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A WORK IN PROGRESS | News | shelbynews.com - Shelbynews

If you need your garbage collected, you call Waste Management. But if you're a nuclear power plant operator, don't bother calling the federal governmentin 40 years they still haven't made a pickup.

In 1982, Congress passed the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA), which directed the Department of Energy to site, build, and operate a repository for the disposal of high-level waste and spent nuclear fuel. Since that time, political paralysis has prevented the government from creating a storage site, which has left spent fuel in communities that did not consent to its presence and were promised its removal. Overcoming this decades-long failure is critical to reviving nuclear power and achieving climate goals without unfairly burdening local populations or taxpayers.

The federal government's inability to fulfill its legal obligation has not stopped the private sector from safely managing spent nuclear fuel. For over 30 years power plant operators have stored spent fuel with zero incidents of radioactive leakage or death. Since the 1950s, the U.S. has generated a little over 90,000 metric tons of waste, which would be easy to permanently store and manage. If it were all stacked up, it would fit on a single football field at a depth of less than 10 yards.

While the industry's safety in the handling of spent fuel is commendable, the status quo is not sustainable for taxpayers or the environment.

The Department of Energy still holds the obligation to collect and dispose of the nation's spent fuel. But with no national storage facility available, the federal government currently pays power plant operators to store spent fuel on-site. Taxpayers have been left to pick up the tab, spending $2 million per day and nearly $9 billion total since 1998. If left unaddressed, this figure will rise to an estimated $30 billion by 2030.

America's inability to implement a feasible waste solution has also come at a cost to the environment. Eleven statesincluding California, New York, and New Jerseyhave imposed moratoriums on new nuclear power until a repository is completed. Instead of building out a fleet of reliable, carbon-free nuclear energy, these states have placed their hopes on renewables, which need baseload natural gas to survive.

Finding a solution to this challenge will require political willpower, community engagement, and innovative thinking.

Many of the answers have been outlined already in the 2012 Blue Ribbon Commission's report, which includes eight high-level recommendations to address spent fuel storage in the U.S. To date, the Department of Energy has begun to implement only one of those recommendationsstarting the process of developing a consent-based siting process for an interim storage facility for spent fuel in 2021.

However, under the current structure of the NWPA, the Department of Energy is not legally authorized to build an interim storage facility. While the original NWPA mandated and described a process to select a location for a repository, subsequent amendments have limited the scope to a single site, Yucca Mountain in Nevada. The law now functionally excludes consideration of any other sites or storage methods.

Congress should reform the law to give the Department of Energy the flexibility to site permanent and temporary storage facilities as it sees fit. Importantly, funding for the construction of these sites already exists through the Nuclear Waste Fund, which has over $44.3 billion collected to be spent on a nuclear waste disposal facility.

Reducing restrictions to a consent-based process is in the best economic and environmental interest of the United States. As has happened in the case of Yucca Mountain, a lack of community buy-in increases costs and delays projects. However, when stakeholders are engaged, approval for the nuclear industry greatly improves. In fact, the communities most supportive of nuclear power are the ones that have the technology in their vicinity.

Congress also should continue to fund R&D programs like the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Project, which is working to deploy a sodium-cooled fast reactor that effectively runs on spent nuclear fuel at the site of a retiring coal plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming. If this project is successful, it could provide a solution to address America's spent fuel challenges.

It has been over 40 years since Congress first set out to establish a storage facility for spent nuclear fuel in the United States. Its failure to do so has cost taxpayers and the environment dearly, but solutions remain. By reforming the broken NWPA, engaging with communities, and investing in innovation, the U.S. can more efficiently handle its spent fuel and address one of the biggest roadblocks to unleashing a nuclear energy revolution.

Jeff Luse is a policy analyst at Generation Atomic.

The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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U.S. Inability To Address Nuclear Waste Harms Environmental Progress - Newsweek

Pender County is seeing its Field of Dreams endeavor bear fruit, as Pender Commerce Park grows and thrives.

