learned. I guess we'll find out soon enough if that's ...
September 22, 2005
The Absentocracy, ctd.
There's a phenomenon we've been talking about on the 13th floor for years. We call it the "absentocracy." The concept comes down to ...
September 22, 2005
The Antonio Show
L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is starring in an episode of ABC-TV's "The George Lopez Show," set to air October 5. I suppose we ...
September 21, 2005
Stoked Alaska
Those rumors you've always heard about Alaska paying its residents to live there? All true. As true as the love found each month in the ...
September 19, 2005
Why They Stayed
Why did so many people stay in New Orleans despite Ray Nagin's mandatory evacuation order? We've all got our own theories. People are stubborn; they've ...
September 15, 2005
Tone Test
As Louisiana tries to get back to business, you have to wonder if New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin wishes he could take back a few ...
September 15, 2005
Blame Game, ctd.
Brownie speaks out. Surprise! It was all Governor Blanco's fault. My mom always told me, if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't......
September 14, 2005
Bond Bust Ahead?
How does a city or state pay off its bonds if a big chunk of its tax base disappears? That's one of the lingering questions ...
September 13, 2005
Picking up the Pace
Kudos to DC Mayor Tony Williams, who is picking up the pace on his blog. Williams took some heat on the 13th floor a few ...
September 13, 2005
Blackout Boss
With all the disasters and crises lately, there's no shortage of Giuliani moments for local officials. Or, I should say, potential Giuliani moments (I suppose ...
September 12, 2005
Blame Game
Two weeks after Katrina, a little clarity is finally settling in about what went wrong in New Orleans between the feds, the state and the ...
September 9, 2005
Poor Vs. Poor?
At least 23 states are now taking in evacuees from areas hit by Hurricane Katrina. It's a tremendous show of generosity, and will certainly cost the ...
September 8, 2005
Fixing San Diego
Governing Staff Writer Alan Greenblatt has just returned from the scene of a municipal disaster. And I'm not talking about New Orleans. Rather, Alan has ...
September 1, 2005
Civilizing the Alley
New Urbanists promote back streets to bring neighbors together.
September 1, 2005
Data Delivery: Rap Sheets in Real Time
Crime fighters in New York City have a new high-tech tool for catching perps. It's a massive data warehouse, run by a team of analysts and investigators who can put valuable information in detectives' hands before they even arrive at a crime scene.
August 31, 2005
Is Riding the Bus Sexy?
Yes, very hot indeed--at least according to this promo. This is an ad for D.C.'s new "Downtown Circulator" bus. The Circulator ...
August 26, 2005
Blog, Tony, Blog!
DC mayor Tony Williams may know how to manage a big city. But Mayor Bow Tie is clearly having a harder time figuring out how ...
August 5, 2005
McGreevey's Memoirs
Put this on next year's summer reading list. Former NJ Governor and "gay American" Jim McGreevey has a book deal. The tell-all will ...
August 5, 2005
Free Kick?
(Image: Metrostars/Rossetti) New Jersey and Hudson County finally have a deal for a pro soccer stadium in the town of Harrison. And it's a ...
August 4, 2005
Broadband Duopoly
Want to see broadband competition in your city? Don't bet on seeing more than two high-speed internet providers: your cable company (selling cable-modem service) and ...
August 3, 2005
Backwater State Capitals
Let's face it: a lot of state capitals are one horse towns. I know this because this magazine has sent me to such exciting power ...
August 2, 2005
Publish And Perish?
Tired of getting bad press? Why not start up your own newspaper? That's what the Miami-Dade County Commission did. Their paper is called The Chamber ...
August 1, 2005
Ready for Prime Time: Internet Sales Taxes are a Giant Step Closer
Internet sales taxes go live on October 1. That's when online retailers will be asked to start collecting the tax--at least for the 18 states that have recently passed laws simplifying and harmonizing their sales tax systems. The big question for this meticulously designed scheme, which is strictly voluntary for the retailers, is how many of them will actually sign up.
July 28, 2005
Capitalizing on Tragedy?
In an odd twist of patriotism and opportunism, Somerset County, PA, where United Airlines flight 93 crashed on 9/11/01, is now branding itself "America's County." ...
July 28, 2005
How Not To Talk To The Press
An Alaska wildlife official who is the state's point man on bear-human relations is under strict orders to not talk to the press, reports the ...
July 26, 2005
Scooped in Beantown
Editors at the Boston Herald have a hunch as to why their rivals at the Boston Globe have a way of busting up the Herald's ...
July 26, 2005
Como Se Dice "Pothole?"
Antonio Villaraigosa, L.A.'s first Hispanic mayor since 1872, shows us that the first thing on a new mayor's mind, in any language, is basically ...
July 14, 2005
Hands-Free: Not What It's Cracked Up to Be
So you're driving home from work, and decide on a whim to call Mayor Bloomberg (home number: 212-772-1081) from your car. Being responsible, not ...
July 13, 2005
Mayor Bloomberg's Home Phone Number Is 212-772-1081
So you thought Mike Bloomberg, the billionaire mayor of NYC was out of touch with common folks? Think again. The NY Times reports today that ...
July 11, 2005
Dressing Up The Big Box
Even Wal-Mart seems willing to admit that its traditional gray-blue mega-box stores are ugly. The question is, what do you do about it? Too many ...
July 1, 2005
Trying to Buy Smarter
Pennsylvania is moving its big construction contracts away from the low-bid model.
July 1, 2005
Instant Influence
A new generation of web scribes is shaking up state capitol politics.
July 1, 2005
The Great Outdoors
Cities discover the profit in parks
June 16, 2005
Homeless Problem: Four Times Worse Than We Thought?
Los Angeles County this year has worked extra hard to get as complete a count as possible of the homeless people on its streets and ...
