The Federal Safe and Drug Free Schools Program, part of the U.S. Department of Education, as once again released funding for the drug testing programs in Mid and High Schools. The program was dropped before the 2004 school year, but from the feedback given from coaches, teachers and parents, it has been reinstated. The program was started in 1997.

The program has several parts. The first part is the patrolling dogs. The trained drug dogs are brought through the schools randomly, and then a choice of classrooms is picked after a school has been chosen. Students are required to leave their bags and other belongings in the class and are then directed outside the classroom while the dogs are inside. The dogs and their handlers are from a private outside agency contracted for the work. If the dog locates drugs in a student’s backpack or desk then that student will be dealt with through disciplinary action. Currently this action is reported to be a suspension of up to 5 days, though the student could be expelled. The drug-sniffing dogs are also brought through the school parking lots.
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A $286.4 billion federal transportation bill approved by Congress includes more than $152 million for local projects ranging from the Sprinter commuter train to improvements on Escondido's Bear Valley Parkway.

The bill also funds the work in progress adding more lanes to Interstate 15 between Escondido and Highway 163, the widening of Highway 76 between Oceanside and Bonsall, and interchange improvements at Interstate 5 and Highway 78; Completion of Poinsettia Lane in Carlsbad; and the commuter line, which will run between Oceanside and Escondido, now under construction and slated to open in December 2007.
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On May 26th, ten San Diego North County fire agencies held a demonstration of their training and regional disaster communications system. The project was started more than two years ago, and gained momentum with the Encinitas Fire Department submitting a grant application for funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in February of 2003.

The Video Conferencing system, put together using hardware and software systems from Tandberg, with network hosting, communication backbones and implementation from SBC, covers about 340 sq miles, connecting 51 North County emergency response stations.
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Like a great many issues, the problems facing San Diego, and many other parts of the Southern United States regarding Illegal Immigration and Border Security appear on the surface to be cut-and-dry. Law makers and even some of our media personalities suggest that it is really simple. The illegal immigrants don't belong here, and so they shouldn't be given things like health care, educations, and diver's licenses. True enough. But that doesn't make the issue easy.
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In 2002 a woman in North County was attacked by a pack of coyotes while walking on a trail. Since that time, a growing number of reports have come in regarding attacks on leashed pets, invasion of yards and homes and even attacks on humans. One has to wonder if there is not a strong correlation between the boxing in of the habitats by road and highway construction, and the growing unrest of coyote and other wildlife in our area.
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