Mayor Parker Transmits First HOME Initiative Bills to City Council-
During Thursday’s meeting, City Councilmember Jeffery Young, Jr. (District 5) introduced a bill that would eliminate specialized zoning overlays in his...more
Gov. Shapiro Addresses Arson Incident -
During a press conference following the opening of the Hershey Corporation’s new manufacturing plant, Governor Josh Shapiro made his first public comments since the arson at the...more
4/18/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Clean Energy ,
Pennsylvania ,
Political Campaigns ,
Political Candidates ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Transportation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
Tariffs ,
Trump Administration
BALTIMORE—City Files Lawsuit Against DraftKings, FanDuel -
The City of Baltimore filed a lawsuit against DraftKings and FanDuel, alleging that the sports betting companies exploit vulnerable gamblers through promotional...more
4/17/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
New York ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Health ,
Public Safety ,
Public Transportation ,
Sports Betting ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Taxes ,
Wage and Hour
Gov. Shapiro, State Leaders Condemn Weekend Arson Attack -
Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were safely evacuated after a suspected arson attack on their residence early Sunday morning, prompting state and local leaders...more
CHICAGO — Data Shows City’s Labor Market Stabilizing -
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee said the latest jobs report suggests the labor market is stabilizing at full employment and is not a sign of an...more
1/23/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
City Planning Departments ,
Economic Development ,
Housing Developers ,
Immigration ,
Infrastructure ,
Local Ordinance ,
Public Policy ,
Public Safety ,
Public Transportation ,
Real Estate Development ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Rent Control ,
Sanctuary Cities ,
State and Local Government ,
Tax Policy ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Wildfires ,
Zoning Laws
CHICAGO — Jobs Slightly Down Since Last Year, State Data Shows -
The Chicago metro area experienced a 0.2% drop in non-farm jobs between November 2023 and November 2024. While private education, health services, and...more
1/9/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Arenas and Stadiums ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Policies ,
Federal Funding ,
Homeless Issues ,
Labor Reform ,
Low Income Housing ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Legislation ,
Property Tax ,
Public Health ,
Public Safety ,
Public Transportation ,
Real Estate Development ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
CHICAGO — Teachers Union Narrows Contract Demands-
After eight months of increasingly tense contract negotiations, the Chicago Teachers Union has now narrowed its number of demands to land a deal in the next month, the...more
12/5/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
Commercial Leases ,
Contract Negotiations ,
Local Elections ,
Mayors ,
Minimum Wage ,
Public Health ,
Public Schools ,
Public Transit ,
Public Transportation ,
Real Estate Development ,
Small Business ,
State Taxes ,
Teachers ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
Last week, Mayor Cherelle Parker joined the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) to launch the new City College for Municipal Employment, which will train students specifically for local government jobs. The program aims...more
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker announced via social media that her administration has reached an agreement with the Philadelphia 76ers over their proposed Center City arena. City Councilmember Mark Squilla (District 1),...more
Gig Economy & Technology NEW YORK —
City Deploys Drones for Major Storm Warnings-
New York City emergency management officials have deployed five teams with multiple drones to warn residents in basement or ground-floor...more
8/15/2024
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Homeless Issues ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Housing Developers ,
Landlords ,
Migrants ,
Over-Time ,
Property Tax ,
Public Health ,
Public Safety ,
Public Transportation ,
Real Estate Development ,
Reassessments ,
Strike ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
CHICAGO — U.S. Steel South Works Site Wins Massive Quantum Project -Illinois is investing in quantum computing on the Far South Side of Chicago at the former U.S. Steel South Works plant on Lake Michigan. The goal is to...more
8/12/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
Ballot Measures ,
City Councils ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Federal Grants ,
Heat Exposure ,
Mass Shootings ,
Migrants ,
Public Transportation ,
Real Estate Development ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
State Budgets ,
Strike ,
Taxation ,
Theft ,
Wage and Hour ,
White Collar Crimes
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said he is moving forward with an education platform driven by artificial intelligence (AI) designed to help students and families navigate the...more
7/18/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Biometric Information ,
