#Carmel Brainard

[the-city-in-mind]

More on Carmel, Indiana. A deep dive into the career of former mayor Jim Brainard, who used good urbanism and Strong Towns style principles to revitalize his city in a fiscally sensible way. The city has now grown to over 80,000 residents, attracted by the quality of life and jobs boom.

The fact that Brainard is a Republican shows that good urbanism isn't a "lefty" issue - it's a civic issue.

[cnu-newurbanism]

Turning an office park into a town center

The rethinking of a conventional office park, Carmel Gateway is the latest big idea to be proposed in Carmel, Indiana, the city of roundabouts.

Under the leadership of Mayor Jim Brainard, Carmel, Indiana, has been a town planning innovator for a quarter century. With almost 150 roundabouts (making it one of the safest suburban communities in the US), and the striking new Monon Boulevard planned by Speck & Associates and Gehl with landscape architecture by REA, the City has demonstrated how a car-centric community can make itself more walkable. But much of Carmel still consists of postwar commercial sprawl, raising the question of how readily such landscapes—office buildings and strip centers in seas of parking—can be transformed into more urban, inviting, and long-lasting places. 

Read more.

[sethshead]

-- Roundabouts Are Safer. So Why Does The U.S. Have So Few Of Them? --

Well that's a first: the US originated the traffic circle, but they lost favor because we overengineered them to be too complex and less safe than signal intersections. How Teutonic of us.

By the way, if more Republicans were like James Brainard, I might vote for them and type "Factio Republicana delenda est" less. He's an old-fashioned boring technocrat who supports equal rights ordinances and wants to do what he can to mitigate anthropogenic climate change. He just likes balanced budgets and wants to attract private enterprise and industry with low local taxes. Granted, in the face of recent economic realities, Carmel has fallen deeper into debt and its bond rating has slipped. We'll see how flexible and pragmatic Brainard's administration is now. Regardless, he's a good argument against term limits.

[anonjusticeindy-blog]

Mayor Brainard Timeline - 24 Years as Carmel Mayor is Enough

The mayor of the City of Carmel, Indiana has come under criticism for what are perceived to be inappropriate uses of his political power and unacceptable behavior up to and including sexual harassment.   This is what is BELIEVED to be a timeline of Mayor Jim “Crash” Brainard’s behavior over the last four years in office based on multiple sources, news reports and public records. ELECTION SEASON 2015 During the last primary season (Spring of 2015) the mayor pursued a relationship with a younger woman he met at a political event.  His divorce was filed 10/05/2015 in Boone County, presumably to keep it quiet and out of the local headlines.  During this time period Clerk-Treasurer candidate Christine Pauley was also a candidate for office - as were numerous city council candidates the mayor supported in order to drive out existing opposition to his liberal spending and heavy-handed government control agenda. During this same time period the mayor had access to an apartment (that may have been provided by a developer) at One One Six near 116th and College. There are questions about whether the apartment was provided to the mayor by the developer for free, was provided for use by the city or was paid for, in full, by the mayor.  Campaign finance reports show no in-kind contribution by the developer. The woman the mayor was pursuing was assisted by him in finding employment in Carmel and had access to and use of this apartment. The mayor extended an invitation for the woman to secretly accompany him on the first leg of a trip to Europe which she declines. Ultimately, the woman ended the relationship although it is believed he may have continued to pursue her (or that it could have been intermittent) and that she could have been the proximate cause for his divorce filing.  His influence over the local community, the job he helped secure and possible influence over other matters and persistent presence in the community likely being a complication or pressure point to appear loyal and grateful. A source suggested that at least two Carmel City Councilors privately scolded the mayor for his potentially embarrassing pre-divorce affair. He then turns his attention to the newly elected Clerk-Treasurer who he had supported and helped with campaign funds. He had acted as something of a mentor to candidate Christine Pauley who was new to running for office. While grateful for the mayor’s help and guidance, the Clerk-Treasurer finally decides she is not interested in the mayor romantically despite his continued interest and rejects his advances. He persists even including forwarding an adult store’s advertising e-mail to her.  Recommendations by a consultant to increase the pay for city officials are passed with the exception being the Clerk-Treasurer's recommended increase is significantly reduced.   The Clerk-Treasurer makes a claim that this is unfair and could be discrimination or a reprisal and then is viciously attacked by the mayor's long-time supporter and attack dog, city councilor Ron Carter.   The City Council then effectively moves to eliminate the Clerk-Treasurer's regular speaking time at City Council events and remove her from the dais. Also, in 2016 the Council removes the Clerk-Treasurer’s access to legal funds.  Additionally, the mayor’s personal e-mail address shows up on a list of those that had accounts that were compromised at Ashley Madison.  Ashley Madison was a dating service that catered to married people and promoted discretion.   FROM 2015 TO 2019

Carmel's debt increased by between $300 and $400 million to in excess of $1.3 billion. Carmel's debt now exceeds Fishers, Noblesville and Westfield combined. Projects include a government partnership to construct, own and manage a hotel in competition with privately owned hotels. This is pursued despite the hotel industry and lenders themselves not believing it is a good investment.  The mayor's pursuit of city financing for $5 million carousel becomes a reach too far and is rejected by the City Council.   Despite claiming his opponent was lying during the 2015 primary campaign that property taxes would go up, property taxes did indeed go up making mayor Brainard the liar. April 20, 2017:  the mayor avoids taking an alcohol/drug test after crashing his city provided vehicle requiring it be towed away. This is required of all city employees if they are involved in an accident requiring a tow away.  The Mayor quickly walks away form TV Reporters attempting to investigate. A city representative announces that the mayor is exempt from the city policy - an intolerable double-standard. Police camera footage has him acknowledging to an officer at the scene that he is required to take the test.  June 21, 2017: The IndyStar reports that Mayor Brainard’s car has sustained significant damage along one side. The mayor claims it must have been damaged while parked somewhere and suggests he will pay for repairs out of his own pocket.  Public suspects a possible accident while impaired. No parking lot video of an incident is ever pursued or released and nobody is aware of any police report being filed. On December 15, 2018, Mayor Brainard unbelievably pulls his vehicle into oncoming traffic to make a u-turn on Main Street causing an accident. He attempts this u-turn after having just exited one of the round-about intersections where it would have been very safe to just proceed around. 2019 A man named Dan Hennessey speaks to a local, well-connected political volunteer on or about January 28, 2019 about whether he'd be able to make more money working for the Brainard campaign than for the challenger's (Fred Glynn's) team.  He is advised that a meeting can be set up. By January 30, 2019 it is shared in private communications that  Hennessey will now be working for the Brainard campaign (or, getting our facts right as the ridiculous mayor demanded in recent debate, 'the consultant to the campaign'). This arrangement is reported to be for around $40,000 ($10,000 per month during the primary election campaign) - an unheard of sum of money for minor campaign work.  On or about February 3-5, 2019 a meeting takes place where Hennessey's new employer - (in effect if not in fact The Brainard Campaign) claims that Hennessey attempted to request a bribe from The Brainard Campaign in order for Glynn not to pursue the mayor’s office.  A third party, presumably innocent to what is going on, is invited to the meeting possibly to 'observe' what was likely a pre-meditated set-up. Hennessey indeed takes an "offer" to candidate Glynn, who rejects it. Hennessey contacts at least one other person to pressure Glynn to take the Brainard campaign's 'bribe'.  Fred Glynn continues to reject being paid to sit out the election. Some days, perhaps approximately a week later, Hennessey advises Glynn that he is going to make more money working for the Brainard team.  He does not advise Glynn that his deal with Brainard's team was struck up to two weeks prior. April, 2019: It is reported that the IRS is investigating the city's handling of a bond issue used to finance The Barrington which has filed for bankruptcy protection and has many elderly people in jeopardy of losing hundreds of thousands of dollars each. The bond issue is from before the current Clerk-Treasurer was elected. A woman hired during the current Clerk-Treasurer's tenure in that office is terminated. The mayor immediately suggests he might hire the woman elsewhere. Reports circulate that the woman was terminated for violating department policy on sharing documents - possibly by colluding with Mayor Brainard directly to bypass normal department processes. The Clerk-Treasurer, having decided to not pursue a further elected office in the City of Carmel and approaching a time where she can be free from reprisal, levies a harrassment claim against Mayor Brainard and provides evidence of him forwarding inappropriate, unprofessional material to her including an e-mail regarding sex toys. On-line, another woman publicly suggests she, a single mother, had an 'uncomfortable' one-on-one meeting the mayor initiated supposedly to address her concerns about the city.  She eventually deletes the post to ‘avoid drama’ but then she shares the next day that somebody suspicious drove by her house and took pictures of her home and a political yard sign.

