Free Republic

INEDALE, Wyo. — In September, when the snow starts to bury Grand Teton National Park, pronghorn antelope follow an ancient exit strategy. They descend from the mountains and travel more than 300 miles south to a broad treeless mesa where life is made easier by winds that scour snow off the grasses.The graceful white-rumped antelope have used that route for at least 7,000 years, archaeological records show. It is an arduous journey. If they leave too late, they can become trapped in deep snow and starve to death. But it is the only way they can find food. In April,...

Regional Governance is Here "This commission has become a nightmare, beyond the reach of either state government, or Congress, short of repealing the Act altogether. This appointed commission has absolute authority over all land use within the designated counties, with the authority to override both county and state elected officials..." March 1, 2004 By Henry Lamb henry@freedom.org NewsWithViews.com To submit a Letter to the Editor: newswithviews@newswithviews.com There are currently six Regional Commissions in place, or pending final approval, which impact states from New York to California; from Florida to Washington. Few people realize that these regional commissions even exist, or...

<p>ROSEVILLE - The City Council has given final approval to an agreement calling for annexation and development of 3,162 acres of farmland west of Roseville.</p> <p>Developers WestPark Associates and Signature Properties plan to build 8,390 homes and apartments, a half-dozen schools, a technology business park and shopping centers in the area west of Fiddyment Road and north of Baseline Road.</p>

<p>SACRAMENTO COUNTY - A longtime local ranching family received approval Tuesday from the Sacramento County Project Planning Commission to break up its 2,980-acre ranch into 80-acre parcels.</p> <p>On a 3-0 vote, the commissioners rejected an appeal by the Cosumnes Planning Advisory Council, which sought to overturn approval of the property division granted by a lower-level committee.</p>

<p>Any local planner can tell you: The vision of a better community - the plan on paper - is one thing; the reality on the streets is entirely another.</p> <p>Ten years ago, when Sacramento County officials were putting together a new general plan, they came up with what they considered a revolutionary scheme for reducing sprawl and cutting congestion.</p>

<p>Three Roseville City Council members scheduled to vote Wednesday on a major housing proposal accepted more than $43,000 from project developers, investors and nearby landowners, according to an analysis of campaign donations.</p> <p>Records show former Councilman Earl Rush, who resigned unexpectedly last year, took another $17,783 in contributions from people who stand to profit from the proposed development of 8,000 homes west of the city.</p>

<p>Half a century ago, when Aerojet arrived in town, Rancho Cordova seemed like a great place to test rocket motors.</p> <p>There were few people around to be bothered by noise and smoke near the 21 square miles of eastern Sacramento County land Aerojet purchased from the Natomas Mining Co.</p>

<p>State water regulators say they will ask California Attorney General Bill Lockyer to pursue a court case against developer Angelo Tsakopoulos for allegedly allowing dirt and chemicals to run off the SunRidge construction site near Mather Field.</p> <p>By asking Lockyer to get involved in the case, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board sidestepped taking action on a proposal by its staff to impose a record $571,000 fine on AKT Development, the Tsakopoulos family company.</p>

COMMENTARY--On a rocky plateau 300 million miles from here, The Mars Exploration Rover A--known to its friends and PR operatives as Spirit--sits quietly, conserving its strength after a near-fatal computer breakdown. As it was not named the Mars Static Nervous Wreck A, you may assume that things are not going exactly to plan. Much closer to home, gaggles of geeks sit with furrowed brows as they work out exactly why the machine went mad just a third of the way through its mission, when everything was looking spotless. Instead of preparing to drill into a large and tempting rock, the...

The largest available property bordering Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park is set to become a residential subdivision, sparking the latest debate over development around the historic Civil War site. The 60 acres on which developer Weaver & Woodbery wants to build single-family houses is part of the Hays Farm in Cobb County. The property, off Ga. 120 near John Ward Road, is under contract, according to the Atlanta-based firm and a family member of the 93-year-old woman who owns the land.Park Superintendent John Cissell says he's frustrated to see developers take another piece of land that the National Park Service...

