Friday, October 22, 2004 (Washington, DC) Daylight Saving Time Ends Sunday, Oct. 31, For Most Americans.

Most of the nation will return to standard time at 2 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 31, when clocks will be set back one hour. The change will provide an additional hour of daylight in the morning. Under law, daylight saving time is observed from the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October, with the nation returning to daylight time starting Sunday, April 3, 2005. Federal law does not require any area to observe daylight time, but those that do must follow the starting and ending dates set by the law. No resetting of clocks is required for those parts of the country not observing daylight time: Arizona, Hawaii, the part of Indiana located in the Eastern time zone, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas. Contact: Bill Mosley: (202) 366-4570.

Railroad Safety Research Grants Awarded to West Virginia Institutions.

West Virginia University (WVU) in Morgantown and Marshall University in Huntington will receive approximately $1.3 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to conduct applied rail safety research projects. WVU researchers will receive $94,997 to study how fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites may be used to repair wood railroad bridges while minimizing traffic disruptions. A second grant for $248,524 is being awarded to WVU researchers to complete a study of the economic benefits and safety performance of various types of composite railroad ties as an alternative to traditional wood railroad ties. A Marshall University research team has received $960,000 to develop new remote sensing technologies for the monitoring of railroad track conditions and ensuring the safety of operations. Contact: Steve Kulm: (202) 493-6024.

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