Section: Health & Science

Cities, businesses are targets of maverick Minnesota lawyers looking for wastewater polluters

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

It’s a litigious world out there. Even more so in Minnesota lately with regard to water discharged into rivers and streams by cities, small towns, and businesses. In question are the requirements of the federal Clean Water Act, and when water discharged is out of compliance, the penalties can add up fast. And one lawyer

Read & Share   sourced from: Star Tribune

City of Helena absorbs curbside recycling rate hikes for Helena residents, Rates on the Increase

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

Resident recyclers of Helena, Montana receive city-subsidized recycling rates, and both the rate and the subsidy are increasing in 2023. The cost for the City for the remainder of 2023 will be $16 per month, the cost to the resident will be ~$8 per month with the City of Helena subsidizing the difference. Both the

Read & Share   sourced from: Helena Independent Record

A Swiss company says it has pulled CO2 out of the atmosphere and stored it underground

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

The thing about North Dakota’s energy production — it’s carbon intensive. We pull it from the earth, burn it, and release it into the atmosphere. That’s why environmentalists are down on coal and oil. But what if we had a method for capturing that carbon from the atmosphere and putting it back underground? Well, the

Read & Share   sourced from: The Verge

Norwalk Connecticut developing plans to combat 20-inch sea level rise by 2050

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

Norwalk Connecticut is a coastal town, and they’re in the process of completing their long-term planning. They’re looking out as far as 2050. And what is it they’re planning for? The answer is sea level rise, 20 inches of it. Why does it matter in Minot? Well, we’re in the process of building a billion-dollar

Read & Share   sourced from: The Hour

North Dakota judge, others call for stronger efforts to prevent drug overdose

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

A long-serving North Dakota judge is speaking out in support of reforming North Dakota’s sentencing policies when it comes to fentanyl dealers. It’s opened up another round of conversation on the havoc the opioid addiction scourge is creating across the state. There were 131 overdose deaths in North Dakota last year. Get the full story

Read & Share   sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

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North Dakota Senate OKs higher THC limit for medical marijuana patients

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

A bill to up the limits on the quantities and types of THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) that can be purchased from North Dakota’s medical dispensaries is one-third the way to becoming a law. Yesterday, the Senate voted 33-14 to pass the bill that was modified slightly on the floor. Jack Dura with the

Read & Share   sourced from: Bismarck Tribune

Farmers, ranchers could capture almost a third of North Daktoa’s carbon emissions

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

Did you know North Dakota’s ranch-sustaining grasslands also serve as carbon sponges? It’s a byproduct benefit of sustainable, regenerative practices many ranchers are already embracing. Patrick Springer has the full story at the Dickinson Press on an idea that may help North Dakota meet Governor Burgum’s 2030 carbon emission goals.

Read & Share   sourced from: Dickinson Press

‘Brain drain’: International medical grads in Saskatchewan struggle to become doctors

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

What if you left your home country, completed your education and professional training abroad, and then returned home only to discover you couldn’t get a license to work? What if, at the same time, there was a labor shortage of the expertise you hold? Well, that’s the problem Canada is having with medical doctors, and,

Read & Share   sourced from: Regina Leader Post

Another country bans single-use plastic plates and cutlery for environmental reasons

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

When it comes to single-use plastic, England has decided the costs outweigh the convenience. They’re banning a bunch of stuff. Items caught in the policy net include plastic plates, trays, bowls, utensils, and other implements that find their way into the waste stream. England previously banned plastic straws in 2020. The goal is simple —

Read & Share   sourced from: NPR

Montana weed sales estimated at $300M in recreational industry’s first year

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

In 2021, Montana voters approved legalizing recreational marijuana. The law took effect on January 1, 2022, and the first-year data has come in. In the first 365 days, Montanan’s purchased $300 million in marijuana, more than double the state’s high-end projections. Purchases raised nearly $35 million in taxes. Get the full story from the Helena

Read & Share   sourced from: Helena Independent Record

Trinity rejects MAGIC Fund loan

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

Toward the end of last year, Trinity Health made a request to the MAGIC Fund, the City of Minot’s economic development resource, for proposed improvements to the soon-to-open new hospital. City Council amended the request for a grant and converted it to an offer for a loan with a portion forgivable. Jill Schramm with the

Read & Share   sourced from: Minot Daily News

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It's the free, easy way to stay informed about what's happening in Minot, and it helps support independent local news and journalism.

Saskatchewan reaches new record for overdose deaths in 2022

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

The opioid addiction scourge knows no borders. It’s worth noting,  especially as we seek solutions locally, that we need to look far and wide for those managing this crisis most effectively. It’s also timely as Governor Burgum recently announced how the state will go about using as much as $62 million in resources paid from

Read & Share   sourced from: Regina Leader Post

Are You Using Your Ice Scraper Wrong?

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

I know. Many of you are saying who needs an ice scrapper if you have an auto starter. But if you’re not that lucky now, or are unlucky in the future, it may be that a little ice scraper instruction is in order — even for winter-seasoned vets from North Dakota. It turns out that

Read & Share   sourced from: Life Hacker

Burgum appoints advisory committee to distribute funds from settlements with opioid manufacturers

by: MinotVoice  |  

BISMARCK, N.D. – Gov. Doug Burgum today issued an executive order creating an Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee to receive and distribute funds received under settlement agreements and recommend how they should be used by local governments. The state has entered into 11 settlement agreements with 13 opioid manufacturers and distributors in an effort to hold

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Cities Need to Realize the Value of Physical Design

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

Have you ever been inspired by a physical space? If you spend time in nature, the answer is probably yes. If you spend time in our cities, particularly the modern iterations of them, the ‘yes’ response might not come so quickly. Thomas Heatherwick writing at WIRED calls those responsible for building our urban environments to

Read & Share   sourced from: WIRED

Minnetonka’s Landing Shop sells items made by residents ages 55 to 96

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

They say idle hands are the devil’s playground. And for a group of elderly citizen-makers in one Minnesota town, they’re occupying their time making and keeping the shelves stocked in their age-exclusive store. The Landing Shop in Minnetonka is a craft-makers consignment shop with a twist — the makers have to be at least 55

Read & Share   sourced from: Star Tribune