Minnesota Awaits Return of Avian Flu; An Olympic Acceleration for the ‘Subway to the Sea’ in L.A.?
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Also: Corporate bankruptcy hits North Jersey city hard and Northern Indiana unites.
Here’s some of what we’ve been reading today …
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota: State officials are anticipating the return of avian influenza this fall and on Tuesday, Dr. Bill Hartmann, the Minnesota state veterinarian, testified before state House lawmakers about preparations, including bio-security reviews of chicken and turkey farms. “We think that’s probably the most important thing that we can do at this point is figure out ways that we can keep the virus initially from getting into a poultry farm,” he said, according to Minnesota Public Radio. “If we can do that, I think we’ll have a lot less problems with the disease.” An avian flu outbreak that started in March has resulted in the loss of 9 million birds. [Minnesota Public Radio]
LOS ANGELES, California: Could L.A.’s long-awaited “Subway to the Sea” get put on an accelerated construction timeline if the nation’s second-largest city lands the 2024 Olympic Summer Games? That’s what some transit observers are wondering about the planned extension of the Purple Line subway through the Wilshire Boulevard corridor into the Westside, which currently has a 2035 completion target timeline. As Southern California Public Radio reports, the LA24 Olympic bid committee has proposed “securing federal funds to finish the project by 2024” in its bid book. Following Boston’s withdrawal, Los Angeles became the U.S. Olympic Committee’s chosen city to put before the International Olympic Committee for consideration to host the 2024 games. L.A. hosted the Summer Olympics in 1932 and 1984. [Southern California Public Radio / KPCC]
CLIFTON, New Jersey: A&P’s corporate bankruptcy is having a direct impact on this North Jersey city. Later this month, Clifton will have more than 100,000 square feet of vacant supermarket space when an A&P-owned grocery store closes, coming on the heels of another A&P-owned store closure. "The loss of two additional supermarkets will certainly strain the resources of our residents, not to mention the loss of jobs," Clifton Councilman Joseph Kolodziej said, according to The Record. "It is my hope we can see that these facilities remain supermarkets to better serve a community that is 84,000 residents strong," he said. [The Record]
SOUTH BEND, Indiana: Last year, civic leaders in Northern Indiana formed the Regional Cities of Northern Indiana Alliance to compete for a share of $84 million being made available by the state through the Indiana Regional Cities Initiative. Last week, the South Bend Tribune reports, the alliance submitted its application, which includes 39 projects aimed at boosting innovation, downtown redevelopment and health of residents in Elkhart, Marshall and St. Joseph counties. The Northern Indiana application is the longest of the submissions—371 pages long. [South Bend Tribune]
Michael Grass is Executive Editor of Government Executive’s Route Fifty.
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