| Normally Obscure Panel Pushed Into the Limelight
Attorney Michele Rosenfeld had just finished arguing the value of a back yard that lies in the path of the future intercounty connector when the 83-year-old man asked her to speak up. "Your voice is beautiful, but it's too low," Robert Hanson told her during the recent hearing at the Rockville courthouse. "We all have hearing aids, and they're turned up to the max, but I've heard about half of what you've said." .
Fusion, Milan sedans are safe and well built, but lack oomph
Sometimes, good enough won't do it. Especially when there's a reputation to be overcome for decades of delivering less-than-good enough. That's the story of the Ford Fusion and similar Mercury Milan, Ford Motor Co.'s latest efforts to woo Americans from Camrys and Accords. .
Latest updates on Techwood Drive closing
Beginning Saturday and extending through the summer of 2009, Techwood Drive, a north-south access road beside the Downtown Connector, is closed from 16th Street to 10th Street. With the closure, the southbound ramps from I-75 and I-85 to 14th and 10th streets also are shut off. For drivers heading south from I-85, the beginning of the ramp will still be open to exit to 17th Street. From I-75, DOT says southbound drivers technically still can exit onto 16th Street, but the small streets could be such a mess they should forget about it, and exit at Northside Drive. The worst of the traffic is expected Monday, when most people return to work. But the impact has been felt already. 5:45 p.m.: A little slowdown, some confusion, DOT says Crystal Paulk-Buchanan, spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Transportation, said the first day of construction and street closings went smoothly.
ComEd plans to push efforts that cut bills
ComEd customers may pay more for new conservation programs but could save in the long run, consumer advocates and the utility said Thursday. The Illinois Commerce Commission, which regulates ComEd, has approved energy efficiency programs proposed by ComEd, downstate utilities and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Different programs will roll out at different times. They include discounts on energy efficient light bulbs; the pick up and recycling of older, inefficient refrigerators; air conditioning "tune ups" and other measures designed to reduce energy consumption. ComEd said consumers overall could save roughly $155 million during the lifetime of the programs, possibly up to 10 years. That could save 1.2 megawatts of power, or enough to power 140,000 homes for one year, ComEd spokesman John Dewey said.
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