The planning began in the early 2000s when the county wanted to create an economic driver on its largely rural west side. Officials teamed up with Wilmington Business Development to focus on developing about 400 county-owned acres along U.S. 421, just north of the New Hanover County line.

In 2013 we took the property through the Duke Site Readiness Program and the first tenant, Acme Smoked Fish, was recruited shortly after, said Scott Satterfield, CEO of WBD. Acme has since been joined by Berkshire Hathaway-owned Empire Distributors, FedEx Freight, Coastal Beverage and the first foreign direct investment in the park Polyhose a manufacturer and distributor of hydraulic hose out of Chennai, India. (Read more about Polyhoses products in this months MADE feature here).

To accommodate Acme and other future tenants, Pender County built water and wastewater treatment plants on site. Piedmont Natural Gas ran its pipes into the park. In 2015, AT&T announced the installation of fiber optic cable to bring high-speed internet to the parks future tenants. Pender Commerce Park was the first business park in North Carolina to receive the designation of AT&T Fiber Ready.

The park welcomed Brooklyn, New York-based Acme Smoked Fish in early 2015. Six months later, the company was poised to hit its five-year job target as it increased its capacity more quickly than anticipated.

Acme is not the only park tenant that has grown.

This location and space helped us [achieve] our aggressive growth plan, said Brian Rector, chief financial officer of Coastal Beverage Co., which moved to Pender Commerce Park about five years ago from its location on Harley Street, off Market Street in Wilmington.

Unable to add all the space it needed at the Harley Street facility, the beer, wine and soft drink distributor worked with Will Leonard, of Cape Fear Commercial, to scout alternatives. After looking at a few possibilities, Rector said his team quickly understood that [the park] was the location for us.

We could build almost twice the size warehouse, which allowed us to maintain good inventory levels and to continue to see strong organic growth, Rector continued. Our brands continue to do well. Weve definitely seen some organic growth with the increase in [the regions] population, and we are always looking for new brands that fit Coastal Beverages plans.

We also acquired Atlantic Shores Distributors the same year we moved out here; we picked up their brands and service territory, Rector added. Theres quick access from here to several interstates.

Fellow beverage company Empire Distributors had found a home at the commerce park a couple of years before Coastal Beverage began building its new facility. Other companies have followed.

Joining those tenants in the park in recent years has been Chris Ramm, of Ramm Capital Partners/Taylor Development, Satterfield said. As part of a product development initiative, Ramm has worked with WBD and Pender County to stand up more than 250,000 square feet of speculative space in multiple buildings, which has since been leased to quality tenants including Colony Tire, Professional Builders Supply, Superior Pool Products, Lansing Building Products and The Home Depot. Our brokerage partner was Cape Fear Commercial.

The largest-scale project, to date, in the park is a 300,000 square-foot cold storage facility recently developed by RL Cold and leased to the largest transportation company in the world, Maersk, Satterfield added.

The facility is operated by Maersk subsidiary Performance Team.

Another tenant, Polyhose Inc., recently announced plans to double the size of its current plant. Polyhose officials also committed to an additional 8 acres at the park, citing more opportunities coming our way, as the company establishes its North American presence. Polyhose, whose U.S. unit supplies hoses to automotive and construction equipment manufacturers worldwide, expects the new phase to be complete in the first quarter of 2025.

The proof has certainly been in the pudding as far as our association with Wilmington and the local community is concerned, Fatema Mo, Polyhoses vice president of marketing and human resources, said in the announcement. We hope our association continues to get stronger and we are able to look at different ways in which we can contribute to the community and grow together.

Success stories like this help balance the reality that some prospects will get away.

A major disappointment to Pender and WBD officials was Amazons decision to abandon plans for a 1,000-job distribution center at the commerce park. But, said Satterfield, the company hasnt taken all its marbles and gone away.

Amazon has a holding in the park with plans to bring a final-mile delivery station to the market, he said, adding that Amazon owns Lots 6 and 7. Each deal in the park has been complex in nature but created significant jobs and tax base for the entire region.