Come to your own conclusions, but this is a lot of drama and perhaps it really is time for a change in city leadership?

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this onEarth/EcoWatch story:

As the mayor of Carmel, Indiana (population 93,000), a suburb of Indianapolis, Jim Brainard oversees the day-to-day operations of a medium-size municipality that few would ever liken to New York City (population 8,600,000). But amid the happy buzz of urban park-goers relaxing, communing, eating, drinking, playing and otherwise enjoying themselves, he was right at home. Since 1996, when Brainard took office, he has shaped the transformation of Carmel from a comfortable if somewhat nondescript bedroom community to a city that makes magazine covers as one of America's best places to liveand/or work. And the six-term (soon to be seven-term) Republican has done it in large part by taking some of the best things cities have to offer — density, walkability, mixed-use development and well-designed park space— and grafting them onto the traditional suburban model, creating a unique hybrid.

But Jim Brainard isn't just a mayor. He's also an ambassador. As a self-identified conservative Republican who not only believes in climate science but has made it his personal mission to incorporate sustainable urban planning and climate resilience into his vision for Carmel, Brainard has become a symbol of what post-partisan climate leadership can and should look like. He has long worked to implement sustainable solutions and green infrastructure, from installing millions of dollars' worth of photovoltaic panels to switching over to LED streetlights to — most famously — replacing all but a dozen or so of Carmel's traffic lights with roundabouts, which are not only safer for motorists and pedestrians but also more fuel-efficient. Six years ago, Brainard was one of only four Republicans appointed by President Obama to a State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience. More recently he appeared before a subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives, urging lawmakers to renew funding for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program, which helps local governments launch and maintain projects that reduce pollution and carbon emissions.

All of these activities, he insists, are intrinsically conservative. "The root of the word conservative is conserve," he says. "Conservatives think of themselves as not being reckless, but it would be reckless to ignore what the majority of the world's scientists are telling us about climate change. We see the impacts in our weather every day." A follow-up question elicits a who's who of Republican contributions to the modern-day environmental movement: Teddy Roosevelt's commitment to creating and preserving public lands; the enduring legacy of William Ruckelshaus, the first director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; the championing and signing of the ozone layer–protecting Montreal Protocol by Ronald Reagan; the creation of the National Climate Assessment by George H. W. Bush.

[fumpkins]

Republican mayors push climate action without saying ‘climate change’

Leadership in dealing with climate modification in the United States has actually moved far from Washington, D.C. Cities throughout the nation are arranging, networking, and sharing resources to lower their greenhouse gas emissions and deal with associated difficulties varying from air contamination to heat island results.

But group images at climate modification tops generally include big-city Democratic mayors rubbing shoulders. Republicans are rarer, with a couple of noteworthy exceptions, such as Kevin Faulconer of San Diego and James Brainard of Carmel, Indiana.

Faulconer co-chairs the Sierra Club’s Mayors for 100 Percent Clean Energy Initiative, which rallies mayors around a shared dedication to power their cities completely with tidy and renewable resource. Brainard is a long time champ of the problem within the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Climate Mayors network.

In our research study at the Boston University Initiative on Cities, we discovered that large-city Republican mayors avoid climate network subscriptions and their associated framing of the issue. But in a lot of cases they promote in your area for policies that assist advance climate objectives for other factors, such as financial duty and publichealth In short, the United States is making development on this problem in some unexpected locations.

Climate network members are generally Democrats

In our effort’s current report, “Cities Joining Ranks,” we methodically evaluated which U.S. cities come from 10 popular city climate networks. These networks, frequently established by mayors themselves, offer platforms to exchange info, supporter for city top priorities and reinforce city goverments’ technical capabilities.

The networks we evaluated consisted of Climate Mayors; We Are Still In, which represents companies that continue to support action to fulfill the targets in the Paris climate contract; and ICLEI USA.

We discovered a clear partisan divide in between Republican and Democratmayors On average, Republican- led cities with more than 75,000 locals come from less than one climate network. In contrast, cities with Democratic mayors came from approximately 4 networks. Among the 100 biggest U.S. cities, which 29 have Republican mayors and 63 have Democrats, Democrat- led cities are more than 4 times most likely to come from a minimum of one climate network.

This split has ramifications for city-level climateaction Joining these networks sends out an extremely public signal to constituents about the value of securing the environment, transitioning to cleaner kinds of energy, and dealing with climate modification. Some networks need cities to prepare for or carry out specific greenhouse gas reduction targets and report on their development, which suggests that mayors can be held liable.

Constituents in Republican- led cities assistance climate policies

Cities can likewise lower their carbon footprints and remain under the radar– a technique that is popular with Republicanmayors Taking the findings of the “Cities Joining Ranks” report as a beginning point, I checked out assistance for climate policies in Republican- led cities and the level of aspiration and openness in their climate strategies.

To deal with these concerns, I cross-referenced Republican- led cities with information from the Yale Climate Opinion maps, which offer insight into county-level assistance for 4 climate policies:

Regulating co2 as a contaminant

Imposing stringent co2 emission limitations on existing coal-fired power plants

Funding research study into renewable resource sources

Requiring energies to produce 20 percent of their electrical power from sustainable sources

In all the 10 biggest U.S. cities that have Republican mayors as well as voted Republican in the 2008 governmental election, county-level ballot information revealed bulk assistance for all 4 climate policies. Examples consisted of Jacksonville, Florida, and Fort Worth,Texas None of these cities took part in any of the 10 climate networks that we evaluated in our report.

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, CC BY-ND

This finding recommends that popular assistance exists for action on climate modification, which locals of these cities who promote acting might lobby their chosen authorities to sign up with climate networks. Indeed, we have actually discovered that a person of the leading 3 factors mayors sign up with city policy networks is since it indicates their top priorities. A mayor of a medium-sized West Coast city informed us: “Your constituents are expecting you to represent them, so we are trying politically to be their voice.”

Mayors sign up with networks to magnify their message, signal top priorities to constituents, and share info. BU Initiative on Cities, CC BY-ND.

Climate- friendly techniques, however couple of emissions targets

Next, I evaluated preparing files from the 29 biggest U.S. cities that are led by Republicanmayors Among this group, 15 have actually established or are establishing concrete objectives that assist their efforts to enhance regional ecological quality. Many of these actions lower cities’ carbon footprints, although they are not mainly framed that method.

Rather, these cities most regularly cast targets for accomplishing energy cost savings and suppressing regional air contamination as part of theirmaster plans Some bundle them as part of dedicated sustainability strategies.

