This Little Light of Mine (August 28)
Many cities have been switching to the efficiencies of as-needed lighting, thanks to their computer programmers. More from Governing.

Muni Fiber Networks Bounce Back (August 28)
Despite some high-profile failures, the deep-seated need for broadband keeps municipalities on the fiber-to-the-home-track. More from Telephony Online.

Place Making Around the World (August 28)
Asking the right questions of a community will be one of the most difficult aspects of shifting to a place-making perspective in development projects around the world. More from Urban Land.

New Report on Crisis Readiness (August 28)
A new report from the Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI) and New York University’s (NYU) Center for Catastrophe Preparedness and Response (CCPR), "Predicting Organizational Crisis Readiness: Perspectives and Practices toward a Pathway to Preparedness" finds that that a large number of organizations lack effective preparedness programs to respond to and recovery from a crisis.

Public Records Act Case Law Update (August 28)
In the last few months, the Washington Courts have issued five Public Records Act (PRA) opinions on several key issues. More from Foster Pepper News Alerts.

Teardowns and McMansions (August 28)
In an effort to protect historic neighborhoods, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has developed an online resource guide to help community leaders identify approaches and best practices for managing teardowns.

Extreme Seattle (August 28)
New demographic figures make clear what a statistical outlier Seattle is, with few families, few kids, high education, and rapid gentrification. More from Crosscut.

Vancouver May Be Livable, But It's Not Happy (August 28)
A groundbreaking study found that, despite their glorious mountains and ocean, mild weather, good health, Olympic future, and all the livability accolades, Vancouverites are not very happy. More from Vancouver Magazine.

Web Sightings - Everything Green (August 28)
Web Sightings - Everything Green In a time of high energy costs and concern about climate change, communities are embracing a variety of green strategies. The following are some of our favorite “green” sites:

MRSC Web pages

• Green Communities and Building Design
• Healthy Communities
• Renewable Energy – Green Power
• Smart Growth and Sustainable Development

National Green Resources

• Green Development, Smart Communities Network - Comprehensive site with links to information on green principles, tools, financing, success stories, ordinances, and more
• Green Communities - U.S. EPA
• Smart Growth Online - Comprehensive network with information on smart growth principles and issues and extensive resource library
• Green Plans in Action: State of the States and Climate Change - Resource Renewal Institute, Innovations for a Sustainable Future - International resource with state-by-state information
• ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability USA - International membership association of local governments dedicated to climate protection and sustainable development

Washington State and Local Resources

• Sustainable Washington - Information about Washington State’s Interagency Sustainability Committee and actions to address sustainable economy, sustainable environment, and sustainable society
• Kirkland Green Homepage - Information on Kirkland’s Green City initiatives
• Olympia Sustainability - Putting sustainability into action is one of the Olympia City Council's four primary goals
• Shoreline Environmentally Sustainable Community - Implements Shoreline City Council goal to create an environmentally sustainable community
• Richland Green Recognition Program - Annual awards for green practices

Report on Online Citizen Consultation (August 28)
A new report from the Moritz College of Law, at The Ohio State University entitled, "Building Democracy Through Online Citizen Consultation: A Framework for Action," is intended as a brief practical guide to public officials who are wondering (a) what e-democracy is and (b) what sorts of issues need to be considered if an online consultation is to be staged successfully.

Cities in a State of Rapid Decay (August 19)
While the mortgage crisis has hit hard in California and other prosperous regions, the cities that are sliding fastest into decline are still in the Rust Belt, with disappearing populations and bleak job prospects. More from Forbes.

Global Winners Chosen for Sustainable Cities Award (August 19)
Nine ‘outstanding’ programs from around the world have been chosen as winners at the first ever Sustainable Cities Awards. More from Sustainablog.

The Promise of Municipal Broadband (August 19)
Broadband is too important to the economy, education, and, well, democracy to be at the mercy of Comcast, Verizon, or AT&T. More from The Progressive.

Grief is Good (August 19)
Organizational change is tough for those on the receiving end. But grieving is essential to change. More from Governing.

Soaring Gas Prices Fuel Four-Day Weeks (August 19)
With the cost of regular unleaded gasoline eclipsing $4 a gallon, some cities and counties are offering employees four-day workweek schedules to reduce fuel consumption. More from American City & County.

Romancing the Factory (August 19)
Forget about the brightly lit movie complex and pedestrian shopping patterns. The New Economy isn’t for everyone. More from Governing.

Seniors Facing High Gas Prices Find Giving Up Their Cars Tough (August 19)
AARP finds that 29% of older Americans polled say they are now walking as a way to avoid high gas prices, but 40% say the sidewalks in their area are inadequate. More from Market Watch.