A remaining asset ripe for redevelopment is the former BASF site which the larger proposed Amazon project was tied to that straddles New Hanover and Pender counties adjacent to the commerce park.

The southern/brownfield parcel more than 150 acres represents a tremendous economic development opportunity for end users considering greater Wilmington for expansion or relocation, Satterfield said. The site is high and dry with good sandy soils, sits along a four-lane highway, and is less than 15 minutes from downtown Wilmington, ILM and the Port of Wilmington.

Two years ago, the Golden LEAF Foundation gave Pender County a grant of $500,000 to clear and clean up the brownfield site. Satterfield has said WBD is bullish on the sites potential.

When WBD staffers pitch Pender Commerce Park to potential tenants, what attributes do they emphasize? Satterfield ticked off a few.

Location proximity to Wilmingtons assets and amenities, infrastructure and competitive cost are amongst the key advantages associated with the Pender Commerce Park, he said. Every client is unique; thus, the attractive attributes rank different for each respective client. With that said, this is widely recognized as one of the best industrial positions in the market and is the model for us with other business parks being developed in neighboring counties.

We knew the park was going to be successful, and we all know each other pretty well, Rector said. We continue to plan and hope for the growth of 421. From downtown Wilmington up to the park, things continue to build up.

Satterfield said that, although decades in the making, the Pender Commerce Park is delivering as officials hoped.

The Pender Commerce Park has become the premier business park in Southeastern North Carolina with over 1,000 jobs, more than 1 million square feet of industrial space under roof and more than $500 million in capital expenditure investment represented at the park, he said. The foresight and proactive investment by Pender County in land and infrastructure has led to this string of results and helped to drive activity up and down Wilmingtons most prominent industrial corridor.

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Park Progress - Greater Wilmington Business Journal

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SF supervisor to hold hearing on homeless-shelter progress | Housing | sfexaminer.com - San Francisco Examiner

The 75th Emmy Awards honored the most diverse batch of winners in its history, signaling progress made for equitable representation across the TV industry.

The ceremony, which aired on Monday, after being delayed by the Hollywood double strikes, tied its record for most wins by actors of color with five out of the 12 acting categories, including Dahmer standout Niecy Nash-Betts for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie; Beef stars Steven Yeun and Ali Wong for lead actor and actress, respectively, in a Limited Series; The Bear actress Ayo Edebiri for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and Abbott Elementary creator and star Quinta Brunson for lead comedy actress. The latter pair also marked the first time these comedy categories were awarded to two Black women in the same year.

Its very special and Im very humbled on today of all days, too, Edebiri told reporters of the historic feat following her acceptance speech, nodding to Monday being Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The acting record of five non-white actors taking home the Primetime Emmy gold was first set during the 1991 ceremony, with wins from Lynn Whitfield, Madge Sinclair, Ruby Dee and two for James Earl Jones. Though noting the disappointing 32-year gap between milestones, Dr. Ana Cristina Ramn, director of UCLAs entertainment and media research initiative, credited the expanded diversity among the 2023 honorees to Hollywoods noted investment in inclusive storytelling.

Ramn and her team have studied the relationship between diverse storytelling and the entertainment industrys bottom line since 2011 through UCLAs annual Hollywood Diversity Report. Through the years, the team noted a slow but steady increase in programming featuring diverse casts and creatives of color behind the camera across broadcast, cable and streaming.

When people of color have the power to create their own programming and receive the funding to make prestige television, then the possibilities are endless, Ramn told TheWrap.

UCLAs diversity reports have found that as shows featuring diverse casts on broadcast (think sitcoms like Black-ish and Fresh Off the Boat) became more popular, studios and networks continued investing in similar projects maybe not for the greater good, but to increase their viewership and profitability. In turn, that increase in demand led to more opportunities for non-white talent and creatives in the industry.

That growth has been slower than the increase of the U.S. non-white population overall, but Ramn emphasized that more visibility in programming led to shows like Abbott Elementary, The Bear and Beef finally getting the recognition they deserved.

