New Signs

El Paso Transportation crew member installs new street sign with lower case lettering

Newmanistas will start seeing all new street signs. The older "ALL CAPS" signs are being replaced by street signs that contain lower case letters. FRANKFORT is now Frankfort. Why? Jim Stingl of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relates what an official from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) told him:

"Using all capital letters takes up more space on the sign, leaving less non-letter space, and therefore making it a bit harder for the eye to distinguish the word, he said. It's a difference of a split second, but saving that time can help a driver make a quicker and safer decision about whether this is where to turn.

"He said the new rules are contained in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, or MUTCD. Let me make that easier for you to read - Mutcd."

You will enjoy reading all of Stingl's article.

The cost of the new signs for Milwaukee is $1.4 million. For NYC it will be $27 million. For El Paso? No idea - but I wish I were the sign vendor.

New mileage marker signs tell walkers at Newman Park how far they have gone on one side. 4X around the park equals one mile.

Hospitality Is a Spicy Bowl of Yummy Menudo

Becky Friesenhahn serves menudo to Walgreens volunteers as son Ruben watches.

Newmanistas love to show their hospitality. This past Sunday Walgreens employees stopped by teh Friesnehahn home for some delicious menudo. They had volunteered that day to help clean-up litter and other debris along Scenic Drive as part of a year-long program with Keep El Paso Beautiful. Micheal and Becky Friesenhahn opened their home to the volunteers as a way for the Newman Park Neighborhood Association to say "thank you" to Walgreens. Just about everyone agreed that Becky's menudo was some of the best that they have ever had!

Click image to enlarge.

What a great way to start our Spring Break here in the Newman Park neighborhood. The Fire Department will be here (with their big flag) to give neighbors fire prevention information from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Smoke detector installation and home fire safety walk-through surveys of homes will be provided free of charge for neighborhood residents requesting the services at one of the many canopy/tables set up by the department in Newman Park. You can also call the Fire Prevention Division at 915-771-1090 and make an appointment for this Saturday. Since smoke detectors will be installed on a first come first served basis and based on available supply, phone-in appointments prior to Saturday are encouraged.

Here is the press release from the Fire Department about the event:

Fire Prevention Community Outreach at Newman Park

Lisa D. Takes El Pasoans "On the Road"

"Lisa D."

Communications Goddess and Newmanista, Lisa Degliantoni, is taking El Paso "On the Road". Using YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, Whrrl, text messaging and more, Lisa guides us as we discover great spots in all 50 states. Her new program streams live online at http://www.khro1650.com every Saturday from 5 to 6:00 p.m. Check out her blog On the Road with Lisa D., Rediscovering America.

Here's the press release:

Talk Radio Goes 4D via “On the Road with Lisa D.—Rediscovering America”

3.1.11 – Lauded border region talk radio host Lisa Degliantoni (Lisa D.) has launched a new radio project taking multimedia audiences all over the world on virtual and real adventures across America.

Using the latest digital and online platforms and content partners in all 50 states, “On the Road with Lisa D.—Rediscovering America” connects audiences no matter where they are to great spots around the U.S. via YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, Whrrl, text messaging, and more. Audience-generated content and reviews from fans on travel news & tips. provide a truly interactive experience for followers of the show, who can also take advantage of giveaways, intimate and off-the-cuff interviews with event organizers, tips from foodies, and just about anything else that can help them plan an excellent adventure.

"It's amazing just how much you can discover in the next town," says Degliantoni, former host of "The Lisa D Show" on 1150 AM Talk Radio in El Paso, Texas. "We're aiming to help Americans rediscover the exciting, diverse and picturesque travel options we have in our own 50 states while the power of the Web will give international visitors the chance to experience America in a whole new way."

Degliantoni launches this timely, technologically innovative project with more than 10 years of media experience. The last Managing Editor of Spy Magazine, Degliantoni has also revamped and maximized online, print and on-air media in the world's largest border community of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. She served as Editor in Chief of El Paso Media Group, overseeing El Paso’s only monthly magazine El Paso Magazine and taking local news website www.newspapertree.com from a for-profit news outlet to a nonprofit news paradigm—the first of its kind in the market. A veteran of the airways, Degliantoni hosted talk radio shows “Charlando con la Gringa” and “The Lisa D. Show”.

“On the Road with Lisa D.—Rediscovering America” will stream online every Saturday from 5 to 6:00 p.m. Mountain Time at http://www.khro1650.com/. The latest schedule, archived interviews, and news about the show can be found online at www.ontheroadwithlisad.blogspot.com. All media queries can be directed to 915-238-6624 or otrwld@gmail.com

Vulnerable Road User Ordinance Goes Into Effect March 1

The Vulnerable Road User Ordinance was passed on December 7, 2010 and scheduled to take effect March 1, 2011.

This Ordinance is intended to provide protection of Vulnerable Road Users.

WHO IS A VULNERABLE ROAD USER?

Pedestrian, runner, physically disabled person, highway construction/maintenance worker, tow truck operator, utility worker, person on horseback, a person operating equipment other than a motor vehicle, including, but not limited to a bicycle, hand cycle, horse-driven conveyance, or unprotected farm equipment, a worker with legitimate business in or near the road or right-of-way, or stranded motorist or passenger.

WHAT MUST A DRIVER DO

An operator of a motor vehicle passing a Vulnerable Road User operating on a highway or street shall:

Vacate the lane being used by the Vulnerable Road User if two or more lanes exist

Pass the Vulnerable Road User at a safe distance, three feet if the operator’s vehicle is a passenger car or light truck and six feet if the vehicle is larger than a light truck to include commercial motor vehicles

Operators of Motor Vehicles making a left turn at an intersection, alley, or private road or driveway shall yield right of way to a Vulnerable Road User

The operator of a motor vehicle may not overtake a Vulnerable Road User traveling in the same direction and subsequently make a right turn in front of the Vulnerable Road User unless the operator is safely clear of the vulnerable road user

An operator may not drive a vehicle in a manner that cause intimidation, harassment or threatens a Vulnerable Road User.

DEFENSE TO PROSECUTION

It is a defense to prosecution under this section that at the time of the offense the Vulnerable Road User was acting in violation of the law.

QUICK REVIEW

The operator of a motor vehicle must create a safe environment for a Vulnerable Road User by giving them space on the road and yielding the right of way.

FINE FOR VIOLATION OF ORDINANCE NO. 017466

Fine up to $500

Shoe Drive Helps School and Rescue Mission

Lindsey Williams displays some of the 123 pairs of shoes she collected.

Lindsey Williams' efforts to collect 50 pairs of shoes to benefit the Rescue Mission of El Paso also helped raise money for a new playground for her school, La Fe Preparatory.

Lindsey ended up collecting 123 pairs of shoes and planned to give them all to the Rescue Mission. However, according to her father, after taking her project to school, "there turned out to be a tremendous buzz around campus. Parents were trying the shoes on and having their children try them on as well."

The school principal approached the Williams family and suggested that some of the shoes could be sold for $2 a pair to help raise funds for a new playground. 32 pairs of shoes were sold thus raising $64 for the playground. The remainder of the shoes were taken to the Rescue Mission of El Paso.

Dr. Dave Williams thanked the Newman Park Neighborhood Association for its help. "Our neighborhood should feel proud that we raised enough shoes to benefit two worth organizations," he said. "That is what El Paso is all about."

Byrd Books Mack-Harvin for Breakfast Meeting

Press Release--Dist 2 Community Meeting--Feb 3 2011