'Spring Forward' With Daylight Saving Time
ST. LOUIS, (PRNewswire), March 5, 2008 - Although you might be dreading losing that hour of sleep on Sunday March 9 due to Daylight Saving Time, the loss of sleep means more daylight hours and conserved energy.
Howard Miller(R), the premier manufacturer of clocks, display cabinets and Wine & Spirits Furnishings(TM) in the United States, estimates that over three-quarters of a billion clocks and timing devices in the U.S., not counting watches, will be set forward on March 9.
Time expert Mark Siciliano, Director of Marketing for Howard Miller, offers the following facts about the history of DST:
Who started Daylight Saving Time? Benjamin Franklin. Daylight Saving Time has been widely used since World War I, when the system was adopted by U.S. law to conserve fuel. During World War II it was mandatory but did not become law in peacetime until 1966.
Who is in charge of DST? The U.S. Department of Transportation, which also has jurisdiction over time zones. Standard time in time zones was first instituted in 1883 by the railroads.
Why is the time change earlier than in the past? In 2005, President George W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Beginning in 2007, this changed the start of DST from the first Sunday of April to the second Sunday in March. The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy found that it saves consumers $329 million dollars, avoids building more electric power plants, prevents the consumption of 21 billion cubic feet of natural gas, and avoids generating nearly 11 million metric tons of the carbon emissions that lead to Global Warming, due to decreased use of electricity.
MoDOT Travel Map Viewed 1.5 Million Times This Winter
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), March 4, 2008 - St. Louis Public Schools and district offices closed Tuesday and traffic was light on area streets, due to inclement weather forecast of six - ten inches of snow, with gusting winds at 15 to 25 mph, along with lighting and thunder.
With the amount of ice and snow that's hit Missouri this winter, the Missouri Department of Transportation has reported that its Web site has received a corresponding number of hits. Visitors have viewed MoDOT's Traveler Information Map nearly 1.5 million times since Dec. 1. The map gives up-to-the-minute road conditions when severe weather hits.
"We believe this is one of the most important services we offer to Missouri motorists, and we're glad to see they're taking advantage of it," said MoDOT Director Pete Rahn. "With another round of winter weather forecast for much of Missouri, visitors can click on the map to learn what to expect if they have to drive."
The map is updated every 30 minutes during severe weather and shows whether roads are dry, wet, partly covered, covered or closed.
In addition to the map, MoDOT offers a toll-free telephone number - 1-888-ASK MODOT (1-888-275-6636) - for motorists to call to learn more about road conditions.
Consumer Fraud Ranks High With Missourians
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), March 2, 2008 - The observance of the 10th annual National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) from March 2 - 8 is a reminder to Missourians that plenty of free resources are available to them to become or remain financially savvy, according to Attorney General Jay Nixon.
The Attorney General's Office is the primary consumer protection agency for Missourians, and returned more than $18 million to consumers in 2007 through legal action and informal mediation.
Nixon said his office was one of a broad group of federal, state, and local government agencies and national consumer advocacy organizations that use NCPW to highlight consumer education efforts in the fight against fraud in communities across the nation. The theme of this year's NCPW is "Financial Literacy - A Sound Investment." The event's organizers encourage people from coast to coast to fortify their financial know-how, because financially savvy consumers are more likely to make smarter decisions about managing their money, using credit wisely, and building a solid financial foundation.
"Over the last several years, we've made a wide range of consumer education tools available on our Web site, ago.mo.gov, including our consumer blog, several quizzes, online complaint forms, and more than 30 of our publications," Nixon said. "Our Web site had more than 1 million hits last month, so Missourians have shown they're eager to find out how to protect themselves from consumer fraud."
Relief for Residential Construction Market Won't Occur Until Mid-2009
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), March 2, 2008 - Already grim conditions facing the residential construction market are expected to worsen in 2008 according to a recent PCA Economic Research report. High home inventories will cause housing starts to decline 25 percent in 2008 from already depressed 2007 levels.
By the end of 2008, PCA expects a 9.5 to 10 month supply of homes to be in "inventory" for sale. According to Edward J. Sullivan, PCA chief economist, the large number of foreclosures caused by the sub-prime crisis is a main contributor to the large inventory that will depress start activity.
"Typically builders accelerate start activity when the inventory supply reaches five months," Sullivan said. "A significant improvement in sales and inventory conditions is not expected until the second half of 2009."
Because 85 percent of total home inventory is comprised of existing homes, increasing sales is key to the residential sector's recovery. Although prices will decline by eight percent in 2008, tight lending standards, weak economic conditions, and slower household formation will doom 2008 home sales.
"Even though buyers can get better priced homes in 2008, they must now have good credit scores and as much as a 20 percent down payment to qualify for loans. With job and income gains expected to slow during the next four quarters, most potential home buyers will back away from such a major purchase until the economy is more stable," Sullivan said.
The recent strong monetary and fiscal stimulus actions will start to have a positive impact in the second half of 2008 and first half of 2009, with job creation accelerating in mid- to late-2009.
"These conditions could result in a significant acceleration of sales activity, allowing the healing process for the housing market to truly begin."
LULAC Literacy Program for Hispanic Children Receives $1 Million Grant
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), March 2, 2008 - The League of Latin American Citizens' Young Readers program has received a $1 million grant from the Verizon Foundation to expand the program, which is aimed at improving literacy and academic achievement among Hispanic children in grades 1-3.
Through the grant, LULAC's National Educational Service Centers, which operate the Young Readers program, will expand the number of schools participating in the program in six cities: Dallas; Kansas City, Mo.; Los Angeles; Miami; Philadelphia; and Washington.
"For almost two decades, the Young Readers program has helped instill a love of reading in children, allowing them to secure a basic building block needed to achieve academic success," said LULAC National President Rosa Rosales. "We are proud to partner with the Verizon Foundation on this valuable program."
LNESC Executive Director Richard Roybal said, "The Young Readers program is designed to help children improve their reading skills by utilizing a curriculum that focuses on reading aloud and uses a variety of reading materials including children's books, magazines and other academic and cultural media."
In addition, under the $1 million grant, the Young Readers program will begin utilizing Thinkfinity.org.
Thinkfinity.org is the Verizon Foundation's free comprehensive program and online portal to more than 55,000 educational resources, including grade- specific, K-12 lesson plans, and other student interactive activities provided in partnership with 11 of the nation's leading educational organizations.
It also includes the Thinkfinity Literacy Network, which offers teachers, parents and community groups free online courses, best practices and program assessment tools to help improve literacy development for children and adults.
"Thinkfinity.org will give the Young Readers program access to thousands of engaging educational resources to capture the imagination of their students," said Verizon Foundation President Patrick Gaston. "The addition of Thinkfinity.org resources to the Young Readers' already impressive curriculum will give children the tools they need to improve student achievement."
|
How To Reach Us:
