CNN

New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin testified to a Senate committee recently that a lack of local control over federal funding is severely limiting the Gulf Coast recovery. He says he doesn't see the federal government's will to rebuild New Orleans.

In October 2005, New Yorkers were smelling pancakes all over the city; on Monday another mysterious unknown smell was being widely reported across the city.

China's officials say its controversial population-control measure is still crucial for the welfare of the nation, where 800 million rural residents still live in poverty.

The Georgia Department of Transportation is being criticized for eliminating hundreds of small communities from its new official map.

Farmers in Spain led hundreds of sheep down city streets to protest urban encroachment on farm lands and livestock trails.

Voters across the political spectrum approved 77% of the 128 tax and bond initiatives on ballots in 23 states last Tuesday.

The Oakland A's sign a deal with the technology company Cisco to replace the Oakland Coleseum for a high-tech new ballpark which will set the standard for future stadiums.

Voters are routinely taxing themselves to preserve land and quality of life - no matter their political persuasion.

Sixty signs of loose bolts and other potential failures are found in the same Big Dig tunnel where a motorist was crushed by 12 tons of falling concrete.

Current trends indicate that pedestrian- and transit-oriented developments are becoming more and more attractive, especially to younger people. This smart growth is also turning out to be a profitable investment.

A new report from Save the Children shows that the United States has the second-highest infant mortality rate in the developed world, and that mortality rates for African American babies are double that of the national average.

Scientists debate whether last year's record Atlantic hurricanes can be attributable to greenhouse gases.

The nation's older, inner-ring 'first suburbs' are often bypassed by policies that direct government assistance elsewhere, as discussed by Senator Hillary Clinton and Bruce Katz of the Brookings Institution.

In his state of the union address, President Bush says the U.S. is "addicted to oil" and alternate energy source will break its dependence.

A mediator reports that transit union leaders have agreed to allow striking employees to return to work while negotiations continue.

More than 30,000 New York City transit workers go on strike early Tuesday, shutting down nation's largest public transit system.

Environmentalists worry about the long and short-term effects of using the swamps as a landfill for waste from Hurricane Katrina.

With $40 billion in federal dollars at stake for protecting New Orleans from future flooding, Congress is forming a special commission to oversee the allocation of the funds.

New York City increases subway security after a "specific" threat to the city's subway is announced.

The farther food travels, the more greenhouse gas emissions it generates -- a fact which concerns some environmentalists.