And a dynamic and data-driven presentation to the North Carolina Charter School Advisory proved just that representatives from Ashley Park Elementary School and Movement School founder of social impact consulting firm SchermCo presented their work and impact as a district/charter partnership to the North Carolina Charter School Advisory Board in Raleigh the team has invited to present their plan to the full State Board of Education this spring It is not only an opportunity to elevate the work being done for North Carolina families but also to provide a roadmap for how schools across the state can better support their families “Our team is honored to work with the visionary leaders and families at these two schools to support this district/charter partnership and we’re excited about the impact and looking forward to the work continuing in Charlotte and across North Carolina,” Schermbeck said in a statement The team shared preliminary data from last year’s district/charter partnership Information presented to board members included several key statistics Also discussed was SchermCo’s human-centered design approach which created and provided experiences and resources that families requested The presentation solidified the strong belief that charter and district schools can and should work together across the state of North Carolina to provide high-quality education to all families “All it takes is innovative leaders and a willingness to share ideas to support the needs of the communities we serve,” said Brenda Alston-Hasan pre-K-2nd grade administrator and instructional coach at Ashley Park Elementary School the end result will always be successful.” The charter school partner in this collaboration couldn’t agree more “Movement School desires to be a school of the community where we educate and equip a new generation of leaders through academic excellence character education and access to resources; this partnership is one of those resources we’re most proud of for its unique and strong blend of innovative practices with warmth and character,” said Jamie Sumter An important byproduct is the space for more innovative partnerships between district and charter schools which has the potential to create opportunities not yet dreamed of “The Ashley Park/Movement collaborative proves that it can be done,” said Claire Jenkins Porter education planning and development consultant with the Office of Charter Schools in the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.“Sharing resources and data-driven planning as well as the fact that there are courageous leaders who are already doing this And the possibilities of scaling this up are endless.” For more information about this release or to set up an interview with SchermCo, please contact Meg Seitz at meg@tothshop.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License All of EdNC’s content is open source and free to republish Please use the following guidelines when republishing our content Please email Anna Pogarcic at [email protected] if you have any questions It should come as no surprise that parents have ideas about how they want their kids to be educated in the classroom how often is that information actually used to improve the public education system These are questions former teacher Greg Schermbeck has spent a lot of time thinking about. His organization, Schermco just wrapped up a parent engagement program in Charlotte that involved Ashley Park PreK-8 School and Movement School a district and charter school that are less than a mile apart The program included various events at the two schools designed to give parents the opportunity to express opinions and connect with the educators who spend as much time with their children as the parents do The result was not only a rare opportunity for a district and charter school to collaborate but for parents to meet face-to-face with those who are responsible for educating their children Both schools plan to continue investing time into enhanced parent engagement with hopes to better serve their mutual community © 2025 EducationNC. All rights reserved.The EdNC mark is property of EducationNC and registered as a federal and state trademark.Terms of service | Privacy policy STATESBORO - Georgia Southern head women's tennis coach Sean McCaffrey has announced the signing of five student-athletes to National Letters of Intent to play for the Eagles in the Fall of 2024 The new signees are: Hannah Eifert (Schermbeck "I am extremely excited about welcoming this particular signing class to campus this upcoming August," Coach McCaffrey said "I believe the five women joining the program will add a great deal of athleticism and heart to a program that is constantly improving each year There is no doubt that as we watch five current Eagles finish up their careers in Pauli many will ask whether or not our newcomers will be able to fill the shoes and roles of our soon to be graduates...although it may be impossible to replicate the work these five women have dedicated to this program over the years I still believe our best days are ahead of us This signing class represents a great deal of time and excitement all culminating in what should be one of the top all freshman signing classes in the nation." In Germany: Two-time U18 regional champion (2019 Helped her club earn a promotion in 2023 into the Germany 4th league .. Finished third at the U12 German Championships as a youth Hannah: "I chose Georgia Southern because of how welcomed I felt since the beginning of the recruiting process Everyone has been incredibly kind and helpful I believe it will be a great experience to play for the Eagles!" Coach McCaffrey: "Hannah is young lady that we had the chance to spend a good amount of time with last summer She brings a strong game and a high level of dedication in knowing college tennis is a team game With her wealth of experience competing for her club teams in Germany I believe Hannah will be a great fit for the program." In Germany: Captured the North Rhine-Westphalia singles title in 2021 .. Advanced to the Germany national championships in 2022 .. Played club for TC Grün Weiß Paderborn and TC Herford .. Franzi: "The decision to commit to Georgia Southern was rather difficult but in the end I am happy to become an Eagle next year Georgia Southern is special because of the people the fantastic academic opportunities and of course the great team with Coach McCaffrey I felt very comfortable and familiar with the program Their team spirit and personalities are fantastic along with their motivated and ambitious championship mindset Coach McCaffrey: "I could tell Franzi would be right for us from the very beginning She constructs her points at a level that most coaches would be happy their players would learn by the time they are sophomores or juniors And what I am most excited about with Franzi is her on court attitude She also displays a level of passion for competition and playing well and winning that has all of us very excited about I love that about her as it shows that she will be someone who is very self motivated and won't shy away from finding ways to develop her game Recipient of the Stefan Edberg scholarship .. Member of the U14 and U16 national teams in Sweden Lisen: "I'm very excited to join the Georgia Southern women's tennis team and become a member of the Georgia Southern University community The University seems fantastic and I look forward to contributing to the team's future success I chose Georgia Southern because I got a very strong connection with the coaches and my future Eagle teammates I am beyond excited for this next phase of my life and feel Georgia Southern will challenge me to be the best version of myself that I can be Coach McCaffrey: "Lisen started out flying a bit under the radar during the early part of her recruiting Once folks started seeing the level of talent and work ethic she would bring to the table a number of strong programs I felt an immediate connection with Lisen and I can tell she will not only be a fantastic college tennis player but one of those special players that many other coaches will have wished they had identified Lisen is very motivated and ambitious and will be a ton of fun watching improve during her college career.`` Coach McCaffrey: "Amelie has been playing at high level events for quite some time and that will prove to be extremely important as she transitions to college tennis Amelie will bring a wonderful personality and high level of genuine care to the Eagle tennis program in August On the court she will be relentless and will play with that type of "never give up attitude" title GS Tennis has come to earn over the years Amelie is also very ambitious and is looking to push herself to grow that 1% each day In Germany: Finished second in Doubles W14 at the German Championships .. which plays in the Regionalliga in Germany .. Youth champion in several tournaments and also placed first while representing KGS Hemmingen at the German National Championships Evelyn: "What inspired me is the attitude of Georgia Southern University's team to get 1% better each day The whole team has the ambition to improve every day and I feel that this is the right place for me to become stronger and better as a player and as an adult I want to give my best for the Eagles and to work towards achieving all of our team Coach McCaffrey: "We had the chance to meet and watch Evelyn while recruiting in Germany this past July Evy will bring a great deal of raw tennis talent Her level of motivation to become an even more solid player can be noticed in just about everything she does She is a high character individual whom I believe will be a fantastic addition and a phenomenal teammate." "All of these women are exceptional in the classroom as well," Coach McCaffrey said "Our program has placed a premium on not only striving towards being champions on the court but in the classroom and serving those in the community I am confident that these five women will pick up where our five current upperclasswomen will leave off As much as I am growing a bit out of sorts in knowing we will say goodbye to our "older" Eagles this May and incredibly optimistic in the fact we will have five especially strong ladies arrive here in Statesboro in fall of 24." Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here If air quality doesn’t improve in North Texas over the next two years Tarrant and Dallas counties will fail to meet the federal government’s new standards for harmful soot pollution The Environmental Protection Agency says its stricter limits on fine particulate matter, or soot, pollution will prevent up to 4,500 premature deaths and 290,000 lost workdays nationwide over the next eight years. The final rules were announced Feb. 7 but likely won’t go into effect until 2026 Soot can get deep into people’s lungs and bloodstreams, and scientific studies have tied particulate matter to a wide range of respiratory as well as sites with high concentrations of vehicles Jim Schermbeck, director of the North Texas environmental activism group Downwinders at Risk has advocated for stricter limits on particulate matter pollution for decades He applauded the EPA for tackling what he believes is the country’s most insidious and widespread form of air pollution “They were trying to walk a fine line between wanting to bring the standard down to be more protective of public health but not causing a lot of consternation at the local level in trying to meet what they might consider especially in an election year,” Schermbeck said “I think they have walked that tightrope pretty well.” counties that report an annual average of particulate matter pollution above 9 micrograms per cubic meter of air could face penalties for violating the Clean Air Act which capped soot pollution at 12 micrograms per cubic meter Ten Texas counties, including those that are home to major urban areas like Austin, Houston and El Paso, would not meet the new rules based on data collected from EPA air monitors between 2020 and 2022 Tarrant and Dallas are on the cusp of meeting the new standards the EPA will base its decisions on data collected between now and 2026 The rules have faced pushback from nationwide industry groups that say installing pollution control technology to