(Mostly, the most recent news stories are at the
top, though realistically, it depends on when I catch up or finally find an
article.)
www.ny.gov - GOVERNOR SPITZER
ANNOUNCES ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF
TECHNOLOGY TO HOST POLLUTION
PREVENTION INSTITUTE Governor
Eliot Spitzer today announced the
selection of the Rochester Institute
of Technology (RIT) as the host of
the Pollution Prevention Institute,
a cutting-edge research and
development center to design and
test “green” manufacturing methods
and provide technical support to
businesses for pollution reduction
measures that will help make them
more competitive. Governor Spitzer
proposed $4 million for the
Institute in his 2008-09 Executive
Budget, building on the $2 million
he and the Legislature included in
last year’s budget to launch the
Institute. RIT’s primary mission
will be to promote cost effective
pollution prevention techniques so
that large and small business can
reduce energy costs, hazardous
substances, and wastes. Investing in
pollution prevention will also
promote the competitive advantage of
New York's businesses. (Feb 29, 08)
http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/index.html
State picks RIT for
center on pollution prevention
— ALBANY --- The Rochester Institute
of Technology has been picked as the
site of a new pollution-prevention
center that will be supported by $6
million from the state, Gov. Eliot
Spitzer announced today. The center,
to be known as the Pollution
Prevention Institute, is designed to
design and test “green’’
manufacturing methods and provide
support to help businesses cut
pollution. (February 29, 2008)
Democrat & Chronicle
Rochester-Area Gas
Prices Approaching Record
ROCHESTER, NY (2008-02-28) We're
less than a dime a gallon away from
record high gas prices in Rochester.
Triple-A reports gasoline sells for
an average of $3.32 a gallon across
the region today, up about another
penny from yesterday.
WXXI NewsRoom
Kodak and Wal-Mart
Launch Nationwide Recycling Program
for Picture Kiosk Consumables
- ROCHESTER, N.Y. & BENTONVILLE,
Ark., Feb 27, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE)
-- Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: EK:
17.84, -0.22, -1.21%) and Wal-Mart
Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT: 50.70,
-0.73, -1.41%) today announced the
launch of a national program to
recycle used materials from in-store
picture kiosks. The program is
underway at about 4,100 Wal-Mart
stores and Sam's Clubs in the U.S.
that operate KODAK Picture Kiosks,
and is expected to annually recycle
two million pounds of thermal
printer ribbon, spools and
cartridges. That amount is
equivalent to the weight of
approximately six, 250-passenger
commercial airliners. (Feb 27, 08)
Fox/Business
Green cars at auto
show -
None of the two hundred cars are
green colored, but a growing number
of them are green. "The alternative
fuel vehicles certainly are a very
hot topic around town," said Brad
McAreavy. Especially now that there
are two stations in Rochester that
pump ethanol. Inside, at the car
show, western New Yorkers will find
a wide scope of greenies, from the
massive Chevy Tahoe hybrid to the
tinier Malibu. (Feb 26, 08)
RochesterHomepage.net
HWS forum to talk
crow -
GENEVA - The flocks of crows
descending on Geneva may not be very
good neighbors, but a forum Thursday
at Hobart and William Smith Colleges
aims to change some minds about the
feathery fiends. “A Discussion of
Perspective: Crow Roosting the
Finger Lakes Region,” will bring
experts on various sides of the crow
problem together for a round-table
discussion at 6:30 p.m. at the
Geneva Room in the library. (Feb 27,
08)
Finger Lakes Times
Online
Great Lakes Officials Seek Aid From
U.S. and Canada - New York Times
CHICAGO — Regional government
agencies around the Great Lakes
spend some $15 billion a year to
protect the lakes from invasive
species, contaminated sediment and
sewage overflows, a new study shows.
But local officials say that still
more protection is needed and that
the United States and Canadian
governments should pay for it.
