Judge rules farmers’ suit against chemical company can proceed

DOUGLASS — A federal court judge’s ruling this week will allow two farmers who claim a local chemical plant caused deformities in their dairy cows to pursue a trial. Farmers Wayne and Suzanne Hallowell of Bechtelsville and Merrill and Betty Mest of Schwenksville in August 2001 filed a civil suit in Montgomery County Court against […]

Fluoride may be added to Fort Smith’s water without a vote

FORT SMITH, Ark. — The city of Fort Smith is considering adding fluoride to the city’s drinking water supply without a public vote. Fluoride May Be Added To Fort Smith’s Water Without A Vote The Fort Smith Board of Directors is weighing adding fluoride to the water, saying the chemical is good for teeth, especially […]

Marion councilman: Fluoride opponents flooding us

During last Tuesday’s regular meeting, members of the Marion City Council discussed how they should respond to opponents of fluoridation. The group voted at an earlier meeting to start adding fluoride to the city’s water system. The process will take months of work and an estimated $44,000. However, city officials said fluoridation of the water […]

DEP Aims To Up Dump In Bay

PALMETTO – State environmental officials Thursday proposed to more than double the amount of treated waste water dumped daily into Tampa Bay from a toxic cleanup. The Department of Environmental Protection has asked for an emergency order to allow 2 million gallons of treated waste water from Piney Point, a former phosphate fertilizer plant, to […]

Watsonville fluoride ban may test state law

Watsonville voters, city officials and the state dental association foundation have set in motion what may be the definitive battle over fluoridating public water in California — or at least the first formal test of the 1997 law requiring it. In November, Watsonville voters approved an ordinance that effectively bans fluoridating its water. The city, […]

Legacy of pain

Donald F. Metzen looks back with anger when thinking about his career, remembering all the chemicals he says he watched his company dump into Two Mile Creek. For years, he suspected those chemicals caused his wife’s death and his ailments. Today, he suspects the wastes from the defunct telephone equipment manufacturing company, Western Electric, also […]

Coronet Working To Control Arsenic

PLANT CITY – Each time the region experiences heavy rain, settling ponds at one of the county’s oldest phosphate processing plants release arsenic and other toxins into a nearby stream. Coronet Industries, at 4082 Coronet Road on the east side of Plant City, is under orders from the state to make sure the spills don’t […]

Watsonville stands behind fluoride vote

WATSONVILLE — City voters rejected fluoridating the city’s public water supply last month. Now, the City Council says it will stand behind the vote, despite the fact that could prompt a showdown with state officials. In a letter this week to Jon Roth, executive director of the California Dental Association Foundation, City Manager Carlos Palacios […]

Water fluoridation – a thing of the past in Watsonville

Responding to Watsonville voters, the city turned down a grant Wednesday that would have been used to fluoridate the city’s water supply. In a letter to the California Dental Association Foundation (CDA), City Manager Carlos Palacios rejected a nearly $1 million grant that was going to be used to build fluoridation facilities for Watsonville’s water […]