American Airlines to offer in-flight Internet

In flight internet is a go, but no VOIP service (Thankfully).


DALLAS (AP) - American Airlines plans to expand Internet access to about half its fleet of aircraft over the next two years as it attempts to raise revenue and improve customer service.

The company said Tuesday it will install flying Wi-Fi hot spots on about 300 planes used in the continental U.S. and charge up to $12.95 for browsing the Web, sending e-mail or connecting with corporate VPN sites.

American has been testing in-flight Internet service for several months on 15 planes. The airline declined to give figures on usage during the test, but an American technology executive called the response positive.

"American Airlines is a very financially driven airline," said the executive, Doug Backelin. "We are especially careful in how we're spending, but this is a good strategic investment, something our customers will value."

AMR Corp.'s American is one of several U.S. carriers getting into Internet service. Delta Air Lines Inc., the world's largest airline operator, plans a quicker rollout, from about 80 planes currently to more than 300 late this year and more than 500 by the end of 2010.

Both airlines will use the Gogo service from Aircell. American will add access to many of its McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series aircraft beginning this year and on new Boeing 737-800 jets as it receives them.

Aircell sets the prices and shares revenue with the airline, although neither company would discuss their financial arrangement.

Prices will range from $5.95 for some redeye flights to $7.95 for using a handheld device, $9.95 for using a laptop computer on a flight up to three hours, and $12.95 for using a laptop on a longer flight. Aircell plans to add other prices for day passes and perhaps monthly subscription rates for frequent fliers.

Travelers can sign up on the ground and connect once the plane reaches 10,000 feet in altitude. They'll use their browser to connect to Aircell's Gogo portal site.

In theory, if enough passengers are online at the same time the speed of the service would degrade. Aircell Chief Executive Jack Blumenstein said that mass hasn't been reached on any trial flights. Each plane will be outfitted with three overlapping Wi-Fi signals, he said.

Backelin said the Internet access will be filtered to block pornographic sites - the airline at first said it wouldn't do that, but relented after hearing complaints from customers and flight attendants. And American won't allow voice-over-Internet phone service, to keep chattering to a minimum.

In customer surveys, Backelin said, "there was a very loud chorus telling us, 'Do not allow voice-over-IP calls in the cabin.'"

Sebelius does not mind using reconcilliation to ram through health care reform

This is getting really dangerous... and a bit ridiculous... I know that the Democrats won the election, but ramming health care reform through Congress is dangerous! They rammed through the stimulus package - without even reading it- which was negligent at best.. are we really going to let them handle our health care the same way?

Congress will be out of town on recess from April 6 - April 17 - Hopefully some of the folks back home meet with their Congressman and let them know that the process of passing bills without reading them has to stop.

It is kind of funny when you look at the number of lawyers that are Congressman - If they were practicing law, they certainly would advise their clients to read something before signing it, well, shouldn't the same standard apply to Congress?


WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, President Barack Obama's nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services, indicated Tuesday she wouldn't take off the table a fast-track process for passing a health-care overhaul bill despite Republicans' opposition to the tactic.

Sebelius, testifying before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said she had spoken with members of Congress who support using the budget-reconciliation process to pass health legislation, which would allow a bill to pass in the Senate with only 51 votes rather than 60. She appeared to support using that approach under some circumstances, saying there was an interest in Congress in "not taking tools off the table prematurely, but being very dedicated to a bipartisan process and bipartisan bill."

Republicans fear that it would severely curtail their involvement in crafting a bill. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., the leading Republican on the panel, warned that including "instructions" for health legislation in a budget resolution currently being considered in Congress would be tantamount to "a declaration of war."

Still, Sebelius pointed to her experience as governor and insurance commissioner in Kansas, a state dominated by Republicans.

"You have my commitment, if confirmed, that I will not only be an eager partner to work with Congress, but that I understand bipartisanship," Sebelius said.

Sebelius came under tough questioning from Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who pressed her on whether she would support the creation of a government-run health plan. Lawmakers have debated recently whether a public insurance option is needed to compete with private insurers as a component of a health-care bill.

While Sebelius first appeared to state opposition to a government-run health-care program, she clarified her comments to say that would support a public insurance option.

"If the question is, do I support a public option side by side with private insurers in a health-insurance exchange, the answer is, yes, I do," Sebelius said.

