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Regional Community Development News – December 10, 2008
[regions_work]
A
compilation of news links about and for regional communities pursuing local and
regional development.
Published
on line since November 11, 2003.
________________________________________________________________________
Contents
Top
Regional Community stories … 1. – 9.
U.S.
Regional Communities - sub-State, State or multi-State – news articles
…10.01
- .22
Other
Regional Community News for Our Local Planet … 11.01 - .28
Blogging
about Regional Communities … 12.01 - .25
Announcements
and Regional Links … 13.01 - .09
Custom
search: region, regions, regional communities … 14.
Top Regional Community stories
1. The National Association of Regional Councils
Identifies Over $25 Billion in Ready-To-Go Regional Projects: Encourages
Congress to Consider Sustained, Strategic Public Investments in Economic
Recovery – NARC
(Newsrelease) – Washington, D.C.
The National
Association of Regional Councils (NARC) released a report December 9
identifying over $25 billion in ready-to-go regional projects within 30, 60 and
90-day time periods. The NARC report,
Regional Infrastructure Investment: Building Our Economies; Investing in Our
Communities, is a snapshot of regional and local transportation and
wastewater infrastructure projects offered by Metropolitan Planning
Organizations (MPOs), regional Councils of Governments (COGs) and Rural
Planning Organizations (RPOs) in urban, suburban and rural America.
“It is imperative
that any economic recovery package contain regionally strategic infrastructure
investments that maintain a strong focus on the priorities of local
communities, act in partnership with regional planning organizations, and
provide transparency in the process,” said NARC President Betty Knight,
Presiding Platte County, Missouri Commissioner. “NARC is pleased to
present this report and recommendations to Members of Congress and the new
Administration, as examples of projects that, if funded, could immediately
begin to create jobs, strengthen communities and stimulate local, regional and
national economies.”
NARC urges Congress to
make local infrastructure projects a top priority of economic stimulus by
acting on thousands of “ready-to-go” local infrastructure projects
through an economic recovery package. Congress should also ensure an equitable
distribution of funds via formula allocation – transportation projects
should receive funding through the Surface Transportation Program allocation
process and wastewater projects should receive grant funding through a flexible
Clean Water State Revolving Fund process.
Most recently,
President Knight sent letters to Congressional leadership and NARC Executive
Directors Council member Gary Gallegos, executive director of the San Diego
Association of Governments, testified at the October 29th House Transportation
and Infrastructure Committee hearing. The letters and testimony make the case
that funding ready-to-go local and regional infrastructure projects through a
national economic recovery program will create jobs, stimulate economic renewal
and lay the foundation for long-term economic growth.
Regional
Infrastructure Investment: Building Our Economies; Investing in Our Communities
PDF: http://narc.org/uploads/NARC%20Regional%20Infrastucture%20Investment%20Report%20120808%20-%20FINAL.pdf
2. Regional Excellence: The First Regional
President – Bill Dodge -
Regional Communities Blog
Regions have emerged as
the nation’s new communities. President-Elect Barack Obama, if he chooses
to be the first regional President, can focus federal government efforts on building
the capacity of these new communities to address our toughest challenges.
These new regional
communities are both urban and rural. The more urban ones evolved organically
from small settlements into central cities and sprawling suburbs. The more rural
ones create a national, even global, identity for groups of towns linked by
common agricultural and natural areas. Successful regions attract the mix of
entrepreneurs, capital, facilities, and workers needed to drive the national
economy and provide the mix of amenities critical to living the good life,
neither of which can be usually provided by individual jurisdictions.
Regions are often the
most local level for delivering cost-effective water, sewer, transit, and other
public services. They have also become the most appropriate level for
addressing the toughest challenges. Regions are large enough to encompass
economic marketplaces and environmental watersheds/airsheds, as well as rich
and poor jurisdictions. Yet regions are small enough to engage community
leaders and citizens in pursuing practical strategies to provide affordable
infrastructure and services, protect threatened environments, and foster robust
economic development.
Unfortunately, regions
are almost impossible to govern. Federal, state, and local governments have
created single purpose planning groups to address particular challenges,
sometimes coordinated through regional councils of governments. In addition,
other sectors have established regional chambers of commerce, united ways, academic
institutes, community foundations, and citizens leagues. At times, these
regional groups join forces to design strategies to address common challenges.
Building regional
capacity would benefit from, and might only succeed, with a regional President.
First,
President-Elect Obama could declare his regional citizenship. …
http://regional-communities.blogspot.com/2008/12/first-regional-president-by-bill-dodge.html
3. Mayors
Get in Line for U.S. Funds -
Wall Street Journal - USA
Big-city mayors will
arrive on Capitol Hill Monday to lobby for more federal spending to be funneled
to urban areas that they say drive the country's economic engine.
The push comes after a
strong Democratic turnout in metropolitan areas helped President-elect Barack
Obama -- who is set to become America's first urban president in almost half a
century -- win by such a decisive margin in November.
