| Ulster studies jail use
KINGSTON - As Ulster County prepares a request for proposals for a permanent use of the old jail building, county officials are considering housing sex offenders in pre-manufactured homes there. "The campus would provide them with a place to live near probation services and near mental health services," Probation Director Robert Sudlow said. The jail site is also isolated from schools, libraries and neighborhoods, he said. The county pays to place offenders in housing throughout other communities, Legislator Mike Berardi, D-Kingston, said. Moving them to county-owned housing would free money paid for moving fees and rents, which goes through probation and social services departments, he said. Sudlow, District Attorney Donald Williams, Social Services Commissioner Roberto Rodri-guez and Mental Health Director Marshall Beckman are working out the logistics of developing the management campus.
Review Round-up: Critics Enlivened by Sizwe Banzi
South Africas Baxter Theatre Centres production of Sizwe Banzi Is Dead opened at the Nationals Lyttelton Theatre on Wednesday (21 March 2007, previews from 19 March) for a strictly limited run to 4 April (See News, 2 Nov 2006). In the early 1970s, at a time when collaboration between black and white theatre practitioners was the exception in South Africa, John Kani and Winston Ntshona worked with playwright Athol Fugard to create this comic examination of friendship, hope and the nature of identity, as one of many struggles to survive under apartheid. Now in their sixties, Kani and Ntshona who recreate their roles 35 years on from their first performance - were last seen at the National in 2002 in The Island (which they also co-wrote with Fugard). The visiting production is directed by Baxter Theatres Aubrey Sekhabi.
Environment Awards are back!
The prestigious awards recognise and celebrate individuals, groups and businesses that are making an environmental difference in the Auckland region. This year’s categories include: * Individual – sustainable environment leadership award * Environmental Education –sustainable environment leadership award * Youth – environmental guardians of the future award * Sustainable Urban Communities – sustainable environment achievement award * Sustainable Rural Communities - sustainable environment achievement award * Sustainable Business –sustainable environment responsibility award * Sustainable Public Sector - sustainable environment responsibility award. ARC Environmental Management Chair Dianne Glenn says the ARC launched the biennial awards in 2000 to reward those who have been making a significant difference to their local or regional environment.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Despite a small decline in attendance, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was Hawaii's most popular park last year with 1.61 million visitors.
Park officials said another 1.7 million people visited at night, when attendance isn't tallied, to see the lava flow glowing in the dark.
About 1.66 million people visited the park in 2005.
Hawaii Volcanoes had its best year in 1983, when Kilauea reawakened and began spewing lava, attracting 2.25 million visitors.
Other top National Park Service sites in Hawaii include the USS Arizona, with 1.54 million visitors, and Haleakala on Maui with 1.43 million. Visitors to Haleakala come to see the park's volcano crater.
Kid-friendly hotels
When it comes to hotels, "kid friendly" and "hip" would seem to be incompatible adjectives.
Michael Pollan Cares About the Farm Bill (And You Should Too)
Our favorite Bay Area foodie starchild, and Omnivore's Dilemma author, Michael Pollan, was at it again last week. He moderated a panel on Wednesday night to discuss the 2007 Farm Bill on the UC Berkeley campus. The Farm Bill-– which gets reviewed about every five years – has been under the spotlight this year. No longer a little-known piece of farm legislation that would dictate agriculture funding and policy while no one was paying attention. This year, food and farm advocates are pushing hard to publicize the Farm Bill so that the majority of the money isn't going to big farmers and lobbyists. Instead, they're trying to gear the money and programs for the Mom and Pop farmer, the fledgling farmers market, the scrawny urban garden, oh yeah, and the grossly obese school child with his school-sponsored chicken nuggets.
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