Feb. 10--Two local forests could receive more than $90 million over the next decade for projects that would create jobs in the woods, reduce the risk of catastrophic forest fires and improve wildlife habitat and water quality.

The Colville and Idaho Panhandle national forests were among 13 national forests chosen for millions of dollars worth of restoration projects.

On the Colville, the money will be used to create open, parklike stands of ponderosa and lodgepole pine in dry areas of the forest through thinning and small, controlled fires.

Feb. 10--WATERFORD -- Two scientists and the town's environmental planner argued Thursday night that several aspects of a proposal that would create a gravel pit and rock-crushing plant on Industrial Drive need more evaluation before the project moves forward.

Both scientists and Environmental Planner Maureen FitzGerald gave presentations at a public hearing of the Conservation Commission that centered on the Kobyluck Brothers LLC proposal.

FitzGerald argued Thursday that the proposal should fall in line with the rules set forth in the Jordan Brook Watershed Management Study, a plan she said Waterford Commons and Target, among other businesses, followed during construction.

Feb. 09--Sunnyside Up accepted agreements with two local organizations that will move its plans to develop a park forward.

One agreement is with the WVU Community Design Team for students to develop conceptual plans for a pocket park.

Students provided some landscape architecture work or designs to Sunnyside Up for other project.

The Army Corps of Engineers will contribute $250,000 in seed money for an extensive examination of possible solutions to flooding in the Passaic River Basin, according to federal figures released Wednesday.

Federal lawmakers have requested that the corps fund half of the $15 million, multiyear study, which would look for long-term answers to Passaic County's worsening floods.

A member of that commission urged the corps Wednesday to avoid a drawn-out examination and instead commit to one of two solutions: construction of a network of flood walls and levees or the revisiting of some version of a long-stalled 21-mile flood tunnel project.

Feb. 13--James Aud of Owensboro discovered Lexington Green Drinks through a business contact on LinkedIn and thought it sounded like a neat venue to meet people who are interested in environmental issues.

These were individuals Aud reached through social networking, primarily Facebook.

The first Green Drinks group was organized in its simplest form in 1989 at a pub called the Slug and Lettuce in North London.

After years of planning, a large road extension project in White County is almost ready for implementation.

County Judge Michael Lincoln said ideas for the Highway 36 to Highway 67 Connector Route were in the master street plans of town leaders as long as 20 years ago, but opportunities to actually build it didn't appear until around 2008.

In 2008, Arkansas State Highway & Transportation officials approached Lincoln and Searcy's then-mayor, Belinda LaForce, with a proposal to complete the entire project in a single, three-to-five year phase.

Feb. 12--Although the federal legislation dubbed The Clean Water Affordability Act would certainly address water we drink, it could have a big impact locally on how Ironton and other communities get rid of their water.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat representing Ohio, proposed this law, one that we hope his fellow legislators approve because it could have a massive impact on the city of Ironton and its residents.

One of the primary components of the federal legislation is the relief it could provide to municipalities dealing with aging combined sewer overflow systems like Ironton's.

Feb. 12--After hundreds of hours in scores of meetings over three years, including staff sessions, neighborhood forums, 19 workshops and nine formal hearings, county planner Jack Liebster and three Civic Center colleagues look forward to a milestone Monday when the Planning Commission is expected to sign off on coastal development policies.

It's been mind-numbing but fascinating and critical work, said Liebster, the 61-year-old principal planner overseeing the "local coastal plan" that revises dated policies outlined in a program adopted 30 years ago to protect the coast.

At issue are the locations, types, densities and other ground rules governing future development in the coastal zone, while assuring public access

Feb. 11--Going "green" doesn't have to be a huge project, but can be achieved with smaller renovations around your home as discussed at this year's 4th annual "Energy and You -- Individual Choices ...

Mike Ryan, professor and chair of the Anne Arundel Community College Architecture, Interior Design and Construction Management Department, as well as licensed architect with Ryan Architecture, Inc., spoke about the American Society of Interior Design and the United States Green Building Council's RE-GREEN program during his workshop "Green Remodeling -- More than Just a Color."

"But Americans now spend 90 percent of their life indoors."

Feb. 12--Getting exposure for her latest housing development has been the least of Connie Klema's problems.

