Category Archives: Progress

While researchers havent yet found a way to prevent or cure dementia, including Alzheimers disease, theyre making progress on how to catch it early. The findings from three new studies, two from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and one from Rush Alzheimers Disease Center, are important for better understanding cognitive declines that steal life from the living and strain the health care system.

The university created the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimers Prevention to study men and women with family histories of dementia. One of the new studies found a correlation between hearing loss and mild cognitive decline in 9.2 percent of 783 participants over four years. Hearing loss is easy to measure and could be a readily observable early-warning sign of dementia.

The study documented the hearing loss among participants in late middle age, compared with traditional dementia studies focusing on older people, and that is important because treatment for dementia should begin as early as possible. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine noted that last month in a report lamenting the significant gaps in knowledge about Alzheimers and recommending a doubling down on research into dementia.

The second University of Wisconsin study found a correlation between diminished oral fluency and cognitive decline in about 25 percent of 264 participants, who were drawn from the registry and followed for as long as 10 years. Researchers noted hesitations, word repetition and other minor changes in some of those who also were found to have experienced cognitive loss.

As with hearing decline, these are changes that might easily be measured and used as a red flag, perhaps in the general practitioners office, where screening for dementia should become as common as it is for depression and other chronic diseases.

In its study, Rush Alzheimers Disease Center, part of the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, found a correlation between cognitive declines and older people who have a higher number of hospitalizations for emergency care. This is another possible warning sign.

The National Academies said they were unable to provide definitive advice on how to prevent Alzheimers, the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S., because research studies hadnt provided enough clues. Their report said the best steps now are for people to be active, keep stimulating their brains and ride herd on their blood pressure measures long considered important for general physical and brain health.

The academy also called for more research into dementia, including studies that focus on different social groups, such as young adults, with an eye toward early detection. The University of Wisconsin and Rush Alzheimers Disease Center researchers already were on the case. With more studies like these, the pieces of the Alzheimers puzzle will start to fall into place.

FROM AN EDITORIAL IN THE PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE

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Researchers are making progress on understanding dementia - Minneapolis Star Tribune

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Advocates fear Trump budget will erode progress in housing Sacramento Bee Sharron Liggins, executive director of the Continuum of Care Network of Northwest Indiana, said that if the proposed cuts come to fruition, it will "erode the progress" that's been made in reducing homelessness. The Indiana Housing & Community ... Advocates fear Trump budget will erode progress in housing - San ...San Francisco Chronicle all 4 news articles »

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Advocates fear Trump budget will erode progress in housing - Sacramento Bee

For sixty years, the annual Progress Days parade has marched forward, in step with the city, growing and bringing together the community.

On Saturday, community members lined the streets between Soldotna High School and the George A. Navarre Borough Administration Building and the sun shined bright in celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of Progress Days.

For 26 years, Tracy Hillhouse-Price has come back to Soldotna for the parade, whether she lived in Juneau, Anchorage or Sitka. She found herself in Soldotna again on Saturday, watching the parade from the front lawn of the Joyce K. Carver Memorial Soldotna Public Library, and shading herself from the bright, afternoon sunshine.

My first parade that I went to, I was four years old, Hillhouse-Price said.

She walked in that first parade, her mother, Theresa Hillhouse, said.

The pair said a big draw for them to keep coming back is family.

Progress-wise, the city has definitely developed more, Hillhouse-Price said. The families have stayed and the people have come back, they want to come back.

The theme of family ran strong throughout the parade route, with entire clans sitting on their front lawns or along the sidewalks.

Family, its all about family, Ardie Crawford said. Its tradition, weve been dragging my kids down to this parade every year. We do it all, the parade, the rodeo, everything and well continue to do it.

Crawford knows her family will be attending future Progress Days, but it is a question of what Soldotna will look like in the years to come.

I would love to see more of a downtown area, Hillhouse-Price said. You just dont have that here, someplace to stroll and take a look into the shops.

With continued growth, though, others hope that residents stay responsible.

I would like to see much, much less trash, said Zoey Welch. I wish that, in the future, we have a happy environment no matter what.

Other residents are more specific with their dreams for Soldotna.

I want to do dancing and gymnastics, 12-year-old Zeraphina Tucker said. So, I want lots more of that around here.

The parade itself had a wide variety of physical feats, including local dance troops and Kanto performers visiting from Akita, the Kenai Peninsula Boroughs city sister in Japan. The performers balanced tall bamboo poles with lanterns attached throughout the parade.

I see bigger buildings in the future, a lot more people and I think there will be more stores, 11-year-old Toli Boutwell said. Like an Olive Garden, I like their breadsticks.