These programs frequently stimulate pictures of disrupted ecosystems that have to be conserved, or that threaten human health and lifestyle. Some likewise spotlight expense savings from creating facilities to deal with more severe weather condition occasions.

In contrast, just 7 cities in this group had actually established quantitative greenhouse gas decrease targets. Except for Miami, all them remain in California, which needs its cities to align their greenhouse gas decrease targets with stateplans From preparation files, it appears that none of the 6 Californian cities goes far beyond minimum mandated emission decreases set by the state for 2020.

Greenhouse gas decreases objectives, with standards, for the 7 biggest Republican- led cities. Nicolas Gunkel, CC BY-ND.

Watch exactly what they do, not exactly what they state

The genuine procedure of Republican mayors taking action on climate modification is not the variety of networks they sign up with however the policy actions they take, frequently silently, in your home. While couple of Republican mayors might go to the next round of subnational climate tops, lots of have actually set out policy programs that reduce climate modification, without calling a great deal of focus on it–much like a number of rural U.S. communities Focusing directly on policy labels and public dedications by mayors cannot catch the numerous kinds of regional climate action, particularly in GOP-led cities.

Carmel,Indiana Mayor James Brainard has actually recommended that a few of his less-outspoken equivalents might fear a backlash from conservative opinion-makers. “There is a lot of Republicans out there that think like I do. They have been intimidated, to some extent, by the Tea Party and the conservative talk show hosts,” Brainard has actually stated.

Indeed, research studies reveal that the news environment has actually ended up beingincreasingly polarized around accepting or denying climate science Avoiding specific reference of climate modification is making it possible for a large variety of big-city GOP mayors to pursue policies that advance climate objectives.

var facebookPixelID='358159887968823';. ! function( f, b, e, v, n, t, s) if( f.fbq) return; n= f.fbq= function() n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply( n, arguments): n.queue.push( arguments);. if(! f. _ fbq) f. _ fbq= n; n.push= n; n.loaded=! 0; n.version=' 2.0'; n.queue =-LRB- **); t= b.createElement( e); t.async=! 0;. t.src= v; s= b.getElementsByTagName( e)[0];. s.parentNode.insertBefore( t, s). (window, file,' script','https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js');

fbq(' init', facebookPixelID );. fbq(' track', 'PageView');.

New post published on: https://livescience.tech/2018/05/31/republican-mayors-push-climate-action-without-saying-climate-change/

[prelawland]

The Legal Liability For Minneapolis After A Riot

By Katherine Kennedy, Binghamton University, Class of 2023

June 15, 2020

After the death of George Floyd, the people of Minneapolis took to protesting for reform in their police department. As these protests escalated into riots, many stores have gone through looting and major damages. As many of these stores need to shut down, government officials have taken action to prevent further financial damages to their cities. Among these government officials is Mayor Brainard of Carmel, Indiana, who announced in a news release his plan to sue the city of Minneapolis’ Police Department for negligence in containing the spread and violence of their riots and for having allowed Officer Derek Chauvin, who killed George Floyd, to remain in uniform despite his previous record of infractions.

For full article please visit

How The State Of Minneapolis Can Be Sued For Rioting

at

New York PreLaw Land

[newyorkprelawland-blog]

How The State Of Minneapolis Can Be Sued For Rioting

By Katherine Kennedy, Binghamton University, Class of 2023

June 15, 2020

“I can’t breathe”. As Americans turn on their televisions this morning, it is nearly impossible to ignore the thousands of protestors carrying signs saying this as they march in support of the current Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd. On May 25th, George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis, was arrested for being accused of purchasing cigarettes with a counterfeit bill. As four police officers arrived at the scene to arrest Floyd, Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck, causing him to lose consciousness and most unfortunately, his life.

Soon after the death of George Floyd came national outrage, with protests beginning in the city of Minneapolis.Although many protestors aim to protest peacefully, events of violent rioting occurred with looting of local stores. Many stores in the city reported robberies and destruction of property[1], with the list still growing.

One particular Minneapolis Target location pictured below shows the extremity of some of these riots. With the contents of many stores being robbed and the extensive damage brought upon the facilities from looting, some locations have no option but to close down indefinitely.

Naturally,business owners have begun to worry about how they must plan to financially recover from this and rebuild their storefronts.With many people already out of jobs and with small business in an already unfortunate financial situation due to the coronavirus, even essential businesses such as grocery stores have been looted and destroyed to the point of shutdown. Areas with higher rates of looting and stores being burnt down are experiencing food shortages and many people are risking losing access to their food supplies from grocery stores without donations[3]. Even though food drives to raise donations are being held, government officials are the ones who must plan for the future of their cities and states as their citizens go through this crisis.

One Indiana mayor, James Brainard of Carmel, IN, had taken measures to make sure that his city can recover from the rioting originating in Minneapolis. Mayor Brainard’s plan to do this was through suing the city of Minneapolis. According to a Facebook post from the City of Carmel, Indiana Government, an announcement was issued stating, “Carmel has retained outside legal counsel and is planning to take action against the City of Minneapolis for negligence for the expenses incurred protecting our community as a result of the actions by police in Minneapolis.”[4]Mayor Brainard also encouraged other cities to take part in the lawsuit in his post, as he believed that Minneapolis had to be held accountable for not controlling the riots enough for them to spread into other cities and cause massive financial losses. Essentially, Brainard claimed that if the Minneapolis police department and local government had been more responsible with controlling the riots and making sure they did not escalate to violence, then the damage done in Carmel would never have happened.

Part of the negligence that Mayor Brainard had referred to was due to the fact that Officer Derek Chauvin had been allowed to remain hired to protect the city of Minneapolis even with his disciplinary history. CNN reported that Chauvin had shot two people upon arrests in 2006 and 2008, having killed the man in 2006 who was arrested for stabbing his girlfriend. CNN also reported that Chauvin had 18 previous disciplinary infractions, and Officer TouThau, who was also at the scene, “had six complaints filed with internal affairs, one of which was still open, according to the public summary released Thursday. The other five complaints had been closed without discipline.”[5]

Although the Carmel mayor has since announced that he will put the lawsuit on hold in order to avoid “inflicting more pain to the good people of Minneapolis”[6], there is still a possibility for the lawsuit to take place once Mayor Brainard decides it is the appropriate time to do so.

________________________________________________________________

Katherine Kennedy is a rising sophomore at Binghamton University pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics, and Law. She plans on attending law school after her graduation in 2023.

________________________________________________________________

[1]Uren, Adam. “A List of the Buildings Damaged, Looted in Minneapolis and St. Paul.” Bring Me The News, 1 June 2020, bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/a-list-of-the-buildings-damaged-looted-in-minneapolis-and-st-paul.

[2]Genovese, Daniella. “Looted Target Store in Minneapolis to Be Closed through Late 2020.” Fox Business, Fox Business, 1 June 2020, www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/target-minneapolis-riots-stores-closed.

[3]Page, Sydney. “A Minneapolis School Asked People to Donate Food for Students after Looting Closed Stores. 'Miles of Cars' Lined up.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 2 June 2020,www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/06/02/minneapolis-school-asked-people-donate-food-students-after-looting-closed-stores-miles-cars-lined-up/.

[4]“City of Carmel News Release.” Facebook, 1 June 2020, www.facebook.com/CityofCarmel/posts/10158530415775956.

[5]Andone, Dakin, et al. “The Minneapolis Police Officer Who Knelt on George Floyd's Neck Had 18 Previous Complaints against Him, Police Department Says.” CNN, Cable News Network, 29 May 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/05/28/us/minneapolis-officer-complaints-george-floyd/index.html.

