The Latest
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Great leadership builds more than facilities: Exemplary Public Servant Cory Tobin
The Thomasville, North Carolina, parks and recreation director led development and construction of a state-of-the-art community center that delivers long-term community benefits without raising costs.
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Chicago transit agencies propose fare hikes, restate 2026 budgets
Hope now rides with the Illinois General Assembly to provide state funding that could prevent rail and bus service cuts.
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Cities must act now to secure remaining IIJA funds: NLC
Local governments should “maximize this moment” to strengthen resilience and climate readiness before the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act expires, a National League of Cities legislative director said.
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Judge rebukes DHS for defying order on FEMA grant conditions
A federal judge said the Department of Homeland Security ignored a directive to remove immigration enforcement conditions from FEMA funding agreements in a “ham-handed attempt to bully” states.
Updated Oct. 15, 2025 -
New York City could face power reliability issues beginning next year, state’s grid operator says
Reliability report findings “should be alarming to residents and serve as another wake up call for the state,” said Gavin Donohue, president of the Independent Power Producers of New York.
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Harris County, Texas, sues EPA over canceled Solar for All funds
County officials say the loss of $54 million in clean energy grants jeopardizes staffing, planning and partnerships built around the program, forcing major adjustments to local operations and budgets.
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Chicago suburb debuts electric paratransit fleet
Schaumburg, Illinois, joins transit agencies in New York City and San Francisco in providing zero-emission transportation for older adults and people with disabilities.
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Senate advances landmark affordable housing legislation
“This is a historic and long-overdue step forward,” U.S. Conference of Mayors Housing Task Force Chair Andrew Ginther said.
Updated Oct. 14, 2025 -
Judge temporarily blocks federal troop deployment to Chicago
A federal judge found “no credible evidence” of a rebellion brewing in the city and noted that National Guard troops are not trained in de-escalation and law enforcement.
Updated Oct. 14, 2025 -
Interactive map tracks housing shortages across Florida
The Sunshine State needs more than 120,000 housing units. The tracker’s developers say its data could help local leaders make informed decisions.
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Public transportation ‘experiencing unprecedented momentum’: APTA CEO Paul Skoutelas
Federal Transit Administrator Marcus Molinaro spoke to 3,200 transit leaders at the American Public Transportation Association’s 2025 TRANSform conference in Boston.
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Lawsuit challenges EPA rollback of solar program serving low-income communities
Community and labor groups argue the EPA’s termination of the $7 billion Solar for All program strips local governments of critical clean energy funding.
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Appeals court allows Trump to federalize but not deploy National Guard in Portland as troops move into Chicago
Federal courts will hear arguments today in two cases about whether the Trump administration can override governors and send National Guard troops into the two U.S. cities.
Updated Oct. 9, 2025 -
Transit measures are on the November ballot in these local elections
Voters in four states are being asked to approve taxes to support roads and public transit and form a new transportation authority.
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This small Texas town has a housing affordability problem. Can it print its way out?
A company that builds homes using 3D printing technology is building a nine-home community in Marfa, Texas, and an 80-home development in Houston. It says the technology could address the “affordability crisis across Texas and the U.S.”
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Zoning reforms, tax incentives help drive NYC’s office-to-housing boom
Office conversions have nearly tripled as the city takes action to address a housing shortage and historically high office vacancy rates.
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How the government shutdown is (and isn’t) impacting housing funds for cities
Previously approved federal housing funding streams remain available, but staff reductions could threaten core functions.
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5 things keeping emergency managers up at night
Emergency managers are stretched thin as climate disasters and cyberthreats grow. Chronic underfunding and mission creep have left the nation’s front line unprepared, a Deloitte-NEMA study says.
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Roadway safety can benefit from vehicles that talk to each other
Connected vehicles can help avoid accidents and alert authorities to dangerous situations, says an AT&T executive.
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Newsom orders statewide coordination on climate disaster risk
California agencies will jointly develop tools to help local governments and utilities withstand economic losses and insurance disruptions caused by worsening wildfires and other disasters.
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Florida leaders used state DOGE effort to call out cities and counties for ‘wasteful spending.’ The communities are pushing back.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state CFO primarily criticized funding used for equity and LGBT-related initiatives as wasteful.
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Trump blocks Chicago funding as Illinois moves forward with $50.6B infrastructure plan
The White House froze $2.1 billion in funding for a transit rail line and a viaduct project as federal and local officials battle over diversity and inclusion.
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The image by Renelibrary is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Guiding a small but growing city: Exemplary Public Servant John Noblitt
The Sanger, Texas, city manager obtained more reliable electricity, worked toward a larger wastewater treatment plant and helped attract the city’s first supermarket.
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Court upholds New Jersey affordable housing mandate, dismisses suit from cities
The 27 cities vow to continue their legal challenges to the state law.
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How Boston transit leaders fixed a failing transit system
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority recovered from safety lapses that prompted the Federal Transit Administration to oversee the agency’s transit rail system in 2022.