Boutwell participated in the parade for the first time this year, riding most of the route while balancing on his motorized hoverboard and handing out candy in support of Priceless Alaska, an organization aimed at helping victims of human trafficking.

Maybe we could get a Toys R Us so I can buy another hoverboard, Boutwell said.

Other parade participants were hopeful for future progress, thanks to a big win earlier this year.

Progress, for us, is saving the Kenai River Brown Bears for another season, Rick VanHatten, a supporter of the junior hockey team, said. That was tremendous progress right there. It was a huge community effort but we cant stop now.

No attendee at Saturdays parade seemed interesting in Soldotna slowing down any time soon, though.

I think that people want Soldotna to get better and better, Shirly Zobeck said. Even through hard times, were trying to stay up there and you can see it today, especially on this beautiful day. Today is all about the sunshine.

Progress Day festivities continue today with live entertainment, food booths and vendors in Soldotna Creek Park from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. The Soldotna Rodeo will start 2 p.m. on the Soldotna Rodeo Grounds on Kalifornsky Beach Road.

The city of Soldotna will also serve a free community picnic including hot dogs, chips and drinks at noon in Soldotna Creek Park.

Reach Kat Sorensen at kat.sorensen@peninsulaclarion.com

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Progress days keep progressing - Kenai Peninsula Online

CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) Advocates fear that cuts to affordable housing programs included in President Donald Trumps proposed budget will undermine several years of declines in homelessness across Indiana.

Caroline Shook, chief executive officer of Housing Opportunities in Valparaiso, said the presidents proposed budget for fiscal year 2018 would eliminate several federal grants relied upon by shelters and homeless assistance programs.

Sharron Liggins, executive director of the Continuum of Care Network of Northwest Indiana, said that if the proposed cuts come to fruition, it will impact the work of those working to end homelessness.

It will erode the progress weve made, she told The (Northwest Indiana) Times.

The Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority recently reported that a statewide survey of the homeless population conducted each year on Jan. 25 found 3,203 homeless people this year in Indiana, not including Marion and St. Joseph counties. That was down 13.6 percent from the 3,711 homeless people counted a year earlier.

Over five years, the homeless population has fallen 17.4 percent.

State and local officials attributed the continued reduction in homelessness to rapid rehousing and housing-first programs, which aim to quickly transition homeless persons into permanent, affordable housing without preconditions. The programs provide social services after the person has been housed.

The most dramatic declines have occurred among homeless veterans and the chronically homeless. A person is chronically homeless if he or she has been homeless for at least a year, or repeatedly homeless for several years, while struggling with a disabling condition, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

The statewide population of homeless veterans has fallen 33.4 percent in a five-year period, and the chronically homeless has declined by about 19 percent.

Shook said her Valparaiso agency began four years ago to prioritize the chronically homeless on its waiting list for housing services.

Liggins, of the Continuum of Care Network, said the reduction in both the chronically homeless and homeless veterans population in Lake County can be attributed to two supportive housing complexes: the South Shore Commons, a 60-unit apartment complex that opened in 2014, and the Northwest Indiana Veterans Village, a 44-unit apartment complex that opened last March.

A more troubling trend has been a steady increase statewide in the past several years in the number of homeless domestic violence victims. That population has increased almost 13 percent statewide since 2015, to 735 people.

Brad Meadows, a spokesman for the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority, said the loss of federal funds for transitional housing has hurt domestic violence providers across the state.

Homeless providers will get some new state assistance under a new law that created a homelessness prevention program based on the housing-first model. The current state budget provides $2 million for the program.

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Will budget cuts erode progress in housing? - South Bend Tribune

SOUTHPORT, England (AP) Rory McIlroy has gone 10 majors without winning, the longest stretch since he turned pro. He at least felt he made progress at the British Open, and he has reason to be excited for the next major.

For one thing, his form is improving.

Despite a horrid start at Royal Birkdale 5 over through six holes Thursday he bounced back with rounds of 68-69-67 to tie for fourth, his best finish in a major since he was fourth alone in the 2015 Masters.

And the PGA Championship is at Quail Hollow in North Carolina, where McIlroy has won twice. First up is the Bridgestone Invitational, where he won the last time he played Firestone in 2014.

Im excited for the next two weeks, he said. I havent played at Firestone for a couple of years. The last time I played there I won. And Ive had some good finishes. Quail Hollow, Ive played well there. Shot a couple of course records, a couple of wins. Got beaten in a playoff, as well. Another couple of top 10s thrown in there. So I play well at Quail Hollow. I love the golf course. I know theyve made a few changes, but Ill have some really good vibes going into that week.

