Odds and ends, 4/29/08

DOVER, Del. (AP) — A Superior Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a death row inmate challenging Delaware’s lethal injection process.

Ax murderer Robert Jackson III argued that the state’s execution policies and procedures were illegally promulgated because the Department of Correction did not allow for public review and comment.

There's a phrase you wouldn't want stuck to your name every time it's in a newspaper: ax murderer.

But if the phrase fits . . .

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This will make my youngest sad:

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The head of the state’s school transportation office says he’s worried cash-strapped school districts will begin scaling back bus service for students.

Severe cuts in state funding have left many districts with aging buses that are costly to maintain. State records show the average school bus in Ohio is about eight years old, with 109 buses around the state that are 21-years-old.

In 2001, the state provided about $40.7 million to school districts for buses. That dropped to about $17.2 million by 2004. This year, Gov. Ted Strickland ordered cuts that have taken funding for school buses down to $8.9 million.

School transportation director Pete Japikse says the cuts have meant that many districts can’t buy new buses.

Older buses ride rougher than newer ones. All else being equal, I'd rather my kids ride a newer bus than an older one. But when they start and $70k and go up, there's not much choice if the state is cutting back.

Other than that, for bus nerds it means we will see the old Ward, Amtran, Wayne and Carpenter buses on the road for a little while longer, even though no buses are being manufactured under those names anymore. And the Thomas Built FS-65 models will be around a few more years, although their manufacture ended only about a year ago.

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My kids can't wait for the cicadas to emerge. I'm just glad they're all old enough to enjoy the sight and the sounds. It's kind of like a phaser type 2 in the first stages of overload, for you Star Trek classic fans.