[6]Wicentowski, Danny. “Lawsuit To Make Minneapolis Pay For Riot Damages 'On Hold': Mayor.” Carmel, IN Patch, Patch, 2 June 2020, patch.com/indiana/carmel/lawsuit-make-minneapolis-pay-riot-damages-hold-mayor.

 Photo Credit: Lorie Shaull

[samgibbons1607]

Minneapolis Mayor Addresses Riots

Contents

Postal service (usps) cars

Indianapolis mayor joe hogsett

Metropolitan police chief randal

Race riots happening

Mayor Brainard said Carmel was planning to take legal action against Minneapolis, alleging negligence in how it handled ...

Thousands of people took part in Wednesday night's protests, with police and citizens facing off across barricades ...

MINNEAPOLIS protesters have taken to stealing US postal service (usps) cars as demonstrations over the death of George Floyd ...

indianapolis mayor joe hogsett and Indianapolis metropolitan police chief randal Taylor will address two days of protesting ...

A central Indiana mayor has reversed course after initially announcing a plan to try and get Minneapolis to foot the bill for ...

Ellen DeGeneres is speaking out about the race riots happening across America in response to the killing of George Floyd at ...

EMERGENCY PLUMBER GLASGOW Plumber Glasgow 24/7 101 Maxwell St Glasgow G1 4EP 0141 473 6863

Places to find us online -

Plumber Glasgow

Emergency Plumbers Glasgow

plumberglasgow.pro

[npr]

A $5 million antique carousel is shaking up local politics in Carmel, Ind.

The Carmel City Council is expected to consider $76 million in new bonds to pay for various projects, including one for a new luxury hotel, a couple of new roundabouts and, an antique carousel.

Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard says the carousel will increase quality of life for residents of Carmel and could help attract the "best and brightest employees coming out of the best graduate schools across the globe."

But, while some residents are excited for the opportunity to ride an old fake horse around in a circle, there are plenty who don't love the idea of spending the city's bond money on a century-old carousel.

Century-Old Carousel Has One Indiana City Going 'Round And 'Round

Photos: Arlan Ettinger/Guernsey's

[lionel3350]

THROWBACK—REMEMBERING SHERIFF JACK COTTEY AS WE REMEMBER SHERIFF JACK COTTEY I FOUND A PHOTO WHERE I WAS ABLE TO GIVE HIM AN AWARD FOR HIS VISIONARY RESPONSE TO POLICING MATTERS IN INDIANAPOLIS, NOTABLE AMONG WHICH WAS THE CIVILIAN REVIEW POLICY THAT HE INSTITUTED...IN THAT CEREMONY, THE FIRST BLACK SUPT OF THE INDIANA STATE POLICE MELVIN CARRAWAY, AND THE MAYOR OF CARMEL INDIANA JIM BRAINARD WERE ALSO RECOGNIZED... REST IN PEACE SHERIFF JACK COTTEY. https://www.instagram.com/p/B4Ongu7n1bF/?igshid=1dfhnz40y3z6r

[climatemayors]

305 US Climate Mayors commit to adopt, honor and uphold Paris Climate Agreement goals

STATEMENT FROM THE CLIMATE MAYORS IN RESPONSE TO PRESIDENT TRUMP’S WITHDRAWAL FROM THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT

The President’s denial of global warming is getting a cold reception from America’s cities.

As 305 US Mayors representing 61 million Americans, we will adopt, honor, and uphold the commitments to the goals enshrined in the Paris Agreement. We will intensify efforts to meet each of our cities’ current climate goals, push for new action to meet the 1.5 degrees Celsius target, and work together to create a 21st century clean energy economy.

We will continue to lead. We are increasing investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency. We will buy and create more demand for electric cars and trucks. We will increase our efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions, create a clean energy economy, and stand for environmental justice. And if the President wants to break the promises made to our allies enshrined in the historic Paris Agreement, we’ll build and strengthen relationships around the world to protect the planet from devastating climate risks.

The world cannot wait — and neither will we.

Signed,

Mayor Eric Garcetti City of Los Angeles, CA

Mayor Martin J Walsh City of Boston, MA

Mayor Bill de Blasio New York City, NY

Mayor Sylvester Turner City of Houston, TX

Mayor Madeline Rogero City of Knoxville, TN

Mayor Rahm Emanuel City of Chicago, IL

Mayor Ed Murray City of Seattle, WA

Mayor Jim Kenney City of Philadelphia, PA

Mayor Kasim Reed City of Atlanta, GA

Mayor Lioneld Jordan City of Fayetteville, AR

Mayor Trish Herrera Spencer City of Alameda, CA

Mayor Kathy Sheehan City of Albany, NY

Mayor Sharon Konopa City of Albany , OR

Mayor Allison Silberberg City of Alexandria, VA

Mayor Ed Pawlowski City of Allentown, PA

Mayor Jeanne Sorg City of Ambler, PA

Mayor Ethan Berkowitz City of Anchorage, AK

Mayor Terence Roberts City of Anderson, SC

Mayor Christopher Taylor City of Ann Arbor, MI

Mayor Van W Johnson City of Apalachicola, FL

Mayor Susan Ornelas City of Arcata, CA

Mayor Peter R Porcino City of Ardsley, NY

Mayor Esther Manheimer City of Asheville, NC

Mayor Steve Skadron City of Aspen, CO

Mayor Steve Patterson City of Athens, OH

Mayor Steve Adler City of Austin, TX

Mayor Catherine E Pugh City of Baltimore , MD

Mayor Gordon T Ringberg City of Bayfield, WI

Mayor Denny Dole City of Beaverton, OR

Mayor Kelli Linville City of Bellingham, WA

Mayor Jesse Arreguin City of Berkeley, CA

Mayor Robert Donchez City of Bethlehem, PA

Mayor Michael P Cahill City of Beverly, MA

Mayor Ben Kessler City of Bexley, OH

Mayor Richard C David City of Binghamton, NY

Mayor William Bell City of Birmingham, AL

Mayor Ron Rordam City of Blacksburg, VA

Mayor John Hamilton City of Bloomington, IN

Mayor Dave Bieter City of Boise, ID

Mayor Suzanne Jones City of Boulder, CO

Mayor Carson Taylor City of Bozeman, MT

Mayor Eric Mamula City of Breckenridge, CO

Mayor Joseph P Ganim City of Bridgeport, CT

Mayor William W Moehle City of Brighton, NY

Mayor Lori S Liu City of Brisbane, CA

Mayor Brenda Hess City of Buchanan, MI

Mayor Byron W Brown City of Buffalo, NY

Mayor Miro Weinberger City of Burlington, VT

Mayor Elizabeth B Kautz City of Burnsville, MN

Mayor E Denise Simmons City of Cambridge, MA

Mayor Edwin Garcia City of Camuy, PR

Mayor Jim Brainard City of Carmel, IN

Mayor Lydia E Lavelle City of Carrboro, NC

Mayor Mike Webb City of Carver, MN

Mayor Deborah Frank Feinen City of Champaign, IL

Mayor Pam Hemminger City of Chapel Hill, NC

Mayor John J Tecklenburg City of Charleston, SC

Mayor Jennifer Roberts City of Charlotte, NC

Mayor Mike Signer City of Charlottesville, VA

Mayor Andy Berke City of Chattanooga, TN

Mayor Chuck Cahn City of Cherry Hill, NJ

Mayor Mary Casillas Salas City of Chula Vista, CA

Mayor Ted Terry City of Clarkston, GA

Mayor Frank G Jackson City of Cleveland, OH

Mayor Brian Treece City of Columbia, MO

Mayor Stephen K Benjamin City of Columbia, SC

Mayor Andrew Ginther City of Columbus, OH

Mayor Rebecca Tooley City of Coconut Creek, FL

Mayor Jeff Katz City of Cooperstown, NY

Mayor Brian Tobin City of Cortland, NY

Mayor Biff Traber City of Corvallis, OR

Mayor Jeffrey Cooper Culver City, CA

Mayor Savita Vaidhyanathan City of Cupertino, CA

Mayor Michael S Rawlings City of Dallas, TX

Mayor Robb Davis City of Davis, CA

Mayor Cary Glickstein City of Delray Beach, FL

Mayor Michael Hancock City of Denver, CO

Mayor T M Franklin Cownie City of Des Moines, IA

Mayor Mike Duggan City of Detroit, MI

Mayor Josh Maxwell City of Downingtown, PA

Mayor Roy D Buol City of Dubuque, IA

Mayor Emily Larson City of Duluth, MN

Mayor William V Bell City of Durham, NC

Mayor Mark Meadows City of East Lansing, MI

Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens City of Eden Prairie, MN

