http://americancityandcounty.com/ American City & County News en-us http://americancityandcounty.com/news/new-orleans-fastest-growing-city-20090702 New Orleans was the country’s fastest-growing city in 2008, though it still has a way to go before it regains its pre-Hurricane Katrina population of 484,674, according to the U.S. Census Bureau news Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EDT http://americancityandcounty.com/news/financial-disclosure-rankings-20090702 Twenty of the 50 states received a failing grade in the Washington-based Center for Public Integrity’s (CPI) most recent financial disclosure rankings news Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EDT http://americancityandcounty.com/water/epa-arra-buy-american-provision-20090702 In a June Webcast, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gave guidelines for how water utilities should apply the “Buy American” provision in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) water Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EDT http://americancityandcounty.com/topics/stimulus/stimulus-money-spending-effectiveness-20090629 States are not making as much progress as possible in spending funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), according to a report by Washington-based Smart Growth America (SGA). Not enough of the $26 billion in ARRA funding for transportation projects has gone to repairing existing roads and bridges or to fund public transportation, the report says. stimulus Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:52:00 EDT http://americancityandcounty.com/admin/economic_dev/budget-cuts-hurt-local-festivals-20090629 Despite the economy, many large, multi-day music events have fared well this year, bringing millions of dollars to their host communities. The Coachella Music Festival and the Stagecoach Festival in Indio, Calif., and the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn., reported strong ticket sales comparable to 2008. But, smaller festivals, which are more dependent on government funding and sponsorships, have faced greater uncertainty. economic_dev Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:43:00 EDT