text:
Ohio man charged $1.5M for illegal waste dumping
State officials claim Donald Combs, 55, dumped tens of thousands of pounds of construction debris, solid waste, trash and scrap tires near his home and commercial properties.
Hauling Legislation and regulations
A waste hauler in Milford, Ohio, has been ordered to pay $1.5 million for illegally dumping large amounts of waste on his own property.
As reported by WLWT, a judge has upheld a complaint against Donald Combs, 55, of Milford, and his wife, Anita Combs, 50, finding the couple violated Ohio's rules on solid waste and construction and demolition (C&D) debris. The judge also held that the waste constituted a public nuisance.
The case was referred to the Attorney General's Environmental Enforcement Section (EES) by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) and Clermont County Public Health after numerous complaints of open dumping and open burning.
The court found that the Ohio EPA and Clermont County Public Health spent substantial time inspecting Combs' properties for persistent violations of court orders.
State officials say these inspections, followed by the significant legal work of the EES, were "extraordinary," according to the judge.
EES claims that Combs for years covered acres of land near his home and commercial properties with tens of thousands of pounds of construction debris, solid waste, trash and scrap tires.
An Ohio EPA inspector testified that some of the piles were over 20 feet high and that cleanup costs for the sites approach nearly $1.3 million.
Combs, who solicited business mostly via Craigslist, undercut competitors who were factoring in the appropriate costs of properly dumping waste in a landfill, reports WLWT.
Class action suit against Waste Connections dismissed after plaintiffs mistake wastewater plant odors for those of landfill
The plaintiff attributed the smells to a wastewater plant rather than the landfill when assessing aerial photographs of the neighborhood.
Posted by Adam Redling
Legislation and regulations Landfills
A proposed class action lawsuit that targeted a Waste Connections-owned landfill in Lower Saucon Township, Pennsylvania, was dismissed March 30 after plaintiffs made clear that the odor issues they were attributing to the landfill were instead originating from the nearby Bethlehem Wastewater Treatment Plant instead of the IESI Bethlehem Landfill.
Robin and Dexter Baptiste of Freemansburg, Pennsylvania, filed a class action lawsuit against the landfill in 2018, stating its odors and pollutants were affecting area residents' daily lives.
However, lawyers for Waste Connections noted that Robin Baptiste revealed during her March 5 deposition that she had mistaken the wastewater treatment plant that was located a half-mile from her home for the landfill.
According to The Morning Call, "She identified the wastewater treatment plant in an aerial photo of her neighborhood as the landfill and testified that the facility was the source of the odors. She also testified she was unaware of any other smells in the neighborhood."
"The Baptistes' counsel, highly experienced waste lawyers, should have reviewed these statements and considered the possibility that the nearby sewage plant was the culprit, triggering at least a look at a map and a confirmatory conversation with their clients, which would have quickly cleared things up," the landfill's lawyers said, according to The Morning Call.
"This is a well-run facility that utilizes state-of-the-art landfill technology. Our own personnel live in the community and the landfill takes pride in being a good neighbor," Robert McReynolds, division vice president at Waste Connections, said.
The plaintiffs' claims were dismissed in their entirety with prejudice and it was ruled that each side pay their own court costs.
In a statement, the National Waste and Recycling Association (NWRA) applauded the decision, and said it could serve as an example for other waste companies when defending nuisance complaints.
"This is an important reminder to NWRA members defending nuisance and other mass tort claims to always test the evidence," stated NWRA Chief Counsel & Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Jim Riley. "Members of the business community often will agree to pay large settlements to plaintiffs' law firms just to make them go away even if they are not at fault, but this only fuels more lawsuits. We are putting these firms on notice—not only will the waste and recycling industry challenge dubious claims when they are brought, but it will push for sanctions against these firms when there is evidence they have knowledge that responsibility lies elsewhere."
Middletown, Connecticut, partners with composting firm on food waste recycling initiative
The Feed the Earth campaign aims to alleviate Connecticut's ongoing waste crisis.
Hauling Organics Waste-to-Energy
The city of Middletown, Connecticut, has contracted with Blue Earth Compost on a project to distribute receptacles to businesses and other entities to pick up food waste for free in effort to divert it from the waste stream, reports The Middletown Press.
The initiative, which will be rolled out in phases, has been dubbed The Feed the Earth campaign.
"With the imminent closing of the [Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority] trash facility in Hartford, the state is heading toward a trash crisis," said Kim O'Rourke, the city's recycling coordinator, during a recent Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce meeting. "We will not have enough in-state capacity to handle the amount of trash generated."
The city does not use the Hartford facility, but the shutdown is expected to affect costs "across the board for incinerators in the state," said Samuel King, owner of Hartford-based Blue Earth Compost.
