An Allentown City Hall employee was charged with planting a noose at their desk in January, according to police.

LaTarsha Brown is charged with tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and false reports to law enforcement, Allentown Chief of Police Charles Roca said Monday.

"Today, we're even more surprised to learn that it was likely fabricated by the employee herself," Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk, a Democrat, said.

The Allentown mayor believes the incident has helped bring the conversation over inclusion to the forefront at City Hall.

Earlier this month Shelby Busch — chair of Arizona’s delegation to the Republican convention — was in court trying to learn the identities of local elections workers and said under oath that she was unaware of any threats that had been made against the people who helped run the last presidential election and the midterm election that followed.

This week, video emerged that showed Busch saying she herself would “lynch ” the official who helps oversee elections in Maricopa County: Stephen Richer, a fellow Republican.

A long-running conservative push to get rid of countywide polling places is winning growing interest from state lawmakers, as well as a spot on the state Republican party’s list of legislative priorities for next year.

Just asking questions? That might become illegal, sort of, in New Jersey. Powerful interest groups there are pushing a bill that would overhaul the state Open Public Records Act (OPRA), making it harder for the public to request government documents—and the legislature might vote on it today. One provision would allow state and local agencies to sue people who request too many documents at once.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and GOP Rep. Darrell Issa are on the same side of a political fight.

All it took to bring them together was a homelessness crisis.

On Monday the Supreme Court is taking up a case with monumental consequences for how cities in California and other states address encampments. At issue is whether local governments can remove encampments if there isn’t more permanent shelter available for homeless people.

Phil Wong used to reliably back incumbents in this liberal city. But in 2022, he voted to recall three left-wing school board members and a progressive district attorney, and in November he plans to cast his ballot for a tough-on-crime challenger to the current mayor.

“I have a deep love for this city, what it was,” said the 46-year-old son of a Chinese immigrant. “I want to see what it can be again.”

Someone will no doubt demand a recount: In a 5-4 vote, the Hawaii Elections Commission on Tuesday reappointed the chief elections officer to another four-year term. But the public meeting over Zoom was lengthy and contentious, and it’s clear that Scott Nago has many detractors.