JAMES MADISON QUOTE - 1822

"A popular government without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives."

SCOTTSBORO WEATHER - SUN & MOON RISE

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Jackson County Commission Work Session, December 16, 2013

 
Jackson County Commission Work Session featuring a briefing by Dus Rogers, CEO Jackson County EDA in this session.
 
AGENDA
 
VIDEO
 





Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Jackson County Commission at Scottsboro, Alabama - Regular Session & Public Hearing About TVA's Request to Vacate County Road 96 - 4 Part Video

 
The Jackson County Commission held its Regular Session and Public Hearing in Court Room 3. The video presentation because of length will be in 4 parts. Part 1 is the Regular Session; Parts 3-4 is the Public Hearing portion. There will be a commentary in Thursday's Daily Sentinel concerning TVA's request to close County Road 96 (CR 96)
 
Health Care Authority Board Appointments: Jimmy Bergman, Harold Brookshire, Bob Matthews, Jr.
See Regular Session Video, Part 1 below.
 
A concerned citizen who lives in the area near TVA's Widows Creek says he will be adversely affected by the closure of CR 96. His concerns were expressed to the County Commission and the TVA, quote: "The TVA has not been a good neighbor."
 
 
During the Public Hearing TVA was asked if the TVA's  coal ash and gypsum waste disposal remediation plan was available from TVA; TVA's comment was the plan is available. However, after the public hearing I asked where I could find TVA's plan. It was revealed that there is no single plan, but there are several documents. The plan for the coal ash/gypsum waste remediation has not been approved by ADEM, Alabama Department of Environmental Management. As of this writing, there are no approved  plan describing TVA's coal ash and gypsum waste remediation program concerning the Widows Creek Coal Fired Facility; nor a single source document describing TVA's specific /summary with an estimated time line and costs concerning the Widows Creek closure and coal ash/gypsum remediation plans. How much will it cost to maintain a one unit operating plant? The TVA should wait until ADEM has approved their plan before requesting the vacation (closing) of CR 96. The TVA revealed they will not be utilizing the bridge across the North portion of Widows Creek on CR 96, they will be building a new road to carry the heavy truck traffic across 600 acres of property TVA purchased north of CR 96. The question must be asked, why is TVA wanting to close CR 96 since they are going to build a new road to handle the truck traffic from the hauling area on the property recently purchased?
 
John Kammeyer, TVA Vice President of Civil Construction, stated to me there is no date to close the Widows Creek Coal fired facility as the TVA Board has not approved the closure of Unit 7 at Widows Creek. Unit 8 will close sometime in 2014; Units 1-6 are already closed. Widows Creek is the 2nd oldest coal fired plant in the TVA system and has received several pollution fines from the EPA, Environmental Protection Agency. 
 
TVA Information Sheet on Conversion of wet ash and gypsum to dry storage.
 
Contractor Report on Widows Creek, Stantec Review, amount of coal ash and gypsum waste:  http://www.tva.com/power/stantec/al/rpt_005_appndx_c_wcf_171468118.pdf
 
 
 
Source Watch about TVA & Coal
 
Previous article with video of CR 96 and Widows Creek
 
COMMISSION AGENDA
 
VIDEO, PART 1-Regular Session
 


VIDEO PART 2, Public Hearing, TVA and County Engineer Report



VIDEO PART 3, Public Hearing, Citizen Concerns



VIDEO PART 4, Public Hearing, Citizen Concerns-TVA provides excuses and double-talk for not having a single source document plan/summary for the Widows Creek Plant Shutdown/Decommission and Coal Ash/Gypsum Remediation. TVA claims there are a series of separate plans & documents. Part is in Montgomery awaiting approval, claims TVA.

Monday, December 9, 2013

Scottsboro City Council Meeting December 9, 2013

 
Scottsboro High School elected City Council representatives, left to right, Place 1 - Ms. Madeline Tucker; Place 2 - Ms. Andalyn Parrish.
 
THE SCOTTSORO CITY  COUNCIL, CITY CLERK AND SCOTTSBORO HIGH SCHOOL CITY COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES
 
REGULAR SESSION AGENDA
1) Lakeview Grocery, Alcoholic Beverage Sales Public Hearing-approved; 2) Library Board member appointed, Ms. Kathy Henderson approved, term expires 2017; 3) Severe Weather No Sales Tax weekend Feb 21-23; 4) Abatement of house discussed at 510 Tupelo Pike.
 
