Given the fears about possible flaws and abuses with electronic voting machines, the California Secretary of State has announced the state will be relying on paper ballots that will be optically scanned but can be recounted by hand this election season. Debra Bowen says she opted for the paper ballots because they preserve the original vote, CNET News reports. Bowen commissioned a study last year that showed that electronic voting can be tampered with or have programming mistakes that alter the results.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

By Caitlin Webber, CQ Staff

The Hispanic illegal immigrant population has significantly declined in the previous year because of stepped-up enforcement efforts and, secondarily, a slower economy, says a report released Wednesday by the Center for Immigration Studies.

CIS, which favors reduced immigration levels, used Census Bureau data to report that the population of young, uneducated Hispanic illegal immigrants might have decreased by 11 percent from its peak in August 2007 to May 2008.

A number of chemical companies are supplying data to the Environmental Protection Agency so it can assess whether nanoscale materials used in their products may pose health risks. Scientific American reports that 13 companies, including BASF and General Electric, have provided data to the EPA, and another 17 are expected to do so. Some scientists worry that the tiny nanoparticles or carbon nanotubes could interact with human tissue, perhaps having an asbestos-like effect on the lungs.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

By Danielle Parnass, CQ Staff

The ever-evolving blogosphere is now helping to shape the health policy debate by allowing more interaction between the public and policy makers, said Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael O. Leavitt, a blogger himself.

Leavitt, who launched his blog on the HHS Web site in August 2007, said his entries follow a range of topics, from day-to-day experiences, to his thoughts and decisions surrounding health care issues and policies.

US Department of Health and Human Services head Michael Leavitt spoke at a panel in Washington DC about being the first cabinet secretary to have his own blog. He says he finds it a useful way to communicate about policy without the formality of a press conference, where reporters choose the topic. Ars Technica says a follow-up panel discussed blogging, and agreed that a lack of editors can cause some bloggers to "go off half-cocked." (Not a problem here---Ed.)

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

By Mark Stencel, Governing.com

If you ever dreamed of a career hauling freight into orbit or perhaps to the Moon, hopefully you got your resume to NASA earlier this month. That was the deadline to apply for 10 to 15 new astronaut slots. The agency's human resources staff estimates at least 3,000 people have asked to be considered.

The job requirements for space work are as steep as an orbital ascent. The agency is looking for U.S. citizens with engineering or science backgrounds to join the ranks of its 92 active astronauts. "Extensive experience flying high-performance jet aircraft" is a plus, one job posting said, although teachers with the right educational credentials also were welcome to apply. But be warned: "Frequent travel may be required."

The Federal Communications Commission has been looking for ways to deal with the problem of peer-to-peer file sharing eating up much of the Internet's bandwidth. But Robert McDowell, a member of the FCC, argues in an essay in the Washington Post that the government should leave the issue to unregulated groups of engineers. Those groups, such as the Internet Engineering Task Force, have done a good job of solving previous issues that threatened the viability of the Net, he says.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

from Governing.com Idea Center

CompStat famously cut New York City's crime rate in the 1990s by allowing police officers to map crime and create crime-intervention strategies.

Using CompStat as a guide, Washington, D.C.'s Court Services and Offenders Supervision Agency, which oversees 15,000 parolees, supervised releases and probationers, created a similar system to cut the District's recidivism rate.

By John Reichard, CQ HealthBeat Editor

Democrats in the health overhaul debate have been hammering private health plans for charging high administrative costs compared with government-run health insurance programs, but that argument overlooks pioneering work done by private insurers in controlling certain costs such as that of high-tech imaging, an industry briefing suggested Monday.

The briefing by America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the nation's largest health insurance lobby, focused on the successes of certain private sector insurance plans in restraining growth in the costs of imaging procedures such as MRI and CT scans, a fast-growing area of health spending that critics often identify as a place to go to reduce unnecessary health care spending.

By Aliya Sternstein, CQ Staff

House and Senate conferees say they have reached a deal on product safety legislation, and they hope to clear the measure this week.

Conferees said Monday they have resolved the last outstanding issues that had mired negotiations, including tighter regulations on certain plastic-softeners.

The House may take up the bill overhauling the Consumer Product Safety Commission as early as Wednesday, according to a House leadership aide.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

by Daniel Fowler, CQ Staff

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff emphasized concerns about improvised explosive devices and not allowing DHS grant programs to evolve into block grants while announcing $1.8 billion in preparedness grants.

"In terms of funding priorities, we continued our focus on critical national preparedness capabilities, which of course are consistent with our National Preparedness Guidelines and the National Response Framework, which we released at the beginning of the year," Chertoff said. "A particular focus has been improved explosive device deterrence, prevention and protection."

