If the water coming from your tap is unfit to drink, you have a right to know. But the crisis in Flint, Michigan, is challenging that assumption. Meanwhile, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (pictured) apologized to the residents of Flint, and "pledged to promptly release his emails about the issue," according to the New York Times.
A similar bill almost became law in 2014, and chances of the current bill being enacted seem good. But the possibility of a last-minute derailment, especially in an election year, remains. To complicate matters, journalism and open government groups found problems with a last-minute "carve-out" for intelligence inserted at the behest of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Mineral Arts & Residencies in Washington state will host writers of prose and poetry in their historic school house near Mount Rainier for fall 2023 and spring 2024 two-week residency sessions. $425 includes room, board and more. One-week residency sessions for Spanish-language writers are free. Deadline: May 15.
UNITY Journalists for Diversity is sponsoring a student reporting fellowship for 2017. A college student dedicated to both journalism and diversity will have the opportunity to attend four different minority media conventions in four cities. Apply by Mar 10.
"A week after the federal government released its latest recommendations for healthful eating, the 2015-20 Dietary Guidelines have touched off a food fight."
"President Obama's plan to safeguard the nation from increasing flood risk due to climate change was quietly green-lighted by Congress last month in the 2016 omnibus budget bill."
"Beneath the political storm raging around the Obama administration's climate change rules for the electricity sector, a quiet but powerful push for carbon trading is spreading across the nation."
"Pennsylvania will take new steps to cut methane emissions from natural gas wells and pipelines, and fill gaps in state policies that have allowed many sources in the sector to release the potent greenhouse gas without mandatory controls, Gov. Tom Wolf announced today."
"Widespread misreporting of harmful gas emissions by Chinese electricity firms is threatening the country's attempts to rein in pollution, with government policies aimed at generating cleaner power struggling to halt the practice."
"One of the rarest whales in the world has been spotted off the coast of South Carolina for the first time in three years."
