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A top official of the United Mine Workers accused the Obama administration of embracing policies that are destroying the nation's coal industry and costing thousands of American jobs, including those of several hundred West Alabama-area coal miners who got word this week that they will soon be out of work.
A top official of the United Mine Workers accused the Obama administration of embracing policies that are destroying the nation's coal industry and costing thousands of American jobs, including those of several hundred West Alabama-area coal miners who got word this week that they will soon be out of work.
Daryl H. Dewberry, international vice president of UMW District 20, said Wednesday that President Barack Obama's actions will be felt across Alabama's economy and cost more jobs. And he said they ultimately will raise energy prices and increase, not decrease, global warming by moving manufacturing to countries like China, that do not have pollution-emission controls like the U.S.
Dewberry's comments followed Tuesday's notification by Birmingham-based Drummond Company to the state that it planned to lay off 425 miners at its underground Shoal Creek Mine starting Sept. 9. At the same time, Dewberry said he will meet this week with officials from Hoover-based Walter Energy Inc., which is closing its Swann's Crossing Mine, a surface coal mine near Brookwood.
Calls to Drummond and Walter Energy officials requesting comment were not returned Wednesday.
The Swann's Crossing Mine will start laying off about 70 miners Friday as it ends its operations, according to a required filing Walter Energy made in May with the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.
Drummond's Shoal Creek Mine, which has its main entrance in Jefferson County, has coal reserves in Tuscaloosa, Jefferson and Walker counties and employees who largely live in the three counties.
In a letter to union officials, Drummond said the layoffs are due to "a significant downturn in business."
It added: "Although these layoffs may not ultimately be permanent, they will be of indeterminate length and will likely extend for more than six months."
Dewberry, whose District 20 office is based in McCalla but serves the Southeast, said the collapse of the nation's coal industry is due to Obama's policies to force coal-burning utility plants to switch to fuel sources such as natural gas.
Natural gas is cleaner burning than coal and there now is an abundance of natural gas in the United States because of new technology to recover underground gas reserves. But that technology, known as fracking, also has potential environmental consequences with fracking opponents saying it can contaminate groundwater.
Dewberry said the closing of the area coal mines will affect more than the miners and their families. It will be felt by companies that supply goods and services to the mines and their employees and the local area governments.
The counties from which the coal is mined receive a severance excise tax payment for every ton of coal removed. That money goes to support county services, roads and schools.
"Right now, there is an abundance of natural gas," Dewberry said. But as the federal government forces electrical utilities like Alabama Power Co. to convert coal-fired plants to natural gas, the demand for natural gas will rise, costing consumers more.
At the same time, countries like China and India, are increasing their coal-burning power plants and do not have the pollution-control technology mandated in the U.S.
"I think that we will be doing more damage to the environment than anything else," Dewberry said. "China has no regulations protecting the environment."
He said about two-thirds of the 1,200 power plants being built in China are coal-fired.
"China has cheap energy and cheap labor, and manufacturers are moving there. It affects our economy and our national security."
Meanwhile, Obama has done little to keep jobs here, he said. "It is nothing but a plan that eventually will reduce the middle class so we will only have the rich and the poor," he said.
The UMW endorsed Obama in 2008 when he won the presidency. In that campaign, he did not target the coal industry, Dewberry said. In 2012, the union did not endorse him because of shifts in his energy policy, he said.


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ATLANTA – Senior libero Ali McCurdy picked up a match-high 16 digs to become the program's all-time digs leader, helping the 24th-ranked Duke volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-20) victory over Georgia Tech Friday evening at O'Keefe Gymnasium.
McCurdy surpassed the six-year old record of 2,200 digs set by Jenny Shull on Oct. 4, 2007. The Tampa, Fla., native also moved into third place on the all-time ACC list with 2,208 digs during her collegiate career. McCurdy leads Duke (15-3, 6-1 ACC) with 263 digs this season and has recorded 10 or more digs in 46 consecutive matches.
"Ali [McCurdy] was solid tonight as she is on so many nights," said head coach Jolene Nagel. "She really serve received well and provided a lot of stability on defense to get the digs and help us in transition to be able to score. She was definitely playing well tonight and it was exiciting for her to secure the Duke record."
Sophomore Emily Sklar paced Duke offensively, amassing 10 kills and 12 digs for her first double-double of the season. A 6-3 outside hitter from San Jose, Calif., Sklar has registered 10 or more kills in 10 straight matches for the Blue Devils.
Junior setter Maggie Deichmeister orchestrated a balanced offensive attack, tossing up 35 assists to go along with six digs and three blocks. Duke totaled 43 kills to 26 for Georgia Tech (7-12, 1-6 ACC) as five Duke players chipped in with seven or more kills. Sophomore Elizabeth Campbell added nine kills, while the trio of senior Chelsea Cook, junior Jeme Obeime and freshman Jordan Tucker combined for 22.
"[I'm] really excited to see our team go in here and come out with a win," added Nagel. "Georgia Tech is a great environment to play volleyball in. They're a team that can be red hot. They're young, but they are capable of serving the ball very tough. I was pleased our team was able to push back tonight and get the win."
Taking the court for the first time as a ranked team this season, the Blue Devils found themselves down 5-1 early in the opening frame. However, Duke would rally behind six errorless kills from Cook to claim the set, 25-21. A 9-1 run midway through the game gave the Blue Devils a 20-15 advantage they would not relinquish the rest of the way.
Duke's momentum carried over into the second frame, which the Blue Devils claimed by an identical score, 25-21. The Blue Devils staked a 9-4 lead to start the set and grew their advantage to seven points at 17-10 following a Campbell kill. Georgia Tech rallied late, cutting the Duke lead to three at 24-21 before a Sklar kill gave Duke a 2-0 overall lead.
Duke broke a 14-all tie in game three with a Campbell kill, igniting a 7-2 Blue Devil spurt. Tucker put down two of her seven kills on the night over the final five points, including the final kill of match, to give Duke the game, 25-20. Tucker also added a team-high four blocks on the night, bringing her season total to 51.
Senior outside hitter Jennifer Percy led the Yellow Jacket offense with nine kills, while freshman libero London Ackermann totaled 12 digs in the loss.
Duke concludes its current four-match road swing with a trip to Clemson Sunday, Oct. 20 for a 1 p.m. tilt against the Tigers.