Like a giant billboard, the Italian Village house she is building rises less than 20 feet from an entrance ramp for I-670.

Klema, a lawyer who has developed Italian Village property for more than 20 years, bought the triangular lot on the southeastern corner of Russell and Kerr streets in 2001.

Feb. 12--The new town homes in the heart of midtown Erie are framed, under roof and wrapped tight for winter, the start of a multimillion-dollar development that aims to transform the neighborhood.

In a nearby east Erie neighborhood that has undergone a makeover of its own, two commercial condominiums still sit empty, waiting for buyers, almost four years after the authority bought them.

The two projects are part of the Erie Redevelopment Authority's vision for the future of the city.

Rail safety advocates applauded when Congress in 2008 passed a law mandating a technology that could prevent deadly train crashes.

The National Transportation Safety Board has pushed for the technology, known as positive train control, or PTC, for more than two decades.

The legislation mandates that railroads install PTC systems by the end of 2015 on about 70,000 miles of track nationwide used by trains carrying passengers and extremely hazardous materials, such as chlorine.

Feb. 12--HAVERHILL -- Sometimes it's for convenience.

The reasons people walk along railroad tracks in Haverhill include taking shortcuts and acting as daredevils to impress their friends, police said.

Haverhill has had several deaths on railroad tracks in recent years -- the latest that of well-known boxer Jeff Fraza who was killed early on the morning of Feb. 4 on train tracks in an industrial area just outside of downtown.

Feb. 12--A new entrance road, trails, parking and restrooms -- amenities needed to truly open a park to the public -- will be built this year at Heritage Village Park, home of the swing bridge pier on the Mississippi River in Inver Grove Heights.

The pier -- created from parts of the historic Rock Island Swing Bridge -- juts 670 feet out into the river but can't be seen from its street approach on 66th Street off Concord Boulevard.

"It should attract a large audience of trail users that would drive to that location, park their cars, get their bikes out, go visit the pier and then travel on their bikes on the trail," said Dakota County Board Chairwoman Nancy Schouweiler.

The Mount Pleasant neighborhood on Cleveland's southeast side is like many urban areas afflicted by the foreclosure crisis: It's struggling, but it has strong community groups, and it's close to the upscale suburb Shaker Heights.

Thousands of vacant, abandoned, functionally obsolete and vandalized properties are choking the life out of foreclosure-wracked places such as Mount Pleasant.

More than 100,000 homes in Ohio are abandoned and face demolition, according to the attorney general.

Feb. 10--OREGON CITY -- Petitions are now circulating in the initiative effort to require Clackamas County voter approval before the county pays $25 million to TriMet for the Portland-Milwaukie light rail project.

A legal challenge over the proposed ballot title was cleared up Thursday by Clackamas County Circuit Court Judge Kathie F. Steele.

Lake Oswego resident Michael J. Gentry had filed an appeal last month saying the previous title failed to make clear that the initiative, if successful, would affect all rail lines within the county, not just the controversial Portland-Milwaukie light rail line.

Feb. 11--Solano County's "Old Solano Courthouse" took another step toward becoming a working courthouse again when plans for its rehabilitation were approved on Friday by the State Public Works Board, court officials announced.

It is considered an outstanding example of Beaux Arts architecture and appears in the Central Solano County Heritage Commission's inventory of "Lasting Heritage" buildings, according to a news release.

Court officials hope to reopen the courthouse to the public by adding three new civil courtrooms to serve the county.

Feb. 11--BRISTOL, Va. -- An Abingdon firm plans to relocate its ethanol recycling operation to a vacant city building, which has already drawn concern from some nearby residents and could spark debate at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

Currently, the operation is near Interstate 81's Exit 22 in Washington County, Va., and company officials only plan to move that portion of their business.

At its Tuesday meeting, City Council is scheduled to conduct a public hearing and hold first reading on an ordinance to donate the vacant, 12-acre Crowley facility on Gate City Highway near the Bristol Mall.

Feb. 11--WILSON -- Land owners along Lake Ontario are concerned about a potential International Joint Commission plan which may allow water levels to reach higher highs and lower lows.

Wilson Town Supervisor Joseph Jastrzemski, who bought property on the lake last year, said a previous owner had to move the boat house up the cliff and use it as a garage.

The IJC gathered stakeholders in 2008 to discuss lake levels.

