The Daily Report

A dazzling wildflower season spells trouble for the master-planned communities that spread like invasive weeds along the edges of urban areas across the West.  How are the wildflower wars being waged, and why is it important to have natural yards in cities, anyway?

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As America’s baby boomers grow older and economic woes shift the elderly from suburbs to center city, developers capitalize on the demographics as seen in Chicago, where billions of dollars are being spent to transform the Windy City into the next Boca Raton.

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With the recent White House-sanctioned raise in CAFE standards, the battle of federal fuel economy regulations versus state emissions and pollutants standards will clash once again. A fight that killed General Motor’s electric car in the 90s, Los Angeles and cities like it will not let their states loosen environmental standards at the hand of federalism. The New Argument’s Evan Miller reports. 

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Immigration and its alleged illegal status is posing legal challenges for states and cities all over the country. For Nebraska, a state experiencing just a moderate level of Hispanic immigration inflow, Attorney General Jon Bruning has drawn the line on who he’ll protect and who he won’t. For him, immigrants simply aren’t financially worth protecting.

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Given its wild history, mountain geography, and distinct architecture, it’s no wonder that people would want to haunt the historic mining town of Bisbee, Arizona.  But what do the town’s ghosts tell us about the livability of this place?  What kind of urban indicator can spirits be?

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Last Friday, Queens Supreme Court Justice Arthur Cooperman delivered his highly anticipated verdict in the trial of three NYPD detectives accused of killing Sean Bell. Can Bell’s death and others like it be attributed to the fact that NYPD officers and patrolmen are underpaid and insufficiently trained? Next American City welcomes new guest columnist, Chanel Lee.

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NAC is proud to present our new daily report contributor, Shelton Hull, columnist and writer based in Jacksonville, Florida. His work has appeared in FolioWeekly, Counterpunch, Ink19 and Section 8 Magazine. His first column deals with property tax cuts in Florida and how they have cities scrambling to stay ahead of their budgets.

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Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have bolted Pennsylvania for now, but one of them will be back in the fall.  When they do return, they will be pressed to address urban issues that Philadelphians face, in detail. A first attempt to get the candidates’ views on urban policy took place on April 17 at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.  The event, “Urban Policy and the Presidency,” was co-sponsored by the Penn Institute for Urban Research and Next American City Magazine.

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From truck drivers and Mensa members, to Satanists and Druids, the “other" candidates for president list in the hundreds. Other, more prominent names flesh out these lists as well, such as Ralph Nader and Alan Keyes. And a number of smaller party activists from the likes of the Green and Libertarian Parties also fill its ranks. So, do any of these American citizens making use of their freedom to run for president have anything to say about the nation’s cities? 

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Faced with the recent resignation of former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson, and a stalling economy, President Bush has been under considerable pressure to put forth a nomination for Jackson’s replacement. Unfortunately, many suspect that the president’s nominee, Steve Preston, is not the man for the job. Evan Miller of The New Argument reports. 

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