<p>Donors with ties to project gave funds to '02 council hopefuls, disclosures show.</p> <p>Campaign contributors with ties to a Roseville development proposal gave at least $21,300 to City Council candidates two years ago, an initial review of disclosure statements shows.</p>

<p>Delena and Anthony Gregory can't wait to claim their piece of The Ranch, a rural subdivision of "equestrian estates" under construction on Clay Station Road in Wilton.</p> <p>The couple, both correctional officers, plan to move from their modest home in suburban Laguna to a 4,400-square-foot house on nearly 3 acres. Delena Gregory figures there will be plenty of room for their three children to ride their bikes. And a basketball court also is planned.</p>

<p>TRUCKEE -- An Emeryville development firm has purchased Union Pacific Railroad's Truckee railyard, a 30-acre site east of this historic mountain town's commercial row shopping area.</p> <p>The firm, Holliday Development, specializes in creative residential and mixed-use developments throughout Northern California and will work with the town in planning commercial/housing development on the site, Truckee Mayor Josh Susman said.</p>

<p>AUBURN -- Five environmental groups sued Placer County on Friday, charging that the county's approval last month of the Martis Valley Community Plan Update violates environmental and planning laws. The suit was filed in Placer Superior Court by Sierra Watch, the lead plaintiff, and by the League to Save Lake Tahoe, the Mountain Area Preservation Foundation, the Planning and Conservation League and the Sierra Club.</p>

INTERCESSORS FOR AMERICA ON WATCH IN WASHINGTON 14 January, 2004 | Today’s Topics: Today Marks The 220th Anniversary of the U.S. Ratification of The Treaty Of Paris, Officially Establishing The United States as an Independent Sovereign Nation DC Primary Has No Impact On Party Nomination Blood Shortages Continue In Metro DC Park Service Police Fail Security Test At Washington Monument Extensive Marriage Education And Promotion Initiative Planned By President Bush FCC Chief Calls For Word Ban New Jersey Becomes Fifth State To Recognize Same-Sex Partnerships Congressional Group Warns Of “Morning After” Pill Dangers And OTC Sales Witchcraft and Magic Drawing...

Recently I discovered a group that is working on development of a very old design based on the Tesla turbine, and the claims that they are making that they are getting 40% better efficiency than the modern reciprocating engine, and 20% more than modern turbine engines just floored me. The design of the engine is very very simple in nature and much lighter in comparison to a conventional motor, I would like someone that has more of a technical background like engineering to take a look at all of this and let me know if an engine like this really...

<p>The Elk Grove City Council hadn't found itself in such a situation before.</p> <p>The housing proposal before it wasn't a typical Elk Grove single-family subdivision, but an array of town houses and attached single-family clusters. Neighbors (saying they preferred a large office complex on the land, but also fearful of what would happen to their property values) said this was too much housing (about 250 units on 18 acres) for the land, which sits smack on Bighorn Boulevard just south of Laguna Boulevard. Yet this wasn't too much housing at all. For land on a busy street that is within walking distance of future offices, existing stores, a movie complex and possibly some day a light rail line, this is precisely the kind of compact, affordable style of ownership housing that makes sense.</p>

Technology and Economic Analysis Group February 2002 U.S Department of Commerce Technology Administration R&D and Long-Term Competitiveness: Manufacturing’s Central Role in a Knowledge-Based Economy Gregory Tassey Senior Economist National Institute of Standards and Technology Technology Administration Department of Commerce tassey@nist.gov 301-975-2663 February 2002 Abstract The “Internet Revolution” induced an unbalanced perspective on future economic growth strategies. Because information technology (IT) largely constitutes an infrastructure upon which other economic activity is based, its economic role is to facilitate the productivity of investment in a wide range of products and services that meet final demand. Other economies around the world can and...

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. -- This past week's cataclysm of fire will go down as one of the worst disasters in the history of Southern California, killing at least 20 people, destroying more than 3,300 homes and laying waste to more than three-quarters of a million acres. It is likely to happen again. According to scientists who study the urban ecology of the Los Angeles basin, more catastrophic wildfires are a near certainty, fed by sprawl, poor fire-prevention strategies, arsonists and local vegetation that, by its very nature, needs to burn.

IDC says next-generation Windows will change development process The official launch of Longhorn might be more than two years away, but developers at Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference are saying it's necessary to start preparing their organisations now for the next generation of Windows."It's important for us to know if the direction of Windows 2003 and Longhorn is totally different -- we have to start to set up our own direction," says Canadian developer Sungsoon Kung, of Montreal Microsoft-based independent software vendor (ISV) Nakisa. "We have to start working with our customers.""It's important for ISV's because we are investing a lot...