“They’re saying it’s not a federal
problem, but it is,” Mayor Richard
M. Daley of Chicago said of the five
lakes, which hold 20 percent of the
world’s fresh water. Mr. Daley and
other regional leaders say they
intend to press for more federal
money in light of the study, to be
released Wednesday, which for the
first time estimates what local
governments are devoting to the
lakes. (Feb 27, 08)
The New York Times -
Breaking News, World News &
Multimedia
Mystery illness hits New York bats -
Rochester, NY - MPNnow Bats in
New York and Vermont are
mysteriously dying off by the
thousands, often with a white ring
of fungus around their noses, and
scientists in hazmat suits are
crawling into dank caves to find out
why. “White nose syndrome,” as the
killer has been dubbed, is spreading
at an alarming rate, with
researchers calling it the gravest
threat in memory to bats in the
United States. (Feb 25, 08)
Rochester, NY - MPNnow
Public gets peek at proposed Montreal River area wind
farm; Not everyone blown away - Public
consultation has started on the Bow Lake Wind Farm project, the kickoff
to a lengthy and detailed process that could see windmills dotting the
Montreal River area by 2011. The project is a business venture headed up
by five Irish businessmen and one Canadian. Vortex Wind Power
spokesperson Kevin O'Donovan said the company was basically set up to
develop wind farms in Ontario. The company is negotiating with the
provincial government to lease 600 acres of Crown land. (Feb 26, 08)
The Sault Star
- Ontario, CA
New Plans To Boost Renewable Energy In New York -
NewsChannel 9 WSYR Albany, New York (WSYR-TV)
- Increasing renewable energy here in New York is getting some new
attention from the governor's office. A special task force on the topic
is out with recommendations to get the process moving. Chief among them,
boosting the state's solar and wind power resources. The amount of
sunshine in New York is equal to that of Germany, the world's leader in
solar energy use. The task force wants to boost solar power capabilities
by eight times what they are now in the next four years. (Feb 25, 08)
NewsChannel 9 WSYR
Monroe County Leads NY in Chemical Emissions
- ROCHESTER, NY The Environmental Protection Agency says substantially
less chemical pollution is being released across New York State -- but
Monroe County still tops the list for releases to air, water and land by
industry. That's mainly because of Eastman Kodak Company, which still
has New York's biggest single industrial plant at Kodak park in
Rochester. (2008-02-26)
wxxi NewsRoom
www.ny.gov -
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR PATERSON ANNOUNCES ROADMAP TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE
RENEWABLE ENERGY GENERATION IN NEW YORK Lieutenant Governor David A.
Paterson, Chairman of the State’s Renewable Energy Task Force, today
announced 16 Task Force recommendations as part of a roadmap to
significantly increase renewable energy generation in New York. These
first recommendations include more solar energy production funding the
state’s program to get 25 percent of New York's electricity from
renewable energy by 2013 and new business incentives targeted to attract
renewable energy producers and expand the State’s “green collar”
workforce. (Feb 25, 08) GOV
SITE
Activists: Tax breaks should be better tied to
environmental concerns— ALBANY — In a tight
fiscal year, the state should use tax-break programs that account for
more than $1 billion annually in lost revenue to better protect the
environment, according to a report issued by environmental activists.
According to the report, three state programs — tax credits to clean up
polluted former industrial sites, Empire Zone tax breaks for businesses
and a loan policy to add municipal water systems — need to be reformed
to better hold the participants accountable for environmental impacts.
(February 25, 2008)
Democrat & Chronicle
State budget targets buses —
Proposed cutbacks in Gov. Eliot Spitzer's budget plan disproportionately
hit the Rochester area, Sen. Joseph Robach claims — notably affecting
city bus service. Rochester stands to gain handsomely in state capital
spending, with at least $50 million pledged for demolition of Midtown
Plaza, and another $50 million to help the University of Rochester build
its translational sciences building. But the Rochester-Genesee Regional
Transportation Authority, or RGRTA, could see its funding level drop $3
million from last year, and is the only transit authority facing a
reduction in state aid. (February 24, 2008)
Democrat & Chronicle
Homes made GREEN - From
earth-sheltered houses to purchasing specific appliances, you can
enhance energy efficiency - With the rising cost of heating oil and
natural gas and talk of global warming, going green is the new direction
in home building and renovation. Today's homeowners are ever conscious
about energy savings and, more so each year, the environment. (Feb 24,
08)
Democrat & Chronicle
Commissioner announces $13 million to protect water
quality - ALBANY - New York State Agriculture
Commissioner Patrick Hooker Friday announced $13 million for 46 projects
that will help farmers protect New York’s lakes, streams and rivers from
agricultural runoff. This assistance is awarded through the New York
State Agricultural Nonpoint Source Abatement and Control Program, which
serves as a vital component of the State’s Agricultural Environmental
Management program and is funded through the Environmental Protection
Fund. (including $1,649,853 for Western New York $3,799,881 for the
Finger Lakes (Feb 23, 08)
New York State News on the Net!