subset: commoncrawl


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Promising Young Writers (for 8th grade students). 2012 PYW Brochure. Electronic entry form. Entry deadline Feb. 15, 2012. This school-based writing program stimulates and recognizes student's writing talents and emphasizes the importance of writing skills among eighth-grade students. Achievement Awards in Writing (for 11th grade students). 2012 AA Brochure. Electronic entry form. Entry deadline Feb. 15, 2012. This school-based writing program encourages high school students in their writing and recognizes publicly some of the best student writers in the nation. 2011 results mailed September 26, 2011. Results for 2011.
Program to Recognize Excellence in Student Literary Magazines (PRESLM) 2011 results mailed January 13, 2012. Results for 2011This program for middle schools, junior high, and high schools recognizes students, teachers, and schools for producing excellent literary magazines and encourages all schools to develop literary magazines, seeking excellence in writing and school-wide participation in production. Faculty advisors and principals will receive notice of ranked magazines by mail in January. Judging results are posted on the NCTE website at http://www.ncte.org/awards/student/preslm. 2012 brochure available in February. Mailing entry Deadline June 30. NCTE/Norman Mailer Writing Award The Norman Mailer Writers Colony and the National Council of Teachers of English jointly sponsor the 2011 Norman Mailer High School and College Writing Awards. Results for 2011.
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photo 1 of 164
Joey Beltran
TRAINING: I have kept it pretty simple this camp: hard sparring 2-3 days a week, lots of wrestling and BJJ in addition to running. So the morning session is a hard intense practice, and the evening session is focused on cleaning up technique.
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Trojans and Wildcats in district finals
For the second consecutive Friday night, Sturgis and Three Rivers will meet with a district title on the line, this time in a battle between the boys.
It is also a repeat of last year's title game in Comstock, won by the Trojans, 50-29.
Sturgis 41, Paw Paw 39
Sturgis' Eduardo Portillo's steal and layup with 27 seconds left put the Trojans ahead and they held on for a two-point victory.
"I saw them (Patrick Haas and Tyler Bennett) trap it and I saw a (Paw Paw) guy open and I knew he was going to pass it to him," Portillo said. "I anticipated and stole it. I really wanted that steal, I didn't want the season to end early."
The play came after Sturgis missed on the offensive end. The Trojans employed the press and forced the turnover at midcourt. Portillo picked it off and had a free lane to the basket.
"Eduardo is the consummate role player, the consummate plugger, a silent warrior," Sturgis coach Keith Kurowski said. "He came up big with his defensive effort as well maneuvering in the lane in the second half. He played one of the better games he played in a while and we needed every bit of it."
After another defensive stop by Sturgis, the Redskins were forced to foul. Chance Stewart, who was 9-for-10 from the line in the fourth quarter, nailed two for a 40-37 lead with 11.3 seconds left.
"We had some breakdowns on defense in the fourth quarter, but I thought we played solidly for three quarters," Kurowski said. "They hit some big shots in the fourth quarter and it really could have gone either way tonight."
The Trojans choose to foul instead of letting Paw Paw get a 3-point shot off. The Redskins' Tanner Eubank connected on both to close within one with 6.8 seconds remaining.
Stewart was fouled again with 3.3 seconds to go and he hit the first. The second was missed, but by the time the Redskins were able to corral the rebound, they were unable to get a shot off before the buzzer.
"They play tough defense, they had two guys around me all night," Stewart said. "It was tough on me, but we hit shots tonight. It wasn't working inside early, so we were knocking down shots (from the outside). We shot with confidence."
Sturgis looked like it might have an easy game early. A pair of Patrick Haas triples helped the Trojans to an early 8-2 lead. They led 10-4 after one quarter.
Jalen Cox took over from behind the arc in the second quarter, hitting three straight as the Trojan lead increased to 19-6.
"Fortunately we were able to get off to that double-digit cushion in the first half," Kurowski said.
Sturgis led 21-8 at halftime.
"We came out and shot the ball extremely well in the first half," Kurowski said. "I wasn't happy with the way we shot the other night. Jalen Cox and Patrick Haas really responded. The key was we need to make shots, because they're going to try and take away Chance."
Kurowski knew that the Redskins had the talent to come back in the second half and they did.
"I told the boys at halftime, we probably couldn't have shot any better and they probably couldn't have shot any worse," Kurowski said. "Maybe I should not have. They're going to make shots and they're going to make it a close ballgame and we need to persevere in the fourth quarter, take care of the ball, make foul shots and make enough stops to be able to survive tonight."
They battled to close the gap to 28-21 as Christian Brian hit a triple just before the buzzer to end the period.
Paw Paw scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter and tied it at 28-28 on a trey by Kyle Williams. After two free throws by Stewart, the Redskins got their first lead since the opening minute on another triple by Williams.
Four lead changes and a tie followed before Portillo made the final lead change with his steal.
Stewart led the Trojans with 18 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. Cox tallied 11 and three assists, Haas finished with six, Portillo added four and Carl Limburg had two.
DeMarcus Leak topped the Redskins with 11, Williams finished with nine, Sean Brennan scored six, Brian ended with five and Parker Marcon and Eubank each had four.
Three Rivers 61, Vicksburg 49
Three Rivers took the lead early in the second quarter, played strong defense and slowly pulled away to the district semifinal win.
"The team really brought it tonight," Three Rivers coach Mike Carhart said. "All of our guys were extremely unselfish tonight and it led to a big victory for us."
Alex Cottingham, who led the Wildcats with 20 points, hit a 3-pointer with 6:00 remaining in the second period to put Three Rivers ahead, 15-13.
"it's hard to go anywhere and find a guy who finishes better than Alex," Carhart said. "He is so great with that hesitation, head fake underneath. The fact that he finishes so well, everybody jumps at it. He bluffs it and works off it."
The Wildcats built the margin to 31-20 by halftime.
"They're typically a decent 3-point shooting team, but they're not phenomenal," Carhart said. "We challenged our guys to go after the ball and double team him (Abe Barwegen) and bust it back as fast as you can and get on your guy.Our guys took the challenge and ran with it."
The third quarter saw the teams exchange buckets for eight minutes, while Three Rivers maintained a 40-30 lead heading into the final eight minutes.
The Wildcats scored the first eight points of the final period on a three-point lay by Austin Pratt, a 3-pointer by Brady Reeves and a layup by Cottingham off a pass from Anderson Goff.
"Anderson was phenomenal," Carhart said. "We've been waiting for him to come out all season. He has had a really long season. Last year, we had more scorers on offense and Anderson fed off that. That's not the way this team is built, so it took a little adjustment on his part. Today he put it all together. He scored, he passed, he rebounded. There was nothing on the court he didn't do for us."
The 48-30 edge was the largest lead of the game.
Vicksburg tried to make a run, but the Three Rivers defense would not allow the Bulldogs to get the deficit back into single digits the balance of the contest.
"We wanted to trap their pick and rolls, they run pick and rolls better than any of the teams you see in this conference," Three Rivers coach Mike Carhart said. "We wanted to take that away. They got a little bit confused and we were able to get some turnovers and easy buckets."
Goff finished with 11 points for the Wildcats, Reeves tossed in nine, Connor Smith added seven, Corry Brown and Ryan Satkowski each added four and Trenton Karle and Pratt each had three.
Abe Barwegen topped the Bulldogs with 15 points, Colin McCaw threw in 14, Solomon Barwegen and Jarred Whited each tallied six and PJ Callahan and Grant Johnson each had four.


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Main services generally handled by local townships and boroughs include construction and maintenance of local roads; residential, commercial and industrial planning and zoning; code enforcement; parks and recreation; libraries and licensing of businesses.
Not all local governments take on all local services open to them. Most local municipalities don't have municipal garbage collection, for example, leaving it to individual households to contract for it with private garbage collectors. Fire departments, utilizing volunteers, operate independently but receive some financial assistance from local government to supplement grants and fund-raising. Some municipalities have formed separate authorities - some in conjunction with neighboring municipalities - to provide public water and sewer services where they exist in Monroe County.
The four Monroe County boroughs are East Stroudsburg, Stroudsburg, Mount Pocono and Delaware Water Gap. Most operate under a weak-mayor form of government, with all major decisions made by a seven-person borough council. The mayor traditionally handles duties designated by the council, and only votes to break ties.
The seven council members in each borough are elected at-large to represent the entire community, except in East Stroudsburg Borough where the six council members are elected to represent separate wards within the borough. Council members and mayors serve four-year terms.
Each borough council appoints a public works/streets superintendent, and a zoning or code enforcement officer, in addition to naming members of planning commissions and zoning hearing boards (the ZHB hears appeals to zoning rulings concerning land use requests). Some also appoint treasurers, though Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg appoint borough managers who manage finances while carrying out general policies of the council.
Most borough boards have appointed attorneys, called solicitors, to advise them on the legalities of matters considered by those boards.
Townships each have a three- or five-person board of supervisors elected at large, each supervisor serving a six-year term. They appoint other officers - such as treasurer, tax collector, roadmaster, and township manager - to oversee township operations, though it is common for the part-time supervisors to appoint themselves to many of those full-time paid duties.
Supervisors also appoint members to various boards and committees, including planning commissions and zoning hearing boards.
A three-person board of auditors has the sole job each year of considering the merits of pay scales set by the supervisors for their self-appointed duties. Most township boards have appointed attorneys, called solicitors, to advise members on legal aspects of actions they consider.
Monroe and Pike counties each have "no-executive" types of government overseen by a three-member board of county commissioners. Though the commissioners assess taxes and control at least some of the purse strings to numerous social service and law-enforcement functions, many functions are also subject to state regulations and/or the actions of independently elected county officials.
The three county commissioners in each county set multimillion-dollar annual budgets. Each commissioner is elected to a four-year term, with each major party permitted to nominate two candidates for three positions. This usually sets up a four-way general-election race for three positions. Stroudsburg is Monroe's county seat, with Pike County government centered in Milford.
Though the commissioners board is the chief governing body, numerous other elected officials function independently of the commissioners. These include the sheriff, district attorney, combined prothonotary (a civil court clerk)/clerk of the courts (for criminal cases), combined register of wills/recorder of deeds and two jury commissioners whose duties are mostly concerned with county court. The commissioners, though, exercise a degree of influence over those office-holders by setting their budgets and approving staffing levels.
The county treasurer and county controller also are separately elected offices.
The Monroe County commissioners oversee more than 500 employees and appoint department heads who oversee functions that include property assessment and property tax claims, the county jail, probation, children and youth services, veterans affairs, voter registration, and even vector control.
Chief assessor: Oversees office that collects detailed information on properties - lots, buildings, etc. - such as size, amenities and condition of property features, and assigns comparative values to them. The overall comparative value of each property, or assessment, is the basis for property taxation (the millage) by municipalities, school districts and the county.
County controller: The controller, an elected position, issues payroll for county employees, audits fines and collections of the district justices, oversees grants programs, helps review county employees' retirement fund investments, and monitors county budget.
County Prothonotary: In Pennsylvania, the elected prothonotary is a court clerk for all civil cases, keeping track of paperwork and court dates for the judicial system. Prothonotaries often handle duel role of court clerk for criminal case filings.
County Register of wills/recorder of deeds: Person holding elected position keeps detailed records on wills and property deed filings.
County sheriff: The sheriff, an elected position, escorts incarcerated prisoners to courthouse for court appearances, coordinates court house security, and serves summonses and foreclosure notices.
County treasurer: The treasurer, an elected position, collects county grant and tax revenues, issues required dog licenses and provides hunting licenses.