A delegation of mayors,
including Michael Bloomberg of New York and Antonio Villaraigosa of Los
Angeles, plans to ask the federal government to distribute funds directly to
cities instead of going through state governments. The group is set to present
a list of more than 4,600 infrastructure projects that they say are "ready
to go."
Tom Cochran, executive
director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which is organizing Monday's event,
said the next administration has signaled that it will coordinate financing for
projects for an entire metropolitan
area instead of dealing with cities and suburbs separately.
"I am of the
opinion, based on our conversations with President-elect Obama, that he gets
it," said Mr. Cochran. "You can't just have a transportation system
that stops at the city line."
Mr. Obama's transition
office is drawing up plans to create a White House office on urban policy,
which would report directly to the president, to coordinate funding for cities
from different federal agencies. Mr. Obama has pledged to provide new funding
for job training, education and grants for local governments and organizations.
…
A delegation of mayors,
including Michael Bloomberg of New York (above), plans to ask the federal government
to distribute funds directly to cities instead of going through state
governments.
…
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122869590580386751.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
4. Obama courts state officials
- The Post-Standard - Syracuse.com -
Syracuse, NY, USA
... early evidence from
the transition, combined with aspects of Obama's past political experience,
indicates that better days may be ahead for the federal-state relationship.
Meeting with state governors last Tuesday in Philadelphia, Obama invited them
into a partnership on the economic recovery effort and asked for their input in
shaping the economic plan.
I recently spoke with
Michael Bird, senior federal affairs counsel for the non-partisan National
Conference of State Legislatures. Beginning with Reagan, Bird has seen four
presidential administrations from various positions at the state level.
Bird was decidedly
optimistic about the future. Fueling his hopefulness was a confidence that
things couldn't get much worse. He observed that "the relationship has
really deteriorated over the past eight years, on all sides - legislative,
regulatory, collaborative and fiscal. It's the lowest point we've ever been at
in my 23 years."
But there were also
positive reasons for his optimism. First were two key picks for Obama's
administration, less discussed than posts like Treasury, State, and chief of
staff, but central to the federal-state relationship. To oversee intergovernmental
relations in his inner circle of senior advisers, Obama named Valerie Jarrett,
a longtime friend and confidant with extensive experience at the city level of
government. He then named Cecilia Munoz, senior vice president of La Raza, as
director of intergovernmental affairs. Munoz is deeply versed in
intergovernmental relations, as La Raza has worked with the states on
immigration reform, among other issues.
Pointing to the fact
that Obama's state-level experience was not as governor, but rather as a
"relative back-bencher in the state senate," Bird noted that Obama
and Jarrett had both been "foot soldiers in subnational government, with
real experience in the trenches," and thus had, he thought, a keen
appreciation of the value of intergovernmental
cooperation.
…
http://www.syracuse.com/poststandard/stories/index.ssf?/base/opinion-0/1228557480306260.xml&coll=1
5. Mergers involve everyone
- Albany Times Union - Albany, NY,
USA
…
Looking at a map of our
patchwork systems of local government, few people would insist that our borders
and boundaries still make any logical sense, would argue against modernizing
our system, or against spending less on government.
… it is in the
struggle to bring these ideas down to the realm of the practical that so many
of the recommendations for consolidations, mergers, and other forms of intergovernmental integration have
foundered over the years.
And so the question has
to be asked:
If merging,
consolidating and streamlining government is such a good idea, why has it not
happened more often?
…
For any recommendation
for structural or functional integration to succeed, it must work on four
levels:
The Fiscal. Yes, there
should be a saving in dollars to appeal to taxpayers' pocketbooks. But those
savings also need to be meaningful and sustainable in light of the other real
and perceived costs of integration or consolidation. "Cost" is not
the only variable when voters and taxpayers assess these plans. There are also
very personal and subjective considerations of "value" (What does
having this mean to me or do for me?) and "worth" (How does the cost
to me stack up against the value to me?).
The Practical. How is
this really going to work? The concept of merging or consolidating governments
or services holds little attraction if in practice significant reductions in
the level or convenience of public services is the probable result.
The Cultural and
Political. Voluntary political or functional integrations are most likely to
occur where strong similarities exist between neighboring jurisdictions. The
greater the differences - political, social, cultural, ethnic, economic,
or in land use or settlement patterns - between communities, the less
appeal the notion of consolidation, merger or regionalization will have.
The Symbolic.
…
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/storyprint.asp?StoryID=747771
6. Awaiting the Rebellion - Hartford Business – USA
Crisis precedes dramatic change, and for proponents
of property tax reform in Connecticut, the crisis is not here yet. Oh,
it’s painful for homeowners out there, but not so painful that the
general public is demanding, in clear and angry tones, a solution.
As is always the case, small groups of municipal
and legislative leaders are huddled in corners trying to come up with an answer
to the growing problem of the property tax burden. …
The municipal property tax system has been an issue
for decades, but the intensity of the pain it causes has grown worse in recent
years. ...
