Michigan Officials Get Asian Carp Training; Too Much Papal Security in Philly?
In this June 13, 2012, photo an Asian carp, jolted by an electric current from a research boat, jumps from the Illinois River near Havana, Ill., during a study on the fish's population. John Flesher / AP File Photo
Also: Top cities for deaths caused by drivers running red lights and doing the math on a Connecticut state office building remodel.
Here’s some of what we’ve been reading today …
MORRIS, Illinois: For years, there have been fears that Asian carp, an invasive species that has been present in many Illinois rivers for years, might eventually spread throughout the Great Lakes basin, including rivers in Michigan. An 11-person team from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources went to Illinois last week to get some training in best practices in how to manage bigmouth and silver carp. As The Grand Rapids Press reports, video released by the agency shows the fish “leaping frantically out of the water in the fashion for which the invasive fish has become famous and feared.” Take a look:
[The Grand Rapids Press / MLive.com]
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania: Is Mayor Michael Nutter taking security for the upcoming papal visit a bit too seriously? Some security and counterterrorism experts think so, The Inquirer reports. The closure of major highways, bridges and the creation of a three-square-mile traffic-free zone in Center City “is a disproportional reaction,” according to Drexel University homeland security and security management professor Scott White. [The Inquirer]
AUSTIN, Texas: What should the University of Texas at Austin do about Confederate statues on campus? A task force released recommendations on Monday suggesting that university officials should either relocate the statues, which have been targets for vandals, or add explanatory plaques to add historical context. [Texas Tribune]
HARTFORD, Connecticut: The state’s Department of Administrative Services is getting a $254 million overhaul, which has raised some eyebrows among state lawmakers. How do the various costs add up? The Hartford Courant did the math and beyond the $147 million for estimated construction costs, there are:
$15 million for architectural and engineering services; $14 million for new equipment; $14 million for contingencies; $10 million for the removal of hazardous materials; $8.7 million for construction administration; and nearly $10 million for new telecommunication systems.
$1.4 million is also being spent on art. [Hartford Courant]
TUCSON, Arizona: The Grand Canyon State’s second-largest city is in the Top 10 for cities with the highest number of deaths caused by drivers running red lights. Tucson is ninth on the list, compiled by the National Coalition for Safer Roads. Before Tucson comes Philadelphia, Dallas, Miami, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Houston. [Arizona Daily Star]
Michael Grass is Executive Editor of Government Executive’s Route Fifty.
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