local governments

By all appearances, China has been one of the countries least affected by the global downturn in recent years.

But the Chinese government stepped up spending to keep its economy going, and many local governments now face serious debt problems.

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On the surface, they appear to be simply farmyards, hotels or guesthouses run by provincial governments.

In fact, they are part of a network of extrajudicial detention centers known as "black jails," where local governments hold people who come to Beijing to complain about abuses.

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Local governments will now have the option of banning dispensaries in their communities, and doctors who recommend marijuana have to show they actually examined their patients.

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In states like Florida, California and Nevada, the collapse of the housing market has driven down home values dramatically.

That means lower property tax revenue for local governments. Counties across the country say property tax collections may decline by 10 percent or more over the next few years.

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