Mayor Kris Teegardin City of Edgewater, CO

Mayor Dave Earling City of Edmonds, WA

Mayor Janet Abelson City of El Cerrito, CA

Mayor David Kaptain City of Elgin, IL

Mayor Catherine Blakespear City of Encinitas, CA

Mayor Lucy Vinis City of Eugene, OR

Mayor Stephen H Hagerty City of Evanston, IL

Mayor Ray Stephanson City of Everett, WA

Mayor Edward Malloy City of Fairfield, IA

Mayor Peter Lindstrom City of Falcon Heights, MN

Mayor David Tarter City of Falls Church, VA

Mayor Colleen Mahr City of Fanwood, NJ

Mayor David Coulter City of Ferndale, MI

Mayor Coral J Evans City of Flagstaff, AZ

Mayor Karen Weaver City of Flint, MI

Mayor Wade Troxell City of Fort Collins, CO

Mayor Jack Seiler City of Fort Lauderdale, FL

Mayor Tom Henry City of Fort Wayne, IN

Mayor Bob Scott City of Franklin, NC

Mayor Lily Mei City of Fremont, CA

Mayor Kachen Kimmell City of Gambier, OH

Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson City of Gary, IN

Mayor Tammy Stempel City of Gladstone, OR

Mayor Bruce J Packer City of Glen Rock, NJ

Mayor Bryan Kennedy City of Glendale, WI

Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken City of Gloucester, MA

Mayor Rosalynn Bliss City of Grand Rapids, MI

Mayor Nancy Vaughan City of Greensboro, NC

Mayor Knox H White City of Greenville, SC

Mayor Samuel Henderson City of Gulfport, FL

Mayor Joy Cooper City of Hallandale Beach, FL

Mayor Karen Majewski City of Hamtramck, MI

Mayor Luke Bronin City of Hartford, CT

Mayor Peter Swiderski City of Hastings-on-Hudson, NY

Mayor Harry Kim City of Hawai’i , HI

Mayor Barbara Halliday City of Hayward, CA

Mayor Shaun McCaffery City of Healdsburg, CA

Mayor Gayle Brill Mittler City of Highland Park, NJ

Mayor Nancy R Rotering City of Highland Park, IL

Mayor Patrick Taylor City of Highlands, NC

Mayor Tom Stevens City of Hillsborough, NC

Mayor Dawn Zimmer City of Hoboken, NJ

Mayor Josh Levy City of Hollywood, FL

Mayor Alex B Morse City of Holyoke, MA

Mayor Paul Blackburn City of Hood River, OR

Mayor Candace B Hollingsworth City of Hyattsville, MD

Mayor Jim Throgmorton Iowa City , IA

Mayor Svante Myrick City of Ithaca, NY

Mayor Pete Muldoon City of Jackson , WY

Mayor Steven M Fulop Jersey City, NJ

Mayor Bobby J Hopewell City of Kalamazoo, MI

Mayor Sly James Kansas City, MO

Mayor Nina Jonas City of Ketchum, ID

Mayor Steven T Noble City of Kingston, NY

Mayor Jose Alvarez City of Kissimmee, FL

Mayor Tim Kabat City of La Crosse, WI

Mayor Christine Berg City of Lafayette, CO

Mayor Michael Summers City of Lakewood, OH

Mayor Adam Paul City of Lakewood, CO

Mayor J Richard Gray City of Lancaster, PA

Mayor Virg Bernero City of Lansing, MI

Mayor William Sprague City of Lapeer, MI

Mayor Richard J Kaplan City of Lauderhill, FL

Mayor Leslie Soden City of Lawrence, KS

Mayor Theodore W Becker City of Lewes, DE

Mayor Mark Stodola City of Little Rock, AR

Mayor Robert Garcia City of Long Beach, CA

Mayor Adam Schneider City of Long Branch, NJ

Mayor Dennis Coombs City of Longmont, CO

Mayor Mary Prochnow City of Los Altos, CA

Mayor Gary Waldeck City of Los Altos Hills, CA

Mayor Marico Sayoc City of Los Gatos, CA

Mayor Greg Fischer City of Louisville, KY

Mayor Robert Reichert City of Macon-Bibb County, GA

Mayor Paul R Soglin City of Madison, WI

Mayor Gary Christenson City of Malden, MA

Mayor Skylar Peak City of Malibu, CA

Mayor Barry Greenberg City of Maplewood , MO

Mayor Stephanie M Burke City of Medford, MA

Mayor Kirsten Keith City of Menlo Park, CA

Mayor Tomas Regalado City of Miami, FL

Mayor Philip Levine City of Miami Beach, FL

Mayor Gurdip Brar City of Middleton, WI

Mayor Daniel Drew City of Middletown, CT

Mayor Sean Strub City of Milford, PA

Mayor Benjamin G Blake City of Milford , CT

Mayor Reuben D Holober City of Millbrae, CA

Mayor Jeff Silvestrini City of Millcreek, UT

Mayor Tom Barrett City of Milwaukee, WI

Mayor Mark Gamba City of Milwaukie, OR

Mayor Betsy Hodges City of Minneapolis, MN

Mayor Wayne Messam City of Miramar, FL

Mayor John Engen City of Missoula, MT

Mayor Mary O’Connor City of Monona, WI

Mayor John Hollar City of Montpelier, VT

Mayor Timothy Dougherty City of Morristown, NJ

Mayor Jamie Irons City of Morro Bay , CA

Mayor Arlene Burns City of Mosier, OR

Mayor Fred Courtright City of Mount Pocono, PA

Mayor Ken Rosenberg City of Mountain View, CA

Mayor Jill Techel City of Napa, CA

Mayor Jim Donchess City of Nashua, NH

Mayor Megan Barry City of Nashville, TN

Mayor Jon Mitchell City of New Bedford, MA

Mayor Toni N Harp City of New Haven, CT

Mayor Mitch Landrieu City of New Orleans, LA

Mayor Tim Rogers City of New Paltz, NY

Mayor Ras J Baraka City of Newark, NJ

Mayor Donna D Holaday City of Newburyport, MA

Mayor Setti Warren City of Newton, MA

Mayor Paul Dyster City of Niagara Falls, NY

Mayor Chris Koos City of Normal, IL

Mayor Connie Leon-Kreps City of North Bay Village, FL

Mayor Francis M Womack City of North Brunswick, NJ

Mayor Smith Joseph City of North Miami, FL

Mayor David J Narkewicz City of Northampton, MA

Mayor Jennifer White City of Nyack, NY

Mayor Libby Schaaf City of Oakland, CA

Mayor Cheryl Selby City of Olympia, WA

Mayor Buddy Dyer City of Orlando, FL

Mayor Victoria Gearity City of Ossining, NY

Mayor Greg Scharff City of Palo Alto, CA

Mayor Jack Thomas Park City, UT

Mayor Donald Grebien City of Pawtucket, RI

Mayor David Glass City of Petaluma, CA

Mayor Greg Stanton City of Phoenix, AZ

Mayor Cindy S Perry City of Pittsboro, NC

Mayor William Peduto City of Pittsburgh, PA

Mayor Kurt R Metzger City of Pleasant Ridge, MI

Mayor Lamar Fisher City of Pompano Beach, FL

Mayor Ethan Strimling City of Portland, ME

Mayor Ted Wheeler City of Portland, OR

Mayor Jack Blalock City of Portsmouth, NH

Mayor Liz Lempert City of Princeton, NJ

Mayor Jorge O Elorza City of Providence, RI

Mayor Nancy McFarlane City of Raleigh, NC

Mayor Donald Terry City of Rancho Cordova, CA

Mayor John Marchione City of Redmond, WA

Mayor John Seybert Redwood City, CA

Mayor Hillary Schieve City of Reno, NV

Mayor Tom Butt City of Richmond, CA

Mayor Levar Stoney City of Richmond, VA

Mayor Lovely Warren City of Rochester, NY

Mayor Daniel Guzzi City of Rockwood, MI

Mayor Mike Fournier City of Royal Oak, MI

