A ballot initiative to create a participatory budgeting program in Portland cleared a procedural step this week. If approved, it would give residents a binding vote over roughly 2% of the city’s discretionary budget.

Raven Space and Intero joined Colorado’s industrial tech scene this year, drawn by grants and tax credits even as business leaders warn the state may be losing its tech edge.

Michael Alfonso, Secretary Sean Duffy’s son-in-law, has Trump’s endorsement and seven-figure outside support, but longtime northern Wisconsin Republicans are publicly split.

A new state law doubling daily elementary recess to 40 minutes is forcing Oklahoma districts to add minutes or days to meet instructional-hour rules.

State Sen. Mallory McMorrow is reportedly set to withdraw from Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary, a move that would narrow a high‑profile contest ahead of the Aug. 4 primary.

A small lunchtime protest in Madison used a decommissioned ambulance to dramatize what organizers say are early harms from H.R.1 to BadgerCare and FoodShare.

Six candidates used Baltimore County’s new Fair Election Fund in the June primary, but steep qualifying rules left many hopefuls shut out and sparked calls for changes.

Trump posted photos calling the Lincoln Reflecting Pool “crystal clear” and pushed for arrests as federal investigators move on alleged vandalism and NPS prepares repairs.

Lake County commissioners directed staff to draft a one‑year moratorium on new data centers, citing concerns about water, energy and the county’s rural character. The pause will buy time for technical study and public hearings.

TEEM flagged thousands as eligible for pretrial release in 2025, but prosecutors opposed most requests — leaving many low-income defendants jailed. The divide raises questions about who the system protects.

Sen. Shirley Kitchen, who represented North Philadelphia for about 20 years and championed working families, has died, Mayor Cherelle Parker announced.

Illinois lawmakers approved a bill to prohibit certain toxic ingredients and specific PFAS in cosmetics; the measure was sent to the governor and names concrete chemicals to be banned.

Judge Billy G. Mills, an early Black councilmember and later a Superior Court judge, died June 27 at 96. Family and UCLA remembered a career of steady public service in South L.A.