Top 10 Stories of 2010
With memories of 2010 still fresh, here’s a brief rundown of some of the most-read stories that appeared on the GovPro.com website in the past year.
Governments coping with tight budgets was often a topic addressed in GovPro.com last year. Efforts to become more energy efficient, new technology and green government were important topics often discussed in GovPro.com and on its visitor comment boards during 2010.
Set your Web browser to GovPro.com to read about government products, procurement, administration and related topics in 2011.
1. 2010 Keating Report on government budgets and spending
Few believed the U.S. economy would completely bounce back to solvency and strength in 2010, but there were signs that a recovery was under way this past January.
2. Ergonomics and police duty belts: easing their load
Duty belts are designed to carry equipment in a readily accessible manner while leaving the officer’s hands free. Police departments should consider different options to reduce duty belt discomfort.
3. Big drop in police deaths last year
The number of law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty in 2009 was the lowest in 50 years, according to the Washington, D.C.-based National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF).
4. Government IT trends in 2010
IT spending, investment and innovation in government were some of the striking trends we came across while researching our Keating Report 2010 forecast on government budgets, spending and technology.
5. Keating Report on government budgets and spending, 2nd half 2010
The U.S. economy showed increased strength heading into the second half of 2010. One sign of the recovery: Local and state governments nationwide took in more money than they spent in the first three months of 2010 — their first surplus since 2007.
6. Snow-covered LED traffic signals: traffic hazard or not?
Several newspapers in the Midwest carried an Associated Press story in December headlined: “Energy-Efficient Traffic Lights Can’t Melt Snow,” with the subhead, “Traffic accidents are blamed on energy-efficient traffic lights getting covered with snow.” Are LED traffic signals a safety issue during snowstorms?
7. Manufacturer delivers beach cleaners to Gulf spill
Cherrington Enterprises’ beach-cleaning equipment got a workout on the Gulf Coast. The company received its initial order from BP for beach-cleaning gear shortly after the Deepwater Horizon accident on April 20.
Economic growth of 3.5 percent in the third quarter of 2009 might have marked the end of the Great Recession, but state and local governments felt ongoing negative effects throughout 2010. Unemployment rates near double digits continued, and governments continued to endure the collateral effects of weak tax revenues and lower property values. But for the infusion of federal stimulus money, it would have been a lot worse.
9. Harvard reports an increased interest in MPA degree programs
According to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, Harvard University’s Kennedy School conferred the largest number of master’s degrees in public administration (MPA) in 2007-2008 of all Title IV institutions with MPA programs. And, in 2010, MPA program enrollment numbers were up at the Cambridge, Mass.-based university.
10. Study shows Chevrolet Tahoe police vehicle delivers low lifecycle cost
The Chevrolet Tahoe Police two-wheel drive vehicle was found to have the lowest lifecycle cost in the law enforcement market by Vincentric, a company specializing in the area of automobile lifecycle analysis.
View the Top 11-20 Stories of 2010 and Top 21-25 Stories of 2010 for government buyers and managers.
Set your Web browser to GovPro.com to read about government products, procurement, administration and related topics in 2011.