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- Feb 2:
- Boulder County juror discusses experience in hearing insulin rape case
- Jan 30:
- After near-mistrial, Boulder jury convicts Frederick Allen in 2011 insulin-rape case
- Jan 28:
- Boulder jury adjourns for the day, will continue deliberations in insulin-rape case Tuesday
- Jan 15:
- Boulder insulin-rape trial opens with defense alleging victim drank too much
- May 10:
- Frederick Allen, diabetic accused in insulin rape, has bond revoked after DUI arrest
- May 9:
- Frederick Allen, diabetic accused in insulin rape, arrested again in Boulder
- Jan 19:
- Frederick Allen, accused of drugging woman with insulin, appears in Boulder court
- Jan 17:
- Boulder grand jury: Diabetic man drugged woman with insulin, then raped her
Having reached a verdict on just three of the nine charges against Frederick Allen -- a 32-year-old diabetic accused of drugging a University of Colorado student with insulin before raping her -- a Boulder jury will return for a fourth day of deliberations Wednesday.
At 5 p.m. Tuesday, after about 20 hours of deliberation, the jury went home for the evening, still unable to reach an unanimous verdict on a majority of the charges in the case.
About three hours earlier, the jury had informed the judge that it had reached verdicts on charges of second-degree assault and tampering with evidence, but did not foresee reaching a unanimous decision on five counts of sexual assault and one count of first-degree assault.
Boulder District Judge Thomas Mulvahill sent the jury back into deliberations after reading them further instructions over the objections of Allen's attorneys.
When Mulvahill informed defense counsel and prosecutors that the jury had gone home and would resume deliberations this morning, Allen's attorneys asked that the jury be brought into the courtroom to start its fourth day and asked whether further deliberation would be of any benefit in the case.
Mulvahill, citing the large amount of complex medical evidence presented in the case, said he would allow the jury to start its day in deliberations.
"This is the kind of case, to my mind at least, that a jury should take a considerable amount of time to process through and deliberate on," he said.
Mulvahill indicated that if the jury did not indicate that it was nearing a verdict by mid-morning Wednesday, he would call the jurors back into the courtroom to see whether they felt they could not agree.
According to an indictment, Allen met the victim at the Sundown Saloon on the Pearl Street Mall. The two previously had met, but had never really talked to each other. During the encounter in February 2011, Allen and the woman talked until the bar closed, at which point he offered to walk her to her nearby home.
One of the victim's roommates -- who remembered the victim coming home with a man the previous night -- noticed the victim's door was locked at 1 p.m. the next day and did not see the victim again until 10 p.m. that night when she checked again and found her door unlocked, according to police.
The roommate told investigators the victim's room was a mess and she found the victim naked on the bed, according to the indictment. She appeared to have thrown up and was sweaty and having trouble focusing.
Investigators found a note in the victim's room that prosecutors say was from Allen, which read, "I will wash your sheets for you love, see ya Saturday!!" There also were signs a cleaning agent had been used in the bedroom and bathroom.
The victim was taken to Boulder Community Hospital, where doctors said she had dangerously low blood sugar levels and was suffering from severe hypoglycemia, most likely due to an insulin injection.
Prosecutors said Allen -- a Type 1 diabetic -- not only used insulin, but had knowledge of its effects from working with his stepfather, who is an endocrinologist.
According to court records, Allen told investigators he had sex with the victim, but that he stopped when she started getting sick. He then offered to clean her bed sheets, but threw them away in a Dumpster instead.
His attorney, Pamela Mackey, said witnesses recalled the two were hitting it off at the bar. She also said the victim's symptoms could have been caused by alcoholic hypoglycemia, which she said can be caused by drinking too much without eating properly.


