Sixty families are participating in The Family Strengthening Project, a program that provides incarcerated fathers and their families access to parenting and relationship classes, as well as counseling. Additionally, both inmates and their partners receive job training. The project was established by the Minnesota Council on Crime and Justice through a five-year grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services.

In preparation for a rapidly growing sector of the economy, some Maryland high school students will be offered a curriculum in homeland security, which will include instruction in simulations, chemical and biological threat identification, law enforcement and criminal justice, and information and communications technology. The Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Program, in the Harford County Public Schools, is among the first in the nation to groom the next generation of homeland security personnel by offering a full-scale academic program.

Security officers at O'Hare Airport in Chicago are now using a behavioral screening method to detect passengers who may cause a security threat, singling out those who display unusually high levels of stress and fear. Screening Passengers by Observation Technique (SPOT) was first tested several years ago in Boston, and is becoming increasingly popular across the US and abroad. Critics argue that the method, which relies on the psychology of observation, does not differentiate between passengers experiencing typical stress while traveling from those that pose a true threat. 

A new Web site launched by the US Office of Management and Budget, USASpending.gov, allows taxpayers to find out how their taxes are being spent. Though still incomplete, the site displays federal spending by grant, state, granting agency, or by categories. Users may even discover who the top 100 recipients of federal money in their state are.

A new park under construction in Springfield, Illinois, seeks to protect the environment and to offer full access to individuals with disabilities. The park will be entirely handicapped-accessible and will feature special lighting designed for people with autism. Additionally, a special bathroom will allow entrance for a caregiver of the opposite sex. The park is also designed to be eco-friendly, with its pavilion to use geothermal heating and cooling, solar panels, turbines, and recycled construction materials.

Aimed at challenges that cross boundaries, a Wisconsin alliance of local governments will cope with common issues and eventually address some of the state's thorniest problems. The Local Government Institute of Wisconsin is composed of four associations that represent local, municipal, and county governments. The institute, modeled upon a comparable initiative in California, will work through research and advocacy and plans to secure funding through private sources.

In Ohio, the Miami County Jail is joining other corrections institutions around the country by painting cellblocks pink. Research has shown that this color may have a pacifying effect on prisoners. While the concept is not without its detractors, the use of pink is seen as one more tool that officials can use to ensure the safety of its staff and other prisoners.

Across the country, different municipalities are finding original ways to pick up the tuition tab for qualifying college-bound public high school graduates. Private donors, public universities, and other entities are part of a nationwide movement to find ways to offset staggering increases in college costs.

To bolster the supply of women in math and the hard sciences, private foundations are partnering with state educators, community organizations, and local teachers for the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Equity Pipeline Project. The program will provide consulting and professional development training to community colleges and school districts. The effort is funded by the National Science Foundation and will be piloted in five states.

New York Governor Eliot Spitzer will launch a new program in early 2008 aimed at helping more than 3,300 foster children with severe disabilities. The "Bridges to Health" program, touted as the first of its kind in the nation, will provide these foster children with prevocational training, healthcare coordination, and accessibility modifications. The goal is to keep them out of expensive, impersonal institutions by finding them a compatible home. The program, conceived and run by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services and the state Department of Health, will be paid for by Medicaid. 

As state and local officials in North Carolina are increasing their efforts to preserve water, the Governor's office recently launched a Web site that provides information on water usage and conservation efforts. Citizens can access data by entering the name of their local water system, county, or river basin, allowing them to monitor efforts on a weekly basis.