Latest news with #MOST
Axios
3 days ago
- Business
- Axios
One year after water main breaks, Atlanta prepares for future systemwide needs
Saturday marks one year since two large water main breaks stymied most of Atlanta, and the city has spent the last 12 months working on a long-term plan it hopes will prevent similar catastrophes from happening in the future. Why it matters: Atlanta's aging water infrastructure system is in dire need of an overhaul, and city officials will have to determine whether an increase in rates or a new fee will help fund the improvements. The latest: In an interview with Axios, Atlanta chief strategy officer Peter Aman said Thursday the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is about halfway through its task of assessing the state of the city's drinking water system. The corps is reviewing data, including where breaks have happened in the past, to determine which parts of the system should be prioritized. Aman said the corps' work should be done by the end of the year. In the meantime, the city will explore what path to take to fund any of those projects. What they're saying: Even if the city had billions of dollars, it wouldn't be able to fix every problem main or valve at once, Aman told Axios. "There's only so many streets you want to tear up and so many bulldozers you want to to rent," he said. "You want to prioritize it where you're going to have your largest, most impactful leaks." Between the lines: Department of Watershed Commissioner Greg Eyerly told Axios that most of the revenue the city collected from the 1% Municipal Option Sales Tax (MOST) has gone toward projects that put the city in compliance with a federal consent decree to improve its sewer system. "It's very expensive (and) Atlanta's rates have been very high for a long time," Eyerly said. "And (with) the amount of breathing room you have …Atlanta has been closer to that ceiling than a lot of other similar-sized communities." Follow the money: Mayor Andre Dickens said in March that the city would need around $2 billion to upgrade its aging infrastructure. Aman said that number could change but the city already knows a total system replacement won't be necessary. As far as funding, Aman stressed that everything was being explored, including a potential water and sewer rate hike and a possible stormwater utility fee. Catch up quick: The water main break that started it all happened the morning of May 31, 2024, on Joseph E. Boone Boulevard and James P. Brawley Drive, in Vine City. Another break occurred several hours later in Midtown, at 11th and West Peachtree streets. Businesses and neighborhoods in Midtown, Downtown and to the east and west were left without water, and many residents took to social media to express frustration at the lack of information provided by the city. The big picture: "The mayor has made it crystal clear that external communication is absolutely a top priority, and we will never again have a situation where there's any gaps or lack of information being passed along," Aman said. Now, Atlanta strives to push out water main break details to the public, even if crews are unsure of the precise location, and info on where affected residents can pick up water during an outage. State of play: The city is still utilizing AI technology to detect leaks sooner and deploy fixes quicker. Aman said the city installed hundreds of devices at more than 1,600 locations since last year's breaks. They were able to detect eight "significant" leaks in the system. Repairs for six have been completed and work on the remaining two is still ongoing, Eyerly said. What's next: Eyerly said the city is also exploring technology that will give Atlanta water customers real-time data about their water usage, potentially leading to more consistent water billing.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
What contributed to the deadliest year on record for motorcyclists in Colorado
(COLORADO) — With warmer weather comes more motorcycles out on the road, and unfortunately, that means more motorcycle crashes. May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, and FOX21 News recently covered a story encouraging motorcycle safety and the use of helmets, after a record number of motorcyclists were killed on Colorado roads in 2024. Following that coverage, our viewers reached out wanting to know the statistics of how many motorcycle crashes were caused by other drivers and how many were caused by motorcyclists. We contacted the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) to learn more, and what we found were some alarming statistics that point to a larger problem on our roads. According to CSP's Motorcycle Safety Training (MOST) Coordinator Chris Corbo, 84% of crashes involving motorcycles in 2024 were deemed motorcyclist at-fault. Of those, 47% of the motorcyclists did not have a motorcycle endorsement on their driver's licenses–meaning nearly half of the motorcyclists deemed at-fault for crashes in 2024 were not licensed to drive a motorcycle in the state. In order to ride in Colorado, it is required by law that motorcyclists obtain a motorcycle endorsement on their license, marked by either the letter 'M' or a '3.' An 'M' endorsement permits the operator to drive either a two‑wheeled or three‑wheeled vehicle, and a '3' only permits a three-wheel. What is not required by law, however, is helmet use. Only those under 18 are required by law to wear a Department of Transportation-approved helmet. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) said of the 165 motorcyclists killed in 2024, 73 (44%) were not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that speed and alcohol are also large contributing factors in motorcycle crashes–20% of the state's motorcycle fatalities in 2024 involved impairment. Motorcycle fatalities accounted for nearly a quarter (24%) of all traffic deaths in the state, despite being just 3% of vehicles on the road. The above data follows several years of alarming statistics involving motorcycles–according to CDOT, while passenger vehicle deaths decreased 10% from 2023 to 2024, motorcycle deaths jumped 23%. There is some good news, however. So far in 2025, CDOT said motorcycle deaths are down 20% compared to the same time period in 2024. This could be in part due to the implementation of the lane filtering law, which allows motorcyclists to legally move to the front of stopped traffic, protecting them from potentially deadly rear-end crashes. What you can and can't do when lane filtering 'Last year's record number of motorcycle deaths is a call to action for both Colorado drivers of passenger vehicles and motorcyclists alike,' said CDOT's Office of Transportation Safety Director Darrell Lingk. 'We must look out for one another on our roadways. And to all of our motorcycle riders, wear a helmet and protective gear — it is the number one way to prevent serious injury or death in a crash.' The safety of motorcyclists on Colorado roads depends on the cooperation of everyone, whether they are on two wheels or four. Car and truck drivers can save a life simply by checking their blind spots, remaining focused on driving and avoiding distractions, and giving motorcyclists plenty of space. Motorcyclists can protect themselves by wearing a helmet, being educated on their vehicles and getting a motorcycle endorsement on their driver's license, and by operating their motorcycles safely and responsibly. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Kolkata to boost deceased organ donation through new retrieval centers and collaboration
