If the first-year gross anatomy students at Penn State Hershey medical school need spare body parts to study, they can visit the cloakroom of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. That’s where most of the legislators left their spines. On December 13 the House voted 124–69 to send an animal welfare bill back to committee, in…
This was the year that “fracking” became a household word. It wasn’t just that environmental concerns about the underground drilling process finally struck a mainstream chord—after three years of reporting and more than 125 stories. For the first time, independent scientific investigations linked the drilling technique with water pollution, and a variety of federal and…
An application the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) is reviewing from Chesapeake Energy would have life-changing consequences for people in the Loyalsock Valley, in both Lycoming and Sullivan Counties. Chesapeake proposes to build a frack water filling station just off Route 87 at the edge of Hillsgrove and has applied to SRBC to withdraw 720,000…
If the mention of El Salvador conjures up any images at all in your mind, I’m guessing they involve civil war, massacres, and people “being disappeared.” But two years ago, in democratic elections (after a Peace Accord in 1992 and then gradual gains through elections as the guerrilla force transformed itself into a political party),…
On April 27 a consent order and agreement was signed between Eureka 1, LLC and the PA DEP regarding violations of the Pennsylvania Code of rules and regulations. Eureka is a Delaware corporation operating a gas well water treatment facility at 417- 419 Second Street in Williamsport. As part of their operation, Eureka utilizes three…
Educators can learn how to build on young children’s sense of wonder about nature and invite them to explore wildlife and the world around them during this workshop from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday, June 24, at PPL’s Susquehanna Riverlands. During the five-hour workshop, participants will sample activities and receive a curriculum and activity guide. Activities…
THE MARCELLUS SHALE IS RADIOACTIVE! Does this mean there’s a monster deep underground that’s about to be awakened by humanity’s recklessness and greed? Godzilla beneath our feet? Read on and make your own judgment. Radioactivity becomes international news when a nuclear power plant melts down, as in Japan. What I’m going to talk about is…
In 1864 after seeing photos of the majestic sequoia trees in California, President Abraham Lincoln saved them from the lumberjack’s axe by signing the Yosemite Land Grant. He was moved by the incredible images of the massive trees published by photographer Carleton Watkins. Images have an immediate and visceral effect on our emotions. Images are…