Huge Va. budget growth over 10 years fueled by inflation, population, economic conditions

Population, inflation fuel Virginia budget growth

Calif. governor signs $11B water bond measure championing new dams, kicks off voter campaign

Calif. governor pushes $11B water bond plan, dams

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson wins 2nd 4-year term by landslide margin

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson wins 2nd term

Cleveland’s mayor, big primary winner, looking to win second four-year term

Cleveland mayor looking to win second term

Report: Americans getting better at conserving water, as per-person use falls to 1950s levels

Report: US getting better at conserving water

Federal government reviewing endangered species status for humpback whales

HONOLULU — The federal government is considering taking the humpback whale off the endangered species list in response to data showing the population of the massive marine mammal has been steadily growing in recent decades.

Fewer Floridians for 1st time since ‘46; economy takes the blame as state sees jobs leave

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Researchers say Florida’s population has declined for the first time in 63 years and economists are blaming — what else? — the recession.

Foundations’ money sparks Pittsburgh’s robust economic recovery after steel industry collapse

PITTSBURGH — Barely 25 years ago, peep show women strutted in the 19th-century window arches of downtown Pittsburgh’s 803 Liberty Avenue, overlooking gritty bars, triple-X theaters and adult book stores.

Meltdown 101: What does GDP report mean to you and your pocketbook? Plenty, so pay attention

WASHINGTON — The worst bite from the recession into the U.S. economy may well be past — but that doesn’t mean an end to the pain, especially when it comes to job losses.

Census: With fewer people moving, largest US cities now outpace rest of nation in growth

WASHINGTON — Reversing a decade-long trend, many of America’s largest cities are now growing more quickly than the rest of the nation, yet another sign of an economic crisis that is making it harder for people to move.

Migration, not just ‘natural growth,’ boosting Jewish settler numbers in West Bank

MAALEH ADUMIM, West Bank — Israelis moving to the West Bank accounted for more than a third of settler population growth in recent years, government statistics show, undercutting Israel’s argument that it is continuing settlement construction only to accommodate growing families already living there.

Census: World’s older population will triple by 2050, adding stress to government programs

WASHINGTON — The world’s 65-and-older population will triple by mid-century to 1 in 6 people, leaving the U.S. and other nations struggling to support the elderly.

Medvedev honors big families in Kremlin ceremony as Russia fights population decline

MOSCOW — Russia has a long tradition of honoring it soldiers, scholars and scientists for outsized achievements. On Monday, it honored parents with outsized families with the “Order of Parental Glory” — part of a campaign to halt a dramatic population decline.

Slowing immigration of Asians, Hispanics to delay by years when US minorities become majority

WASHINGTON — Deterred by immigration laws and the lackluster economy, the population growth of Hispanics and Asians in the U.S. has slowed unexpectedly, causing the government to push back estimates on when minorities will become the majority by as much as a decade.

Citing 9 billion people in 2050, US envoy speaks of ‘renewed commitment’ to slowing growth

WASHINGTON — The new U.S. ambassador for global women’s issues pledged Thursday the Obama administration’s “deep commitment” to a U.N. blueprint aimed at slowing the world’s population explosion and empowering women.