US grapples with bedbugs, misuse of pesticides

A resurgence of bedbugs across the U.S. has homeowners and apartment dwellers taking desperate measures to eradicate the tenacious bloodsuckers, with some relying on dangerous outdoor pesticides and fly-by-night exterminators.

The problem has gotten so bad that the Environmental Protection Agency warned this month against the indoor use of chemicals meant for the outside. The agency also warned of an increase in pest control companies and others making "unrealistic promises of effectiveness or low cost."

Bedbugs, infesting U.S. households on a scale unseen in more than a half-century, have become largely resistant to common pesticides. As a result, some homeowners and exterminators are turning to more hazardous chemicals that can harm the central nervous system, irritate the skin and eyes or even cause cancer.

Ohio authorities, struggling against widespread infestations in Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton and other cities, are pleading with EPA to approve the indoor use of the pesticide propoxur, which the agency considers a probable carcinogen and banned for in-home use in 2007. About 25 other states are supporting Ohio's request for an emergency exemption.

Source and More:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BEDBUG_CONUNDRUM?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-08-30-23-40-34

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City asks residents for ADA comments

Columbia’s Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator is seeking comment from residents on accessibility concerns.

Assistant City Manager Tony St. Romaine said the city is updating its ADA self-survey and transition plan, which will guide improvements in accessibility for disabled residents. He will accept comments and suggestions until Oct. 1.

Residents can submit comments via an online survey at www.gocolumbiamo.com/ADA/notice.php or directly to St. Romaine at P.O. Box 6015, Columbia, Mo., 65205; by e-mail at Tony@gocolumbiamo.com or by phone at 874-7214 or (800) 735-2966 TTY/Relay MO.

Unwanted souvenirs easy to pick up

Bedbugs can crawl into your luggage or hitch a ride on your clothes. They can lurk on airplane seats or hide in your hotel bedspread.

You can pick them up unknowingly on vacation and bring them back to your house, apartment or dorm.

And "in three months, an infestation of two adult bedbugs can grow into an infestation of 302 bedbugs," said Ron Harrison, director of technical services for Orkin Pest Control in Atlanta.

The rebound in bedbugs in Michigan and nationwide is partly the result of more international travel, experts say. But the bugs don't stay in your suitcase when you get home.

An estimated 75% of bedbug treatments in metro Detroit are for multi-family housing, especially assisted-living centers and apartment complexes, according to data from Orkin's four metro branches. About 22% are for single-family homes, and 2%-3% are for hotels and motels.

Bedbugs feed on blood, biting victims at night. There have been scattered reports of people being bitten on cruise ships and airplanes -- plus retail shops and movie theaters in New York City and even a library in Denver.

The American Hotel and Lodging Association in Washington, D.C., which speaks for the hotel industry, has urged member hotels to train housekeeping and pest-control staffs to watch for bedbugs. When hotels get bedbugs, they usually rely on insecticides.

Source and More:
http://www.freep.com/article/20100820/FEATURES07/8200307/Around-the-metro-area-bedbugs-are-biting

Sidewalks and crossings will be accessible to people with disabilities

Clad in orange vests, with checklists in hand, four civil engineering students from MU met at Fourth and Walnut streets Tuesday morning to evaluate the accessibility of sidewalks, crosswalks and curb ramps for people with disabilities.

In two weeks, the students will turn in a proposal to the city with details about the sidewalks and crossings in downtown Columbia that need to be added or changed. The goal is to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Fixing the sidewalks is on a bigger to-do list of improvements for the city.

“It will be a two-year project for all sidewalks in Columbia to be ADA-accessible,” said Tony St. Romaine, assistant city manager and ADA coordinator for the city. “Historical downtown is higher priority because many of the facilities there were made without concern for ADA accessibility.”

St. Romaine asked Carlos Sun, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at MU, for help with the downtown project, called public right-of-way analysis.

Sun chose four of his senior undergraduate students to help with the pilot phase of creating a checklist to determine the conditions of the sidewalks and crossings in the downtown area, St. Romaine said.

Source and More:
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2010/08/10/sidewalks-and-crossings-will-be-ada-accessible/

Proposal could ban alcohol in three downtown parks

Richard Craghead wants his park back. He lives in Paquin Tower and used to enjoy the small park behind it. But most people now are too afraid to use Paquin Park, he said.

A proposal to ban alcohol in this and two other downtown parks would close a loophole in city law for these areas and would try to decrease public drunkenness among the city's homeless population.

The two other parks targeted by the ordinance are Flat Branch Park and Village Square Park.

Citizen complaints led to Columbia Police Department Officer Tamera Adams proposing in a memo she wrote in early July that an ordinance be written.

In her memo, Adams, a three-year veteran of patrolling the downtown area, said the second biggest complaint she hears involves homeless people drinking or passed out

She said she noticed people were getting around the city's open container law by drinking in the parks.

"There's a lot of people using the park for drinking," said Craghead, the outgoing resident association president. "They tend to get a little bit inebriated and they tend to bother the residents here."

Source and More:
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2010/08/02/proposal-would-ban-alchohol-downtown-parks/


PDF Downloadable Report:
http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/6817/report-about-alcohol-in-downtown-city-parks.pdf

When you are working to help others to work toward a better solution for all one must be patient and willing to wait,take alot of criticism,look at all sides and be willing to put yourself out there when needed.

This proposal has been a two year project I started on due to many women with grand kids with in Paquin Tower came to me complaining that they could not enjoy the park with their grand kids with out being harassed and panhandled all of the time. This also came about due to the homeless and not so homeless ruining the community garden by urinating and defecating in that area besides leaving trash everywhere.

I decided to jump into the fight with both feet running and push the issue of Zero Tolerance until it's end. This is the beginning towards the end of these unwanted behaviors in our downtown parks which Paquin Tower was the catalyst to get the entire proposal drafted.

Alot of people pushed with me on this and here we are today. Great job everybody! There are far too many to name here but all of you know whom you are. You are all heroes in this community.

It is not over yet but we sure are closer.