VIDEO
 

Sunday, December 8, 2013

The Nuclear Deception - A Continuing Saga

 
The following is a series of my Face Book informational articles about the "Nuclear Deception - A Continuing Saga of the Atoms for Peace Propaganda Policy.
 
"DARK INFLATION"
The massive cost overruns of the civilian nuclear power and defense corporate complex - "“Dark inflation” is just one possible name for the mysterious part of the cost increases that occur when high-vaulting technical ambitions – nuclear, in this case – collide with inchoate industrial, economic, and social decline."
http://lasg.org/wordpress/2013/04/03/dark-inflation/
 
THE SECRET RADIATION EXPERIMENTS
“It is desired that no document be released which refers to experiments with humans and might have adverse effect on public opinion or result in legal suits."
Col. O.G. Haywood, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
 
"This year marks the 20th anniversary of the declassification of top secret studies, done over a period of 60 years, in which the US conducted 2,000 radiation experiments on as many as 20,000 vulnerable US citizens...civilians, prison inmates, federal workers, hospital patients, pregnant women, infants, developmentally disabled children and military personnel — most of them powerless, poor, sick, elderly or terminally ill...The program employed industry and academic scientists who used their hapless patients or wards to... see the immediate and short-term effects of radioactive contamination — with everything from plutonium to radioactive arsenic...In one Vanderbilt U. study, 829 pregnant women were unknowingly fed radioactive iron. In another, 188 children were given radioactive iron-laced lemonade."

"In a rare public condemnation, Clinton Administration Energy Sec. Hazel O’Leary confessed being aghast at the conduct of the scientists. She told Newsweek in 1994: “I said, ‘Who were these people and why did this happen?’ The only thing I could think of was Nazi Germany.”
http://truth-out.org/news/item/15857-contaminated-nation-inhuman-radiation-experiments#a4 http://www.orau.org/ptp/Library/oralhistories/doeeh4064.pdf

Some of these same scientists and their protégés are participating in radiation contamination studies surrounding select U.S. nuclear facilities. The question must be asked, can these people ever be trusted? Can the nuclear power industry ever be trusted?
 
FALLACIES AND DECEIT OF THE ATOMS FOR PEACE PROGRAM.
Insanity, deceit, ignorance and nuclear power=the Obama administration supporting nuclear weapon proliferation.

Allowing Iran the possession of nuclear fuel for a nuclear reactor, then saying: "we will not allow them to have fissionable material for a nuclear weapon" is deceitful to say the least and a prelude to war. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303332904579228214211545256

Every commercial nuclear reactor produces the materials to produce a nuclear weapon as it produces highly enriched uranium and plutonium as its waste. The Obama administration is supporting nuclear proliferation by their actions.

1968 - “Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons” (NPT) clearly indicates that, even though the word “enrichment” is not used in the text, all signers have the right to the “peaceful applications of nuclear technology.” That is another deceitful statement in the form of a treaty. The possession of a nuclear reactor enables a warring nation with a reactor to produce a nuclear weapon. http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/12/05/iran-and-the-non-proliferation-treaty/
 
 

STUDIES LINK CANCER TO NUCLEAR FACILITIES
Radiation expert and independent researcher for Green Audit Dr Chris Busby found that children in Chepstow, south Wales, were 11 times more likely to develop myeloid leukaemia than the national average.
 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-42066/New-study-links-nuclear-sites-cancer.html#ixzz2muV8sQRX

Childhood Leukemia in the Vicinity of Nuclear Power Plants in Germany - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2696975/... 
 IJC - Childhood leukemia around French nuclear power plants—The geocap study, 2002–2007 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/.../10.../ijc.27425/abstract
Reasonable Doubt: Children living near nuclear facilities face an increased risk of cancer. http://www.globalresearch.ca/reasonable-doubt.../8785

 
ATOMS FOR PEACE = TYRANNY
 http://enenews.com/japan-official-this-is-the-way-the-reign-of-terror-begins-lawmaker-physically-restrained-as-secrets-bill-rammed-through-final-passage-expected-in-hours-photos

Tyranny brought to you by nuclear power. In Japan it seems the nuclear power disaster at Fukushima Daiichi has become a "state secret." The multi-national nuclear power industry will do most anything to keep secret the negative side of nuclear power - it sickens and kills.