EPA Annual Toxics Report Shows Decrease in Chemicals Released From
Facilities in New York State | Newsroom | US EPA (New York, N.Y.)
The latest Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) data continues to show a
general downward trend for chemical releases by facilities in New York
State, according to the annual TRI report issued today by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) in record time. Total releases
to air, water and land by industry in the state decreased by more than
10% between 2005 and 2006, from 32.9 million pounds to 29.1 million.
“TRI is an important tool for regulators, emergency responders,
businesses and communities because it helps them better understand and
be aware of the types and amounts of chemicals being released in their
neighborhoods,” said Alan J. Steinberg, EPA Regional Administrator. “It
also serves to encourage industries to improve their processes and
reduce the amounts of chemicals released – leading to this reduction in
the amounts released into New York’s environment.” --from
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
EPA annual toxics report shows decrease in chemicals
released from facilities in New York - Water
discharges went from 9.8 million pounds to 8.1 million during that same
period. The reduction was mainly due to lower nitrate compound
discharges, with Eastman Kodak in Rochester leading the trend by
dropping 700,000 pounds, Anheuser-Busch in Baldwinsville, with a 495,000
pound decrease, and IBM in Hopewell Junction, which reduced its
discharge by 240,000 pounds. Kodak’s 33 percent decrease in nitrate
compound discharges into the Genesee River from its King’s Landing
treatment plant in 2006 was the result of treating nitrate on site for
the first time due to a better understanding of plant operation. (Feb
22, 08)
New York State News on the Net!
Rochester Gets 2nd E85 Pump - A
second E85 pump in Rochester has some people wondering if the home grown
alternative fuel really is the future. The price the 85% ethanol, 15%
gasoline blend is what turns most drivers heads first. (Feb 22, 08)
R News: As It
Happens, Where It Happens
Birds beset bird-watchers' haunt in Victor
- Woodpeckers' reign of holey terror perforates Nature Club budget—
Members of the Burroughs Audubon Nature Club love birds, and since the
early 1900s, the group has been bird-watching and promoting ecology. But
some birds — specifically, a hardy band of woodpeckers — don't seem to
appreciate the care and concern. (February 19, 2008)
Democrat & Chronicle
Cleanup could be near for old refinery land
— On the west bank of the Genesee River, halfway between Corn Hill
Landing and Brooks Landing, lies nearly 60 acres of prime land. More
than a mile of the waterfront is city owned. The rest is a mix of state
and private property. At the heart of the site, in the area of Flint and
Exchange streets, is the former Vacuum Oil Co. refinery. And nearly all
of that land is potentially or documented to be toxic. (February 21,
2008)
Democrat & Chronicle
MPNnow
Irondequoit purchasing energy-saving computers RSS Irondequoit, N.Y.
- At its Feb. 19 business meeting, the Irondequoit Town Board approved
the purchase of 138 new computers and monitors for town employees. The
new Dell OptiPlex systems have an Energy Star 4.0 rating – the highest
possible energy efficiency rating given by the US government (Feb 21,
08) Rochester, NY - MPNnow
MinnPost - It's cold outside, but Lake Superior is getting warmer
DULUTH — Lake Superior is undergoing sudden increases in its water
temperatures and dramatic declines in its lake levels, prompting
scientists and others to wonder: Is the world's largest fresh water lake
in the throes of irreversible change due to global warming? (Feb 21, 08)
MinnPost
RG&E Settles Dispute with State
- The state and Rochester Gas and Electric have settled a dispute
regarding major upgrades at Russell Station. The state claimed the
company did the work in the mid-1980s without installing required
pollution controls. (Feb 20, 08)
R News: As It Happens, Where It Happens
CUOMO
ANNOUNCES SETTLEMENT TO CLOSE ROCHESTER GAS & ELECTRIC’S COAL-BURNING
RUSSELL POWER PLANT Company Pledges to Build Cleaner,
State-of-the-Art, Natural Gas Facility ~ Settlement Requires RG&E to Pay
$500,000 for Clean Energy Projects in the Rochester Area ROCHESTER, NY
(February 20, 2008) – Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a
settlement with Rochester Gas and Electric (“RG&E”) that will require
the company to shut down its coal-burning Russell power plant in the
Town of Greece, Monroe County. The agreement also mandates that if RG&E
replaces the coal-burning facility, they must build a cleaner,
state-of-the-art natural gas plant. As a result of this settlement,
thousands of tons of air pollution will be eliminated in the Rochester
area annually. (Feb 20, 08)
Office of
New York State Attorney General Andrew M Cuomo
ENVIRONMENT: Russell power plant to close - News & Opinion - Rochester
City Newspaper Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has announced a
settlement with RG&E that will require the company to shut down its
coal-burning Russell power plant in the town of Greece. Under the
settlement, RG&E must permanently shut down the Russell power plant
following improvements to power lines and substations, which are
expected to be completed in May. If RG&E builds another plant, the
settlement requires that this new plant be a state-of-the-art natural
gas burning facility. (Feb 20, 08)
Rochester City Newspaper
Reovirus Blamed for Crow Die-offs - NYS Dept. of
Environmental ConservationReovirus Blamed for
Crow Die-offs A strain of avian "reovirus" (pronounced: REE-O virus) is
responsible for crow die-offs reported in at least six counties across
New York in late December, according to a New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation (DEC) investigation. Dead crows were reported
in Albany, Dutchess, Jefferson, Montgomery, Orange and Steuben counties
during that period, sometimes in large groups (exact numbers for the
total die-off are not available; estimates are in the hundreds).