Mayor Darrell Steinberg City of Sacramento, CA

Mayor Alan Galbraith City of Saint Helena, CA

Mayor Christopher Coleman City of Saint Paul, MN

Mayor Kim Driscoll City of Salem, MA

Mayor Chuck Bennett City of Salem, OR

Mayor Jacob Day City of Salisbury, MD

Mayor Jackie Biskupski Salt Lake City, UT

Mayor Bob Grassilli City of San Carlos, CA

Mayor Kevin Faulconer City of San Diego, CA

Mayor Ed Lee City of San Francisco, CA

Mayor Sam Liccardo City of San Jose, CA

Mayor Pauline Russo Cutter City of San Leandro, CA

Mayor Heidi Harmon City of San Luis Obispo, CA

Mayor John Thomaides City of San Marcos, TX

Mayor Miguel Pulido City of Santa Ana, CA

Mayor Helene Schneider City of Santa Barbara, CA

Mayor Lisa M Gillmor City of Santa Clara, CA

Mayor Javier M Gonzales City of Santa Fe, NM

Mayor Ted Winterer City of Santa Monica, CA

Mayor Chris Coursey City of Santa Rosa, CA

Mayor Joanne D Yepsen City of Saratoga Springs, NY

Mayor Chris Lain City of Savanna, IL

Mayor Michael J Gonnelli City of Secaucus, NJ

Mayor George Van Dusen City of Skokie, IL

Mayor Scott A Saunders City of Smithville, TX

Mayor Matt Larson City of Snoqualmie, WA

Mayor Joe Curtatone City of Somerville, MA

Mayor Pete Buttigieg City of South Bend, IN

Mayor Philip K Stoddard City of South Miami, FL

Mayor Domenic J Sarno City of Springfield, MA

Mayor Lyda Krewson City of St Louis, MO

Mayor Len Pagano City of St Peters, MO

Mayor Rick Kriseman City of St Petersburg, FL

Mayor David Martin City of Stamford, CT

Mayor Elizabeth Goreham City of State College, PA

Mayor Michael Tubbs City of Stockton, CA

Mayor Glenn Hendricks City of Sunnyvale, CA

Mayor Michael J Ryan City of Sunrise, FL

Mayor Daniel E Dietch City of Surfside, FL

Mayor Timothy P Kearney City of Swarthmore, PA

Mayor Stephanie A Miner City of Syracuse, NY

Mayor Marilyn Strickland City of Tacoma, WA

Mayor Kate Stewart City of Takoma Park, MD

Mayor Andrew Gillum City of Tallahassee, FL

Mayor Bob Buckhorn City of Tampa, FL

Mayor Drew Fixell City of Tarrytown, NY

Mayor Sean Murphy City of Telluride, CO

Mayor Mark Mitchell City of Tempe, AZ

Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson City of Toledo, OH

Mayor Patrick J. Furey City of Torrance, CA

Mayor Jim Carruthers Traverse City, MI

Mayor Eric E Jackson City of Trenton, NJ

Mayor Jonathan Rothschild City of Tucson, AZ

Mayor Brian Stack Union City, NJ

Mayor Shelley Welsch University City, MO

Mayor Diane W Marlin City of Urbana, IL

Mayor Dave Chapin City of Vail, CO

Mayor Muriel Bowser City of Washington, D.C.

Mayor Oscar Rios City of Watsonville, CA

Mayor Shari G Cantor City of West Hartford, CT

Mayor Edward O’Brien City of West Haven, CT

Mayor John Heilman City of West Hollywood, CA

Mayor John Dennis City of West Lafayette, IN

Mayor Jeri Muoio City of West Palm Beach, FL

Mayor Christopher Cabaldon City of West Sacramento, CA

Mayor Daniel Corona City of West Wendover, NV

Mayor Daniel J Stermer City of Weston, FL

Mayor Thomas M Roach City of White Plains, NY

Mayor Ryan Reynolds City of Whitney Point, NY

Mayor Debora Fudge City of Windsor, CA

Mayor Allen Joines City of Winston Salem, NC

Mayor Angel Barajas City of Woodland, CA

Mayor Joseph M Petty City of Worcester, MA

Mayor Mike Spano City of Yonkers, NY

Mayor Amanda Maria Edmonds City of Ypsilanti, MI

Updated signatories as of 10:30am PT on June 15, 2017

[fumpkins]

Republican mayors push climate action without saying ‘climate change’

Leadership in addressing climate change in the United States has shifted away from Washington, D.C. Cities across the country are organizing, networking, and sharing resources to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and tackle related challenges ranging from air pollution to heat island effects.

But group photos at climate change summits typically feature big-city Democratic mayors rubbing shoulders. Republicans are rarer, with a few notable exceptions, such as Kevin Faulconer of San Diego and James Brainard of Carmel, Indiana.

Faulconer co-chairs the Sierra Club’s Mayors for 100 Percent Clean Energy Initiative, which rallies mayors around a shared commitment to power their cities entirely with clean and renewable energy. Brainard is a longtime champion of the issue within the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Climate Mayors network.

In our research at the Boston University Initiative on Cities, we found that large-city Republican mayors shy away from climate network memberships and their associated framing of the problem. But in many cases they advocate locally for policies that help advance climate goals for other reasons, such as fiscal responsibility and public health. In short, the United States is making progress on this issue in some surprising places.

Climate network members are mainly Democrats

In our initiative’s recent report, “Cities Joining Ranks,” we systematically reviewed which U.S. cities belong to 10 prominent city climate networks. These networks, often founded by mayors themselves, provide platforms to exchange information, advocate for urban priorities and strengthen city goverments’ technical capacities.

The networks we assessed included Climate Mayors; We Are Still In, which represents organizations that continue to support action to meet the targets in the Paris climate agreement; and ICLEI USA.

We found a clear partisan divide between Republican and Democrat mayors. On average, Republican-led cities with more than 75,000 residents belong to less than one climate network. In contrast, cities with Democratic mayors belonged to an average of four networks. Among the 100 largest U.S. cities, of which 29 have Republican mayors and 63 have Democrats, Democrat-led cities are more than four times more likely to belong to at least one climate network.

This split has implications for city-level climate action. Joining these networks sends a very public signal to constituents about the importance of safeguarding the environment, transitioning to cleaner forms of energy, and addressing climate change. Some networks require cities to plan for or implement specific greenhouse gas reduction targets and report on their progress, which means that mayors can be held accountable.