The bigger half of the problem is the spending
side. That’s where the tentative push for regionalization comes in.
Connecticut’s political leaders have been
fearful of pushing regionalization too hard because it is believed that we
— as voters — cling to the tradition of local control. We all want
our own police and fire departments, our own libraries, our own snowplows
flying our own town colors. Maybe that’s the old Connecticut.
Time For A
Change?
Are the boroughs, villages and districts that many
of us grew up with really that important to the present day population, which
isn’t necessarily from here? Suppose a change in political subdivisions
could dramatically reduce the cost of living?
An effort to reform the property tax system through
a tax shift and forced cost sharing would result in a major political battle.
For that reason, it is unlikely any serious effort will be made in the coming
year. It will be hard enough just to get the state budget back in balance.
In 2010, the combination of continuing annual tax
increases and the race for governor could bring about the public revolt
necessary to put a serious effort for tax reform on the agenda.
http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/news7319.html
7.
Research questions need for regional councils
Massey News –
Massey University, New Zealand
Regional councils are
performing poorly on environmental issues and do not accurately reflect the
values of their communities, says an environmental researcher.
Jeff McNeill is a
senior lecturer in the School of People, Environment and Planning and has
worked as a policy manager for Horizons Regional Council and as a policy
analysis consultant. He graduates this week with a Doctor of Philosophy in
Politics.
Mr McNeill's thesis
questions the logic of policy-making based on regional
boundaries.
“Many
environmental management issues are not regionally based and the regional
boundaries have no particular meaning to the people in those regions,” he
says. “Environmentalists and farmers, for instance, are more likely to
share opinions and values reflecting their sector than any regional allegiance.
This is very clear in their approaches to water quality, in how they see the
state of water and what needs to happen.”
Mr McNeill was
surprised how little regional council representation reflected their
communities.
“Political
systems are never completely representative, but regional councils outside the
main centres are dominated by farmers, most by between half and three-quarters,
and by retired district councillors,” he says. “Farms and municipal
sewage treatment plants and landfills are the dominant pollution sources
outside the large cities - it has to be a brave councillor who is going to
stand up to his or her peers and tell them to pull their socks up.”
In the immediate
future, Mr McNeill says his research supports the new Government's intention to
establish an environmental protection agency. Consistent environmental policy
by central government would be preferable, but he has some reservations.
“So far
governments of all political colours have been extremely tardy in providing
strong political leadership,” he says. “If we are going to have an
environmental protection agency, we also need to see some political commitment
as well.”
Longer term, Mr McNeill
suggests comprehensive regional or provincial government is desirable, as it is
desirable to have the governing body accountable to its community.
8. Editorial: Regional rail debate
needs focus, not fiction - Dallas
Morning News - Dallas, TX, USA
A recurring criticism
of the North Texas plan to expand rail transit is that it would create a new
level of government or a new taxing district.
Let's not engage in
fiction. The transportation plan is complicated enough and requires painstaking
lobbying just to explain it to state lawmakers. Playing on fears about new
taxing agencies could derail the plan just as it's picking up momentum.
The proposal is this:
The Legislature would allow metro areas to raise new transportation revenue,
such as higher auto registration fees and property tax increments. Cities and
counties in North Texas would propose projects to be financed with the new
funds. Expanding rail would be the primary goal, but DART cities like Dallas,
Plano and Garland could propose new or improved roads, bridges, walkways,
bikeways and other mobility projects.
It stands to reason
that a coordinated planning group should evaluate the proposals and ensure that
they are consistent with the nine-county mobility plan required by the federal
government. Fortunately, such a group already exists. Created more than 30
years ago, it's called the Regional Transportation
Council [ http://www.nctcog.org/trans/committees/rtc/index.asp
].
Thirty-six of its 43 members are elected or appointed by cities and counties.
Using this existing board to guide new transportation dollars makes obvious
sense.
Under the plan, voters
would go to the polls and decide on lists of RTC-certified projects. Here's the
important thing: Elections would be called by individual counties. Money
approved by voters would stay in those counties.
So if the existing RTC
works with existing counties, where is this new layer of government?
The RTC endorsed the
essence of this plan last month, and ...
9. Northeastern’s David Soule dies -
Massachusetts Municipal Association - mma.org
David Soule, associate
director of Northeastern University’s Center for Urban and Regional
Policy [ http://www.curp.neu.edu/ ] and the
former executive director of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, died of
cancer on Nov. 17. He was 61.
Soule was a co-author
of the report “Revenue Sharing and the Future of the Massachusetts
Economy” that was presented at the MMA Annual Meeting in 2006. The report
made the case that vibrant cities and towns are essential to the state’s
economic well-being.
“David was a
remarkable person,” said MMA Executive Director Geoffrey Beckwith.
“He was a strong and forceful advocate for governing and working together
in the public interest, and his leadership and friendship will be sorely missed
by all of us.”
At the Center for Urban
and Regional Policy, Soule focused on helping to revive older industrial
cities. Through the center’s Economic Development Partnership, dozens of
New England cities are able to chart their progress on economic development,
affordable housing, and workforce development.
Soule, who earned a
doctorate through Northeastern’s Law, Policy and Society program in 2003,
also was the editor and a contributor to “Urban Sprawl: A
Comprehensive Reference Guide,” published by Greenwood Press in 2005.
Prior to becoming the
executive director of the MAPC, a position he held for more than 15 years,
Soule directed the regional planning commission in Nashua, N.H.
Northeastern will pay
tribute to Soule at noon on Dec. 12 at the university’s Spiritual Life
Center. [ http://www.northeastern.edu/spirituallife/contact.html ]
http://www.mma.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3279&Itemid=86
10. U.S. Regional
Communities - sub-State, State or multi-State - in news articles.
Bold
font words are Google
search terms. Bold italic words considered worth noting. In this and section 11, links
to websites of organizations are added to the news excerpt when this is the
first time an organization has been found. A goal of this newsletter is to find
every regional council in the U.S. in a news story as well as recognizing other
regional organizations. In most cases, where a full name is present, a Google
search will quickly get one to that organization. News reports do not always
get the organization name correct. Contents
.01 The Top 10 Regions for
Banking Bailouts
BNET - San Francisco,
Ca, USA
There’s a new geography of financial woe and The
New York Times has done a major service by putting it together in a revealing
graphic. ... Here’s a breakdown by city and region: 1. New York. $148
billion with Citi taking $50 billion; AIG, $40 billion; and J.P. Morgan Chase,
$25, with $10 billion each going to Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch and Goldman
Sachs. ...
http://industry.bnet.com/financial-services/1000225/the-top-10-regions-for-banking-bailouts/
.02 Players shift, but Twin
Cities still best for business: Dallas, Columbus move into top 10 in
MarketWatch study of metro regions
MarketWatch
... Last year, the Twin Cities was at the top of
MarketWatch's list in the first annual survey of where companies tend to
gravitate and create the most jobs. It appears little has changed for the region, as the concentration of companies
has stayed strong, and job growth continues while unemployment remains
relatively low.
The 2008 rankings of all 50 cities
.03 Little
city is at center of a great debate
Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel, WI
... Superior has emerged as a mainline for the nation's
energy infrastructure. About 9% of the country's imported oil, roughly 1.2
million barrels a day, already flows into this city of 27,000 at the headwaters
of the world's largest freshwater system. And that figure is about to balloon
with the opening of a $3 billion "Alberta Clipper" pipeline that
could ultimately deliver some 800,000 barrels a day of the gooey tar sands oil,
called bitumen, to an existing tank farm just outside downtown Superior, before
it is shipped to refineries around the region. The black stew won't arrive from
Canada refinery-ready. That means billions of dollars must be pumped into
retrofitting the regional
refineries so they are able to strip away the bitumen impurities. ...
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/35664859.html
.04 Be part of the economic
development team
Greenville News -
Greenville, SC, USA
You are only as strong as your weakest link, and it
is important in this day in time that all levels -- state, regional and local
are communicating flawlessly and prepared for each opportunity. There are seven
regional economic development organizations in the state of South Carolina.
Together, they represent 43 of the 46 counties. The roles of the regional
alliances differ vastly because of differences in geography and population. ...
To date, the counties in our region
have announced more than 28 percent of the state's capital investment and a
significant portion of the jobs created. ... I am asking you, the
members of our community, to be a part of our team. You, too, are essential to
economic development and can help make our job easier by believing in our
state, region and the community in which you live.
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20081207/OPINION/812070306/1004/NEWS0
.05 6 towns look at regional collaboration - Worcester Telegram - MA, USA
… Franklin
Regional Council of Governments [http://www.frcog.org/ ], … Phoebe Walker, director of community services for the
council, explained that the FRCOG grew out of the abolition of county
government in Massachusetts in 1998. Formerly the Franklin County Commission,
the council was formed in 1997 to assists all 26 towns in Franklin County in
western Massachusetts, the most rural county in the state, she said. The total
population involved is 72,000. For fees, the council provides towns with
accounting, cooperative inspection, cooperative purchasing, regional health
inspection, regional public health, engineering, and other services.
“It’s not always a financial savings, but it’s always better
for the towns,” Ms. Walker said.…
http://www.telegram.com/article/20081205/NEWS/812050499/1007/NEWS05
.06 Highstead Arboretum leads
regional effort to protect forests, open space
The News-Times -
Danbury, CT, USA
... taking the first steps to do that by creating
the Western Fairfield County Regional Conservation Partnership -- a coalition
of town land trusts and conservation commissions in Bethel, Danbury, Newtown,
Redding and Ridgefield. The idea is that with such a partnership, the region
can preserve and protect the forests that do exist, and help in regional efforts to preserve more land.
"We may be able to do more collectively than we can do on our
own,"...
http://www.newstimes.com/ci_11102398
.07 Salem County schools look to the future
Today's Sunbeam -
NJ.com - Salem, NJ, USA
A transformation is on the horizon for Salem County
schools, with ambitious aims to consolidate administrations while truly
readying each child with a 21st-century education. It has begun with an image
of five regional,
geographically-based school districts rather than the current 13, where each
district's children share a common curriculum, a common school board, and one
central administration. It will end in the hands of the voters, ...
http://www.nj.com/sunbeam/index.ssf?/base/news-4/122803321118280.xml&coll=9
.08 EDITORIAL
Fort Worth Star
Telegram - Fort Worth, TX, USA
The North Central Texas Council of Governments predicts that by 2030 the population of
the 16-county area will be 9.49 million, or nearly 3 million more people than
today. By 2050, the population could mushroom to 12 million, or nearly double
today. ... That raises serious questions: ... We can do a lot to curb the
harm that population growth does to traffic and air quality. The region can
focus on intelligent, sustainable development
http://www.star-telegram.com/242/story/1077671.html
.09 Ex-legislator hired by town
of Marana
FOX11AZ.com - Tucson,
AZ, USA
The town of Marana has hired former Arizona State
Representative Steve Huffman to be their intergovernmental
affairs administrator. ... “There is a great quality of life here,
and our town will continue to play a vital role in the development of the
entire region.” Huffman started his new job on December 1st, and will
work to develop programs facilitating interaction among the town’s
administration, mayor and council and the state legislature, and other county,
city and regional council of government officials.
http://www.fox11az.com/news/topstories/stories/KMSB_20081207_jh_huffman.3f4b1e2c.html
.10 Local Foundations To Merge;
Will Become Largest Grant And Scholarship Foundation In HR
WTKR Your NewsChannel 3
- Hampton Roads, VA, USA
... The Norfolk Foundation and The Virginia
Beach Foundation have announced plans to merge in 2009 and form the Hampton
Roads Community Foundation. ... The new community foundation will have nearly
$190 million in assets and will focus on increasing regional philanthropy in Hampton Roads. ... "We are
really one big community in Hampton Roads. City lines have nothing to do with
philanthropy," says Joshua P. Darden Jr., chair of The Norfolk Foundation
board.
http://www.wtkr.com/Global/story.asp?S=9464840&nav=menu78_1_9
.11 Farmington Valley Towns To
Think Regionally
Hartford Courant -
United States
Officials from the towns usually meet monthly to
discuss regional issues, but Glassman said she wanted to host a meeting to
discuss cost-saving measures specifically. "Given the extreme financial
difficulties of the state and given the difficulties that the Farmington Valley
towns will have coming up with budgets … I thought we needed to explore
all options to save tax dollars," Glassman said.
http://www.courant.com/news/local/fv/hc-simmeet1208.artdec08,0,2613554.story
.12 PLAINSBORO: State plan to
consolidate school districts raises doubts
Lawrence Ledger - Lawrence, NJ, USA
Gov. Jon Corzine has called for smaller school
districts to be consolidated into regional school districts to save money, but
a panel discussion sponsored by the New Jersey School Boards Association on
Saturday morning cast some doubt on whether mergers can be achieved. …
One obstacle is the apportionment of property taxes among the municipalities
that form a regional school district, the panelists agreed. The school property
tax most likely would not be split evenly among the member towns, they said.
”Each town won’t save money,” …
.13 Thompson: 'Megaregion'
concept has no real meaning
Athens Banner-Herald
– Athens, GA, USA
Earlier this month, the Atlanta Regional Commission
- a planning and intergovernmental coordination group serving 10 metropolitan
Atlanta counties - unveiled a planning concept sporting the grand name of
Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion. … While it is high-sounding, the "megaregion" approach is, in reality,
nothing more than a tacit admission of the clear fact that Georgia's state and
local governments have failed to keep pace over the years with infrastructure
needs, and are now facing the consequences of that lack of attention to such
basic issues. …
http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/113008/opi_361634674.shtml
.14 Arizona’s path to the
federal treasury
East Valley Tribune -
Phoenix, AZ, USA
The Monday session was aimed at emphasizing the importance
of regional cooperation, getting
the attention of a new administration in Washington and overcoming political
resistance to a federal handout. ... “Arizona has done a pretty good job
on its own, but we need to work as a region to help us get to where we need to
go,” Democrat Napolitano said. Said Republican Smith,
“…unless we join with our fellow states in the Intermountain
region, we will be dead on arrival.” ...