June 16, 2005
Kwame's Trip to the Bahamas? Priceless.
Will somebody just cut up Kwame Kilpatrick's credit card? This time the Detroit mayor is in trouble for charging a trip to the Bahamas on ...
June 16, 2005
Parks' People Problem
Parks are there for people to use them, right? Then why is it so hard for cities to figure out how many people actually hang ...
June 10, 2005
No More Gun Fun?
Don't you sometimes just want to blow the head off a bighorn sheep from the comfort of your living room? Not in Pennsylvania, if a ...
June 10, 2005
An Ark Full of Newarks
What does Newark, NJ (pop. 245,000) have in common with Newark, Missouri (pop. 100)? Nothing more than the name, of course. Apparently, that's enough for the mayor ...
June 7, 2005
Death of the Megaproject?
Now that NYC's West Side stadium is dead, the NY Times today asks a good question: is it possible to build big stuff anymore? Surely ...
June 1, 2005
Splish Splash
A City Sees a New Way To Keep Kids Cool
June 1, 2005
Power Alignment
Four Western states agree to back a "superhighway" for electricity.
May 1, 2005
The Fast Lane
As gridlock gets worse and technology improves, the use of toll lanes and other market-based tools to regulate rush-hour driving is gaining acceptance.
May 1, 2005
Sticking it to the Cities
Revenue losses add up in localities where hockey teams are supposed to play.
May 1, 2005
High-Tech Hide-And-Seek
A new sport called "geocaching" presents a challenge for park managers.
April 1, 2005
Coming Clean: States Ask Hospitals to Report Infection Rates
A growing number of states are requiring hospitals to report how many patients come down with infections while in their care. Disclosure is meant to inform consumers, while pressuring hospitals to deliver better care.
April 1, 2005
Brave New Telecom World
Internet telephone communication is an exciting new prospect. Unless it's your job to regulate it.
March 1, 2005
Byte Bait
North Carolina Ponies Up for Computer Jobs
March 1, 2005
Municipal Makeovers
Had Robert Moses, New York City's legendary planning commissioner, lived to see reality television, he probably would have loved the premise of "Town Haul," a new show on The Learning Channel.
March 1, 2005
Rolling the Credits
States are competing to lure filmmakers from Hollywood by offering hefty tax breaks. Are they giving away too much?
February 1, 2005
The Boiling Point
New York Counties Under Extreme Fiscal Pressure
February 1, 2005
Kansas Court Says Pay Up
Kansas lawmakers have until April 12 to increase funding for education in the wake of a state Supreme Court ruling last month.
February 1, 2005
Biotech Sprawl?
Palm Beach County's biotech dreams are temporarily on hold, as a plan to turn a 1,900 acre orange grove into a cluster of life science businesses has triggered an anti-sprawl backlash.
February 1, 2005
The Chill Factor
Like most cities with large homeless populations, Berkeley, California, has a problem with transients abandoning bags or shopping carts of their belongings on the streets. What's unusual about Berkeley is what city officials do with all that stuff: They freeze it.
February 1, 2005
Teaching in a Bubble
Nancy S. Grasmick, Maryland's superintendent of schools, has fond memories of reading comic books as a child. She liked Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse, and especially enjoyed Archie.
February 1, 2005
The eHealth Impulse
States and localities will play a key role in developing regional systems to track medical records digitally.
January 1, 2005
The Big Band Era
The quest for rapid and robust Internet access has cities grappling with how to bring the best of broadband to their businesses and residents.
January 1, 2005
Extreme Makeover: Clean Energy Peps Up Its Image
Electricity deregulation means that customers can choose clean-energy options to power their homes. But the question on the collective minds of five Northeastern states was why so few buyers picked solar, wind or hydro-electric alternatives--power sources that are better for the environment than fossil fuels.
January 1, 2005
Banner Results
This was a survey that would have made Betsy Ross proud: hundreds of flag experts studied the flags of 150 U.S. cities on the Internet and rated them. And when the results came in last fall, Washington, D.C., could proudly boast that it has the best municipal flag in the land.
January 1, 2005
Extreme Makeover: Clean Energy Peps Up its Image
Electricity deregulation means that customers can choose clean-energy options to power their homes. But the question on the collective minds of five Northeastern states was why so few buyers picked solar, wind or hydro-electric alternatives--power sources that are better for the environment than fossil fuels.
December 1, 2004
The Artful Blogger
Web logs are popping up in the public sector.
December 1, 2004
Securing the Safety Net
A county plans to buy a bankrupt hospital.
December 1, 2004
Bucks Stop Here: Minneapolis Puts Citizen Satisfaction in Ones Man's Hands
Minneapolis has hired a manager to act as something of a customer service czar, responsible for deploying a new 311 call center, one- stop permitting and performance measurement.
November 1, 2004
Florida's Big Pharma Deal Fizzles
Medicaid contract for disease management fails a fiscal test.
November 1, 2004
Food Fight
Los Angeles takes on the 'big boxes'
November 1, 2004
A Turbulent Time for Hubs
Pittsburgh is prepared for the worst now that its hometown airline, US Airways, has slipped into Chapter 11 bankruptcy for a second time ["Wing and a Prayer," January].
October 1, 2004
Material Breach
A white picket fence around a house is an American icon, as heavy in symbolism as its weight in wood. But is a white picket fence still a "white picket fence" if it is made from vinyl instead of real wood?
October 1, 2004
Swing State Blues
Every time candidates make a campaign stop, towns incur lots of expenses.
October 1, 2004
Emergency Repair
Louisville to let EMS stand on its own.
October 1, 2004
Brought To You By...
Increasingly, cash-strapped cities are seeking corporate sponsorships and signing lucrative marketing deals. Is there anything that's not for sale?