Constituents in Republican-led cities support climate policies

Cities can also reduce their carbon footprints and stay under the radar — a strategy that is popular with Republican mayors. Taking the findings of the “Cities Joining Ranks” report as a starting point, I explored support for climate policies in Republican-led cities and the level of ambition and transparency in their climate plans.

To tackle these questions, I cross-referenced Republican-led cities with data from the Yale Climate Opinion maps, which provide insight into county-level support for four climate policies:

Regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant

Imposing strict carbon dioxide emission limits on existing coal-fired power plants

Funding research into renewable energy sources

Requiring utilities to produce 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources

In all of the 10 largest U.S. cities that have Republican mayors and also voted Republican in the 2008 presidential election, county-level polling data showed majority support for all four climate policies. Examples included Jacksonville, Florida, and Fort Worth, Texas. None of these cities participated in any of the 10 climate networks that we reviewed in our report.

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, CC BY-ND

This finding suggests that popular support exists for action on climate change, and that residents of these cities who advocate acting could lobby their elected officials to join climate networks. Indeed, we have found that one of the top three reasons mayors join city policy networks is because it signals their priorities. A mayor of a medium-sized West Coast city told us: “Your constituents are expecting you to represent them, so we are trying politically to be their voice.”

Mayors join networks to amplify their message, signal priorities to constituents, and share information. BU Initiative on Cities, CC BY-ND.

Climate-friendly strategies, but few emissions targets

Next, I reviewed planning documents from the 29 largest U.S. cities that are led by Republican mayors. Among this group, 15 have developed or are developing concrete goals that guide their efforts to improve local environmental quality. Many of these actions reduce cities’ carbon footprints, although they are not primarily framed that way.

Rather, these cities most frequently cast targets for achieving energy savings and curbing local air pollution as part of their master plans. Some package them as part of dedicated sustainability strategies.

These agendas often evoke images of disrupted ecosystems that need to be conserved, or that endanger human health and quality of life. Some also spotlight cost savings from designing infrastructure to cope with more extreme weather events.

In contrast, only seven cities in this group had developed quantitative greenhouse gas reduction targets. Except for Miami, all of them are in California, which requires its cities to align their greenhouse gas reduction targets with state plans. From planning documents, it appears that none of the six Californian cities goes far beyond minimum mandated emission reductions set by the state for 2020.

Greenhouse gas reductions goals, with baselines, for the seven largest Republican-led cities. Nicolas Gunkel, CC BY-ND.

Watch what they do, not what they say

The real measure of Republican mayors taking action on climate change is not the number of networks they join but the policy steps they take, often quietly, at home. While few Republican mayors may attend the next round of subnational climate summits, many have set out policy agendas that mitigate climate change, without calling a lot of attention to it — much like a number of rural U.S. communities. Focusing narrowly on policy labels and public commitments by mayors fails to capture the various forms of local climate action, especially in GOP-led cities.

Carmel, Indiana Mayor James Brainard has suggested that some of his less-outspoken counterparts may fear a backlash from conservative opinion-makers. “There is a lot of Republicans out there that think like I do. They have been intimidated, to some extent, by the Tea Party and the conservative talk show hosts,” Brainard has said.

Indeed, studies show that the news environment has become increasingly polarized around accepting or denying climate science. Avoiding explicit mention of climate change is enabling a sizable number of big-city GOP mayors to pursue policies that advance climate goals.

var facebookPixelID = '358159887968823'; !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments); if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) (window,document,'script','https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js');

fbq('init', facebookPixelID ); fbq('track', 'PageView'); document.write('<a style="display:none!important" id="2580009">'); if (window.AED_SHOW) window.AED_SHOW(wid: '2580009',shortkey:'E2J2jQN', size:'728x90', custom:); else

New post published on: https://www.livescience.tech/2018/05/31/republican-mayors-push-climate-action-without-saying-climate-change/

[mrhenryharrell]

June 4 Green Energy News

Headline News:

“China steps up clean energy generation efforts” • China already has the world’s largest clean energy capacity, and in 2015, the country’s investment in clean energy exceeded $100 billion, accounting for one-third of the world’s total, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. And more investment is pouring in. [Global Times]

Fish farming and solar power together (Photo: CFP)

An unprecedented number of solar fuels have been identified thanks to the combined efforts of researchers from Caltech and Berkeley Lab. Solar fuels are chemical fuels produced using the sun. Researcher John Gregoire explained, “Solar fuels technology will provide us clean fuels just as solar cells provide clean electricity.” [Power Technology]

WWF Scotland’s analysis of renewables found wind turbines alone provided 863,495 MWh of electricity to the National Grid during May. The figure, environmentalists say, is enough to supply the average electrical needs of 95% of Scottish households. It is also an increase of almost 20% compared with May 2016. [The Scotsman]

There’s too much momentum in the nation’s clean-energy economy for President Trump to shut it down, energy experts say. The Republican-dominated city of Carmel, Indiana, has committed to 100% renewable energy in 20 years, Mayor Jim Brainard said in a conference call. Work on the plan began long before the Paris Accord. [San Francisco Chronicle]

US Energy Secretary Rick Perry reassured Japan that America is committed to tackling environmental issues and promoting clean energy even though it is leaving the Paris climate accord. Perry told Japanese counterpart Hiroshige Seko in Tokyo that the US commitment to environmental issues remains unchanged. [The Japan Times]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

June 4 Green Energy News posted first on Green Energy Times

[stephenmccull]

To Stem COVID, This Small Indiana City Decided To Test All Public-Facing Employees

Behind a nondescript strip mall in Carmel, Indiana, a short line of cars gathers mid-afternoon next to a large tent. Medical professionals stand out front, dressed head to toe in blue medical coveralls. People in the cars — many of them first responders — drive up to be tested for COVID-19.

The test involves a really long swab placed deep into the nose, toward the back of the throat.

“No, it’s not fun, but it’s quick. I would say painless, but it is a little painful,” Carmel firefighter Tim Griffin said. “It’s 5-10 seconds and then it’s all done and the burning goes away and you move on.”

While there were shortages of COVID-19 tests across the country in March and April, this affluent Indianapolis suburb took an unusual step to keep residents safe. All city employees who deal directly with the public — such as police officers and emergency medical services personnel and sanitation workers — were tested weekly even if they showed no symptoms. Their families could also be tested.

Carmel is among a growing number of communities that have opened the door to wider COVID-19 testing. For now, the team in Carmel is testing workers weekly, and leaders said they are reevaluating the program frequently to determine its necessity.

“I think that, as we’ve seen from the World Health Organization and others, ‘test test test’ is very much the message that is going out there,” said Claire Standley, an assistant research professor with the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University.

Email Sign-Up

Subscribe to KHN’s free Morning Briefing.

Sign Up

Please confirm your email address below:

Sign Up

While public health experts call for more testing, the gold standard for slowing the spread of the new coronavirus is to pair testing with a strong contact tracing program. During contact tracing, public health staffers help patients recall all the people with whom they have had recent close contact, and then staffers inform those people they may have been exposed to the virus.

Carmel, a city of more than 90,000, does not have a contact tracing program. But Mayor Jim Brainard said Carmel works to contain the virus when an employee tests positive. He said the worker is asked to self-quarantine. Then the city tests family members and other close contacts.

The state of Indiana recently announced plans for its own contact tracing program.

Carmel is home to NFL athletes and CEOs and has a large arts district and top-rated schools. The median household income is over $100,000 a year — about double the national figure.

In Carmel, the lab is at the same site as the test collection, a setup that Standley said helps speed the supply chain, because test results are back in days.