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You don't have to be a politician to have local influence. The Hudson Reporter's second annual list of the county's most influential people surveys government leaders, lawyers, activists, and artists – all of whom had some power over the lives of our residents in 2012.
This influence can be felt in ways both good and bad, but the influence has had tangible impacts.
Whether the influence was positive or negative is your call, but here's our list of the 50 most influential people (or entities) in 2012.
Power list key
In parentheses next to the name of the person (or entity) is their ranking from last year, along with an arrow telling whether they dropped or rose in rank.
1. Gov. Christopher Christie (+, 11)
The darling of the national GOP, Gov. Christopher Christie's influence can be felt in every corner of New Jersey, including here in Hudson County.
Over the past two years the governor has phased out the tax sharing portion of New Jersey's Urban Enterprise Zone Program, cutting millions of dollars in funding that had been designated to spur business development in urban communities like Jersey City, Bayonne, and Union City. Christie led the charge to have the salaries of school superintendents tied to the size of the school districts they head, rather than experience. This may have encouraged some district heads to leave their positions, including in Secaucus. Calls from the governor that public workers have their leave benefits capped have led to massive retirements from municipal employees in Jersey City and elsewhere. Ironically, this trend now leaves these cities scrambling to cover the terminal leave benefits owed to these retirees.
Still, even Christie – who is up for re-election this year – needs friends in heavily Democratic Hudson County. Thus, the governor has carefully cultivated local officials – notably Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer and Union City Mayor/State Sen. Brian Stack – as allies. Both Zimmer and Stack have benefitted from their alliances with Christie.
2. U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) (+, 5)
Robert Menendez, once the most powerful political figure in Hudson County in the 1990s, saw his local power wane after he went from congressman to U.S. senator as the county's political structure broke into petty fiefdoms. Over the last year, however, Menendez appeared to be rebuilding his powerbase with key alliances that could include Jersey City Councilman Steven Fulop, who is running for mayor. Not only did Menendez orchestrate his own impressive reelection bid in 2012, but also put down a rebellion in the Democratic organization in a primary battle for the 10th Congressional District, getting Donald Payne Jr. elected over Nia Gill. With the support of at least two of the three Hudson County members of Congress as well as a number of mayors, Menendez is expected to install one of his allies to head the Hudson County Democratic Organization in June.
3. "Stacco" (Two political opponents: State Sen. and North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco, and State Sen. and Union City Mayor Brian Stack) (-, 1 and 2, respectively)
The moniker "Stacco" is an apt description of two of the most powerful people in Hudson County, who are warring over control of the local Democratic Party. Nicholas Sacco and Brian Stack have squandered their power in a petty feud full of name calling and false accusations. At the heart of the conflict, there is real money, as the two princes of political power strive to control contracts and other resources. While the feud has deeper personal roots in an effort to curb Stack's rise to the pinnacle of power, the battle has since forced Hudson County political people to pick sides and will likely play out in a bloodier than usual mayoral contest in Jersey City in 2013 as well as a fight over control of the job-rich county sheriff's department. Each side has been accused of creating a citizens' group to go to meetings and complain in the other town. While both men seem invincible because of their solid voting base, their power countywide has diminished, and could cause the brokering of a new political powerbase that will not require a loyalty test.
4. Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer (-, 3)
Dawn Zimmer proved herself this year in Hoboken and around the globe – and just in time for the November 2013 mayoral election. Zimmer garnered national (and international press) during Superstorm Sandy, bringing attention to the unique flooding the town received. One week later, every measure Zimmer supported on the November 2012 election ballot won, including three public questions and a school board slate she backed. Zimmer closed the year in D.C. rallying for congressional change regarding flood insurance policies in urban neighborhoods. She was ranked third last year and has probably increased her power over the last year, while also using it wisely – but dropped a notch because of gains made by Christie and Menendez.
5. Superstorm Sandy and the fragile infrastructure she exposed (new)
Hurricane Sandy bore down on Monday, Oct. 29, making direct landfall on the Jersey shore as a category 1 storm. In Hudson County, the waterfront communities lost power for a week or more. The Hoboken PATH station was flooded, as were some major businesses. Nearly 1.7 million of PSEG's 2.2 million customers in New Jersey lost power. FEMA, like most other entities tasked with preparing for the imminent recovery efforts, underestimated the range of devastation the storm would cause, and faced serious difficulties. The aid it offered the storm's victims soon became a political issue, when the agency reported in early January that its funds would soon run dry if Congress did not pass legislation to appropriate additional aid. On Jan. 4, Congress granted $9.7 billion in additional aid.
6. State Sen. Sandra Bolden Cunningham (=, 6)
Rumors continue to swirl about what Sandra Cunningham will do next: Will she run for mayor of Jersey City in 2013? Or will she wait to run for county executive in 2014? Or perhaps she will simply stay where she is and run for reelection as state senator? Over the last nine years, Cunningham has grown in personal strength from someone carrying on the legacy of her deceased husband, former Jersey City Mayor Glenn Cunningham, to a powerful political force of her own with ties to political leaders throughout the state. Nearly every political faction will court her in 2013.
7. State Assemblyman Vincent Prieto (D-Secaucus) (+, 22)
After serving in a leadership role in the Assembly as the Chairman of the Budget Committee for the 2012-2013 legislative session, Secaucus resident Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson) has risen in power significantly as an influential voice for Hudson County on state matters. He has been critical of Governor Chris Christie throughout the past year on matters related to transparency, tax cuts, state revenue, and most recently on privatizing the state lottery. Prieto has also proposed a number of revenue-generating options for the state to consider that could help alleviate the tax-sharing issues between two of the Hudson County towns he represents – Secaucus and Kearny. He is also a likely candidate for the role of speaker of the house. He has served New Jersey's 32nd legislative district since 2004. At the local level he serves as the construction official for both Secaucus and Guttenberg.
8. New Jersey State Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa (+, 27)
Jeffrey Chiesa was sworn in as the state's 59th Attorney General a year ago. Since then he played a pivotal role in uncovering the Department of Public Works scandal that struck North Bergen which began with former superintendent James Wiley. In November, Chiesa, the Christie Administration, and the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs accused several businesses of allegedly illegally overcharging consumers during Hurricane Sandy.
9. New Jersey's top law firms (+, various entries)
Hudson County has long been the financial Mecca for politically connected legal firms, and the last few years have seen their resurgence. Contracts from the county and local towns have been divvied up among Chasen, Leyner & Lamparello, Scarinci Hollenbeck, McManimon, Scotland & Baumann, and Florio Kenny. More minor politically connected firms over the last few years have gobbled up smaller pieces of the public legal pie in every municipality from Bayonne to North Bergen. While pay-to-play laws have made it more difficult for these firms to directly contribute to political campaign coffers, somehow they continue to get business in Hudson County, proving their influence goes deeper than campaign contributions.
10. New Jersey's developers (-, 9)
With the economy on the rise in 2012, the giants of industry in Hudson County continued to spread their influence by snatching up much of the area's remaining unused land, earmarking millions of dollars worth of projects in Jersey City, Hoboken, Secaucus, and Weehawken. The familiar names are all present and accounted for, with the KRE Group securing rights to the renaissance-minded Journal Squared (J2) project in Jersey City and SJP Properties expanding its presence on Hoboken's waterfront. Just north, Hartz Mountain Industries and Roseland Properties have all but formed a monopoly on development on River Road, leading the charge to build up the Gold Coast. Both corporations also laid claim to the county's western coast, buying up and developing properties in Secaucus, along the Hackensack River.
11. Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith, chairman, Hudson County Democratic Organization (+, 18)
As chairman of the Hudson County Democratic Organization, Mark Smith has a lot of power in an overwhelmingly Democratic county. But over the last year, he has dealt with political feuding among fellow Democrats and been forced to pick sides in a number of races, both local and statewide. In two instances, Smith has managed to anger Sacco and Menendez over his choices, possibly dooming his career as chairman. But he has some serious choices to make if he is to keep the peace in the county in 2013, especially in trying to prevent an all out political war between "Stacco." Sacco and Stack appear to be lining up on different sides in the 2013 Jersey City mayoral election between Jerramiah T. Healy and Steven Fulop, and Smith may be forced to pick a side as well, although strangely, he appeared to have one foot in each mayoral camp coming into the New Year.
12. City Councilman Steven Fulop, Jersey City (-, 4)
Despite weathering a few political hits over the past year, Ward E City Councilman and 2013 mayoral candidate Steven Fulop remains the most powerful force on the Jersey City Council and is a viable contender for the city's top elected position. In April his endorsed slate of candidates won three seats on the Jersey City Board of Education – the third year in a row that happened. Following a special election for the Ward F City Council seat in November, Fulop and his allies won control of the City Council after his endorsed candidate defeated the incumbent. For his upcoming mayoral campaign in May, Fulop has outraised his chief opponent, Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, and has built an impressive political machine ready to take on the Hudson County Democratic Organization establishment. In his spare time he competed in the inaugural New York City Ironman and helped raise an estimated $250,000 for military veterans. Ranked No. 4 on this list last year, Fulop slipped slightly due to the outcry over his alleged behind-the-scenes involvement in school board governance.
13. Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner (+, 17)
Weehawken Mayor and Chairman of North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue Richard Turner continued in his role as North Hudson's elder statesman in 2012, navigating the tumultuous waters between Sacco and Stack. Meanwhile, he maintained the economic growth of his own township, overseeing private and public development initiatives along Weehawken's waterfront, including a $50 million luxury development. Following Hurricane Sandy in October, he was at the forefront of one of the county's less-publicized recovery efforts, rallying support for neighborhoods in the township devastated by the storm.
14. Hoboken City Councilwoman Beth Mason (+, 41)
Hoboken 2nd Ward Councilwoman Beth Mason leads the opposition to Mayor Dawn Zimmer on the City Council. Mason has been a very vocal opponent of Zimmer and Zimmer's City Council majority in recent years. Mason was a supporter of the school board ticket that lost to the Zimmer-allied slate in November. Just because she lost, doesn't mean she lacks influence. She has been active in her civic duties for years, funding arts groups and starting an art gallery in Hoboken. During Hurricane Sandy, her civic league provided a generator and food at the uptown Hoboken headquarters. The league went on to fundraise for Hudson County with the creation of HudsonCountyRecovers, an organization Mason got flack for at council meetings because it's countywide instead of citywide. Mason is rumored to be considering a run for Assembly, and with the money she has spent on campaigns over the years, it will likely be a well-funded bid.
15. U.S. Rep. Albio Sires (D-8th Dist.) (+, 31)
No one was surprised when Rep. Albio Sires defeated his 25-year-old opponent for control of New Jersey's 8th Congressional District, mostly because the opposition, Michael Shurin, focused much of his campaign on the legalization of marijuana. However, Sires has adjusted to his new district (he formerly represented the 13th, before redistricting), continuing to be a prominent Latino voice in Washington, while simultaneously advocating for improvements to his constituents' daily lives.
16. Paul Swibinski, Vision Media Marketing (+, 20)
The father son PR power duo Paul and Phil Swibinski, who represent the township of North Bergen and various politicians, have had a whirlwind of a year. While they had to handle the Department of Public Works scandal in that town, they've also promoted positive news in the school district and about the community pulling together during Hurricane Sandy.
17. Anthony Vanieri, aide to Nicholas Sacco of North Bergen (new)
Much like Mayor Nicholas Sacco, Anthony Vainieri is known for having three titles: Chairman of the Board of Adjustment, mayor's aide, and the manager of Vaineri Funeral Home in North Bergen. Vaineri's influence is on the rise as he even attended a recent freeholder meeting in place of Mayor Sacco. Nowadays Vaineri seems to be Sacco's right hand man.
18. Craig Guy/Harold "Bud" Demellier Jr. (-, 7)
Although many believe the power of the county executive's office has been diminished by the uprising of political forces elsewhere in Hudson County, Craig Guy and Harold Demellier maintain power largely because they are tied to so many political camps, and do so much behind the scenes for so many. As director of roads and public properties for the county, Demellier earned gratitude from a number of people for his response to problems caused by Hurricane Sandy. More than likely, both men will survive and even thrive if administrations change in 2013, as many see these two as the real power behind Hudson County government.
19. Rent control activists (new)
Hoboken tenant activist group Hoboken Fair Housing Association (HFHA) banded together to fight a referendum on the November ballot that sought to do away with rent control, either temporarily or permanently, depending on the building. They beat out a well-funded group of taxpayers. In Bayonne, tenant advocates are trying to overturn a measure that is phasing out rent control in that town.
20. Hudson County's internet community (+, 40)
A $2 million lawsuit against several Hoboken bloggers in 2012 may well show the growing influence the internet has had on the political and social world of Hudson County, where a younger, hipper population more attuned to new technology has learned how to make their voices heard in new ways, replacing the old street corner soap box with blogs and Youtube presentations. While the trend started out in areas where newcomers have arrived, the reverberations are being felt in many other parts of the county, shaking the political foundations of some very traditional power bases such as Union City, West New York, even down in very traditional Bayonne. This trend will only become more and more viable as the internet grows and people discover that they have a new platform on which to air their gripes.
21. Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy (new)
Two months after winning re-election in May 2009, Mayor Jerramiah Healy looked like he would hobble through his current term as a lame duck following the high profile-arrests of several aides and political allies. Few people expected Healy to run for another term in 2013. The mayor was excluded from the Hudson Reporter's 2012 Most Influential list partly because he appeared to be down for the count. Healy surprised many residents when he announced a year ago that he would seek a third full term as mayor. Despite his weakened political stature, Healy could well eke out a victory over his chief rival, Councilman Steven Fulop, who makes some voters nervous. Healy's longtime, pre-Newtown stance on gun control, continued opposition to Spectra Energy's natural gas pipeline, surprising additions to his City Council ticket, and status as a familiar entity could help him edge past Fulop in May.
22. Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli (+, 34)
While Secaucus retains its calm, suburban atmosphere amidst neighboring political battles, indictments, and scandal, Michael Gonnelli has been anything but quiet on matters affecting his town, especially when it comes to ensuring its fair share of local revenues. He successfully took on Freeholder William O'Dea for parking fees generated by Field Station: Dinosaurs. Gonnelli also generated support among area mayors to vote in favor of a Meadowlands tax sharing formula change that could reduce the town's share from $3 million to $723,504. Gonnelli is seen as handling Hurricane Sandy favorably both before, during, and after the storm. With little if no opposition for an upcoming municipal election and dominance in local affairs since he assumed the position in 2010, Gonnelli has pretty much secured his re-election.
23. U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell: (D- 9th Dist.) (New)
Bill Pascrell positioned himself as the "fighter" last year and helped unseat long-time U.S. Rep Steven Rothman (D-Englewood), who had served the town of Secaucus and others for the past 16 years. Redistricting meant that the two powerhouses faced each other, but Pascrell won the Democratic primary and then won again in November.
24. Ron Simoncini, president, Axiom Communications (-, 28)
Ron Simoncini and his Mile Square Taxpayers group advocated hard in 2012 in favor of Hoboken public question no. 2, to remove rent control in certain buildings. Though Simonicini ultimately lost by a 52 vote margin, he managed to exercise influence over a town full of renters and collect 8,196 votes.
25. Hudson County Improvement Authority CEO Norman Guerra (-, 16)
Although the Hudson County Improvement Authority started out as the county's response to recycling, trash removal, and school transportation, over the last several decades it has become the equivalent of a Swiss banking system that has allowed many municipalities and other groups to draw down loans and balance budgets they would not have been able to do otherwise. As chairman, Guerra will continue to wield quiet power behind the scenes and influence the local economic conditions over the next year, and will have a huge influence over which projects can get funding in the future.
26. North Bergen Business Administrator Christopher Pianese (new)
Chris Pianese helped to determine the new location for the shared building that houses the Municipal Court and the Parking Authority at 4225 Bergen Turnpike. He helped Mayor Sacco assess damage after Hurricane Sandy and is involved in many major decisions in the town.
27. West New York Mayor Dr. Felix Roque (-, 14)
Dr. Roque made a surprising splash in 2011 when he ousted former Mayor Silverio "Sal" Vega, but his first year in office hardly went as expected. After making reforms in West New York's municipal government, he and his son were charged in May by the federal government with hacking into a political opponent's web site. He has not yet resigned, but political challengers like Town Commissioner Count Wiley are eager to replace him.
28. Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce CEO James Kirkos (+, 29)
With Wrestlemania scheduled for April, the Super Bowl coming to town in 2014, and the American Dream completion on the horizon, Jim Kirkos has been very busy in playing a lead role to help promote business growth in the region. As president of the Meadowlands Liberty Convention and Visitors Bureau he has helped organize local business leaders in presenting a united front, and in helping to promote the area as a destination.
29. Hudson County Freeholder William O'Dea (-, 12)
With his eye on a possible move from being a maverick freeholder to the coveted county executive seat, William O'Dea will likely feature prominently in the battle over the Jersey City mayoral seat in 2013. O'Dea's powerful organization in the west side of Jersey City could bring Jersey City Councilman Steve Fulop the necessary support needed to overcome Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy. This aligns O'Dea with Menendez, Sacco, and others.
30. West New York Commissioner Count Wiley (new)
West New York's other doctor-turned-politician, Commissioner Count Wiley turned on Mayor Roque, his former ally, after Roque's indictment, and spent much of 2012 stirring up controversy at town meetings. While his record is tainted the same as Roque's (Wiley was censured after a scandal involving a paint gun and his arrested father James), Wiley comes across as more charismatic than his opponent, and has seemingly used his suave people skills to gather powerful allies to his cause.
31. Triple Five Worldwide Group (new)
Developers Triple Five Worldwide in 2011 stepped forward to complete American Dream, formerly known as Xanadu, the entertainment/retail complex on Route 3 in East Rutherford. They secured a number of approvals in 2012. The project will bring jobs and revenue to the area in the next few years.
32. Hudson County Freeholder Chair Anthony Romano (new)
Rumored as possible candidate for a number of seats that include mayor of Hoboken and county sheriff, Anthony "Stick" Romano now has a platform as chairman of the freeholders to build support for future political endeavors. In 2013, he distinguished himself from other traditional Hoboken political figures by working more closely with Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer, especially in regards to Hurricane Sandy relief. He may be able to draw on resources that other freeholder chairmen could not, and build a body of good will among Hudson County's mayors.
33. Robert Cotter, director of city planning, Jersey City/Robert Antonicello, director, Jersey City Redevelopment Agency (+, 35)
Robert Cotter, Robert Antonicello, and their staffs at Division of City Planning and the Redevelopment Agency are collectively responsible for mapping out and approving every development project in Jersey City. This year, those included hotels and residences. With the economy beginning to improve, long dormant projects in the Journal Square area are finally beginning to take shape under the guidance of Cotter, Antonicello, and their staffs.
34. Riaz Wahid/Esther Wintner, Jersey City activists (new)
In Jersey City, when politicians of all stripes feel a thorn in their side or a pebble in their shoe, it usually has something to do with Esther Wintner and Riaz Wahid. Something of a Batgirl and Robin duo, in 2012 the pair was responsible for lobbying the U.S. Justice Department for a $1.85 million grant that enabled the Jersey City Police Department to hire 15 new officers; getting the city to audit luxury residential developments that have received lucrative tax breaks; forcing the local school board to consider pay to play reform; forcing the city to strengthen its own pay to play law; and exposing questionable spending by the school board. During Hurricane Sandy they helped find indoor shelter space for the homeless and delivered water and food to elderly shut-ins. The two are also co-founders of the Jersey City Homeless Advocacy Group.
35. Captain Bill Sheehan, Hackensack Riverkeeper (-, 30)
As the Hackensack Riverkeeper (so designated as part of a national nonprofit group), Bill Sheehan has dedicated years to fighting for wetlands restoration, protecting the Hackensack River habitat and its wildlife, and putting an end to the use of outdated Combined Sewer Systems (CSO). Last year Sheehan (a Secaucus resident) and his crew took over 3,000 people onto the river on educational tours. In one of his latest battles his organization has taken on the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) with a lawsuit to get cities like Jersey City, North Bergen, and Bayonne, which still have CSOs, to stop dumping overflow sewage in the river during heavy rains.
36. Dr. Marcia Lyles, superintendent of schools, Jersey City (new)
Since taking the helm of the Jersey City Public Schools just days before the start of the 2012-2013 school year, new superintendent Dr. Marcia Lyles, who previously worked in school districts in Delaware and New York City, has been busy. In November she addressed parents and gave what amounted to a "state of the union" for the school system. As part of this address Lyles laid out what she called a "mission and mandate" for the district and paid special attention to academic programs that are working but are limited in their success. Despite considerable acrimony on the school board and among parents prior to her hiring, Lyles has won the support of many skeptics who initially questioned her commitment to public education and ability to adjust to Jersey City.
37. Dr. Mark Toback, Superintendent of Schools, Hoboken (new)
Hoboken Superintendent Dr. Mark Toback is new(ish) to the Hoboken school system, but supporters have commended the changes he's made in the district in the past two years. Toback became a focal point of the 2012 school board election. The Hoboken school board majority is currently held by Kids First, a faction that Mayor Dawn Zimmer supports, and which is strongly allied with Toback.
38. Allen Pascual/Robert Dandorph (new)
North Bergen's school district has been strengthened with the support of Superintendent of Schools Robert Dandorph. Scores are up for statewide tests. North Bergen High School District Director of Student Personnel Allen Pascual has also helped implement new programs in the district. He also serves as commissioner of revenue and finance.
39. Dr. John Fauta, Superintendent of Schools, West New York (new)
Not many school superintendents can say that, in one year, they rubbed shoulders with the governor, a senator, two football players and a former president of the United States (Clinton), but not many school superintendents are John Fauta of West New York. The longtime top educator in West New York, a staunch ally of Mayor Felix Roque and the county's most outspoken voice for healthier food in public schools, made headlines this year by garnering several awards for his district's healthy food and physical education initiatives.
40. Bob Hurley, head coach, St. Anthony Boys Varsity Basketball Team (+, 38)
The legendary longtime coach at St. Anthony in Jersey City – and Basketball Hall of Fame member – is often asked for advice on several different matters, not just about basketball. Last year he was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame as well.
41. State Assemblywoman Angelica Jimenez (D-West New York) (new)
Since stepping in to serve in the State Assembly in 2011, Angelica Jimenez of West New York has served as a powerful ally to State Sen. Nicholas Sacco and Assemblyman Vincent Prieto. Jimenez also easily swept the local vote to take over the West New York Democratic Party Committee chair after Mayor Felix Roque was arrested. A regular presence throughout Hudson County, Jimenez has made strides to solidify connections.
42. Uta Brauser/Christine Goodman/Sean Hollingsworth (-/=, various entries)
This trio remains at the forefront of Jersey City's arts community. Last year couture designer and painter Uta Brauser re-opened her Fish with Braids gallery and continued to host the regular Creative Grove events at Grove Plaza. Christine Goodman's Art House Productions continued to offer venue space for small dance, theater, and film groups in need space to show their work, and kept running quarterly JC Fridays events. Jersey City last year had one of its biggest and most successful Artist Studio Tours in years under the tutelage of Sean Hollingsworth and the folks at ProArts.
43. Amanda Nesheiwat, Chairwoman, Secaucus Environmental Committee (new)
As head of the Secaucus Environmental Committee, Nesheiwat successfully pushed for a ban on Styrofoam and fracking. She has also reached out to neighboring Jersey City to collaborate on a number of issues. A twentysomething star on the rise, Nesheiwat is a leading voice for her generation on environmental issues representing Secaucus both near and far from Trenton to Qatar.
44. Peggy Wong (new)
North Bergen's Peggy Wong has long been an advocate in her pursuit to protect the Palisade Cliffs from developments. Wong and fellow advocates have even provided transportation to and from Planning Board hearings related to the proposed Appleview development near the Guttenberg border.
45. Diana Davis (new)
Chair of the Republicans of Hoboken, Diana Davis has worked for years in a predominantly Democratic town in a predominantly Democratic county, finally seeing some local respect for the right. She was mocked and even spat at during her early days of collecting signatures on Washington Street, but 2012 was a year she saw a payoff. Hoboken saw higher percentages for Mitt Romney than other Hudson County towns.
46. Bill Sorvino, founder, Golden Door International Film Festival (new)
Two years ago, when actor Bill Sorvino said he wanted to launch an annual independent film festival in his native Jersey City, some folks in the movie industry called him crazy. But Sorvino successfully launched the Golden Door International Film Festival in 2011 and brought an expanded festival back for a second year in 2012, proving his critics wrong. The festival is already set to return for a third year in October.
47. Nivia Rojas (=)
Currently in her 13th year as the head of Union City's school-based youth services, Rojas serves as a shining example as to the most effective ways to use state funding to assist urban youth. The program provides mental health services, recreational activities, and family counseling to students in the county's most densely populated school district.
48. Richard Rivera (-, 13)
Rivera, a prominent civil rights advocate, has been a player in Hudson County politics for some time and even placed 13 on this list last year, but his alliance with Mayor Felix Roque seems unwise given the mayor's impending date in federal court. Stepping in as a civic volunteer following Hurricane Sandy, Rivera positioned himself to be Roque's aide and go-between with other commissioners, but a recent vote at a public meeting called his future in that capacity into question.
49. Theater and arts groups (new)
Hoboken and Jersey City have their share of artists and theatrical "players" who are frequently mentioned in Reporter stories, but North Hudson deserves a look too. In its 33rd year, North Bergen's Park Players continued to put on accessible and enjoyable evenings of musical theater in 2012, performing a revue in February and a full show in March. Meanwhile, Frank Licato and Greg Erbach founded Hudson Theatre Works, an offshoot group looking to put on off-Broadway quality shows in North Hudson with the support of local government. Elsewhere in the county, there's the Hudson Shakespeare company, based in Hoboken; Mile Square Theater; Hobart, which is the only cooperative gallery in Hoboken, and the many other art galleries around the county. (Read the Midweek Reporter at hudsonreporter.com each Thursday for articles on these groups and their projects).
50. Brian Barrett (new)
Union City's new top lawman inherited an office mired in scandal after the retirement of former chief Charles Everett, but has responded with professionalism and a staunch commitment to public safety that has resulted in the city's police department reclaiming its former status as one of the most effective in North Hudson. Barrett made a name for himself throughout the year as a hands-on officer, personally leading a manhunt for a kidnapping and assault suspect (an arrest was made hours after the alleged incident).
Honorable Mentions
Rich Hansen – Athletic director at St. Peter's and the football coach. Anything that happens in Hudson County sports goes through him because he's the president of the newly formed Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic League.
Robert Anderson – Former president of the teachers' union in Secaucus and now a school board trustee, Anderson successfully kept pressure on Superintendent Cynthia Randina and organized teachers and community members to oppose her.
Carmelo Garcia – Executive director of the Hoboken Housing Authority and a member of the Hoboken School Board. Has been working on the "Vision 2020" plan for the future of the projects.
Secaucus' Indian community – The Indian community in Secaucus has made strides to become a more visible presence, from the Indian Caucus of Secaucus, which holds a number of cultural events each year, to the vocal parents who live in developments such as Riverside Court and Creekside Manor who successfully lobbied for their children to get courtesy busing to school.
Guttenberg Police Department – The Guttenberg Police Department has been aggressive at ridding the streets of drugs with several high-profile busts. When residents in The Shades in Weehawken were in distress and in need of assistance, Guttenberg aided in rescuing residents that were trapped in their homes.
North Bergen Free Public Library Director Sai Rao – Sai Rao has converted the library to a community center as well. For the "Read To Achieve" program, New York Knicks player John Starks read to the audience.


