Toledo, Ohio, has launched an initiative to draw on the energy of artists to revitalize the city and its surrounding neighborhoods. Research indicates that cities with vibrant arts scenes are attractive to employers, and local artists can serve as a pool of creative talent for area businesses. About 30 artists each year will be eligible for low-interest or forgivable loans and relocation allowances. Simultaneously, the city will raise the visibility and the marketability of Toledo's native artists. 

The University of Minnesota is developing video games that could soon help military personnel perform more effectively. Federal funding will help the university, and over 60 other universities, to conduct research within various fields to aid the U.S. military. These next-generation simulations will help researchers study human behavior in combat, ensuring that lessons learned will lead soldiers to think faster, shoot straighter, and operate more efficiently in the real world.

Partners for Our Children combines data produced by researchers at the University of Washington's School of Social Work, the experience of the state Department of Social Health Services, and philanthropic monies to improve the social services provided to at-risk children in the state of Washington. Experts will analyze existing policies, develop best practices, and educate social workers and parents under the new program.

Alarmed by the sharp rise in mortgage fraud--and aware of the impact that mortgage lending and the housing market have on the nation's economy--the FBI and the Mortgage Bankers Association are partnering to create stronger safeguards against illegal practices, committed by industry insiders and borrowers. Both organizations have agreed to create a national fraud warning notice system and to issue notices to borrowers reminding them that such frauds are punishable by high fines and jail time. The Mortgage Bankers Association is also supporting a nationwide standardization of licensing requirement for bank loan officers.

Taking advantage of federal funding available since 2003, many school districts in the state of New Jersey have adopted strict drug and alcohol testing measures, especially for teenagers who drive to school or participate in sports or club activities. School officials are emphasizing the preventive, rather than the punitive, aspects of the testing and argue that it will help reduce delinquent behaviors and violence.

Seeking to improve its financial situation, MARTA, the regional transit system of Metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, has adopted unorthodox ideas for raising revenue by selling advertising. In marketing campaigns directed to youthful riders, MARTA was the first in the nation to put televisions in rail cars, series of promotional images in subway tunnels, and glow-in-the-dark advertisement materials around buses so that they can serve as moving billboards, even at night.

Mississippi and Alabama want to protect their social workers by equipping them with GPS tracking devices that contain panic buttons. Social workers often find themselves in the midst of stressful situations, and the recent slaying of a social worker during a home-visit in Kentucky has motivated many agencies to find ways to increase the security of their staff.

The United Kingdom has established a new police unit targeting criminal gangs who smuggle women to London to work as sex slaves. The Human Trafficking Team--composed of experts in organized immigration crime, financial investigations, and the exploitation of women--will identify and confront traffickers who import thousands of people, mostly women, for forced labor in the sex industry or as domestic servants.

In parts of Los Angeles, crossing the street wil become safer due to the installation of "smart crosswalks." When pedestrians push the crosswalk button, sensor posts on both sides of the street will detect if someone steps on to the sidewalk, triggering a series of road-embedded flashing LED lights. If someone presses the button without crossing, the lights do not flash. Alternative systems have automatic activation when a pedestrian walks into the street.

Nanotechnology, the control of matter at the molecular and atomic levels, is being touted as the solution for many developing world ills. Possible applications include treating disease, making clean water readily available, storing energy, and improving agricultural productivity. Many developing countries, such as India and Brazil, are allocating funds to incubate their nanotechnology industries.

A new program, Excel, gives New Hampshire judges the option of sentencing juvenile offenders to three months at the state's reformatory, followed by intensive treatment and counseling when they arrive home. The program returns youthful offenders to their communities as quickly as possible and offers an alternative to long-term residential care. Officials expect the program to help place offenders on the fast track to rehabilitation, as well as save the state several hundred thousand dollars a year.

To stem the sharp growth in squirrel population in Santa Monica's Palisades Park, officials will be giving these rodents birth control shots that stunt their sexual development. Squirrels can sometimes carry rabies or host fleas, possibly posing a public health problem. In the past, officials have tried poison and gassing to control the population, but have turned to the non-lethal solution as a more compassionate alternative.

The End of Government by Elaine Kamarck explores the revolution in governance, from a traditional, bureaucratic approach to new models more in keeping with the information age economy. Learn more.

Newsletter produced by: Brendan St. Amant and Vanessa Ruget (researchers and writers); Joellen Secondo (editor).