NewsWatch: Cities and Counties -- 2010 Best of New York

Westchester County Clerk Timothy C. Idoni (pictured), received the 2010 Best of New York Excellence in Leadership Award.

Best of New York 2010 Announced
Top technology leaders and teams from state agencies and local governments were selected by the Center for Digital Government, a division of e.Republic, to be the recipients of its esteemed Best of New York awards. The annual awards recognize contributions, best practices, and work of distinction in the information technology arena. Center for Digital Government

Detroit Works Meetings Packed
There was no shortage of ideas from residents to improve the city Wednesday night in the fifth and final forum to launch Mayor Dave Bing's Detroit Works Project. Detroit Free Press

Tracking Bracelet Helps Authorities Find Alzheimer's Patient
A tracking bracelet for Alzheimer's patients led authorities to a man who had walked away from home on Wednesday night. Birmingham News

NATOA Applauds FCC's E-Rate Ruling
The National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) applauded Thursday’s action by the Federal Communications Commission expanding E-Rate funding eligibility to both local government and non-profit networks. NATOA

Town Dam Collapse Blamed on Heat, Age
Heat and age were the main causes of the July 20 Tempe Town Lake dam collapse, according to a report released Wednesday by an independent consulting agency. In August, the city commissioned an Ohio consulting firm to investigate the cause of the dam failure. Parts of the collapsed dam's rubber bladders were sent to the firm's laboratory to be tested. Arizona Republic

18 Bus Lines Dropped or Reduced to Save $30 Million a Year
The board of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority  eliminated about 4 percent of the agency's bus system on Thursday by discontinuing or reducing 18 routes from the San Gabriel Valley to the South Bay. Los Angeles Times

Independent Review on San Bruno Gas Explosion Launched
The California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday announced the formation of an independent review committee to examine whether safety improvements are needed to natural gas lines in the wake of the deadly explosion in San Bruno. Seven people died in the explosion earlier this month in the San Francisco suburb. The pipeline that ruptured was a 30-inch-diameter underground natural gas transmission line that runs for 51.5 miles from Milpitas to San Francisco. The section that exploded was installed in 1956. Los Angeles Times

The Dog Did It: Scent Insufficient to Convict Man of Murder
Fort Bend Sheriff's Deputy Keith Pikett's dogs sniffing swabs in coffee cans were insufficient to convict a man of murder, ruled the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Pikett retired earlier this year after being targeted by the Innocence Project of Texas, a group that claims the ex-lawman passed off junk science as legitimate investigative techniques. Dallas Morning News
Big Cities Grow Bigger
Democrats will be happy that big cities are showing as much growth as they are. But, it's worth noting that the fastest growth is in the comparatively more Republican cities of the Sunbelt. Many of the most reliable Democratic bastions -- New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit and San Francisco -- are growing slowly, if they're growing at all. Governing

Feds Seek to Protect Disadvantaged Communities from Environmental Hazards
The Obama administration revived a push Wednesday to protect disadvantaged communities from environmental hazards. Top White House aides and five cabinet secretaries reconvened an interagency working group that has been dormant for more then a decade. They plan a White House forum in December or January and community meetings throughout the country next year. USA Today