Feb. 11--SBVC students tour 'green' home in Redlands

EAST REDLANDS -- Ancient wisdom and the latest technology are the components Michael Burke likes to build with.

Burke, a Redlands architect, has created a new sustainable home utilizing both.

Feb. 11--The Colorado Department of Education has scheduled statewide meetings to gather feedback on the draft of the state's environmental education plan.

A meeting is set in Pueblo from 4 to 6 p.m. Feb. 22 at the Robert Hoag Rawlings Public Library.

The plan was developed in response to a state law that recognizes the importance of the environment to the health of Colorado residents, particularly students.

Feb. 11--HURST -- As he introduced a panel of five experts to about 500 attendees at the Northeast Tarrant Transportation Summit on Friday, the moderator couldn't help noting the group's diversity.

"You're seeing the best and the brightest," said Michael Morris, transportation director for the North Central Texas Council of Governments.

The panel was there to talk about several huge road projects.

If you've ever tried to drive to the Willowbrook Mall in Wayne from Routes 46, 23 or 80, you know the problem: The confluence of high-speed confusing highways, ramps and service roads requires sharp eyes, quick thinking and lots of luck.

"I always told my son, 'Don't walk on the tracks,' " Elio Sabina said with a sigh.

Except Sunday, Oct. 2, when Nick Sabina, 17, and two friends were walking back to Nick's car on the Willowbrook side of 46.

The recently rebuilt Plauderville Station in Garfield will receive NJ Transit's first "second train coming" sign - an engineering device designed to prevent the type of fatal accident that killed a Garfield boy last October, State Transportation Commissioner Jim Simpson announced Wednesday.

Simpson, who as commissioner heads the NJ Transit Board, said the station is one of 32 in the state that features a grade crossing and at least two railroad tracks.

Such was the case in the death of Michael Cabaj, 13, of Garfield.

Feb. 09--WORTHINGTON -- A request by the Okabena-Ocheda Watershed District to install fish barriers in all 10 bays of the dam on Lake Ocheda may lead to a change in ownership for the 1940s-era structure.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is responsible for the dam, which was constructed as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in 1941, but DNR regional hydrologist Tom Kresko has told watershed district staff the state has neither the time nor the financial resources to do proper maintenance.

In December, OOWD Administrator Dan Livdahl applied to the DNR for a permit to install nine additional fish barriers on the dam to keep rough fish from crossing between Lake Ocheda and the channel that flows into Peterson Slough.

The Bloomington/Monroe County Metropolitan Planning Organization has itself to blame if it ends up not having a say-so in state highway projects.

Eighth District Rep. Larry Bucshon, a Newburgh Republican, has proposed an amendment to a federal transportation measure which would permit a governor to override the decision of a Metropolitan Planning Organization if that local panel blocks the way of an interstate project of statewide significance, such as Interstate 69.

In all likelihood, the measure will not be passed in time to resolve the I-69 standoff, but it would address the situation faced by the Indiana Department of Transportation and the Bloomington board.

RIDGEWOOD -- New Jersey stands to receive as much as $519 million for transit projects under a transportation bill moving through the U.S. Senate, but transportation advocates are worried that the House could slash transit funding.

Standing outside NJ Transit's Ridgewood station, Sen. Bob Menendez said the bill would create a $20 million program for transit-oriented development projects, $5 million for transit training at the National Transit Institute at Rutgers University, increase funding for clean fuels grants and provide additional money for senior citizen and disabled transportation, among other programs.

He said if the legislation, approved by the Senate Banking Committee, receives bipartisan support and passes the full Senate and House, it would mean "more federal transit funding per year than ever before" for New Jersey.

Feb. 08--Faster Amtrak service between Detroit and Chicago got a big boost with federal approval for passenger rail to travel at up to 110 m.p.h. on part of the route, officials said Tuesday.

In fact, some passengers may have traveled that fast already without knowing it, at least for short distances, as the state and Amtrak tested safety systems in recent months.

Amtrak and the Michigan Department of Transportation said the Federal Railroad Administration approved the higher speed limit on 80 miles of track in southwest Michigan and Indiana in an effort to shave travel time between the two cities -- likely about 30 minutes.

Green is finally catching on in homebuilding.

Unfortunately, the lending community in general-and appraisers specifically-remains woefully behind the times when it comes to green construction.

