Heads and tales: On the lookout

traffic cam Jam TV: What’s more exciting than watching paint dry? How about cars stuck in traffic? The state transportation department is offering live streaming video of 12 traffic hotspots around Birmingham, such as the one at University Boulevard facing south on the Red Mountain Expressway pictured here. Other spots include Interstate 20/59 at Arkadelphia, and the I-65/I-459 junction. The state spent $200,000 on video equipment. And you’ll never have to ask your loved ones, “Guess where I am?” ever again.
• Live! From Malfunction Junction [Birmingham News]

Law and Order: County Task Force: The Birmingham buzzword for 2006 is “cooperation.” Jefferson County sheriff Mike Hale is asking for a countywide violent crime task force called Operation Unity. And none too soon, as Birmingham homicides are up over this point last year. Birmingham fortunately seems amenable to the 60-day project. “We have no problem with it at all,” said one city deputy police chief. Just as long as they don’t waste time raiding 7-7-7 parlors …
• Hale proposes 60-day initiative to fight homicides [Birmingham News]

CSI: College Savings Inferior: Parents can use a state plan to save for kids’ college funds. Unfortunately, a mutual fund rating company says Alabama’s plan is one of the worst in the nation. For the second year in a row. One reason: Until this year, savings withdrawals from the plan were taxable. But even with the change, a few investment advisors are steering their clients to other 529 mutual funds. Feh, college. Who needs it? It’s just book learning and church burning from what we hear.
• Alabama college savings ranks at bottom [Birmingham News]

basketball A reminder: One day left(!) to turn in your NCAA brackets to win a 256MB USB thumb drive/pen. It’s free, so enter now.