
Focus Archive by Subject or Month | MRSC Updates by E-mail
| ![]()
Report on Online Citizen Consultation (Aug 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.
Web Sightings - Everything Green (Aug 28)
In a time of high energy costs and concern about climate change, communities are embracing a variety of green strategies. The topic for this month's Web Sightings is Everything Green.
Finance Industry and Climate Change: Its Potential Implications to Cities and Counties
Anindita Mitra, AICP, CREÄ Affiliates, LLC, presents "Finance Industry and Climate Change: Its Potential Implications to Cities and Counties," in the latest Planning Advisor column.
Vancouver May Be Livable, But It's Not Happy (Aug 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.
Extreme Seattle (Aug 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.
Teardowns and McMansions (Aug 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.
Public Records Act Case Law Update (Aug 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.
New Report on Crisis Readiness (Aug 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.
Place Making Around the World (Aug 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.
Muni Fiber Networks Bounce Back (Aug 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.
This Little Light of Mine (Aug 28)
Many cities have been switching to the efficiencies of as-needed lighting, thanks to their computer programmers. More from Governing.
Local Governments in the News by Subject or Month
Here are the latest news clippings from around the state highlighting current events, trends and other news affecting Washington city and county governments and special districts:
- Charter petition gets Feb. 3 election (Bonney Lake & Lake Tapps Courier-Herald, August 27, 2008)
- Federal Way fights domestic violence (Federal Way Mirror, August 27, 2008)
- Pierce County extends Graham landfill contract to 2036 (Tacoma News Tribune, August 27, 2008)
- Let the building of city hall begin (North Kitsap Herald, August 23, 2008)
- Green Bike Project gets rolling (Seattle PI, August 22, 2008)
- Say cheese, red-light runners: Tickets will be $124 (Federal Way Mirror, August 20, 2008)
- Oil shortage causes trouble for county’s road projects (South Whidbey Record, August 20, 2008)
- State might try four-day workweek (The Olympian, August 15, 2008)
- Seattle City Council approves rules for taxis (Seattle Times, August 12, 2008)
- Ruston to vote on whether to hire full-time professional manager (Tacoma News Tribune, August 12, 2008)
- National Geographic: Bellingham one of the best places to live and play (Bellingham Herald, August 12, 2008)
Also in Focus
- Cities in a State of Rapid Decay (Aug 19)
- Global Winners Chosen for Sustainable Cities Award (Aug 19)
- The Promise of Municipal Broadband (Aug 19)
- Grief is Good (Aug 19)
- Soaring Gas Prices Fuel Four-Day Weeks (Aug 19)
- Romancing the Factory (Aug 19)
- Seniors Facing High Gas Prices Find Giving Up Their Cars Tough (Aug 19)
- Making Sense (Aug 19)
- In Focus for Councilmembers and Commissioners (Aug 19)
- Achieving Green Building Status (Aug 13)
- Dashboards as Data Dumps (Aug 13)
- Warnings that Work (Aug 13)
- Solar-Powered Trash Can Demonstration Project (Aug 13)
- Guidebook to Help Water Utilities Improve Energy Management (Aug 13)
- Report on Municipal Green Building Policies (Aug 13)
- Safe Road Maps (Aug 13)
- Taking Stock of the Council-Manager Form at 100 (Aug 13)
- How Does Your Garden Grow? (Aug 7)
- The Buzz about 311 (Aug 7)
- Financing Alternatives Comparison Tool (Aug 7)
- High Gas Prices Cause Transit Surge (Aug 7)
- Data and Decisions (Aug 7)
- Trading Places (Aug 7)
- Watch WalMart Spread Across the American Landscape (Aug 7)
- Lodging Tax Reporting Forms Available (Aug 7)
- Leveraging Web 2.0 in Government (Aug 7)
- When It’s Time to Cut (Aug 7)