But even if borrowers opt for a standard mortgage, builders complain that it's difficult, if not impossible, to get appraisers to recognize green's worth when performing their valuations.

Feb. 06--Open seat on commission

Contact city clerk Crystal Morrow at 408.868.1269 or ctclerk@saratoga.ca.us.

The Monte Sereno City Council is scheduled to decide Feb. 7 what should be included in an environmental study of the Hacienda Inn property.

Feb. 07--CHEYENNE -- A plan to fill in a section of Lions Park that was stripped of its trees last year has been rejected.

The cost to put in new trees, rock overlooks, pathways and other amenities came in much higher than expected.

Therefore, members of the Cheyenne City Council's Finance Committee on Monday rejected the bid from Scotch Boy Inc. of Cheyenne, which had the lowest bid of $298,200.

Feb. 07--LOWVILLE -- Lewis County officials are proposing to use state grant funding to buy rail lines connecting Lowville with Croghan and West Carthage, with an eye toward development as recreational trails and a scenic railroad.

While the proposed purchase would include tracks and buildings within the village, Mr. Bush said there are no plans to revive a controversial pedestrian trail project here.

Legislators at their 5 p.m. meeting today are slated to discuss the purchase of the 10-mile Lowville and Beaver River Railroad line between Croghan and Lowville from the Mohawk, Adirondack and Northern Railroad Corp. for $425,000.

Feb. 07--GREEN COVE SPRINGS -- At 67, Middleburg resident Robert Saunders said he's way too young to be using any of the services offered by the Clay County Council on Aging.

"But I hope to apply as a driver," the Vietnam veteran said.

The grant, plus the agency's $117,000 matching portion, will be used to purchase 10 new small buses for Clay Transit's ongoing services to the elderly, handicapped and veterans, said Al Rizer, the council's executive director.

Feb. 06--PHILADELPHIA -- The man who's defended the Christie administration's decision to kill the second Hudson River rail tunnel project has become a transportation rock star.

Transportation Commissioner James Simpson has been a panelist at two major transportation forums in New York, in November, and most recently, at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Thursday.

The debate always comes around to that tunnel project and Simpson defends his boss's decision in plain talk -- the state couldn't afford it and it wasn't the right project.

Feb. 06--Hanford officials have settled on a plan to clean up what may be the most highly radioactive spill at the nuclear reservation.

It depends on calling back into service the 47-year-old, oversized hot cell where the spill occurred to protect workers from the radioactive cesium and strontium that leaked through the hot cell to the soil below.

Washington Closure Hanford has issued a notice telling companies that it plans to request bids in April for a major project that will call for an intensive design effort.

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesia has come up with another bizarre plan to keep commuters from riding on the roofs of trains: Swat them with brooms drenched in putrid goop.

Railway official Ahmad Sujadi says the contraptions will be installed at select crossings beginning Monday.

Anyone still defying the roof-riding ban risks being "whipped."

Elizabeth HopkirkJeremy Till is planning to expand Central Saint Martins' post- graduate architecture programme when he takes over as head of the art college this summer.

The college does not have a part II course, but is about to launch its first MA which it hopes will become RIBA-validated within a few years.

Till, who was appointed last week, told BD that post-graduate courses were the "obvious growth area" in architectural education and he would be looking to broaden the department's MA options.

Feb. 05--Haseko (Hawaii) Inc. announced in November that it had abandoned development of a marina in Ewa Beach at its master-planned Ocean Pointe and Hoakalei Resort communities, citing high cost and low demand.

Some proponents of what was going to be the largest marina in the state say Haseko obtained certain approvals to build its 4,850-home residential and resort community in part because of its promise to also build the marina.

In seeking development approval, Haseko touted the value of the marina, including jobs, tax revenues, boat launch access, the possibility of a ferry terminal and improved ability to attract international boat races like the America's Cup.

Federal legislation that would bar mass-transit projects from getting gasoline tax revenue is "financially perilous" to Chicago's public transit system, state and local transportation officials say.

The measure would jeopardize about $450 million worth of capital projects annually, including Metra's purchase of new cars for the Electric District line and the UP North bridge-rebuilding project, Regional Transportation Authority Executive Director Joe Costello said.

