Equipment stolen from Texas cemetery

This blog has noted cases in the past in which thieves have stolen brass fixtures, wrought-iron gates and similar things from cemeteries.
As also noted in my research, these thefts harm a community's larger quality of life, because they divert countless crimefighting and judicial resources that otherwise could go toward fighting more serious crimes and prosecuting other perpetrators.
Well, here's another incident; this time, thieves stole lawn maintenance equipment from a cemetery in Orange, Texas. Again, while it seems like a petty crime compared with others, it's not for the cemetery operator who now needs to replace that equipment, and it again diverts precious police and court resources...in geography parlance, it is another example of a negative externality.

Illinois cemetery a financial drain

Government officials in Knoxville, Ill., are looking for ways to close a nearly $42,000 hole in their cemetery budget. Over the last five years or so, according to the treasurer, expenses totaled $221,671, while income was $180,047.

Kansas county takes over cemetery operation

Shawnee County in Kansas is now operating a cemetery after a couple that had been in charged turned over the reins.

New Year, new commitment to blogging

Greetings to everyone. It was a busy fall, as I took the penultimate class for my GIS certification at Rowan University. I'm most hopeful of doing this work at my place of employment, the Philadelphia Daily News (or Philly.com), but it's good to know I'm getting a new skill set in the event I need to go elsewhere.
Here are a couple of examples of maps I created for class. One is a map of the Mid-Atlantic Region's honey production for 2009; the other is a solution to a problem in which we had to determine, using a series of constraints, the best locations in southwestern New Jersey to locate a nursery.

Massachusetts town, school in tussle over plot of land

The Riverside Cemetery could run out of space within a few years, and school officials say they need a new building, so the sides are at odds over the largest piece of land available in the town of Saugus, Massachusetts.

Minnesotans tout green burials

Green, or natural, burials are becoming more common in Minnesota, as people give consideration to environmental issues.

Authorities find more mismarked graves at Arlington

The Army reported this week that more graves were exhumed and that more graves were discovered to be marked improperly. Here's an editorial from Mass Live on the problems at Arlington.