In the U.S. the number of nuclear energy workers sick and dead approaches 100,000 costing American tax-payers over $10 billion dollars. http://www.dol.gov/owcp/energy/regs/compliance/weeklystats.htm

Can't happen in the U.S. you say, think again; Whistle-Blowers lives have been threatened and retired NRC chief investigator tells of a corrupted regulator. http://bestmatrrdangers.blogspot.com/
 
WAR ON CITIZENS BY GOVERNMENT AND ITS CONTRACTORS - SPYING AND INFILTRATING NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS-GOVERNMENT SUPPORTING CORPORATIONS, NOT OUR CONSTITUTION 
BEST/MATRR member computers have been hacked and their systems destroyed.
 
Holland: And have you found instances where they actually infiltrated these groups, where they posed as activists themselves to get on the inside?

Ruskin: We ...found that that was the most common form of espionage, where a company would hire an intelligence person, who would then either pose as a volunteer or as a journalist and then vacuum up a lot of information.

Holland: And you mention in the report that a lot of these companies had employed former NSA, CIA and other types of former intelligence officers.

After 9/11, we saw a huge expansion of our intelligence budgets and I think most people may not realize that a large share of that expansion wasn’t done through government agencies directly, but through outside security contractors.
http://billmoyers.com/2013/11/25/revealed-how-corporate-spooks-spy-on-nonprofit-activist-groups/
 
 

Friday, December 6, 2013

WIDOWS CREEK - Public Hearing-TVA Requests Closure of County Road 96-VIDEO-No Comprehensive Plan on TVA's Proposed Action

 
WIDOWS CREEK VIDEO - CR 96
The TVA has submitted a request to the Jackson County Commission to vacate a section of Jackson County Rd. 96 from the bridge over Widows Creek to 1/4 mile south west of Al. Hwy 277 intersection. TVA has purchased property north of CR 96; thus, TVA owns the property on both sides of CR96. There will be a public hearing at the Jackson County Courthouse in Scottsboro, Al. on Tuesday Dec. 10, 2013 at 5PM, courtroom 1.
 
What will become of the water lines? Will the bridge support up to 15,000 heavy trucks continuously?  Is TVA going to destroy the landscape to bury coal ash? What exactly is TVA's plan in this major action which they have not fully disclosed?
 
MAP of TVA's Proposed Action- VACATE CR 96
 
 
TVA'S REQUEST TO THE JACKSON COUNTY COMMISSION
 
TVA CR96 HOUSE DEMOLITION-
NEPA NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT???
There is a significant impact when considering the full project; TVA appears to be treating citizens like mushrooms, keeping them in the dark and feeding them crap.

 
MEDIA COVERAGE of TVA's PROPOSED ACTIONS TO SHUTDOWN WIDOWS CREEK
TVA directors voted today to shut down the newest unit at Widows Creek Fossil Plant in northeast Alabama, all five units at the Colbert plant in Northwest Alabama and units 1 and 2 at the Paradise plant in western Kentucky. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/nov/14/tva-shifts-more-gas-less-goal/
 
Earlier, TVA said that about 170 would be cut at the Stevenson plant but later clarified that the exact number of cuts had not yet been determined. TVA has not yet announced the closure dates for the Colbert plant but the unit set for retirement at Widows Creek is planned for late 2014. http://blog.al.com/breaking/2013/11/tva_to_cut_more_than_300_emplo.html

The retirement of Unit 8 is scheduled for late 2014. http://www.theclarion.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7150:widows-creeks-unit-8-added-to-closure-list&catid=42:clarion-rotation-stories&Itemid=142

TVA 2009 Environmental Assessment for Removal of Gypsum Products http://www.tva.gov/environment/reports/widows_creek/widows_creek_fea_.pdf

BURNING WOOD? Association of Tennessee Valley Governments: TVA is considering building natural gas-powered generators at its Allen Fossil Plant near Memphis. Colbert Fossil plant already has the ability to burn wood waste for powering some boilers, which could allow it to become a biomass-fueled plant. http://www.atvg.org/forms/news/dec10/NewWorkIdledPlants.pdf