New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation
DEC’s tree and shrub seedling sale underway
- ALBANY - The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s
annual sale of tree and shrub seedlings is underway and will continue
through May. DEC’s Saratoga Nursery produces over 50 species of trees
and shrubs, many native to New York, for planting on public and private
land. The objective of the program is to provide low cost planting
material to encourage landowners to enhance New York’s environment for
future generations. The minimum order for conifers and wildlife shrubs
is 100, for hardwoods 25, and for container stock 50. Mixed packets of
30 - 100 wildlife shrubs are also available for homeowners to attract
wildlife. (Feb 20, 08)
New York State News on the Net!
PESTICIDE BAN? - The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency is taking steps to ban a pesticide used on crops. The
agency says the pesticide is toxic to wildlife. Rebecca Williams reports
the manufacturer might take the EPA to court:http://www.environmentreport.org/
Living on Earth: Toxic Info Withheld The Centers for Disease Control
is postponing the release of a report detailing areas of environmental
concern and human health problems in the Great Lakes region. Living on
Earth host Steve Curwood talks with Christopher De Rosa, who was
director of the Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine at the
CDC and oversaw the report. De Rosa was demoted when his work on toxins
in the Great Lakes, and on formaldehyde in FEMA trailers for Hurricane
Katrina survivors, was publicized.Living
on Earth: Sound Journalism for the Whole Planet
Delay Of Report Is Blamed On Politics - washingtonpost.com CHICAGO
-- The lead author and peer reviewers of a government report raising the
possibility of public health threats from industrial contamination
throughout the Great Lakes region are charging that the report is being
suppressed because of the questions it raises. The author also alleges
that he was demoted because of the report. Chris De Rosa, former
director of the division of toxicology and environmental medicine at the
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), charges that
the report he wrote was a significant factor in his reassignment to a
non-supervisory "special assistant" position last year.(Feb 19, 08)
washingtonpost.com - nation, world, technology and Washington area news
and headlines
Leaked Study Says Great Lakes Residents at Greater Health
Risk - ROCHESTER, NY (2008-02-19) A study done
by the Centers for Disease Control says as many as nine million people
living along the U.S. side of the Great Lakes could be at higher risk
for health problems because of chemical pollution. More than
300-thousand Rochester-area people fall within that study area. But
people living in the Rochester area are better off than most, because
the one recognized "Area of Concern" waste site in Monroe County has
been cleaned up by the City of Rochester and is no longer leaking
pollutants to Lake Ontario. ( Feb, 19, 08)
wxxi NewsRoom
ENVIRONMENT: Water issues up in the air - News & Opinion - Rochester
City Newspaper The city and the Monroe County Water Authority
probably won't reach a new water-sharing agreement before the current
one expires in April, and they are considering a short-term extension to
bridge the gap. "We just need some more time to keep hammering out the
details," says Dick Metzger, the Water Authority's director of
production and transmission. (Feb 6, 08)
Rochester City
Newspaper
Spitzer to Sign Great Lakes Plan
- ALBANY (AP) — Governor Eliot Spitzer is expected to sign a measure to
protect the Great Lakes. The compact would implement an effective water
management plan, provide protection against water diversions out of the
basin and promote water conservation measures. (Feb 12, 08)
R News: As It Happens,
Where It Happens
Nature Conservancy buys 55 acres in Yates County—
The Nature Conservancy has purchased 55 acres of woodlands, wetlands and
fields near Canandaigua Lake in rural Yates County. The land, located
along West River in the town of Middlesex, will be transferred to New
York state and incorporated into the High Tor Wildlife Management Area.
