Columnists
College of Chaos
We all know there’s something wrong with the way we elect a president. Fixing it has proved impossible.
Who Needs Washington?
There isn't nearly enough attention paid in the nation's capital to the rest of the country. Our system must become more collaborative.
The Nation
25% of Teen Girls Vaccinated for Cervical Cancer
Los Angeles Times
About a quarter of the nation's teenage girls received the controversial cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil last year in its first full year of distribution, federal authorities said. "For a new vaccine, 25 percent is really very good," said Lance Rodewald, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's immunization-services division.
The New York City Region
Rules Set to Auction Airport Flight Slots
New York Times
The federal government settled on rules for a controversial plan to auction flight slots at the region's three largest airports in a final attempt to alleviate chronic air-traffic congestion. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the airports, promised to seek an injunction from a federal appeals court to block the auctions.
Colorado
Critics Slam Plan for Roadless-Area Development
Denver Post
A compromise plan that would allow some development on some of Colorado's 4 million acres of roadless forests is drawing fire from critics who say it would leave the areas less protected than other states' comparable public land. Conservationists and others are increasing their calls for Colorado to withdraw or change the proposal as state and U.S. Forest Service officials develop rules to enact it.
Posted Thursday, Oct. 9
The Nation
Ship Speed Limits Imposed to Protect Whales
Washington Post
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a long-delayed regulation imposing speed limits on East Coast ship traffic that threatens the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, while barely a mile away the Supreme Court wrestled with a dispute between the Navy and environmentalists over the impact of sonar exercises on whales and other marine mammals.
The Nation
Bailout a Boon for Bike Commuters
San Francisco Chronicle
The $700 billion bailout bill intended to stop the tailspin of the nation's financial sector does something else: It includes federal tax benefits for people who commute by bike. Starting in January, bicycle commuters will be eligible for a $20-a-month, tax-free reimbursement from their employers for bicycle-related expenses. Employers will be able to deduct the expense from their federal taxes.
The Nation
New Guidelines Target Hospital Infections
New York Times
Hoping to improve infection control in hospitals, the nation’s top epidemiological societies joined with the American Hospital Association and the Joint Commission, which accredits hospitals, to issue a compendium of guidelines for preventing six lethal conditions. Hospital infections are said to attack one of every 22 patients.
The Nation
I.G.: DHS Agencies Still Lagging on Cybersecurity
Federal Computer Week
The Department of Homeland Security has taken steps to enhance information security, but its component agencies are lagging behind, according to a new report from DHS Inspector General Richard Skinner. The report said 22 of 25 audited information technology systems lacked detailed emergency configuration plans, management plans, security controls or incident handling procedures.
Posted Wednesday, Oct. 8
The Nation
Market Tumble Wiping Out Retirement Savings
Washington Post
The stock market's prolonged tumble has wiped out about $2 trillion in Americans' retirement savings in the past 15 months, a blow that could force workers to stay on the job longer than planned, rein in spending and possibly further stall an economy reliant on consumer dollars, Congress's top budget analyst said.
The Nation
Red Cross to Get $100 Million for Disaster Fund
Washington Post
Congress will give the American Red Cross $100 million in emergency funding to replenish its disaster-relief reserves, which were depleted as the charity plunged into debt to provide shelter, food and other services during a string of hurricanes this summer. The nonprofit organization, which last turned to the federal government for help in responding to disasters in 2004, asked Congress last month for $150 million.
Miami-Dade County
Medicare Suspends Payments in Fraud Probe
Miami Herald
Suspecting widespread fraud, Medicare has suspended payments to the county's top 10 home health-care agencies and ordered all local home health-care providers to reapply to the federal insurance program. Medicare's Miami-Dade crackdown—a first of its kind in the country—targets suspicious claims, mostly for treating diabetics.
Posted Tuesday, Oct. 7
The Nation
Cigarette-Ad Case Pits State vs. Federal Law
Washington Post
The Supreme Court waded into a complicated legal debate over whether tobacco companies can be sued in state courts for deceptive advertising of "light" cigarettes, a dispute that has divided government regulators and the business community. Philip Morris USA says it should be shielded by federal law from such state-law claims.
New England
Ports to Be First to Roll Out High-Tech ID Cards
Boston Globe
New England's ports will become the first in the nation to phase in high-tech identification cards for port workers, adding another layer of security to areas once considered the country's most vulnerable to terrorism. While the federal Transportation and Security Administration card is in use in ports in other regions, New England's ports have the earliest compliance deadline, Oct. 15.
Limits on Fusion-Center Grants Loosened Federal Computer Week
Congress has passed legislation that would force the Department of Homeland Security to lift some restrictions on how state and local authorities can use DHS grants to fund intelligence-sharing fusion centers.
The Great Lakes Region
Icebreaker Shortage Could Disrupt Shipping
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Hundreds of millions of dollars in Great Lakes commerce, including shipments of road salt, could be disrupted this winter because of an inadequate fleet of U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers, according to maritime groups. Part of the problem is that many Great Lakes icebreakers have aged to the point where they’re less reliable. Some of the ships are more than 40 years old, and parts are no longer made for them.
Posted Monday, Oct. 6
The Nation
New Law Mandates Parity in Mental-Health Coverage
New York Times
More than one-third of all Americans will soon receive better insurance coverage for mental health treatments because of a new federal law that requires equal coverage of mental and physical illnesses. The parity requirement, included in the economic bailout bill signed by President Bush, is the result of 12 years of passionate advocacy by friends and relatives of people with mental illness and addiction disorders.
The Great Lakes Region
Bush Signs Great Lakes Water Pact
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
President Bush signed the Great Lakes compact into law, culminating a decade-long push to block large-scale water diversion from the world’s largest freshwater system. Eight state legislatures signed off on the agreement, and it moved quickly through Congress. Two Canadian provinces have signed a parallel agreement.
From Governing: water wars and peace
The Nation
States, Localities Feeling Credit Pinch
Washington Post
The U.S. financial crisis is hampering the ability of many state and local governments to borrow cash for short-term expenses and is threatening to delay long-term road, school and airport projects. Some governments have been forced to withdraw bond sales for long-term projects. Experts were uncertain whether congressional passage of the $700 billion rescue plan would immediately unclog credit channels.
Massachusetts May Seek Federal Loan Boston Globe
Massachusetts Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill has approached the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston about lending the state money under the same extraordinary terms the federal government is giving banks and Wall Street firms.
Food Stamp Rolls Growing Washington Post
Almost a million more people participated in the federal government's food stamp program between April and July, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Posted Saturday, Oct. 4
The Nation
Bush Signs Financial Bailout
Washington Post
With the House voting by a wide margin to reverse its earlier defeat of the measure, Congress gave final approval Friday to what may be the biggest government bailout in American history, authorizing the Bush administration to spend $700 billion to try to thaw frozen credit markets and prevent a deep recession. In an unusual display of urgency, President Bush signed the bill less than two hours later.
House Sends Jobless-Benefit Extension to Senate Congressional Quarterly
The House passed an extension of unemployment insurance as a new report showed the economy shed 159,000 non-farm jobs last month, more than forecasters had expected. The bill now goes to the Senate, where its prospects are uncertain.
California May Seek $7 Billion Federal Loan Los Angeles Times
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, alarmed by the ongoing national financial crisis, warned Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson that the state might need an emergency loan of as much as $7 billion from the federal government within weeks.