Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Coryn Wolk @corynwolk.bsky.social · Jul 16

This is New Englander (33? - 78) erasure

Coryn Wolk @corynwolk.bsky.social · Jul 15

Displays advertised "AI-powered HVAC systems, self driving freight software and plastics 10,000 times thinner than hair. A leopard-spotted robot dog motored around the atrium of the university"

SEPTA's budget shortfall might add 70,000 hrs daily to people's commutes
www.inquirer.com/transportati...

Funding Crisis – Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority

wwww.septa.org

Coryn Wolk @corynwolk.bsky.social · Jul 15

"In his introduction McCormick noted just three investors in the crowd together had the power to make spending decisions on a collective $3 trillion in capital."

WOW, AWESOME! Can some of them fund SEPTA's $213 million deficit so PA's biggest public transportation system doesn't collapse?

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Coryn Wolk @corynwolk.bsky.social · Jul 15

"Both [PA Senator] McCormick, the former CEO of Bridgewater Associates, one of the world’s largest hedge funds, and his wife, Dina Powell McCormick, a board member at Meta and former Goldman Sachs partner, have an extensive network which they tapped into to arrange the summit and some of the deals."

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Coryn Wolk @corynwolk.bsky.social · Jul 15

"Why don't you like AI?"
They plan to build "several" fracked-gas-fired power plants in NEPA for Blackstone's "$25 billion investment to build data centers."

PA "is often cited as a prime location for the AI revolution given its abundant energy resources" aka fracking
share.inquirer.com/kWyBT0

Sen. McCormick, Trump announce billions in AI and energy investments in Pa. at innovation summit: ‘The nation’s future depends on us’

Republican Sen. Dave McCormick organized the summit, which drew appearances from President Trump, major tech CEOs and the state's most prominent Democrats.

share.inquirer.com

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Reposted by Coryn Wolk

WIRED @wired.com · Jul 15

Eyewitness video filmed on Monday, July 14 showed floodwater surging onto the platform of New York’s 28th Street Station as passengers watched from a train car.

Intense storms and heavy rainfall caused flooding across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, with several flash flood warnings issued.

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Reposted by Coryn Wolk

Gavin Schmidt @climateofgavin.bsky.social · Jul 15

The 28th st station is built on top of an ancient stream that drains the slightly higher ground to the east. (1865 Viele map via davidrumsey.com)

Close up of the 1865 Viele topographical map of manhattan showing the stream beneath 28th st and 7th avenue https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~305704~90076084:Topographical-Map-of-the-City-of-Ne

Stream flows east to west from higher ground btw 25th and 30th street and 5th and 6th avenues.

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Reposted by Coryn Wolk

ICLRCanada @iclrcanada.bsky.social · Jul 15

Sunday’s record-setting storm [in Montreal] could repeat on Thursday

www.montrealgazette.com/news/weather...

Sunday’s record-setting storm could repeat on Thursday

Weather conditions in Montreal for the next two days mirror what was seen just prior to Sunday’s deluge.

www.montrealgazette.com

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Reposted by Coryn Wolk

Eileen Clancy 🧿 @clancyny.bsky.social · Jul 15

NYC, tonight. Flash flooding has significantly affected the subway. This is the 28th Street station of the No. 1 train. The 1 is out, and the 2 and 3 trains are back in service with severe delays. E, F, M, and R trains are a mess too.

Oh, and do *not* drive. Stay home.

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Reposted by Coryn Wolk

Witamy Paçzki @hmullphoto.bsky.social · Jul 15

@cmu.edu students prepare for a visit from President Donald #Trump to their campus on July 15 for an "Energy & AI Summit" organized by Republican Pennsylvania Senator David McCormick that includes tech and fossil fuel execs.

Numerous #protests are scheduled to occur nearby throughout the day.

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Coryn Wolk @corynwolk.bsky.social · Jul 15

And I just deleted my post about the Apollo Affair since it seems like the truth is different and messier than what I wrote and definitely messier than what I should be writing a casual side note about. (Though I didn't realize that would sever this thread, oops.)

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Coryn Wolk @corynwolk.bsky.social · Jul 15

... like how federal agencies denied residents' concerns about the site for decades despite poor records of its contents and major allegations of corporate mismanagement, only to bring in security once they found "complex materials." Which makes practical sense in some ways, backwards in others.

