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Emerging from the dust storm
Rod Brown Civil & GovernmentLocal governments are caught in a swirling dust storm that causes waste of precious tax dollars. Governing units do have legitimate purpose; most have just lost sight of what it is. During more than 40 years of public employment, I watched elected policymakers annually trying to divide a pot of limited revenue dollars among the competing demands of different departments within their organization. Interest groups, private citizens, businesses, coalitions and department heads passionately argued their causes while trying to increase their share of the budget.
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Health spending growth low for 4th consecutive year
Pamela Lewis Dolan Healthcare AdministrationFor the fourth consecutive year, growth in healthcare spending remained historically low. But the likelihood this trend will continue, and how the Affordable Care Act will impact it, is still in question. From 2009 to 2012, the U.S. saw the slowest growth in healthcare spending since the government started tracking these trends in the 1960s, according to data released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
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2014 means decision time for the Keystone XL pipeline
Lucy Wallwork Natural ResourcesA decision on the approval of the $5.4 billion northern portion of the Keystone XL pipeline (linking oil sands production in Canada with refining on the U.S. Gulf Coast) is expected in the first quarter of 2014. And a new survey has revealed strong support for the project among Americans.
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Ferric sulfate is a safe coagulant alternative to alum
Hilary Ferrand ManufacturingPublic water systems provide clear, clean water largely because of chemical treatments needed both to kill harmful microorganisms and to improve appearance, taste and smell. Unfortunately, some of these treatments have shown to react with organic and inorganic compounds naturally found in the water. Certain of these disinfection byproducts have been proven to cause health conditions, like stomach cancer and early miscarriage.
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Detroit’s bold idea: Removing a highway to stimulate growth
Bambi Majumdar Civil & GovernmentDetroit has been facing plenty of adversity in recent years, from decaying parks to bankruptcy. Despite all odds, however, the city is slowly showing signs of improvement and revival. One of the first focuses has been tackling the decaying park and decrepit downtown areas to launch a full-scale revival project. In fact, the intensity of this focus is so high that the ailing city is considering a historic reversal of I-375 into a surface street. The fact that Detroit is considering such a big and bold step shows how optimistic the city is for its future.
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Bill for mandatory cameras in Texas special education classes still stuck
Bambi Majumdar EducationIn recent years there have been numerous disturbing incidents that have made both authorities and parents concerned about student safety on campus. Measures are being taken around the country to secure premises better. At the same time, there has risen a need to protect children from dangers within the campus as well, especially special needs children who cannot verbalize their trauma. Texas has paved the way for an unprecedented action — protecting differently-abled children and aiding in their development by making cameras mandatory in special education classes. The bill, S.B. 1380, easily passed in the state Senate, but has been stuck in a legislative black hole since then. And it's unclear when it will resurface.
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Telecom protectionism: What goes around comes around
Victor Blake CommunicationsEthernet and the Internet — perhaps America's greatest inventions — have driven global telecommunications standards, and subsequently economic development, more than any other innovation. The reach of the Internet is so broad that irrespective of political, social or economic alliance or opposition to the United States, enemies and friends alike have adopted the Internet both for consumers and as the foundation for all global telecommunications. Despite all of this global expansion, some U.S. telecom companies have used national security concerns to entice the U.S. government to restrict access to certain products from Chinese companies. And now this tactic is coming back to bite them.
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P3s offer financial and design flexibility
Phil Schwab Transportation Technology & AutomotiveA public-private partnership (P3) is a contractual agreement between a public agency and private-sector entity to deliver a public service or facility with the use of private financing. Because of the uncertainty and inconsistency of public funding, P3 projects offer the ability to accelerate project delivery, reduce project costs and allow users to realize the project benefits years earlier than conventional "pay as you go" project deliveries.
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Metoprolol bringing big changes to emergency care for heart attacks
Bambi Majumdar Medical & Allied HealthcareA recent study on the beta-blocker drug metoprolol and its ability to lessen damage from heart attacks promises major changes in the way emergency medicine will be looked at. It will no longer just focus on sustaining the patients until they reach the hospital but on administering drugs that will help them in faster recovery all the way.
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Has the Zappos gamble paid off for downtown Las Vegas?
Bambi Majumdar Civil & GovernmentWhen Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh announced his big dream for downtown Las Vegas, he met with more skepticism than encouragement. The area just beyond the Vegas Strip has been a chronically depressing one, with decrepit old buildings and failing businesses. Existing businesses moved away while new businesses stopped looking for space there. The story is quite similar to many other downtowns across the country. But this is where the similarities end, because the revival story is way different from any other.
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