Parents and teachers aren’t the only ones concerned with kids going back to school. Motorists need to remember to watch out for kids and buses as this new school year begins. The Indiana Department of Transportation has a program called Indiana Safe Routes to School to promote vehicle and pedestrian safety as well as physical activity by walking or riding bikes to school.
The Indiana Safe Routes website states, “the Indiana Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program is based on the federal program designed to make walking and bicycling to school safe and routine. Walking and bicycling are viable transportation alternatives for travel to and from school with significant potential benefits, among them reductions in motor vehicle traffic, associated fuel consumption for school trips and improved air quality.”
Please visit the Indiana Department of Transportation and other website for these tips on keeping your child safe on Indiana roads.
Indiana Safe Routes to School Program: http://www.in.gov/indot/6090.htm
Bicycle Safety Activity Kit: http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/bike/BSKitBoth/3152BSKit/index.htm
Federal Highway Administration, Safe Routes to School: http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/saferoutes/
National Center for Safe Routes to School: http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/
KNOZONE ACTION DAYS
Tuesday August 19, 2008 was designated a Knozone Air Quality Action Day by the city of Indianapolis for the Central Indiana area. What does this mean for you and your patrons? Have you had patrons seeking information on local air quality? The Knozone website, and related websites, can help!
Knozone Air Quality Action Days are declared when the Air Quality Index (AQI) shows that ground-level ozone levels will be elevated. According to the Knozone web site, ground-level ozone is created when heat from the sun reacts with emissions from cars, small engines, and industrial sources. Ground-level ozone is one of the main components of urban and regional smog. Ozone pollution has been shown by several studies to contribute to serious health problems.
The Knozone website is maintained by the City of Indianapolis Department of Public Works (DPW) to help residents understand what the Central Indiana Knozone program is, why it exists, and how it is administered. It also provides tips on how you can help reduce ground-level ozone levels in your area. A link on the DPW web site leads to the current air quality index (AQI) for the central Indiana area.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) is another good resource for information on air quality monitoring in Indiana through their Air Compliance Program and their Air Monitoring Program.
The AirNow web site is a fantastic resource for daily and real-time AQI conditions for over 300 U.S. cities. It also provides links to more detailed state and local air quality web sites. This site is a partnership of several federal and state government agencies. Indiana agencies contributing to the AirNow web site include the City of Indianapolis Department of Public Works, Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Evansville EPA, and the Vanderburgh County Health Department.
Knozone Home Page (City of Indianapolis, Dept. of Public Works): http://www.knozone.com/home.htm
City of Indianapolis, Department of Public Works: http://www.indygov.org/eGov/City/DPW/home.htm
Current Air Quality Index: http://cms.indygov.org/aqi/default.aspx
Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM): http://www.in.gov/idem/
Air Compliance Program: http://www.in.gov/idem/4111.htm
Air Monitoring Program: http://www.in.gov/idem/4116.htm
AirNow Home Page: http://www.airnow.gov/
NATIONAL DATA ON FERTILITY RELEASED
According to a Monday press release from the U.S. Census Bureau, a new report: Fertility of American Women: 2006 uses data from two U.S. Census resources – the Current Population Survey and the American Community Survey – to describe and track fertility patterns of women in the U.S. According to Table 3 (p.6) of the report, an estimated 4,182,942 women in the U.S. gave birth once during the 12 months preceding the survey. The total female birthing-age population (15 to 50 years old) of the U.S. was estimated at 76,172,507 during that time. See the report for color-coded U.S. maps which show state-by-state estimates for births from women who were foreign-born, women in the labor force, women who had not graduated from high school, women in poverty, and women receiving public assistance.
The Census Bureau’s website on Fertility of American Women provides access to biennial Fertility of American Women reports from previous years (1994-2004) and current and historical statistics via the Current Population Survey and the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). Some data is available by state (See Detailed Tables, Table 11). Indiana is reported as having an estimate of 87,848 women aged 15 to 50 who gave birth during the 12 months preceding the survey.
New Analysis Offers State-by-State Look at Fertility: http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/012510.html
Fertility of American Women website: http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/fertility.html
Fertility of American Women: 2006, PDF: http://www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/p20-558.pdf
THE FBI: A CENTENNIAL HISTORY 1909-2008
On July 21, the Government Printing Office (GPO) announced in a press release its latest publication venture – The FBI: A Centennial History 1908-2008, a coffee-table book written by and about the FBI. This book covers the history of the agency from its very beginning to its current incarnation. It is filled with never-before-seen photographs from the FBI files and chronicles the agency’s battles against Bonnie and Clyde, the KKK and John Gotti, to name a very few.
Because the book is being distributed by the GPO, it is available at any Federal Depository Library that receives it. It is also available for purchase through the GPO’s online bookstore.
New FBI History Book Celebrates a Century of Protecting the Nation: http://www.gpo.gov/news/2008/08news21.pdf
GPO Online Resources http://www.gpoaccess.gov
Indianapolis Division of the FBI http://indianapolis.fbi.gov/
INDIANA ECONOMIC DIGEST
The Indiana Economic Digest is a great resource for local, state, and federal government news – and much more. You and your patrons can search the Story Index by topic (Government-federal, Government-state, Government-local), by region, by day of the week, or by county. This online publication is a daily digest of business, housing, health and development news from more than 70 daily newspapers in Indiana. Editors select articles each day to add to the Digest. They’ve even added applicable New York Times headlines at the bottom of the main webpage (under Major Stories, in red). The website is brought to you free via a cooperative effort between Realtors of Indiana, the Indiana Business Research Center, and the Hoosier State Press Association.
Economic Digest: http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.net/
by Katharine Springer & Elisabeth O’Donnell