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This Week
EPA to Contract Out Hundreds of Positions
Closed-Door Negotiations Fuel Alaska's Natural Gas Pipeline
Former GSA Chief of Staff Indicted
News
Quarterbacking the Super Bowl
Cost of Crime Estimated at $428 Billion A Year
American Foundation for the Blind Promotes Employment Opportunities
News of the Weird

Features

EPA to Contract Out Hundreds of Positions

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has decided to outsource nearly five percent of its workforce.

Since 1978, the Duro-Last roofing system has been installed on buildings of all types across the United States, including hundreds of government facilities. The Duro-Last system is prefabricated to fit every roof precisely, reducing installation headaches and costly repair problems in the future; clean, safe and non-disruptive to install; highly reflective, helping government facilities meet energy reduction goals; durable and resistant to chemicals, fire, and high winds; leak-proof, and virtually maintenance-free; protected by the industry's best warranties. Clearly the smart choice for government facilities, the Duro-Last roofing system is also the easy choice. Our GSA schedule contract number is GS-07F-5689P. www.duro-last.com

Closed-Door Negotiations Fuel Alaska’s Natural Gas Pipeline

With the U.S. bracing for a natural gas crunch and double-digit price hikes this winter, Alaska officials now are focused on commercializing their natural gas.

The John Deere 4000 Twenty Series Compact Utility Tractors: With increased power, improved comfort and high versatility, this tractor solution is capable of handling the toughest projects on the worksite. The John Deere 2.4L turbo-charged engine offers up to 21-percent more horsepower and up to a 30- percent torque rise, providing more power on demand. For all the details, visit us at John Deere.

Former GSA Chief of Staff Indicted

A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., has indicted David H. Safavian, the former chief of staff for the General Services Administration (GSA).

Get rid of birds! Bird control "X-perts" since 1964 offer the world's most complete line of bird control products - an effective solution for ANY bird problem. For a FREE consultation call 800-662-5021.
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News

Quarterbacking the Super Bowl

Coordination of the massive security effort for the NFL's Super Bowl XXXIX, held earlier this year in Jacksonville, FL, went smoothly even though numerous federal, state, and local agencies were involved. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office was chosen as the lead agency in charge of security for the event, and Sheriff John Rutherford was named the incident commander, giving him final authority over the entire security effort. By placing Rutherford in charge, the possibility of turf battles was eliminated, and with Rutherford the unquestioned leader, he began reaching out to dozens of other agencies for help in securing the event. Jacksonville has an excellent emergency-operations center that allowed 16 separate groups to operate from; these groups included law enforcement, fire and rescue, public health, medical emergency response, transportation, communications, and the U.S. Coast Guard. Those involved with the security effort passed on several lessons that can be applied to future Super Bowls or similar invents, including the importance of getting started early on planning for the event; making use of technology; and ensuring that tools and technology are distributed to front-line personnel.
Source: The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC).

Cost of Crime Estimated at $428 Billion A Year

Crime takes a staggering financial toll on communities across the country, according to a new report, Preventing Crime Saves Money, released by the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC). Despite record low levels of crime, the report estimates the annual cost of personal and property crime at $428 billion a year. That is $1.2 billion per day, far more than the current estimated costs of recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

American Foundation for the Blind Promotes Employment Opportunities

In conjunction with National Disability Employment Awareness Month, the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) announced the expansion of its CareerConnect(r) program to ensure people with vision loss have equal access to employment opportunities. The new, online resources are specifically targeted for employers, job seekers with vision loss, and rehabilitation service providers.

An estimated 10 million Americans are blind or have low vision, and less than 50 percent of these working-aged adults are successfully employed. Furthermore, a third of those who have jobs have an average monthly pay rate that is 37 percent lower than the pay rate of people who are not disabled. Addressing this issue of low employment, and underemployment, for people with vision loss is a critical objective for AFB.

News of the Weird is sponsored by Konica Minolta.

News of the Weird
For bizarre but true stories about real people,

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