This year marks the centennial year for our U.S. National Park Service, which was created in 1916 with just 35 national parks and monuments to be overseen. That number has since soared to more than 400, with thousands of visitors … Continue reading →
On one particular evening recently, I tried but failed to follow a sloppy “Contagion” story plot on prime time TV; failing miserably, I defaulted to checking the day’s top stories on my phone. Normally I’m good at scrolling past anything … Continue reading →
The water crisis in Flint, Mich., may prove to be one of the most high-profile infrastructure stories of the decade, even though nothing exploded, nothing flooded, no one was killed and no one had to dig out from under six … Continue reading →
The grass is perennially greener on the other side of the fence, so it’s little wonder that much thought — and even more indignation — has arisen regarding who has it better: employees of state and local governments, or those … Continue reading →
In a story by Julie Young in this month’s issue, The Municipal visits the problem of EMS being called to treat and transport hospice patients: something Medicare and Medicaid will not pay for unless prior authorization is received from a … Continue reading →
The March edition of The Municipal is one in which we pay special attention to issues of fleet service and management. But in late January, as I tapped out a few relevant thoughts, states on and near the eastern seaboard … Continue reading →
Just in the nick of time (as usual), President Obama signed into law the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act: a five-year, $305 billion highway funding bill that will pump air into the stale transportation infrastructure discussion. Unlike previous extensions of … Continue reading →
Two web articles caught my eye recently. They’re both new takes on a frustrating theme: municipal bankruptcy and community deterioration. The first focuses on a poster child for municipal bankruptcy: Detroit, Mich. Chapter 9 proceedings for the Motor City’s case … Continue reading →
The ways in which technology has changed how we all work over the last couple of decades amounts to nothing less than a paradigm shift. We do almost everything differently now than we did back then. On most days we … Continue reading →
Fall is well underway and winter’s on the doorstep, so maybe now really is the best time for parks and recreation departments to reflect on what worked and what didn’t this year, and to plot out how to bring those … Continue reading →
In early August, President Obama signed a bill crafted by the House and Senate that will keep the Highway Trust Fund from running out of what relatively little money it has until October. It was another Hail Mary pass by … Continue reading →
