As States Cut Public Workers, Congress Is Reluctant to Act

For tens of thousands of America’s teachers, it is the start of an endless summer. In the past month, the Los Angeles Unified School District has sent pink slips to 693 employees. The Detroit school system has laid off 1,983 teachers, including Michigan’s 2007 teacher of the year. More…

White House Sprinkles High-Speed Rail Money Across the Country

The White House just announced its plan to spend $8 billion on high-speed rail, and it looks … pretty diluted.

The biggest chunk of cash — $2.25 billion — will go toward California’s planned rail line connecting Los Angeles to the Bay Area. But as Brad Plumer points More…

How’s the Air Where You Live?

Cause where I live, it’s … terrible!

The American Lung Association just released its 2009 State of the Air report, which assesses the air quality across the country in terms of ozone, short-term particle pollution and year-round particle pollution. Fargo, N.D. comes out on top — it’s the only More…

More Evidence of a Wasteland of Unfinished Housing Projects

The Los Angeles Times takes a close look at a problem TWI detailed Tuesday in a piece about neglected bank-owned property. Some of that property, as we explained, includes half-built housing developments, where construction was halted when the mortgage market went bust. Those developments are called PVC farms, More…