In the past, there were shows out there, but they just never even got nominated, Ramn added, citing a recent example in Sterlin Harjos acclaimed but Emmy-ignored FX series Reservation Dogs. As these shows become more popular and gather more praise, its more difficult [for voters] to be biased against that excellence.

An industry shift was also seen in 2023 Emmys milestones beyond the acting winners. Beef creator Lee Sung Jin swept with wins in writing, directing and Best Limited Series, a strong showing for Asian creatives, alongside his stars. Trevor Noah also made history as the first non-white entertainer to take home an Outstanding Variety Talk Series win for his final year on The Daily Show.

I look around that room and theres just so many people that I respect and admire so much people whose work has definitely inspired me and the show so to be recognized by folks like that, its really humbling, Lee told TheWrap. I felt very grateful to be a part of this kind of community.

Still, predominantly white shows like Succession and The White Lotus nabbed wins in drama categories, leaving Latino nominees like Pedro Pascal, Aubrey Plaza and others once again trophy-less. With Succession out of the Emmy race and powerhouse shows like White Lotus, The Last of Us and more delayed due to the strikes, theres hope that slots will be left open for overlooked series and talent to have their moment.

Maybe [more diverse shows] will get the opportunity to be seen and nominated in the next cycle, Ramn said.

FXs The Bear will be back in the spotlight with its critically acclaimed second season, so expect that comedy sweep and Edebiris indelible performance to remain an awards threat for now.

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Diversity Among Emmy Winners Is a Result of Industry Progress - TheWrap

Part of the global Progress Women in STEM scholarship series, the US scholarship is designed to empower the next generation of extraordinary women leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics

BURLINGTON, Mass., Jan. 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Progress (Nasdaq: PRGS), the trusted provider of infrastructure software, today announced that the application process is open for the 2024 Progress Software Mary Szkely Scholarship for Women in STEM. Now in its fifth year and part of the global Progress Women in STEM scholarship series, this US-based scholarship was created to honor the late Mary Szkely (pronounced: See-kay), Progress co-founder and lead software engineer of more than 30 years.

The Progress Software Mary Szkely Scholarship for Women in STEM is a $10,000, four-year renewable scholarship to cover tuition, fees and educational expenses. Eligible candidates are those who identify as women and are planning to pursue or are currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in computer science, software engineering, IT and/or computer information systems. They must also be residents of Massachusetts. Please review the full eligibility requirements before applying.

Mary Szkely was an exceptional leader and innovator who cared deeply for the work she did and the people she worked with. She was a mentor and educator, and this scholarship is one small way in which were working to ensure her legacy and everything she believed in is carried forward, said Yogesh Gupta, CEO, Progress. As a global software company, it is our duty to support young talent and to give opportunities to those who need it. I am proud we can offer this scholarship to young women who will one day become the next generation of leaders.

The scholarship recipient will be chosen based on academic achievement and interest and experience in computer science, software engineering, IT and/or computer information systems. They must also demonstrate personal attributes that exemplify Mary Szkelys most notable qualities, including, but not limited to strong work ethic, high personal integrity and a passion for learning. Each recipient must have the desire to become what Mary Szkely was: a leader, mentor and innovator.

Completed applications for the Mary Szkely Scholarship for Women in STEM are due on International Womens Day, March 8, 2024, by 5:00 pm ET. The selected recipient will be notified in the spring. Details about the scholarship and application process can be found on the Progress website at https://www.progress.com/social-responsibility/women-in-stem-scholarships.

The Women in STEM Scholarship series is part of the Progress for Tomorrow Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, which offers three separate scholarships in the US, Bulgaria and India. Learn more about Progress for Tomorrow or explore career opportunities with Progress at http://www.progress.com/careers.

The Progress Software Mary Szkely Scholarship for Women in STEM is managed through The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI).

About Progress Progress (Nasdaq: PRGS) provides software that enables organizations to develop and deploy their mission-critical applications and experiences, as well as effectively manage their data platforms, cloud and IT infrastructure. As an experienced, trusted provider, we make the lives of technology professionals easier. Over 4 million developers and technologists at hundreds of thousands of enterprises depend on Progress. Learn more at http://www.progress.com.