comply with the stricter rules will cost them millions and hurt the U.S Josh Leftwich, president and CEO of the Texas Aggregates & Concrete Association said his members are fortunate because Texas already has stringent air quality standards and permit requirements administered by the state environmental commission Many areas of Texas are already in compliance with the new standard even as the state is experiencing its highest demand ever for construction materials like concrete and cement “Although there are many unknowns regarding how the new standard will impact permitting programs TACA will continue to work closely with all regulatory agencies to ensure that the environment and the most sensitive communities are protected,” Leftwich said in a statement The North Central Texas Council of Governments is tasked with helping local governments meet federal air quality standards The new rules came as no surprise to Jenny Narvaez who has been following the rules since they were first proposed in early 2023 Narvaez’s team has already met with officials in Fort Worth and Dallas about how they might determine the causes of higher particulate matter readings at monitors near their downtowns The council of governments will also work closely with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to determine a plan to meet the standard “I anticipate that there will be more conversations with the cities and possibly the counties,” Narvaez said “(We’ll) potentially be able to use some funding to help figure out why those monitors are so high There are only six particulate matter monitors across North Texas, Narvaez said, with another three in Ellis, Kaufman and Navarro counties that are not producing any data. Chris Klaus, senior air quality management program manager for the council of governments, said during a Jan. 11 meeting that his team is looking into why the EPA-installed monitors are not functioning the council of governments will use about $400,000 in state funds to set up additional monitors around existing downtown Fort Worth and Dallas monitors to determine where emissions are coming from Klaus told the Regional Transportation Council Are they transported (by) Sahara wind dust or west fires that might be influencing it?” Klaus said “Or are there things that we might be able to do to lower those emissions?” Because there are only six working monitors in the region officials are underestimating the scale of the problem “The EPA’s numbers of how many people will be saved every year are just the tip of a huge iceberg of human health that’s being affected,” Schermbeck said “You don’t have to die from this stuff to get a really bad health effect from it Haley Samsel is the environmental reporter for the Fort Worth Report. You can reach them at haley.samsel@fortworthreport.org At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license If zombies ever invade Port Clinton, the townspeople will be ready — at least those who attend the next production at Playmakers Civic Theatre The theatre will present “How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse RELOADED” at 8 p.m The play is a hilarious rendition of a seminar that teaches the finer points of zombie invasion survival including how to take down whatever comes your way who attempts to bring order to the hysterically unordered seminar The play also stars Karsha Schermbeck as Judy O’Dea the professor’s intellectual assistant; Margaret Helbing as Donna Straite a famous survivalist; and Destiny Wallace as Trisha Granger Lillie Rolen serves as Wallace’s understudy Director Douglas Braun has been in theater for over half a century The play is directed by Douglas Braun who has been part of the theater world for over 50 years Peggy McConnell serves as assistant director Braun originally became involved in theater as a means to build public speaking skills The company he worked for at the time paid for its employees to join Toastmasters “They quit paying for it right when I was ready to sign up,” Braun said “I wanted to conquer my fear of public speaking I told them to give me a few lines and let me gain confidence.” Not only has Braun become an accomplished actor but he also has been instrumental behind the scenes leading and promoting community theater throughout Northwest Ohio He served as chairman of Toledo Repertoire Theatre for 10 years and he was head of long-range planning for the Valentine Theatre eventually presenting those plans to then-governor George Voinovich “That’s been my bailiwick,” he said and I was the one who had the idea to do this play “How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse RELOADED” is Playmakers’ first production since the pandemic began Although starting the theater season in the middle of summer is unusual the group hopes it will jumpstart a renewed interest in theater within the community “COVID shuttered the theater for a long time,” Braun said The theater’s closure depleted Playmakers’ funds so the group created a two-tier ticket price for the first time Standard tickets cost $10 and donor tickets cost $25 Donor tickets include admission to a private party prior to the production “The donor tickets are to help replenish the treasury which dwindled during COVID,” Braun said “The party is just liquid and hors d’oeuvres but it’s a way to say thank you and get the ball rolling.” Playmakers is planning its next production “Nuncrackers,” a Christmas production which will run in December Auditions for “Nuncrackers” will be 2 p.m Tickets for “How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse RELOADED” can be purchased at Lily and Gert’s at 124 W 2nd St. in Port Clinton or by calling 419-734-5044 Contact correspondent Sheri Trusty at sheritrusty4@gmail.com Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors By María Ramos PachecoLocal government reporter To draw attention to what they see as environmental injustices West Dallas residents and activists showed up with signs at the gates of the company on Monday morning and company security officials and Dallas police officers were at the gates before protesters showed up Breaking NewsGet the latest breaking news from North Texas and beyond GoogleFacebookBy signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy Local environmental activists said they have tried every legal way to get asphalt shingle manufacturer GAF out of its West Dallas site on Singleton Avenue They want to stop what they say are harmful emissions of sulfur dioxide and particulate matter affecting the neighborhood “We appreciate the rights of our neighbors to voice their opinions but today our priority is the safety of our staff and people in West Dallas,” said the GAF spokesperson GAF’s recent announcement of its plans to build a new manufacturing facility in Kansas is consistent with the timeline communicated in 2022 to wind down operations in West Dallas five years from now We want our children to be able to play outside The only way for GAF to be a good neighbor is to leave,” said Joshua Rodriguez a West Dallas resident who showed up to support the protest Cisneros filed a $250,000 lawsuit against the city and the Board of Adjustment the quasi-judicial body that reviews individual requests where applicants claim they cannot or do not want to comply with the provisions of the Dallas Development Code The board may also make recommendations to the City Council for the termination of non-conforming land uses that are not in compliance with the zoning code The lawsuit states that “inexplicably refusing to accept Cisneros’s application and request to consider establishing a compliance date for a nonconforming use for GAF,” according to the lawsuit filed in the Dallas 191st District Court A hearing was scheduled last month and later postponed a process that is used for the closure of businesses that have been proved harmful to the community The Board of Adjustment said it couldn’t accept Cisneros’s applications due to a new state law that adds protections for business owners in the event of amortization. The city would have to pay the company, as stated by the bill SB 929 that passed last year Davis from Justice for Joppa said that before he left his home this morning he had spoken with his children about why he was joining the West Dallas residents in this fight “This is the American Dream: to be able to stand up for yourself and to be able to voice your opinion collectively….But being able to represent humanity and stand up for something that is wrong and has plagued us since slavery,” said Davis The activists called this protest a victory because the company halted operations for a couple of hours The protest was part of a three-day event that several local environmental groups planned to raise environmental justice awareness across the city María was a reporter at El Paso Matters and attended the University of Texas at El Paso Thanks for visiting a pile of rubble called Shingle Mountain has been sitting in Southeast Dallas A group of about 50 environmental activists faith leaders and Dallas residents gathered at Dallas City Hall Plaza on Monday to say it's far past time to get rid of it On Monday as they walked to the plaza carrying brown sacks and holding signs that read “Stand with Marsha Move the mountain,” one woman started singing in a melancholy tone: “Justice will be done The sacks they carried were filled with roofing materials from Shingle Mountain “But until the city manager declares this a public health emergency and sets a specific date of a speedy and safe removal of all the toxic matter those actions are empty promises,” Rabbi Nancy Kasten who represented the organization Faith Forward Dallas said They voiced their concerns about how they feel it’s taken too long for the city to remove Shingle Mountain the huge pile of shingles located in a predominantly Black and brown neighborhood of the city Activists have long-called this an act of environmental racism At the plaza grounds they began to dump the pile of sacks one by one to symbolize that they were bringing the problem to the city for them to finally take action The city is set to vote on Tuesday to determine which of the nine contractors the city has received bids from will be in charge of the mountain’s removal “I’ve never seen the collective cowardness and cruelty that a council that is exhibiting to these families in this situation Not one person at city hall has said ‘We’re sorry for screwing up.’ This is the first council I can remember that has acted so recklessly with human lives,” Jim Schermbeck director of the environmental group Downwinders at Risk said Schermbeck has worked for over 30 years with various city councils on environment issues He says they could have cleaned up Shingle Mountain a long time ago A majority of the people walked to the front of the group and shared their sentiments One woman read a poem by Andrea Hawkins-Kamper called Be About the Work which dives into asking for justice in a peaceful and faithful way you sit there and you want us to reelect you You sit there and you want us to think you give a damn about what has happened to us,” said the Rev Stacey Brown with the environmental group Southern Sector Rising The city hasn't set a date to start removing the pile of shingles In a statement council member Tennell Atkins who represents the area where Shingle Mountain sits said “The City and the State have been working diligently on an agreement between the City and the second property owner for the removal of all materials from the property This has been a long and frustrating process and impossible without the tireless commitment of the City’s residents the group collectively began to pick up each sack of shingles and loading them into a city trash pick up truck On Tuesday the Dallas city council will vote to hire a company to haul Shingle Mountain away KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today Community members and environmental activists vehemently opposed at least two reappointments to Dallas' environmental commission Residents allege their community meetings have been disrupted and that they've been retaliated against — and that commissioners fail to adequately respond to concerns of vulnerable communities The Dallas City Council members who appointed them say they stand behind their