Making Sense (August 19)
Many state and local officials struggle to communicate the business of government to residents, particularly when presenting information about how taxpayers' money is allocated and spent. More from American City & County.

In Focus for Councilmembers and Commissioners (August 19)
MRSC's bi-weekly In Focus e-newsletter is an excellent way for your elected officials to stay informed about the latest news, research, events and trends affecting Washington city and county governments. Forward a copy of this newsletter to your elected officials or sign them up today.

Achieving Green Building Status (August 13)
Guided by a city directive that all new taxpayer-funded buildings be LEED certified, the newly constructed Fort Collins Police Services (FCPS) building has earned the federal program’s Silver rating and is pursuing Gold. More from The Police Chief.

Dashboards as Data Dumps (August 13)
When dashboards are mere data dumps, they don’t create transparency. Too many dashboards create nothing but confusion. More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report.

Warnings that Work (August 13)
As governments' ability to detect and forecast hazards has grown, so has the expectation that public officials will provide swift and effective warnings to their residents. More from American City & County.

Solar-Powered Trash Can Demonstration Project (August 13)
Philadelphia's Department of Streets recently began testing a new solar-powered trash receptable and compactor that can store four to six times the volume of ordinary litter baskets and cut fuel use and greenhouse-gas emissions from garbage collection by 80 percent.

Guidebook to Help Water Utilities Improve Energy Management (August 13)
A new guidebook from the EPA, Ensuring a Sustainable Future: An Energy Management Guidebook for Wastewater and Water Utilities, will help utilities systematically assess their current energy costs and practices, set measurable performance improvement goals, and monitor and measure their progress over time.

Report on Municipal Green Building Policies (August 13)
The Environmental Law Institute has issued a report providing a detailed review of selected municipal green building policies that address private-sector development. More from the Environmental Law Institute.

Safe Road Maps (August 13)
To help drivers and public officials make smarter, safer choices about transportation, especially in rural areas, the Center for Excellence in Rural Safety at the University of Minnesota created a new interactive map that plots out every traffic fatality in the nation in 2006. More from Safe Road Maps.

Taking Stock of the Council-Manager Form at 100 (August 13)
With the hundredth anniversary of the establishment of the city manager position in Staunton, Virginia, it is appropriate to take stock of what the form means, its current status in local government, and its continuing significance. More from Public Management.

How Does Your Garden Grow? (August 07)
Many urban park and recreation agencies have created community gardening programs that allow urbanites to interact with one another, working the soil and playing a vital role in growing the produce that graces their tables. More from Parks & Recreation.

The Buzz about 311 (August 07)
Cities and counties want to take the next step in call-center services, but neither their pocketbooks nor their partners are ready to regionalize. More from Governing.

Financing Alternatives Comparison Tool (August 07)
The Environmental Protection Agency's "Financing Alternatives Comparison Tool" is a a free financial analysis tool that helps identify the most cost effective method to fund a wastewater or drinking water management project. More from the EPA.

High Gas Prices Cause Transit Surge (August 07)
With gas prices creeping past $4 a gallon, city and state transit agencies are reporting surges in ridership. More from American City & County.

Data and Decisions (August 07)
A new report from the Brookings Institution, Data and Decisions: Parcel Level Information Changing the Way Business Gets Done, shows how the accelerated development of electronic land information systems in our cities creates opportunities for important improvements in land management and community development. More from Brookings.

Trading Places (August 07)
Fueled by the changing mores of the young and by gasoline prices fast approaching $5-per-gallon, the massive outward migration of the affluent from urban centers that characterized the second half of the twentieth century is coming to an end. More from The New Republic.

Watch WalMart Spread Across the American Landscape (August 07)
Flowing Data used zip codes and other data to create an animated map showing the growth of WalMart from the first store in Arkansas in 1962 until today, when the map is covered with stores. More from Flowing Data.

Lodging Tax Reporting Forms Available (August 07)
SHB 3206, which passed during the 2008 legislative session, made several changes to previous legislation requiring cities to complete reporting forms about lodging taxes. More from AWC.

Leveraging Web 2.0 in Government (August 07)
A new report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government, Leveraging Web 2.0 in Government, presents the potential uses of social computing in government, discusses the barriers to Web 2.0, and presents what citizens think about Web 2.0. More from the IBM Center for the Business of Government.

When It’s Time to Cut (August 07)
How do you keep public employees optimistic and productive when budget surgery brings staff reductions? There are ways. More from Governing.