California Unemployment Checks Delayed by Outdated IT System
Thousands of unemployed Californians have been left waiting for their unemployment benefits in part because of outdated computer systems in the Employment Development Department. The agency is using $60 million from the stimulus to rectify the problem, but the fix -- which the department has worked on for months -- isn't done yet. The agency said it could be complete in time for Christmas.Source: KCRA; San Jose Mercury News
LED Traffic Lights Don't Melt Snow, May Cause Traffic Accidents
Various media outlets have reported in December that some energy-efficient LED traffic lights don't melt snow -- a potentially hazardous problem that transportation agencies say causes extra labor for maintenance workers and can lead to traffic accidents when the lights become covered during a snowstorm.Source: Treehugger.com
Identification Data Stolen From the Detroit Health Department
Identification information, including Social Security numbers, of 10,000 Detroit residents was stolen in two separate incidents from computers owned by the city's health department, officials announced Tuesday, Dec. 15. One breach occurred when a thief took a flash drive from an employee's car, and in a separate theft a desktop computer containing personal information was taken from an office building.Source: Detroit Free Press
First 'Carbon Positive' Library in U.S. Opens
The $6.5 million Anythink Brighton library branch in Adams County, Colo., has so many built-in green energy sources -- rooftop solar panels, and geothermal heating and cooling -- that it will be able to sell electricity back to the grid, officials say. It was paid for in part by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs.Source: Denver Post