(February 8, 2008)
Democrat & Chronicle
DEC chief pushes for cleanup of tax credits
— Stumping in Rochester for proposed changes to the state brownfields
cleanup program, New York's environmental commissioner said Wednesday
the new program would be a boon for upstate cities. (February 14, 2008)
Democrat & Chronicle
Flu season surges as shots disappoint
— ATLANTA — The flu season is growing worse, and U.S. health officials
say it's partly because the flu vaccine doesn't protect against most of
the spreading flu bugs. The flu shot is a good match for only about 40
percent of this year's flu viruses, officials at the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. (February 16, 2008)
Democrat & Chronicle
Birds dying on Lake Michigan shoreline - mlive.com When loons
started to turn up dead all over the northern Lake Michigan shoreline
late last summer, citizens began to wonder if something serious was
going on. Scientists, who recognized the problem, caught their breath.
It was a problem they had seen before and the problem appeared to be
spreading. (Feb 16, 08)
MLive.com: Everything Michigan
Change sought in lakes pact An eight-state compact designed to
protect Great Lakes water from diversions could be delayed and
potentially scuttled because of changes proposed in the Ohio and
Wisconsin legislatures Thursday. Governors from the eight states signed
the Great Lakes Basin Water Resource Compact in 2005, and lawmakers have
been working for approval from each state's legislature. The agreement
has been ratified in Minnesota and Illinois, is close in Indiana and New
York, and is working its way through the legislatures of Michigan and
Pennsylvania. (Feb 15, 08)
Detroit News Online | Saturday, February 16, 2008
Indoor air quality can be big problem
- Radon, carbon monoxide and mold are all health risks. —
Poor indoor air quality is a quiet but deadly health risk, and public
health experts advise homeowners and prospective home buyers to take the
initiative and test for radon, carbon monoxide and mold in homes.
(February 16, 2008)
Democrat & Chronicle
Leaked report on the Great Lakes is a wake-up call High levels of
pollution pose a health threat. U.S., Canadian decision-makers keep
public in the dark for fear of lawsuits, expensive cleanups, scientist
says WILLIAM MARSDEN, The Gazette Published: 12 hours ago At least 9
million people living on the United States side of the Great Lakes basin
may be in danger from high levels of chemical pollution, according to a
secret study that has been withheld from the public. The study was kept
secret from the public for seven months until this week when it was
leaked to the Centre for Public Integrity in Washington, D.C. (Feb 14,
08)
Montreal Gazette
First Nation, U.S. National Park Service to battle Great
Lakes virus that’s deadly to fish - Preventing
a deadly fish virus from reaching Lake Superior and damaging fisheries
and parkland areas is the goal of a joint effort between the U.S.
National Park Service and a First Nation just south of the border. Grand
Portage band of the Lake Superior Chippewa, located just south of the
Pigeon River border on a 15-minute drive along the lakeshore, hopes to
finish the plan to keep viral hemorrhagic septicemia from entering the
lake and killing off fish that are vital to its people and the parks,
said Seth Moore, a fish and wildlife biologist with the First Nation.
(Feb 09, 08)
Chronicle Journal
Wetlands in path of sewer line won't be harmed says DEC - Rochester, NY
- MPNnow Farmington, N.Y. - State rules to protect wetlands were
correctly followed in the planning process to build a main sewer line
for the problem-plagued Stone-wood housing tract, according to Albany.
In a letter to town officials and the developer last week, the state
Department of Environmental Conservation said the town, acting as the
lead agency, exercised due diligence in notifying agencies in writing
about the project’s impact on the habitat. (Feb 01, 08)
- Rochester, NY - MPNnow
Del Monte hotels care for both guests, environment
— Rochester-area Marriott hotel guests might notice a
different look and feel to their guest rooms — with whiter, fluffier
linens and fluorescent light bulbs. Even the hotels' exterior lighting
is different. The changes are part of E.J. Del Monte Corp.'s green
initiative to protect the environment, reduce energy costs and satisfy
its clients, said Jim Pestke, vice president of hotel operations for E.J.
