Population growth and decline
NJ hits 4.7M adults fully vaccinated against COVID-19

By Mike Catalini Jun. 18, 2021 11:00 AM EDT
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey on Friday hit Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy's goal of vaccinating 4.7 million people. Murphy announced what he...

Republicans juggle deficit, pandemic and schools in budget

By Marc Levy Jun. 17, 2021 11:26 AM EDT
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania are working to assemble a budget plan that would use billions in federal pandemic relief and...

Prison that housed Connecticut death row is closes early

Jun. 11, 2021 04:43 PM EDT
SOMERS, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut has closed the maximum security prison that once housed the state's death row. Gov. Ned Lamont announced...

Broward County, Fla., public defender Gordon Weekes poses Friday, June 4, 2021, in San Francisco. By the middle of 2020, the number of people in jails nationwide was at its lowest point in more than two decades, according to a new report by the Vera Institute of Justice, whose researchers collected population numbers from about half of the nation’s 3,300 jails to make national estimates. Judges in multiple counties said they are now more likely to release people to await resolution of their cases at home than in jail, and are in conversation with others in the system to bolster electronic monitoring and other programs to keep an eye on people pre-trial. But it’s not clear if these changes will stick. “It’s a slow progression back into what people know,” said Weekes. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Jails emptied in the pandemic. Should they stay that way?

By Weihua Li And Beth Schwartzapfel Of The Marshall Project And Michael R. Sisak Of The Associated Press Jun. 07, 2021 10:01 AM EDT

An elevated walkway leading from the Miami-Dade County Pre-Trial Detention Center to the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building is shown, Friday, June 4, 2021, in Miami. By the middle of 2020, the number of people in jails nationwide was at its lowest point in more than two decades, according to a new report by the Vera Institute of Justice, whose researchers collected population numbers from about half of the nation’s 3,300 jails to make national estimates. But the numbers have begun creeping back up again as courts are back in session and the world begins returning to a modified version of normal. It’s worrying criminal justice reformers who argue that the past year proved there is no need to keep so many people locked up in the U.S. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Jails emptied in the pandemic. Should they stay that way?

By Weihua Li And Beth Schwartzapfel Of The Marshall Project And Michael R. Sisak Of The Associated Press Jun. 07, 2021 10:00 AM EDT

Elesha Gayman, Democratic chairwoman in Scott County, Iowa, stands outside her office, Wednesday, May 26, 2021, in Davenport, Iowa. Iowa's 2nd Congressional District race last year might have ignited a rally from Democrats whose six-vote loss was the narrowest for any U.S. House seat in almost 40 years. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
'Past the point of no return'? Iowa Dems feel hopes fading

By Thomas Beaumont Jun. 01, 2021 12:03 AM EDT

Editorial Roundup: Nebraska

By The Associated Press May. 31, 2021 10:00 AM EDT
Omaha World-Herald. May 26, 2021. Editorial: Sound principle, not narrow partisanship, must guide Nebraska’s redistricting ...

Massachusetts vaccinations up; Montpelier to lift mask rule

May. 30, 2021 12:22 PM EDT
BOSTON (AP) — Coronavirus developments around New England: MASSACHUSETTS More than half the population of Massachusetts...

Editorial Roundup: West Virginia

By The Associated Press May. 26, 2021 01:30 PM EDT
Charleston Gazette-Mail. May 24, 2021. Editorial: West Virginia’s water conundrum Politicians can talk all they want...

