The brief but controversial life of the proposed SonicScreen in Hastings, MN has ended. The SonicScreen is how the Mosquito device that NYRA defeated last fall in Washington, DC is currently being marketed to real estate developers, park commissions, shop owners, school boards and other decision makers around the country. The Park Commission of Hastings, MN rarely engages in anything controversial. Mostly they make minor repairs to the various parks around their community. At one park in particular, however, there has been an increase in the amount of vandalism. City officials were quick to blame teenagers even though they have absolutely no idea who is perpetrating the vandalism. Hoping to put the community at ease they announced they were considering installing a SonicScreen – a device that emits a high pitched sound at 17.4 mhz and over 100 decibels. The only people who can hear such a sound are under the age of 25. NYRA, having experience with this issue, sent a letter to the City Council and Parks Commission of Hastings and cc’d local Minnesota press, igniting a flurry of stories about the proposed device. After a couple of meetings, most likely worried about potential legal challenges and charges of discrimination, the commission decided the SonicScreen was “overkill” and they followed NYRA’s suggestion of installing motion-activated flood lights instead.