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

By Alex Wayne, CQ Staff

A bill to encourage health providers to adopt electronic medical records could see substantial changes in the Ways and Means Committee before it goes to the House floor, panel members indicated Thursday.

The bill was approved Wednesday by the Energy and Commerce Committee. It would authorize $560 million in grants and loans over five years to encourage hospitals and doctors to buy and install electronic systems for collecting and transmitting health records.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

By Reed Cooley, CQ Staff

Four former surgeon generals joined with cancer patients and physicians Wednesday to call for congressional support of any and all legislation that would boost funding levels and quality of care for cancer patients.

One such bill could be the high-profile Kennedy-Hutchison measure, sponsored by Sens. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., and Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, that's currently in the works and aimed at increasing funding and resources for cancer research and care.

By Colby Itkowitz, CQ Staff

Hoping to press the Senate for quick passage, the transportation and manufacturing industries have thrown their weight behind a bill the House passed Wednesday that would shore up federal highway funding.

A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the bill, which is aimed at covering an expected shortfall in federal highway accounts, could be taken up before the end of the year. But chances for its enactment before the August recess are nil.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Health policy analysts see many opportunities for eliminating wasteful spending on health care and improving quality at the same time, but lament a lack of funding for organizing these efforts.

Now under a little-noticed provision of the new Medicare law blocking physician payment cuts, efforts to set national priorities for quality and efficiency gains will accelerate, those analysts say.

The House will begin debate Wednesday on a bill intended to boost repair work on the nation's bridges, restructure how the federal government monitors them and thwart catastrophes.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Nanotechnology is a bit of a catch-all phrase for the study of materials that can be manufactured in bulk on the extremely tiny nanometer scale. The field as such didn't exist until recent years, when the technology for creating materials at this fine scale became more widespread.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

A sketch of proposed improvements in Atlanta's Old Fourth Ward

By Rob Gurwitt, Governing.com

There is going to be a hard-fought campaign for mayor of Atlanta next year, and to understand it better, you might pay a visit to the Lighting Loft on Edgewood Avenue, in the city's Old Fourth Ward. Not for any whispered political tips, but to look over the sleek and coolly sophisticated fixtures it sells: brushed-steel sconces, lamps in glass of the richest amber, cobalt blue pendants that could light a goat stall with hip urbanity.

What's arresting about all this high-end domicile candy is where it's located.

The new Medicare law provides a welcome reprieve for the nation's medical equipment manufacturers: an 18-month delay in a competitive-bidding program.

But at least one firm, Kinetic Concepts Inc. (KCI) of San Antonio, got a bigger present in the legislation: language that gives it an even longer break from competitive bidding and a potential advantage over its chief competitor.

Backers say the company deserves special treatment because its product is simply more effective.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy, com

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

The threat of financial penalties rather than the promise of incentives -- or more simply, the stick, not the carrot -- will spur providers to adopt health information technologies on the widest scale, Congressional Budget Office Director Peter R. Orszag told Congress on Thursday.

"If you want to get to near universal health IT in the near future, meaning the next five years, it's got to be the stick," Orszag said at a Senate Finance Committee hearing to examine possible improvements to quality in the U.S. health care system.

The Senate cleared Wednesday a bill that would increase research into childhood cancers after a key GOP senator decided not to object.

The bill (HR 1553) was cleared by voice vote and will head to the president for his signature. The House passed its bill on June 12.

The bill would authorize $30 million per year from fiscal 2009 to 2013 to support pediatric cancer research institutes, establish a childhood cancer database and provide information about the diseases to affected families.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

The House on Thursday is set to consider a bill aimed at repairing the nation's debilitated bridges.

Consideration comes almost a year after the I-35 West bridge in Minneapolis collapsed, killing 13 people and injuring hundreds.

The bill would authorize $1billion for fiscal 2009 to repair, reconstruct or replace tens of thousands of structurally deficient bridges across the country. Those funds could not be earmarked.

The last time Indianapolis surveyed abandoned properties under its jurisdiction, the number came to 7,913. That was in 2003, before recent job losses, bankruptcies and foreclosures worsened the city's abandoned-housing problem. To speed up the process of turning abandoned houses back into residences, the city's land bank has launched an online listing of abandoned homes.

by Mark Stencel, Governing.com

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Red and white colors indicate high wind energy is available while blue color reflects lower energy (credit: NASA Jet Propulsion Lab).
CNET News reports that 10 years of satellite data led to a map showing the sites where wind is steady and strong for most of the year. 