nominees and are confident that they will continue to do “great work.” Members of the Joppa Environmental Health Project Downwinders at Risk and Singleton United/Unidos opposed the reappointment of the current chair of the commission Kathryn Bazan and District 7 commissioner Temeckia Derrough Bazan was nominated by District 9 Council Member Paula Blackmon Derrough was appointed by District 7 Council Member Adam Bazaldua Both commissioners were reappointed with no discussion from the council during Wednesday’s meeting Most of the prepared comments from activists and residents were cut short The speakers were limited to only one minute to speak That’s in contrast to the five minutes city council members get during discussions — and three minutes that open microphone speakers get at the beginning of a meeting KERA was able to obtain the full statements from many of those who challenged the reappointments “If the City of Dallas truly believes in the effectiveness of the environmental commission the city needs to appoint real leaders to hold these positions,” Joppa Environmental Health Project Chair Alicia Kendrick said in the written statement she had intended to read to the council "They are hostile and attacking me because they want me to push their narrative of environmental justice and racism," Derrough said Bazan told KERA that allegations of blacklisting and political agendas made during the meeting are not correct She said she has worked for the benefit of Dallas residents have been physically threatened and even spat upon Kendrick lives in Joppa — a predominately minority neighborhood in southern Dallas that is surrounded by heavy industry on nearly every side She alleges in her written statement that Derrough does not listen to the community “The city should reconsider appointing Mrs Derrough so that the next two years there is someone in the seat that wants to affect real change,” Kendrick said “…so that we as a city can rectify the generations of inequity.” KERA has reported extensively on the Joppa community’s recent battle to get an asphalt plant shut down The plant had operated for decades just a half mile from the historic Freedman’s Town The facility was in what’s known as the Miller Yard — a heavy industrial complex named after the plantation where Joppa’s founders once were held in captivity have complained in the past about Derrough’s actions during community meetings even when the input is false,” Bazaldua said in a comment to KERA “I remain committed to stay above drama brought froth from agitators and stand behind my appointees who are passionate and dedicated to serving our district.” KERA found that the City of Dallas had spent millions of dollars on asphalt and other construction materials from the same plant that Joppa residents say has been polluting their air for decades That was while city officials and the plant’s operators told community members that they were looking for the best path forward for the community Janie Cisneros is the director of Singleton United/Unidos — another community group working to get an 80-year-old shingle plant out of their West Dallas neighborhood “At first we were under the impression that environmental commissioners are public servants who advocate for the best interest of the community,” Cisneros said “My neighbors complain about a lack of trust with this commission and while we have been trying to work with them we are hard pressed to find areas of praise.” Cisneros says her community has gone back and forth with city officials about the removal of the GAF Materials factory The West Dallas facility has pumped out high levels of particulate matter pollution — or microscopic particles that have been shown to cause severe health problems And GAF is just one of many industrial sites that line Singleton Boulevard where Cisneros lives It separates the small residential community along Bedford Road from the West Dallas Library branch It’s across the street from Fish Trap Lake this Environmental Commission...has been functioning with a predetermined political agenda where the residents needs are secondary,” Cisneros said “This presents a problem because the commissioner’s objectives do not align with those of the residents.” Jim Schermbeck is the director of Downwinders at Risk — a nearly 30-year-old environmental advocacy group that focuses on air quality in Dallas Fort-Worth when my group is asked to assist a neighborhood there’s already a large failure of government,” Schermbeck said there’s always a direct correlation between the amount of pollution in a neighborhood and the amount of Bad Government.” Schermbeck claims Bazan “uses her official role to carry out personal vendettas including ones against Downwinders’ as a group” and against city hall staffers He says that’s counterproductive to what communities across Dallas are trying to do Schermbeck is well known in the environmental organizing community His group is active in most of the large environmental fights in the city — including Joppa and in West Dallas it is common to see Schermbeck escorted out of a meeting by security — or the police — for speaking over his time limit or pressuring officials to answer the community’s direct questions Blackmon defended Bazan's work as an environmental commissioner “[Bazan] is passionate about environmental justice and works on those issues that move awareness and cleanup forward,” Blackmon said “She does great work of all our communities.” Blackmon stressed that if residents feel strongly about the alleged ethical concerns they should submit a formal complaint to the city’s Inspector General’s Office Bazan said the chair of the commission has no authority to investigate unethical behavior by other commissioners "This is the job of the city's inspector and no such behavior has been reported to them about a commissioner to my knowledge," she said “As someone who fought for the creation of the commission years ago it’s a huge shame to see the city’s resources squandered and diverted in ways completely contrary to the spirit and purpose of the commission,” Downwinders at Risk Co-Chair Evelyn Mayo said in the statement she intended to read to the council if she had been given enough time Mayo says Bazan has turned a blind eye to “the unethical and inappropriate behavior of her fellow commissioners.” Mayo alleges in her statement that Bazan threatened to sue the entire Downwinders Board of Directors for "baseless defamation" in a cease and desist letter "I sent a letter directly to Evelyn Mayo regarding racist and derogatory statements she made about the ethnicity of my children," Bazan said KERA was able to verify the letter was also sent to at least one other member of the Downwinders at Risk board of directors Mayo disputes the allegation and says she never said those statements Mayo also alleges that Bazan actively sought to remove members of her organization from public meetings — and went “so far as filing ‘disorderly conduct’ charges" against Schermbeck that were ultimately dismissed "I remain open to working with the organization's leadership to find a path forward that will allow us to collaboratively resolve our challenges," Bazan said in a statement to KERA Schermbeck says Bazan's actions go beyond any personal squabble "She's extended her official blacklisting to any neighborhood group working or aligned with Downwinders," Schermbeck said "Since these groups are usually already the most put-upon demographics in Dallas Bazan said it was "absolutely false" that she blacklisted environmental groups or pursued her own agenda to work with anyone who has expressed interest in being a collaborative partner,” she said Got a tip? Email Nathan Collins at ncollins@kera.org. You can follow Nathan on Twitter @nathannotforyou KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today ALL NEWS GERMANY - APRIL 22: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) A meteor of the lyrids in the sky is seen on April 22 (Photo by Mario Hommes/DeFodi Images via Getty Images) BY ADA WOOD AND ASHLEY STRICKLAND, CNN     (CNN) — Every year from January to mid-April we experience a “meteor drought,” without a single shower for months That all ends April 22 this year with the first show of the season: the annual Lyrid meteor shower “These dazzling meteors are fast and bright, with a striking golden trail of dust streaking behind them,” CNN meteorologist Judson Jones said The Lyrids, which are best seen from the Northern Hemisphere, have been observed for 2,700 years, according to NASA this shower will feature about 10 meteors per hour You might even spot a fireball flying across the sky or the glowing dust trail the meteors frequently leave behind them as they streak through Earth’s atmosphere you’ll have your best luck away from urban areas where city lights can obstruct the view “Light pollution is one of the biggest struggles when trying to see meteors and it seems to be getting worse each year,” Jones said But there is one other factor that impacts light as well: the moon. This year, the moon will be in its waxing gibbous phase; it will be about 70% illuminated. Since the moon will be so bright, it’s suggested you view the sky after moonset and before sunrise, according to EarthSky Between midnight and dawn, the Lyrid meteors can be seen in all parts of the sky, according to the American Meteor Society The best time for viewing them April 22 will be the last hour before the start of morning twilight: around 4-5 a.m After you’ve decided on your viewing location and time come prepared with a blanket and simply lie back Take 30 minutes beforehand to let your eyes adjust to the dark Be patient, as the AMS suggests: “Serious observers should watch for at least an hour as numerous peaks and valleys of activity will occur.” you’ll be observing one of the lost pieces of Comet Thatcher These fragments fly into our upper atmosphere at 110,000 miles per hour as Earth’s orbit crosses its path “When these pieces interact with our atmosphere colorful streaks you can find in our night sky,” Jones said If you miss the meteors this week but still want to gaze at the sky see next week’s “pink” full supermoon on April 26 While the moon won’t actually be pink it will appear extra bright since supermoons are slightly closer to Earth Subscribe to CNN’s Wonder Theory newsletter: Explore the universe with weekly news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more Here is what else you can look forward to in 2021 You don’t have long to wait after the Lyrids meteor shower for the Eta Aquariids to arrive peaking on May 5 when the moon is 38% full This shower is best seen in the southern tropics but will still produce a medium shower for those north of the equator The Delta Aquariids are also best seen from the southern tropics and will peak between July 28 and 29 when the moon is 74% full another meteor shower peaks on the same night — the Alpha Capricornids it has been known to produce some bright fireballs during the peak It will be visible for those on either side of the equator will peak between August 11 and 12 in the Northern Hemisphere Here is the meteor shower schedule for the rest of the year, according to EarthSky’s meteor shower outlook This year, there will be two eclipses of the sun and two eclipses of the moon — and three of these will be visible for some in North America, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac A total eclipse of the moon will occur on May 26 best visible to those in western North America and Hawaii from 4:46 a.m An annular eclipse of the sun will happen on June 10 visible in northern and northeastern North America from 4:12 a.m The sun won’t be fully blocked by the moon so be sure to wear eclipse glasses to safely view this event November 19 will see a partial eclipse of the moon and skywatchers in North America and Hawaii can view it between 1 a.m And the year ends with a total eclipse of the sun on December 4 Antarctica and southeastern Australia will be able to spot it Skywatchers will have multiple opportunities to spot the planets in our sky during certain mornings and evenings throughout 2021, according to the Farmer’s Almanac planetary guide It’s possible to see most of these with the naked eye but binoculars or a telescope will provide the best view Mercury will look like a bright star in the morning sky from June 27 to July 16 It will shine in the night sky from May 3 to May 24 August 31 to September 21 and November 29 to December 31 will appear in the western sky at dusk on the evenings of May 24 to December 31 It’s the second brightest object in our sky after the moon Mars makes its reddish appearance in the morning sky between November 24 and December 31 and will be visible in the evening sky between January 1 and August 22 It will be on display in the morning sky between February 17 and August 19 Look for it in the evenings of August 20 to December 31 — but it will be at its brightest from August 8 to September 2 Saturn’s rings are only visible through a telescope but the planet itself can still be seen with the naked eye on the mornings of February 10 to August 1 and the evenings of August 2 to December 31 It will be at its brightest between August 1 to 4 Binoculars or a telescope will help you spot the greenish glow of Uranus on the mornings of May 16 to November 3 and the evenings of January 1 to April 12 and November 4 to December 31 — but at its brightest between August 28 to December 31 And our most distant neighbor in the solar system Neptune will be visible through a telescope on the mornings of March 27 to September 13 and the evenings of September 14 to December 31 It will be at its brightest between July 19 and November 8 Have a story idea or tip? Send it to the KSL NewsRadio team here Residents in the predominately Black community of Joppa have long complained to the City of Dallas about an asphalt plant they say is polluting their air But what they apparently didn’t know is that the city has spent millions buying asphalt from the company that owns it the City of Dallas has paid more than $16 million for “asphaltic concrete” to Austin Industries and its subsidiaries And the city has paid almost $50 million more for other products and services such as engineering and construction services It’s unclear how much asphalt was purchased specifically from the Joppa plant — Austin Bridge and Road operates another plant in Dallas and several others in North Texas But a company spokesman says the Joppa plant supplies materials for many different projects and customers Alicia Kendrick is the head of the Joppa Environmental Health Project and is fighting to see the batch plant removed from her southern Dallas community She says she didn’t know about the city’s dealings with the asphalt company — and doesn’t think many in her community know either “Dallas is not on our side honestly in this is what it seems like to me…because they’re consuming a product that is Austin Bridge and Road is one of a handful of companies that supplies asphalt and other construction materials to the City of Dallas which is described as one of the largest construction companies in the country Eric Schranz is the general plants manager for Austin Bridge and Road he says the company supplies building materials to various projects and customers Dallas County and Texas Department of Transportation The City of Dallas paid out more than $24 million to vendors for “asphaltic concrete hot laid and other bituminous materials” since 2016 the majority of that — more than $16 million — was paid to Austin Industries and its subsidiaries The plant has been operating in Joppa since 2009 but city financial records for earlier years were not immediately available Jim Schermbeck is the director of Downwinders at Risk a nearly 30-year-old environmental justice advocacy group that is focused on air pollution in Dallas He says city officials are complicit in the very behavior they’re also condemning “This...stands out as a huge hypocritical example of how the city preaches one thing and practices another,” Schermbeck said The plant has been the center of a back-and-forth controversy between community members and city officials for years the nearly fourteen-year-old facility is still in operation Joppa residents angrily accused city officials of not doing enough at a raucous “community meeting” in early April Council Member Adam Bazaldua released a statement announcing the facility’s permit renewal would be subject to a public hearing due to the discovery of the violations Bazaldua’s office said Joppa residents “have legitimate concerns about the plant that must be addressed.” The statement said it was his “priority is to listen to the residents within the Joppa community” to resolve the issue Joppa residents and activists had worked months — or even years — to get a public hearing That’s because the city code gave Austin Asphalt that option “I felt like the date they set originally was really rushed,” Kendrick said I was okay with them postponing the hearing so we have time to gather community input A company representing Austin Asphalt said the city never notified the facility of the violations prior to being found out of compliance an assistant director for the city’s Planning and Urban Design department “We did send an email with a list of our findings,” Udrea said in an interview with KERA News in late April And we did our due diligence to do a site visit.” KERA reached out to Bazaldua’s office for comment about city funds going to the asphalt company but did not get a response before this article was published Schermbeck says the city’s links to the Joppa asphalt plant is yet another example of why every city department needs to place more emphasis on environmental concerns That includes where the city gets its building materials “This is done all the time,” Schermbeck said “They can write specs that exclude places that are environmentally unsound.” finding out that the city has been buying asphalt from what she sees as a major source of pollution is disheartening She says the city is not making good on promises to address racial and environmental issues “Is that racial equity plan actually for everyone?” Kendrick said “Or is it just for the neighborhoods that they deem worthy or the neighborhoods that they don’t have any economic stakes in.” The city has drafted ordinances that would change the process for how batch plants are approved for permits in Dallas — to align with the city’s environmental justice plan Kendrick says she is still working to get Joppa residents to speak at the plant’s permit renewal hearing scheduled for mid-June But her mindset over what’s next has changed “It really does ring a lot of alarm bells for me,” Kendrick said “This is not just a fight with a company this is a deeply rooted issue of economic growth for Dallas.” By Dave Lieber the wise old battler against Dallas-Fort Worth air pollution for the last quarter century was bragging about his group’s new generation of leadership and its new focus on protecting neighborhoods I was in a webinar listening to Schermbeck, program director for pollution fighter Downwinders at Risk as he gave an overview of our air quality (it’s bad!) when the trophy wall thing perked me up It had something to do with Dallas City Hall officials leaving their jobs but the symbolism was that their heads were hung up on a wall I turned up the volume on my computer so I could hear He told a story about how the city of Dallas in recent years had allowed two northern Dallas neighborhoods to create their own land use plans But when two southern Dallas neighborhoods tried to do the same they were told by the city that neighborhood-based land use plans created by community members were no longer acceptable white neighborhoods were allowed to create bottom-up plans that were presented to and accepted by city officials But these neighborhoods where people of color live were forced to accept top-down plans imposed upon them by City Hall Mayo helped organize several groups into the Coalition for Neighborhood Self-Determination which agitated for fairness in community-created land use plans Letters were sent to Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson Three zoning officials decided to retire from the city the city’s director of planning and urban design; David Cossum development services administrator; and assistant zoning director Neva Dean the director of sustainable development and construction was reassigned to the city’s aviation department on an interim basis this woman has a department head on her trophy wall for a good cause,” Schermbeck was saying If you ever think young people are not with it and you want to build your confidence back up about people please come to a board meeting or hang out with Evelyn and her friends for a while They will restore your confidence about where we’re headed I asked Mayo how she felt about the trophy wall analogy “I don’t think it’s something you should aspire to,” she said “We were simply reacting to circumstances presented before us.” saying: “Whether it’s a trophy wall or not what’s happening at City Hall is a product of their own incompetence.” Downwinders board member Misti O’Quinn told me that the coalition shined a spotlight on one portion of neighborhood zoning and when you shine a spotlight you can expose “You take away their sense of security,” she said I attempted to reach the four City Hall officials but was unsuccessful When I ran this scenario up the flagpole to Broadnax he provided a written statement to The Watchdog explaining that when several staffers announced their intention to retire this year it presented an opportunity to realign their departments “we intend to simultaneously restructure permitting and planning and realign the departments and leadership that oversee them Reorganizing these departments will maximize effectiveness and productivity.” He made no mention of the coalition or its agitation This story runs far deeper than citizen agitation Downwinders represents a model for how environmental and other nonprofits can alter their profile I saw how Downwinders has changed in recent years Formed in 1994 by Midlothian rancher Sue Pope and other rural residents and suburbanites Downwinders’ mission for the longest time was fighting pollution caused by cement plants it was becoming clear — thanks in part to the hideous Shingle Mountain dump site in southeast Oak Cliff — that Dallas needed a spotlight to focus on what activists and academics call historically racist zoning That’s what allows dirty industries into poorer residential neighborhoods where people of color live Correcting those inequities is called environmental justice many of whom had served since the group’s creation The board and its mission changed from rural/suburban to urban “It was very traumatic,” Schermbeck recalls “But I’m so glad we did it because we’re more plugged in than ever before.” Mayo says the worst moment came in 2019 when she was elected to the unpaid job of chair in what she calls “a somewhat contentious vote.” The board is now all women; two are Asian-American especially in the traditional environmental arena can only dream of putting together a board with that diversity has a perfect resume for her leadership role She majored in environmental science in college with a focus on race and ethnicity Working as a paralegal at Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas she co-authored a study called “In Plain Sight,” which examined the governmental failures that allowed a disaster like Shingle Mountain to spiral out of control Then while teaching undergraduates at Paul Quinn, she and her students in 2020 completed a study – “Poisoned by Zip Code: An Assessment of Dallas’ Air Pollution Burden by Neighborhood.” You can guess the results of that survey in addition to continuing its legacy battle against dirty air is to bring power and expertise to the city’s poorer neighborhoods that have had no say in dirty industries moving in “The legacy of racist zoning perpetuates unless you fundamentally redraw the map through these land use plans,” she says “People who are affected must be involved in the decision-making process about what their neighborhood will look like This will probably have better outcomes for their health and wellness.” “People who live there and bear the brunt of the pollution are still not at the decision-making table.” Mayo says her group needs all the help it can get we can put you to work if you’re interested and willing,” she says Note: A tip of The Watchdog’s hat to Downwinders’ board members: Cressanda Allen; Satavia Hopkins; Misti O’Quinn; Essence Tetteh; Marsha Jackson; Cindy Hua; Amber Wang; Idania Carranza; Soraya Coli; Amanda Poland; Michelle McAdam; and Shannon Vorpahl Join Dave Lieber and learn to be a super-consumer Watchdog newsletter: Sign up for The Watchdog’s FREE weekly newsletter to keep up: click here Watch this free training video from Dave: https://youtu.be/uhUEUCNKGjc Subscribe: PLEASE support The Watchdog’s brand of straightforward journalism designed to save you time, money and aggravation. Treat yourself to a digital subscription (and make him look good!) by using the special Watchdog code: https://www.dallasnews.com/subscribe/watchdog-1 Watchdog Home Page: You can’t afford to miss The Watchdog’s two reports each week. Follow our latest reporting always at The Watchdog home page Do you use Facebook? Connect with The Watchdog on our Facebook group. Search for “Dallas News Watchdog Posse.” The Dallas Morning News Watchdog column is the 2019 winner of the top prize for column writing from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists The contest judge called his winning entries “models of suspenseful storytelling and public service.” * Helping the widow of Officer J.D. Tippit, the Dallas police officer killed by Lee Harvey Oswald, get buried beside her late husband * Helping a waitress who was harmed by an unscrupulous used car dealer A judge in a national columnists contest called his winning entries "models of suspenseful storytelling and public service." Exide Technologies says bankruptcy will not alter the cleanup of lead contamination at its closed Frisco plant.  The battery maker cited an increase in the price of scrap lead as one reason in filing for Chapter 11 protection While bankruptcy prevents creditors from collecting money owed by the company the City of Frisco says Exide Technologies has pledged to stay on schedule with its cleanup of lead contamination at the 90 acre site where it recycled vehicle batteries Frisco Mayor Maher Maso says Exide also promises to continue cleanup of the 179 acres surrounding the plant which the city plans to buy from the company “As I understand it at this time everything will move forward as planned.  They’ve ensured us they have every intention of living up to the agreement,” said Maso Maso says the bankruptcy wasn’t completely unexpected and the city was prepared for it One citizens’ group that pressured the plant into closing says the bankruptcy might actually be a good development “What bankruptcy does is provide the City of Frisco with an opportunity it didn’t have before which is to buy the rest of the smelter back from Exide,” said Jim Schermbeck of the environmental group Downwinders at Risk Schermbeck says the plant site sits in the middle of town near the tollway and other valuable property He believes that if it stays in the hands of Exide it will remain a storage site for contaminated waste.  But Schermbeck sees development potential if the city buys the 90-acre plant site in addition to surrounding property it already plans to purchase “If you clean that up that site it would be invaluable,” said Schermbeck.  “It’s worth millions and millions and millions of dollars in terms of development potential.  So it makes me think there’s a lot better chance of development now if you get that land out of Exide’s control.” he said A spokesperson for Frisco says she is unaware of any discussions about the city buying the plant site.  Jeffrey Jarvis saw highway signs blaring “OZONE ALERT” this summer For Jarvis and his team of first responders at EMS provider MedStar poor air quality days mean more calls for respiratory emergencies as people with underlying conditions become more likely to require hospitalization Conducting an analysis of calls was difficult this year “It’s getting really hard to make this analysis because you need something to compare it to,” Jarvis “There just aren’t many days anymore that aren’t ozone alerts so it seems like it’s getting harder and harder to find a comparison group.” A boiling hot summer was the backdrop for one of the worst air quality seasons North Texas has seen since 2012 matched only by equally poor ozone levels in 2022 The North Central Texas Council of Governments counted 48 days between May and September where the region’s air quality reached levels of ozone considered unhealthy by the Environmental Protection Agency The council of governments is tasked with helping local governments meet federal air quality standards “Ozone forms when emissions from transportation and natural sources such as vegetation emit nitrogen oxides and/or volatile organic compounds These pollutants react in the presence of sunlight and heat to create ground-level ozone.” – North Central Texas Council of Governments Clinical studies have linked exposure to ozone with reduced lung function and higher frequency of asthma episodes just over half of the month consisted of warnings to avoid significant time outdoors because of ozone conditions air quality program manager for the council of governments “It’s not just our area that’s suffering from this the whole state is high in terms of ozone readings this summer.” Narvaez and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality the agency tasked with developing strategies to improve air quality are still working to understand the reasons behind the uptick in ozone alert days Extended periods of extreme heat certainly contribute to the problem the perfect nesting ground for ozone formation,” Narvaez said ozone tends to form and then it’ll stay instead of being blown off by the wind A lot of our summers are not very windy days The region recorded its lowest number of alerts in 2016 but the count has increased over the past decade according to a September report by Chris Klaus senior air quality management program manager for the council of governments both in the form of health concerns and annual fines imposed by the EPA Penalties for not meeting the Clean Air Act standards mostly consist of stricter pollution controls and revising implementation plans overseen by state agencies a region that is classified as a “severe” violator can impose financial penalties of $5,000 per ton on major pollution sources if they do not meet required ozone reductions the EPA is expected to reclassify Dallas-Fort Worth as a “serious” violator of its 2015 Clean Air Act standards a downgrade from “moderate.” To determine if a region has violated ozone standards the EPA averages the fourth-worst ozone pollution days over a period of three years Preliminary data shows that the region averaged 81 parts per billion of ozone over the most recent three-year period — well above the federal requirement of 70 or lower parts per billion “We took a huge step backward,” Jim Schermbeck longtime director of North Texas environmental activism group Downwinders at Risk it just got much harder to have cleaner air.” With the threat of stricter pollution controls and annual fees on the horizon state environmental staff are required to submit revisions to their Clean Air Act implementation plan by May 2024 we are right now working with the state trying to come up with strategies to ensure or help them to determine what we can do in preparation for that,” Narvaez said North Texas officials have focused their efforts on reducing nitrogen oxide emissions commonly associated with cars Their initiatives include retiring vehicles and equipment with heavy-duty diesel engines; reducing traffic congestion and idling; providing funding for alternative fuel vehicles; and leading public campaigns to take fewer car trips and operate vehicles in ways that reduce emissions Klaus and his colleagues say they’ve seen immense progress on air quality since 1990 when the region lingered in the 125-130 range for ozone parts per billion But that progress appears to have hit a ceiling and experts are struggling to understand why “It is significantly off from real-world observances and we believe further evaluation is needed,” Klaus wrote in a July letter to the environmental commission requesting more meetings and engagement with staff members Regional experts are also asking if they need to shift their focus to the other half of the ozone equation: volatile organic compounds Most of those compounds come from plant and wildlife sources, including forest fires. But about one-fourth come from man-made activities including petroleum and natural gas extraction transportation and industrial plants that manufacture products like paints The council of governments is wrestling with the idea that it has focused all its attention on reducing one source of emissions without addressing other key pollution sources and the smog levels have not gone down,” Schermbeck said The unanswered questions are why volatile organic compound levels have gone up and which ones are the culprits “Ten years ago they thought they had it all figured out,” he said “and now they’re questioning where the DFW smog problem comes from.” a spokesperson for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said the agency has initiated extensive outreach efforts over the past year to address all of Texas’ ozone nonattainment areas The agency’s models use the latest data and EPA guidance to model ozone outcomes As part of its revisions to the state plan the agency also reviews its air quality modeling Future meetings will be scheduled to provide North Texas officials with information on new technical developments The state’s ultimate goal is to bring the region into compliance with Clean Air Act regulations and avoid issuing fines — known as Section 185 fees — to polluters Formal rules for the fees aren’t due to the EPA until late 2025 but the state will begin hosting meetings with a stakeholder group this fall the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality should not be in charge of strategies to reduce ozone pollution State officials find ways to exploit Clean Air Act deadlines to give them more time or wait until a new presidential administration arrives and becomes less strict with air quality enforcement “I’m not sure the Clean Air Act anticipated bad faith actors at the state level as bad as Texas has been,” Schermbeck said “They shouldn’t have any enforcement authority at all They are not serious people when it comes to this Anything short of breaking that cycle is woefully insufficient.” sees reason for hope in the coordinated effort between state and local governments to improve air quality Her organization is also leading a regional climate planning effort that will identify air quality projects across North Texas local governments will become eligible for further federal funding to make their projects a reality Regional leaders can’t do anything about the weather conditions that create ozone and bring pollution from other regions to Dallas-Fort Worth But she and her staff want to better understand where emissions are coming from and how they can be controlled “That’s why they average it over three years because some summers are bad and some summers are not that bad.” Jarvis and his MedStar colleagues urge residents to stay aware of ozone alerts and how they could affect their health The burden of poor air quality is often not evenly distributed and children in lower socioeconomic groups often bear the brunt of respiratory diseases “The challenge is we don’t get to control the amount of ozone These aren’t things we can easily manipulate,” he said “So what do you do when you’re in a situation where the ozone is just always high It’s going to have some pretty significant effects.” This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license One of springtime's most prominent "shooting star" groups peaks overnight tonight (April 21-22) The famous Lyrid meteor shower will become visible in the Northern Hemisphere beginning at about 10:30 p.m The best visibility will likely be before dawn after the waxing gibbous moon sets; otherwise you may have some interference from moonlight Related: Moon phases Related: Lyrid meteor shower 2021: When, where & how to see it What's your favorite constellation? We want to know! Join our Space.com Forums here for this week's big question The radiant, or point that the shooting stars appear to emanate from, is in the Lyra constellation high above the horizon. You can find your way to Lyra by looking for Vega one of the brightest stars of the northern sky But make sure to look slightly away from Lyra because the meteors with the longest trails will appear well outside of the constellation Dress warmly (April is still very chilly in many U.S regions) and get outside about 20 minutes before you plan to begin your observations to give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness Move away from any outdoor lights that you can and if possible use a lounge chair to avoid neck pain while looking at the sky Technically the Lyrids continue until April 30 but NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke told Space.com that you should see the most meteors Wednesday into Thursday morning (April 21 to April 22) You have a pretty good chance of seeing some Lyrids this year," Cooke said.  