She expressed opposition to a proposal by McCain from his 2008 presidential campaign to lift an exclusion on taxing employers for the health insurance they provide, saying that she wanted to preserve the employer-based health-insurance system.

Complete WSJ Story

SKYPE for the iPhone and Blackberry!

Skype for iPhone will appear “sometime Tuesday” and allow you to make VoIP calls to friends and family all over the world, a move that at once blows a great waft of flatulence in the face of the carriers and, in one smooth motion, high fives the international community of Skype users.

It should be available from the App Store for free.

UPDATE - OMG! It’s also coming to the Blackberry in May!

You obviously cannot make a Skype call over 3G or EDGE but you can make VoIP calls over Wi-Fi. The system also meshes with your iPhone contacts and allows you to filter and search based on users who already have Skype accounts and even make SkypeOut calls, again under Wi-Fi.
skype_1

You can also chat with friends and family using the iPhone’s keyboard and the system brings in avatars from your Skype sessions.

VoIP has long been a bugaboo for the carriers and the addition of Skype essentially blows their arguments a new one. Skype is a formalized, popular app and the outcry if they had “banned” it would have been mighty. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and now we can have our VoIP calls and chatting without fear of harsh and righteous retribution.

Complete Story from CrunchGear

NBA Mavericks Owner, Mark Cuban, Fined for Criticizing officials on Twitter

File this one in the 'be careful what you tweet' column.

DALLAS (AP) - The NBA slapped Mavericks owner Mark Cuban with a $25,000 fine Sunday for publicly criticizing the officials after Denver’s 103-101 win over Dallas.

Cuban used the Twitter online social network to complain after Friday night’s game that Denver’s J.R. Smith was not called for coming off the bench to taunt Antoine Wright after he missed a shot near the Nuggets bench.

Cuban said in another posting Sunday that he “can’t say no one makes money from twitter now. the nba does.”

In an earlier meeting of the two teams, the Mavericks owner was fined $25,000 after becoming upset about a foul that wasn’t called on Smith. Cuban offered to donate the money to whatever charity Smith chose, then suggested he’d give it to the fund for a gruesomely injured hockey player.

Complete Story

Al Gore ignores 'Earth Hour' Driveway to Nashville mansion flooded with lights

Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" may have inspired many to participate in yesterday's "Earth Hour" by switching off their lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., but maybe the former vice president didn't get the memo.

Drew Johnson, the president of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, decided to drive by Gore's mansion in Nashville at 8:48 p.m. and records that floodlights were on illuminating the driveway leading up to the main quarter.

"I pulled up to Al's house, located in the posh Belle Meade section of Nashville, at 8:48 p.m. – right in the middle of Earth Hour," he wrote on his blog. "I found that the main spotlights that usually illuminate his 9,000 square foot mansion were dark, but several of the lights inside the house were on."

He added: "The kicker, though, were the dozen or so floodlights grandly highlighting several trees and illuminating the driveway entrance of Gore’s mansion. I [kid] you not, my friends, the savior of the environment
couldn’t be bothered to turn off the gaudy lights that show off his goofy trees."

Full Story

Jobs: Apple Touchscreen Laptop and Netbook a No Go For Now

It sounds like Apple is not coming out with either a netbook or a touch screen laptop anytime soon. I was holding out hope for an Apple netbook, but earlier this month decided to buy an EEE Netbook instead - so far so good, in fact it is a very nice computer. Here are some comments from Steve Jobs:


Touchscreen laptop
Jobs seemingly put the kibosh on any touchscreen Mac, another rumour that rears its head every now and then. When asked on Tuesday, Jobs said that while Apple has looked at touchscreens for laptops, "it hasn't made a lot of sense to us", he said.

And while Jobs admitted his company has looked into it, it's passing on making a laptop version of HP's TouchSmart PC, the desktop with a touchscreen monitor. While it would be innovative to put one in a laptop, it's not really likely from any major computer makers at this point, according to Charles Smulders, Gartner's managing vice president.

"We're seeing some vendors using touchscreens but it's typically on the desktop form factor not on a laptop," he said. HP's TouchSmart, for instance, is designed to be used in a room like the kitchen, where interactions are more brief. Long-term or all-day use generally requires input devices like a keyboard.

Netbook
And though many Apple fans were hoping for a netbook, a cheaper, under-featured laptop, from the company on Tuesday, they'll have to wait longer. When asked about it, Jobs said netbooks are still a nascent market and that "we'll see how it goes".