A contractor works at the Prince of Peckham pub, as it prepares to reopen to indoor customers, in London, Monday, May 17, 2021. The coronavirus pandemic has laid siege to Britain's pubs so the latest easing of the lockdown, which allows them to reopen indoors, is hugely welcome. For the Prince of Peckham, a pub in the southeast London district of Peckham, it's a chance to reengage with the local community, including a speed-dating night. It’s the latest innovation by a pub that’s clearly creating a buzz in one of the most diverse communities in London. Around half the local population is Black, so it stands to reason, surely, that one of the few local boozers remaining should seek as wide a clientele as possible. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Focus on local: London pub emerges from lockdown with gusto

By Pan Pylas May. 19, 2021 02:34 AM EDT

Residents watch a fountain show along the Wangfujing shopping district in Beijing Tuesday, May 11, 2021. The number of working-age people in China fell over the past decade as its aging population barely grew, a census showed Tuesday, adding to economic challenges for Chinese leaders who have ambitious strategic goals. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
China adds few babies, loses workers as its 1.4B people age

By Joe Mcdonald And Huizhong Wu May. 11, 2021 03:07 AM EDT

A couple wearing face masks and a child on an electric-powered scooter pass by a man holding an infant as he chats with another man near a sculpture outside a shopping mall in Beijing on Saturday, May 8, 2021. China’s population growth is falling closer to zero as fewer couples have children, the government announced Tuesday, May 11, 2021, adding to strains on an aging society with a shrinking workforce. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
1.4B but no more? China's population growth closer to zero

By Joe Mcdonald And Huizhong Wu May. 10, 2021 10:27 PM EDT

This Tuesday, April 27, 2021 photo shows boarded up houses on North 5th Street in Raton, N.M. Vacant buildings — some dilapidated and others that look recently abandoned — have become an unavoidable reality in Raton, a constant reminder to residents of their town’s current plight. (Eddie Moore /The Albuquerque Journal via AP)
New Mexico town to tackle vacant buildings

By Kyle Land May. 09, 2021 11:00 AM EDT

ASU professors say Arizona economy poised to recover jobs

May. 07, 2021 01:54 PM EDT
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona State University forecasters say the state's economy is rebounding and poised in coming months to recover all the jobs lost in 2020 due...

FILE - In this Monday, Jan. 11, 2021, file photo, people overlook the skyline of Los Angeles. California's population has declined for the first time in its history. State officials announced Friday, May 7 that the nation's most populous state lost 182,083 people in 2020. California's population is now just under 39.5 million. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
California leaving: State population declines for first time

By Adam Beam May. 07, 2021 01:31 PM EDT

FILE - Homes, in suburban Salt Lake City, are shown on April 13, 2019. Utah is one of two Western states known for rugged landscapes and wide-open spaces that are bucking the trend of sluggish U.S. population growth. The boom there and in Idaho are accompanied by healthy economic expansion, but also concern about strain on infrastructure and soaring housing prices. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
Study: Residents left big metros during pandemic for family

By Mike Schneider May. 06, 2021 12:59 PM EDT

FILE - Homes, in suburban Salt Lake City, are shown on April 13, 2019. Utah is one of two Western states known for rugged landscapes and wide-open spaces that are bucking the trend of sluggish U.S. population growth. The boom there and in Idaho are accompanied by healthy economic expansion, but also concern about strain on infrastructure and soaring housing prices. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
Study: Residents left big metros during pandemic for family

By Mike Schneider May. 06, 2021 12:50 PM EDT

Editorial Roundup: Pennsylvania

By The Associated Press May. 05, 2021 09:00 AM EDT
Scranton Times-Tribune. May 3, 2021. Editorial: Pass Yaw bill to help farms get greener Pennsylvania has fallen far...

Editorial Roundup: Kansas

By The Associated Press May. 04, 2021 02:35 PM EDT
Lawrence Journal-World. May 1, 2021. Editorial: State’s slow population growth sparks familiar question of “What’s the matter with Kansas?...

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear speaks with reporters following his tour of the UPS Worldport facility in Louisville, Ky., Tuesday, Apr. 27, 2021. UPS is tone of the primary shippers of the COVID-19 vaccine. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, Pool)
Beshear open to easing virus rules before vaccination goal

By Bruce Schreiner May. 03, 2021 06:02 PM EDT