March 1, 2008
Features
To the rescue
Sirens sounded, warning the residents of Utica, Ill., that a tornado was approaching. As they had many times before, 30 residents of the rural western...
Fine-tuning Wi-Fi
Atlanta-based EarthLink's February confirmation that it was selling off its municipal Wi-Fi business sounded the final death knell for some cities' ambitious...
The cost of clean streams
Norfolk, Va., public works officials breathed a sigh of relief in July 2006 when the city council approved an increase in the fee users pay to fund stormwater...
Issues & Trends
Study shows lack of ethics programs
A major ethics scandal may soon unfold in the public sector unless government agencies, particularly local and state governments, institute strong ethics...
ISO rating system comes under fire
For decades, the Jersey City, N.J.-based Insurance Service Office (ISO) has been inspecting and ranking the nation's fire departments to help insurance...
City programs fight domestic violence
The health-related costs of domestic violence assaults, homicides and rapes exceed $5.8 billion each year, according to the Ruidoso, N.M.-based American...
Agencies move to close 'grocery gaps'
As chain supermarkets have been abandoning inner cities to build in suburbs where land is both more plentiful and less expensive, many low-income urban...
The fix is in for L.A.
Most pet owners in Los Angeles will now be required to spay or neuter their dogs or cats by the time the animals are four months old. Officials hope the...
Border towns fight federal fence plans
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency plans to build a nearly 700-mile fence along the southern border of the United States to curb illegal immigration....
Nothing is for free
Erlanger, Ky., officials plan to issue fees for police and emergency medical services to the insurance companies of out-of-town drivers who cause accidents...
Dotted Line
Company news
Omaha, Neb.-based engineering consulting firm HDR has acquired Boise, Idaho-based Doherty & Associates, which will now do business as HDR/Doherty & Associates....
And the winner is
The Minneapolis 911 Center has received the 911 Outstanding Call Center Award from the Washington-based E9-1-1 Institute for its work after the I-35W...
Water, water everywhere
The East Bay Municipal Utility District in Oakland, Calif., has contracted with Chicago-based Optimatics to perform an optimization study on the district's...
ROLL CALL
American Institute of Hydrology David Williams, national technical director of water resources for Orlando, Fla.-based PBS&J, has been named chairman...
Extra, Extra
Furry friends for children in bad situations
For the fifth consecutive year, the Greensboro, N.C., Police Department accepted more than 100 stuffed teddy bears from the kindergarteners at Claxton...
Web site offers tips on disaster recovery
The Oklahoma City National Memorial has created a Web site to help community leaders find information about disaster recovery. A Network of Hope - A Resource...
Branding helps cities make their mark
For economic development officials and tourism leaders, a city's brand can be a strong magnet for businesses and visitors. But, many cities do not have...
Cameras capture water tower demolition
Last month, Nags Head, N.C., dismantled a landmark water tank and broadcast the process on its Web site. The 300,000-gallon elevated water storage tank...
Columns
Hard wired to waste
When asked about my job a few years ago, I would say, I'm in the garbage industry, which was true on two counts: I was a journalist, and my beat was solid...
Protecting identities
Nashville, Tenn., residents got a nasty surprise in December when someone stole two laptops from the Davidson County Election Office that contained the...
Thinking ahead
In 2007, the IRS made the first major revisions to 403(b) regulations for tax- exempt organizations in more than four decades. The IRS revised the regulations...
What's the hold up?
Since 2006, when federal legislation that helps fund the cleanup and revitalization of brownfields expired, local officials have been anticipating its...
Ways & Means
Turning around parking
As public transit ridership has increased in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, Metro Transit has been expanding its network of buses, trains...
Growing along the lines
Arlington County, Va., officials first adopted smart-growth principles in the late 1960s and early 1970s when they decided to reroute a key Metro line...
Building a one-stop shop
Alcoa, Tenn., is building a new service center complex to house its fleet management garage, parts warehouse and the Electric and Public Works departments....
Buyer's Index
Public Works Scraper tractors John Deere The 9030 Series is manufactured for large-scale scraping applications. The 9430 and 9530 models weigh up to 46,000...
Across America
Where the heart is
Only a one-lane roadway of rippled and cracked asphalt led to an isolated property on Montgomery Avenue in Fairmont, W.Va. The house, occupied by Angie...
Seaside supervision
By the end of the 1960s, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., lifeguards responded to emergencies using beach phones at 22 reporting stations along the southern Florida...
postcards
What's in a name? A West Virginia town is known by two names Berkeley Springs and Bath possibly creating confusion for visitors. But, city officials do...
Pennsylvania shines a light
Pennsylvania's new Right to Know Law assumes that most public records are available for public access, according to Gov. Edward Rendell. Previously, residents...
