The Latest

  • A round building with a large G and more buildings behind a U.S. and a Texas flag.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Ron Jenkins via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    As EPA moves to fast-track data centers, some cities are moving to slow them down

    The EPA is streamlining Clean Air Act permitting to accelerate development. Will local communities pay the price?

  • Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (C), marches in the 54th Annual Buena Vista Labor Day Festival parade with Democratic Nominee for Lieutenant Governor, Senator Ghazala Hashmi (R), and Democratic Nominee for Attorney General, former state Delegate Jay Jones.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Win McNamee via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Virginia data centers must pay ‘fair share,’ incoming lieutenant governor says

    “There is new energy in this legislature, and with it a real opportunity to build new energy right here in the Commonwealth,” said Lt. Gov.-elect Ghazala Hashmi.

  • Amtrak trains at a station.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Amtrak
    Image attribution tooltip

    DOT extends deadline to apply for intercity passenger rail grants

    About $5 billion in funding is available to states or groups of states for new or improved rail service outside the Northeast Corridor.

  • A stone and marble sign with a Department of Homeland Security seal and the letters FEMA in front of a stone building.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Kayla Bartkowski via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    FEMA

    Local governments need to step up as FEMA’s future remains uncertain, experts say

    The upheaval in emergency management could ultimately strengthen a long-overlooked profession, former FEMA leaders said Monday during a Carnegie Institute panel.

    Updated Dec. 16, 2025
  • An aerial view of a city with high-rise buildings, cranes and a blue sky.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Bellevue, Washington, wants faster permitting. Can AI help?

    As the housing crisis rages on, cities are testing artificial intelligence to improve permitting processes.

  • U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Trump calls for federal policy framework preempting state AI laws

    Under a new executive order, states could lose federal funding if their AI laws are found to be burdensome.

  • Scott Tuner, HUD secretary, testifying before Congress
    Image attribution tooltip
    Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    HUD withdraws homelessness grant opportunity ahead of court hearing

    The department said it still plans to change the Continuum of Care program, but future changes will be “well in advance” of the next funding deadline.

    Updated Dec. 15, 2025
  • A map of U.S. with headline "Aggregated State and Local Total Debt Total Liabilities across state, county, and municipal governments and school districts"
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Reason Foundation
    Image attribution tooltip

    What a $1.48 trillion pension gap means for cities and states

    Unfunded liabilities have dropped, but public pensions remain deeply underfunded, a new analysis found. The report’s author calls for benefit-structure and cost-sharing reform.

  • A white vehicle outfitted with many sensors stopped at a curb in with people and buildings in the background.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
    Image attribution tooltip
    Tracker

    Robotaxis: The latest developments

    Waymo adds four more cities for public robotaxi rides as it sets a ridership record for 2025.

    Updated Dec. 15, 2025
  • Close-up of a person with long brown hair.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    FEMA

    Emergency managers expected direction on FEMA’s future. They got silence instead.

    Capping nine months of reduced federal support and legal disputes, the abrupt shutdown of a FEMA review vote Thursday deepens uncertainty around disaster planning, experts say.

    Updated Dec. 12, 2025
  • A person in a top hat and suit stands next to a person in a white dress holding flowers with a line of people behind them.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Ethan Miller/Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Making special days special in the world’s wedding capital: 2024 Exemplary Public Servant Paula Cook

    Clark County, Nevada, Records Administration Manager Paula Cook works to create a welcoming environment for couples looking to tie the knot in Las Vegas.

  • Two men in suits sitting at a table.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Column

    As federal environmental health protections stall, cities and counties can still protect their residents

    Federal resources, state and local best practices and taking a “health in all policies” approach can help local governments make progress on environmental health.

  • A line of people wearing camouflage suits and holding sticks and shields that say "California National Guard."
    Image attribution tooltip
    Jim Vondruska via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Judge blocks federal control of California National Guard

    The district court judge says the Trump administration overstepped its authority when it nationalized state troops and sent them across state lines, “effectively creating a national police force.”

  • The US Capitol building is pictured February 13, 2021 in Washington, DC.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Tasos Katopodis / Stringer via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Bipartisan housing package left out of new defense bill

    Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle nonetheless indicated support for the ROAD to Housing Act, which aims to boost supply by simplifying regulations.

  • Double exposure of coin stack and notebook laptop computer with financial graph on white paper business planning vision and finance analysis concept
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    The Municipal Cost Index

    The Municipal Cost Index for October 2025 is incomplete due to missing data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Updated Dec. 11, 2025
  • A person sits at a table surrounded by other people.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Retrieved from X.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Illinois law tightens state limits on federal immigration enforcement

    State leaders say the law will curb abuses following high-intensity federal enforcement in Chicago. New York and New Orleans city officials have offered other measures intended to increase accountability.

  • Aerial view of a hill in Thousand Oaks, California at sunset. There is a single tree a the top. Several apartment buildings are in the foreground, along with trees.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Climate change is rapidly altering cities. Here’s how some are responding.

    As cities heat up, leaders continue to pursue sustainability, panelists at the National League of Cities City Summit said.

  • A sign with U.S. flags that says "Vote Here Polling Place" in the foreground with person walking into a building in the background.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    DOJ expands litigation seeking to force access to voter records

    The Trump administration is suing 14 states that have refused to turn over full voter rolls. Cities should be allocating resources to data security and due-process protocols in preparation, a legal expert says.

  • Boxes labeled "Narcan nasal spray" in a vending machine with the word "Free" displayed in digital letters.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Scott Olson via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Drug use on public transit erodes safety and traumatizes staff. A 7-step plan can help cities respond.

    A five-city assessment of transit drug use calls for an integrated response that includes naloxone policies, station redesign, better partnerships, stronger outreach models and unified communications.

  • Real estate for sale sign in residential neighborhood, New Jersey, USA.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    How AI is impacting homebuying

    A U.S. Government Accountability Office report shows the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to artificial intelligence’s growing influence in how people purchase homes.

  • Close-up view of hands of a person putting a handgun into a black purse.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    3 Supreme Court cases local leaders shouldn’t ignore

    Decisions on property seizures, warrantless entry and concealed-carry rules could force policy and procedural changes, experts say.

    Updated Dec. 10, 2025
  • Three three-story homes with three balconies each line a city street.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Massachusetts lost its ‘middle’ housing. This study has 6 tips for getting it back.

    After an in-depth look at the dearth of middle housing types in the state, the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies published recommendations for revitalizing the affordable housing options.

  • A person walks a dog through floodwaters along a park path.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Facing extreme rainfall and flooding, NYC is turning Brooklyn’s Prospect Park into a natural buffer

    A $68 million Bluebelt system includes drainage upgrades, ponds and rain gardens designed to manage intensifying rainfall while easing pressure on the city’s aging sewer system.

  • The Energy Choice Act, The All Electric Buildings Act, Rep. Nick Langworthy
    Image attribution tooltip
    Michael M. Santiago / Staff via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    House bill barring state, local gas appliance bans clears hurdle

    California and Washington are among the states with gas bans, and Washington, D.C., and Montgomery County, Maryland, are among the localities with bans.

  • Nightime view of entrance to baseball stadium. Bright signs read "Truist Park," "Braves" and "3rd base gate."
    Image attribution tooltip
    wellesenterprises via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Georgia county to launch autonomous shuttle service

    With a grant from the Federal Transit Administration, Cobb County, Georgia, will connect major venues in the Cumberland district beginning in 2027.