text:
This benefit, which GAO estimated using an economic model based on a set of assumptions, was entirely attributable to "seigniorage," a term defined as the difference between the cost of producing coins or notes and their face value. Seigniorage reduces government borrowing and interest costs, resulting in a financial benefit to the government. As GAO noted, the estimated net benefit could increase or decrease with changes in the assumptions.Up north, the Canadian government recently switched from the dollar bill to the dollar coin and found it saved 10 times more than it had originally estimated. Will the U.S. government embark on a similar course? It's not likely, given the lack of demand for a dollar coin from the ultimate decision-makers, the U.S. taxpayers. But that, apparently, is not going to stop the GAO from trying.
NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- In a new bid to supplant the dollar bill with the dollar coin, Lorelai St. James, a director at the U.S. General Accounting Office, was scheduled to testify before Congress today that the switch would save "billions" for U.S. taxpayers, The Wall Street Journal reports. "We continue to believe that the government would receive a financial benefit from making the replacement," says St. James, a director at the nonpartisan office, in prepared remarks ahead of a scheduled Congressional hearing. Will the GAO gain any traction on the dollar coin front? It's an uphill battle, for sure. The public seems dead set against any switch, while retailers, mass transit agencies and mining companies all have a vested interest in moving to a coin and are lobbying for its arrival on the national stage. The U.S. Treasury made an effort last year to inject more dollar coins into the economy, but saw 40% of its total coin inventory returned, apparently unneeded and unwanted by consumers and businesses. And according to the Federal Reserve, the U.S. government is holding about $1.2 billion in U.S. dollar coin reserves, a number expected to rise to $2 billion by 2016. St. James is likely to point to a February study from the GAO saying replacing the $1 note with the $1 coin would provide net savings of $4.4 billion over 30 years - or about $146 million annually. But that differs from a similar study from the GAO last year that pegged the savings at $5.5 billion over 30 years, or about $184 million every year. How does the GAO explain the roughly $1 billion difference? Here's how:


text:
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String instruments > Violin and Piano
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
"Wunderkind" Sonatas Volume I for Piano and Violin K. 6-9
Editor: Wolf-Dieter Seiffert
Fing. vn: Benjamin Schmid
Fingering: Ariane Haering
19.50 €
Urtext Edition, paperbound
with marked and unmarked string parts
Pages: 80 (IX, 41, 15, 15), Size 23,5 x 31,0 cm
Order no. HN 1077 · ISMN 979-0-2018-1077-5
At the time, Mozart's genius – recognised at an early age – could only be explained as being God-given. Wolfgang Amadeus and his sister Maria Anna, older by five years, were admired as being "Wunderkinder" (prodigies) on their travels through Western Europe between 1763 and 1766. The piano sonatas "with a violin accompaniment" K. 6–9 were composed in Paris. It is wonderfully fresh and varied music. The piano is joined by a violin that adds colour, but not as an equal partner unlike in the later, great violin sonatas (see HN 77–80). This music is not only ideally suitable for piano and violin teaching purposes but will also allow musicians who already know "everything" to discover some treasures.
Audio example: Benjamin Schmid, Ariane Haering: KV 9, Menuett
Oehms Classic OC 335
Die Sonaten KV 6 bis 31 sind eine Fundgrube!
[ESTA Nachrichten, 2013]
Das Notenbild ist, wie von Henle gewohnt, sehr gut lesbar, der Notentext sehr präzise erstellt, ergänzt um einen akribischen Editionsbericht. ... Diese Sonatensammlungen eignen sich für den Unterricht, die Klavierparts reichen bis zu mittlerer Schwierigkeit, die Violinstimme geht selten über die erste Lage hinaus.
[Das Orchester, 2013]
Diese neuen Henle-Ausgaben übernehmen offensichtlich die lesefreundlichen Seiteneinteilungen des Erstdruckes von Amsterdam, bringen für die Klavierstimme unaufdringliche Fingersatz-Vorschläge, und eine weitere jeweils beigegebene Violinstimme enthält hilfreiche Strichbezeichnungen.
In three separate volumes, Henle's carefully researched publication includes two separate violin parts, one sparingly, but stylishly, marked by Benjamin Schmid. Budding young musicians will be inspired to play these delightful early gems written by a performer of similar age.
[Strings magazine, 2013]
Die Henle-Ausgabe liefert nicht nur einen hervorragenden Notentext nach Urtext-Standard, sondern auch in Vorwort und kritischem Bericht wertvolle Anregungen zur Interpretation. Lesenswert auch die musikhistorische Einordnung der bemerkenswerten Stücke.
[Ensemble, 2012]
Violin Sonata (Wunderkind) C major KV 6
Level of difficulty (Violin): easy (Level 3)Other titles with this level of difficulty »
Violin Sonata (Wunderkind) D major KV 7
Level of difficulty (Violin): easy (Level 3)Other titles with this level of difficulty »
Violin Sonata (Wunderkind) B flat major KV 8
Level of difficulty (Violin): easy (Level 3)Other titles with this level of difficulty »
Violin Sonata (Wunderkind) G major KV 9
Level of difficulty (Violin): easy (Level 3)Other titles with this level of difficulty »
The levels of difficulty of the
music for violin published by G. Henle Publishers
The levels of difficulty of the violin music published by G. Henle Publishers
|Beethoven, 6 German Dances WoO 42
|Beethoven, Rondo G major WoO 41
|Mozart, Violin Sonata F major KV 547
|Haydn, Violin Concerto A major Hob. VIIa:3
|Bach, Violin Concerto a minor BWV 1041
|Brahms, Violin Sonata G major op. 78
|Paganini, No. 9 from Capricci op. 1
|Beethoven, Violin Concerto D major op. 61
|Berg, Violin Concerto
I have assigned all of the violin music in G. Henle Publishers' catalogue a level of difficulty, ranging from "very easy" to "very difficult". The model for this was the evaluation system with nine levels developed for Henle's piano catalogue by Rolf Koenen. Unlike the works for solo piano, I have decided against evaluations that lie between two levels (e.g. 4/5 or 7/8).
This kind of attempt will always be "relative" to some degree. While the work remains the work, what is relative is the technical and musical ability of the player. Let us take a look at Mozart, for example, from the perspective of an Arthur Grumiaux and from that of a very young pupil. It is clear to whom my levels of difficulty are addressed: to the pupils or their teacher. I have, of course, always endeavoured to objectively assess the purely technical level of difficulty. But everything "between the lines" is, of course, left up to the judgement of each individual musician. Depending on our abilities, we perceive the "difficulty" of a work for violin differently, yet with the same conviction.
At the start, categorizing violin literature into levels of difficulty from 1 to 9 seemed to carry a certain risk as well as being unknown territory, yet I have now gained a deep insight into all of the works for violin in G. Henle Publishers' catalogue.
Ernst Schliephake © 2013


text:
The Oregon Department of Agriculture has asked Oregon's 45 soil and water conservation districts to zero in on specific areas, and document changes, representing a change of direction in the state's 20-year-old agricultural water quality program.
"The districts have done great work," said John Byers, manager of Oregon's agricultural water quality program. "They do riparian restoration work and other work to improve water quality. What we've asked them to do now is focus some of that work in a specific area in each of their districts, so we can measure progress."
The new directive is part of the state's effort to address critics of its agricultural water quality program.
Jerry Nicolescu, executive director of the Oregon Association of Conservation Districts, said the districts back the department's efforts.
"We know that a lot of good things have been done to protect water quality in the past," Nicolescu said. "But have we done a good job of measuring that? No. And, frankly, it is beginning to bite us."
Nicolescu said it is hard to convince people outside of agriculture that the industry has done a good job of protecting water quality.
"They still see brown water running and see algae blooming, and it is hard to convince them that all the work farmers and the districts have done has made a difference," Nicolescu said.
"But, from everything I've seen, I'm convinced we've made a tremendous difference," Nicolescu said. "It would be a lot worse if we hadn't done what we've done."
Nicolescu said critics point to the fact that the state has issued only three penalties for agricultural water quality infractions.
"They look at it like, 'Hey, you're not doing your job because you only found three of these,'" Nicolescu said. "On the other hand, maybe we could have had 3,000 of these incidents, but the districts and other agencies and individuals have been doing their job, and we've kept all but three from ending up in a regulatory situation.
"Can we do better? Yes," he said. "Are we working to make it better? Yes. Is it going to change overnight? No. It takes time. Everything in nature takes time.
"But I think we're going to get there," he said. "I can't tell you how soon, but I know we're going to keep working on it. We'll get it done."
The ODA also has initiated two pilot projects, one in Wasco County and one in Clackamas County, where it is attempting to improve water quality on stretches of water that show excess levels of agricultural pollutants. As part of those projects, the department is documenting land conditions to determine where they can be improved, and working to improve conditions where they can.
The department also in recent years has been working with the Department of Environmental Quality on a pesticide stewardship partnership program, which works with landowners on a voluntary basis to improve agricultural practices in ways that limit agriculture's impact on water quality. Those projects, like the pilot projects, are focusing on water-quality limited areas.
The ODA regulates the state's agricultural water quality program under an agreement with the Oregon DEQ, which the federal EPA has designated as the lead agency to administer the Clean Water Act in Oregon.
Oregon's agricultural water quality is administered under Senate Bill 1010, which Gov. John Kitzhaber signed into law in 1993.