September 1, 2004
Nano News: States Put Big Money Into Tiny Technology
Oregon has opened a state-funded center for nanotechnology research, joining a growing number of states that are pinning big economic development dreams on small devices.
September 1, 2004
Planning on a Turnaround
Washington, D.C.'s city council voted in July to create a powerful entity that will guide $8 billion worth of redevelopment along the Anacostia River.
September 1, 2004
Whizz Show
Booze flows freely on New Orleans' anything-goes Bourbon Street, where the only lewd behavior the cops seem to get fussy about is peeing in public. Relief is on the way, though, both for drinkers who can't hold it in and for residents who are tired of seeing their streets and alleys used as a urinal.
September 1, 2004
DROP Outs
A seemingly simple device to keep retirement-age workers on the job is turning into a pension plan debacle.
August 1, 2004
Late Bloomer
New York's businessman-mayor is learning politics the hard way. But he's learning it.
August 1, 2004
Sweet Nothings
As schools take up the fight against child obesity, soda machines and french fries are clear targets. But one public school in Massachusetts has identified another indulgence that could be making kids fat: birthday parties.
August 1, 2004
Hud Creates a Housing Crisis
Cuts to Section 8 funding leave local housing authorities in the lurch.
July 1, 2004
Building Up Biotech
New Jersey takes on a touchy issue
July 1, 2004
Advice from Austin to Baghdad
Austin, Texas, is a well-run city, and by now managers there are accustomed to sharing their "best practices" with others. But Austin's latest consulting gig is a bit unusual: helping the U.S. Army run Baghdad.
July 1, 2004
Recovery Relief Trickles In
State revenues are improving, but federal spending cuts loom.
July 1, 2004
Revising Sentences
State budget problems have sparked pragmatic, bipartisan debates about alternatives to incarceration.
June 1, 2004
High Stakes
Iowa lawmakers have finally settled a tax war between the state's riverboat casinos and its racetracks ["The Way We Tax," February 2003]. For years, Iowa taxed slot machines onboard riverboats at 20 percent, while it taxed racetrack slots at 36 percent.
June 1, 2004
Spider Fan
Patrick Lynch, the attorney general of Rhode Island, talks about Spider-Man so much that you'd think the action hero, who is returning to movie theaters this month, was his running mate.
June 1, 2004
Hybrid Hoopla
Cars that can run on both gasoline and electric power are a hot item in government these days.
June 1, 2004
Tobacco Bonds Flame Out
When Big Tobacco began paying states billions of dollars a year, making good on a landmark legal settlement, many governments took their share straight to the bond market.
May 1, 2004
Modified Plants Meet the Ban Wagon
Are genetically modified foods potentially dangerous "Franken-food" or a safe way for farmers to boost their output?
May 1, 2004
Nightmare on Pine St.?
Melding historic facades with modern buildings can yield odd results.
May 1, 2004
The Return of the Planner
Urban planning departments have been in decline for decades. Now they are reviving--with the nation's capital leading the way.
April 1, 2004
A Time Not to Kill
In many parts of Utah, it can be hard to find a store, recreation center or even a gas station open on Sundays. Now, lawmakers there have added one more activity to the not-on-Sunday list: executions.
April 1, 2004
Streamlining's Speed Bump
The Streamlined Sales Tax Project has been enjoying an improbable level of success as it pushes states to simplify sales taxes and "level the playing field" between Main Street and e-commerce competitors. Recently, however, the effort has run into a backlash that threatens the ambitious 40-state project.
April 1, 2004
Risky Ventures
Private investors are pushing a complex venture-capital scheme that involves big risks and uncertain rewards for states.
March 1, 2004
States Go for the Biotech Gold
Florida and Palm Beach County are founding a new branch of the renowned Scripps Research Institute, hoping to turn a 1,900-acre orange grove into a home for thousands of high-paying jobs in biomedicine.
March 1, 2004
Voice Lessons
A lot of thought goes into the automated messages on public transit systems.
March 1, 2004
E-Gov's New Gear
Governors and mayors learn to love the give and take of governing interactively.
March 1, 2004
Reversing Course
With his county heading down the 'smart growth' road, Bruce Tulloch moved in to strong-arm a turnaround.
February 1, 2004
Bonds Find a New Home
A new financing tool is helping public housing authorities raise money to fix up their properties. They can now issue revenue bonds that promise to repay today's loan with tomorrow's federal dollars.
February 1, 2004
Martinez Moves On
Mel Martinez left the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development in December to run for an open U.S. Senate seat in Florida.
February 1, 2004
Musical Chairs
Movable seating in parks and other public places is catching on.
February 1, 2004
Taking a Stand Against Virtual Violence
Even among shoot-em-up video games sold today, "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" stands out.
February 1, 2004
Making Connections
Two New York-area projects ease traveling by rail
January 1, 2004
Wing and a Prayer
A shakeout in the airline industry is creating major turbulence for hub-and-spoke cities and their airports. At the same time, some other localities are getting a lift.
January 1, 2004
Growing Pains
Jim McGreevey's anti-sprawl campaign in New Jersey is regrouping a year after the governor declared uncontrolled development his state's worst enemy ["McGreevey's Magic Map," May 2003].
January 1, 2004
Next Up: City Hall?
The surplus items governments sell online go far beyond copiers and cop cars.
January 1, 2004
Push-Button Democracy
Putting citizens at the summit in D.C.
December 1, 2003
Borderline Drug Policies
State and local eyes are on canada, which has come to look like a giant discount drugstore to more and more American governments.
December 1, 2003
Green Giants
Fortuitous Land Windfalls Have Given Some Cities The Opportunity To Create Huge Urban Parks--And Debate Their Design.
