Concerned Baltimore homeowners can now call 311 to receive free and independent advice on loans and mortgages from specialists working for the Baltimore Homeownership Preservation Coalition--a partnership of the City of Baltimore, local and national foundations, lenders, and nonprofit organizations. The initiative seeks to address both the human and economic costs of the high number of foreclosures in the city, as well as to prevent residents from falling prey to predatory foreclosure consultants.

The Chicago Crime Commission, a nonprofit organization that seeks to improve public safety and transparency, is launching a new tool to deter corruption: a hot line service. Citizens are invited to report anonymously by phone (or on the internet) any case of abuse or misconduct by a public official. This information will then be provided to law enforcement officials as well as analyzed in a yearly report.

Cape Town, South Africa, is training homeless and disadvantaged persons to look out for sharks. "Spotters," equipped with binoculars and situated on hills above popular beaches, will sound sirens to alert swimmers and surfers at popular beaches if a predator is nearby. Although shark attacks in Cape Town only average one per year, supporters argue that preventative measures will ensure a healthy balance between conservation of the protected species and the safety of tourists. Websites and a central phone number may also allow beach visitors to check on shark activity before leaving home.

The Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI) in Alexandria, Virginia, seeks to empower parents to use government resources to benefit their children. Based on Conneticut's successful program, PLTI provides a free twenty-week "civics lesson" to teach citizens how to arrange for playground cleanings, form coalitions, use the media, address elected bodies, and have a say in local policy. Supporters of the program insist that familiarity with the tools of democracy breeds civic leadership, benefiting the community at large.

Convinced that sound ocean management knows no political boundaries, the governors of Oregon, Washington, and California have joined forced to ensure that their coastal ecosystems are protected. Part of the West Coast Governors\' Agreement on Ocean Health will include a call for federal funding to implement existing controls on agricultural and urban run-off, strengthening existing legislation limiting tailpipe emissions, promoting sustainable economic development in coastal communities, and developing a regional research plan.

The city of Norco, California, is sending its teens to prison to prevent them from going to prison. The California Rehabilitation Center (CRC), in partnership with community leaders, are detering at-risk youths from abusing drugs or engaging in gang activity by giving them an unvarnished view of prison life, with its guard towers, barbed wire, and hardened faces of the more than 6,000 inmates currently serving time there. Officials also hope that listening to the narratives of CRC inmates will go further than law enforcement lectures in influencing teens faced with difficult choices as they grow up.

Following New York and New Jersey, Pennsylvania has become the tenth state to match its emission regulation standards to those of California. Under the Pennsylvania Clean Vehicles Program, motor vehicles sold in the state will need to comply with stricter smog reduction standards by 2008. The Department of Environmental Protection estimates that, as a result of this program, annual emissions of smog-forming pollutants, which trigger asthma and can lead to "code red" pollution days during the summer, will
drop by roughly 10 percent by 2025.

Cities across the nation are using online crime reporting tools to both conserve law enforcement resources and empower citizenry. Most recently, Merced, California, has set up the system to give residents, who may forego reporting crimes due to the hassle involved, an easier way of providing information. Crimes not in progress or with a suspect on the scene, such as vandalism, graffiti, or stolen property, are eligible.

Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon relies on cutting-edge technology to monitor and curtail the growth of invasive plant species. Volunteers at the refuge have received training in GPS satellite technology and will use it to create a computer map showing the location and spread of local and invasive plants. The project will help test different types of eradication strategies and takes advantage of recent national legislation supporting efforts in the mapping of invasive species.

The state of Washington is leading the charge in battling teenage gambling addiction. Billed as the first state-funded program of its kind, the as yet un-named initiative run by the nonprofit Youth Eastside Services, counsels teens and parents on gambling addiction and gives strategies to cope with cravings and depression.


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