IRON

Apr 15 2026ENVIRONMENT

Neighbors debate granite mining plan near Columbia

A mining company wants to blast a new granite quarry just six miles from Columbia’s downtown, but locals aren’t welcoming the idea. Heidelberg Materials has asked for permits to dig up 242 acres near Monticello Road, close to colleges and neighborhoods like Haskell Heights. The plan promises to rest

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Apr 15 2026ENVIRONMENT

Jet fuel spill at Maryland air base raises concerns over environmental safety

A major fuel leak at a military base in Maryland has triggered a cleanup and investigation, raising questions about how well such facilities protect the environment. Over 32, 000 gallons of jet fuel spilled between January and March from a refueling system that was later shut down. A cleanup crew is

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Apr 15 2026ENVIRONMENT

Building safer materials from volcanic ash

Scientists found that ash from Spain’s 2021 Tajogaite volcano could help make greener building materials. They mixed it with strong alkaline solutions and tested how it behaves in water. The tests showed some metals like molybdenum (Mo) leak out more than allowed for safe landfills. Other experimen

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Apr 14 2026ENVIRONMENT

Big Tech wants to turn Florida green into grey

Florida is famous for its sunshine, not its server farms. Yet the same companies pushing AI are eyeing swamps and pastures to build power-hungry computer palaces. These places need as much water as a small town every day just to keep the machines from melting. Right now the state’s energy grid can b

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Apr 14 2026ENVIRONMENT

Springtime fun with a green twist in Reading

The Berks County Earth Day Festival arrives on April 18, turning Reading City Park into a hub for environmental fun. Instead of starting with the event itself, organizers kick things off at 8 a. m. with a cleanup effort. Volunteers meet at the basketball courts, rolling up sleeves to tidy up the par

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Apr 13 2026ENVIRONMENT

Clothes for Kids, Clean Earth: A Simple Swap That Helps All

In many Chicago homes, kids often go to school without a proper outfit while heaps of usable clothes end up in landfills. The city’s waste problem and the families’ need for clothing are two sides of the same coin. When a month celebrates volunteers and Earth’s health, it shows how one action

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Apr 13 2026ENVIRONMENT

Jet Fuel Leak at Andrews Base Sparks Big Cleanup

A big spill of jet fuel happened at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. The leak was about 32, 000 gallons and it started between January and March. The base did not tell the state right away, even though it has to do so under its oil permit. The problem came from the refueling system. When

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Apr 13 2026ENVIRONMENT

Salmon Fishing Back in California Waters After Three-Year Break

Three years after commercial salmon fishing vanished from California’s coast, the pause has finally lifted. Federal officials recently gave the green light for limited fishing to restart in 2024. The decision follows a boost in salmon numbers, thanks partly to wetter winters that ended a severe drou

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Apr 13 2026ENVIRONMENT

Nature’s Classroom: How Outdoor Education Builds Youth and Community

Kids today spend far more time staring at screens than exploring outdoors—sometimes up to seven hours daily. That’s a trend that worries educators, especially when combined with the growing political divide over how much we should even care about environmental issues. A new documentary, however, doe

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Apr 13 2026OPINION

How Close-To-Home Violence Shapes Our View of Crime

Fear doesn’t always come from faraway places. For a young kid, it can creep in through familiar faces - the uncles who looked like killers, the scout leaders who didn’t seem dangerous until they were. The first time crime felt intimate was when news reached a 7-year-old about a monster hiding in pla

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