That said, NASA warns that the window of ideal viewing time Thursday is very short — probably only about half an hour before the sky brightens just before 5 a.m Cooke predicted skywatchers will see roughly 18 meteors an hour — depending on how dark your sky is, so get away from light pollution where you can (and if it's safe to do so given that many regions of the world are under pandemic quarantines right now.) Related: How to see the best meteor showers of 2021  Virginia left their beds to see a shower that appeared to come from all parts of the sky Any meteors you can see this year will likely stand out. Skywatching columnist Joe Rao says the meteors are bright and swift moving through the atmosphere at average speeds of 30 miles (48 kilometers) per second Roughly a quarter of the individual meteors will leave big trains across the sky perhaps as many as five to 10 such meteors during a night of excellent conditions around the peak shower date Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com. Elizabeth HowellFormer Staff Writer Spaceflight (July 2022-November 2024)Elizabeth Howell (she/her) was a staff writer in the spaceflight channel between 2022 and 2024 specializing in Canadian space news She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years from 2012 to 2024 Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House leading world coverage about a lost-and-found space tomato on the International Space Station witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents and participating in a simulated Mars mission 2022) is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams.  you'll have to use all your Jedi powers to grab this Lego set — Jango Fett's Starship WILL sell out fast These ARE the Lego Star Wars deals you're looking for 10 must-have 'Star Wars' books and novels coming soon to your galaxy In early 2015, as the Environmental Protection Agency considered updates to its national air quality standards for smog, federal officials sat down for a public hearing in Arlington City Hall They listened as activists and medical groups from across Texas pushed for rules that would allow less ground-level ozone – also known as “bad ozone” or smog – in the air Jim Schermbeck, longtime director of the North Texas environmental activism group Downwinders at Risk was among the activists who testified that January “There’s a symbolism to defeating smog,” Schermbeck said in an interview. “It’s the most visible evidence of not taking air pollution seriously. To reduce smog is to make things better, and in fact, it is better in DFW. Progress has been made, but not enough progress has been made to get us out of violation of the Clean Air Act.” To determine if a region has violated ozone standards the North Texas region averaged about 81 parts per billion of ozone over an eight-hour period well above the federal standard of 75 parts per billion established in 2008 Today, more than seven years after that EPA hearing, the Dallas-Fort Worth average lingers at 76 parts per billion – still too high to meet the 2008 standard or the most recent 2015 standard of 70 parts per billion 2021 was a deadline year to meet both of the standards “We’ve got the cleanest air that we’ve ever had in the region but it’s stagnated since 2018,” said Chris Klaus senior air quality management program manager for the North Central Texas Council of Governments which is tasked with helping local governments meet federal requirements “That is not to say that everyone is exposed to those high levels of ozone The worst air is only at certain areas and certain monitors.” Chicago and New York metro areas will be listed as “severe” violators of the 2008 ozone standards Penalties for not meeting the Clean Air Act standards mostly consist of stricter pollution controls and revising state implementation plans “Smog pollution is a serious threat to public health increasing the likelihood of respiratory infections asthma attacks and hospital visits,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in an April statement we are fulfilling our duty under the Clean Air Act.” Legal challenges to ‘severe’ status expected The change would force the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and other state environmental agencies to adopt more stringent pollution control requirements on industry and revise their plans for reducing ozone levels statewide Businesses could be required to follow stricter air pollution permitting rules, purchase pollution control technology or potentially face delays in permitting while the region attempts to reduce smog, according to the Texas Tribune Industry groups representing manufacturers and oil and gas producers have previously opposed stricter air pollution regulations, with the Texas Association of Manufacturers arguing at the 2015 hearing that new ozone regulations would “decimate” Texas jobs for a “feel-good” change While the new designation for North Texas has not been fully adopted yet “It’s been in the works since last year when the results from the ozone season last summer were locked in,” he said the clean air director for the Austin-based Lone Star Sierra Club expects the state of Texas to pursue litigation fighting the EPA’s latest moves impacting North Texas and Houston The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has previously filed legal challenges to stricter federal air quality requirements and the EPA’s attempts to re-classify cities, including El Paso as more severe violators of the ozone standards The timeline for a decision on the state’s lawsuit could be dragged out to late 2023 or early 2024 depending on if and when Texas files it new ozone data will come in and potentially bring Texas into compliance with the 2008 standard of 75 parts per billion A single air monitor near Pilot Point in Denton County is pulling the entire 10-county region into not complying with ozone standards because of its high readings over the past three years, Carman said. High readings have also come from air monitors near Eagle Mountain Lake even though there is tremendous growth in freeways there is growth in the number of vehicles and miles traveled,” Carman said “By the time they come up with a state implementation plan for the DFW area for the severe status I wouldn’t be surprised if they will meet the standard of 75 by then.” While air quality is better, advocates say Texas must do moreSince amendments regulating ground-level ozone were made to the Clean Air Act in 1990, North Texas has seen massive improvements in reducing harmful emissions The region was in the 125-130 range for ozone parts per billion back then The council of governments has largely focused on transportation-related changes like retiring vehicles and equipment with heavy-duty diesel engines; reducing traffic congestion and idling; providing funding for alternative fuel vehicles; and leading public campaigns to take fewer car trips and operate vehicles in ways that reduce emissions the average ground-level ozone has hovered around 76 parts per billion since 2018 The plateau has concerned local officials trying to bring the region into compliance with EPA standards Klaus pointed to the conundrum that the COVID-19 pandemic posed ozone levels did not improve in North Texas “Our vision and our understanding of all this is changing daily,” Klaus said “Why is it that our emissions basically didn’t get any better with all those reductions that were unfortunately having to be implemented because of the pandemic There’s a lot of research that’s ongoing now to try to figure all of that out.” “The state has established a track record now of sacrificing the health of Texans and suing on behalf of polluters.” Activists like Schermbeck and Ranjana Bhandari, the executive director of the environmental advocacy group Liveable Arlington want the state’s ozone plans to focus less on reducing vehicle emissions and more on regulating industrial pollution Bhandari, whose group leads opposition to the expansion of natural gas drilling in Tarrant County, has been part of the EPA’s process to develop new rules cutting methane emissions associated with oil and gas production. She testified at the Arlington hearing in 2015 and plans to speak again at the EPA’s public hearing May 9 “There’s so many emissions from gas drilling that contribute to ozone,” Bhandari said “The state has established a track record now of sacrificing the health of Texans and suing on behalf of polluters It seems like a very inappropriate way to discharge their responsibilities toward residents but that’s what it is … It should all be of concern to the EPA.” Klaus is optimistic that the region’s ozone levels will continue to fall especially with the potential for more electric vehicle charging infrastructure to be built out by the late 2020s The council of governments is in wait-and-see mode until the “severe” violator status becomes official and if the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality asks Klaus and his colleagues to begin revising their implementation plan for reducing smog The tools to improve air quality are already available to government officials but any future progress on ozone is “purely a political decision.” The EPA’s classification of North Texas as a “severe” violator could mean very little if the state government continues to find loopholes or drag its feet on regulating pollution “We have access to the expertise and technology we need to reduce emissions enough to come into compliance with the Clean Air Act but the state government has chosen not to deploy them,” Schermbeck said “There’s no framework for state and local action on this stuff because of the state’s lack of interest in clean air as a goal By Robert WilonskyEditorial columnist when the air was cold and damp and the wind only made it worse I found Jim Schermbeck climbing a giant pile of dirt behind a West Dallas 7-Eleven under construction The environmental activist was wearing a lightweight jacket blue jeans and beautifully stitched boots with sharp points “I am not dressed for this,” Schermbeck said as we poked through the freshly dug-up mounds extracting from the soft brown soil shards of hard black plastic that look like remnants of the car batteries once smashed and buried in contaminated soil on this very land “And I can’t believe I am doing this without gloves.” Here, beneath our boots, once stood Murph Metals and then RSR Corp.’s enormous lead smelter, which, from 1934 to 1984, poisoned West Dallas. That was “a battery wrecking facility,” as the Environmental Protection Agency called it where workers crushed car batteries to drain the acid and extract the lead At this moment, construction workers are finishing a 7-Eleven on the southeast corner of North Westmoreland Road and Singleton Boulevard the first thing to be built on the 6.6-acre site since the plant was closed and carted off Projects are built atop Superfund sites all the time — like constructed on “brownfield” once home to a city dump a railroad maintenance facility and a power station News RoundupsCatch up on the day's news you need to know Schermbeck forwarded me an email he received from a West Dallas native named Diane Smith easily accessed piles of dirt lie behind the construction site Smith wrote that she walked right up to the work site — “like it was a magnet drawing me to it” — and found what she believed to be pieces of battery casings