News From the Nation's Counties

CALIFORNIA
Since January, about 3,500 (25 percent) of traffic violators in VENTURA COUNTY attended traffic school at home, courtesy of a new system offered by the county that combines computer and video technology.

For $39.99 - about the same price as weekend or nighttime traffic school - violators rent a computer and three videotapes from the local Blockbuster Video store to watch reenactments, driver testimonials and lectures by stars, such as Jerry Seinfeld and Phil Donahue. The violator takes a test on the computer after each hour-long video. If the violator passes the tests, the computer erases the record of the ticket.

"It's saving us time and money," said Vince Ordonez, Jr., assistant executive officer, Ventura County courts. The system costs the county nothing and is run by a company called U.S. Interactive in Harris County, Texas. It is used widely in Texas, and Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties also signed on this year.

(For more information, contact Ordonez at 805/654-2964.)

COLORADO
The City and County of DENVER was ready when an El Ñino blizzard hit last month. Denver's mayor held a news conference the day before the storm hit to tell citizens to prepare. The storm dropped nearly 22 inches of snow in the area.

Key county officials had worked for months with officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration about what to expect in this El Ñino season. "They told us we could expect warm temperatures and that the snow would come in bigger volumes," said Amy Bourgeron, communications director, Denver Public Works.

The storm was the third worst in the state's history, Bourgeron said. Others occurred in 1913 and 1982, two El Ñino years, she noted.

Forecasts called for only about six inches of snow, but citizens were told before the storm that "snow parking" was in effect, in case road crews needed to plow. County road crews worked 12-hour shifts on the first day of the storm, Oct. 24, and continued into the next week, dealing with icy road conditions after the snow began to melt.

(For more information, contact Bourgeron at 303/640-2562.)

GEORGIA
Where do gorillas go to retire? If you guessed Florida, guess again. A developer is trying to create a place for aging apes called Gorilla Haven <www.gorilla-haven.org> in FANNIN COUNTY, a rural area in northern most Georgia. It's a place where zoos that lack space can send aging apes to spend their twilight years in a forested area with spring-fed ponds.

But citizens' fears of disease or attacks by the proposed "residents" of the compound may put a halt to the plan. The situation turned controversial Oct. 29, when a standing-room-only crowd jammed the Fannin County Courthouse at a regular meeting of the county commissioners to discuss the apes.

As part of receiving a permit from the state, the group that wants to build the gorilla compound must get a letter from the county giving the OK. Each group, pro-gorilla and anti-gorilla, gave a presentation. But the county decided to wait until January to act. Now citizens are signing pro- and anti-gorilla petitions.

"If anyone ever told me back in high school debate class that we'd be debating whether to have gorillas in Fannin County, I wouldn't have believed it," said County Attorney Lynn Doss.

NEW YORK
Rural communities looking to attract industry might try teaming up with a nearby university for help. That's what the MADISON COUNTY Industrial Development Agency did when it linked up with Colgate University. "About 70 percent of rural communities ... have no clue what their assets are," Adam Weinberg, a sociology professor, told the Wall Street Journal in a recent story about the county.

University researchers, the newspaper notes, are interested in seeing if small communities can "take charge" and attract business. Ferris Industries, a commercial lawn-mower maker, recently announced plans to move its plant and expand it in the county. The county hopes to initiate a school-to-work program with the plant.

WASHINGTON
Microsoft honcho Bill Gates has decided he won't contest KING COUNTY's assessment of his house, at $53.4 million. Gates was given 60 days to appeal (like all county taxpayers), but decided against it. And believe it or not, his home was not the priciest in the county. That distinction goes to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, whose nearby property was assessed at $60.2 million.

(News From the Nation's Counties is compiled by Mary Ann Barton, senior staff writer.)