Two groups involved in negotiating the Senate version of the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard have withdrawn their support for the bill, at least in its current form. Nonetheless, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources gave Senate Bill 3 (MS Word, 165 KB) a favorable report June 26. It advances to the Senate […]
Lisa Sorg
Bio: Lisa Sorg is the editor of INDY Week.Email: [email protected]: http://twitter.com/lisasorg
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State Energy Office faces dismantling
When state lawmakers proposed a $7.5 million budget appropriation for the State Energy Office, earlier this year, director Larry Shirley had reason to be hopeful. The amount would help buttress waning federal funds for his office, which had a $7.3 million budget for 2006-07. Then Shirley learned last month that the governor’s office is rethinking […]
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Durham has gas
In 2005, Durham produced 6.8 million tons of greenhouse gases, the main contributor to global warming. That’s equivalent to 28 tons per person, nearly 15 percent above the national average. The city has commissioned a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Local Action Plan, which sets goals for reductions by 2030. The public can learn more […]
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Lakewood YMCA is still alive
The Lakewood YMCA in Durham got a four-month reprieve last week when the Triangle Y’s Durham Board of Advisors voted to keep it open for the foreseeable future and explore all viable options for the building. (See “Lakewood Y facing uncertain future,” June 13). Last month, Y officials told members Lakewood might close because it […]
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Lakewood Y facing uncertain future
The Lakewood YMCA is like an aging athlete. With a leaky roof and an ailing electrical system, the 41-year-old building is as deteriorated as an arthritic knee; with $400,000 in annual losses, its finances as shaky as a bad back. Yet supporters say the branch in southwest-central Durhamwhich regional Y officials are considering shutteringstill has […]
Posted inBest of the Triangle
Raleigh: Getting the old downtown back on its feet
I feel the train before I hear it. The rails purr; the air hums. Finally, the 10:23 a.m. Carolinian whistles as it approaches Durham station, and coach passengers jockey for position on the platform. The woman in a hijab and her daughter are bound for New York City, where they’ll transfer to a train to […]
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Flower power
While there is heightened public awareness about the benefits of organic fruits and vegetables, it is also important to buy organic flowers. Pesticide-free flowers are more bee-friendlyvital, considering the recent collapse of thousands of honeybee hivesand there is no contaminant drift from the fields. The majority of commercially cut flowers are imported from Latin America, […]
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Union questions safety check
Drinking water is safe at the Smithfield Packing plant in Tar Heel, according to the N.C. Department of Labor. However, according to a June 4 complaint sent to the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C., state investigators seemed more interested in employees’ union sympathies than safety issues. On May 23, 16 Smithfield workers sent […]
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N.C. Global Warming Conference
Will those high-rise condos in downtown Raleigh offer a view of the beach by 2050? Find out at the North Carolina Global Warming Conference, June 8-9, at the UNC Warwick Center in Wilmington. Scheduled speakers include UNC-Wilmington marine biologist Larry Cahoon and Bert Drake of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, who has extensively researched the […]
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Smithfield’s extreme makeover
Smithfield Foods tears a page from the Wal-Mart PR playbook with its recent TV ads touting the perks of working at the world’s largest hog slaughterhouse: Health benefits, dental insurance and college scholarships. “It’s hard work, but it’s good work,” says one smiling employee. Several employees are portrayed as production workers, but are dressed in […]