Fairfax, AK are one of those folks bands that create hushed music, but spend a lot of their time making up for the milquetoast timbre of their songs with an underlying, building tension. They remind me a lot of the (former?) Minneapolis band Absent Arch, who also took a straightforward formula and pumped it full of vitriol. Their new nine-song LP, love stories and picture shows, is soft around the edges and easy to melt into in the late hours of the night. While the majority of the record is reserved and tranquil, Fairfax ramps up the tempo when called for, including in the charging Drive by Trucker-esqe guitar work of “Frankie Last Year” and build-up and release on “Just Fine.” Mostly, though, the album is best for those who enjoy the meditative piano and simple acoustic guitar. Songs like “My Father’s Lullaby” and the title track are pleasantly placid, the latter of which fades out with a wistful vocal melody and a stomp-and-clap beat that disappears into the ether. The group celebrates the release of the record (which you can stream below and download for “name your price”) tonight with a release show at the Nomad (with Reviler Two-Year Anniversary alums Fire in the Northern Firs).
PENNSYLVANIA CHILD SUPPORT PROGRAM RANKED TOPS IN U.S. FOR COLLECTION EFFORTS
US Fed News Service, Including US State News February 15, 2007 The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare issued the following news release:
Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Child Support Enforcement has again exceeded federal standards and has put Pennsylvania first in the nation for the collection of monthly child support payments, Department of Public Welfare Secretary Estelle B. Richman said today. in our site pennsylvania child support
Pennsylvania’s ranking is based on audit statistics released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“Parents have no greater responsibility than to provide for their children and we take our role in ensuring they meet that obligation very seriously,” said Richman. “Our continued success in the collection of those payments can have long-lasting, positive affects on children all across the commonwealth.” Court-ordered payments are processed electronically through the Statewide Collection and Disbursement Unit, reducing delays in payments to parents and resulting in a five-year, estimated savings of nearly $50 million to Pennsylvania taxpayers. web site pennsylvania child support
According to the federal audit, Pennsylvania successfully established paternity for over 98 percent of families with children born-out-of marriage and established support orders for nearly 85 percent of parents, amounting to nearly $1.5 billion annually on behalf of approximately 750,000 children statewide.
In addition, Pennsylvania scored 100 percent in overall system cost-effectiveness, collecting nearly $7 for every $1 spent on administrative costs and exceeding the federal average of $5.
Pennsylvania’s child support enforcement program is a joint effort involving counties. The Department of Public Welfare Bureau of Child Support Enforcement oversees the delivery of federal and state child support services locally through the domestic relations sections of the county courts of common pleas.
For more information on Pennsylvania’s child support enforcement efforts, visit www.childsupport.state.pa.us.Contact: Rita Frealing-Shultz and Stacey Ward, 717/787-4592.
Rita Frealing-Shultz and Stacey Ward, 717/787-4592.
