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Officials with the Iowa Department of Transportation have said the state should pump an additional $200 million into its roads and bridge fund, at a minimum, to maintain the current system.In response to the DOT’s request, lawmakers this year are considering a hodgepodge of road-related fee increases, including a boost in the cost of Iowans’ annual vehicle registration fees, to generate the needed funds. But getting a majority of lawmakers to vote to increase fees on taxpayers during an election year may prove to be difficult.If funding isn’t increased, the state’s bridges will continue to deteriorate, DOT spokeswoman Dena Gray-Fischer said.The DOT replaces or makes significant repairs to about 20 bridges each year, although only 15 are slated for such improvements this year.At the same time, the DOT estimates that between 20 and 30 bridges become structurally deficient each year.
Soundtrack Pro 2.0.1
Sound editors and video editors—the humans, not the software—often seem to live in different worlds. The latest version of Apple's Soundtrack Pro, version 2.0.1, part of Final Cut Studio 2.0.1, seeks to bridge some of those divisions, at least within the suite's workflows. Enhanced recording tools aid dialogue and Foley recording (which includes sound effects and incidental sound), and a new audio Conform facility promises to make reconciling video and audio edits easier. New pro audio features also cater to video production, making it easier to match audio recorded in different locations and to manage surround sound. The challenge for Soundtrack Pro 2 is balancing interface simplicity and the dual demands of video and audio production. Prosumer to pro to more pro Soundtrack Pro has gone through some major transformations, in both features and user expectations, in its four years of existence.
Kidd now officially a Maverick, Cuban says
As a player, you just want to come to work and play hard and give your team a chance to win, Kidd said during over the weekend. Hopefully you put yourself in position to win a championship. Theres no guarantee. The Mavs resume play Wednesday against the Western Conference-leading Hornets in New Orleans. If Kidd can play it will kick things off with Kidd going up against the Hornets rising point guard, Chris Paul. An indication of just how tough the West is with most teams having 30 or fewer games to play is that the Mavs (35-18) are two games out of the conference lead, but also two games out of the lottery. Kidd said hes looking forward to returning to the West, where the style of play is faster and more wide open than in the laboring East. I love to run, Kidd said.
ImprovBoston supersizes space, with some regrets
Clutching a stack of blueprints, Elyse Schuerman enters the former Japanese grocery store in Central Square and gestures at the outlines of a future showplace for local comedy. Drills whine and steel beams clatter as workers transform the space into two theaters that will be the new home of ImprovBoston. The comedy club, which was formed as an itinerant group for improvisational theater in 1982 and has since established itself as a breeding ground for such comedic talents as Jane Curtin and Steven Wright, plans to move from Inman next month. The new lobby will boast a bar serving alcoholic beverages; the entrance and bathrooms will be accessible to wheelchairs; and the main cabaret stage, which will line the long wall of the rectangular theater, will comfortably seat 100 people.
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