State and local emergency response personnel along the I-95 corridor will soon be able to participate in a virtual simulation program that allows real-time interaction for hundreds of responders and trainers in a variety of emergency settings. The "serious" game, developed by researchers at the University of Maryland and sponsored by the I-95 Corridor Coalition, will engage participants as they learn to collaborate with other responders, analyze the impacts of their decisions, and identify appropriate responses to different scenarios.

In an effort to reduce fraud, save public money, and offer more flexibility to users, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry will issue debit cards to recipients of unemployment benefits. These cards can be used to purchase goods and services or to withdraw cash from ATM machines. Public officials expect that the technology will benefit unbanked recipients, who often depend on fee-based financial services, and also save taxpayer money by eliminating the cost of mailing and replacing traditional unemployment checks.

California is poised to save billions of gallons of water thanks to new legislation mandating strict water-efficiency standards for all toilets and urinals sold by 2010. Water flushed though toilets accounts for about one-third of all residential water consumption in California. 

Like a growing number of American cities, Longwood, Winter Springs, and Minneola in Florida, are set to start charging insurance companies for the cost of emergency response to traffic accidents. Public officials hope that the money collected will help pay for street repairs and equipment for rescue teams without raising taxes for local citizens, especially since most car accidents are caused by non-resident drivers.

San Francisco and several other cities have begun modernizing their parking meters, allowing citizens to pay from their cell phone, get a text message warning when the meter is about to expire, and add more time without having to return to the meter. Cities expect the service to augment municipal revenue without greatly increasing costs. In some jurisdictions, the technology also allows parking officials to check which parking spaces are paid or not paid in real-time through the Internet.

The cities of Sunrise and Plantation in Broward County, Florida, have begun a six-month pilot project to recycle wastewater in an effort to bolster drinking water supplies. Currently, most "highly disinfected" or "reclaimed" wastewater is used only for irrigation. One method under study would involve injecting the water 20 feet below ground where it would then filter naturally into underlying aquifers, and then finally be treated again before being rerouted back to the tap. While use of the recycled wastewater evokes some unease, South Florida’s record-breaking dry spells and population increase have encouraged officials to be more proactive in shoring up drinking water reserves.

Three schools in Hoover, Alabama, are piloting a security plan in which school visitors will have their government-issued IDs checked against a database of convicted sex offenders. A positive match alerts police and school officials by e-mail and text message. The system will also be used to track visitors and volunteers to ensure that school officials know who is in school buildings at all times.

The Department of Defense's National Security Space Office has recommended that the United States spearhead the use of satellites to collect solar energy for consumption on Earth. Space-based solar power constellations would capture sunlight and beam electrical power to large antennas based on the ground. The orbiting panels could operate 24 hours a day and would be immune to clouds and adverse weather. The report concluded that their implementation could help decelerate climate change, avoid future conflicts over petroleum in volatile regions, and provide an enormous supply of clean energy.

The new College Cost Reduction and Access Act will save students thousands of dollars, and is being hailed as the single largest investment in college financial assistance since the GI Bill. Savings will take the form of reductions in student loan interest, increased Pell Grant amounts, and loan forgiveness for college students who provide 10 years of public service. The government intends to pay for the program by reducing payments to banks and other lenders who act as intermediaries when issuing the federal loans to students.

"Property Maintenance", a booklet written by historic preservation specialists in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, seeks to educate citizens about the dos and don'ts of renovation, both in terms of cultural authenticity and public safety. The pamphlet contains concrete tips on repairs and beautification projects, as well as information about interest-free loans allocated by state and federal government for renovation.

Aspiring dentists will have smart dummies as their first patients at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry. The school's new advanced simulation lab comes equipped with 3-D motion detectors and an overhead screen that tracks the accuracy of the students' procedures. The simulations will also give instant feedback to the students on their body position as they work and give them more time to practice between procedures without having to wait for an instructor to evaluate each exercise.

First Lady Laura Bush has announced a new program designed to connect young people to national parks. First Bloom, in collaboration with the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and community groups such as the Boys and Girls Clubs, will take children from urban areas on visits to national parks close to where they live and introduce them to indigenous plants and concepts such as seed cultivation and garden design.

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