http://jimripley.freedomblogging.com/2008/11/29/arizona%E2%80%99s-path-to-the-federal-treasury/152/
.15 Stimulus for Skeptics
New York Times - United
States
... add just one idea: Create a network of social
entrepreneurship investment banks. These regionally
operated semi-public funds would invest in the best local community
organizations, so they could bring their ideas to scale. ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/28/opinion/28brooks.html?ref=opinion
.16 Summit shows challenges of
river region
The Daily Advertiser
– Louisiana, USA
The average income for residents in the 252
parishes and counties that make up the eight-state Delta Regional Authority is $25,918, nearly 25
percent below the national average. The poverty rate in the region is 55
percent higher than the national rate, and recent natural disasters have only
made matters worse, he said. "When you carve out our region, we're much
like an underdeveloped nation,"
http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20081205/BUSINESS/812050314
.17 Didier to lead regional
collaboration
Newton Daily News
– Newton, IA, USA
Today, Kim Didier, executive director for the
Newton Development Corporation (NDC), informed the NDC Board that she has
accepted an offer to lead the implementation of the seven-County Regional
Economic Development Strategic Plan. ... The regional plan was developed with
the support of a $250,000 Regional Innovation Grant (RIGS) from the Employment
and Training Administration (ETA) of the Department of Labor. The RIGS grant
program was created in response to requests for planning support as a result of
the loss of Maytag in the region. ...
http://www.newtondailynews.com/articles/2008/11/20/news/local2.txt
.18 Regional approach to safety
dispatch mulled
Lakeville Call -
Lakeville, MA, USA
“I’d need to look into it and make sure
it’s the best thing for Lakeville, but regionalization is the wave of the
future,” Yeatts said. ... “Never in recent memory has
regionalization been such an important endeavor,” Clarkson said.
http://www.wickedlocal.com/lakeville/news/x1772968696/Regional-approach-to-safety-dispatch-mulled
.19 Council seeks comments on
air-quality rules
Galveston County Daily
News - Galveston, TX, USA
The Houston-Galveston Area Council is requesting comments from the residents of the
Houston-Galveston-Brazoria region about measures to be included in the next State
Implementation Plan to improve air quality. ...
.20 Editorial: Act now to make
Michigan competitive
DetNews.com - Detroit,
MI, USA
But even as the domestic carmakers, the leading
engine of this state's economy, confront extinction, the political leadership
of this state keeps looking for ways to tread water. We simply can't afford
that attitude any longer. A new study produced for Detroit Renaissance, a group
of southeastern Michigan chief executives, details the extent of this region's competitiveness problems. And this
region accounts for 58 percent of the state's economy. Southeast Michigan's
economy shrank by ...
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081205/OPINION01/812050313/1008
.21 Midwest urged to think
regionally
Green Bay Press Gazette
- Green Bay, WI, USA
The Midwest can still be a global economic force in
today's world economy, though it has to adopt a regional mindset to move
forward. That was the focus of the presentation by Richard Longworth, former
Chicago Tribune reporter now a fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs,
who was the keynote speaker at the annual New North summit ...
"Globalization is not going away, it's the future," said Longworth.
He said New North is a good example of regional thinking and pooling of
resources to benefit a larger geographic area. "If the Midwest was
to begin thinking more regionally,
its resources and university systems would be a real force," Longworth
said. ...
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20081209/GPG03/812090462/124
.22 Yale professor: two years to
recovery
Delta Farm Press, NE
“We are at the beginning of a massive
transformation of the global financial system,” Garten told participants
of the recent Sourcing USA Summit in Austin, Texas. “No part of the
global economy is unaffected.” ... Garten said investment pullback
is likely. “But we have to see a revival of private investment before we
see an improved economy.” He said the ramping up of regional investment access across borders
over the past few years has “come to a rapid halt.” He said
industrialized countries have depended too much on emerging markets to
stimulate growth. “Those markets have been significant and account for
100 percent of global growth. That’s unrealistic. …
http://deltafarmpress.com/news/economy-recovery-1204/
11. Other Regional Community News
for Our Local Planet Contents
.01 Inevitable and Disgraceful, but
Still Unpredictable
The Daily Reckoning
Who’s to blame for the worldwide financial
meltdown, a crisis that has so far wiped out a notional $30 trillion dollars
... give or take a trillion or so? ... Before 1987, only about one of every 10
dollars of corporate profits made its way to the financial industry – in
payment for arranging financing, banking and other services. By the end
of the bubble years, the cost of ‘finance’ had grown to more than 3
out of every 10 dollars. ... The financial industry was just doing what it always does –
separating fools from their money. What was extraordinary
about the Bubble Years was that there were so many of them. ...
“Six Nobel prizes were handed out to people whose work was nothing but
BS,” says Nassim Taleb, author of The Black Swan. [ http://www.fooledbyrandomness.com/imbeciles.htm
]
“They convinced the financial world that it had nothing to fear.”
