Local Government
Government-Run Grocery Store Is Predictably Losing Money
The folly of government-run grocery stores is sadly not a historical relic like the USSR.
Iowa Man Files Lawsuit After Being Arrested Twice for Criticizing the Police at a Public Meeting
"Ironically, the actions of the police department have only proven my point," Noah Petersen said after being handcuffed, arrested, and jailed for his speech.
The COVID Bailout of State and Local Governments Was Unnecessary
Well over half of those funds remain unspent, according to a new Government Accountability Office report.
D.C.'s Food Truck Underworld
Despite their popularity, food trucks at the National Mall are paying a hefty price to operate.
Kansas City Made a Barbie-Themed Streetcar. It Cost Taxpayers $25,000.
Officials say that the "Dream Streetcar" is intended to boost ridership, even though the streetcar is free.
Taxpayers Will Pay at Least $600 Million for Tampa Bay's New Baseball Stadium
But will it solve the team's attendance woes? Probably not.
Map: In L.A., Local Control Is Local Confusion
The people who could benefit from new housing stock aren't on this map—they're exiled to unincorporated areas.
Review: In The Bear, a Restaurateur Battles Government Bureaucracy
A Chicago sandwich shop's survival depends on cutting through red tape.
Five Years Later, Philadelphia's Soda Tax Is Falling Flat
The city wanted to bring in more money, in part for early childhood education. But such taxes are disproportionately paid by the poor.
A Cop Jailed Her for 2 Years on Fake Charges. Will She Ever Get Justice?
St. Paul police officer Heather Weyker has thus far managed to get immunity for upending Hamdi Mohamud's life.
Georgia Charges 'Cop City' Protesters Under RICO Law Used To Indict Trump
Among the indicted are a Southern Poverty Law Center attorney acting as a legal observer and three people who run a bail fund.
Arkansas Business Owner Sues Over Government Garbage Monopoly
X-Dumpsters owner Steven Hedrick rents roll-away dumpsters to people, but now his city forces residents to contract with the county.
Can Traditional Legal Customs Coexist With Western-Style State Law?
Geoffrey Swenson’s book Contending Orders tackles Afghanistan and Timor-Leste.
The Town Without Zoning
Can Caroline, New York, resist the imposition of its first-ever zoning code?
Texas School District Threatens to Seize 79-Year-Old Man's Home for Stadium Parking Lot
The Houston-area Aldine Independent School District is considering the use of eminent domain to seize a one-acre property owned and occupied by Travis Upchurch.
Baltimore Orioles Owners Demand Even More Unnecessary Taxpayer Money
Apparently $600 million to improve a very nice stadium isn’t enough.
A Decade After Bankruptcy, Is Detroit Better?
The 2013 bankruptcy filing didn't make the city more prosperous, more functional, or less corrupt.
Who Is Protected As a Journalist? Everybody, Suggests Court Ruling.
Journalism is an activity shielded by the First Amendment, not a special class or profession.
Get Your Politics Out of My Pickleball
Fault lines emerge as government gets involved in America's weirdest, fastest-growing sport.
Yes, the Government Is Coming for Your Gas Stove
State and local governments are moving forward with bans on gas stoves in new residences.
Rent Control 2.0 Looks a Lot Like Rent Control 1.0
Rent control is getting a rhetorical makeover from progressive policy makers.
Atlanta Plans To Blow $230 Million on 2-Mile Extension of Useless Streetcar
That's more than $21,000 per foot. And the tab doesn't include operating costs, which taxpayers will also heavily subsidize.
Massachusetts District Attorney Sued for Refusing To Release Names of Problem Cops
Massachusetts reformed its notoriously bad public records laws in 2020, but reporters are still fighting to get the police misconduct files they're legally entitled to.
Can a Florida School District Ban a Children's Book About Gay Penguins?
The answer's more complicated than you might think.
This Pink Door Wasn't Historical Enough for Edinburgh
The City of Edinburgh Council ordered a woman to repaint her door or face fines up to 20,000 pounds.
Don't Confuse 'Local Control' With Small Government
Often, it can be exactly the opposite.
The New York Times Thinks Preempting Local Control Is Bad—When Republicans Do It
The paper's editorial board is happy to endorse the centralization of decision making when it supports their liberal policy preferences.
NIMBY Cities Are Using Your Tax Dollars To Lobby Against New Housing
Publicly funded leagues of cities are fighting zoning reforms in state capitals across the country.
L.A. Spent $7,500 on a Prototype Bus Shade That Doesn't Shade Anything
When the state won't shade you, buy a hat.
Voters Put Arizona Coyotes' Arena Project on Ice
A good example of why so few stadium deals end up on the ballot.
NYC May Force Rich People To Pay Higher Parking Fines Than the Poor
A pilot proposal to levy civil fines based on income is being considered by the City Council.
Jordan Neely Wasn't Killed by the System
Opposing sides of the debate around a New York City subway homicide have found unlikely common ground.
Review: Bragg Brothers' Pinball Depicts Repeal of the Game's Ban in New York City
Politicians in the last century accused pinball of being mob activity.
Government Waste Monopoly Pits Private Dumpster Business Against Garbage Bureaucrats
Steven Hedrick rents out roll-off dumpsters to people and hauls them away after. A new city ordinance is mandating that people use county services instead.
'Cop City' Protesters Arrested For Distributing Flyers
Just days after the release of an autopsy showing an activist may not have fired on officers before being shot to death, police arrested activists for putting flyers on mailboxes.
The Government Stole Her Home Equity Over an Unpaid Tax Bill. Will the Supreme Court Vindicate Her?
A win for Geraldine Tyler, who is now 94 years old, would be a win for property rights.