in the dirt “RSR … has come back to the surface,” she wrote. Smith lamented that the churning of soil had resurrected “the ghost factory” that haunts this area still and will for generations no matter what is built on top of the land She and countless other West Dallas residents will always look at that intersection and see the 300-foot-tall smokestack that once spread across 13.6 square miles of West Dallas “at least 269 tons of lead particles each year,” this newspaper wrote in 1986 And they will always feel beneath their feet the broken batteries and lead slag that wound up in hundreds of residents’ yards “Is there a poison in the air?” this newspaper asked four decades ago In the brains of children who were especially susceptible to the poison linked to IQ loss and behavioral issues The plant was razed and the smokestack topped some 20 years ago arsenic and cadmium — was “capped” with 2 feet of clay soil the EPA declared the old RSR site was ready for “industrial use.” But there were caveats among them: “Future users should comply with .. the implemented remedy which includes maintaining the soil cover to prevent exposure to contaminants that remain onsite in order to ensure the continued protection of human health and the environment.” that cover was breached by contractors hired to resurrect this dead land a Plano environmental consultant crafted in June a 19-page soil and groundwater management plan meant to mitigate the impact That document says that “all soils beneath 2 feet from existing pre‐development grades should be assumed to contain elevated lead or other metals.” That plan says “workers with young children at home should change clothes before entering the house and wash work clothes separately from other clothing.” And it warns there could be short-term effects from exposure to the dirt “such as dizziness Two of the piles were covered with black tarps Smith contacted Schermbeck because of his work with Luis Sepulveda and the West Dallas Coalition for Environmental Justice She also called Dallas City Hall’s Office of Environmental Quality whose director James McGuire confirms that staff was dispatched to the site last Thursday said a concerned constituent called state Sen Narvaez then called McGuire and was assured the city and EPA were on it the EPA-reviewed soil and groundwater plan “anticipates that impacted soils may be encountered at depth,” which is why it requires those tarps be kept “on and around soil stockpiles.” But when staff visited the site Thursday McGuire said his office called the EPA Friday and again Monday to address their findings and Smith’s concerns EPA that plastic covers and perimeter fencing should be used and fill materials appropriately handled,” McGuire said “EPA reported that they are working directly with site representatives and will ensure protective remedies are immediately implemented.” EPA officials said they are working with the city 7-Eleven and its construction contractor “to make sure excavated soils are covered and backfilled,” and that “EPA personnel will oversee further construction activities until completion.” Derek Williams, who is overseeing the project for Southlake-based Verdad Construction Services said Tuesday they’re well aware that this is “a super-dirty site,” and “we’ve been trying to take every precaution available including sampling the air to make sure we don’t let anything blow into neighboring yards.” He said some 2,000 cubic yards of dirt have been carted off to a landfill that handles industrial waste Williams and colleague Moises Castro said the EPA visited the site Dec “We are on top of our guys to make sure from here on out they were aware of residents’ and activists’ concerns Diane Smith was born 67 years ago in the shadow of the RSR smokestack — the “big cigar,” she calls it. In 2002, she was a member of the Citizens for Environmental Justice Committee, collecting soil samples, going to City Council meetings recording oral histories of those who lived and died alongside RSR’s poison machine “There was always a grayish smoke that infiltrated the community especially at night — I never knew it to close,” she said Monday you didn’t know what other type of environment you were supposed to be in She wound up moving away — and settled near what would become yet another EPA Superfund site at Lane Plating, its soil, too, contaminated with arsenic, hexavalent chromium, cadmium, mercury and, of course, lead When she heard from an old friend from the committee about what was happening behind the 7-Eleven she drove over and began sifting through the old soil “I couldn’t stop digging,” Smith said Monday On Dec. 17, 2012, this newspaper published one in a series of stories about how the residents of West Dallas are still demanding answers, justice. Seven years later, it seems as though nothing has changed. Just the fear of churned dirt on the RSR site proves only that old demons can never remain buried for too long. Today, the only time most of us hear anyone mention lead and West Dallas is when lifelong West Dallas resident William Hopkins comes to council meetings to remind them of the “people dying in West Dallas.” He has been doing this for 20 years — so long, I don’t think anyone hears the anger and anguish in his regularly scheduled plea. A decade ago, Diane Smith and others, too, went to council meetings. Then they stopped. “Because,” Smith said, “no one listened to us.” As the 2017-2018 school year ended late last month James School fifth- and sixth-graders finished up a 12-week study of Thomas Merton the Trappist Monk who died half a century ago Shelby Thomas’ religion class studied the famous monk who lived and wrote at the Abbey of Gethsemani near Bardstown The curriculum led the curious fifth- and sixth-graders on a journey into monastic life It also included a visit to the Abbey of Gethsemani and culminated with an art show at Bellarmine University where students showcased their artwork inspired by Merton Thomas said she was “nervous” as she introduced the study; Merton is typically part of high school or college curriculum teacher during an interview in her classroom in mid May “They were super interested” from the first day disciplined life led by the monks most interesting They were also surprised by Merton’s curiosity about other religions They discussed the curriculum in their classroom surrounded by their artwork depicting Merton and monastic life “He studied different religions not to get other people to join his who created a miniature sculpture that depicts Merton writing by candlelight “He stayed true to his religion” and allowed others to do the same Analiese said she’s good at drawing portraits so she tried her hand at a portrait of Merton Not too many people would do that,” she said she was struck by “how early they wake up” and how “they try to be nice to everyone.” Analiese said Merton has inspired her to “always give people a chance.” Griffin said he liked that Merton “never looked down on anyone The study also taught him “to respect others and their religion,” he said The fifth-grader said he plans on reading Merton’s autobiography “The Seven Storey Mountain” this summer Eric was inspired to sculpt  a church from clay following his visit to the abbey noting how “simple” the church at the abbey was but it was simple and straightforward,” said Eric The fifth-grader said it was “bold” of Merton to travel and meet with faith leaders which she calls the “Thomas Merton Elementary and Intermediate Level Study,” came to her at the suggestion of a parent The study began in March with monastic life and progressed into the life of Thomas Merton Thomas said the kids “loved learning about monks” even before they got into Thomas Merton’s life And the “depth of their questions blew me away,” she said Most of the study happened in religion class but it  cut across most areas of their study The students read some of Merton’s writings in literature class and talked about metaphors studied the countries Merton visited in social studies and broke down “dense” vocabulary words in language arts Part of the study also included a visit from Dr director of the Merton Center at Bellarmine University who gave a presentation on Merton’s writings and his famous epiphany that occurred in downtown Louisville in 1958 Thomas said she hopes to keep teaching the Merton study to this age group Merton is one of the “greatest influences as far as interfaith relations,” said Thomas gave the children a different perspective on the way the faith is practiced and a view on how others should be treated even if they don’t practice the same way,” said Thomas As “life-long learners,” Thomas said she hopes the students will take away Merton’s beliefs about acceptance and that they’ll be curious and go out into the world and “investigate.” Thomas that she hopes her young students will be curious and go out into the world and “investigate.” This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-911409.mp3 KERA's BJ Austin says that puts the company AND environmentalists on the same page Email BJ Austin The first meteor shower of spring is peaking Thursday morning occurs when the Earth passes through the tail of a comet As debris from that comet enters our planet's atmosphere leaving streaks in the sky that are visible to the naked eye for several seconds.  When the Lyrids peak, people can expect to see between 10 and 20 meteors every hour. These meteors often leave "glowing dust trains" in their wake as they disintegrate, according to NASA which will make it trickier to spot the shooting stars Here are some tips for catching the Lyrids in action The best time to glimpse the Lyrids is in the wee morning hours on Thursday Waiting until the waxing moon sets — about 4 a.m. on the US East Coast — will make it easier to spot the meteors and their dust trains the bright glow from the almost-full moon (it'll be 68% full on Thursday) may obscure the meteor streaks Head to an area well away from a city or street lights since meteor showers are best seen with the naked eye "Lie flat on your back with your feet facing east and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible," NASA's website said your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors." The shooting stars can appear anywhere in the sky from which the Lyrids often seem to emerge If you miss out on the show Thursday morning the Lyrid meteor shower this year will continue through April 30 Humanity has known about the Lyrid meteor shower for almost three millennia: The first sighting dates back to 687 BC in China The meteors hail from a comet called Thatcher named after the astronomer who first identified the space rock in 1861 It takes Thatcher 415 years to orbit the sun (we won't see it again until the year 2276) Thatcher's tail leaves behind a trail of debris and leftover comet particles Earth passes through Thatcher's debris and gets bombarded with comet litter for two weeks — which makes for a dazzling meteor shower.  