McIlroy was coming off three missed cuts in his previous four tournaments, so he called his performance a step in the right direction.

Even so, there were moments of taking two steps forward and one step back. He wasted a great start in the third round with back-to-back bogeys late on the front nine and a double bogey on No. 10. And right when he had an outside chance to make a move, he took a bogey on the par-5 16th when he lost his tee shot.

I thought I had a chance to post a number and at least scare them a little bit, he said about Jordan Spieth and Matt Kuchar.

At least he wont have to think too much on that start. McIlroy finished seven shots behind.

LOST OPPORTUNITY: Austin Connelly, the 20-year-old in his first major, started six shots behind and in the penultimate group at a major championship. He didnt make a birdie until the 11th hole, closed with a 73 and tied for 14th.

At stake was a spot in the Masters if he had stayed in the top four.

He also could have secured a spot next year in the British Open if he had finished in the top 10.

Connelly wasnt hanging his head, however. He is off to Germany next week for the Porsche European Open and said he would play the European Tour the rest of the year.

It was definitely a rough start on the front nine, he said. But it was nice to battle back the way I did. The main issue I had out there was just hitting way too many bunkers. I think I plugged it in three bunkers, and you just cant do that. Happy with the way I played. Happy with the way I hit it. It was just very difficult out there. Take a lot of positives away from it.

ROSE LOOKS BACK: Justin Rose came to Royal Birkdale looking for a British Open championship, not a celebration of his debut on the course 19 years ago.

He got neither, though he still holds a fond spot for the course where he finished fourth as a 17-year-old amateur in 1998.

It would be a dream to win here, but this course doesnt owe me anything, right? Rose said. That was 19 years ago. You dont expect to play well here because of what happened 19 years ago.

Rose, whose only major title came in the U.S. Open, finished with a final-round 70 and was 4 over for the tournament. He blamed a change he has made in his swing, not the golf course.

I think all the guys respect this golf course. Everybody thinks its one of the best ones we play on the rotation, he said. I think its fair.

ROUGH STARTS: Dustin Johnson thought he might have an outside chance to make a move. That notion ended quickly.

Johnson hit into a bunker on the first hole and had to blast out sideways because of the lie. He rolled a putt from short of the green to about 5 feet, and then missed that to make double bogey. Johnson bogeyed the next hole, made only one birdie and shot a 77.

Right behind him was Hideki Matsuyama, who started even worse. His opening tee shot sailed into a gorse bush, and he had to hit two from the first tee. The Japanese star opened with a triple bogey. He at least managed to salvage a 72.

RETURN TRIP: Matthew Southgate earned himself a trip back to the British Open with his final-round 65. He just missed out on a bonus prize.

When the 29-year-old Englishman walked off the 18th green at Royal Birkdale, he was in fourth place and set for a qualifying spot in next years Masters. He has never played at Augusta National.

However, Southgate was overtaken by Rory McIlroy and Rafa Cabrera Bello after they picked up ground over the closing holes. Southgate tied for sixth.

At least he made up for last year at Royal Troon, when he missed out on a top-10 finish and therefore an automatic spot in the following years Open by one stroke.

Id be lying to say I havent lost any sleep over it, said Southgate.

He has only missed one of the last four British Opens. During the 2015 tournament at St. Andrews, he was laid up on his sofa following surgery for testicular cancer.

DIVOTS: Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy were installed as co-favorites for the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. McIlroy is a two-time winner at Quail Hollow and has four other finishes in the top 10. Spieth played Quail Hollow in 2013 as a sponsors exemption when he was trying to get his PGA Tour card. He tied for 32nd and never returned because of conflicts with the Texas tournaments. Spieth improved to 9-5 when he has at least a share of the 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour. Hideki Matsuyama has finished in the top 15 at all three majors this year, including a runner-up finish in the U.S. Open.

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Progress for McIlroy, and optimism for the next major - FOXSports.com

By Sarah Wooton and Denise Walden

Recently, the Buffalo Police Department has announced two promising changes: It will start a body camera program and seek state accreditation. These address two of 32 recommendations in Collaboration, Communication and Community-Building: A New Model of Policing for 21st Century Buffalo, a 2016 report by the Partnership for the Public Good and Open Buffalo. These changes require careful implementation, however, and they must be accompanied by other reforms.

Body cameras can benefit both officers and civilians. Footage can be used to substantiate citizen claims of use of excessive force or to exonerate officers of unsubstantiated claims. Research suggests that both officers and residents behave better when being filmed.