December 1, 2003
Desert Mirages
For centuries, artists have painted life-like scenes that look so real that the French name for them, "trompe l'oeil," literally means "trick the eye." Now, Phoenix is applying these age-old deceptions to pavement, creating road markings that appear three-dimensional and are intended to fool drivers into laying off the gas pedal.
November 1, 2003
If You Lived Here, You'd Be Broke Now
Affluent suburbia has lots of jobs--it just doesn't have houses its workers can afford to buy.
November 1, 2003
Beyond Parlor Games
Forget the Minneapolis-St. Paul edition of Monopoly. The Twin Cities have taken the city game concept to a new level--in which local streets literally are the game board and citizens move 26-foot-tall inflatable pawns toward the finish line.
November 1, 2003
The Dead Zone
Cell phone signals are knocking out public-safety radio communications.
October 1, 2003
Chasing The Rainbow
Is a gay population an engine of urban revival? Cities are beginning to think so.
October 1, 2003
Quiet In The Quarter
Walking tours are an increasingly popular tourist draw in New Orleans' French Quarter, but they're also creating tension between sightseers and residents, who find the sidewalk-choking crowds annoying.
October 1, 2003
Looking for Riders In All The Wrong Places
What would happen if you built a light-rail line and hardly any passengers showed up?
September 1, 2003
Back To Brick
Paving with bricks is expensive, but many places think the ambience they create is worth it.
September 1, 2003
Payout Planning
As older workers retire, state pension funds are finding they've made more promises than they can keep.
September 1, 2003
A Softer Green
Environmental activist Doug Foy doesn't sound so militant now that he's in public office. With the power he's got, he doesn't need to.
August 1, 2003
Closing In On An Internet Sales Tax
State legislatures are putting up less resistance than expected to streamlining sales taxes. So far, 20 states have passed laws aimed at harmonizing their sales tax laws with each other, a key step toward taxing e-commerce. Several more are expected to take up sales tax bills later this year.
August 1, 2003
Common Code
Application sharing among governments can save time and money. But the details are nettlesome.
August 1, 2003
Converting To Propane Has Its Problems
Propane is a cheap and clean-burning motor fuel favored by some state and local fleet managers, but two developments in Texas show that when it comes to this alternative fuel, progress is still one step forward and one step back.
July 1, 2003
Made In Sacramento
California is using its clout to fill what officials there view as a national policy void on key issues. Is the state overstepping its boundaries?
July 1, 2003
Answering The Call Center's Call
A new jersey call center has moved back to the United States from India, settling the fate of 11 jobs that became a symbolic Ping-Pong ball in an emotional globalization game being watched closely on both sides.
July 1, 2003
Exempting The Plain People
The Amish in Ohio are known for riding in horse-carts and living simple lives, but to the people who run the state's workers' compensation insurance they are also famous for something else: never filing a claim.
June 1, 2003
Unscrambling The City
Archaic zoning laws lock cities into growth patterns that hardly anybody wants. Changing the rules can help set them free.
June 1, 2003
Preschool Pressure
Anyone who thinks the education standards movement has gone overboard may be interested in what Ohio has in store for its preschoolers.
May 1, 2003
States Tighten Up Tax Lures
Budget crises have some states cutting back on tax breaks for attracting and retaining businesses. New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey is proposing a one-year hiatus for a $38 million incentive program aimed at luring businesses to the state.
May 1, 2003
McGreevy's Magic Map
New Jersey's governor is painting the state's future development in three colors.
May 1, 2003
Magic Tax Kingdom
Walt Disney World and other Orlando theme parks and resorts cut their tax bills each year by claiming they are farming enterprises, in a scheme that two Florida counties say comes straight out of Fantasyland.
May 1, 2003
Second To One
The office of lieutenant governor is an easy target--especially in tough budget times.
April 1, 2003
Hominy On The Range
Before South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford moved into the governor's mansion in January, the Chicago native recalled how she'd come to feel at home in her adopted state. "I even learned to like grits," she said.
April 1, 2003
The Grid Next Door
As the demand for electricity and the difficulty of siting plants increase, one solution is to decentralize power generation.
April 1, 2003
Online Sales Tax Is For Real
In February, an anonymous band of large retailers struck an unusual deal with 37 states. The sellers, which reportedly include Wal-Mart, Target and Toys 'R' Us, agreed to begin collecting sales taxes from their customers who make Internet purchases.
March 1, 2003
Off The Wall
Camden, New Jersey, has a new kind of homeless problem involving the city's namesake, an 18th-century English earl who never set foot on American soil.
March 1, 2003
Catch-22 For College Savings
"Tomorrow's tuition at today's prices." that's the slogan many states use to sell pre-paid tuition plans to parents and grandparents. The plans aim to make college affordable for the next generation of students while promoting in-state public schools.
March 1, 2003
Guide To Wireless Security: Wi-Fi Anxiety
Lock up your laptops. Secure your airwaves. In the wide-open world of wireless, it isn't easy to keep out intruders.
February 1, 2003
Opening Pension Fund Books Even Wider
Public pension funds have begun releasing data on their venture- capital investments, something they had not done in the past.
February 1, 2003
Horse Sensitivity
Animal-rights groups want stricter laws--or outright bans--on horses in urban areas.
February 1, 2003
Taking It To The Board Room
States are continuing to use the power of the investment purse to challenge the way corporations do business.
February 1, 2003
Pushing Amtrak Off The Track
Boston's regional commuter rail system has chosen a company other than Amtrak to run its trains, signaling new competition for the commuter railway business.
January 1, 2003
Sweat Inequity
Cops in Chicago are trading doughnuts for dollars under the police department's new incentive plan that pays them $250 for passing a physical fitness test.
January 1, 2003
The Scarlet Ad
Occasionally, a well-meaning piece of legislation turns out to embody the law of unintended consequences.
