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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says:

• In 2005, four persons died and an estimated 10,800 were treated in emergency departments for fireworks-related injuries in the United States.

• An estimated 5 percent of fireworks-related injuries treated in emergency departments required hospitalization.

• About 60 percent of all fireworks-related injuries in 2005 occurred between June 18 and July 18. During that time period: About 45 percent of persons injured from fireworks were children ages 14 years and younger; males were injured by fireworks more than twice as often as females.

• Children ages 10 to 14 years had the highest injury rate for fireworks-related injuries.

Are sparklers OK? The CDC says sparklers are the second-leading cause of fireworks injuries and the leading cause among little kids.

Between June 18 and July 18, 2005:

• Firecrackers (26 percent), sparklers (17 percent) and rockets (17 percent) accounted for most of the injuries seen in emergency departments.

• Sparklers were associated with more than half of the estimated injuries for children under 5.

• Between 2000-2005, more than one-third of the fireworks-related deaths involved professional devices that were illegally sold to consumers.

I have been seeing fireworks bans from California to Florida because of dry weather.

First, let's link those folks who do not have fancy cameras to a place where they can see what they need as a minimum to take fireworks pictures.

Now, the truly cool way to get great fireworks pictures.

I would suggest newsrooms ask their photographers/videographers to do a multimedia piece today showing the public how to take great fireworks pictures. Do a step-by-step instructional piece. Then ask readers/viewers to send their work in overnight for a big July 5 display. You could even vote for the most creative, most spectacular and such.

The U.S. Fire Administration said in 2002 that each year, fire departments respond to 6,500 fires started by people grilling out. Of course July 4 week is prime grilling season. Grill fires result in about 150 injuries and more than $27 million in damage a year.

About one in five grill fires occurs on exterior balconies or open porches of apartments or condos. That is a big fire-safety violation in many places. Do NOT grill out on a balcony. Some of the biggest fires I have ever covered were grill fires on apartment balconies.

Here are some recent, sizable grill fires in Buffalo, N.Y. (Look through your town's fire records -- you will find cases.):

• A gas grill fire broke out on June 14, 1998. ... The fire injured three people and two firefighters and caused nearly $1 million damage to a nearby apartment building and its contents, leaving eight families homeless. An improperly threaded connection on a propane gas tank located on a wooden deck of an outdoor grill sparked the fire.

• A ruptured line or tank on a propane grill triggered an explosion followed by a fire in September 1996, ... resulting in $91,500 damage to nearby homes.

In its June 2007 issue, Gourmet magazine claims 81 percent of all U.S. households own a grill and 47 percent use it one or two times per week during the summer.

Knight Ridder newspapers included 10 grilling tips:

1. Inspect grills closely before the first use each summer.

2. Check the metal tubes that lead directly to the burner. Insects can block them during storage. They can be cleaned following the manufacturer's instructions, typically by using a pipe cleaner or wire to remove any blockage.

3. Check hoses for cracks or holes, and replace any hose that appears to be damaged. Straighten any sharp bends in the hose.

4. Every time a new cylinder is connected to the grill, follow the grill manufacturer's instructions for checking the connection. An easy way is to apply soapy water around the connection. Bubbles indicate a leak.

5. Don't try to repair the tank valve or grill.

6. Never try to connect a cylinder to a grill unless they have matching connections.

7. If you smell gas, turn the grill off immediately. Don't use it until the problem has been fixed.

8. Keep the grill on a level surface 10 feet from any building. Never grill indoors or under a carport or breezeway.

9. Don't move a grill that's in use.

10. Always open the lid of a grill before lighting it with an electric igniter.

By the way, the wildly popular fire pits that so many home improvement stores sell may be illegal where you live. Give it a look.

Here is a sign of how we live. Americans are writing so many fewer checks these days that the Federal Reserve System is closing check-processing centers in 14 U.S. cities. Click here to see what centers will be shut down and when.

How hard is it to cash a check or pay by check these days? Can you use a check at most stores now? Gas stations? How hard is it to cash a check at a bank other than your own? What if you are from out of town?

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:

Prompted by consumer and business migration to electronic payments, the central bank said it chose Atlanta, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Dallas as regional check-processing sites that will provide full check-processing services at least through 2011.

Check-processing operations in 14 other cities will cease, with 1,740 positions eliminated. The changes are expected to begin next year and will be phased in through 2010. The Fed serves as an intermediary in the transfer of paper checks from region to region as well as converts payments to electronic form.

The Fed says:

Federal Reserve check processing locations: The Reserve Banks today process checks at 22 sites nationwide with one other site (Nashville) scheduled to discontinue operations this summer. Three other sites previously scheduled to discontinue check operations (Helena, San Francisco and Kansas City) will remain as print-only sites. An additional 14 sites ... are scheduled for reduced operations between 2008 and early-2011.

Staff levels: The Federal Reserve System, including the Board of Governors, employs over 21,000 staff nationwide; approximately 3,300 of these employees work in the check function.

National check volumes: By Federal Reserve estimates, roughly 37 billion checks were paid in the United States in 2003, down from about 42 billion in 2001 and 50 billion in 1995 (based on data from the Reserve Bank's latest available payments study). The Reserve Banks handled over 10 billion checks and electronic images in 2006.

Editor's Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas, edited story excerpts and other materials from a variety of Web sites, as well as original concepts and analysis. When the information comes directly from another source, it will be attributed and a link will be provided whenever possible. The column is fact-checked, but depends on the accuracy and integrity of the original sources cited. Errors and inaccuracies found will be corrected.