Small “peripheral” cities top this year’s list of Inc. Magazine’s best places to do business. The study examines economic and demographic trends, particularly job growth, in naming its hot stops for entrepreneurs.
Citizen Participation & Research – General Sites
Striving for Online Excellence – Part 1: Function
Increasing government accountability, educating citizens, and providing financial disclosure are among the key functions of today’s best municipal web sites. This first installment in MuniNet Guide’s “Striving for Online Excellence” three-part series examines these and other objectives of top-notch state, county and local government sites.
New York City Death Rate Reaches New Low
New York City’s death rate was the lowest ever in 2004, according to its recently released annual Summary of Vital Statistics. The lower death rate is due to a drop in cardiac-related deaths, attributed to an improved quality of health care.
Pew Reports on Teen Internet Use
A recent Pew study reports that more than three quarters of today’s teens use the Internet; half of these are comfortable creating and posting online content.
BLS Releases CPI and Employment Reports
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently released the October 2005 Consumer Price Index figures, as well as a report on unemployment rates for Hurricane Katrina evacuees and its annual occupation and wage report.
States and Municipal Debt
The U.S. Census Bureau publishes a wealth of municipal debt information for state and local governments every five years. The latest census ocurred in 2002.
Zaba Search offers free people-search; Critics site privacy concerns
Zaba Search is a people finding search tool, providing address, phone and birthdate information about millions of people for free. Many people are concerned that this tool is a violation of privacy and will be used by stalkers and dangerous individuals.
Muni Web Sites Can Help Promote Positive Social Change
From promoting art awareness to preventing drunk driving, the Ad Council has been creating public service advertisements designed to elicit positive social change since 1942. The Ad Council recently introduced five new public service campaigns (see Sidebar for...
Peirce Sees Internet in Future of Municipalities and ’Citistates’
Neal Peirce has reported on state and local government since 1975 in his syndicated newspaper column. He has written several books, including “Citistates,” which was co-authored by Curtis Johnson. The 1993 book has spawned an organization called the Citistates Group....
Foundation Advocates Privacy Policies on Municipal Web Sites
The majority of municipal web sites in Illinois lack clear privacy policy statements, according to a recent report by the Gryphon Foundation, a non-profit public interest group supported by a state grant. The report is based on findings from a survey that examined web...