Del Monte, which owns nine area Marriotts, including the Spa at the Del
Monte in Pittsford. (February 13, 2008)
Democrat & Chronicle
Trout to be released for 2008 fishing season - Rochester, NY - MPNnow
The fish hatchery at Powder Mills Park is fully stocked and expects to
release more than 17,000 trout throughout the 2008 fishing season. This
will be the first year that the hatchery will be releasing five-year old
brown trout which are expected to be at least 26-inches long by spring.
For the second year in a row, rainbow fingerlings will also be released,
according to hatchery employee Ron Mitchell. (Feb 12, 08)
- Rochester, NY - MPNnow
Gorham poised to adopt outdoor furnace law - Rochester, NY - MPNnow
The Town Board is ready to pass a law that would permit outdoor
wood-burning furnaces as long as they are outside the hamlet, away from
the lakefront and in compliance with other conditions. “We’re not
banning them,” said Zoning Officer Gordy Freida. “They will be allowed
in the agricultural district and the rural residential district.” (Feb
02, 08) -
Rochester, NY - MPNnow
Rochester hearing scheduled on RG&E deal
— A public hearing on Iberdrola SA’s proposal to acquire Energy East
Corp., parent of Rochester Gas and Electric, is scheduled for 1 p.m. on
Thursday, Feb. 21, the state Public Service Commission announced today.
(February 12, 2008)
Democrat & Chronicle
Renewable Fuel Standard Program | US EPA More Renewable Fuel Headed
for Your Tank -Contact: Dale Kemery (202) 564-4355 /
kemery.dale@epa.gov EPA
is raising the 2008 renewable fuels standard (RFS), which determines how
much non-petroleum fuel will power your vehicle, to 7.76 percent. The
move is in response to the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA),
which President Bush signed in December. Last November, EPA announced a
RFS of 4.66 percent, based on previous law, that mandated at least 5.4
billion gallons of renewable fuels be blended into the nation's
transportation fuels this year. However, EPA is now increasing the
standard to 7.76 percent to comply with the new minimum of 9.0 billion
gallons of renewable fuel that EISA requires. EISA increases the overall
volume of renewable fuels that must be blended each year, reaching 36
billion gallons in 2022. To achieve these volumes, EPA annually
calculates the percentage-based standard, which applies to refiners,
importers and non-oxygenate blenders of gasoline. Based on the standard,
each of these parties determines the minimum volume of renewable fuel
that it must use. The RFS program creates new markets for farm products,
increases energy security, and promotes the development of advanced
technologies that would expand the production of renewable fuels.More
information:
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/renewablefuels/
Great Lakes health report withheld by agency Document has 'alarming
evidence' of toxic pollutants, group says, but fed agency says it needs
some fixes. Gordon Trowbridge / Detroit News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- Federal officials are refusing to release a scientific
study that contains "alarming evidence" that toxic pollutants threaten
the health of residents in Detroit and other Great Lakes cities, a
watchdog group alleged Thursday. The Center for Public Integrity
released on its Web site excerpts of the report, which includes
information on elevated cancer levels in Wayne and Macomb counties and a
Detroit landfill site that contains up to 17 tons of toxic PCBs.
(February 11, 08)
Detroit News Online | Monday, February 11, 2008
State Health Commissioner Urges Parents to Vaccinate
Children for Flu Two Upstate Childhood Deaths
Linked to Flu ALBANY, N.Y. (Feb 5, 2008)– State Health Commissioner
Richard F. Daines, M.D., urged parents to have their children vaccinated
for influenza (flu) after reports this week of two pediatric deaths
linked to flu in upstate New York. Influenza activity is widespread in
New York and other states, and is on the increase. To date, influenza
has been reported in 50 New York counties including the five boroughs of
New York City. "These tragic deaths underscore the serious threat
seasonal influenza poses, particularly for the very young, the elderly
and anyone with a chronic medical condition," said Commissioner Daines.
"We are particularly concerned for children who have asthma or chronic
respiratory illness, because they are more vulnerable to serious
complications from the flu. Local health departments and many health
care providers have ample flu vaccine. Anyone who wants to reduce their
risk for flu should get vaccinated. Its not too late." (Feb 05, 08)
New York
State Department of Health