But the policies that govern body cameras will be crucial to their success. First, the departments policy should outline exactly when officers must turn their cameras on, and establish consequences for violating this rule. Second, the policy should protect the privacy of vulnerable individuals, such as children. Third, it should make footage available to the public through an independent committee. In cities where footage is controlled by the police, body cameras lose credibility and value. Lastly, the body camera policy should be easily available to the public (currently, the department does not put its policy manual on its website).

In addition, the department has announced that it will seek outside accreditation, as required by the City Charter. This long-awaited move will provide an outside set of expert eyes to review policies and practices and suggest improvements. To ensure that it receives accreditation, the department should promptly negotiate with its union to begin annual performance reviews of all officers a glaring gap in its current management practices.

While accreditation and body cameras are promising, they cannot be the only improvements. In Open Buffalos 2016 survey of more than 2,000 Buffalonians, only 20 percent of residents felt that the police respected people of color. The policing reports 32 concrete recommendations are based on policies that have succeeded in other cities. Two examples are instituting fix-it tickets for minor offenses and requiring all officers to commit hours to community policing activities like foot patrols and attending community

meetings. Finally, it was disturbing that the Common Council canceled the Police Oversight Committee meeting scheduled for July after Police Commissioner Daniel Derenda said he could not attend.

The department should be seeking more, not fewer, opportunities to meet with lawmakers and citizens to discuss public safety and ideas for change. This is especially so given the infrequency of these meetings and the unanswered questions surrounding the deaths of Wardel Davis and Jose Hernandez-Rossy. Buffalo needs policing that is more community-based, open and accountable and those changes cannot happen without real citizen engagement.

Sarah Wooton is the policy analyst at the Partnership for the Public Good. Denise Walden is the community impact coordinator for Open Buffalo.

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Another Voice: Build on progress in police reforms - Buffalo News

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

What locals call "The Little Church in the Hills" was totally destroyed in the Detwiler Fire in Mt. Bullion, as seen on July 21, 2017.

What locals call "The Little Church in the Hills" was totally destroyed in the Detwiler Fire in Mt. Bullion, as seen on July 21, 2017.

Firefighters with Cal Fire continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, on July 19, 2017.

Firefighters with Cal Fire continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, on July 19, 2017.

An air tanker drops fire retardant along the ridge line above Lake McClure, on July 20, 2017.

An air tanker drops fire retardant along the ridge line above Lake McClure, on July 20, 2017.

George Skogan stayed in his home during the evacuation and is now clearing brush around his backyard, in Mt. Bullion, Ca., on Friday July 21, 2017.The fire came within 30 yards of his home.

George Skogan stayed in his home during the evacuation and is now clearing brush around his backyard, in Mt. Bullion, Ca., on Friday July 21, 2017.The fire came within 30 yards of his home.

What locals call "The Little Church in the Hills" was totally destroyed in the Detwiler Fire in Mt. Bullion, Ca., as seen on Friday July 21, 2017.

What locals call "The Little Church in the Hills" was totally destroyed in the Detwiler Fire in Mt. Bullion, Ca., as seen on Friday July 21, 2017.

What locals call "The Little Church in the Hills" was totally destroyed in the Detwiler Fire in Mt. Bullion, Ca., as seen on Friday July 21, 2017.

What locals call "The Little Church in the Hills" was totally destroyed in the Detwiler Fire in Mt. Bullion, Ca., as seen on Friday July 21, 2017.

Jeana Marshall, made a sign for the fire personnel fighting the Detwiler Fire, near where they have made over 5,000 sandwiches, at the River Rock Inn, as seen on Fri. July 21, 2017, in Mariposa, Ca.

Jeana Marshall, made a sign for the fire personnel fighting the Detwiler Fire, near where they have made over 5,000 sandwiches, at the River Rock Inn, as seen on Fri. July 21, 2017, in Mariposa, Ca.

An inmate firefighter team out of the McCain Valley keeps watch on a fire line as they continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

An inmate firefighter team out of the McCain Valley keeps watch on a fire line as they continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Air tanker drops fire retardant along the ridge line above Lake McClure, as the northern end of the Detwiler fire moves closer to Coulterville, Ca., on Thursday July 20, 2017.

Air tanker drops fire retardant along the ridge line above Lake McClure, as the northern end of the Detwiler fire moves closer to Coulterville, Ca., on Thursday July 20, 2017.

Firefighters with Cal Fire continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Firefighters with Cal Fire continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Structures and vehicles were destroyed as the fast moving fire tore through Mt. Bullion, Ca. on Tuesday night, as seen on Thursday July 20, 2017.

Structures and vehicles were destroyed as the fast moving fire tore through Mt. Bullion, Ca. on Tuesday night, as seen on Thursday July 20, 2017.