WIDOWS CREEK STATS http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Widows_Creek_Fossil_Plant

WIDOWS CREEK & MESOTHELIOMA http://www.mesothelioma.com/asbestos-exposure/jobsites/power-plants/widows-creek-power-plant.htm

WIDOWS CREEK-The Smoke Stack Effect http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/smokestack/polluter/18453

WIDOWS CREEK TOXIC EMISSIONS-TVA: http://www.tva.com/environment/air/widcreek.htm

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Jackson County Commission, Executive Session but No Agenda Published Before Budget Hearing - Afternoon Work Session

Jackson County Courthouse South Side

The Jackson County Commission held budget hearings on Monday December 2, 2013 at 11AM. Prior to the budget hearing there was an Executive Session; but, there was no agenda published.
At 3PM there was a work session; agenda and video below.

Budget concerns were discussed along with bank loan rates.
VIDEO SEGMENTS - Budget Hearing


                                     Work Session Agenda

Work Session Video

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Scottsboro City Council Meeting, Regular Session for November 25, 2013 - Landfill Receives State Award - K9 Officer Mato Retires

Best Landfill in the State - Employees of Scottsboro's Solid Waste Department receives the State of Alabama Department of Environmental Management's Award for their plan, innovation, maintenance and meeting environmental standards of the Martintown Landfill. Mayor Potter and Solid Waste Committee members Brent Miller and Gary Stewart presented the award. Scottsboro's Waste Management Plan http://www.cityofscottsboro.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=85&Itemid=171
 
K9 Mato, SPD
Loyal Officer and Friend - Scottsboro Police Departments K-9 Mato Retired. FaceBook Picture, caption reads:Alta-Tollhaus German Shepherd Dogs  "Keeping watch of his cruiser is SCOTTSBORO POLICE DEPARTMENT, AL-K9 Vest Recipient#48, "Mato" On May 28, 2007 the Scottsboro Police Department enhanced their capabilities to serve the Scottsboro citizens by welcoming Mato to the force. Mato was born in December of 2005, in Czechoslovakia. Mato is a German Shepherd and has received special training to detect the odors of narcotics. He has also been trained for tracking people and police patrol. Mato was formally trained by the Huntsville Police Department's K-9 training program and has been nationally certified as a dual purpose police dog. Sergeant Shavers joined the Scottsboro Police Department on Feb 1997. He became the K-9 handler in October 2012. The duo attended a 13 week training course at the Huntsville Police Department .The Scottsboro Police Department is looking forward to utilizing Mato and Sergeant Shavers to assist with patrol, rescue, tracking, and drug enforcement. Sergeant Shavers and Mato do routine school searches in Scottsboro and if requested [in] Jackson County."

Scottsboro Police Chief, Ralph Dawe said Monday that Mato would be used as a search and rescue dog by a local non-profit organization. The City Council voted to declare Mato as excess property.  Mato should receive a proper retirement ceremony. K9 working dogs are valuable assets to any police department.

                                                 AGENDA
 
                                City Council Video


Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Jackson County Commission, Regular Session, November 25, 2013

 Jackson County Courthouse Square 1915, original photo owned by Garry Morgan.
 
 Jackson County Courthouse Square, 2013.Photo by G. Morgan
 
 
AGENDA
 
VIDEO


Thursday, November 21, 2013

WAFF-TV Investigative Report on Browns Ferry Relating to the Radioactive Emissions and Health Hazards Surrounding the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in Alabama


Update: Dec 7. 2013 - The videos have been removed from the WAFF site. The WAFF link below remains active. TVA's 2012 radiation report is active at this link -  TVA's latest radiological report (pdf) It is interesting to note that current radiation levels are reported on charts to be lower than pre-operational levels. TVA attributes this to a lack of nuclear weapons testing. However, there have been two(2) nuclear reactor accidents which have contributed massive amounts of radiation contamination worldwide. This fact and subsequent radiation measurements as a result of the nuclear accidents are omitted. For this reason the report from the TVA is suspect. TVA radiological measurements are from 2012; unfortunately the TVA and the NRC fails to report their findings to the public in a timely fashion.