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com 

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

When a dozen peacocks turned up in Judi Zito's fenced backyard in Pinecrest, Florida, one of 28 small municipalities that are part of Miami-Dade County, she knew just what to do. As director of the Miami-Dade Government Information Center, she tested the very service she oversees. She dialed 311.

The call center specialist who answered knew the county Animal Services Department didn't handle peacocks or any other exotic bird, for that matter. But the specialist pulled up information on the "ornamental" birds native to East Asia and gave Zito phone numbers for organizations that could come by to help.

Thanks to a couple of Virginia state legislators, residents of the Old Dominion state can once again enjoy a fantastical summer treat -- frozen beer on a stick.

See, this restaurant in Arlington had an amazing idea last summer: Brew Pops -- frozen beersicles.

But then it turned out that it's illegal to serve frozen beer in Virginia for some reason, because freezing beer turns it into a food. And it becomes illegal. Or something.

Anyway, now the state has changed its liquor laws to make room for Brew Pops.

Viva Summer!

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Intel's Berkeley Labs team is working with the City of San Francisco to attach mobile phone prototype sensors to a fleet of street sweepers zooming around the city in the early morning hours. (Intel photo)

by Zack Beauchamp, CQ staff

For the roughly 75 million Americans afflicted with asthma or allergies , air quality can be a deadly serious issue. Air pollution can set off sometimes-fatal asthma attacks, and can cause otherwise healthy people to get the disease.  To help the most vulnerable people limit exposure, the federal government issues a daily air quality report, which includes cities with "action alert" days. http://www.airnow.gov/. But there's not much detail there. 

Enter San Francisco and the Intel Corporation. They're piloting a new technique of measuring hyper-local air quality with sensors on the city's street sweepers.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

By Rob Margetta, CQ Staff

From faster circuitry to miniaturized atomic clocks that could be used in navigation and communications systems, DARPA, the Defense Department's research and development wing, is seeking a number of technological solutions with potential homeland security applications. Here are two of its current solicitations to industry: a putty that can tack broken bones back together and a way to instantly put out fires or "bend" them to create escape tunnels:

• According to DARPA, about 30 percent of battlefield trauma cases involve bone fractures, usually caused by blasts or gunshots. Those injuries include open fractures with a large loss of bone and soft tissue, which can take up to two years of surgeries and rehabilitation.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Aneesh Chopra has entered the nail-biting phase of the venture capital investing cycle. He has scoured his market carefully for new uses of technology. And he's made his bets, pumping more than $2 million over the past year into 11 promising but unproven ideas. All that's left for Chopra to do now is wait and see which of his investments pay off and which ones go bust.

Chopra is not a true venture capitalist in a get-rich, Silicon Valley sort of way. Rather, he's the mastermind of a small but intriguing experiment in Virginia that aims to bring the high-risk, high-reward ethic of venture investing to state government.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Starting in August, Utah will become one of the first states to implement a 10-hour, four-day week for most of its state agencies -- Birmingham, Ala., is implementing a four-day week for some 4,000 municipal employees, and Houston tested a similar initiative last summer.

After 18 years as a Democratic House member and then four as West Virginia's governor, ending in 2004, Wise now campaigns for better high schools as the President of a nonprofit started by Gerard and Lilo Leeds, the couple who founded the tech company CMP Media Inc. Wise warns that the nation neglects high schools at its peril, and in his new book, "Raising the Grade," he argues for more spending and attention to raising graduation rates.

Q. With Congress and the country focused on the No Child Left Behind law, which covers elementary school education, why move on to high school reform?

A. Schools are held accountable for how well they do on the tests, not whether the kids actually graduate. It's like you're running in a mile race, and assessing rigorously every 10th of a mile, but nobody counts whether you cross the finish line.

The Homeland Security Department is looking for creative ways to collect foreign visitors' biometric information upon exiting from land borders in the United States.

The head of U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) program says that methods used at airports to collect fingerprints, photographs and other biometric identifiers might not necessarily be the best approaches on the land border.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xcomony.com

Hey! What do you know? It's cold!"

Rick Simonetta isn't talking about the temperature in downtown Phoenix, which today is 92 degrees in the shade. What's cold is the water he's sipping from a fountain on the platform of an outdoor train station. Right now, the platform is eerily devoid of passengers, its modern, sage-colored ironwork glinting in the Southwestern sun. But come December, when Phoenix opens its first light-rail line, this station will anchor a huge regional transit system that will stretch north to Glendale and east to Mesa and Tempe.

It's a $1.4 billion, 20-mile catapult into transit -- no other light-rail system in the country has been so large right from its inception.