Cities

NEW YORK (AP) — David Dinkins, who broke barriers as New York City’s first African American mayor, but was doomed to a single term by a soaring murder rate, stubborn unemployment and his mishandling of a riot in Brooklyn, has... Read More

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The raucous Mardi Gras parades where riders on elaborate floats toss trinkets to adoring throngs have been canceled in New Orleans because the close-packed crowds could spread the novel coronavirus. At least for 2021, the pandemic... Read More

CHICAGO – Mayor Lori Lightfoot unveiled an emergency coronavirus relief program for restaurants and bars in Chicago that are still grappling with the effects of the pandemic.  The grant program will reallocate $10 million in CARES Act funds to businesses... Read More

The Washington Monument, closed for six months due to the coronavirus pandemic, will reopen to the public Thursday, Oct. 1. The National Park Service announced Monday that the monument will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days... Read More

WASHINGTON — Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser has garnered more attention than ever as a result of the city’s ongoing COVID crisis response and reopening efforts as well as widespread demonstrations against police violence in 2020.  To be sure, as... Read More

NEW YORK, N.Y.- The City of New York on Monday implemented a new COVID "Response Team" to monitor the city's schools and hopefully prevent a resurgence of the coronavirus in one of the nation's hardest hit municipalities. The city's new... Read More

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Macy's and the City of New York on Monday announced that the annual Thanksgiving Day parade will be dramatically different this year as a result of ongoing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of holding a... Read More

PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland officials voted on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, in favor of the nation’s first-ever ban on private entities using facial recognition technology in its city public spaces. In a second ordinance approved on the same day, the... Read More

J. Gilligan’s Bar & Grill, known for its signature Irish nachos, sits less than a mile from the home stadiums of the Dallas Cowboys football team and the Texas Rangers baseball team in Arlington, Texas. For years, fans have converged... Read More

ALBANY, N.Y. – The city of Albany has initiated a traveling street fair for residents to socialize at a distance and to learn about local resources. The street fair, called Playstreets, was started last month and its next fair will... Read More

NEW YORK — At least one hotly contested New York primary election is still up in the air thanks to a federal court ruling this week that readmitted thousands of mail-in ballots thrown out because of missing postmarks. The Monday... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Democratic mayors of six U.S. cities have sent a letter to congressional leaders, asking Congress to take steps to bar the federal government from deploying federal agents to municipalities that don’t want them. The letter, sent Monday,... Read More

WASHINGTON — The federal government has broad power to enforce the laws of the United States, but not to police the streets or maintain order in a city if protests lead to violence. That has been how the separation of... Read More

District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a new face mask order Wednesday after the city saw a marked increase in coronavirus cases, particularly among those under 40. “Basically it says, if you leave home, you should wear a mask,”... Read More

WASHINGTON — Nashville City Councilman Bob Mendes tried unsuccessfully for two years to get his booming city to raise property taxes to address its growing municipal needs. Then came COVID-19. The City Council last month approved a 34% increase. What... Read More

N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and members of the state's COVID-19 task force traveled to Savannah, Ga., Monday to help officials there cope with a surge in coronavirus cases. While in Savannah, Cuomo will host a roundtable meeting with the New... Read More

WASHINGTON — House Democrats have asked for internal investigations into the use of federal police by Attorney General William Barr and the acting secretary of the Homeland Security Department, Chad Wolf, to crack down on protests in Portland, Oregon, and... Read More

The city of Berkeley in Northern California will become the first U.S. city to remove police from traffic stops in an effort to reduce racial profiling and avoid deadly run-ins between law enforcement and Black drivers. On Wednesday morning, the... Read More

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday unveiled an unusual plan to encourage Chicagoans to participate in the U.S. government’s once-a-decade push to count every U.S. resident: a cowboy on a horse.  The mayor was speaking at a press conference when... Read More

CHICAGO — After missing out on cleaner air during the coronavirus lockdown, the Chicago area just suffered its longest streak of high-pollution days in more than a decade. Nine consecutive days of bad air swept through the region amid an... Read More

After waging a pitched, months-long battle against the coronavirus, New York City is now stepping up its efforts to protect its residents from a more familiar adversary -- the onset of summer heat wave season. Even without a global pandemic,... Read More

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The World Health Organization said urban green spaces, such as parks, playgrounds and greenery in neighborhoods, can promote mental and physical health by alleviating stress and providing psychological relaxation. Access to green space, such as parks and... Read More

WASHINGTON — Every weekday morning, mental health clinician Carleigh Sailon turns on her police radio in downtown Denver and finds out who she can help next. She, along with a paramedic, jump in a repurposed city van, stripped of its... Read More

WASHINGTON -- The House of Representatives on Friday will vote on historic legislation that would grant statehood to the District of Columbia, making it the 51st U.S. state. The bill -- aptly named H.R. 51 -- is expected to pass... Read More

With public transportation offline in some areas and alternatives like Uber being a little too close for comfort due to the coronavirus outbreak, a growing number of city residents are looking at municipal bike share programs to get around. However,... Read More

WASHINGTON -- A new report by the Congressional Budget Office found that D.C. statehood would carry a price tag for taxpayers, but could also result in significant savings if the District takes on costs currently covered by the federal government.... Read More

WASHINGTON - Thousands of people called on the D.C. Council to defund the Metropolitan Police Department on Monday during a six-hour virtual hearing that drew an unprecedented response from local activists and community leaders. In an impressive show of unity,... Read More

A self-described street pastor is suing Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser over her decision to commission a street mural that says “Black Lives Matter” in large letters on a street near the White House. The lawsuit filed by Rich Penkoski... Read More

WASHINGTON - The year 2020 will no doubt be remembered as the year when crisis and turmoil took center stage not just in the U.S., but around the world. From a global pandemic, to upheavals in the economy to social... Read More

NEW YORK (AP) — The city that never sleeps had a curfew for much of last week. Famous stores were boarded up after days of unrest. The lights are out on Broadway theaters, and the subway no longer runs overnight.... Read More