 National Association of Counties * Washington, DC / Vol. 30, No. 14 * July 20, 1998
Public Technology, Inc., NACo's technology research and development arm, has published an Internet guide. Titled "Surfing the 'Net: A Local Government Guide to Internet Connection," it explains what the Internet is, why your government might want to connect, what kind of connection your county might want and how you might provide services on the Internet. The cost is $16 to government and $32 to others. For more information, contact Mike Humphrey, PTI business director for Telecommunications and Information Programs at 202/626-2432 or by e-mail at humphrey@ pti.nw.dc.us. NACIO recognizes Loudoun County, Va. Web site The National Association of County Information Officers (NACIO) has recognized Loudoun County, Va. for its Web site, bestowing the county with its Meritorious Award in the Computer Media category in the 1998 NACIO Awards of Excellence program. The Loudoun County Web site, at http://www.state.va.us/loudoun, has grown steadily since it was launched in January 1997. "We are trying to make the Web site as useful as possible for people who live and work in Loudoun County," said Jim Barnes, the county's public information officer. "It's proven to be a useful tool for people to stay informed about county government issues, and to find out about county services and programs." The site includes minutes from meetings; calendars of Board of Supervisors' meetings; county news releases; listings of county job openings; a directory of county departments and officials; a county government e-mail directory; a directory of county services and links to other Loudoun Web sites. The site had more than 57,000 "hits" in May. Pollutors in your area tracked on WWW The Environmental Defense Fund has a Web site that gives information on pollutors in your county. Go to http://www.scorecard. org/env-releases/us-map.tcl. After you plug in your ZIP code, it tells you how your community ranks, describes major pollutants and gives the names and locations of companies it identifies as pollutors. The information is based on data reported by the companies to the EPA. Water quality info available, too The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, has a Web site where you can check out the quality of the water in your area. The site also includes links to local Web sites on water programs and data and USGS contacts in your state. The site's address is: http://water.usgs.gov/. There is plenty of information. Just scroll down on the right side of the screen and click on information in your state and it will take you to multiple resources. You can also order free, educational posters about water use for schools in your county. They come in six categories: wetlands, water use, waste water, navigation, ground water and water quality. The site has pictures of the posters, available in color or black and white (for coloring) and are geared to either 3rd-5th graders or 6th-8th graders, with questions on the back of the posters. Information about location of sex offenders online Utah's Department of Corrections is set to place information about the
state's convicted sex offenders online this month, as part of its compliance
with Megan's Law. Residents will be able to get addresses and physical descriptions
of offenders and can conduct ZIP code searches. State law requires sex offenders
to register annually with the department and within 10 days of any change
in residence for 10 years after they complete their sentence. The Web site
address is: http://www.cr.ex.
state.ut.us/soreg/home.htm. Got some news for Web Watch? Send it to mbarton@naco.org. (Web Watch is compiled by Mary
Ann Barton, senior staff writer.) |
Thinking about hooking
up to the Internet? Read this