Savvy Washington D.C. drivers have lately been using the city's Snow Response Reporting System, a web application that displays in real-time where snow removal vehicles have plowed and laid salt. The application is searchable by street address or landmark.

In Cambridge, Massachusetts, public health officials are training hairstylists to observe their clients for any physical or behavioral indicators of abuse, and encourage them to seek help. The Cut It Out program, modeled after a similar program in Alabama, takes advantage of the intimate relationships cosmeticians often develop with their repeat customers. Volunteers are trained to look for tell-tale signs such as cigarette burns, bald spots where hair might have been pulled out, and other bruises in the cranial area. They also learn how to raise the issue delicately with the client, and provide information on how to get help.

Citing experts who now believe that playing before eating reduces food waste, increases healthy eating, and ameliorates behavioral problems, some schools have taken the simple step of scheduling recess before lunch. One school in Scottsdale, Arizona, which instituted this change almost a decade ago, has reduced lunch time nurse visits by nearly 40 percent. School officials report the switch has led to less food waste because students are less likely to rush through their meals to get to recess. Officials also believe that the school has gained about 15 minutes of instruction per day as students are able to cool down during lunch and then return to their studies.

Massachusetts has become the first state to require every child who either eats a meal at daycare or who attends for more than four hours to brush their teeth during class and be educated about oral health. The regulations come in response to expert opinion that cites poor dental care as the most common childhood ailment which, if left untreated, can result in mouth pain and other medical repercussions. The regulations, derided by some as permitting too much government intervention, do allow parents to opt out.

Under a new federal government pilot program implemented in some Denver schools, every student will be eligible to receive vaccines irrespective of their socioeconomic status. Directed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the program will help parents avoid extra trips to medical sites and ease the payment process as their health insurance plans are billed directly.

The Defense Department is plumbing the depths of ancient Greece to help wounded warriors of today. The Pentagon is underwriting an independent production company, Theater of War, to tour military installations and perform readings of two plays by Sophocles: Ajax and Philoctetes. After the performance, a panel of therapists and military personnel discuss with the audience lessons derived from the play about the stresses of modern military life.

In a break from traditional trial practice, Michigan jurors since 2008 have been allowed to submit written questions for witnesses with the approval of the judge and attorneys. Jurors may also openly discuss the case during trial, not just deliberations, to help them better understand the complicated mass of information they must weigh in their decision. Proponents of these reforms assert that they more effectively engage juries and ultimately facilitate their truth-seeking function.

A public-private partnership helps expecting moms get ready for their children by sending weekly health-related text messages. Subscribers to Text4baby, a partnership of the White House and participating wireless providers, will receive three free text messages in English or Spanish each week, scheduled according to the baby's due date. The messages focus on a variety of health topics for the child and the mother. The program hopes to stem the United States’ rising infant mortality rate, one of the highest in the industrialized world.

When it updates its environmental marketing guidelines, which were last updated in 1998, the Federal Trade Commission is expected to lower the boom on “greenwashing,” the practice whereby businesses misrepresent their environmental practices to their customers and the public. Businesses and environmental advocates are also eager to find out how the revised guidelines will affect the largely unregulated carbon trading market.

The National Science Foundation and the Microsoft Corporation are partnering to provide scientific researchers free access to Microsoft’s cloud computing service. The three-year project will give these scientists tools to grapple with the exponential growth in data sets they are encountering in genetic-sequencing, astronomy, and other data-intensive disciplines.

As cash-strapped states decide where to cut spending, Medicaid—the largest item in most state budgets—faces especially tough choices. Here are four Medicaid "best buys" that maximize public dollars to both improve patients' health and reap the greatest return on investment.

For public officials that feel they’ve cut as much as they can from their budgets, it is time to root out inefficiencies and waste. The lesson here is simple: Instead of looking to explain what you can't do without, look hard at how you can make the most of what you've got. Doing so will create a culture that encourages innovation and protects those who advocate for changes that increase accountability while improving results.

While the consolidation of government agencies can be daunting, it can also offer substantial rewards in streamlining services and reducing costs. This article details five critical areas for managers to focus on that can improve the likelihood of success.

Today's budget deficits are different. Government at all levels faces a long-term, structural deficit that old ideas can't fix. Elected officials who are truly committed to affordable government can lead the way back to budget sanity by embracing the following approaches.

Newsletter produced by: Jim Cooney, editor; Brendan St. Amant, researcher and writer.