Commercial entities in the downtown corridor, as well as hospitals and schools, will be included in the program. In all, 80 new locations will be added. King estimated the company will be picking up between 25 tons and 30 tons per week.
The city and Blue Earth will be reaching out to restaurants in the coming weeks, with collection projected to begin in May.
"We've been doing this almost 71/2 years now, exclusively on the food scrap issue," he said. His firm has been collecting such waste from Wesleyan University for about five years. "For the most part, it's restaurants, but there are also food manufacturers, breweries — things like that."
The discarded food will be shipped to Quantum Biopower of Southington, where it can be composted or turned into clean energy.
O'Rourke has worked with the state Department of Public Health over the past year to help the city break out food waste from its trash stream, according to King.
"[Food waste diversion] is better for our environment, it's better for our health, and it ultimately sends less waste to landfills or incinerators," O'Rourke said. Currently, food waste makes up one-quarter of trash generated in Middletown.
Aerobic digestion
Eagle Crusher adds distributor in Delaware, Maryland
GT Mid Atlantic will represent Eagle Crusher's full line of heavy-duty crushing and screening equipment.
Eagle Crusher Inc., Galion, Ohio, has announced that GT Mid Atlantic, Halethorpe, Maryland, is a new Eagle Crusher distributor for customers in Delaware and Maryland. The company will represent Eagle Crusher's full line of heavy-duty crushing and screening equipment for recycled concrete, asphalt, aggregate and sand and gravel industries in the two states.
According to a news release from Eagle Crusher, GT Mid Atlantic will offer Eagle Crusher's line of heavy-duty impact crushers, portable crushing and screening plants, jaw crushers, hammermills and conveyors.
Offering a wide variety of leading manufacturers' brands of new and used construction equipment for any industry, GT Mid Atlantic has equipment for sale or rent to meet the operational needs of any size business. The GT Mid Atlantic management and sales team, along with its team of technicians, has decades of experience to support customers' equipment needs throughout GT's locations, including Aberdeen, Frederick, Halethorpe-Baltimore and Upper Marlboro, Maryland, as well as Greenwood, Delaware.
The DS Smith plant in Pennsylvania is capable of handling more than 36,000 tons of OCC and other paper grades each year.
Photo provided by DS Smith
DS Smith celebrates one year of Pennsylvania recycling plant operations
Global packaging and recycling firm opened its Reading, Pennsylvania, paper recycling facility in March 2020.
Posted by Brian Taylor
Company news Sustainability
After what it calls "a pandemic-driven spike in e-commerce and the spread of unrecyclable problem plastics," United Kingdom-based DS Smith is marking the first anniversary of the opening of its paper recycling plant in Reading, Pennsylvania.
The company says it is operating a "circular economy trifecta" thanks to the combination of its year-old recycling plant, paper mill and packaging manufacturing facility, all within a few miles of each other in Reading.
"Having these three facilities in such close proximity enables us to reduce corrugated waste to local landfills with our 14-day box-to-box process, where we collect, recycle and convert old corrugated containers (OCC) into new, sustainable packing, ready for the supply chain," says Giancarlo Maroto, DS Smith managing director of paper, forestry and recycling for North America. "The best part is we can recycle the cardboard and boxes seven to 10 times, contributing to the circular economy model of reduce, reuse and recycle."
The three Reading plants – deemed essential businesses – kept 300 jobs operating during the past year, processed 20,000 tons of fiber at the recycling facility and consumed nearly 240,000 tons of recovered fiber, mostly OCC, at its paper mill.
The concept allows corrugated packaging to be made, produced, collected and recycled within just 14 days, which DS Smiths calls "critical as retailers have scrambled to keep pace with higher demands for shipping boxes from stay-at-home shoppers over the past year."
Reading's circular approach is a model for the company's operational expansion in North America and demonstrates DS Smith's commitment to accelerating the transition to a circular economy, the firm says.
The local recycling facility, capable of processing more than 36,000 tons of OCC each year, contributes to the company's goal of sending zero cardboard and paper to landfills after its packaging is used.
The recycling plant takes in scrap paper and cardboard and compresses it into bales as heavy as one ton each. The bales are sent across the street to the paper mill, where it is processed into the recycled-content paper used at the nearby packaging facility.
In addition to material from DS Smith's Reading corrugated packaging plant, the DS Smith team in Pennsylvania has worked with other companies in the region to recover paper for recycling from local distribution centers, packaging facilities, retailers and print shops.
The result was what DS Smith calls "1 billion square feet of sustainable, recyclable packaging produced at the Reading packaging facility, advancing sustainability while providing critical packaging materials for the global supply chain at a time of unprecedented challenges."
DS Smith's North American operations are based in Atlanta, and it has 15 manufacturing, paper and recycling facilities in North America with more than 2,000 employees.