... If they had just looked back 10 years, says Taleb, they would have seen
that their “value at risk” models didn’t work. ... In the
real world, Taleb explains, things are stable for a long time. Then, they
blow up. Then, all the theories and regulators prove worthless. These
blow ups are inevitable, but unpredictable...and too rare to be modeled or
predicted statistically. “And they are almost always much worse
than you expect.”
http://www.howestreet.com/articles/index.php?article_id=8062
.02 Queen’s Speech - Local
Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill
Number10.gov.uk
The Bill is the keystone of a wider programme to
put people at the heart of local decision-making, giving citizens greater influence
over decisions affecting their lives and making public services more
transparent and accountable to all. It also builds on a continuing programme to
devolve decision making to regions
and local areas, ensuring that those who best understand local circumstances
are those who are able to take decisions affecting the local economy. In
addition, the bill will ensure a more level playing field for construction
businesses, especially small, local ones, in construction contracts.
http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page17670
.03 "Building partnership
– for a renewed security policy in the twenty-first century"
Auswartiges Amt
... the fact remains: we cannot achieve security
and stability in our European house by confrontation. What we need is cooperation – not just in the fight
against terrorism but on all the major challenges we face, from the financial
crisis to climate change. That is why our goal remains an area of common
security extending from "Vancouver to Vladivostok". ...
confidence-building must be strengthened also at regional level. In concrete terms, we need determined efforts
to resolve the conflicts in Moldova, Nagorny Karabakh and Georgia. ...
http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo/en/Infoservice/Presse/Interview/2008/081204-BM-OSZE.html
.04 Top 10 innovative regions in
Europe 2008
raphael volz - Germany
Statistics are made for innovation, too. One of the
more adequate measures is the innovation index developed by the Statistical
Office of Baden-Wurttemberg, a federal state in Germany. ... map that
depicts the innovation level across the different regions in Europe. We have put
the top 10 spots on a Google map for your convenience: ...
http://www.raphaelvolz.de/top-10-innovative-regions-in-europe-2008/
.05 UK House Prices
BBC News – UK
REGION RANKINGS - This page shows how house prices
vary across different regions of the UK, with the highest average current price
first. …
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/in_depth/uk_house_prices/regions/html/regions.stm
.06 The Next Global Meltdown?
Daily Beast - New York,
NY, USA
The full repercussions have yet to be felt.
Bangkok’s ambitions to be the business and manufacturing hub of the region may have suffered a fatal blow as
multinationals pull up stakes or look elsewhere for a more reliable base of
operations. The triple blow to Thailand’s tourism, manufacturing, and
export industries might ultimately reverse two decades of economic gains,
leading to further instability in the region—all because the airports
were closed. ... Airports are the most critical pieces of infrastructure for
any nation hoping to compete in a just-in-time world, and they must be
protected and cultivated as such. To treat them otherwise will be at their own
economic peril. And at ours.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2008-12-02/the-next-global-meltdown/
.07 Kevin Rudd wants to redraw security priorities
The Australian
Australia, "a regional power prosecuting global interests", faced a
"complex array of national security challenges", Mr Rudd told
parliament. "For the first time, this country will have a coherent
statement of the national security challenges facing Australia into the future
and the comprehensive approach we propose to adopt in responding to those
challenges," he said. Those responses would require a strengthening of
regional security co-operation with Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia
and Malaysia.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24753632-2702,00.html
.08 Regional ministers endorse
policy document on governance
Jamaica Observer -
Jamaica
... The Caribbean Forum of Local Government
Ministers (CFLGM), at their second Regional Local Government Consultation and Conference
have ratified and endorsed the final draft of a policy document aimed at
enhancing local governance in the region.
.09 Jamaican senator calls for
stronger regional collaboration to fight human trafficking
Caribbean Net News
State Minister in Jamaica's Ministry of National
Security, Senator Arthur Williams, has called for the strengthening of
coordination and cooperation mechanisms in the region in order to address the
issue of human trafficking in the Caribbean. ...
http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/news-12583--9-9--.html
.10 Government Sets Clear
Direction on Regional Development
eGov monitor
One North East today (25th November, 2008) welcomed
the Government’s decision to strengthen and streamline arrangements for
delivering sustainable economic development across England. … The reforms
will mean closer alignment of national,
regional and local strategies, funding and resources. The primary
objective for the RDA over the coming months will be to work with local
authorities, the business community and other stakeholders ...
http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/22238
.11 A regional School of Public Administration promoting
cooperation in Western Balkans
emportal - Belgrade,
erbia
The future activities of the school will strengthen
the administrative capacities of the parties involved and promote regional
co-operation. A letter of intent concerning the establishment, in Montenegro,
of the Regional School of Public
Administration (ReSPA) was signed on 12 June 2008 in Castle Jable, Slovenia.
...
http://www.emportal.rs/en/news/region/70640.html
.12 Think regionally, act
regionally: council
Kings County Record -
Sussex, New Brunswick, Canada
Councillor Gary Fulton said while Sussex has
stepped up to the table because it has a regional vision, Sussex Corner seems
to be going the opposite direction. He expressed disappointment that the
village opted to abandon a proposed joint emergency measures plan with Sussex.
...