A helicopter makes a water drop as firefighters continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

A helicopter makes a water drop as firefighters continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

A scorched Highway 49 north of Mariposa, Ca., on Thursday July 20, 2017.

A scorched Highway 49 north of Mariposa, Ca., on Thursday July 20, 2017.

Dessy White packed up her chickens as Detwiler fire moved along the ridge lines at the northern end of the fire near Coulterville, Ca., on Thursday July 20, 2017. She lives about two miles from the fire.

Dessy White packed up her chickens as Detwiler fire moved along the ridge lines at the northern end of the fire near Coulterville, Ca., on Thursday July 20, 2017. She lives about two miles from the fire.

Cal Fire strike team leader Zack O'Neill works a fire line as firefighters continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Cal Fire strike team leader Zack O'Neill works a fire line as firefighters continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Jeffrey Hernandez with Cal Fire as firefighters continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Jeffrey Hernandez with Cal Fire as firefighters continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

The Detwiler fire burned over 45,000 acres Wednesday as over 2,000 firefighters worked to gain control of the blaze, officials said.

The Detwiler fire burned over 45,000 acres Wednesday as over 2,000 firefighters worked to gain control of the blaze, officials said.

An inmate firefighter team out of the McCain Valley keeps watch on a fire line as they continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

An inmate firefighter team out of the McCain Valley keeps watch on a fire line as they continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Structures and vehicles were destroyed as the fast moving fire tore through Mt. Bullion, Ca. on Tuesday night, as seen on Thursday July 20, 2017.

Structures and vehicles were destroyed as the fast moving fire tore through Mt. Bullion, Ca. on Tuesday night, as seen on Thursday July 20, 2017.

Structures and vehicles were destroyed as the fast moving fire tore through Mt. Bullion, Ca. on Tuesday night, as seen on Thursday July 20, 2017.

Structures and vehicles were destroyed as the fast moving fire tore through Mt. Bullion, Ca. on Tuesday night, as seen on Thursday July 20, 2017.

Structures and vehicles were destroyed as the fast moving fire tore through Mt. Bullion, Ca. on Tuesday night, as seen on Thursday July 20, 2017.

Structures and vehicles were destroyed as the fast moving fire tore through Mt. Bullion, Ca. on Tuesday night, as seen on Thursday July 20, 2017.

Structures and vehicles were destroyed as the fast moving fire tore through Mt. Bullion, Ca. on Tuesday night, as seen on Thursday July 20, 2017.

Structures and vehicles were destroyed as the fast moving fire tore through Mt. Bullion, Ca. on Tuesday night, as seen on Thursday July 20, 2017.

Structures and vehicles were destroyed as the fast moving fire tore through Mt. Bullion, Ca. on Tuesday night, as seen on Thursday July 20, 2017.

Structures and vehicles were destroyed as the fast moving fire tore through Mt. Bullion, Ca. on Tuesday night, as seen on Thursday July 20, 2017.

Structures and vehicles were destroyed as the fast moving fire tore through Mt. Bullion, Ca. on Tuesday night, as seen on Thursday July 20, 2017.

Structures and vehicles were destroyed as the fast moving fire tore through Mt. Bullion, Ca. on Tuesday night, as seen on Thursday July 20, 2017.

A burned sign along highway 140 west of in Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

A burned sign along highway 140 west of in Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Burned out structures and vehicles along highway 140 west of in Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Burned out structures and vehicles along highway 140 west of in Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Burned out structures and vehicles along highway 140 west of in Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Burned out structures and vehicles along highway 140 west of in Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Burned out structures along highway 140 west of in Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Burned out structures along highway 140 west of in Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Barbara Milazzo, on Wed. July 19, 2017, rescued her friend's cat "Andromeda" and brought the cat to the animal rescue center at the Evangelical Free Church evacuation center in Oakhurst, Ca.

Barbara Milazzo, on Wed. July 19, 2017, rescued her friend's cat "Andromeda" and brought the cat to the animal rescue center at the Evangelical Free Church evacuation center in Oakhurst, Ca.

Burned out structures and vehicles along highway 140 west of in Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Burned out structures and vehicles along highway 140 west of in Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Melted lawn chairs rest outside a residence leveled by the Detwiler fire near Mariposa, Calif., on Wednesday, July 19, 2017.

Melted lawn chairs rest outside a residence leveled by the Detwiler fire near Mariposa, Calif., on Wednesday, July 19, 2017.