4 CommentsSpring is when many of us look forward to more daylight but it is also a great time in the calendar to look up in the night sky This celestial event happens every year between mid to late April visible as short-lived streaks of light in the sky This year they will be active from 16 to 25 April As this coincides with the Moon's last quarter and of course the best time to spot them will be when the skies are at their darkest and clearest In 2020 some Lyrid meteors streaks were visible in the sky over Michaelskapelle Meteor showers happen when dust from a passing comet or asteroid passes through the Earth's atmosphere The tiny particles - roughly the size of a grain of sand - vaporise creating visible streaks of light As the Earth passes through the most dense section of the dust stream more meteors are visible and for the Lyrids a maximum of around 18 meteors an hour are likely this can intensify and there can be 100 meteors every hour but it is very difficult to known when this will happen The Lyrids are one of the oldest known meteor showers The fireballs are created by debris from Comet Thatcher which takes more than 400 years to orbit the Sun and was discovered in 1861 by A They are named after the constellation Lyra and the radiant position which is where the meteors appear to emanate from Five years ago both the Northern Lights and Lyrid meteors were visible in the sky over Howick dark skies will always provide the best chance to see meteors as bright light can make them difficult to spot So try to avoid times when the moon at its brightest and if you can as it will generally take 15 to 20 minutes for your eyes to adapt to the darkness Wrap up warm and be careful not to crane your neck - maybe sit back in a deckchair and give yourself plenty of breaks The weather prospects for the coming days are looking a little mixed The blocked weather pattern that brought persistent high pressure and dry weather in early April gave way to something much more changeable low pressure will bring cloud and rain to many areas The best chance of clearer interludes will be in the east Monday night will bring better prospects of clearer skies more widely The exact hour-by-hour forecast will vary depending on where in the UK you are, so best to check your local forecast - as well as the sunrise and sunset times - on the BBC Weather website or app Space weather: The Aurora Borealis and much more 00:01:52Space weather: The Aurora Borealis and much more 1:52Monthly Outlook To load Comments you need to enable JavaScript in your browser View comments | 4FeaturesWhat role did weather forecasters play in WW2 victory UV – how to stay safe in the sun Which pollen is making you sneeze Watch: How Turner's masterpieces inspired a BBC Weather forecaster The final series of Man Like Mobeen has arrived Louis Theroux visits the West Bank to meet Israeli settlers Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. The ad-free version is ready for purchase on iOS mobile app today we couldn't find that page";var n=e.querySelector("h2");return n&&n.remove(),{staticContent:e,title:t}},d=function(e){var t=document.createElement("button");return t.innerText=e,t.classList.add("error-page-button"),t},f=function(e){var t=document.createElement("div");t.id="recirculation-404",t.classList.add("brand-hint-bg");var n="\n \n \n Tick here if you would like us to send you the author’s response Striker Calum Dyson opened his goalscoring account for Plymouth Argyle in a 1-0 victory over Schermbeck 1-0 on Tuesday night The Pilgrims’ squad are based in the Netherlands for a training camp this week but crossed the border into Germany for their latest pre-season match Dyson had not got among the goals in any of Argyle’s six previous warm-up matches he struck in the 83 minute of their match at the Volksbank Arena with a close range header this season and they gave the Pilgrims a good work-out in sweltering conditions The temperature was in the lower 30 degrees centigrade which led to both sets of players having a drinks break in each half Argyle manager Derek Adams told Plymouth Live: “It was a competitive match David Fox came off at half-time and Gregg Wylde came on.” Schermbeck went close to taking the lead in the first half but Argyle’s 18-year-old ‘keeper Michael Cooper made a superb save Cooper was joined in the side by another first-year professional There were few chances in the second half until Dyson came up with decisive goal A free-kick from Lionel Ainsworth was headed back across by centre-back Scott Wootton and Dyson applied the finishing touch Adams thought Schermbeck provided decent opposition for his side who had all taken part in a training session with the rest of the Argyle squad in the morning He said: “It was extremely hot so we had two drinks breaks “They (Schermbeck) were a good footballing side and moved the ball very well from side to side Adams reported there had been no injuries picked up from the match The other members of the squad will play in a behind-closed-doors against Dutch opposition on Wednesday the venue or the kick-off time are being announced Striker Ryan Taylor was named among the substitutes for the game against Schermbeck after recovering from an ankle injury Adams admitted there was a possibility that Taylor could feature in the behind-closed-doors match The Pilgrims will also play away to Dutch second side MVV Maastricht on Friday (8pm local time Ashley Smith-Brown; David Fox (Gregg Wylde h/t) Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right Harold and Alberta Leach have spent the last 20 years searching for their missing son a 17-year-old who mysteriously disappeared after going to a party in 1988 as the Leaches wave goodbye at their Linwood home to author Cindy Hutchison who is writing a book about Randy's disappearance Anyone with information about the disappearance of Randy Wayne Leach on April 16 ¢ Call the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office at (800) 593-1313 ¢ Call the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at (800) 572-7463 ¢ Call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at (800) 843-5678 Harold and Alberta Leach are offering a $25,000 reward for any information leading to what happened to their son Anyone interested in sharing information for Cindy Hutchison’s book about the case can e-mail her at cindy.hutchison@yahoo.com Harold Leach pulls his car to the side of a rock road and points to the farm seven miles east of Linwood where his only son was last seen 20 years ago while attending a bonfire party talk frankly about how the property has changed since they went looking for Randy there on the morning of April 16 Bushes have grown near the driveway where Randy reportedly had parked his mother’s 1985 Dodge 500 It has been two decades and still no clues “I don’t think we really know anything more than we did the first day and that’s unfortunate,” Harold said Since the 17-year-old Linwood High School senior went missing the Leaches have endured years of rumors and speculation about what possibly happened to Randy: ¢ He was murdered after witnessing a drug deal ¢ He was sacrificed as part of satanic ritual ¢ He died of dehydration after being tied to a tree They’ve heard that his body is in this pond or that river or on this farm or in that cave And they’ve tried to follow up on each story – no matter how crazy it might be during a drive around the rural areas of Linwood besides the farm where Randy was last seen ¢ 12755 Loring Drive near Bonner Springs where semitrailers were parked inside huge underground “caves.” Harold said about 100 yards around the corner was a cave where ¢ The intersection of 83rd Street and Kill Creek Road in De Soto where there once was an auto body shop Randy’s car was rumored to have been dismantled there just down the road from where Randy was last seen The Leaches were told that Randy was buried along a fence there “Where was the psychic from?” Harold asked his wife while exiting the cemetery they were invited to appear on a Jerry Springer show about missing children Alberta had talked to a psychic before attending the show and sent a shirt tag from one of Randy’s shirts The psychic told the Leaches that their son “definitely was alive.” But as soon as the cameras started rolling “We just lost it,” Alberta said Back in the kitchen of their rural Linwood home Harold and Alberta are surrounded by photos of Randy There are age-progressed photos of what he might look like today and senior-year photos Time hasn’t made it any easier for them to talk about their son Alberta described Randy as a good boy who loved the country Alberta then looked into her husband’s eyes “He liked to help his dad and drive the tractor He was always out in the yard playing.” They recalled the last time they saw Randy so that afternoon he had taken it to mow a yard and brought it back and then mowed our yard,” Harold said he cleaned the lawn mower up and came in and got ready to go out that night.” He talked about driving to Lawrence to purchase some wax to protect the mower’s paint Randy left the family’s driveway and turned east toward Linwood He had about $50 after his dad gave him $20 for the wax The car was a graduation gift from his parents He later stopped at Stout’s Convenience Store in Linwood and purchased two candy bars two bottles of soda and $3 worth of gasoline Randy reportedly arrived at the bonfire about 9:30 p.m It was a pre-graduation party for schoolmate Kim Erwin and was given by her mother The Erwins had just moved to the area from Kansas City About 100 people attended the bash where a punch spiked with grain alcohol reportedly was sold for $3 per cup; refills were free was too intoxicated to walk straight between the time he arrived and the last time he was reported seen between 1:15 a.m Alberta and Harold slept soundly through the night pulled back the curtains and peered out the kitchen window “I knew something was really wrong,” she said They immediately began making calls and searching for Randy “We jumped in the car and went over to where the party was to talk to the people there,” Alberta said That’s what has the Leaches and law enforcement baffled of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has been the case manager for about six years While there are many missing persons cases that go back 20 years he said this one is unique because it happened in a small town “Usually when something like this happens you have a little bit of a we-don’t-know situation as to when they were last seen but his timeline is pretty tight and that’s unusual,” he said Nance’s opinion is that somebody knows something detective lieutenant with the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s office that in that kind of community that someone doesn’t know something,” he said the sheriff’s office and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation reinvestigated the case and we feel like we have an investment in the case now and we would like to solve the case,” Schermbeck said but as far as the case is concerned it’s still an open missing persons case.” He said they still get some leads about two or three times a year “We try to pursue every one seriously and follow it completely,” Schermbeck said The last tip came in December when the Leaches received a call while on vacation in Branson Someone had received a letter that indicated an inmate in a county jail in Kansas might know something about Randy You think you are getting somewhere and then all of a sudden it just dead-ends and it’s been that way the whole time,” Alberta said “You think you have a lead and – pfffttt – it’s gone.” They have no idea how much money they’ve spent They have boxes and files of tape-recorded conversations They’ve converted Randy’s bedroom into a study but haven’t thrown away any of his things When asked how much time they had invested in the search “I am going to try to use energy signals and I am going to try to pick up on Randy’s energy and just try to find his body or try to find the car,” Steele said “I’ve got a really good feeling about this.” a 1988 graduate of Washington High School in Kansas City said he remembers hearing about Randy’s disappearance “There were all kinds of rumors surrounding it There was foul play involved,” he said “The thing is nobody really knows what happened.” an assistant manager at Presto in North Lawrence who plans to publish a book about the search for Randy with her twin sister Let Me Down Easy,” in 2005 about an 1882 Lawrence lynching has spent the past two years researching Randy’s case I was absolutely overwhelmed because there was a whole lot more material than what I was expecting I have reams and reams of documents and police reports and things to go through,” she said who works part time as a pharmacy technician said she has been doing some of her own investigating “I’ve found a few things that don’t quite make sense or don’t quite add up,” she said Hutchison and Schott plan to publish the book within the year They hope it will help shed light on what happened to Randy and provide some closure for the Leaches and we’ve made it together through this but you can’t move on,” Harold said as he looked at his wife “My worst nightmare is something will happen to me and Alberta will have to : ,” Harold couldn’t finish the sentence as his emotions took over “She will have to go through it on her own.” The latest headlines from the Lawrence Journal-World and KUsports.com Copyright © 2025 Ogden Newspapers of Kansas, LLC | https://www2.ljworld.com | 1035 N. Third Street, Lawrence, KS 66044 | 785-843-1000 | Terms of Service