January 1, 2003
States Approve Sales-Tax Pact
As it heads to state legislatures, the agreement brings taxes on Internet and catalog sales one step closer.
January 1, 2003
Cloaked In Security
Creative approaches to the design and retrofit of public buildings prove that safety doesn't have to be ugly.
December 1, 2002
Living on Burrowed Time?
Prairie dogs in Lubbock, Texas, won a death row pardon this fall when state and local authorities backed off a plan to slaughter some 50,000 of the furry rodents by igniting propane in their burrows.
December 1, 2002
Bellying up to the Bar
Do-it-yourself defense is increasingly common in courtrooms.
December 1, 2002
Hud the Unlovable
The federal housing agency changes its focus every couple of years. The only constant is local frustration.
December 1, 2002
Uproar Over a Runway Repair
Airports rarely get along with their neighbors, but in Phoenix it's not just the usual jet noise that's causing tension. It's dust and pro football.
November 1, 2002
A Housing Solution Causes Civic Anxieties
Are pre-fab houses a quick solution to the affordable housing crisis or a new form of urban blight? Minneapolis is grappling with that question as a local builder, enabled by a new state law, goes about filling dozens of vacant lots with ready-made homes that roll in on trucks.
November 1, 2002
Snouts are Out
American houses used to be known for their front porches. Now, just as often, it's their garages that stand out. Homes with large garages jutting out in front have become so common that architects have coined a name for them: "snout houses."
October 1, 2002
Leveling City Hall
To call something an "uphill battle" is a favorite cliche among policy makers, but when Las Vegas officials inspected a new addition to their city hall this summer, the phrase took on a more literal meaning.
October 1, 2002
Arizona Tempers Deregulating Power
Arizona regulators are joining the backlash against electricity deregulation, arguing that the state was poised to possibly repeat mistakes made next door in California.
October 1, 2002
Dressing Up the Strip
Communities don't need a moribund mall in order to make big changes to stale shopping spots. Consider the commercial areas on the outskirts of almost every American suburb and city.
October 1, 2002
After the Mall
It isn't easy, but some suburbs are converting aging shopping centers and their acres of asphalt into vibrant, mixed-use town centers.
October 1, 2002
Upgrading Upkeep
An emerging approach to highway maintenance takes the politics out of road repair.
September 1, 2002
Whistling Past the Graveyard
As important as funerals and cemeteries are to people, you'd think we'd do a decent job of regulating them. We don't.
September 1, 2002
The Name of the Rag
Politicians and the press have always taken jabs at each other, but animosities reached a new level in Kentucky when a county official snatched a newspaper's name right from its masthead.
September 1, 2002
Hail to the School Chiefs
Big cities are tapping a broader, more business-oriented talent pool to run their troubled--and politically charged--school systems
August 1, 2002
Florida's EPA Wins Water-Test Test
A Florida judge has approved the state's controversial new method of deciding which of its waterways are polluted enough to require cleanup. Regulators say their new sampling technique makes the process more scientific and predictable, but environmentalists are calling it a ploy to gut the federal Clean Water Act.
August 1, 2002
Civic Doody
Cities will try almost anything to get people to clean up after their dogs.
August 1, 2002
Purchasing Plays
In the wake of a major procurement scandal, California is seeking a better way to make big buys.
July 1, 2002
Turning Empty Offices Into Home Sweet Home
The dot-com bust in San Francisco may turn into a housing boom if several plans for converting office buildings into apartments come to pass.
July 1, 2002
Don't Wanna Be On MTV
Rap artists are known for stirring up controversy, but now five current and former Detroit officials are whipping up their own storm by suing the rapper Dr. Dre for allegedly invading their privacy.
July 1, 2002
Treating Medicaid
Florida is launching a great experiment to cut health costs with better care for the chronically ill.
June 1, 2002
Statuary Offense
When Chicago unleashed a herd of painted cows on its sidewalks-- followed by pigs, moose and fish in other cities--only art critics, who bemoaned the displays as lowbrow, ruined the fun.
June 1, 2002
Decking the Halls
Institutions honoring illustrious deeds--or quirky interests--suffer ill fortune.
June 1, 2002
Turf Tussles
Three states take steps to curb localities' charges for laying broadband lines beneath city streets.
June 1, 2002
Working Without a Wire
Mobile government lets employees and constituents plug in without the plug.
May 1, 2002
Taking Out Enron's Trash
Connecticut towns are on the hook for millions of dollars, thanks to a state agency's contract with the Houston energy company.
May 1, 2002
Subsidizing Blight
Federal housing vouchers are supposed to break up concentrations of poverty. Often they just create new ones.
April 1, 2002
No Ticket to Ride
They're not as notorious or dangerous as, say, the "Texas Seven," but Atlanta's transit system recently dubbed a group of local lawbreakers the "Famous Five," and it has taken the unusual step of permanently banning them from the city's subways and buses.
April 1, 2002
Volt Revolt
As experiments with deregulation sputter, a new generation of municipally owned electric utilities is emerging.
April 1, 2002
Taking Aim at Correction Costs
Reducing the length of sentences for nonviolent offenders is one way states are cutting prison budgets.
March 1, 2002
Medicaid's Take on Pills
With health care expenses running out of control, several states are taming at least a piece of their fastest-growing cost.
March 1, 2002
Greater Louisville Less Than Popular
When the city of Louisville and Jefferson County, Kentucky, merge next January, their population of 546,000 will comprise the nation's 22nd-largest city, ranking just ahead of Seattle.
March 1, 2002
The Politics of Preservation
As historic preservationists move from saving old buildings to fighting sprawl, they touch off new kinds of controversy.