The bill approved Friday by a U.S. House committee would cut off a reliable stream of federal funding for these projects, Costello said.

ALAMEDA, Calif. - California's plans for a bond-financed high-speed passenger train system are in critics' crosshairs following the release last week of a critical report by the state auditor.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority was created in 1996 to plan a high-speed passenger train system to link the Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay regions.

Its importance multiplied in 2008, when state voters approved a $9.95 billion general obligation bond measure designed to be a significant down payment toward turning those plans into reality.

Legislation that would clear the path for a pair of state water pollution rules supported by business, agriculture and utility interests won approval Friday from the Florida House.

The Florida Department of Environment Protection drafted the rules as an alternative to the stricter standards proposed by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

The federal rules are the result of an agreement EPA made in 2009 to settle a lawsuit by the environmental groups.

ATLANTA - Georgia officials could spend public money on transportation projects developed by private firms under legislation approved by House lawmakers.

House lawmakers voted 132-28 on Thursday to pass the bill from Republican Rep. Jay Powell of Camilla.

It would allow development boards to raise bonds for transportation projects developed by a private firm, a government or a combination of both.

In a boost to wind-energy proponents, the Department of the Interior announced Thursday that wind-energy projects off the Mid-Atlantic coast would cause no significant environmental damage.

The announcement in Baltimore by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar could lift efforts by the governors of Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and Delaware to make offshore wind a reality.

The positive environmental review designates sections of water off those states for long-term wind-energy leases, which Salazar said he hopes to issue this year.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- In an extremely unusual use of taxpayer money, the leaders behind California's $99 billion high-speed train quietly hired a lobbyist to sway the state Legislature -- the same politicians who appointed them to build the project in the first place.

Documents filed this week show the California High-Speed Rail Authority last year paid $161,103 to one of the country's biggest public relations companies to lobby the state's politicians as they consider spending $2.7 billion to launch the polarizing bullet train project.

Rail officials paid the lobbyists by issuing debt that will total about $300,000 with interest.

The rail line that passes through town is modest -- just 2.4 miles long -- and in recent years, it has been quiet.

But the rail spur -- the right of way and the tracks themselves -- could mean quite a lot to the town in the future, said First Selectman Edward McAnaney, which is why Suffield is moving to stop the railroad's abandonment.

At the end of December, Connecticut Southern Railroad, which owns the line, filed with the federal Surface Transportation Board for a petition for an exemption to abandon the track -- a process that could involve removing the steel tracks and ties for salvage.

Each stop on the planned SunRail commuter train through Central Florida is a potential concession stand, but what gets sold and for how much remains unknown.

The even bigger unanswered question for SunRail officials is if there would be enough money left over to help offset an expected operating deficit of nearly $8 million annually.

So far, a national bike-rental company and Orlando restaurateur Johnny Rivers have indicated they might be willing to set up shop on at least some of the 17 depots that eventually will dot SunRail's 61-mile system.

The frayed partnership between the Florida Department of Transportation and Tri-Rail took another hit as the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority last week rejected a proposal to take on train dispatching and track maintenance along the commuter line's 72-mile corridor.

The decision was the right one.

The department insists on its unwise Tri-Rail takeover in advocating for legislation giving Gov. Rick Scott and the FDOT secretary the power to appoint a majority of the authority's board and to shift control of the commuter rail's operations to the state.

WASHINGTON-Two senior Federal Reserve officials called on policymakers to take steps quickly to help ease the pain of the housing market to assist ongoing efforts to rescue the U.S. economy.

In two separate speeches, Federal Reserve Board Gov. Elizabeth Duke and New York Fed president William Dudley stressed the need to take forceful action to aid the real estate market, which has been a drag on the economy, but stopped short of offering a silver bullet solution.

"Given the severity of problems with supply and demand in the housing market, it is unlikely that any single policy solution will provide the full answer, but a number of different policies each have the potential to yield incremental improvement in housing and economic recovery," Duke said in a speech before the Virginia Bankers Association and state Chamber of Commerce.

It's raining. It was waste in its purest form because during and after a downpour the water runs right off the saturated soil into the street.

Turning curbs into waterfalls is a side effect of technology that lets us run sprinklers on timers that we set and forget.

In practice, timers mean homeowners have no idea what their sprinklers are doing because they don't see them sprinkling.