Flames rise behind a vacant house as a firefighter works to halt the Detwiler fire near Mariposa, Calif., on Wednesday, July 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Flames rise behind a vacant house as a firefighter works to halt the Detwiler fire near Mariposa, Calif., on Wednesday, July 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

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Firefighters make progress on blaze in Gold Country - SFGate

Sarah Jane Weaver, Deseret News

Elder Robert D. Hales and his wife, Sister Mary Hales, after he was honored with one of the 2017 Pioneers of Progress Awards on July 13, 2017. The awards were presented as part of the annual Days of '47.

SALT LAKE CITY Days of '47 trustees honored six Utahns "who perpetuate a legacy of industry and integrity" during their annual banquet at which Pioneers of Progress awards are bestowed.

The awards honor Utahns nominated by the public whose lives and achievements commemorate principles of pioneering such as faith, courage, industry, integrity and sacrifice, and whose work benefits present and future generations.

The honorees on Thursday were:

Michelle Baker Science and technology

Baker is a biology professor and an associate of the Ecology Center at Utah State University. Baker's research focuses on water quality, and she is the director of iUTAH EPSCoR, a program aimed at strengthening Utah's water future. In addition to the Pioneers of Progress award, Baker also received the 2015 Governor's Medal for Excellence in science and technology.

Dell Loy Hansen Business and enterprise

Hansen is the founder and CEO of The Wasatch Group, a real estate agency in Salt Lake City. He is also the owner and chairman of Real Salt Lake, a major league soccer team. In addition, Hansen contributes to the Hansen Scholars Foundation, which offers scholarships to underprivileged students in Utah State University's Jon M. Huntsman School of Business. He also serves on Major League Soccer's board of governors and on the Utah Sports Commission board.

Kathleen Christy Education, health and humanitarian assistance

Christy has spent her life working in education and has served in many different positions, including a teacher, an equity specialist at the Utah State Office of Education, an elementary school principal and an assistant superintendent for the Salt Lake City School District. In addition, she currently serves on the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, the Utah Foster Care Foundation board and the Discovery Gateway Children's Museum board.

Susan Allred Historic and creative arts

Allred is a costume designer who developed a passion for her profession during her time at Southern Utah University. Her designs have been featured in Utah Opera, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir PBS Christmas Show and the Mormon Miracle Pageant. In addition to the Pioneers of Progress award, Allred was also awarded with the Governor's Award for her contribution to the arts in 2015.

Donald Evan Moss Legacy Award

Moss was an owner and co-founder of Chuck-A-Rama restaurants. He received an accounting degree from the University of Utah, and served in the Utah and Idaho National Guard for six years. He was also active in a Rotary Club and has housed several foreign exchange students throughout his life. He died in 2010.

Elder Robert D. Hales President's Award

Elder Hales was Presiding Bishop of the LDS Church from April 1985 until called to his current position on the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in April 1994. He served in the U.S. Air Force as a fighter pilot, and graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor's degree, and an MBA from Harvard University. Other church positions held by Elder Hales include bishop, branch president, high councilor, the Sunday School general presidency, assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve and as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy.

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Six Utahns receive Pioneers of Progress Awards - Deseret News

Battle lines are widening as the prospective paths narrow for a proposed high-powered transmission line through southwestern Wisconsin.

Developers of the planned Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission line from the Madison area to Iowa have shrunk the two corridors under consideration. Previously mile-wide swaths, the paths have been pared to 300 feet across and are being identified as "preliminary" routes, up for government analysis.

American Transmission Co., of Pewaukee; ITC Midwest, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Dairyland Power Cooperative, of La Crosse, want to build the 345-kilovolt transmission line from the Cardinal electrical substation in the town of Middleton to the Hickory Creek substation near Dubuque.

It would run about 125 miles and would cost an estimated $500 million. The three utilities hope to have the line in service in 2023.

The two preliminary routes traverse Dane, Iowa and Grant counties; one of them also cuts through Lafayette County. The southern path runs along Highway 18-151 and existing transmission lines. The northern route aims straight west, about halfway between Highway 18-151 and Highway 14, before turning southwest near Highland.

"The majority of the preliminary routes follows either a transmission line or a highway ... except the northern route, from Cross Plains to past Highway T in Iowa County," said ATC spokeswoman Kaya Freiman.

Though the routes have been trimmed, a couple of options have been added back in at the request of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service -- one of the government agencies that will decide the project's fate. The additional options, both on the southern route, are just east of Mount Horeb and near Livingston.

The three utility companies proposing Cardinal-Hickory Creek contend the extra wires will bolster the electric grid's reliability, offer access to lower-cost power and increase the number of connections to the region's wind farms.

Local residents say the new transmission line would spoil the rural beauty they cherish and endanger sensitive nature areas. They say the line is not needed. A growing number of communities are raising questions as well.

