Santa Barbara says drill here, drill now
1| Supervisors vote to lift drilling ban.
The Details: Drilling off California’s coast was banned after the 1969 oil spill near Santa Barbara. But a majority of that city’s supervisors sent Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger a letter saying “significant technological improvements on methods of extraction have been made which should appreciably mitigate such spills from happening in the future.”
Want to see through New York?
2| Empire State residents get new online spending database.
The Details: A new Web site sponsored by the Empire Center for New York State Policy and the Manhattan Institute provides unprecedented access to searchable data on state government spending. Among the SeeThroughNY database features are lists of state government employees, titles and salaries, teachers and superintendent contracts for every school district and the legislature’s pork barrel spending projects.
Revoke the 2014 Winter Games
3| Punish Russia for invading Georgia.
The Details: What to do to punish Putin and his bullies? Lots of people think the International Olympic Committee should withdraw the 2014 Winter Olympics previously awarded to Sochi, Russia. Go to RevoketheGames.com to sign the petition.
Never needs mowing or fertilizing
4| They have artificial turf stadiums, why not front yards?
The Details: Several companies sell artificial lawns of Kentucky blue, rye and fescue grasses that stay green and beautiful all year, while never needing to be cut by an emissions-spewing lawn mower. Lee Miller of Knoxville, Tenn., says hers never needs watering and never gets fertilizer.
Economy grew faster than first reported
5| Can we stop talking about the recession now?
The Details: Surprise! Revised figures from the Commerce Department revealed this week a 3.3 percent economic growth rate through June that ought to put an end to the incessant talk among Democrats in Congress and their cheerleaders in the mainstream media about the Bush recession.
Scrutinizing sky-high disability levels
6| County’s pension system may be affected.
The Details: Montgomery Councilwoman Duchy Trachtenberg, who chairs the Management and Fiscal Policy Committee, has asked her staff to determine whether sky-high retirement disability payments are affecting the county’s pension system. Nearly 40 percent of all Montgomery’s former public safety employees are on permanent disability.
Town not backing down
7| Herndon to enforce quality-of-life ordinances.
The Details: After Herndon officials shuttered a controversial day labor center last September in response to numerous complaints, a judge ruled that illegal immigrants have the right to publicly solicit work. So the town decided to discourage loitering by stepping up enforcement of its quality-of-life ordinances, such as confiscating illegally parked bicycles and removing pay phones.
Helping county workers buy foreclosed homes …
8| New programs help employees and homeowners.
The Details: Loudoun and Prince William counties are considering new housing assistance programs that would help their employees buy foreclosed homes. Since both counties have been hard hit by the subprime mortgage meltdown, the programs would also benefit homeowners by whittling down the glut of empty homes for sale.
… And going after the weasels
9| AG files charges against local homebuilder.
The Details: Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler is charging Edward Smart, president of a Rockville home construction company, with deceptive practices. Smart — who was successfully sued for fraud by a Gaithersburg couple last year — allegedly inserted an illegal clause in his contracts that allowed him to kill deals and then demand more money from customers to finish their half-built homes.
Honoring slain cop
10 | Hundreds of cyclists ride in tribute.
The Details: More than 600 motorcyclists participated in a 73-mile ride to raise money for the family of slain Prince George’s Police Cpl. Richard Findley, who was killed in the line of duty on June 27. The ride, which began in Laurel, was one of two honoring Findley planned by his former colleagues at the police department and the Beltsville Volunteer Fire Department.
