Study: Coal-fire energy plants largest source of toxic water in NC

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CHARLOTTE ? A new study released by environmental groups claims coal-fired power plants in North Carolina and across the country are now the largest source of toxic water pollution.

The report contends many coal plants -- which release coal ash into lakes and rivers ? have insufficient oversight and permits, affecting fish and other wildlife.

But Duke Energy officials strongly disagree with the study and stand by their treatment and water inspections.

On the banks of Mountain Island lake Tuesday, some of the nation's top environmental watchdogs didn't hold back.

Robert Kennedy Jr. of the Waterkeeper Alliance and others highlighted a new environmental report.

"This is a crime and environmental crime is real crime,? said Kennedy.

It contends 274 coal-fire power plants in the United States -- including the Riverbend Steam Plant in Gaston County -- discharged coal ash into waterways, making coal-fired power plants the nation's largest overall water polluter.

"In fact, it's so much, it's more than the next nine industries combined, those are things like chemical plants, refineries and paper mills,? said Mary Anne Hitt of the Sierra Club.

This group is pushing for the passage of a federal Environmental Protection Agency proposal. It would create stronger and more binding federal standards to limit toxic chemicals going from coal plants into lakes and rivers.

"This is a problem you can fix, we think the treatment technologies are at hand, we can put this behind us,? said Eric Schaeffer of the Environmental Integrity Project.

Officials at Duke Energy, which operates Riverbend Steam Station -- slammed the report saying it's filled with inaccuracies, especially about Riverbend.

"It's important for the public not to be misled by this kind of information,? said Duke Energy spokeswoman Erin Culbert. "Duke Energy has been sampling water quality there since the 1950s. We continue to find the water quality is a very high quality, fish have not been affected at all, and are very safe."

Culbert adds that Duke Energy is retiring Riverbend Station, ensuring that half of North Carolina's 14 coal-fired power plants will no longer be in service by year's end.

"We really have a long track of protecting water quality and being good stewards of these sites,? she said.

Mountain Island Lake provides drinking water to more than 850,000 people.

Source: http://charlotte.news14.com/content/top_stories/696793/study--coal-fire-energy-plants-largest-source-of-toxic-water-in-nc

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Calif. court declines to stop gay marriages

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? The California Supreme Court is refusing to order the state to stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

The court issued an order Monday denying the request by backers of the state's same-sex marriage ban for an emergency order that would have required the state to keep enforcing a voter-approved prohibition on same-sex marriages.

The U.S. Supreme Court last month cleared the way for gay marriages to resume in the nation's most populous state by dismissing the backer's appeal of a lower court ruling that found Proposition 8 unconstitutional.

The state's highest court still plans to separately consider whether that lower court ruling effectively legalized gay marriages statewide or only in Los Angeles and Alameda counties.

The two couples who sued to strike down the ban live in those counties.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/calif-court-declines-stop-gay-marriages-210931998.html

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Source: http://www.facebook.com/opposingviews/posts/10151619159016051

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At least eight people killed in ethnic clashes in Guinea

CONAKRY (Reuters) - At least eight people have been killed in ethnic violence in southeastern Guinea which entered a second day on Tuesday, witnesses said, underscoring tensions in the West African nation ahead of parliamentary elections.

In Nzerekore, Guinea's second largest town, ethnic gangs prowled the streets and witnesses reported shooting. The violence erupted on Monday after a man accused of being a thief was killed in the nearby town of Koule, residents said.

"Everything is closed: the market, banks, shops. People have stayed at home," said Ousmane Balde, a resident of Nzerekore, which lies some 980 km (612 miles) from the capital Conakry.

A second source, who asked not to be identified, said he had seen at least eight dead at the city's hospital. Most of them were killed with machetes and one appeared to have been burned alive, the source said.

Alpha Saliou Diallo, a local radio journalist, said hospital sources were citing at least 11 dead and 50 people injured.

It was not possible to reach the hospital by telephone.

After months of deadlock and deadly clashes, often ethnically-driven, Guinea's political leaders have agreed to hold a long-overdue parliamentary election on September 24.

The poll is meant to be the final step in the return to civilian rule in the mineral-rich nation after a 2008 coup.

President Alpha Conde won a 2010 presidential election but his rivals accuse him of trying to rig the planned legislative vote. Conde draws support from Guinea's second-largest ethnic group, the Malinke, while the opposition is backed by the Peul, who account for around 40 percent of the population.

Mining firms have signed multi-billion dollar deals in a bid to secure untapped mineral riches, especially iron ore, but political instability has led to some investment being frozen.

The region hit by the clashes is near Guinea's porous border with Liberia, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone, all nations that are in the process of recovering from conflicts of their own.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/two-killed-ethnic-clashes-grip-eastern-guinea-town-070317277.html

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Crash Davis matches Reggie

Wrapping up the final series of the first half, Orioles first baseman Chris Davis homered in his fourth consecutive game as the Orioles defeated the Blue Jays 7-4. The homer, a two-run shot in the third inning against Josh Johnson, was his 37th of the season, tying Reggie Jackson?s American League record for first-half home runs. In the interest of fairness (first halves vary in length based on scheduling), D.J. Short astutely pointed out on Twitter that Davis entered a tie with Hank Greenberg and Luis Gonzalez for home runs through 95 games.

