Tim Halbur

Slate looks at America's long history of dreaming up grand stadiums that end up unbuilt, from a waterfront stadium on Manhattan's West Side to a floating stadium in Puget Sound.

In Linthicum Heights, Maryland, a man was beaten in a robbery near the local transit station. Neighbors fear the light rail is a lightning rod for crime and want it closed.

Three economists with an understanding of the industry say that construction has finally hit bottom across the board (retail, housing, office) and is poised to come back with double-digit growth in 2011.

Both houses of the Michigan Legislature have passed bills expanding the governor's right to declare a "financial emergency" and appoint managers to run cities, towns and school districts with little local oversight.