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A roundup of things newsworthy
and noteworthy in your neck of the woods

November 18, 2011

District of Columbia – Taking America to lunch

To a kid, one of the best parts of starting school is picking out a lunch box. Although canvas lunch bags are popular, the metal lunch box is a cultural icon. From tin canisters to “Welcome Back, Kotter” and “Barbie,” metal lunch boxes dating from the 1890s through the 1980s are now on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

This small exhibition is located in the museum's lower level, in the Stars and Stripes Cafe. The display includes about 75 illustrated metal lunch boxes and beverage containers.

Maryland – No bumpers = best for babies?

New parents want what’s best for their babies. In Maryland, that may no longer include crib bumper pads. In September, Maryland became the first state to propose banning the sale of bumper pads for baby cribs, which health officials believe pose a choking risk to infants. Although health officials have warned against the use of bumper pads for some time, this is the first formal proposal to ban the sale of the crib accessories. If approved, the ban would take effect in January 2013 and exclude pads for older infants and special needs children.

North Carolina – Are you ready for your close-up?

Some drivers in the Raleigh area are. The drivers have volunteered to equip their cars with video cameras and other equipment as part of a $50 million national study to find out what drivers were really doing before they crashed. It's the biggest effort yet in the United States to raise public awareness about the hazards of distracted driving by recording how drivers behave and react to road conditions and traffic situations.

The cameras and other equipment will monitor distance to the car ahead, what the driver is doing, how passengers are acting, turn signal usage and many other actions. Five hundred drivers in the Raleigh-Durham area will be recruited and paid $500 per year for their participation.

Tennessee – New DUI law even stricter

Think again before you get behind the wheel if you’ve been drinking. A new Tennessee law requires DUI offenders to install and pay for an in-car breathalyzer if they want to continue to drive. The in-car breathalyzer is part of an ignition interlocking device, which prevents a car from starting if alcohol is detected on the driver’s breath.

Under prior Tennessee law, a driver convicted of DUI loses his or her license for one year. Under the current law, a first-time offender can also be ordered to install a breathalyzer to receive a restricted drivers’ license. Tennessee is one of 11 states that mandate a breathalyzer.

Virginia – Ways to wait

Last year, Virginia commuters spent about 34 hours delayed in traffic, according to a national study by the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University. That means drivers could have watched an extra 17 movies, played another eight rounds of golf or slept the equivalent of four nights during the time they wasted stuck in rush-hour traffic. Since you obviously can’t watch movies or sleep while you’re driving, here are a few safe things you can do while you wait:

Listen to books on tape – now’s the opportunity to check out that novel you’ve been meaning to read, but haven’t had the time.
Learn a new language – been meaning to master French? Many language instruction courses can now be found on CD. Bon Voyage!
Start your day with a laugh – get a CD of your favorite comedian.

West Virginia – Feast on fish

Just as everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, everyone is Italian at the Feast of the Seven Fishes, held each December in downtown Fairmont, W. Va. The Feast, historically celebrated on Christmas Eve, celebrates Italian heritage and includes up to 13 different fish dishes including calamari, codfish, oysters and scallops.

This year’s event, scheduled for December 10, will feature authentic Italian food, shopping, music, cooking demos, fish and a street market. Details on the festival can be found on the West Virginia Department of Commerce Web site.

Illinois – Think eco-economics

Governor Pat Quinn has kicked off phase one of the Urban Weatherization Initiative (UWI), a statewide program that focuses on job growth in the green sector. The UWI is part of the ‘Illinois Jobs Now!’ capital program, a response to record unemployment levels in urban communities. Grants will fund training for home energy auditors and preparing trainees to get national certifications for weatherization retrofit work. Illinois legislators believe this will improve social, economic and environmental conditions for residents.

Indiana – Find what’s in season

Get the freshest of fall’s harvest at the Broad Ripple Farmers Market in Indianapolis. Bring your family and Fido (the market is dog-friendly) to the market on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon at the Broad Ripple High School. More than 40 vendors and Indiana farmers provide an abundance of in-season goodies such as pumpkins, squash, tomatoes and sweet corn. After you stock up, visit the Broad Ripple Farmers Market Web site to get delicious recipe ideas.

New York – Feast your eyes on photography

Learn how technology has changed the art of photography at the International Museum of Photography and Film in Rochester, where you can see the mechanical eye’s evolution with different equipment such as the first Kodak and Technicolor movie cameras. You can also check out the exhibit ‘The Unseen Eye: Photographs from the W.M. Hunt’s Collection.’ In every photo, the subject’s eyes are averted or closed, or the face is obscured in some way.

Ohio – Growhio!

If you’re looking to start a business in Ohio, a new program called Grow Ohio can lower workers’ comp costs by as much as 51 percent for new employers. Designed to stimulate job creation and reduce the upfront costs of starting a new business or moving an existing business to the state, Grow Ohio enables new employers to participate in the Group Experience Rating Program - normally not accessible until the first full policy year after they obtain workers’ comp coverage.

Pennsylvania – Celebrate with lots of lights

Take the ultimate holiday lights ride this winter through more than three miles of Hartwood Acres in Pittsburgh. Fill your car with friends and family (and plenty of hot cocoa) and enjoy more than 400 light displays along Hartwood’s roads. Your final destination will be the foot of the illuminated mansion where you can go in for a candlelight tour. A suggested donation of $12 per carload benefits Project Bundle Up, a fundraiser for the Salvation Army.

Wisconsin – Eye candy in the ice caves

Maybe you’ve been spelunking – but have you gone in the winter? Bundle up and head out to the Lake Superior Ice Caves in Bayfield. You can hike, snowshoe or ski in to explore the caves along the shoreline of the lake. Frozen waterfalls resembling pillars extend to the top of the cliffs, with needle-like icicles lining the walls. The caves were formed from the lake’s current over thousands of years. You don’t want to miss this world-famous scenery during the cold months.