News from Across the Nation - Feb. 8, 2016

Monmouth County Freeholder John Curley (r) and Charles Richman, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, thank the volunteers working at the NJ Counts event at the Jersey Shore Rescue Mission. Photo courtesy of Monmouth County, N.J.

NEW JERSEY

Nearly 480 people were served at MONMOUTH COUNTY’s recent NJ Counts event to provide various health and human services for homeless individuals.

NJ Counts offered winter coats, personal care items and a range of health services at four, one-stop locations throughout the county, to those experiencing or at-risk of homelessness.

The event is part of the county’s annual point-in-time survey of the homeless population. Attendees completed a brief survey before being provided food, clothing, free health screenings, employment resources and other services.

ALABAMA

State health department officials are disputing a recent news media report that claimed HOUSTON and DALLAS counties have some of the highest levels of lead poisoning in the nation.

The online news site Vox reported that, based on Centers for Disease Control data, Houston County ranked first and Dallas County third. This is based on 2014 data that states reported to CDC — data which Vox noted that “most states don’t bother reporting….”

The Alabama Department of Public Health has reviewed the data, which it says “doesn’t provide a true picture regarding lead levels in either county.” 

There is “no heightened level of concern” about high lead levels in the two counties, according to Thomas Miller, M.D., acting state health officer.

ARKANSAS

COLORADO

• BOULDER COUNTY and the city of Boulder are speeding up the installation of electric-vehicle charging stations in the county by providing nearly $11,000 in funding to Charge Ahead Colorado (CAC). CAC is an electric-vehicle and infrastructure grant program — a partnership between the Regional Air Quality Council and the Colorado Energy Office. In the most recent grant cycle, the partnership funded 24 new charging stations in Boulder County, according to county officials. “We hope to encourage Boulder county businesses, nonprofits, owners of multi-family housing properties, Home Owners’ Associations and neighborhoods to install EV charging stations,” said Susie Strife, the county’s sustainability coordinator.

• Kudos to SUMMIT COUNTY for being named a 2016 Wildfire Mitigation Award winner. The National Association of State Foresters, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the National Fire Protection Association and the USDA Forest Service jointly sponsor the awards, which are given in three categories: Fire Adapted Communities; Fire Service Leadership; Wildfire Mitigation Innovation and the Community Wildfire Preparedness Pioneer. Summit County was the only county to win in the Wildfire Mitigation Innovation category. “Wildland fire continues to be a major threat to communities and fire departments across the U.S.,” said Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr, IAFC president and chair of the board. “The IAFC commends the 2016 Wildfire Mitigation Award winners for everything they have done to mitigate wildland fire in their communities and inspire others to do the same.” Established in 2014, the awards are the highest commendation for innovation and leadership displayed by individuals and organizations committed to wildfire preparedness.

FLORIDA

ILLINOIS

• A program at the COOK COUNTY jail that provides culinary education to inmates has won a $50,000 award from the MacArthur Foundation. Local Italian chef Bruno Abate started the nonprofit Recipe for Change in 2014. Inmates from the jail’s medium security section take weekly cooking classes. The program also provides job skills, cultural awareness, and mentoring in the value of work and responsibility to inmates. It aims to reduce recidivism, promote personal accountability and build stronger communities. Last year, Abate had a pizza oven installed in the jail’s basement, where the cooking classes are held. 

• The state’s eight-month budget impasse prompted WINNEBAGO COUNTY to join with 15 other counties that are suing the state for funds they’re due, the Beloit Daily News reported. County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen said under Illinois law, the state is obligated to reimburse counties for a portion of the salaries of the supervisor of assessments, the state’s attorney and the public defender. The county is seeking more than $152,000 it is owed from from July through December 2015, a spokesperson said.

MARYLAND

HOWARD COUNTY pulled the plug on its online snow plow tracker after it couldn’t keep up with the blizzard that hit the area in late January. The tracker is provided and maintained by a third-party vendor, County Executive Alan Kittleman said, and was been used for years.

“Because of the severity of the storm, including high winds, drifting snow and an historic record snowfall (up to 29 inches with 8-feet drifts), the service was not providing accurate information,” he said. “Although we had contacted the vendor, we did not see an improvement.”

OHIO

Twelve counties are now participating in the State Treasurer’s OhioCheckbook website. BULTER COUNTY now opens its checks and expenses to public access through the site.

The state checkbook will show every check written by all offices and departments in the county, and the tool allows the viewer to customize the information they are looking for.

State Treasurer Josh Mandel put the state’s books online in December 2014 and invited local jurisdictions to join him in April 2015 at no cost. There are 3,962 local governments and school districts in the state and so far 70 cities and villages, 47 townships, 53 school districts and five special districts have opened their books to the public, and there have been more than 444,000 searches on the site as of late January., according to the Hamilton Journal News.

OREGON

The seeming inevitability of a crude oil train derailment a half-mile from where more than a quarter of MULTNOMAH COUNTY residents live has prompted the County Commission to consider a resolution opposing crude oil shipments by rail and any projects that would increase the amount of crude transported through the county.

 That includes the Tesoro Savage Vancouver Energy Distribution Terminal. If approved, Tesoro would be the largest oil transport facility in North America, KGW TV News reported.

In addition to the number of homes near train tracks, 108 schools and 100 childcare facilities are also within a half mile.

SOUTH DAKOTA

A donation of two cars from the Rapid City Police Department has doubled the OGLALA LAKOTA COUNTY Sheriff’s Department’s fleet.

The cars were headed for retirement, but now they, along with some added equipment, will relieve the burden on the county’s two existing cars, both of which have logged more than 100,000 miles, according to the Associated Press.

TEXAS

• Three sheriff’s departments will display the motto “In God We Trust” on squad  cars. LIBERTY COUNTY will join BRAZORIA and MONTGOMERY in displaying what was adopted by Congress as a national motto in 1956. The Texas attorney general ruled recently that it won’t violate the U.S. Constitution, the Houston Chronicle reported.

• The HARRIS COUNTY Flood Control District started a pilot project to remove 20 – 25 cars submerged in bayous. Hundreds of cars could be submerged over the years. Salvage crews will initially focus on retrieving vehicles from the bottoms of the Brays and Sims bayous. Investigators with the Houston Police Department will check the license plate and the vehicle identification number of the cars that are recovered to identify the owner and will determine if they were involved in a crime, Houston Public Media reported.

UTAH

SALT LAKE COUNTY officials have partnered with the Tesoro Foundation and local auto repair businesses to help more county residents pay for vehicle emission repairs.

Tesoro is donating $300,000 over three years to fund the county’s year-old vehicle repair assistance program, allowing more vehicle owners to qualify for financial assistance to lessen their cars’ pollutants and get them back on the road.

The county initially launched its vehicle repair assistance program last year to use the county’s fleet services division to perform repair work on vehicles accepted into the program and now the grant will allow auto repair businesses to participate, KSL  TVNews reported.

The program’s eligibility is based on federal poverty guidelines, and financial assistance varies based on level of poverty.

VIRGINIA

ARLINGTON COUNTY debuted a new online system for reviewing and approving plans for building permits and land disturbance applications. Electronic Plan (ePlan) Review will eliminate paper applications and the need for customers to hand-deliver multiple copies to different county offices, because all applications, plans and comments will be stored in a centralized location online.

The system includes a step-by-step video tutorial and other resources.