Jessica Balvitsch is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.
She treats depression, anxiety, and mood disorders. She also serves as a member of the Professionalism Committee.
Jessica is married and enjoys outdoor activities.


AAAA is a 100% volunteer organization run by dedicated financial advisors. Without the unwavering support, efforts, and commitments of our members, the AAAA mission and vision is not possible. If you are interested in becoming a committee member please indicate on the AAAA membership application/renewal form how we can best utilize your talents. AAAA limits committee volunteerism to no more than two committees at any given time. AAAA will contact you once your application has been received and approved.


Breathing efficiently when you sing is a combination of great posture and skillful inhaling and exhaling. Remember the importance of good singing posture: It allows you to get a deep, full breath. If you slouch or you're too rigid, your diaphragm locks and prevents you from getting a correct breath for singing. If your breathing and your posture work together as a team, you can improve your singing.
To sing your best, you want to develop good posture while you breathe. When your body is aligned correctly, taking and using an efficient breath is easier.
Your own two hands can help you maintain great posture while breathing. As you work through your breathing exercises, place one hand on your chest and the other hand on your abs and your sides.
As you inhale, use your hand to feel whether your chest stays steady; you want it to stay in the same position for both the inhalation and the exhalation. (If your chest rises during inhalation, you create tension in your chest and neck.) You'll feel your other hand moving out with your abs and sides as you inhale, and back in toward your body as you exhale.


text:
React-widgets offers a set of html form inputs, built from scratch with React. The suite is based on the excellent
work done by Kendo UI Core, and jQuery UI, but built as true components, and not library wrappers. By
building each widget entirely in React, it can leverage all of the benefits of the React ecosystem
and [philosophy](http://facebook.github.io/react/blog/2013/11/05/thinking-in-react.html). A big thanks to both of these libraries for solving most of the difficult problems already.

In keeping with the [React approach](http://facebook.github.io/react/docs/forms.html#controlled-components) to form input components, each widget can be controlled or uncontrolled. If a `value` prop
is set the widget's value is said to be controlled, meaning the parent is responsible for managing its
state. If the widget does not provide a `value` prop, the widget becomes uncontrolled or responsible for managing its own value with no other input, you can set a starting value for an uncontrolled widget with the `defaultValue` prop. In addition to the `value` prop, widgets may allow other props (such as `open` or `search`) to be controlled as well.

Some widgets can also be "bound" to a set of data (traditionally an array of models) through a `data` prop. While they work just as well with data primitives such as strings, numbers, and arrays, they really shine through the use of the
`valueField` and `textField` props, which offer a quick way to display complex data structures.

## Install

##### npm (recommended)
```sh
npm install react-widgets --save
```

##### Bower
```sh
bower install react-widgets --save
```

##### Script Tag
```html
<script src='globalize.js'></script>
<script src='react-widgets.js'></script>
<script>
  ReactWidgets.DropdownList
</script>
```

The npm build offers an additional advantage of allowing you to only require the individual widgets allowing front end bundlers like Webpack
and Browserify to only package up the pieces you use saving you bytes. The global browser build will also need to
include [Globalize.js](https://github.com/jquery/globalize/tree/79ae658b842f75f58199d6e9074e01f7ce207468), a library for handling number and date localization (see the [Localization page](i18n) for more info on Globalize, or using other libraries).

Stylesheets, images, and fonts are found in the `dist` directory. You can use Webpack to `require()` the styles,
or include the css normally. The included icons are provided by - Font Awesome by Dave Gandy

##### Browser

```html
 <link href="dist/css/react-widgets.css" rel="stylesheet"/>
```

##### Webpack

```js
 // css
 require('react-widgets/dist/css/react-widgets.css')
 // or using less
 require('react-widgets/lib/less/react-widgets.less')
```

If are using Webpack to handle styles in your application you are probably already configured to load the `react-widgets` styles without any additional work. If not you will have to use the `css-loader`, `style-loader`, `file-loader`, `url-loader` and, optionally, the `less-loader`. Below is a common configuration:

```js
  loaders: [
    { test: /\.css$/,  loader: "style-loader!css-loader" },
    { test: /\.less$/, loader: "style-loader!css-loader!less-loader" },
    { test: /\.gif$/, loader: "url-loader?mimetype=image/png" },
    { test: /\.woff(2)?(\?v=[0-9]\.[0-9]\.[0-9])?$/, loader: "url-loader?mimetype=application/font-woff" },
    { test: /\.(ttf|eot|svg)(\?v=[0-9]\.[0-9]\.[0-9])?$/, loader: "file-loader?name=[name].[ext]" },
  ]
```

## Accessibility and Read Direction

React-widgets tries to be as inclusive and wide reaching as possible. Along with an included solution for
date and number localization, there is first class support for cultures and languages that read
right to left (with the `isRtl` prop).

