Recession, State Budget | featured news

The expansion in public prekindergarten programs has slowed and even been reversed in some states as school districts cope with shrinking budgets. As a result, many 3- and 4-year-olds aren't going to preschool....

On a chilly evening in February, a commuter train bound for Worcester, Mass., broke down outside Boston, transforming passengers' usual 80-minute commute into a four-hour nightmare.

In a recession, state lawmakers are taxing personal vices. It’s good for you, they say, but it’s really better for their budgets.