While he certainly left some room to change his mind, he didn't sound excited about the category at all. And the company might be timid about getting into the netbook market since its attempts at the smaller, cheaper Mac mini weren't that well received, said Baker of NPD.

"They did a nettop [a desktop version of a netbook] and it wasn't particularly successful, if you think about the Mac mini as a precursor to nettops," he said.

On one hand, it does make sense for Apple to leave netbooks out of its Mac lineup if just to preserve its brand image. (Just look at the reaction to Apple lowering the price of its lowest-end MacBook to $999.) Netbooks are based almost purely on price and Apple doesn't make its product decisions on price points, but rather features.

Complete Story

Freedom Tower Name Change, Now One World Trade Center

NEW YORK (AP) - Even without the name, the symbolism of the Freedom Tower as an American response to the Sept. 11 terror attacks was hard to miss.

The original architect designed a twisting form he wanted to imitate the Statue of Liberty, with a spire that rose to the deliberate height of 1,776 feet to recognize the year of American independence. Politicians called the tower proof of the country's triumph over terrorism.

Former Gov. George Pataki said visitors to the iconic skyscraper "will know our determination to overcome evil" in a 2003 speech that first gave the Freedom Tower its name.

The tower - still under construction with a projected completion date of 2013 - no longer has the same architect, design or footprint on the 16-acre site. And this week, the owners of ground zero publicly parted ways with the Freedom Tower name, saying it would be more practical to market the tallest building in New York as the former north tower's name, One World Trade Center.

Complete Story

Metro Derailment slows travel for DC Cherry Blossom fest

DC (AP) - The derailment of two Metro trains is expected to create delays for travelers during the busy National Cherry Blossom Festival.

Metro says delays are expected on the Red Line because of the derailment Friday near the Bethesda station. Metro officials say repairs to damaged track will probably take until Monday morning.

No injuries were reported in the derailment. Metro spokeswoman Candace Smith says a preliminary investigation found a broken piece of rail caused the derailment of the two trains.

The festival is the busiest time of the year for the Metro system, which has announced plans to operate additional trains on the Red, Orange and Green lines.

If President Obama used Twitter..

Conservatives embrace the Snuggie

Joe The Plumber, Tucker Carlson and others adorn the 'blanket with sleeves' trend.
Photo: Composite image by POLITICO

Complete Story Here

Senator Grassley: That's What She Said!

Well technically "Your wife said the same thing" - but close enough!

Senator Conrad: "Oh, you are good"
Senator Grassley: "Your wife said the same thing"

Dikes, sandbags, Facebook and Twitter: Fargo uses social networks to fight floodwaters

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — When Kevin Tobosa got word Thursday that a friend needed help building a sandbag dike, he immediately posted a status update on his Facebook page: "Heading to 2825 Lilac Lane in North Fargo — needs to be raised another 2 feet."

When city officials needed volunteers at other dikes, Tobosa suggested setting up a Facebook group. By Thursday, it had attracted more than 4,550 members and was constantly picking up new ones.

"We really need volunteers again today to get the dikes buttoned up and fill the rest of the sandbags," read a message sent to the group Thursday.

Social-networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have become vital tools for volunteers as they wage a desperate, round-the-clock battle to protect Fargo from the river and spread the word about rising floodwaters.

"I realized a quick way to check it would be to set up a Twitter feed," said Elseth, who just closed on a house next to the river. "Naturally I'm pretty interested in the flood level."

Twitter allows users to post a constant stream of sentence-sized thoughts, observations and information.

Elseth posts the Red River's flood stage once every hour or so, information that then pops into the inbox or onto the cell phone of those who subscribe to his feed. By Thursday, his "redriveratfargo" had more than 300 followers, updated almost hourly as the Red River climbed toward its projected crest of 41 feet above flood stage.

Complete Article

I find these applications of social networking sites very interesting... The mobile feature of Twitter (which allows 'tweets' to be sent to your cell phone) is quite handy, and the nice thing is that you can turn it off and on depending on your needs.

As you know, I am on the Twitter bandwagon - in fact I recently installed an application that syncs my Twitter account with my Facebook account - so when I update Twitter, Facebook gets updated with my latest tweet. Pretty handy stuff.