WAFF Investigates: Health concerns at Browns Ferry
HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) - By Margo Gray 
A local citizens' advocacy group is calling out the nuclear industry and taking on Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant.
http://www.waff.com/story/24036660/waff-investigates-health-concerns-at-browns-ferry
 The members of BREDL/BEST/MATRR appreciate WAFF and Ms. Gray for the opportunity to inform the public about nuclear power health risks and specifically about our concerns with the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant  - Garry Morgan, Project Director-BEST/MATRR Community Radiation Monitoring Project. 

WAFF Investigates: Health concerns at Browns Ferry
WAFF-TV: News, Weather and Sports for Huntsville, AL  (deactivated by source - WAFF)

Featured in the video is a nuclear industry mouthpiece - "The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) is an organization that exists to debunk what they call junk science, and Doctor Josh Bloom says that's exactly what this report is. "They are using selective data and they are picking out the numbers that supports their case and they are ignoring the others and trying to bury them," said Bloom." One of several ad hominem attacks.  Update- May 12, 2015: American Council on Science & Health has been identified as an anti-environmental group submitting bogus reports to support various corporate interests including the nuclear industry. http://www.polluterwatch.com/anti-environmental-archives

The data in the Browns Ferry Report is from the National Cancer Institute and the Center for Disease Control, and compiled by an Epidemiologist. https://bredl.org/pdf4/AL_BFN_Report_2013-final-digit.pdf

ACSH is a member of CASE, a Nuclear Energy Institute, NEI, entity, fully funded by the NEI.
http://casenergy.org/2009/09/the-american-council-on-science-and-health-acsh/
ACSH falsely claims that nuclear energy is sustainable, clean energy in this handout - http://www.acsh.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/20080911_nuclear_energyfinal.pdf 

"The ACSH is known as an "industry-friendly" group according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)...2013, Mother Jones magazine received leaked internal financial documents from ACSH, which revealed that 58% of the organization's donations in the period from July 1, 2012, to December 20, 2012 came from corporations and large private foundations, many of which themselves had close ties to industries with financial stakes in the specific issues on which ACSH issues industry-favorable opinions."[32]   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Council_on_Science_and_Health

Source Watch's file on ACSH - Alar, Death Panels and  Michael Crichton   http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Council_on_Science_and_Health

BEST/MATRR Video of Interview with cancer maps as posted below.

TVA Spokesman Jim Hopson on Browns Ferry WAFF-TV: News, Weather and Sports for Huntsville, AL  (deactivated by source WAFF)
Note - quote in the Jim Hopson video near the end: "..according to the World Health Organization there have been no deaths from nuclear radiation." Department of Labor's EEOICP statistics dispute that claim - http://www.dol.gov/owcp/energy/regs/compliance/weeklystats.htm
Near 100,000 workers costing tax payers near $10 billion dollars due to nuclear energy industry workers sickness and death. This does not include all nuclear facilities. These statistics have only been compiled since 2001 upon passage of the law authorizing compensation for nuclear energy workers. Prior to 2001 data/statistics on nuclear energy worker related sickness and deaths were classified.

Concerning Mr. Hopson's ad hominem fallacy: He says, we have made "unsubstantiated claims" against workers. Our report does not in any way form or fashion make any unsubstantiated claims against the rank and file workers at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant. Our group has expressed our thanks to the TVA Board and the NRC for the hard work of TVA's rank and file workers. The reliability of TVA's Management Culture relating to the management of TVA's nuclear program is an entirely different matter. Hopson also wrongfully stated in the WAFF interview, "They (referring to our report) are saying the dedicated Browns Ferry workers are baby killers..." This ridiculousness is typical TVA deceit, these type of attacks have been seen on other occasions and are reflections on the TVA's deceitful corporate culture.

The TVA has demonstrated management negligence in their nuclear power operations which jeopardizes the health and welfare of the valley's citizens. This is documented in BEST/MATRR's report, reference Appendix 4 - "Request to the NRC to Suspend the Operating License of the Browns Ferry Nuclear Reactors" by the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, BREDL. BEST/MATRR is part of the BREDL group. The report may be viewed on our web site at http://www.matrr.org

As in this case, TVA's public relations personnel and TVA's Management do not always describe situations accurately and are deceitful in their presentations concerning the risks (including health risks) and cost of nuclear power. Mr. Hopson is the one making the unsubstantiated claim. The report speaks for itself.

TVA nor the State of Alabama will agree with the report. If they did they would have to increase the warning zones concerning nuclear power to 100 miles and install radiation sensors at downwind locations up to 100 miles. No governmental or non-profit organizations interviewed which attacked our report explained the high cancer incidence and mortality rates. All had financial connections to the nuclear industry while denying facts about nuclear power hazards and risks.
BREDL/BEST/MATRR states radiation may be a contributing factor to high cancer rates and suggested the government perform further testing. They can not prove that an inaccurate statement but yet they wage an aggressive series of false attacks.

Director, Alabama Office of Radiation Control WAFF-TV: News, Weather and Sports for Huntsville, AL  (deactivated by source WAFF)

The State of Alabama does not test downwind environs more than 10 miles away from Browns Ferry. The majority of our test data reflected background radiation readings. However, during rain events downwind from the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant the radiation counts per minute were greatly increased as reflected in our report.

If the state of Alabama has consistent real time monitoring surrounding Browns Ferry, why are they not publishing the data on a daily basis or displaying the counter display via a web site?

It is important to point out that the State of Alabama Governor sits on a board which supports nuclear power. The Retirement System of Alabama also has input to this board. What is this board? The Southern States Nuclear Compact, also known as the Southern States Energy Board, Codified into Alabama Law under Conservation and Natural Resources - http://www.sseb.org/files/legislation-alabama.pdf   also  http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/alcode/9#sthash.4P4Sv5E2.dpuf 

The Southern States Energy Board (SSEB), of which Alabama Governor Robert Bentley is the Chairperson, supports nuclear power as a means to further development in the South and Alabama. http://www.sseb.org/reference/policy-positions/    The SSEB also calls the EPA's efforts to improve our water and air quality a "Train Wreck."  “Train Wreck”-SSEB Resolution

The SSEB receives advice and support from many lobbyists and corporations including most of the U.S. nuclear energy industry and the nuclear energy industry lobbyist, the NEI. http://www.sseb.org/members/industry-partnership/

The bottom line -  The State of Alabama via the SSEB is in bed with the nuclear power industry. The health and welfare of the public takes a back seat to the financial incentives provided to the state and its politicians by the nuclear power industry and supporting organizations.

Neither the Alabama State Department of Health, the TVA or nuclear power's mouth piece - ACSH could explain why the cancer rate for north Alabama is high. But yet, these groups emphatically state nuclear power is not a cause, ignoring facts presented in federal CDC and NCI statistical reports. Our data and studies demonstrate the nuclear industry in the Tennessee River Valley appears to be a contributing factor.

                ALABAMA CANCER MAPS - National Cancer Institute
The second highest killer other than cigarette smoking for lung cancer is radon. Get you homes checked for radon contamination, it is dangerously high in this area. http://www.adph.org/cancercontrol/

Alabama Brain Cancer Incidence Rates
Ionizing radiation is the only established environmental cause of brain tumors (Preston-Martin 1996). Occupational exposure to radiation has been consistently linked to adult brain tumors (Alexander and DiMarco 2002), and has also been linked to childhood brain tumors in the offspring of people exposed to radiation at work. One study looking at geographic and time-related patterns of brain tumors in children found that rates of the disease significantly decreased in downwind communities when nuclear power plants ceased their operations (Mangano et al. 2002).  More information: http://www.healthandenvironment.org/brain_cancer

NRC DOSE LIMITS CHART

Ionizing Radiation is cumulative. All ionizing radiation has the potential to cause cellular mutations.
“There is no safe level of exposure and there is no dose of (ionizing) radiation so low that the risk of a malignancy is zero”--Dr. Karl Morgan, the father of Health Physics"

The nuclear power industry and government organizations such as the TVA and Department of Energy like to boast that there have been no deaths as a result of civilian nuclear power in the U.S. Facts found in statistical analysis of U.S. cancer incidence and death rates point toward another conclusion - nuclear power is killing people. http://www.acereport.org/downloads/Download_02_attachment_02.pdf

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Scottsboro City Council Work Session, November 18, 2013

Scottsboro Mayor Melton Potter (photo by G. Morgan)
 
AGENDA
 
VIDEO
 

Jackson County Commission Work Session Monday November 18, 2013 - Hot Issues: Non -Partisan Elections & Lodging Tax

HOT ISSUES
No more Democrat and Republican Party control over Jackson County Elections?
 