February 1, 2002
Refereeing Stadium Signs
The debate over naming rights at sports stadiums is growing strangely philosophical in Pittsburgh as regulators struggle to decide whether labeling venues with the names of corporate sponsors constitutes "advertising."
February 1, 2002
Dialing in for Traffic Tie-Ups
With the launch of its "511" telephone hotline, Utah now offers commuters and tourists the latest tool for navigating traffic and transit systems.
February 1, 2002
Its Pay-Up Time in Los Angeles
Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn is cracking down on deadbeat agencies, setting a mid-February deadline for city agencies to pay their overdue bills.
January 1, 2002
Budget Cuts Touch a Nerve
Whether baby boys remember the pain of circumcision later in life has long been the subject of debate among medical researchers. But whatever the case, lawmakers in North Carolina won't soon forget their agony over the question of whether to end Medicaid coverage for the procedure.
January 1, 2002
Save the Boxes
Much-derided modernist architecture is now viewed as having historical value.
January 1, 2002
The Struggle With Jobless Benefits
Layoffs are straining state unemployment funds and testing safety nets for the first time since welfare reform came of age.
January 1, 2002
Ivory Tower Inc.
Increasingly, states are pushing public university researchers to become entrepreneurs as well. It's a delicate business.
December 1, 2001
Counting Cops
As the federal grants for 100,000 new police officers expire, localities struggle with how to pay for the positions.
December 1, 2001
Shrub II: The Short but Happy Life of Birds in the Bush
T horny elaeagnus has long been a popular shrub with highway landscapers, who planted the hardy, drought-resistant bushes in medians across the South to shield nighttime drivers from the glare of headlights. Now, however, it is falling out of favor as evidence emerges that the shrub (pronounced el-e-AG-nus) is luring thousands of birds to their demise.
December 1, 2001
Court Rules to Raze New Homes in Florida
By order of a Florida appeals court, a Martin County developer must tear down $3.3 million worth of apartment buildings that were recently built.
November 1, 2001
Aftershock to Local Budgets
The September 11 terrorist assault hit state and local budgets hard, but the fiscal impact will vary widely from place to place.
November 1, 2001
Site Seers
Consultants are increasingly powerful players in the corporate relocation and expansion game. Yet they are still largely unknown to many in the public sector.
October 1, 2001
Attention, Wal-Mart Stoppers!
For some communities, the decision to allow big-box retailers such as Wal-Mart to come to town is laced with fear that the chain will kill off commerce on Main Street. Now, however, local governments have a new concern about Wal-Mart: that the superstores' massive parking lots are being turned into free campgrounds for recreational vehicles.
October 1, 2001
Cleveland Cracks its Runway Riddle
Cleveland and its neighboring town of Brook Park are about to finalize a land swap that guarantees construction of new runways at Cleveland's international airport.
October 1, 2001
Minn. Drivers: You've Got Mail-- and More
Minnesota is reaping big savings from a new process for renewing auto registrations, but the change pushes the state into a new and controversial role of mailing advertisements to its customers.
September 1, 2001
Biotech Buildup
Houston has broken ground on a massive biotechnology park that could put the city on the biotech map with the likes of Boston, San Diego and San Francisco.
September 1, 2001
A Sticky State of Affairs
Prisoners can be picky about what they eat, but even hardened criminals would probably think it a stretch for California to declare a state of emergency when its prisons run out of peanut butter and jelly.
September 1, 2001
Rising from a Hospital's Ruins
When a county or city shuts down its public hospital, it isn't off the hook. There's still political pressure to provide health care for the needy.
August 1, 2001
Sandcastle Politics
Beach erosion threatens the existence of many coastal communities. Solutions are expensive and may ultimately prove futile.
August 1, 2001
Flimsy Advice
Just when you thought good ol' boys were all but dead in the modern state legislature, South Carolina lawmakers have served up a scandal that sounds straight out of 1951, not 2001.
August 1, 2001
Salty Stories: Drinking Water Plant for Tampa Bay Gets the Go-Ahead
Commissioners in Hillsborough County, Florida, have given the final thumbs up for construction to begin on a seawater desalination plant on Tampa Bay.
August 1, 2001
Money and the Fed Effect
States are taking steps to protect their pocketbooks as Washington tax cuts take a toll on state revenue.
July 1, 2001
California to Bring the Biggest Bond Ever to the Muni Market
California is gearing up for a $12.5 billion bond sale next month, an offering four times larger than any previously issued municipal bond.
July 1, 2001
Where Counties Fear to Tread
This year's look-before-you-leap award goes to Saratoga County, New York. Officials there recently acquired a piece of tax-delinquent property, only to find out later that the land contained an illegal tire dump, a potentially huge environmental liability.
July 1, 2001
Fee or Free?
As the taxman cometh online, states and localities are trying to decide whether citizens should bear the costs of e-filing.
July 1, 2001
Arkansas to Bankroll a High-Tech Mecca
Arkansas is making a bid to boost its high-tech industry by putting the state on the venture capital map.
June 1, 2001
Ways to Sway an M.P.A
As more public-policy grads take private-sector jobs, governments are having to work harder at recruitment.
May 1, 2001
Wages and Sages
Philosophers are always in search of an audience, so they must be thrilled that Albuquerque's public schools are offering a new, if unusual, medium for deep thoughts: teachers' paychecks.
May 1, 2001
Rehab Refugees
America's worst public housing projects are being fixed up, and many of them look pretty good. There's just one puzzling question: Where did the old tenants go?
May 1, 2001
Utah Narrows Broadband Ventures
Provo, Utah, has received a setback in its bid to sell high-tech Internet and cable services. Governor Michael Leavitt signed a bill this March that limits municipal forays into the telecommunications business.
April 1, 2001
E-Pirates Hijack a Host
E-mail is flowing again at city hall in Largo, Florida, now that the case of the Spanish spam is solved.
