Street Smart Campaign Demonstrates Pedestrian Safety
Area officials from the District of Columbia , Maryland and Virginia launched the COG-sponsored Street Smart campaign to reaffirm their dedication to pedestrian safety. Local elected officials joined law enforcement officers at a press conference to voice their support for initiatives to reduce the number of unnecessary deaths and injuries on our region's roads. According to statistics from the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, pedestrians account for one fourth of the region's motor vehicle deaths, or approximately 89 fatalities a year.

D.C. Submits Anacostia Area Plans to TPB
The Transportation Planning Board received one billion dollars worth of new transportation projects linked to the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative and the new Washington Nationals stadium for inclusion in the region's plans. The projects include a major redevelopment of South Capitol Street , replacement of the 11th Street Bridge and construction of the first phase of the Anacostia Streetcar. The bridge projects are expected to improve traffic flow in an area currently ranked as the region's 5th most congested traffic chokepoint in a recent TPB aerial freeway study.

Local Citizens Honored for Service to Animals
COG's Animal Services Committee honored animal control officers, rescuers, volunteers, and others for their outstanding service to animals, as well as their owners and local communities. During the second annual Animal Services Awards, officials also recognized the work of the hundreds of Washington area individuals who came to the aid of thousands of pets and pet owners in the Gulf Coast states after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated their region.

Day Laborers
Elected and appointed officials of the metropolitan Washington region gathered for Regional Day Labor Summit Part II to continue dialogue about this increasingly important local issue. Participants shared ideas on best practices that can be used in their jurisdictions, addressed constituent concerns about the issue, and discussed in detail how proposed federal and state immigration legislation will affect governments at the local level.

Workshop at COG Brings Together Leading Water Quality Experts
Dozens of the nation's leading experts on nutrient removal gathered at COG to discuss new ways to improve water quality. Local participants from the metropolitan Washington region said the three-day workshop was valuable because the high level of nutrients in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries is becoming a more serious and costly issue.