City Councils ,
Commercial Real Estate Contracts ,
Drones ,
Fair Workweek ,
Federal Funding ,
Illegal Drugs ,
Labor Relations ,
Office Space ,
Public Safety ,
Public Transportation ,
SNAP Program ,
Unions ,
Vacant Properties
CHICAGO — City Council Plans to Turn City Data Pain Into Tax-Revenue Gain -
Alderperson Gilbert Villegas (Ward 36), who chairs the City Council’s Committee on Economic, Capital & Technology Development, proposes 8% of the...more
6/21/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
City Councils ,
Fair Workweek ,
Gig Economy ,
Homeless Issues ,
Migrants ,
Minimum Wage ,
Opioid ,
Public Transportation ,
State Budgets ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
City Council Approves FY25 Budget- Early Thursday morning, Philadelphia City Council advanced Mayor Cherelle Parker’s proposed $6.37 billion FY25 Budget. The budget prioritizes public safety and quality-of-life improvement...more
BALTIMORE — Visiting Tech Companies Want to Expand Baltimore Presence-
The latest Techstars Equitech Accelerator brought several innovative companies to Baltimore, with founders expressing their commitment to expanding...more
6/6/2024
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
CFOs ,
Charging Stations ,
City Councils ,
Commercial Real Estate Market ,
Delivery Drivers ,
Drug & Alcohol Abuse ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Homeless Issues ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Local Elections ,
Mass Shootings ,
Public Transportation ,
Real Estate Investments ,
SBA ,
School Boards ,
Service Charges ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets
FY25 Budget Will Not Include Wage, Business Tax Cuts City Councilmember Isaiah Thomas (At Large) confirmed Thursday that Philadelphia’s FY25 budget will not include cuts to wage or business tax rates. This decision comes...more
CHICAGO — City Council to Consider Requiring Testing, Guidelines for City Government AI Tools-
Chair of Chicago City Council’s Committee on Economic, Capital & Technology Development Gilbert Villegas (Ward 36) introduced a...more
5/9/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Federal Funding ,
Homeless Issues ,
Local Elections ,
Lyft ,
Mayors ,
Political Parties ,
Public Health ,
Public Safety ,
Public Transportation ,
Real Estate Development ,
Ridesharing ,
State Budgets ,
Transportation Industry ,
Uber ,
Vacant Properties ,
Wages
Philadelphia’s political landscape has shifted to embrace law enforcement, with Mayor Cherelle Parker rejecting progressive drug policies, supporting low-level crime arrests, and unveiling a plan to combat the open-air drug...more
DETROIT — Newlab Startups Ignite Detroit's Tech Renaissance-
One year in, the members-only shared workspace, research lab, and venture platform in the former Book Depository building next to Michigan Central Station is...more
4/26/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
Budgets ,
Casinos ,
City Councils ,
Curfews ,
Funding ,
Homeless Issues ,
Local Elections ,
Mayors ,
Migrants ,
Public Transportation ,
Strike ,
Wage and Hour
The 100th Mayor’s First 100 Days-
In her first 100 days, Mayor Cherelle Parker has tackled issues including boosting public safety, stabilizing Kensington, combating the city's “Filthadelphia” reputation, creating more...more
CHICAGO — Gov. JB Pritzker Announces Plan to Make Chicago Quantum Technology Capital-
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced a plan to make Chicago a quantum technology capital at M-Hub, a business incubator on Chicago’s...more
4/11/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
Business Disruption ,
City Councils ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Economic Development ,
Endorsements ,
Homeless Issues ,
Local Elections ,
Mayors ,
Mental Health ,
Office Space ,
Ports ,
Property Tax ,
Public Citizen ,
Public Safety ,
Public Transportation ,
Shipping Cargo ,
Tax Increases ,
Wages
CHICAGO — After Latest Shooting, Rideshare Drivers Protest Outside Midway Airport for Change-
Several rideshare drivers protested outside Midway Airport last Friday for better safety and stable pay. The Chicago Police...more
BALTIMORE — Mayor Scott, BDE Introduce Free Public Wi-Fi Network -
In December, Mayor Brandon Scott and the City’s Office of Broadband and Digital Equity (BDE) launched FreeBmoreWiFi, a citywide free public Wi-Fi network....more
1/4/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
ATF ,
Immigrants ,
Mayors ,
Migrants ,
Property Tax ,
Public Health ,
Public Safety ,
Public Transportation ,
Real Estate Development ,
Voting Rights
During their last meeting of the 2023 session — and the final meeting of Council President Darrell Clarke’s tenure — City Council approved dozens of bills and resolutions, including the midyear budget transfer, an end to...more
CHICAGO — Harris School Introduces New Technology, Society Initiative- The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy is introducing the Harris Technology and Society Initiative, a two-pronged strategy that...more
11/20/2023
/ Election Results ,
Hospitals ,
Housing Developers ,
Housing Discrimination ,
Local Elections ,
Migrants ,
Nonprofits ,
Paid Leave ,
Political Candidates ,
Public Health ,
Public Transportation ,
Real Estate Development ,
Technology ,
Universities ,
Work Permits