Spring in DC - Pictures

Spring is in the air in the District, but do not worry. Those of you coming in at the end of the month for the Cherry Blossom Fest - there are still plenty of blooms yet to come. In fact, the blooms over by the Jefferson Memorial (the prettiest in my opinion) are still yet to come. Here is a picture of the small blooms from the Jefferson area.


Contrast today's picture with the picture I took at the end of March last year, and you can clearly see that the best is yet to come!


Click here to check out my pictures from Monday, March 23rd!

The Second American Revolution?

MIT breakthrough promises lighter, fast-charging batteries

Would enable lithium-ion batteries to recharge in seconds
By Sumner Lemon - ComputerWorld

March 12, 2009 (IDG News Service) Technology developed by MIT scientists that enable lithium-ion batteries to charge in seconds instead of hours could open the door to smaller, faster-charging batteries for cell phones and other devices.

Lithium-ion batteries are used widely in portable electronics because they can store large amounts of energy. The trade-off is that the batteries can take hours to recharge, which can be an inconvenience for users who are constantly on the move.

A team of MIT scientists, led by professor Gerbrand Cedar, discovered that lithium ions, which carry electricity in the battery, can move much faster if they are aligned with tunnels that can be accessed from the surface of the battery, according to an MIT statement.

Complete Story Here

Cherry Blossoms in Bloom on the Mall

Pelosi Rick Rolls Youtube

-Youtube video of Pelosi's cats

This has been floating around for a while, but I just stumbled across it.. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) “Rickrolled” YouTube viewers (see video above) in an effort to draw attention to the new youtube channel for the House of Representatives.

Early Signs of Spring

Cherry blossom tree in bloom by the US Supreme Court

Congress at Work - $1 Billion an Hour

From Politico

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has come up with a vivid new way to express his contention that the nation is spending way too much money it doesn’t have.

McConnell includes the tweaks in his opening remarks on the Senate floor on the 51st day that President Obama has been in office.

“In just 50 days, Congress has voted to spend about $1.2 trillion between the Stimulus and the Omnibus,” McConnell says. “To put that in perspective, that’s about $24 billion a day, or about $1 billion an hour—most of it borrowed. There’s simply no question: government spending has spun out of control.”

The math: 50 days times 24 hours equals 1,200 hours. 1,200 times 1 billion equals 1.2 trillion (a thousand billions is a trillion).

Even as he proposes a huge increase in the reach of government, the president continued to try to show his concern about spending by making an announcement Wednesday about earmark reform.

iPhone 3.0 Due Out Next Week!

#iphone #apple #at&t

Apple has issued invitations to a select number of reporters to attend an event at its Cupertino, Calif.-based headquarters for a preview of iPhone software 3.0.

The meeting will be held in a town-hall format, similar to past events where the iPhone OS 2.0 was revealed. The date for the event is reportedly scheduled for 10 a.m. on March 17.

What to look for:
Cut and paste functionality
Ability to run applications simultaneously
Landscape ability for the keyboard
MMS - Multimedia text capabilities
and Tethering ability
"The iPhone needs MMS for picture messaging. It might shock non-iPhone users that the iPhone can't send simple picture messages. You have to send pics in an e-mail or upload them to a photo sharing site. This has gone on long enough, and we think this will be one of the key fixes for the iPhone OS. We're also hoping that the rumored tethered modem support becomes a reality." - From Infosync


Links:
Channel Web

PCWorld

St. Patty's Day in the District

#dc #un #st pattys

St. Pattys Day in DC is starting to shape up!

The Dubliner by Union Station brings in more toilets for this weekend.

Shamrock Fest is the place to be in DC this Saturday - Click here for Website
The National Shamrock Fest is the largest and most exciting Saint Paddy's festival on the East Coast featuring more than 50 live bands and DJ's.

Enjoy a day-long festival of Rock, Irish, Reggae,
Retro and Folk music, as well as food, drinks and over a dozen massive party areas spread out over more than 40 acres!

For a Metromix article showcasing the St Pattys Day options in DC Click Here

Chinese Ships Harassing US Navy Ships off of China

#un #china #navy

The United States on Monday urged China to observe international maritime rules after the Pentagon said five Chinese ships, including a naval vessel, harassed a U.S. Navy ship in international waters.