1 2 3 Kolkata: In a move to boost deceased organ donation , the state health department plans to set up NTORC (non-transplant organ retrieval centre) in all the govt-run 24 hospitals. The health department is also considering a periodical audit on the number of brain death declarations by hospitals that have ICU beds and trauma care units. NTORC is a hospital authorised to retrieve organs from deceased donors for transplant surgeries in other hospitals that have the licence. ROTTO (east) officials said that despite making good progress in deceased organ donations, the number has not risen since 2018. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata "We plan to set up NTORC in all 24 govt medical colleges to begin with so that the concept of brain death seeps down to all hospitals and they start contributing to deceased donations," said Prof Aniruddha Neogi, State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (SOTTO) Nodal Officer, Swasthya Bhawan, on Friday during the launch of Manipal Hospitals' 'Deceased Organ and Tissue Donation – East Region'. At present, IPGMER (SSKM) is the only govt hospital in Bengal that declares brain death, from where the highest number of organ donations originates among all hospitals, in addition to conducting the largest number of deceased donor transplants in Bengal. "After the good pickup by 2018, the deceased donation graph has become stagnant. We need better collaborations to increase organ donation and utilisation to reduce the burden on living donors. This initiative by the Manipal group brings a ray of hope to ROTTO," said Professor Manimay Banerjee, Director ROTTO (east) and Director IPGMER. The Manipal Organ Sharing & Transplant (MOST), an initiative under the hospital chain, was launched at Medica Superspecialty Hospital, a unit of Manipal Hospitals Network. The four Kolkata units of the hospital chain will now be part of this initiative. "We are sharing the SOP with the four units in Kolkata as the mission is to promote best practices in this field in 37 Manipal Hospitals," said Avnish Seth, MOST Country Head. The meet was attended by doctors from various hospitals in the city. Nephrologist Arpita Ray Chaudhury, President of the Indian Society of Organ Transplantation, said, "The launch of the Eastern chapter of MOST marks a critical leap toward bridging the glaring gap between organ demand and availability in this region." The hospital chain's east region officials, Shugota Chakrabarti and Dr Ayanabh Debgupta, said concerted efforts to bolster organ donation will come from the hospital's units. Ends Gfix: - All 24 state-run medical colleges to start NTORCs - Govt plans to start periodical auditing on brain death declaration by hospitals - All four units of Manipal in Kolkata to come under the hospital's countrywide network on organ sharing and transplant network MSID:: 120623022 413 |
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
The MOST opens new Onondaga Grown exhibit in partnership with the Food Bank of CNY
(WSYR-TV) — There's always fun to be had at the Museum of Science and Technology in downtown Syracuse. Starting this weekend, visitors will have the chance to learn about food grown right here in Onondaga County while they explore the museum. It's part of a new partnership with the Food Bank of Central New York focused on agriculture. Our Tim Fox took us to the MOST for a live look ahead of the new exhibit's unveiling. Tim spoke with Lauren Kochian, MOST president/CEO, Dr. Emily Stewart, MOST senior director of Education & Curation and Karen Belcher, executive director of the Food Bank of Central New York. The GROW exhibit will feature brand new 2,500 square foot installation on the museum's mezzanine focused on agriculture and food systems in Central New York. It will also feature a six-stall farmer's market where visitors can 'buy' apples, corn, eggs, maple and dairy products along with seasonal items. Instead of a currency check out, the scanned items will provide food and nutrition information. In addition, there will be a tractor and trailer photo opportunity where visitors learn about food distribution. The tactile crop field will showcase the 'three sisters', which originated within our local Indigenous communities. This summer, the GROW food distribution center will open, teaching visitors how items go from farms to mass-produced food. The GROW exhibit grand opening is this Saturday, March 29, at the MOST. There will also be a food drive to benefit the Food Bank of CNY this Saturday and Sunday. Learn more at Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
GA nonprofit attempts to set world record for longest basketball game
A group of metro Atlanta men are playing basketball around the clock in an effort to break the Guinness World Record for longest basketball game as well as highlight the fight against human trafficking and show support for the survivors. Men Opposing Sex Trafficking (MOST) is a nonprofit that offers men the opportunity to fight against human trafficking. In September 2024, members of MOST played softball for 121 hours, breaking the Guinness World Record for longest marathon softball game. Their attempt at setting the record for the longest basketball game began on Sunday at 9 a.m. at Landmark Christian School in Fairburn. To qualify for the record, players are required to stay in the gym the entire time and must eat and sleep on the court. Their only time away from the court is five-minute bathroom breaks every two hours. There are no quarter breaks or timeouts - only a clock counting up to 121 hours. The current record of 120 hours was set in Buffalo, New York in August 2021. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the game can be played with a maximum of 12 players on each team, with a minimum of five on the court at all times. The teams are split into groups of six and play in two-hour shifts during the day, and alternate to five-hour shifts overnight to allow for sleeping. Any player who gets six fouls in a two-hour window will be disqualified and cannot be replaced. The game is scheduled to end at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 21. You can watch a live stream of the effort on the MOST website. TRENDING STORIES: North GA volunteer firefighter arrested for sharing photos of twins' death scene on social media State orders GA church daycare to shut down after director, 2 workers arrested 53 arrested, kilos of meth and fentanyl seized in Gwinnett County 'Operation One Star' [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