For those keeping score at home, Davis is now more than halfway to Barry Bonds? single-season home run record of 73 and 24 home runs away from tying Roger Maris at 61 home runs, which some ? including Davis himself ? consider to be the legitimate single-season record.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/07/14/chris-davis-homers-in-fourth-consecutive-game-ends-first-half-with-37/related/

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Brian Vickers a surprise winner at New Hampshire

LOUDON, N.H. (AP) ? Stuck in a hospital bed, Brian Vickers wanted to live another day.

Once he recovered, he hungered for a competitive ride.

And once he landed a solid seat, well, Vickers simply had to win.

Even when life tossed obstacles in Vickers' path, his determined spirit never waned. After four years of health scares and unemployment put his promising career in doubt, Vickers kept pushing toward the finish line. He got there Sunday as the surprise winner at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

"Coming here and sitting in Victory Lane, just makes it one of the most special events in my life," Vickers said.

He had plenty of drivers in the series pulling for this comeback.

One by one, they saluted Vickers with a wave from the car or a back slap on the way to Victory Lane.

Close friend Jimmie Johnson, a five-time Cup champion, pumped his fist out the window in pure happiness as if he'd won a sixth title.

Vickers did all he could to savor the unforgettable scene.

"When you have so much love and support around you," Vickers said, "it makes all the difference in the world."

Vickers even tried to celebrate with the fans, though the New Hampshire gates wouldn't open to the grandstands. That's OK. He had a pretty big mob waiting for him ? even his fiancee, who had left the track to catch a ride home, only to reverse course and make it back just in time to greet him.

About the only key cog missing was owner Michael Waltrip. Waltrip and co-owner Rob Kauffman were in Europe this weekend for the 20th annual Goodwood Festival of Speed in England.

London, Loudon. Off by a letter.

Vickers drives a part-time schedule for Michael Waltrip Racing and shares the No. 55 Toyota with Waltrip and Mark Martin. His win made him the No. 1 contender for a full-time ride at MWR in 2014.

"Wins help a lot of business issues. So this was a great day for that," MWR general manager Ty Norris said. "He's been our focus. We would love to have him in that car."

Vickers snapped a 75-race winless streak and hadn't won since the August 2009 race at Michigan. He won his first career Cup race in August 2006 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Vickers made the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship in 2009, only to be sidelined most of the next season with blood clots. He had two procedures to close a hole in his heart and insert a stent into a vein in his left leg.

After Red Bull Racing shut down after the 2011 season, Vickers hooked on with a limited ride with MWR. He has been driving full-time this season in the Nationwide Series for Joe Gibbs Racing.

With his first checkered flag since his return, he is done looking back.

"That's why I came back," he said. "For what's to be, not what's happened."

Kyle Busch was second and Jeff Burton third. Pole winner Brad Keselowski was fourth and Aric Almirola fifth.

Jimmie Johnson brushed off his 43rd-place start to finish sixth. Tony Stewart was running inside the top 10 at the final caution until he ran out of fuel and plummeted to 26th.

"It's hard to calculate how much we are saving on the cautions," Stewart said. "We thought we were about three-quarters of a lap to the good before that last caution. Obviously, we didn't save as much as I thought we would."

Busch and Vickers finished 1-2 in Saturday's Nationwide Series race. Both drivers had to stretch their fuel, and Vickers ran out just as he crossed the finish line.

He was in a similar spot again down the stretch a race later. He had just enough to zip past Stewart with 13 laps left and then pull away in the green-white-checkered finish. He didn't run out until it was time for the celebratory burnout.

Stewart wasn't so lucky a week after he finished second at Daytona.

Johnson, who won at Daytona, was mired in last place for the first time in his career after his No. 48 Chevrolet flunked post-qualifying inspection. No big deal. The points leader made quick work through the back of the field and worked his way up to the front for most of the race.

He easily breezed past 71-year-old Morgan Shepherd, the oldest driver to start a race in NASCAR's Sprint Cup series.

Kurt Busch led a race-high 102 laps before he connected with Ryan Newman to end his shot at his first victory of the season. Off the restart, Danica Patrick was involved in a three-car wreck that included boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

"We're all bunched up on those restarts," Patrick said. "I'm not sure if I misjudged the breaking zone or they stopped really quick in front of me."

Vickers survived it all to win for the third time in 271 Sprint Cup races.

He thanked the MWR team for "believing in me and giving me a second chance."

But he wants more.

He received the clean bill of health, the ride and the victory.

With a full 36-race schedule, Vickers said there is one more check he needs to put in his box.

"I feel like I can win a championship with this team," he said. "That's our goal."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/brian-vickers-surprise-winner-hampshire-211549689.html

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Android Central App v1.3 now in beta testing

A quick heads up for you hard-core fans of the Android Central App. We've finally rolled out proper beta testing, and we're starting with a pretty good build to try it on. Version 1.3 of the app has been pushed out to our beta group for some final testing. There it will remain until we're happy with it, or until we just can't stand it anymore and have to release it into the world, free to spread its wings and become a beautiful butterfly. Or something. 

If you want in on the action, just hit the link below to get going. Namaste.

• Join the Android Central App beta group

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/Bm56Da_j1rc/story01.htm

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