The Chinese vessels "shadowed and aggressively maneuvered in dangerously close proximity" to the USNS Impeccable on Sunday, with one vessel coming within 25 feet of the U.S. ship, a Defense Department statement said.

The American ship, an unarmed ocean surveillance vessel with a crew of civilian contractors, was conducting routine operations in the South China Sea 75 miles south of Hainan Island, the Pentagon said.

"Our ships operate fairly regularly in international waters where these incidents took place," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told a news conference.

"We are going to continue to operate in those international waters and we expect the Chinese to observe international laws around them."

The U.S. embassy in Beijing lodged a weekend protest with the Chinese government, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said. U.S. defense policy officials on Monday also reiterated the protest to China's defense attache in Washington.

"The unprofessional maneuvers by Chinese vessels violated the requirement under international law to operate with due regard for the rights and safety of other lawful users of the ocean," Pentagon spokesman Marine Corps Major Stewart Upton said in a statement.

"We expect Chinese ships to act responsibly and refrain from provocative activities that could lead to miscalculation or a collision at sea."

The encounter was the latest incident of "increasingly aggressive" Chinese conduct in the area, which in recent days also included fly-bys of U.S. Navy ships by Chinese maritime surveillance aircraft, the Pentagon said.

The Pentagon identified the Chinese vessels in Sunday's incident as a navy intelligence ship, a bureau of maritime fisheries patrol vessel, a state oceanographic administration patrol vessel and two small Chinese-flagged trawlers.

The Impeccable is one of six Navy surveillance ships that gather underwater acoustical data while operating as part of the U.S. Military Sealift Command, the Pentagon said.

The Chinese vessels surrounded the Impeccable while two closed to within 50 feet, waving Chinese flags and telling the U.S. ship to leave the area, the Defense Department said.

The Impeccable responded by spraying one of the vessels with fire hoses and later informed the Chinese ships by radio that it was leaving the area and requested a safe path to navigate, it said.

Two of the Chinese vessels stopped directly in front of the U.S. ship and dropped pieces of wood in its path.

The Pentagon described accounts of half a dozen other incidents dating back to March 4, in which the Impeccable and its sister vessel, USNS Victorious, were subjected to aggressive behavior, including dozens of fly-bys by Chinese Y-12 maritime surveillance aircraft.

On March 7, a Chinese intelligence collection ship challenged the Impeccable over the radio, calling her operations illegal and directing the vessel to leave the area or "suffer the consequences," the Pentagon said.

Two days earlier, a Chinese frigate approached the Impeccable and crossed its bow twice, once at a range of 100 feet.

Complete Story

McGruff the crime dog mascot gets roughed up

#dc
WASHINGTON (AP) - McGruff the crime dog has been roughed up.

D.C. police say the mascot, who urges children to "take a bite out of crime," became a victim Saturday when a bus driver punched him in the face as he handed fliers to children.

Police say the Metro bus driver, 38-year-old Shawn Brim, climbed off the bus, adjusted both sideview mirrors and then swung at Officer Tyrone Hardy, who was dressed as McGruff.

Police say McGruff staggered, children screamed and the bus driver drove off. Officers quickly pulled him over and charged him with assault.

Metro spokeswoman Candace Smith says Brim told a supervisor he was trying "to be funny." Smith says Brim will undergo drug and alcohol testing. His future with the agency is under review.

___

Information from: The Washington Examiner, http://www.dcexaminer.com/

iPhone/iPod banned from Gates Household

#iphone #ipod

According to a recent interview given by Melinda Gates, wife of Microsoft pioneer Bill Gates, Apple's iPhone and iPod are two devices that are not permitted in the Gates household.

Speaking to Vogue magazine, Mrs. Gates said, "There are very few things that are on the banned list in our household. But iPods and iPhones are two things we don't get for our kids."

The iPhone and iPod, made by Apple, are products that compete directly with Microsoft's Windows Mobile platform and Zune media player. Bill Gates' children can no doubt get their hands on pretty much any Microsoft technology they might want.

The article goes on to add that "Gates acknowledges the inevitable lure of forbidden fruit." The Microsoft founder's wife also is quoted as saying, "Every now and then, I look at my friends and say, 'Ooh, I wouldn't mind having that iPhone.'"

Global Warming Protest - Today in DC

Several inches of snow will be the backdrop in Washington, D.C. today for what could be the largest ever U.S. protest of global warming.