Progress is a trademark or registered trademark of Progress Software Corporation and/or one of its subsidiaries or affiliates in the US and other countries. Any other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Press Contact: Kim Baker Progress +1-800-213-3407 pr@progress.com

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Now Accepting Applications for the 2024 Progress Software Mary Szkely Scholarship for Women in STEM - GlobeNewswire

SPOKANE, Wash. With a break in weather, Spokane county crews have made great progress plowing and sanding roads overnight ahead of another storm system.

In an update fromMartha Lou Wheatley-Billete,the Information and Outreach Manager atPublic Works, states that country road crews are focusing on plowing and sanding all the Priority One roads.

Throughout the day today, crews are hoping to make good progress on Priority Two roads as well. The break in weather is helping crews work efficiently and effectively ahead of snow expected tonight.

The Inland Northwest is still under a winter weather alert as snow is expected tonight and freezing rain is expected on Friday.

Right now, crews are working 12-hour shifts to continue making progress on Priority One and Two roads.

One way that the community can help is by:

For more information and to see the countysSnowplow Activity Map,

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Spokane County crews make great progress ahead of another storm system - Nonstop Local

Was there anything more absurd than the NFL forcing the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs to compete in a playoff game where the wind-chill temperature was 27 degrees below zero?

Yes! Even more absurd is a GOP nominating process that kicks off with caucuses in Iowa, a state that, by virtually every measure, is extremely unrepresentative of the American electorates demographic diversity and political climate.

Although the winners in Iowa dont necessarily go on to win the nomination, this year may be an exception, given the size of Donald Trumps margin of victory. In most election years, however, Iowas key role is to winnow down the field. By the time the caucuses were held on Monday night, however, the field had been pre-winnowed down to three viable candidates: Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

The frigid weather resembled that for the Dolphins game, so the outcome depended to some degree on which candidates supporters were passionate enough to show up under those conditions.

In the end Trumps avid MAGA base showed up enough to give him the largest margin of victory of any Republican candidate in the history of Iowas first-in-the nation caucuses, with 51% of the votes. His decisive victory was a foregone conclusion, but, as the pundits had prophesied, the real race in Iowa was for second place.

That was more of a toss-up than most observers initially expected. DeSantis, who finished nearly 30 points behind Trump, did narrowly edge Haley for second place. Then, with a show of bravado in his post-election speech to supporters, DeSantis referred to himself as the next President of the United States. Dream on.

In fact, the outcome had to be something of a disappointment for DeSantis, given the time and money he invested in a ground game. His goal was to finish first or at least to emerge as the sole surviving alternative to Trump.

Instead, like Lucy snatching away the football from Charley Brown, Haley finished a close third with 19.1%, just behind DeSantiss 21.2%. That was much better than the initial projections for her candidacy. When she entered the race in Iowa, she stood at 2% while DeSantis had much bigger numbers.

Story continues

What went wrong for DeSantis, who held events in all 99 of Iowas counties? First, he oversold his record as Floridas governor, where he had assumed the role of field general in a vague war against woke, a battle that led to conflicts with Disney, drag queens, and university leaders.

Moreover, as he did last week during his state-of-the-state address during the opening of the Florida 2024 legislative session, DeSantis boasted of Floridas high rankings in K-12 and higher education as though those had been achieved during his first term.

In reality, Floridas impressive gains in education date back to a foundation of accountability put in place by DeSantis predecessors beginning with Gov. Jeb Bush and including legislative leaders such as U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. DeSantis tendency to take credit for things he had little to do with while omitting mention of problems, such as high insurance rates and housing costs, reflects his Trump-like all-about-me personality.

DeSantis is a non-factor in New Hampshire, where Haley is mounting a last-ditch challenge to Trump, but instead of dropping out, as he should, hes heading to Haleys home state of South Carolina for a Feb. 24 primary. Meanwhile, the continued presence of multiple candidates helps Trump by delaying any chance of Republicans coalescing behind a single alternative.

