Thursday, March 21, 2024
Thursday, January 25, 2024
Sunday, December 10, 2023
Cold Water Creek
History of Coldwater Creek
Coldwater Creek is a tributary of the Missouri River located in the states of Missouri and Illinois in the United States. It begins in the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri and flows through suburban areas of the St. Louis metropolitan area before joining the Missouri River.
The creek played a significant role in the early settlement of the region, as it provided a water source for settlers and powered early grist mills and other industries. It also served as a transportation route for early settlers and was an important source of fish and wildlife.
Over time, industrialization and urban development in the St. Louis area had a negative impact on the creek's water quality. Industrial discharges, stormwater runoff, and other sources of pollution caused contamination, including radioactive materials and heavy metals, to enter the creek and surrounding areas.
In the early 1990s, concerns about the contamination were raised, and subsequent investigations confirmed the presence of radioactive waste and other hazardous materials. This led to the identification of the Coldwater Creek Contaminated Site as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Superfund cleanup program.
Since then, a cleanup effort has been underway to remediate the contamination in the affected areas. The cleanup is carried out by the EPA with the involvement of various agencies, community groups, and stakeholders. The process involves removing and treating contaminated soils, sediment, and groundwater to reduce the risk to human health and the environment.
The Coldwater Creek contamination and cleanup have raised awareness about the long-term effects of industrial pollution and the importance of environmental stewardship. The impacted communities continue to advocate for further studies, monitoring, and public health resources to mitigate the effects of contamination and address any continued risks.
Effects on Children & Residents
Cold Water Creek, a neighborhood in St. Louis County, Missouri, has faced health concerns due to radioactive contamination from the nearby Mallinckrodt Chemical Works. Residents and children may have been exposed to radioactive materials, such as uranium and thorium, through soil, water, and air. According to Josh Harley residents were exposed and/or passed away from exposure. This exposure can increase the risk of health problems, including cancer, thyroid problems, and other health issues. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry have conducted studies and testing to assess the risk and provide guidance for residents. If you have specific questions or concerns, please let me know and I'll do my best to provide more information or resources.
Monday, November 27, 2023
Raw video: Kelly Thomas police beating
The exact number of police killings of mentally ill individuals in the United States can vary depending on the source and how the data is recorded and reported. However, studies and reports have shown that a significant number of individuals killed by police officers in the United States have had mental health issues. The lack of proper training for law enforcement officers in dealing with mentally ill individuals has been identified as a contributing factor to these incidents. Efforts are being made to improve training and establish better protocols to de-escalate situations involving individuals with mental health conditions.
https://linktr.ee/MsConcerned
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Monday, September 19, 2011
70M in segregated funds
More than a half-century after US federal troops escorted nine black American students into an all-white school in Little Rock, Arkansas, efforts to desegregate the classrooms of this southern US city are at another turning point.
The state wants to end its long-running payments for desegregation programs — which date back to the era when schools were segregated by law in the south.
However, three school districts that receive the money say they need it to continue key programs, and a US federal judge has accused the schools of delaying desegregation so they can keep receiving an annual infusion of US$70 million.
A federal appeals court will hear arguments today from both sides. The judges are expected to decide eventually whether Arkansas still has to make the payments and whether two of the districts should remain under court supervision.
The schools, which serve about 50,000 students, have come a long way since 1957, when the governor and hundreds of protesters famously tried to stop the nine black students, known as the Little Rock Nine, from entering Central High School. However, thousands of white and black children still have to be bused to different neighborhoods every day under one of the US’ largest remaining court-ordered desegregation systems.
Now parents are worried about the schools’ future and some are considering enrolling their children elsewhere.
The districts argue that desegregation should be about giving parents options between good schools, not strictly counting the number of white and black students.
“Anybody can put students on a bus,” said Bobby Acklin, assistant superintendent for desegregation at the North Little Rock School District. “It doesn’t matter to me who’s in the school, as long as we have a good program.”
State lawmakers have long derided the payments and Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe and other officials have pushed to end the practice, too.
The battle over school desegregation persisted for decades after the US Civil Rights Movement. In 1982, the city schools sued two neighboring districts and the state for not doing enough to help with desegregation.
Two years later, a federal judge ruled that those districts had wrongfully separated white and black students. In 1989, the schools and the state reached a settlement that required large payments to the Little Rock, North Little Rock and Pulaski County districts. It is still in effect today.
Some Little Rock schools remain as segregated as the neighborhoods around them. And achieving racial balance is becoming more difficult as families leave the suburbs that supply white students to schools in majority-black city neighborhoods. Despite years of efforts, black students still score much lower on tests than white students.
The settlement did establish popular magnet schools in urban Little Rock, but the money has also been a source of constant controversy. District administrators have fought over how to spend the money. Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has alleged the districts use desegregation funding elsewhere in their budgets.
In May, a federal judge accused the North Little Rock and Pulaski County districts of delaying desegregation to keep getting state money.
US District Judge Brian Miller pointed to problems with student achievement and discipline, particularly in Pulaski County, a suburban district that takes in black students from Little Rock and North Little Rock and sends white children to both.
After weeks of testimony, Miller concluded that “few, if any, of the participants in this case have any clue how to effectively educate underprivileged black children.”
Margie Powell, head of the court-appointed Office of Desegregation Monitoring, said the districts “got addicted to the money” rather than finding ways to pay for magnet schools and transfers on their own.
District leaders said they can’t support the same programs without help.
Many parents have stayed in Little Rock because of the district’s six well-regarded magnet schools. However, Miller’s ruling could change that. District officials have warned of possible cutbacks and teacher layoffs, although it’s unlikely any magnet schools would be closed if the payments were cut off.
After decades of issuing court orders, judges across the country have shown in recent years that they want to get out of school desegregation, said Wendy Parker, a professor at Wake Forest University.
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