Companies that have gone “above and beyond” to support employees who serve as members of the National Guard and Reserve will be honored May 2 at the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve annual conference at the Sheraton West Des Moines Hotel from noon to 1:30 p.m. Twenty-seven companies will be recognized, and three Iowa companies will receive the Pro Patria Award, which is presented to employers that have provided exceptional support of our national defense through leadership practices and personnel policies that support their employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve. For more information, visit www.iowaesgr.org.

The Iowa Department of Transportation and Department of Natural Resources have been working with the Iowa Office of Energy Independence on a study that highlights recommendations to reduce overall individual vehicle miles traveled, which would lead to reduced fuel consumption and emissions. Three public input meetings will be held this week to discuss the plan and receive recommendations. The first public meeting will be held Tuesday from 5:30 until 7 p.m. in Ames at the Quality Inn & Starlite Conference Center and in Atlantic at the Cass County Community Center. For additional meeting locations and times, visit www.energy.iowa.gov. For more information on the study, visit www.iride21.com.

The Iowa Credit Union League and Coopera Consulting will hold the third annual Discovering Untapped Markets Conference May 5-6 at the West Des Moines Marriott, 1250 Jordan Creek Parkway. The conference will examine how financial education can be used to reach underserved communities and will feature Sharon Lechter, a financial education advocate and co-author of “Rich Dad, Poor Dad.” Lechter will share her views on teaching children and adults to take control of their personal finances. Registration for the event is $259 for the first attendee from an organization and $129 for each additional attendee. For more information, visit http://training.iowacreditunions.com, or call (800) 356-9655, Ext. 4882, or e-mail abollman@cuna.coop.

The Audit Bureau of Circulations said today that average daily newspaper circulation declined 7.1 percent during the October-March period when compared with the same period a year ago. A 4.6 percent decline was recorded during the April-September period of 2008, and newspapers on average experienced a 3.6 percent decline during the October 2007-March 2008 span. USA Today experienced the steepest circulation drop, declining 7.5 percent. The Wall Street Journal was the only paper in the top 25 to increase its circulation, although the gain was less than 1 percent.

Drake University Law School’s legal writing and intellectual property programs were ranked among the top programs in the nation in the 2010 edition of “America’s Best Graduate Schools,” published by U.S. News & World Report. Drake’s legal writing program ranked 17th and its intellectual property program ranked 21st. More than 180 law schools that are fully accredited by the American Bar Association were part of the list.