That, as Haley pointed out in remarks following the Iowa caucuses, could guarantee another closely contested race between Trump and Joe Biden a sequel that, polls show, most Americans emphatically do not want.

Robert F. Sanchez, of Tallahassee, is a former member of the Miami Herald Editorial Board. He writes for the Heralds conservative opinion newsletter, Right to the Point. Its weekly, and its free. To subscribe, go to miamiherald.com/righttothepoint.

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DeSantis took credit for Florida's progress but Iowa may have sniffed out his bravado | Opinion - Yahoo News Canada

This picture was taken during a media tour organized by the Israeli military on December 27, 2023. It shows a tunnel that Hamas reportedly used to attack Israel through the Erez border crossing on Oct. 7. The Israeli army said on it had uncovered the biggest Hamas tunnel in the Gaza Strip so far, just a few hundred meters from the Erez border crossing. Maya Levin for NPR hide caption

This picture was taken during a media tour organized by the Israeli military on December 27, 2023. It shows a tunnel that Hamas reportedly used to attack Israel through the Erez border crossing on Oct. 7. The Israeli army said on it had uncovered the biggest Hamas tunnel in the Gaza Strip so far, just a few hundred meters from the Erez border crossing.

It has been over one hundred days since the war between Israel and Hamas began with an attack on Israel October 7th, killing over 1,200 with more than two hundred Israelis taken hostage. Israel responded with a ground, air and sea offensive on Gaza that has killed thousands and displaced many more. Israel has vowed to eliminate Hamas. We investigate whether, after a hundred days, Israel is any closer to that goal.

For more coverage of all sides of this conflict, go to npr.org/mideastupdates

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Has the Israeli Military Made Progress in Its Goal of Destroying Hamas? : State of the World from NPR - NPR

It's been more than 30 years since the U.S. Congress passed the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Revitalization Act, which required the inclusion of women in federally funded research. Where do we stand now?

To explore this question, Northwestern University will host a Women-in-STEM panel discussion commemorating the 30th anniversary of the landmark legislation from 3 to 5 p.m. (CT) on Friday (Jan. 19) at MATTER, Chicago's health care incubator (222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza #1230, Chicago). The event also will feature pre-recorded remarks from Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL).

Media interested in attending either virtually or in person must register with Kristin Samuelson prior to the event.

The event, "Breaking Barriers: Celebrating 30 Years of the NIH Revitalization Act and Women's Health Research," comes on the heels of first lady Jill Biden's announcement in late 2023 that she will lead a new initiative to boost federal government research into women's health.

"So much of what we know today in science and medicine is built on decades of research focused on men," said panel discussion moderator Nicole Woitowich, executive director of the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences (NUCATS) Institute and a research assistant professor of medical social sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "For decades, women were discouraged, and in some cases banned, from participating in clinical research. This led to huge gaps in our understanding of how sex and gender inform health and disease.

"Many of the drugs we commonly use today were developed and tested in studies comprising mostly men. It took an act of Congress to mandate that women be included in clinical research and for tides to slowly change. We need a culture shift in the research community - one that emphasizes the influence of sex and gender in health."

In addition to Woitowich, panelists at the event will include:

"There are still knowledge gaps in diseases or disorders in which women are disproportionately affected, such as lung cancer, Alzheimer's disease and rheumatoid arthritis," Woitowich said. "And research studies still routinely fail to analyze data by sex or gender, which is particularly important when it comes to examining how drugs may be metabolized differently."

Woitowich said it also is important to consider the health of women across their lifespan - how hormonal changes from puberty, pregnancy or menopause influence research outcomes, which is particularly relevant for pregnant women who are often excluded from clinical trials.

"Today, in 2024, we still can't tell pregnant women if it is safe or not to take some of the most common prescription drugs because there has not been enough research."

The event is being cosponsored by Chicago's three Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program hubs - The NUCATS Institute, Institute for Translational Medicine (ITM) and University of Illinois at Chicago Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS).

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Jan. 19 Panel Examines 30-Year Progress of Women in Research - Mirage News