“It’s not that helpful if you get a test [and] you can’t get the result out to that person until four or five days later,” Standley said.

The tests are taken just a few steps from the line of cars and the large tent to a private lab called Aria Diagnostics. Lab owner Zak Khan said Aria had to quickly pivot in the coronavirus crisis. The lab switched from doing toxicology tests from doctors’ offices to processing hundreds of COVID-19 tests each day. Khan’s lab turns the COVID-19 tests around in 24 to 48 hours.

Zak Khan’s Aria Diagnostics lab processes hundreds of COVID-19 tests daily — posting results in 24 to 48 hours.(Carter Barrett/Side Effects Public Media)

Aria now works with a number of municipalities in central Indiana that want first responders tested for the virus. The lab also processes the tests of people with doctors’ orders or those who pay $175 out-of-pocket.

���I think it’s a really cool study in how a municipality can utilize and leverage the power it wields to great positive effect in a very short period of time,” Khan said. “I don’t know how else we would do that.”

The Indianapolis Star reported that Khan donated $3,000 to Brainard’s mayoral reelection campaigns, sparking concerns over ethics.

Stopping the asymptomatic spread of coronavirus is the idea behind Carmel’s testing initiative. Brainard, and health experts, looked to Iceland and South Korea, countries where testing was quickly expanded to include people who work in jobs where they have a high chance of spreading the coronavirus to many others.

Carmel officials said the testing isn’t about protecting just first responders; it also helps protect city residents.

“We do go into homes, and not just on patients that have COVID, but we’re going into homes with people that are sick, very sick, you know, whether it be cancer, heart issues, diabetic problems, you name it,” said Griffin, the firefighter. “So this way we know if one of us is asymptomatic and we could possibly spread it to one of those patients.”

Griffin is one of 350 city workers being tested each week. The city had administered about 2,000 tests as of early May.

More From The Midwest Bureau

View More

“The goal is to slow it down, so our hospitals aren’t overwhelmed,” Brainard said. “If we do that, we know we can save lives.”

Brainard said area hospitals did not have a shortage of tests, so he decided to check city employees regularly.

Carmel has seen a positive rate of 2.5%. The city said the majority of these cases weren’t yet symptomatic or were asymptomatic.

“We’ve had several first responders test positive. We’ve had several home sick,” Brainard said soon after testing began. “We have one in the hospital right now, and we’re hopeful that he recovers soon.”

This program is costly — Carmel expects to spend $500,000 to $600,000 from its health insurance fund for a month of testing. The fund, which usually pays for doctor visits or surgeries, now has fewer elective procedures to pay for, so the city said it can handle the costs.

To Stem COVID, This Small Indiana City Decided To Test All Public-Facing Employees published first on https://smartdrinkingweb.weebly.com/

[dinafbrownil]

To Stem COVID, This Small Indiana City Decided To Test All Public-Facing Employees

Behind a nondescript strip mall in Carmel, Indiana, a short line of cars gathers mid-afternoon next to a large tent. Medical professionals stand out front, dressed head to toe in blue medical coveralls. People in the cars — many of them first responders — drive up to be tested for COVID-19.

The test involves a really long swab placed deep into the nose, toward the back of the throat.

“No, it’s not fun, but it’s quick. I would say painless, but it is a little painful,” Carmel firefighter Tim Griffin said. “It’s 5-10 seconds and then it’s all done and the burning goes away and you move on.”

While there were shortages of COVID-19 tests across the country in March and April, this affluent Indianapolis suburb took an unusual step to keep residents safe. All city employees who deal directly with the public — such as police officers and emergency medical services personnel and sanitation workers — were tested weekly even if they showed no symptoms. Their families could also be tested.

Carmel is among a growing number of communities that have opened the door to wider COVID-19 testing. For now, the team in Carmel is testing workers weekly, and leaders said they are reevaluating the program frequently to determine its necessity.

“I think that, as we’ve seen from the World Health Organization and others, ‘test test test’ is very much the message that is going out there,” said Claire Standley, an assistant research professor with the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University.

Email Sign-Up

Subscribe to KHN’s free Morning Briefing.

Sign Up

Please confirm your email address below:

Sign Up

While public health experts call for more testing, the gold standard for slowing the spread of the new coronavirus is to pair testing with a strong contact tracing program. During contact tracing, public health staffers help patients recall all the people with whom they have had recent close contact, and then staffers inform those people they may have been exposed to the virus.

Carmel, a city of more than 90,000, does not have a contact tracing program. But Mayor Jim Brainard said Carmel works to contain the virus when an employee tests positive. He said the worker is asked to self-quarantine. Then the city tests family members and other close contacts.

The state of Indiana recently announced plans for its own contact tracing program.

Carmel is home to NFL athletes and CEOs and has a large arts district and top-rated schools. The median household income is over $100,000 a year — about double the national figure.

In Carmel, the lab is at the same site as the test collection, a setup that Standley said helps speed the supply chain, because test results are back in days.

“It’s not that helpful if you get a test [and] you can’t get the result out to that person until four or five days later,” Standley said.

The tests are taken just a few steps from the line of cars and the large tent to a private lab called Aria Diagnostics. Lab owner Zak Khan said Aria had to quickly pivot in the coronavirus crisis. The lab switched from doing toxicology tests from doctors’ offices to processing hundreds of COVID-19 tests each day. Khan’s lab turns the COVID-19 tests around in 24 to 48 hours.

Zak Khan’s Aria Diagnostics lab processes hundreds of COVID-19 tests daily — posting results in 24 to 48 hours.(Carter Barrett/Side Effects Public Media)

Aria now works with a number of municipalities in central Indiana that want first responders tested for the virus. The lab also processes the tests of people with doctors’ orders or those who pay $175 out-of-pocket.

“I think it’s a really cool study in how a municipality can utilize and leverage the power it wields to great positive effect in a very short period of time,” Khan said. “I don’t know how else we would do that.”

The Indianapolis Star reported that Khan donated $3,000 to Brainard’s mayoral reelection campaigns, sparking concerns over ethics.

Stopping the asymptomatic spread of coronavirus is the idea behind Carmel’s testing initiative. Brainard, and health experts, looked to Iceland and South Korea, countries where testing was quickly expanded to include people who work in jobs where they have a high chance of spreading the coronavirus to many others.

Carmel officials said the testing isn’t about protecting just first responders; it also helps protect city residents.

“We do go into homes, and not just on patients that have COVID, but we’re going into homes with people that are sick, very sick, you know, whether it be cancer, heart issues, diabetic problems, you name it,” said Griffin, the firefighter. “So this way we know if one of us is asymptomatic and we could possibly spread it to one of those patients.”

Griffin is one of 350 city workers being tested each week. The city had administered about 2,000 tests as of early May.

More From The Midwest Bureau

View More

“The goal is to slow it down, so our hospitals aren’t overwhelmed,” Brainard said. “If we do that, we know we can save lives.”

Brainard said area hospitals did not have a shortage of tests, so he decided to check city employees regularly.

Carmel has seen a positive rate of 2.5%. The city said the majority of these cases weren’t yet symptomatic or were asymptomatic.

“We’ve had several first responders test positive. We’ve had several home sick,” Brainard said soon after testing began. “We have one in the hospital right now, and we’re hopeful that he recovers soon.”

This program is costly — Carmel expects to spend $500,000 to $600,000 from its health insurance fund for a month of testing. The fund, which usually pays for doctor visits or surgeries, now has fewer elective procedures to pay for, so the city said it can handle the costs.

from Updates By Dina https://khn.org/news/to-stem-covid-this-small-indiana-city-decided-to-test-all-public-facing-employees/