Lodging Tax - Taxation without representation?



                                             AGENDA
 

VIDEO of Work Session less above videos. 

Saturday, November 16, 2013

TVA Quarterly Meeting, November 14, 2013 at Oxford, Ms.

 
HEADLINES
 
COAL - At today’s Board of Directors’ meeting in Oxford, MS, TVA announced that it will be retiring 3,308 MWs of coal capacity from 3 plants. -  See more at: http://blog.cleanenergy.org/2013/11/14/big-coal-retirements-announced-at-tva-board-of-directors-meeting/#sthash.M5DUzR97.dpuf
 
The Tennessee Valley Authority's board has voted to close six coal-powered units in Alabama and replace two others in Kentucky with a natural gas plant.  http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20131115/business/711159750/
 
     FINANCES -  "The Tennessee Valley Authority ended fiscal 2013 with net income of $271 million on $11 billion in operating revenues despite a decline in sales, while record levels of low-cost hydroelectric generation helped offset higher fuel costs. TVA reported solid financial results in 2013 despite lower sales and revenues,” TVA President Bill Johnson said in the utility's annual report filed today." http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/nov/18/tva-sales-drop-income-rises-fiscal-2013/?breakingnews
 
 
BELLEFONTE - TVA President Bill Johnson told TVA directors Thursday a new assessment projects that finishing just one of the two reactors would cost $7.4 billion to $8.7 billion. The earlier estimate was $4.9 billion...The numbers and the recent decline in TVA power sales mean there's no need to finish Bellefonte anytime soon. Johnson said a proposal from former TVA Chairman Dennis Bottorff and Haney to help the utility finance the work doesn't add up and won't be done in time to qualify for needed federal tax credits..."We'd either have to borrow a lot more money or raise rates and either of those, we think, would make it hard to continue our basic mission," Johnson said.   http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/nov/15/bellefonte-costs-rise-again/
 
Zombie plant costs ratepayers, evidence of poor utility management.  http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/oct/27/bellefonte-at-a-glance/
 
TVA VIDEO AND LINKS
 
 
REPORT ON THE BELLEFONTE NUCLEAR PLANT 

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Scottsboro City Council, Duel Session, Nov. 4, 2013

 
Monday, November 4, 2013 was a duel work Session and Regular Session. The city rewrite of the Wrecker Service Ordinance was the big topic of discussion. A regular session was conducted to approve minutes from past meetings; the Wrecker Service Ordinance was not approved during the regular session.
 
AGENDA
 
VIDEO

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Budget Woes and Local Laws, Jackson County Commission Work Session - Nov. 4, 2013

Work Session of the Jackson County Commission at the Jackson County Courthouse, Scottsboro, Alabama on Monday November 4, 2013. Local laws and budget woes. County suffers due to state control of county business; a holdover from the post Civil War era of Jim Crow Alabama politics.

A dysfunctional state government relishing the destructive era of Jim Crow politics has resulted in not only the longest, most complex state constitution in the world but it inhibits local control of county government. This coupled with previous non-efficient, unprofessional county commissioners has created the current budget problems for Jackson County.

Three part video of the work session.

                                                  AGENDA
VIDEO-Part 1


Video Part 2

Video Part 3
 

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Scottsboro City Council and Public Hearing October 28, 2013

Scottsboro City Council Regular Session and a Public Hearing regarding the change in the city Wrecker Ordinance. Full coverage in the 2 part video below.
 
AGENDA
 
VIDEO-PART 1



VIDEO-Part 2

Jackson County Commission Regular Session Oct 28, 2013

 
Jackson County Commission, left to right: Mr. Venable-Dist.2; Mr. Ledwell-Dist.4; Mr. Hodges-Chairman; Mr. Guffey-Dist. 1; Mr. Miller-Dist.3 (photo by G.Morgan)
 
Big Issue: Roads and Security.  Entrance X-ray machines certified and Radiation Safety Program established with plans; Chief Deputy is Radiation Protection Officer.
 
AGENDA
 
VIDEO