Infrastructure

The Unfinished Business of Flint’s Water Crisis

Criminal charges and a class-action settlement may seem like the last chapter in Flint’s story, but many of the most important reforms at the root of the city’s water crisis remain undone.

  • By Anna Clark, ProPublica

Buttigieg Emphasizes He’ll Bring Local Perspective to Top Transportation Job

Transportation secretary nominee Pete Buttigieg, a former mayor, received a favorable hearing before the Senate committee considering his nomination.

  • By Andrea Noble

The Best and Worst States for Driving

You can experience the joy of the open road in Texas. Not so much in Hawaii.

  • By Tom Shoop

Reports: Former Michigan Governor to Be Charged in Flint Water Crisis

Rick Snyder and other former officials could face unspecified charges later this week.

  • By Bill Lucia

Report: Stop Lines do Little to Encourage Drivers to Stop

Stop lines, the thick white bars painted ahead of intersections, do little to prevent crashes or influence driver behavior, a 14-year study found.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram
Sponsor Content

New Tools Help State and Local Governments Battle Ransomware, Other Big Disasters

When governments find themselves being ransomed, their choices are typically to pay, which will undercut their ability to deliver key services to their communities due to budget restrictions, or not pay, resulting in the immediate inability to serve their communities and the loss of key data that will inevitably plague them for years afterwards.

  • Presented by Veeam

Two Mayors Envision the Future of Public Transit

COMMENTARY | The mayors of Kansas City, Missouri and Richmond, Virginia offer their thoughts on how to rebuild public transit in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

  • By Quinton Lucas and Levar Stoney

Colorado Lawmakers Eye Renewable Natural Gas Mandate

When the legislative session starts this winter, lawmakers are expected to again take up a proposal to mandate the state's largest utility use so-called "renewable natural gas." But some environmentalists are critical of RNG, saying other strategies will be more effective at combating climate change.

  • By David O. Williams

Texas' Move to Control Coal Ash Pollution Could Shield Industry from Tougher Rules Under Biden-led EPA

Texas is close to finalizing a years-long effort to wrangle control of coal ash pollution from the EPA, a move that could, for a time, keep coal companies insulated from tougher rules expected from the next administration.

  • By Erin Douglas, The Texas Tribune

‘Mobility Hubs’ Become Community Anchors in Minneapolis

City officials hope the concentration of various modes of transportation will encourage people to use public or shared transportation.

  • By Cinnamon Janzer, Next City

The New Plans to Remake Appalachia’s Economy

Mayors from the region and others want the Biden administration to embrace their proposals for billions of dollars of spending, with a heavy emphasis on clean energy projects, as a way to reinvent the region as coal declines.

  • By Bill Lucia

Biden Taps Pete Buttigieg, a Former Mayor and Presidential Rival, as Transportation Secretary, Reports Say

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Iowa decides against spending Covid funds on IT upgrades … Utah university votes to drop “Dixie” from name … New York governor accused of sexual harassment.

  • By Laura Maggi

Mile-by-Mile, Proposed Nationwide Bike and Foot Trail Sees Progress

Advocates for the trail say there are now over 2,000 miles of segments complete and that more money flowed toward the project this past year.

  • By Bill Lucia

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Updated Building Codes Prevent Billions in Disaster Damages. Many Localities Don’t Have Them in Place.

Almost two-thirds of local governments haven’t adopted modern building codes.

  • By Bill Lucia

With New Funding Elusive, a Governor Turns to Planning to Address Flood Hazards

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf outlined a three-pronged initiative this week. “It’s the best we can do right now,” he said.

  • By Bill Lucia

Electric Cargo Bikes Are Debuting in City Fleets

Under a pilot program, parks employees in Portland, Oregon will conduct trail maintenance using zero-emission bikes that were specifically designed for municipal employees.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Lawmakers Want Data to Decide the Future of America’s Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure

New legislation would launch a $10 million grant program to set the scene for what’s to come on the EV-use landscape.

  • By Brandi Vincent

San Francisco and D.C. Transit Agencies Consider Big Layoffs, Service Cuts

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Grocery stores with pharmacies buying medical-grade freezers for vaccines … Virginia looking for citizen members of its new redistricting commission … California governor denies parole for Manson follower.

  • By Laura Maggi

Study: The Best—and Worst—State Highway Systems

North Dakota maintained its first-place ranking in the 25th Annual Highway Report, which uses 13 categories to evaluate the condition and cost-effectiveness of state-run highways.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

EPA Sets National Recycling Goal at 50% by 2030

To increase the national recycling rate from 32% to 50%, the federal government says steps need to be taken to reduce contamination in the recycling stream and strengthen the market for recycled goods.

  • By Andrea Noble

Under Biden, Infrastructure Is Back in Play. But Making a Deal Will Still Be Tough

If Republicans keep control of the Senate, many of the obstacles to a package under President Trump will remain. But advocates along the political spectrum still see hope for a compromise.

  • By Bill Lucia

Austin Embraces $7 Billion Transit Investment Plan

City voters approved a tax hike that will fund a new rail system, bus routes, and shuttles, in addition to investments in bike lanes, sidewalks, and urban trails.

  • By Emma Coleman