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Brian Bowles
TRAINING: a typical training day would be either conditioning or one of the following – grappling, boxing, wrestling, kickboxing - in the morning. In the evening, it will be pad work or grappling in the morning and the opposite of that in the evening.
Why did you start training for fighting? I started training MMA three years ago. It seemed like it would be fun, and now I'm making a career out of it.
What ranks and titles have you held? Former WEC bantamweight champion
Do you have any heroes? None
What is your favorite technique? D'arce choke (modified anaconda)
What does it mean for you to fight in the UFC? It's something I've been waiting for for a long time. All the goals that I set are coming true and this is a goal that I've had since I started fighting seriously, and it means everything to me right now.
Did you go to college and if so, what degree was earned? No
What was your job before you started fighting? I was a sales rep for Pepsi cola.
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The second phase of rebuilding U.S. 36 between Lyons and Estes Park is scheduled to begin Monday, and it will require road closures north of Lyons from 6 a.m. July 29 through Aug. 1, and from Aug. 4 through Aug. 8.
The work, which is part of rebuilding the highway after September's floods, is expected to continue through the fall. The highway has been moved away from the river and is being raised as much as 10 feet.
During the closures, only local residents and deliveries to businesses on the highway between milemarkers 6 and 20 will be allowed to use the detour on Apple Valley Road.
Residents of Big Elk Meadows, Pinewood Springs, Longmont Dam Road and Apple Valley will receive credentials or access tags. Details of when and where to obtain these will be released soon, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The Boulder County Sheriff's Office will control access to the detour.
Other traffic will be required to use Colo. 7 or U.S. 34.
Outside of the planned week-long closures, delays of up to 30 minutes will occur during daytime hours. No work will be done during the day on weekends.
Digital message boards at both ends of the project will display each day's expected drive time.
For more information, visit tinyurl.com/us36floodrepairs.


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We are a happy family of five! Married entrepreneurs, well rounded children- I am a healthcare consultant and licensed massage therapist! He is a networking connoisseur. We have our own growing business and we are looking to move in December of 2012. We are looking for a great location, not too close to the city, but not too far from it either. Coming from Salt Lake City, Utah!!! Minimum of 3 bdrs, must have 2ba...I must have my own bathroom! We do need a place that is quiet as we are both authors- We want to pay five months rent up front, we are serious and commited to making this our new home. If you have what we are looking for, and are looking for long term tenants, we are your family! Email me- I cant wait to hear from you!Bests Wishes
Copyright 2004-2018 SuperAds Inc


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On June 18, 2013, the Florida State Board of Education awarded Barry University funding in the amount of $49,815 for the College Reach-Out Program for 2013-2014 academic year. The program's goal is to motivate and prepare students to pursue and successfully complete a college education. The grant will provide college-going and career path activities, counseling sessions, and mentoring and leadership opportunities to approximately 150 students in grades 6-12 within Miami-Dade County.
Of the 16 grant applications received, only 12 were funded. Barry University and Miami Dade College were the only postsecondary education institutions in South Florida to receive the grant.
The College Reach-Out Program serves middle and high schools in the Miami-Dade public school system that have high numbers of low-income and underserved students. Eighty-two percent of students qualify for free/reduced price lunch, while 90 percent are black or Hispanic. Two of the schools served also have the highest number of foster care students in the state of Florida (50 percent), along with high truancy, suspension, and dropout rates in comparison to state averages.
Since 1999, Barry University's College Reach-Out Program (CROP) has engaged low-income, minority, first-generation, and educationally disadvantaged middle and high school students within Miami-Dade County Public Schools.


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Wildcats seeded 9th in Div. IV
After a pair of victories to end the season, the Taft varsity girls soccer team got some more good news Saturday when they got the No.9 seed in the CIF-CS Division IV playoffs.
Taft (7-5 in the South Sequoia League) will take on No.8 seed Foothill in Bakersfield Tuesday night. The winner will take on No.1 seed Caruthers who got a bye in the first round.
Taft was not the only South Sequoia League team to compete in the playoffs.
On the other side of the Division IV bracket, No.3 Bakersfield Christian will host No.14 Fresno. The winner will face the winner of the No.11 Exeter-No.6 South.
No.5 Wasco will host No.12 Mira Monte with the winner taking on on No.13Chowchilla or No.4 Strathmore. In Divsion V, Robert F. Kennedy will host Sierra in the second round after both teams got byes in the first round.


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The Boulder County Coroner's Office has identified the man found dead after an apparent one-car accident on Peak to Peak Highway west of Boulder as Joseph Hibdon, 39, of Longmont.
The Colorado State Patrol said a witness spotted a car at about 1 p.m. Sunday that had run down an embankment on Colo. 72.
Hibdon was found dead at the scene. No other people or cars appear to have been involved in the accident, and investigators do not know yet when or how the accident occurred.
Boulder County Coroner Emma Hall will conduct an investigation to determine a cause and manner of death.


