The California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) has unveiled a new program to help more low- and moderate-income homebuyers enter the increasingly expensive housing market by offering them a 40-year mortgage at a reduced rate. The private sector has had access to 40-year mortgages for several years, but this is the first time a government-sponsored program has made them available in California. The program offers an interest rate of 5.75 percent, one point below the prevailing interest rate offered presently on shorter mortgages.

Law enforcement departments across the country are using new technology and  psychology to fight crime. Computerized crime-reporting systems in Lake County, Ohio, have standardized reporting indicators leading to better indexed crime reports and the creation of lists of trouble areas which help officers improve deployment. Interactive crime maps on the LAPD's website allow the public to pinpoint, by date and location, specific crimes near their address. Goodhue County, Minnesota, is even using publicity to appeal to drug dealers' entrepreneurial spirit; if they provide tips to police, they can help eliminate the competition.

Across the nation, states are using innovative ways to collect child support from non-paying parents. Some states have approved legislation or are considering bills that enable them to obtain cell phone records, which include addresses. Virginia's Child Support Enforcement Division has posted "wanted" ads in newspapers that have helped in the arrest of over one hundred and secured payments from others. In Colorado, more than 2,200 delinquent parents have paid $1.3 million in child support after the state threatened to revoke their hunting and fishing licenses.

The British government will spend 40 million pounds this year to employ "parent support advisers" to work in schools suffering from truancy and bad behavior. Two hundred primary and secondary schools will participate in the experimental program that uses these advisors to promote parental responsibility. By offering parents one-to-one support and arranging home visits and "meet the teacher" sessions, the government hopes these advisors will serve as a catalyst for greater parental engagement and improve students' behavior and school attendance.

The U.S. Department of Energy and General Electric have agreed to design, fabricate, and test a multimegawatt-scale wind turbine that could produce clean renewable electricity at a much-reduced cost. Located offshore and expected to produce electricity at 52% less cost than regular methods, the advanced wind system will include specialized construction techniques, rotor designs, and electrical components designed for use in the ocean's harsh environment. Preliminary studies indicate that with sufficient research and development support, offshore wind farms could be commercially competitive with existing energy sources.

San Bernardino, California, a city ranked the 18th-most dangerous in the nation, will monitor newly paroled gang members with satellite tracking anklets typically used for high-risk sex offenders. The program, the state's first to focus on gang members, is part of a $5.1 million effort to start tracking 500 parolees by June using GPS devices. With the anklets, officials can view parolees' whereabouts 24 hours a day, being alerted if the wearer tampers with the device or enters an "exclusion zone," such as a victim's neighborhood. Authorities can also check whether parolees have attended mandatory drug counseling or obeyed requirements of their house arrest.

Each year, the Fannie Mae Foundation sponsors up to 35 government and nonprofit fellows to attend Harvard's Senior Executives in State and Local Government program at the Kennedy School. For more information about the program, click here. Applications are due March 31.

Newsletter produced by: Alexander Dworkowitz, Brendan St. Amant, and Vanessa Ruget (researchers and writers); Joellen Secondo (editor).