Each widget also has appropriate ARIA roles and attributes for the benefit of screen readers and visually
impaired users. Keyboard only navigation of widgets is also supported, for those who prefer to not,
or cannot use a mouse. to help ensure maximum accessibility, every widget should have
an `id` attribute. If you do not wish to provide an id attrbute, the widget will generate
the necessary id's to properly label and annotate the widget ARIA.

## Older Browser Support

Rather than including an entire utility library, like underscore, react widgets takes a hint from React itself,
and instead relies on es5 (and transpiled es6) functionality. For most browsers this is will not be an issue, as es5
is [very well supported](http://kangax.github.io/compat-table/es5/) by modern browsers. However older browsers will need the required functionality polyfilled. In most cases React already requires most of the needed shims ([see here](http://facebook.github.io/react/docs/working-with-the-browser.html#polyfills-needed-to-support-older-browsers)). If you are already including [kriskowal's es5-shim](https://github.com/es-shims/es5-shim') then react-widgets propbably has everything it needs.

For those interested in the specific additions needed by react-widgets they are:

- `Array.prototype.some`
- `Array.prototype.filter`
- `Array.prototype.reduce`

#### Animation
react-widgets uses CSS animations which are not supported in older IE. If you want to replace the default the animation method for these cases you can. The built in method follows the jQuery `$.animate()` API closely so you can use it as a dropin replacement.

##### With the Configure module
```js
require('react-widgets/lib/configure')
  .setAnimate((element, props, duration, ease, callback) => $(element).animate(props, duration, callback))
```
##### From the main export
```js
require('react-widgets').configure
  .setAnimate((element, props, duration, ease, callback) => $(element).animate(props, duration, callback))
```

## Theming

Styling each widget should be a simple matter of adjusting the relevant LESS variables to suit your needs.
Included by default is a "Twitter Bootstrap" theme that mimics the look and feel of Twitter Bootstrap 3.0.
This is less an actual theme and more a neutral starting point for creating your own theme.

- Widget styles with LESS variables (see `./lib/less/bootstrap-theme.less` for reference).
- Icon fonts can be swapped out in the `./lib/less/icons.less` file

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


We are a leading national full-service legal search firm, handling associate, partner, group, contract and support staff placements with top international AmLaw 200 and midsize law firm clients as well as in-house placements with Fortune 500 corporations across numerous industries and sectors.
Wegman Partners was my recruiter when I recently transitioned to an AmLaw 100 firm. They were always responsive and guided me through the interview process, conflicts inquiries and salary/benefits negotiation. Their insight was invaluable and I am extremely happy in the associate position they helped me to obtain.
Wegman Partners was a pleasure to work with. They were responsive and kept all parties fully informed at all times. I would gladly work with Wegman Partners again. They were personable, knowledgeable and know the industry.


A masculine name, its spelling is derived from the German and Scandinavian version of the traditional biblical name Luke. Meaning 'the man from Lucania', which is an ancient province of Italy, or perhaps associated with the word lucus meaning "sacred grove". Its popularity has increased all over the world, making it a great name with a global appeal.
Lukas was ranked #482 in the most popular American names of 2015.


text:
Torrellas is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE), the municipality has a population of 312 inhabitants.

Geography
Torrellas is located in the northwest of the province of Zaragoza in the vicinity of the autonomous communities of Castile and Leon, La Rioja and Navarre.

Located 570 meters above sea level, it has an area of 2.5 km² and the town is located on the left bank of the Queiles River.

The nearest main cities are Zaragoza and Logroño at 90 km, Soria at 60 km, Tudela at 20 km and Tarazona at 3 km. The Camino de Santiago of Soria, also called Castilian-Aragonese, passes through the town.

Climate
Torrellas has a continental Mediterranean climate, cold in winter and hot in summer.

