Bambi might be a threat to New York's drinking water. Officials at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection worry that herds of hungry deer munching vegetation around drinking water reservoirs might be threatening the supply—lack of protective vegetation enables sediment to flow into the water, compromising its quality.
Prize-winning billing plan
Officials in the town of Oswego, Ill., think they've come up with a way to cut down the number of water-bill deadweights: a prize giveaway that rewards early payers. Residents who send in their dough well ahead of the due date are entered into a monthly drawing for a $100 gift certificate, good for redeeming at a number of Oswego businesses.
Concrete used in pyramid scheme
According to a Philadelphia professor, ancient Egyptians may have used limestone concrete to build the pyramids around 2500 B.C. Michel W. Barsoum theorizes use of the material would have made it easier to construct the structures' upper levels, in comparison to hauling heavy stone blocks from ground level. If Barsoum's theory is correct, Egyptians beat the Romans to the punch by more than 2000 years.