April 1, 2001
Restless for Results
Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley is tracking performance on a scale never seen before in local government. He wants change, in a hurry.
April 1, 2001
The Latest E-Tax Divide
The red-hot issue of taxing e-commerce is moving out of study commissions and into state legislatures. Dozens of states are debating laws to simplify several aspects of the sales tax--the idea being that simplification would help states overcome hurdles to taxing goods sold over the Internet.
March 1, 2001
The Deregulation Jitters
California's electricity meltdown is making one thing quite clear to state officials with deregulation on their minds: It's a good time to build power plants.
March 1, 2001
Privatizing a State Venture
Utah is getting out of the business of making loans to high-tech startup companies--something it has been doing since 1983.
March 1, 2001
Why Not 'Super-Mayor'?
Celebrity in Los Angeles comes and goes like a fickle wind. But Mike Antonovich's date with a sort of self-proclaimed stardom seems to occur regularly every five years.
March 1, 2001
The Internet provides a very public forum for criticizing government officials.
March 1, 2001
Rendezvous with Density
Leaders in one booming suburban county have a solution to sprawl. But selling it to the voters may not be easy.
February 1, 2001
Refresher Course: Buying Water to Save Spawners
Salmon swimming upstream to lay eggs may have an easier time of it in Washington State this year. A state program is putting water into streams that are too low for fish runs.
February 1, 2001
Taking Aim at Dodgeball
For decades, the game of dodgeball has been a staple of playgrounds and physical education classes, making the act of getting beaned by a rubber ball a right of passage for millions of elementary school students.But now, the game itself is under assault. Officials in Cecil County, Maryland, were set to vote in January on officially banning dodgeball from the school system.
February 1, 2001
Cell Towers Create Another Real-Life Crisis
State and local officials have been fretting about the visual impact of communications towers on their communities. Now they have another concern: Towers are killing more and more birds.
January 1, 2001
Power to the People?
Electricity deregulation has mostly helped industrial customers. Some local governments are trying to ensure it also benefits citizens and small businesses.
January 1, 2001
Mississippi Signs on the Assembly Line
Mississippi has struck a mega-deal with Nissan Motor Co. to build a new auto plant north of Jackson, but will pay a pretty penny to get the plant's 4,000 jobs.
January 1, 2001
Grounds for Revolt
A backlash is brewing over the impact of Starbucks on local neighborhoods.
January 1, 2001
The End of a Fun Run
Revenue windfalls. Flush coffers. Endless surpluses.
They may soon be only a memory. The economy is slowing, and the effects are beginning to percolate through state and local tax collections. In several states, revenues are coming in lower than projected.
December 1, 2000
The Bonus Bonanza
Signing bonuses have become a popular recruitment tool for hard-to- fill government jobs. But are they a temporary fix or a permanent fixture?
December 1, 2000
Windy City Whimsy
Chicago milks creative street displays for all they're worth.
December 1, 2000
N.J. Rides the E-Z Road to Value Pricing
When the New Jersey Turnpike flipped on the switch for E-ZPass this fall, it made cashless travel possible on toll roads from Boston to Philadelphia. It also ushered in the largest experiment yet with tolls that vary by time of day.
November 1, 2000
Winning Without Steak and Cigars
Old-fashioned, free-spending lobbyists are an endangered species in many places. But those who can adapt to the new rules have more clout than ever.
October 1, 2000
The 21st-Century City Hall
Several major cities are planning new municipal buildings that express both their local identity and their stature in the global economy.
October 1, 2000
The Wires of San Francisco
One of the country's oldest and grandest city halls is now also a showcase for how government buildings of the future will function on the inside.
September 1, 2000
Sherlock Online
The long-awaited national crime database is finally up and running. But it will cost a lot for state and local police to use it.
September 1, 2000
Zoned Out
While zoning hearings are often something to yawn about, the usual boredom in Athens, Georgia, was shaken up a bit in June.
September 1, 2000
E-Tax Outrage Turns Into Action
Many state and local officials were livid last spring when the e- commerce commission headed by Virginia Governor James Gilmore recommended against taxing goods sold over the Internet. They felt the report ignored their concern that such action would eat away at their sales-tax revenue and hurt Main Street retailers who still had to collect the tax.
August 1, 2000
Prime Property
In a hot real estate market, some governments are seeking to cash in on their city hall.
August 1, 2000
Robert Rubin's Urban Crusade
The ex-Treasury Secretary is turning his talents to the inner city. He's heading one of America's least-known but most powerful urban organizations.
July 1, 2000
The Biotech Offensive
Thirteen governors are weighing in on one of the first big philosophical and scientific debates of the new century: the use of biotechnology in farming.
July 1, 2000
Turning Down the Volumes
Libraries are used to receiving donations of books--many of which they can't use--and old editions of National Geographic that people can't bear to throw away.
July 1, 2000
Receding Shorelines
Water levels in the Great Lakes are at historic lows. Local communities are feeling the impact.
July 1, 2000
Paris on the Prairie
Chicago leads the pack of American cities that are rediscovering the power of urban lighting.
June 1, 2000
Banned Beer Brewhaha
To the people of Belgium, Manneken Pis is a whimsical fountain statue portraying a little boy urinating. To the people of Ohio, however, Manneken Pis is a brand of Belgian beer that can no longer be sold in- state.
June 1, 2000
Hacking Away at Government
In the race to get online, network security has been something of an afterthought. But even the most obscure agency can be a target for Internet intruders.
June 1, 2000
Minnesota's Dot May Break the Sound Barrier
As state transportation departments nationwide race to put up enough noise walls to quell the complaints of highway-side residents, Minnesota officials are entertaining a novel idea: tear some walls down.