"This is a very rich area" with endangered birds and animals as well as unique natural resources that are not federally protected, said David Clutter, executive director of the Driftless Area Land Conservancy, based in Dodgeville. Those include petroglyphs -- rock carvings dating back at least 2,000 years -- that could be damaged if vibrations from construction machines erode the soft sandstone, he said.

Some groups look favorably on the project, though, as a way to boost the use of wind-generated power, much of it in Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota.

The Cardinal-Hickory Creek line is a continuation of the 345-kilovolt Badger Coulee transmission line between the La Crosse area and the Madison area, said Chris Kunkle, regional policy manager for Wind on the Wires, a St. Paul-based organization that promotes renewable energy.The 180-mile, $580 million Badger Coulee line is currently under construction.

"These projects are vital to ensuring we can transition our energy system to cleaner energy," Kunkle said.

Developers sent letters to property owners who may be affected by Cardinal-Hickory Creek's preliminary routes and environmental surveyors began combing the corridor in mid-May, collecting data on wetlands, waterways and wildlife.

Opponents, meanwhile, are digging in, especially against the northern route. Theysay they don't want high-voltage power lines and towers as tall as 100 to 150 feet sprouting up in Wisconsin's Driftless area, where the natural landscape was not bulldozed by glaciers.

The Driftless Area is a "unique eco-region and special scenic landscape," a 37-page statement submitted to regulators by the Driftless Area Land Conservancy says. It includes world-class trout-fishing streams and serves as "a rest stop for more than half of North America's migratory bird species," the organization says.

If a transmission line were built across the area, rare, threatened and endangered species could be at risk, such as Henslow's sparrow; the loggerhead shrike; the rusty patched bumble bee; Blanchard's cricket frog; and Blanding's turtle, the Driftless Area Land Conservancy claims. The group says cutting a swath through conservation areas could make rare birds more vulnerable to attacks by owls and raptors, and encourage populations of skunks and raccoons that hang around the edges of wooded areas.

Recreational trails also would be affected, including the Military Ridge State Trail, Governor Dodge State Park, and Blue Mounds State Park, the group says.

For Dan and Lisa Orman, the value of their home in rural Black Earth is at stake, Lisa said. The Ormans' 25-acre property is no longer in the line's proposed path -- at least, at this point. But that hasn't helped them sell their home so they can move closer to ailing parents.

"We have had, maybe, five showings since June of last year and all five of them gave great feedback on the house ... But they won't write an offer because of the pending project," said Lisa Orman. a member of the Vermont Citizens Powerline Action Committee. "Our realtors told us it would have an impact on the ability to sell our house, and that we're likely to take a 40 percent to 50 percent hit."

Local communities have held public meetings over the past eight months or so to discuss the project. More than 110 towns, villages and counties -- including Dane County -- have passed resolutions asking for a complete cost-benefit analysis comparing the big transmission line to alternatives such as boosting smaller power lines or using renewable energy sources. The Iowa County Board approved a resolution opposing the Cardinal-Hickory Creek project.

The proposed transmission line is one of 17 recommended as multi-value projects by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), the Indiana-based regional transmission authority, in 2011. The projects are aimed at meeting regional electricity needs, providing economic benefits, and hooking into renewable resources across the 15 states and Canadian province of Manitoba within MISO's jurisdiction.

The Driftless Area Land Conservancy says, though, MISO's analysis is outdated. More recently, electric demand has flattened or declined, the group says. It says MISO's list considered the region's needs as a whole, not the need for the specific Cardinal-Hickory Creek line.

Meanwhile, Alliant Energy, of Madison, is building a 700-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant and a two-megawatt solar field in Beloit, and at least two wind farms are being developed in the state, so a transmission line bringing in more power is not needed, the organization says.

Residents opposed to the proposed Cardinal-Hickory Creek high voltage transmission line make their sentiments known with signs along the proposed route, including this one on Union Valley Road in rural Black Earth.

"The world has changed since MISO began this," said Howard Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center, with offices in Chicago and Madison, serving as attorney for the Driftless Area organization. "It's sort of like saying it's important to build more telephone wires and poles to serve the additional landlines that people in Middleton and Cross Plains are going to use, and then all of a sudden, cell phones came in."

Learner, who has a home near Spring Green, said upgrades to local power lines would be more appropriate than a huge transmission line that will carry electricity produced by fossil fuel and nuclear plants, as well as wind power.

"This is not the right place ... unless it's absolutely needed to keep the lights on, and this line is not needed for that purpose," Learner said.

Kunkle, of Wind on the Wires, whose members include renewable power developers and environmental nonprofits, said while the Cardinal-Hickory Creek line would not be limited to wind-generated electricity, it would open the door for more wind power on the electric grid.