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His grandfather was hanged by a military dictator. His mother was assassinated. One of his uncles was slain by the police. Another died in a mysterious poisoning.
His father spent eight years in jail, yet later served a full term as president of Pakistan.
The Bhutto family history is a roller coaster ride, veering from prison, exile and corruption scandals to wealth, fame and power.
So it's reasonable to wonder why the 25-year-old son of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto wants to step aboard that roller coaster, by venturing into the perilous, hair-raising world of politics in Pakistan.
Yet that is what Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is doing.
His political launch as heir to the Bhutto dynasty is gathering momentum. He stepped into the spotlight this past weekend, as host of a cultural festival in his family's political heartland, the southern province of Sindh.
A Coming-Out Party
The backdrop could hardly have been more photogenic. The Sindh festival's opening ceremony took place on a stage in front of an ancient archaeological site, a mound of ruins from a civilization that sprang up around the Indus River Valley more than 5,000 years ago. The place is called Moenjodaro, or the Mound of the Dead.
Thus, the Old World provided a launching pad for the career of a young man, eager to guide Pakistan into a new age.
Giant spotlights roved the night sky. The dust-caked ancient ruins glowed beneath the glare of shockingly bright red, green and purple lights. Thumping music — old and new — echoed across the fields.
Among the 500 or so invited guests were the top brass from the Bhuttos' Pakistan People's Party, including at least two former prime ministers; a multitude of policemen and security guards; and a small, cheerful, group of Bhutto Zardari's friends from his Oxford University days.
Bhutto Zardari arrived in a big convoy of black cars and wagonloads of armed police. He is a tall and elegant man, with the poised air of royalty. In his face, you can see his mother's looks.
Moenjodaro is deep in Bhutto country. The family mausoleum and ancestral home are only a few dozen miles away.
Constant Security Concerns
Yet, even here, security is clearly a major concern: Bhutto Zardari strode off to inspect the display tents at such speed that his accompanying shoal of armed security men, photographers and party aides struggled to keep up. He was finally stopped in his tracks when he reached the Sindh Police tent, and the band, in gold and tartan, opened up with its pipes and drums.
If they are to succeed at the ballot box, aspiring politicians everywhere must master the art of dealing with the media. Bhutto Zardari has until recently generally avoided publicity (though he is on Twitter).
Shortly before the festival's opening ceremony, he sat down to give some of his first one-on-one interviews to a handful of international correspondents, including me. Black-clad cops with Kalashnikovs were posted in Moenjodaro's gardens, scanning the horizon.
He was articulate, and in the circumstances, remarkably affable, as he spelled out his plans.
"It's time for me to start taking on more responsibility," Bhutto Zardari explained. "What that means is that I will be working very closely with the party, and focusing on party politics, on working with the grass roots of our party across the country — rejuvenating, modernizing."
I asked if, given his family history, he felt frightened about stepping into public life.
"No. Fear doesn't run in my genes, " he replied. "It's not a component. Yes, we have suffered assassinations. But it is those assassinations that drive me."
He continued: "It is the assassination of my mother that drives me. The very forces that people are scared of in this country assassinated my mother, so I am not scared of them. I want to defeat them."
I ask what his mother would have thought of his decision to join the political fray.
"She wouldn't have stopped me coming into politics," he said. "She'd just have preferred that I completed higher education, went on to do more education, got a job, earned a living, started a family. And then, if I was interested in politics, that would be a field open to me as well."
It's widely believed in Pakistan that the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, in 2007, was masterminded by the Pakistani Taliban. However, the country's former military ruler, Pervez Musharraf, was indicted last year on the grounds that he failed to protect her.
At present, Pakistan's prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, is pursuing peace negotiations with the militants in the hope of ending a conflict that's killed tens of thousands of people in the past seven years.
Sharif says he wants to give peace talks one last chance. The government and the Taliban have appointed negotiating teams, but the efforts of those teams to meet have so far been thwarted by delays and squabbles.
Bhutto Zardari believes this approach is wrong. In fact, he's emerging as one of Pakistan's most prominent advocates of the use of military force against the Taliban before negotiations can be held.
"You must break the backs of the Taliban, and then negotiate for the terms of surrender," he said.
A South Asian Tradition Of Family Dynasties
South Asia has a tradition of political dynasties. India's political stage has been dominated by the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty since India gained independence in 1947. Power and fame have exacted a heavy price for that family, too: Indira Gandhi was assassinated; so was her son Rajiv; her other son, Sanjay, died in an air crash.
Dynasties and nepotism abound in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, too.
Yet winning power still requires more than a famous family name. To bounce back after last year's defeat at the polls, and to emerge triumphant from the 2018 election, Bhutto Zardari and the Pakistan People's Party (of which he is chairman) must find a way to reach out to a very wide spectrum of Pakistanis, from the young urbanites to a multitude of rural poor.
Can he do this? He is certainly has courage and charm.
But he's spent much of his life outside the country, moving among a wealthy elite in Dubai and in England, where he studied at Oxford University. He is still mastering the Urdu language.
I ask how someone with such an unusual and rarefied background connects with his fellow citizens? "Pretty easily," says Bhutto Zardari. "I am a Pakistani and I can relate to all Pakistanis."
"Various leaders in Pakistan's history have been to Oxford and are perfectly able to relate to the average citizen — my mother to start with," he says. "So going to Oxford doesn't get in the way of relating to the people of Pakistan."
From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Melissa Block.
And I'm Audie Cornish.
His mother, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated. His grandfather was hanged. Both were once prime ministers of Pakistan. His family story includes corruption allegations, mysterious deaths and lots of jail time. You'd think all this would deter a man from entering public life in Pakistan.
BLOCK: Yet, at 25, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is launching his own political career. He's stepping into the limelight by hosting a cultural festival in Pakistan's Sindh Province.
NPR's Philip Reeves went to the opening of that festival. He talked with the heir to the Bhutto dynasty about his venture into a dangerous world.
PHILIP REEVES, BYLINE: Everyone is getting ready.
REEVES: Musicians set up on a makeshift stage. Waiters lay out cutlery in the catering tents. On a nearby lawn, a crouching man sweeps up every last leaf. We're in an archeological site in a place called Moenjodaro. The ruins here belong to a great civilization that sprang up along the Indus River Valley more than 5,000 years ago.
The old world is being used as a launching pad for a young man who wants to guide Pakistan into a new age.
REEVES: A convoy of black cars and police wagons sweeps in, lights flashing. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari steps out. He's tall and has the poised air of royalty. He's wearing a dark tunic and a slight smile. In his face, you can see his mother's looks.
REEVES: Benazir lives on, they cry.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: Benazir Bhutto.
REEVES: It's just over six years since Benazir Bhutto was assassinated, after returning to Pakistan from exile to compete in elections. Bilawal was 19. His mother's remains lie in the family mausoleum a few dozen miles from here near the Bhutto ancestral home. We're in rural Sindh, Bhutto country. Yet even here, Bilawal Bhutto is careful.
The 500 or so guests are by invitation only. They include the top brass of the Pakistan people's party, the PPP; among them, several former prime ministers.
Bilawal Bhutto strides off to inspect the tents. He's walking so fast that the shoal of armed security men and officials around him struggles to keep up.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #2: (Foreign language spoken)
REEVES: A welcome parade by the Sindh police stops him in his tracks.
REEVES: When Bilawal Bhutto sits down to speak with NPR, for one of his first ever broadcast interviews, dozens of black-clad police with Kalashnikovs lurk in the surrounding gardens, scanning the horizon:
Aren't you frightened?
BILAWAL BHUTTO: No. Fear has not been - it doesn't run in my genes. It's not part of a - it's not a component. But yes, we've suffered assassinations. But it is those assassinations that drive me. It is the assassination of my mother that drives me. And the very forces that people are scared of in this country assassinated my mother. So I am not scared of them. I want to defeat them.
REEVES: Many here believe his mother, Benazir, was killed by the Pakistani Taliban. At present, Pakistan's government led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is pursuing peace negotiations with the militants to try to end a conflict that's killed tens of thousands.
Bilawal Bhutto says that's the wrong approach. He says Pakistan's military should be sent in to defeat the Taliban before any talking starts.
BHUTTO: We're begging for peace. We're pleading for peace when actually I believe dialogue should come in at the point of a position of strength. So you must achieve that position of strength, you must break the backs of the Taliban, and then negotiate for the terms of surrender.
REEVES: Benazir Bhutto was 35 when she first became Pakistan's prime minister, and also the first woman elected to lead a Muslim nation. After her assassination, her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, became Pakistan's president, serving for five years. Bilawal officially chaired the Pakistan People's Party though he remained behind the scenes, until now.
BHUTTO: Oh, it's time for me to start taking on more responsibility. And what that means is that I will be working very closely with the party and focusing on party politics; on working with the grassroots of our party across the country, rejuvenating, modernizing.
REEVES: The party was badly defeated in last year's general election. Bilawal's mission is to prepare for the next one in 2018. I ask what his mother, Benazir, would have thought of his decision to join the political fray.
BHUTTO: She wouldn't have stopped me from coming into politics. She just would have preferred that I completed higher education and went on to do more education, got a job, earned a living, started a family, and then if I was interested in politics, that would be a field that would be open to me as well, but not in the way that it happened.
REEVES: Half of Pakistan's population is below the age of 25, yet their leaders are overwhelmingly middle-aged or elderly men. That multitude of young voters is being targeted by another Pakistani politician, the 61-year-old former cricket star Imran Khan. Bilawal Bhutto is after those votes too, and has a big age advantage, though he resists being labeled as the face of Pakistan's youth.
BHUTTO: I don't approach it from that because it's my generation and I am part of that demographic. And I understand just like you can't target, you can't confine things, you can't launch youth schemes and youth programs and target them in a patronizing, general way like that. We are our own demographic that splits up in various ways just like any other age group.
REEVES: South Asia has a tradition of being ruled by political dynasties. In India, the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty has played a major role since partition in 1947.
If Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is ever to win power, he's going to need to reach out to a very wide spectrum of Pakistanis, including many millions of rural poor. He's spent much of his life among a wealthy elite in Dubai and in England, where he studied at Oxford University. Security concerns severely restrict his movements. How can someone with such an unusual and rarified background, connect with his fellow citizens?
BHUTTO: Pretty easily, I am a Pakistani and I can relate to all Pakistanis. And various leaders in Pakistan's history have been to Oxford and are perfectly able of relating to the average citizen - my mother to start with. So going to Oxford doesn't get in the way of relating to people of Pakistan.
REEVES: Darkness falls and Bilawal Bhutto's cultural festival gets underway. The ancient ruins are lit up by bright red, purple and green lights. Bilawal is in the audience. Soon his VIP guests are rocking in the aisles. As he steps up to embrace his role in Pakistan's turbulent history, Benazir Bhutto's son is still wearing a slight smile.
Philip Reeves, NPR News.
CORNISH: This is NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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LONGMONT -- Melissa Rickson is worried about the health risks she said a citywide mosquito spraying operation poses for people's and pets' health.
"I've had three cats die of cancer," said Rickson, who lives on the 1600 block of Third Ave.
"Veterinarians said they were exposed to something," Rickson said, adding that could have been from pesticide residues on the grass those cats nibbled.
"They eat grass. All cats do," Rickson said.
Even though Longmont's spraying operation isn't scheduled to start until 9 p.m. Friday, that's a time when many people are still "out and about," riding their bikes or walking in their neighborhoods, Rickson said.
Brian Governson, a microbiologist who lives on the 300 block of Judson Street, said he's concerned about the potential impact that many kinds of chemicals can have, including the pesticide that Colorado Mosquito Control, the city's contractor, will be spraying throughout Longmont.
Governson charged that the city and Boulder County Public Health "are overreacting" and "reacting out of fear" to recent samples of trapped mosquitoes that showed elevated numbers of those insects testing positive for West Nile virus.
With the citywide spraying, Governson said, "86,000 people" -- including him, his wife and their 8-year-old son -- "are going to be impacted by chemicals" he said can cause long-term harm to those people and the environment.
Governson and Rickson are among a number of residents who came forward with criticisms after officials announced plans for the citywide spraying operation set for Friday night and possibly to be repeated Monday night.
City and Boulder County Public Health officials, however, have defended the safety of the pesticide being used -- AquaLuer 20 20, a permethrin-based adulticide -- at the levels they say will be involved and in the ultra-low-volume "fogging" process used to spray it.
"Residents can shut windows to prevent spray from drifting into their homes, but the spray levels are set to be toxic to mosquitoes and not to humans," Boulder County Public Health said in its Tuesday news release about the Longmont emergency spraying effort.
"We're very sensitive to the chemicals we're using," said Dan Wolford, the city's parks, open space and greenways manager. "If it were unsafe, we wouldn't be doing it."
He said, "It really comes down to the risk to the community" of humans being exposed to West Nile virus if spraying isn't done to kill enough of the infected adult mosquitoes showing up in city traps in recent weeks.
"I truly believe that we're saving people's lives" with the emergency citywide spraying now planned for later this week and early next week, Wolford said.
But Rickson, who said she's seen declines in honeybees and ladybugs in her neighborhood in recent years -- declines that she said may be attributable to pesticides and herbicides used by residents and government to control insects and unwanted needs -- objected that the mosquito control contractor won't honor her request to stop its truck-mounted machine from spraying as it passes her house.
"I am absolutely outraged that the city is putting its citizens in this position," Rickson said.
She said she'll be staying inside with her three cats while the spraying is under way and that she'll be hosing down her property afterward, in the hope that'll wash away any pesticide residue.
Governson said that in addition to his family, he has concerns about toxic chemical impacts the spraying could have on his two dogs, a cat, chickens and a hive of bees on his property.
"We'll seal up the chickens" and cover the beehive and his garden, he said. But he asked whether the city cares enough "about people with respiratory diseases, such as asthma."
Longmont city officials said Wednesday that 11 Colorado Mosquito Control trucks will be spraying about 380 miles of city streets and that the process "will produce a very fine mist that will be released from trucks into the air, killing mosquitoes on contact."
"Permethrin can and has been used previously for public health mosquito programs, posing little risk to humans and animals, as long as it is applied appropriately," the city said in a news release. "IA similar mixture was used to spray the city in prior years. It is estimated that this process was 75 percent to 80 percent effective after the first application"
City officials said that while permethrin "poses minimal threat to humans and animals, some common sense steps can help reduce any unnecessary exposures."
Maintain awareness of spraying schedules.
Close windows and turn off window-unit air conditioners when spraying is taking place in your immediate area.
Do not let children play near or behind truck-mounted applicators when they are in operation.
Consult your physician for additional precautions if you suffer from chemical sensitivities or feel spraying may aggravate a pre-existing health condition."
John Fryar can be reached at 303-684-5211 or firstname.lastname@example.com.