Where’s your red-light camera money going? The federal dollars the state doesn’t want. This week in Spaceport America. Plus, A 14-year-old girl gets sent to the slammer. 1) What did the City Council decide to do with the $5.1 million collected in red-light camera fines? a. Put it in an account to improve the city’s animal shelters.b. Divert it to a separate fund so councilors can keep a better eye on the city’s spending.c. Give it back to the people who paid the fines.d. Buy a panda for the zoo. 2) New Mexico’s Health Department won’t apply for federal money going to: a. Medical marijuanab. Stem cell researchc. Abstinence-only educationd. Ebola research 3) What happened at Spaceport America in New Mexico last week? a. A top-secret rocket was launched.b. Nothing. c. Even more money was thrown at the ridiculous project.d. Gov. Richardson piloted a starship pulling a banner that said "Bill for President." 4) A 14-year-old Albuquerque girl was jailed for five days because: a. She stole an Xbox.b. She lit a "dumb" statue on fire at her high school. c. She stole a car and drove it all over the mesa until she ran out of gas.d. She refused to testify in her own rape case.
Answer Me This
ANSWERS1) B. Councilors Mayer and Winter have accused the mayor of using money from the red-light cameras to balance the city’s budget. Instead, the Council has voted to put that $5.1 million in an account to be used for public safety expenditures. The camera program has been under scrutiny, and there is not yet word on whether the cameras reduce traffic accidents. 2) C. The state got $470,000 in 2007 for abstinence-only sex education but won’t apply for that money again because recent research shows those programs don’t work. The Department of Health is not anti-abstinence but wants to back effective programs. 3) A. Seriously. A top-secret rocket was launched. Though the spaceport is billed as a site for tourists to board spaceships, other companies are interested in the spot to launch technology they don’t want competitors to find out about. 4) D. The girl was thrown in jail for five days because she didn’t show up at her November trial to testify against her stepfather, who prosecutors say raped her. Todd Heisey, chief deputy district attorney, said the girl was jailed to impress upon her the "seriousness" of the situation.
