In the fifth of a six-part series titled "America's Mayors: Governing In Tough Times," National Public Radio aired a story August 4 titled "Progress And Promise For A Town Once In Crisis" that features the mayor of a small city - Marion, Ind.

In the story, the mayor speaks about tough economic times and what he has done to retain and attract jobs to his city.

He demonstrates the connection between water systems in communities, cities and towns and jobs, but you need to read or listen to the very end of the story to hear it.

The July 10 Washington Post had a review on three books about water, its importance and its future.

The article begins:

"Water is the ultimate renewable resource — which is why we are running out. Because it falls from the sky, constantly replenished and cleansed in a cycle of evaporation and precipitation, we regard it as free, a gift from God. It is never truly owned or consumed, only borrowed from nature. And so we squander it and defile it. Until, as we are increasingly finding, it is not there when we want it."