Rails No, Roads Yes Part: Remember Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker? He’s the one who became the hero/villain for, among other things, turning away $800 million in federal funds for a high-speed passenger rail project because it would have required the state to spend up to $8 million in yearly operating subsidies. Just to make sure that voters get the point that he believes Rail Bad-Roads Good, he has since proposed four dubious new highway projects that could end up costing Wisconsin taxpayers over $2 billion. The Wisconsin PIRG (Public Interest Research Group, a member of the U.S. PIRG coalition) has issued a report, “Building Boondoggles” that says that despite a $3.4 billion state budget budget shortfall, the Wisconsin governor has proposed a 13 percent increase in road project funds, with four large projects of dubious necessity. Read it for yourself at the link above.
Dylan and Infrastructure. Infrastructurist.com, in honor of Bob Dylan’s 70th birthday last Tuesday (Yeah I’m a week late. It was a busy week) put together its Top 10 Dylan infrastructure songs.
Take that, you ignorant journos: Courtesy of colleague Tommy Tomlinson and his @tommytomlinson Twitter feed, here’s a great video from Grand Rapids, Mich. – the city’s video response to being dubbed “a dying city” by Newsweek magazine. If you don’t love it, you may have no heart.
Grin and bear it: There’s been a boomlet of bear-sightings in the Carolinas in recent weeks, including a black bear that wandered onto the third hole at UNC’s Finley Golf Course. Another was killed on a highway near Charlotte. Check out this video from the Greensboro News & Record, of what one resident found in his back yard. THIS JUST IN: A bear was shot and killed today at the Piedmont Triad International Airport. And the @GreensboroBear1 Twitter handle just switched to @GboroBearGhost.