| MOST POPULAR Sorry, COBOL In a moment of journalistic reflection, Gov Tech Associate Editor Ben Miller examines a sometimes-maligned programming language of a certain age, COBOL. He talks to several experts that offer perspectives on why when it comes to technology, old doesn’t necessarily mean bad. Also from the Magazine … As we ushered in March, we at GT debuted the digital version of the March print magazine, which in addition to the COBOL column mentioned above, includes stories about ERP upgrades that persisted during the pandemic and a can’t-miss cover story that answers the question of whether state unemployment systems have recovered from the COVID-19 crisis. Local Gov, You OK? For a look at how local government is faring at this stage of the pandemic, one insightful group was the gathering of local government officials and experts hosted by Bloomberg CityLab this week. Vice President Kamala Harris served as keynote, kicking off a series of discussions about how to address equity in the midst of the recovery. Broadband access and cybersecurity were also on the agenda. One issue sure to be on the minds of city leaders is the massive impact of the pandemic on city budgets. GT columnist Stephen Goldsmith makes the case for using data to drive decisions on how to allocate limited budget dollars. Follow the Money: Gov Tech Spending in 2021 More perspective on where government sits when it comes to spending priorities came at the Beyond the Beltway event, where Center for Digital Government* Vice President of Research Joe Morris forecasted nearly $120 billion in technology purchasing this year. Our story from GT’s Katya Maruri breaks that figure down by vertical. *The Center for Digital Government is owned by e.Republic, Government Technology’s parent company. | 