A new global website, Virtual Global Taskforce, will be a "central point of contact for children and parents throughout the world to report suspicious behavior in cyber space." The Virtual Global Taskforce, comprised of representatives of the United States, Canada, Australia and Interpol, worked with the UK's National Crime Squad to develop this worldwide contact for reporting suspicious online behavior and provide information on internet safety. In the future, the site will offer 24-hour online presence with officers visiting chat rooms searching for suspicious behavior, and discouraging pedophiles from luring children. Online users will be notified that an officer is present in a chatroom, through a logo which will be "featured on the internet launch site[s] of Microsoft, AOL and Vodafone."

The Southern Nevada Water Authority has launched an innovative program to encourage the construction of water efficient homes. Under the Water Smart Homes conservation program, the Southern Nevada Water Authority encourages builders to construct more water efficient homes which can be marketed as cost saving to potential buyers. Such homes must contain water efficient appliances and heating systems. The water authority also limits areas of grass in such homes to discourage excessive watering of lawns.

The Health and Human Services Department in Placer County, CA is spearheading the new CalWORKS Information Network (CalWIN), a multi-million dollar intra-agency computer system designed to handle the county's Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) caseload more efficiently and with less paperwork. By connecting public assistance programs across 18 state counties, CalWIN will modernize the processes of determining eligibility for the over one million people HHS serves in its food-stamp, Medicaid, and job-training programs. Now, when a potential client fails to garner a favorable entry into one program, the system can automatically search for all other programs for which they may be eligible. Sacramento will follow Placer County's lead and initiate the program in March.

The City of Chicago recently altered its affirmative action program for companies seeking construction contracts. As a result, many small minority and women-owned businesses are likely to "graduate", meaning that they are no longer eligible for such opportunities. Now the city's procurement chief, Eric Griggs, is trying to implement a transition program to assist such companies. This "race-neutral" program will serve as a buffer against sudden eligibility changes by allowing these establishments to continue doing business with the city. It will help firms effectively cope with the new rules and transition into the marketplace. Griggs notes, "There has to be some mid-level so they don't all of the sudden fall off the cliff when they're out of the program." He plans to have the transition program in place within 30-45 days.

A New Prescription: Cost, Value, and Competition in Health Care Reform - A Special CommonWealth Forum
Governor Mitt Romney , Speaker Sal DiMasi , Harvard Business School's Michael Porter, and a distinguished panel will participate in this special CommonWealth Forum. Thursday, February 17, 2005 from 8:00 AM to 10:30 AM at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston 600 Atlantic Avenue

For more information about this conference, visit Commonwealth Conference on Health Care Reform

Hosted by the Performance Institute, in association with the Ash Institute, the 2005 City and County Innovations Summit is the most comprehensive performance management event of the year for city and county managers. This year's Summit will be hosted in Phoenix on March 21-23, 2005.

Additionally, the Performance Institute will recognize innovative management practices in city and county government through a series of awards. The City and County Performance Management Awards will recognize excellence in budgeting, public-private partnerships and organizational performance management. Click here for applications and additional information about the Summit and the City and County Performance Management Awards.