"There are wind farms that have to shut down generators because they are short on transmission capability," he said. "All of the wind plants ... are hinging on this line."

Madison-based RENEW Wisconsin has not taken a formal stand on the project but executive director Tyler Huebner said the lines recommended by MISO are an important investment.

"Wind power is expanding tremendously throughout the Midwest, driven by lower cost. It really is setting up a very exciting future where wind energy can keep rates down or even lower rates for customers in Wisconsin and throughout the Midwest," Huebner said.

The USDA's Rural Utilities Service will analyze the preliminary routes and compile a draft environmental impact statement, expected to be issued in March 2018, said environmental protection specialist Dennis Rankin.

The federal agency is involved, in addition to state utilities regulators in Wisconsin and Iowa, because Dairyland Power is requesting financing from the Rural Utilities Service for its portion of the project, Rankin said.

The Cardinal-Hickory Creek application is expected to be submitted to Wisconsin's Public Service Commission in 2018 and to the Iowa Utilities Board in 2019, Freiman said.

If approved, costs would be spread across MISO's territory. She said Wisconsin utility customers would pick up 10 percent to 15 percent of the tab.

Cardinal-Hickory Creek is part of about $4 billion of transmission construction anticipated by ATC through 2025.

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Battle lines widen as plans progress for high-powered transmission line between Madison and Iowa - Madison.com

Jul 22, 2017 at 8:53 pm | Print View

IOWA CITY For Erin Noon, visibility is important.

Thats why events like Saturdays 27th anniversary celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act in Iowa City are important for Noon, who has cerebral palsy and serves as resources coordinator for the Johnson County National Alliance on Mental Illness or NAMI.

I think the ADA celebration is very important for visibility and making sure people with disabilities whether you have an invisible disability or an actual physical disability are represented in the Iowa City community, Noon said during the event that took place from 10 a.m. to noon on the Pedestrian Mall.

Iowa City has celebrated the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act since it was signed into law in 1990. The federal civil rights law prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in employment, state and local government services, public accommodations, commercial facilities and transportation.

I love this program because since I actually have a physical disability, its just so wonderful to celebrate it and get excited, Noon said.

The annual ADA celebration is presented by a host of community organizations including Access 2 Independence, Combined Efforts, Goodwill of the Heartland and NAMI. Notable attendees at Saturdays event included Iowa City Mayor Jim Throgmorton; Dave Leschtz, who formerly served as a social worker and University of Iowa disabilities educator; and Democratic U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack, who represents Iowas 2nd District.

Throgmorton read two proclamations from the city, including one designating the week of July 17-21 as National Disability Voter Registration Week and July 22, 2017, as Americans with Disabilities Act Awareness Day.

The proclamations, he said, were to urge community members to participate in activities that celebrate and honor the spirit of the act.

Loebsack, who kept his message brief, encouraged his constituents to keep fighting for their rights because, the minute you rest on your laurels, thats when somebody is going to try to turn the clock backward.

You can never, ever assume that were going to continue to make progress, Loebsack said, noting ways to engage in the political process. Its going to be up to you to talk to me ... to talk to your other representatives, to send letters and emails to your senator ... to be in touch with the President of the United States to make sure that we do not fall back.

His bottom line: To make sure that we keep going forward.

With informational booths set up to promote education and advocacy in Iowa City, groups in attendance included the UI Stead Family Childrens Hospital and the Aktion Club, a service club for adults with disabilities.

Jeoffrey Hacker, of Iowa City, an advocate for those with disabilities, also was on hand collecting signatures on his petition to ask the Iowa City Community School District to reinstate its Special Olympics program.

With Special Olympic medals wrapped around his neck, Hacker said he uses the medals as an example to show others with disabilities what they, too, might achieve through Special Olympics.

I want equal opportunity for sports, Hacker said.

Collecting signatures for nearly a month, Hacker said Saturday morning he was up to 58 as he works toward a goal of 1,000. Benefits of reinstating Special Olympics he said, include equal opportunity and providing an avenue for people with disabilities to gain self-confidence, obtain community building skills and have fun.

Also during Saturdays celebration, longtime disabilities advocate Keith Ruff received the Terry Cunningham Community Award and the Bill Reagan Vitality Award went to Combined Efforts, a visual and performing arts company with a mission of artistic excellence through purposeful collaboration between artists with and without disabilities.

l Comments: (319) 368-8531; alexandra.connor@thegazette.com

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Visibility and progress are key messages at ADA celebration in Iowa City - The Gazette: Eastern Iowa Breaking News and Headlines