References

Municipalities in the Province of Zaragoza

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The third and final part of our special edition on agriculture takes a cool-headed look at the promise of organic farming and investigates how science is helping to save Florida's citrus industry.
The Green Revolution that Norman Borlaug set in train 50 years ago saved many of the world's poorest people from starvation, but the principles on which that was founded are under attack with many suspicious and fearful of biotechnology.
Critics of the scientific approach to the new challenges of feeding a growing global population say the future should be in organic farming. James Mitchell Crow takes a cool-headed look at its promise and limitations along with a case-study on Cuba; Amy Harmon investigates a case where genetics is helping to save the citrus industry in Florida and Thomas Lumpkin, the Director General of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) closes our coverage with a look back on Borlaug's life and achievement as he prepares to celebrate what would have been the scientist's 100th birthday.
You can catch up with our previous coverage where we unpack the issues facing modern agriculture.
Last week Keith Kloor analysed why agribusiness giant Monsanto is so reviled and debunked some of the more shocking stories about the company. David Ropeik explained the psychology of the GM food wars and how we assess risk. Elizabeth Finkel, meanwhile, reported on an organic farming success story in Indonesia; how reading 1,000 bull genomes is improving cattle productivity; and about efforts to engineer plants that will be more efficient in their use of that vital but diminishing resource, phosphate.
In our opening section, Robert Zeigler wrote of his fears that anti-technology zealots could take food out of the mouths of future generations; Elizabeth Finkel examined the lessons of the Green Revolution; Nina Fedoroff asked whether agriculture would become a victim of its own success and former anti-GMO activist Mark Lynas explained his change of heart.
Heaters and cookers may one day burn climate-friendly hydrogen instead of natural gas.


Tidal waves of emotion ebb and flow.
Nations mourn their dead, some question the stake.
A truth in common is loved ones did fall.
Consider your allies, be they brown, white, or black.
in struggle and in strife.
Let's share a common future, partake in the dance.
Austerity is cold to touch and no one's in command.
Peace for humanity, within God's given grace.


For years, the only "farmers market" in Vance County and surrounding areas was an open parking lot behind the local YMCA, where growers sold produce from the backs of their trucks. So a decade ago, when state financial support for tobacco farms disappeared, Pete Burgess and his fellow farmers knew they had to do something to help their peers, especially those with small plots. How about a real farmers market?
"Vance County is one of the poorest counties in the state, and the farmers in this area really needed something they could look forward to participating in that would generate some income," Burgess says. He owns Burgess Farms in Henderson, a 500-acre former tobacco farm started by his wife's grandfather in 1918 that now grows grain, hay and sweet corn.
Although the idea was well received, it lay dormant for five years, until the Vance County Farm Bureau stepped in to turn it into a reality. With aid from the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, N.C. Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund, and local businesses and organizations, the Vance County Regional Farmers Market finally opened in June 2014. Spring through fall, local vendors sell their wares, from snow peas and strawberries to cut flowers, soaps, bakery goods, crafts and honey, in a 7,500-square-foot, multipurpose building near the Social Security office.
The new venue belongs to a healthy crop of farmers markets sprouting throughout the South. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, North Carolina is one of the fastest-growing states for the down-home markets – up nearly 5 percent from 2013 to 2014. Nationwide, the number has increased fivefold in the past 20 years.
Small farmers who don't sell to the big grocery store chains also appreciate having a public space that helps them boost revenue.
A major benefit to local farmers is the interaction with customers, who often ask: What's this different type of corn? Is a sprite (a type of Japanese melon) as sweet as a honeydew? What does a kershaw (an heirloom squash in the pumpkin family) taste like?
The Vance County market also features a fully equipped classroom for budding farmers. As part of the state's REAL (Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning) agricultural program offered through Vance-Granville Community College, students learn about everything from distribution logistics to making money between growing seasons. The market also hosts free gardening workshops for the public and classes for those in the four-county Master Gardener program.
Located on 36 acres with a panoramic view of the mountains and Biltmore Estate, this sprawling marketplace is open seven days a week and features, among other things, a greenhouse with tropical plants, ponds, bonsai and a 40-foot waterfall.
In addition to baked goods, jams and produce, you'll find fresh pork products, grass-fed beef, ostrich, emu and goat milk cheese. A new craft barn offers crocheted accessories, woodwork and other items.
Custom picture framing, three restaurants and a cluster of specialty shops with old-fashioned candles, soaps and lotions round out this destination featuring local fruits, vegetables and meats. Also for sale: Home accents such as fountains, trellises and pottery.
Two large buildings teem with produce, plants, ornamentals, meats and cheeses. The year-round Market Shoppes offers everything from honey and nuts to ice cream and wine; the garden center features a greenhouse; and the Moose Café serves home-cooked veggies from the market.
For more information, visit ncagr.gov/markets.
← Previous Story What Are You Doing to Ensure The Future of Family Farms?
This is me in the pink hat. I was doing my radiation treatments at this time in 2014.