As for the dilemma of funding recreation facilities
regionally, he said, "what we are moving to is a shoe waiting to be
dropped."
http://kingscorecord.canadaeast.com/news/article/498369
.13 Pirates menace: India for more
international cooperation
Hindu - Chennai, India
India too launched an important regional maritime
security initiative, namely, the "Indian Ocean Naval Symposium" with
focus on 'Constructive Engagement' amongst all littoral states of the Indian
Ocean Region. Its primary aim is to sustain a regionally relevant, consultative
forum to promote a shared understanding of issues and concerns relevant to the
Indian Ocean region, which bear upon maritime security, he said.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200812051413.htm
.14 Minister Comanescu: EU must
strengthen ties with Eastern countries
Financiarul -
Bucharest, Romania
The complementariness between the Eastern
Partnership and the Black Sea Synergy can lead to a good regional cooperation,
as “they are different tools for the same area and should join
efforts.” ...
.15 Russia building 'Berlin Wall'
in Georgia: FM
AFP
"Russia physically destroys physical links
between the regions of
Georgia," she said. "It is blowing up bridges in Gali region so that
it is harder for people to go to the neighbouring region of Samegrelo.
"In Zugdidi city, for that matter, they are building a wall which will be
not perhaps the size of the Berlin Wall but is something resembling that. ...
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jjr583sDpvXnpHd8PpVrHN7zifLA
.16 Rf 140 Million Needed For
First Stage Of Decentralisation
Minivan News
"As a concept, regionalization is very important for the Maldives,” he
said. “But the administration has to think about island identity,
equitable representation and equitable distribution of resources," ...
http://www.minivannews.com/news_detail.php?id=5572
.17 Regional govt will bring
rapid development – Falae
The Punch - Nigeria
A former Secretary to the Government of the
Federation, Chief Olu Falae, has said that unless deliberate steps were taken
to rewrite the Nigerian constitution, and pave the way for the return of regional government, it might be difficult
for the country to move forward. ...
http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200812043304779
.18 Role of SAARC in combating
terrorism, ensuring regional peace
Ceylon Daily News
The eradication of terrorism should indeed be the
foremost goal of SAARC if there were to be a robust partnership for growth of
all the people in the region. However, even more important is that this be
achieved in an environment of peace. Peace, in this context should not be a
mere absence of war, but should transcend political and diplomatic tension
between SAARC member States. …
http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/12/04/fea01.asp
.19 Regional jet completes first
flight
China Daily - China
China's first independently developed regional jet
completed its maiden flight ... ARJ21 is an acronym for "Advanced Regional
Jet for the 21st Century". Aircraft manufacturer China Aviation Industry
Corp I said it has received 208 orders for the regional jets from home and
abroad, including 25 orders from major industry player GE Capital.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2008-11/29/content_7253468.htm
.20 Zambia: Banda Launches
Vehicle to Development
AllAfrica.com -
Washington, USA
THE Government has launched the national Public
Private Partnership (PPP) policy that will accelerate development, ... Zambia's
strategic location on the continent made it possible for the country to be a
hub for various regional
infrastructure links such as transport, energy and telecommunications. ...
http://allafrica.com/stories/200811280699.html
.21 Roger Augustine Elected
Assembly of First Nations' Regional Chief of New Brunswick/Prince Edward
Island
Canada NewsWire (press
release)
National Chief Phil Fontaine is pleased to announce
that Roger Augustine, of Eel Ground First Nation (Miramichi), has won election
by the Assembly of New Brunswick & Prince Edward Island Chiefs to become
Regional Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (representing NB/PEI). ...
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/December2008/05/c7549.html
.22 Melbourne's boundaries to be
extended for booming population
Melbourne Herald Sun -
Australia
With Melbourne's population predicted to hit five
million in 20 years, urban growth boundaries in the north, west and south east of
Melbourne will be extended with up to 134,000 new homes to be built. ...
work on expanding the growth boundaries would begin immediately with the new
boundaries expected to be in place by 2009. A blueprint for development in regional Victoria will be released next
year. ...
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24739234-661,00.html
.23 APCERT Nails Down Online
Underground Economy In Regional Drill Exercise
Bernama - Malaysia
The Asia Pacific Computer Emergency Response Team
(APCERT) has successfully completed its APCERT Drill ... a scenario of
cyber attacks by the professional cybercriminal groups targeting the Asia
Pacific economies was simulated to put pressure on the participating teams in
APCERT to test their response capability in addressing cyber threats. ...
participating teams include 14 teams representing 13 economies in the Asia
Pacific region ...
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsbusiness.php?id=376291
.24 Regions 'need broadband to
boost jobs'
The Age - Melbourne,
Victoria, Australia
A lack of action on broadband infrastructure is
stripping rural and regional Australia of jobs where they are most needed,
economists say. The latest snapshot of the state of local government regions,
launched in Melbourne on Monday, recommends urgent action to address
deficiencies in Australia's broadband network.
http://news.theage.com.au/national/regions-need-broadband-to-boost-jobs-20081208-6tr4.html
.25 Russia Today –
Interview with Igor Panarin - Video
The break-up of America
into six pieces? Alaska joining the Russian Federation? Will Russia survive the
crisis? Igor Panarin, a Russian professor of economics, discussed these
questions when he dropped by the RT studio on Thursday.
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