Wikipedia:WikiProject U.S. Roads/Newsletter/Issues/Volume01/Issue05

{| width="100%"  The U.S. Roads WikiProject  Newsletter
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 * width=33% style="border: 1px gray solid; padding: 0.5em; vertical-align: top;" align="left" | Volume 1, Issue 5 || width=33% style="border: 1px gray solid; padding: 0.5em;  vertical-align: top;" align ="center" | 5-8 April 2007 || width=33% style="border: 1px gray solid; padding: 0.5em;  vertical-align: top;" align="right" | About the Newsletter
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Introduction
Welcome! These past two weeks were the most productive we've ever had. Also, due to the holiday weekend, distribution times will vary.

Happy Easter!


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Good and Featured Articles are promoted

 * By Rschen7754

In the realm of Good and Featured articles, this was the most productive two weeks that we have ever had.

After a nomination where people did not retract their oppose votes once the issue was taken care of, Kansas Turnpike was re-nominated. It passed the nomination and is now a Featured Article.

Ridge Route, a former Featured Article that failed a review process last month and was demoted, has been extensively redone. Now, it has passed its nomination and is a featured article again.

Pennsylvania Route 39 and Pennsylvania Route 145 were passed to become Good Articles, and the Schuylkill Expressway and Interstate 95 in Pennsylvania soon followed.

Good work to all who were involved in this success!


 * Sources: Talk:Kansas Turnpike, Talk:Ridge Route, Talk:Pennsylvania Route 39, Talk:Pennsylvania Route 145


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Project news

 * Pennsylvania Route 145 is nominated for featured article status.
 * New state highway subprojects are strongly discouraged. Please help fix the inactive projects!

Article Improvement Drive
 The current U.S. Roads Article Improvement Drive articles are U.S. Route 40 (improvement) and U.S. Route 191 (expansion). Last collaborations were: Interstate 88 (east) and Nevada State Route 401. CAST YOUR VOTE for the next articles


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Deletion debates

 * An archive of all previous debates.

At TFD, all of the USRD cleanup templates were up for deletion. See below for details.
 * Active

At TFD, all of the obsolete road infoboxes have been deleted with a clear consensus to delete. Also, USRD specific user talk messages were deleted as well.
 * Closed

No categories went to AFD or CFD in the past two weeks.


 * Sources: Templates for deletion/Log/2007 March 18, Templates for deletion/Log/2007 April 4, Templates for deletion/Log/2007 March 29


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Member news
Let's give these new users a welcome!


 * JohnnyBGood joined WP:USRD on March 19.
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Featured subproject: Oklahoma
In this issue, we shine a light on the Oklahoma State Highways WikiProject, created on 2 February 2006. Recently, the project's members upgraded the routebox to transclude infobox road. The project is working to get articles written with 87 percent of them written. Good work, and here's to continued success!

Know of a subproject that has gone above and beyond the call of duty? Nominate it at WP:USRD/NEWS. Please note: projects cannot be nominated more than once a year.
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Featured member: 25or6to4
has been a Wikipedia editor since January 8, 2005 and has 1650 edits. He is a member of WP:TXSH and the maps task force. On the maps task force request page, he has been influential in fulfilling the enormous backlogs that are present there from time to time. He has also created all of the maps on Texas State Highways.

Thank you, 25or6to4, for your continued hard work!

Nominations are being taken currently at WP:USRD/NEWS for the next featured member. You may only be nominated once a year.


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Interstate 238 revert war

 * By JohnnyAlbert10

Some Wikipedia editors suggested that I-238 should be a parent of Interstate 80 because it is located between I-580 and I-880. But the members of U.S. Roads disagreed, they stated that AASHTO assigned the I-238 designation because of California State Route 238. USRD members also said that I-238 is not a child of an interstate since I-38 does not exist and it's not a child of Interstate 80.

In WT:IH, there was a poll to decide what would happen to this whole situation and the revert war. The editors in the poll stated that AAroads.com is a road geek website and not a reliable source to clearly say whether I-238 is a child of I-80 or not. It is clear by USRD members that I-238 is not a member of the I-80 family.


 * ''Sources: WT:IH


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IRC discussion comes to light

 * By Vishwin60

At 17:47, 4 April 2007 (UTC), a user nominated the MNSH cleanup template for deletion, but then thought about nominating all of the other templates for deletion as well. After this happened, 3 votes were casted to delete the templates, but a USRD member checking WT:USRD found out that the templates were nominated for deletion. He then alerted the IRC channel, where all the members awoke from their sleep and screamed. One of the ops changed the channel topic to red alert, since this was a USRD-wide issue. Everyone on the channel at the time agreed to keep the templates, so everyone agreed to voice their opinion on the issue. At this time, everyone, including a non-member, expressed their arguments on the TFD. After everyone finished expressing their opinions, the keep arguments amassed more than the delete votes with factual reasoning included. Even after this was taken care of on IRC, one editor who voted to delete the templates changed to keep, citing the reasons the people on the IRC channel laid out on the table.

This exemplifies how powerful the IRC channel can be when important issues like this arise.


 * Sources: Templates for deletion/Log/2007 April 4


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From the Editors
'''Be part of the turnaround... now become part of the solution! Become active in highways again. Let's save the articles from being inactive and destroyed.'''

As always, your feedback on the content and format of this newsletter is greatly desired. With your help, we can make the newsletter better and more informative! Don't be afraid to comment!

Lastly, remember that this is your newsletter and you can be involved in the creation of the next issue released on April 21. Any and all contributions are welcome. Simply let yourself be known to any of the undersigned, or just start editing!
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Contributors to this Issue

 * Rschen7754 (Editor, Distributor)
 * Vishwin60 (Editor, Distributor)
 * TwinsMetsFan (Editor, Distributor)
 * Master_son (Editor)
 * JohnnyAlbert10 (Editor)
 * }
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