Science & Technology – Page 9

Australia keeps voting for coal, but investors are quietly abandoning plans for new mines

by: Josh Wolsky | May 29, 2019

What happens when an industry wins political support, but loses private sector money? In Australia, we’re getting a slow lesson in what that looks like. Why does it matter in North Dakota? Because it’s all playing out in energy and coal markets and there’s speculation that new energy investments in the Pacific rim are increasingly

Read & Share sourced from: Quartz

Could the library, cafe, market, or bar down the street change your life (and our community)?

by: Josh Wolsky | May 23, 2019

Cover image credit to Prairie Sky Breads, find them on their website or on Facebook here. As more of our civic discourse moves online, we become less connected to our communities and real people — unless you frequent a local library, bakery, cafe, or bar. And it’s where we live in relation to these amenities

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U.S. Senate Bills address Missouri River floods

by: Josh Wolsky | May 23, 2019

Flooding across the Missouri and Mississippi rivers this spring have politicians talking, and one of the topics is the Corp’s management practices and priorities. On that topic, two bills were introduced this week that may have impacts in North Dakota. One would remove fish and wildlife as one priority on the list of those that

Read & Share sourced from: DTN.com

Plastic recycling: the scourge of cities becomes a resource

by: Josh Wolsky | May 22, 2019

Recycling. It’s been a regular topic of conversation in Minot recently. People — this writer included — want to see us be better stewards of the environment. Others — this writer included — aren’t sure we should be making big public investments in an industry that’s being turned upside down. Where’s it all going to

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The struggle to hire and keep doctors in rural areas means patients go without care

by: Josh Wolsky | May 22, 2019

The ripples of health care policy are constantly bouncing around in our lives, and among the bigger trends shaping rural landscapes are the loss of rural hospitals and near access to healthcare. NPR has both sides of the story — patients and providers — on the challenges facing health care in places like Minot. One

Read & Share sourced from: NPR

Xcel Energy plans to end coal use in Upper Midwest by 2030

by: Josh Wolsky | May 20, 2019

One of Minnesota and North Dakota’s biggest energy suppliers is on the record with its plan to go greener. Xcel energy announced it will be ending dependence on coal in the Upper Midwest by the end of the next decade. Get the full story from the Bismarck Tribune.

Read & Share sourced from: Bismarck Tribune

Africa is leading the world in plastic bag reform

by: Josh Wolsky | May 19, 2019

Whether through bans, taxes, or simple acknowledgment of the problem — people and countries across the globe are waking up to the scourge of plastic invading our natural environments. And in countries throughout Africa, they’re taking aggressive steps to reduce usage and impacts — particularly of plastic bags. It’s a local story because the impacts

Read & Share sourced from: Quartz

In one Minnesota lake, researchers remove invasive ‘lake killer’ by hand

by: Josh Wolsky | May 19, 2019

When an invasive species takes root, it’s often the sign of an unfortunate end to a favorite place. But in Grand Lake, near Rockville, MN, the hopeful solution was biblical — painstaking labor. And after a couple years of disciplined hand pulling the starry stonewort from the water, they’ve got the plant on the run.

Read & Share sourced from: MPR

Drinking coffee this way boosts work performance and happiness

by: Josh Wolsky | May 18, 2019

Earlier this week, there was news that up to five cups is the magic number; we’re talking coffee amounts and what’s healthy. But there’s also evidence that suggests ‘how’ you drink your coffee impacts your health. It turns out if you want to maximize the health benefits of coffee, you should find someone to drink

Read & Share sourced from: Inc.

#GoodTalk Minot: a fun conversation about an uncomfortable topic — funerals

by: Josh Wolsky | May 14, 2019

Sooner or later, we’re all going to have to deal with it. Or, more typically, those we leave behind are going to have to deal with it. Have you thought about what your funeral would be like or how you’d like it? Funerals are changing. We shouldn’t be surprised; our culture is changing, too. On

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Are better cities the key to curing America’s obesity epidemic?

by: Josh Wolsky | May 14, 2019

Are you trying to lose a few pounds before summer? Is your self-discipline toward diet and exercise a little lacking? Maybe the problem isn’t you, maybe it’s the place you live. What if the place you lived invited you to live a life that made walking natural, made hidden exercise a part of your daily

Read & Share sourced from: Quartz

The story of creating North Dakota’s first National Park

by: Josh Wolsky | May 14, 2019

Prairie Public’s Dakota Datebook has the story on the creation of North Dakota’s first national park. And here’s a hint — it’s not the one you think it is. Follow the link at the bottom for the full story, but here’s a teaser. “Conservation and rural life policies are really two sides to the same

Read & Share sourced from: Prairie Public News

Coffee fiends, five is the magic number!

by: Josh Wolsky | May 13, 2019

Drink coffee with reckless abandon! Right up until you’ve had five cups, anyway. So sayeth that latest health study on the benefits of coffee. Read more on the results and why its prudent to stop before six from Bill Murphy Jr. writing for Inc.

Read & Share sourced from: Inc.

How well do electric vehicles perform in cold weather?

by: Josh Wolsky | May 12, 2019

Winter’s over (hopefully) but if you’re thinking about a new car purchase and wondering about going electric, you’ll want to be extra mindful of our longest season. Why? We all know batteries don’t perform as well in winter, and electric cars have lots of batteries. Want to know how much performance your prone to to

Read & Share sourced from: Star Tribune

North Dakota claims dubious position in rankings of juvenile drug arrests

by: Josh Wolsky | May 12, 2019

In a ranking of juvenile drug arrests, North Dakota had the 3rd highest total of 27 violations per 10,000 kids. Only South Dakota and Wyoming ranked worse. April Baumgarten with Inforum has the full story.

Read & Share sourced from: InForum

Court Orders EPA to Address Landfill Emissions

by: Josh Wolsky | May 11, 2019

Minot’s had no shortage of landfill news over the past few years. Most recently, plans where advanced for a 20-25 year expansion on property adjacent to our existing site. And part of the challenge for communities with landfills are the extraordinary environmental protections that govern management and operation of these sites. If a California court

Read & Share sourced from: Scientific American