The nation’s capital, along with other eastern U.S. cities, closed schools and businesses Monday after being hit by a major winter storm Sunday night. First Lady Michelle Obama cancelled her “Read Across America” event “due to inclement weather,” the White House said.

Nonetheless, PowerShift '09 organizers expect thousands to protest global warming outside a southeast Washington, DC coal burning power plant starting at 11:30am E.T. Capital Power Plant provides heating and cooling to Congressional buildings, the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court.
-=-
Maybe they should have picked a better day for this protest, ha ha
Complete Story
Props to MatthewLundh - for Pic

Voters Say Obama Should Wait on Health Care Till Economy Improves

Voters Say Obama Should Wait on Health Care Till Economy Improves

March 2, 2009 10:54 AM

Nearly half of likely voters say that Barack Obama should wait until the economy improves before he pushes ahead with an ambitious overhaul of health care, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll conducted Feb. 26-27.

Forty-nine percent hold that view compared to 42 percent who want him to move forward and 10 percent who are undecided. The White House is focusing this week on health care with a meeting set for Thursday of all the players and groups involved in the issue.

Seventy-eight percent said reining in health spending was very or somewhat important to improving the nation's economy.

Voters were skeptical of Obama's ability to keep his promises to reduce the number of uninsured Americans, improve the quality of care and save the typical family $2,500 a year in medical costs. Fifty-three percent believe is not very likely or likely at all that Obama will achieve all three while 44 percent think he will. They are the most optimistic on the promise to reduce the number of uninsured Americans with 50 percent believing that.

Complete Story from CQ Politics

Don't Tax Me Bro!

(Picture from Steven Kruiser's site, illustrated by @Fector on Twitter)

Steven Kruiser has a good piece about the tea parties going on across the nation - The tea parties are in protest of the run away, out of control government spending of tax payer money currently going on in DC. I got a kick out of the illustration which is an obvious play on 'Don't Tase Me Bro'.




For an excellent source of the happenings at tea parties across the country visit the Gateway Pundit Website

Shamrock Success!

Shamrock Shakes are back, and the Chinatown McD's in DC has them!

Snow Warning for DC

The National Weather Service is predicting between 4 and 8” of snow to fall in and around the District beginning late Sunday afternoon. The heaviest snows are expected to fall between 7pm and midnight. District snow crews treated all roads last night as the first of two forecasted storms moved through the area.

Mayor Adrian Fenty announced this morning that a snow emergency will be in effect beginning at 4pm this afternoon. “It is important that our crews have access to the roads from curb-to-curb in order to plow the snow,” said Mayor Fenty. “This is one of the first plow events we have had this season, and we want to ensure we are able to maintain clear and safe roadways as we move into Monday morning.”

During a declared snow emergency vehicles are not allowed to park on routes identified by the red and white "Snow Emergency Route" signs. Once a snow emergency is delcared, vehicles remaining on these routes will be ticketed and towed and charged a $250 fine. A map and listing of snow emergency routes may be found on line at www.ddot.dc.gov. Click on "Snow Plan - Snow and Ice Control."

Also, travellers should be aware taxi cab fares can be increased to 25% during a declared snow emergency. There is a button on the meters that once pushed will automatically add the increase. Passengers may ask for a receipt to see the total charge.

The District’s Snow Team (District Department of Transportation and Department of Public Works) is planning a full deployment beginning Sunday at 2pm. Between 200 and 350 pieces of equipment including heavy and light plows, sprayer trucks and contract plows, if necessary, will be deployed to treat and plow elevated surfaces and roadways, including bridges, overpasses and ramps as well as roadways and residential streets.

The District Snow Team is responsible for 2,950 lane miles of roadway and 241 bridges including 69 primary and secondary routes, 82 residential routes and 75 miles of major roadways and Interstate Highways (part of the National Highway System).

When fully deployed, the team’s resources include nearly 350 pieces of equipment, capacity filled snow domes and over 100 closed circuit television (CCTV) traffic cameras to be used to track progressive treatment and to monitor the surface conditions of the roadway.

In addition to the fleet of heavy and light plows, loaders and spray trucks, the District closely monitors National Weather Service forecasts, and uses an automatic vehicle location system, geo-spatial information system (GIS) and road weather information systems (RWIS). Each of these help the team determine anticipated roadway conditions, areas in need of snow and/or ice removal and current roadway temperatures.