Special Features

Friday’s Headlines Reap What They Sow

Turns out, states that voted for the "Leopards Eating People's Faces Party" are getting their faces eaten by leopards.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on August 22, 2025

Funds to "stitch" I-81 in Syracuse are on the Trump administration's chopping block, but so are similar projects in red states like Utah.

The Trump administration rescinded $2.2 billion in Biden-era transportation funding, and red states are suffering for it. Among the “woke” grants taken back: $88 million to reconnect a Utah city split by an interstate; $11 million for pedestrian safety in Bowling Green, Kentucky; and $24 million to reconstruct a railroad bridge in Missoula, Montana. (Politico)
Lots of neighborhoods technically meet the criteria for 15-minute cities, but many people still drive because of disconnected walking paths, poor lighting or a lack of places to walk to, according to University of Auckland research.
Philadelphia transit agency SEPTA released more details about the “death spiral” cuts and fare hikes taking effect next week. (NBC 10)
Illinois legislators are calling a special session to deal with Chicago transit agencies’ $771 million budget deficit. (WKRN)
Republicans’ “big beautiful bill” pulled $65 million for a trail network on Atlanta’s historically Black and neglected southside, but backers still want to build it anyway. (AJC)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is demolishing a downtown Salt Lake City hotel to use the property for parking. (Salt Lake Tribune)
Even without a special session to pass a bill raising more revenue for transportation, Oregon is in the middle of the pack among Western states for transportation spending. (Willamette Week)
Minneapolis planners unveiled a design for a pedestrian plaza named for George Floyd. (Minnesota Public Radio)
San Antonio community groups are calling for the NBA’s Spurs to provide funding for complete streets as part of a deal for a new arena. (Report)
The BBC says that being in Tempe’s car-free Culdesac development is “like being in Greece.” Minus the 3,000-year-old ruins, we assume, although the heat does invite a comparison.
Mountainous Mexico City is turning to cable cars to solve its epic traffic jams. (Yucatan Magazine)
The Netherlands is applying “bikenomics” to transportation projects, looking at the overall costs and benefits to society, including maintenance, pollution and public health. (Transport Matters)
Most of the happiest cities in the world just so happen to among the most bike-friendly. (Momentum Mag)

Blake Aued

Blake Aued has been doing Streetsblog's daily national news digest for years. He's also an Atlanta Braves fan, which enrages his editor in New York.

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