Tulsa, Oklahoma is working with AT&T to deploy a new 911 emergency call management system that can locate wireless callers. Paid for by a 50-cent-per-month cell phone charge that voters previously approved, the system can pinpoint wireless callers even if they do not know their location or are unable to speak.

Already ranked one of the world's 15 greenest cities, Austin, Texas, is stepping up its efforts in the fight against global climate change. The city has adopted a series of aggressive carbon-reduction targets, including a requirement that renewable sources supply one third of all residential, commercial, and industrial energy needs by 2020.

 

The Transportation Security Administration is testing a heat-sensing camera system which can spot metal, plastic, or ceramic objects hidden under clothing - without revealing an individual's anatomical details. If proven successful, this technology could greatly enhance security while saving time at airports and train stations.

The U.S. General Services Administration has launched a new general government Weblog, or blog, to improve citizen access to official information and services. GovGab.gov will feature five experts who will provide information on a wide range of topics, from what to do when an airline loses your luggage to how to submit a recipe to the Library of Congress cookbook.

A task force studying subprime mortgages in Connecticut expects to recommend new training and education requirements for mortgage officers. Under the proposal, mortgage originators would need to complete up to 40 hours of pre-licensing training, pass an exam as part of the licensing process, and participate in continuing education every two years.

To aid the fight against crime, New York's finest are being equipped with "invisible" helicopters that operate wthout lights, devices that allow divers to see underwater sonar images on LCD screens attached to their masks instead of blindly searching murky rivers. Other gear on the horizon includes, radiation-detecting knapsacks, handheld bomb detectors, and gadget-filled, crime-solving vans.

The Oregon Department of Transportation is planning pilot installations of photovoltaic solar panels on state property such as road shoulders, safety-rest areas, and bridges. While parts of Europe have introduced such installations, few if any United States localities have done the same. The governor of Oregon wants state agencies to get 100 percent of their energy needs from solar, wind and other renewable energy sources by 2010.

Municipal court judges now have the option of sentencing young traffic offenders to attend unique half-day car control clinics designed to sustain their attention as they learn how to react instinctively to emergency situations. During three hours of "hands-on" advanced car control exercises, professional drivers demonstrate how to handle skid and slide situations on a wet "skid pad," emergency lane changing, and panic-braking techniques.

In Topeka, Kansas, Caring Connections provides substitute child care employees to area centers. Aided by a Capital Area Smart Start grant, and in partnership with a nonprofit agency and a for-profit employment agency, the program trains and screens substitutes for child care centers in the area, addressing an acknowledged need in the community. Other Kansas communities are considering replicating the model.

Baltimore may soon be the first U.S. city to impose strict security standards on tobacco manufacturers by demanding that they sell self-extinguishing, fire-safe cigarettes. Five states (but so far, no city) have imposed these standards. Research by the National Fire Protection Association shows that between 700 to 900 people die each year from cigarette-related fires in the United States.

Connecticut has joined many states in taking advantage of new federal passport requirements to recoup millions of dollars in back child support payments. The State Department denies passports to noncustodial parents who owe more than $2,500 in child support. Once the parents make good on their debts, they can reapply for passports.

The Federal Housing Administration is attempting to help borrowers struggling to keep up with their adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) through the new FHASecure program. Assuming certain criteria are met, FHASecure is designed to shift borrowers who cannot afford higher payments on their ARMs into more traditional FHA-backed loans.

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