June 1, 2000
Dave Rager: Water Merchant
For more than a century, bridges across the Ohio River have connected residents of Cincinnati to their neighbors in Kentucky. People on the Ohio side have long been accustomed to driving into Kentucky to fly in and out of the region's only international airport.
May 1, 2000
Bridging the Venture-Capital Gap
If the late cartoonist Saul Steinberg were to draw a map titled "A Venture Capitalist's View of the U.S.," the birds-eye view, weighted to show where these investors' interests lie, would bulk up along the California coast.
May 1, 2000
Tilting at a Twinkie Tax in Maine
The snack tax is losing its crunch. The last holdout to single out snack foods for a sales tax--Maine--is poised to repeal the levy.
May 1, 2000
All Hail the Mayor!
Fire fighters in North Providence, Rhode Island, are smoldering in the wake of two incidents in which they allege Mayor A. Ralph Mollis chewed them out for not saluting him.
May 1, 2000
Loose Keys, Odd Honorees
Deciding who gets a key to the city is an interesting mayoral exercise.
May 1, 2000
Virginia Takes a Hard Line on Software
Virginia's legislature is the first to pass the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act, also known as UCITA.
April 1, 2000
Little House in the Suburbs
The nation's most innovative affordable housing program has survived 25 years. The next 25 may be the hard part.
April 1, 2000
Hearing Where You're Heading
San Francisco is expanding a first-of-its-kind guide for the blind and visually impaired.
April 1, 2000
Total Disclosure
As cities around the country crack down on red-light running by using automated camera and ticketing systems, perhaps the biggest obstacle they are facing is the Big Brother problem.
March 1, 2000
Tripping Up the Board Fantastic
Up in the mountains of Montana, just south of Missoula, leaders of Ravalli County may occasionally have dispensed with administrative formalities. Sometimes, governing is still stunningly casual in small, rural places.
March 1, 2000
Boxed In
Cities that want to regulate newsracks are finding they must tread carefully.
March 1, 2000
E-Conomics Problem
With Congress' Internet tax commission deadlocked, governors and mayors are desperately seeking solutions to their e-commerce sales-tax dilemma.
February 1, 2000
Signs of Conflict
Manhattan's penchant for naming streets after people, places and events has given birth to some interesting addresses over the years. A section of 45th Street was once called "Jackie Mason Way" after the legendary comedian.
February 1, 2000
Right-of-Way Replay: Bartering for Wireless Access to the Internet
The Chicago city council has OK'd a deal that will bring fast wireless Internet service to the city by this summer.
February 1, 2000
Setting Aside Set-Asides
The battle over minority set-asides in state contracting is heating up in Florida, where Governor Jeb Bush is charting a controversial course beyond affirmative action.
January 1, 2000
Info Central
Data warehousing--putting all of a government's data together in a single place--can yield big advantages for decision makers.
January 1, 2000
Lining Up Telecom for Rural Areas
The first link of Minnesota's new fiber-optic network will be "lit up" early this year, a giant step toward bringing high-speed data services to rural areas.
January 1, 2000
Beantown's Towing Crackdown
Anyone who has seen a delivery truck driving down the street with a parking ticket flapping from its windshield knows that the vehicles hold a special place in the hearts of parking-enforcement officers.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
German Shepherd Dog Forums (http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/)
- General Behavior (http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/general-behavior/)
- - Default 3 Year Old Sudden Drastic Psychological Change! (http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/general-behavior/469338-default-3-year-old-sudden-drastic-psychological-change.html)
3 Year Old Sudden Drastic Psychological Change!
My 3 year old named Roxy has shown some strange changes and my family and I cannot find out the cause. I have searched and searched but could not find anything related to my issue, so I have registered here to make this.
It has started a month ago. It may just be a coincidence, but shortly before it started, she had a red sore on her lower lip and took antibiotics (Cephalexin) for 2 weeks and it cleared up. We live in Florida where it has been extremely hot lately. It's also hurricane season so we get thunder and lightning pretty often which she does not like.
>She used to jog an hour a day.
>While driving, instead of sticking her head out of the window like she loved to do, she crouches and hides on the floor in front of the backseat.
>She's afraid to get out of the car (unless it's home of course).
>She doesn't want to go for walks. She'll go out a short distance and then drag us back to the house.
>She used to be completely inseparable with my father, who is her master, as he spends all day with her and used to bring her on multiple walks every day spending at least 3 hours outside with her. Now, she has become closer to myself and my mom (not a bad thing of course), but she doesn't sleep with him when he naps or other things she always used to. She will frequently go upstairs and spend time with me now which is new.
>It almost appears like she looks depressed sometimes
>She has not displayed any physical issues, doesn't appear to be in pain, no change in appetite.
Thank you for taking the time. If you have any wisdom on this I would greatly appreciate your input! Worried about my baby
Since this is a sudden change - have a vet checkup done. Target the ears especially. Approaching storms changes air pressure which can cause pain in the ears. Ear infections can cause dizziness - moving car, looking out the window could make it worse.
If that checks out ok, start looking into something happening in or around the car with your dad involved. Did somebody pull out and your dad had to slam the brakes on and she was thrown off the seat? Something loud happened while she was in the car - a backfire next to them, somebody yelling close by and startling her. Could be something small we wouldn't have given another thought to.
For her walking - what time of day do you walk and what is the walk surface. This time of year, even the ground can be extremely hot by mid-morning in Florida.
Just some ideas.
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'He's available to us, yeah," said head coach Lindy Ruff. "He was available for us on Tuesday, but we held him out. We just said 'We're gonna give you a couple extra days of practice and make sure we get it right this time.' He wanted to play, but it was a coach's decision."'
Sabres' Kaleta Available to Return
December 16, 2011 Submitted by
Via: WGR-AM