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Coryn Wolk @corynwolk.bsky.social · Jul 15

I know the Apollo Affair is very controversial and not one I've spent a lot of time on, so if the most likely fate is the material *was* smuggled out, I welcome the correction! I'm mainly interested in the political differences between the material as exported and as domestic waste/pollution. ...

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Coryn Wolk @corynwolk.bsky.social · Jul 15

Yes--I was oversimplifying for character space and using "dumped" more figuratively (carelessly released to the environment) vs literally (intentionally disposed of in a discrete action). Though the latter definitely happened here w/ broader radioactive material.
journals.lww.com/health-physi...

Reconstruction of Enriched Uranium Released to Air from the ... : Health Physics

olubility characteristics. Releases occurred through stacks, rooftop vents, and an incinerator that operated from 1964 to 1969. Incidental and accidental releases are addressed as part of this analysi...

journals.lww.com

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Coryn Wolk @corynwolk.bsky.social · Jul 14

Up until that point, USACE had insisted that residents were being alarmist. Then they were like "oh shit there IS plutonium and enriched uranium! Now those missing records are a bad thing instead of a good thing!" and the site contents became classified.

Coryn Wolk @corynwolk.bsky.social · Jul 14

Again, the hazard communication failures are not just in red states/governments.

Mark D. Levine @marklevinenyc.bsky.social · Jul 14

There is currently an NWS flash flood warning in effect for all five boroughs of NYC.

But no City agency has posted it on this platform.

Please help spread the word.

“If you live in a basement apartment or low-lying area, be ready to move to higher ground.”

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Coryn Wolk @corynwolk.bsky.social · Jul 14

"The Army Corps of Engineers had to stop removal of the waste in May 2012 after crews discovered greater-than-expected quantities of what nuclear regulators called 'complex materials,' such as uranium and plutonium, at the site."
Cleanup is ongoing and >$500 mil.
www.post-gazette.com/local/region...

Report: More dangerous radioactive waste near Apollo than first thought

Waste removal was stopped in May 2012 after crews discovered unexpected quantities of

www.post-gazette.com

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Coryn Wolk @corynwolk.bsky.social · Jul 14

I've been in a FUSRAP and thorium/REE hazmat management rabbithole lately and it's amazing what you can do with no oversight! My current fav is Apollo, PA, where nuclear waste was buried "in accordance with [AEC] regulations" between a river and a neighborhood over an undermined former coal mine.

jael holzman @jael.bsky.social · Jul 14

politico reports the trump admin is telling regulators to just “rubber stamp” new nuclear reactors

this new process, which apparently was relayed to regulators via doge, will specifically speed up *nuclear safety* assessments

www.politico.com/news/2025/07...

DOGE told regulator to ‘rubber stamp’ nuclear

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's historic role of assuring safety is changing as the White House shifts some responsibility to the Department of Energy.

www.politico.com

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Reposted by Coryn Wolk

Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · Jul 14

The official DHS account is now tweeting about “your homeland’s heritage”

Homeland Security DHS account on X: Remember your Homeland's Heritage.
New Life in a New Land - Morgan Weistling

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Reposted by Coryn Wolk

Tom Raftery @tomraftery.com · Jul 14

June 2025 saw:
• Wildfires across Canada
• 46 °C in Spain
• July 4th flash floods in Texas
• Record-breaking heat from Tokyo to Texas

And yet, climate coverage dropped 6% from May. And 28% from last June. 2/7

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Reposted by Coryn Wolk

Tom Raftery @tomraftery.com · Jul 14

Climate media coverage is falling off a cliff, just as the crisis accelerates.
And that’s not just bad for business, it’s dangerous for democracy. Let’s talk. 👇 1/7

2004-2025 media coverage of climate change

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Reposted by Coryn Wolk

Le Devoir @ledevoir.com · Jul 14

Les précipitations rapides ont causé des inondations et des pannes de courant. #orage

Les orages de dimanche ont déversé jusqu’à 100 mm de pluie sur Montréal

www.ledevoir.com

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Coryn Wolk @corynwolk.bsky.social · Jul 13

What happened when Ida hit.
"Deatrick was reluctant to leave at first. 'How could it be as bad as last time?' he recalls asking, alluding to Tropical Storm Isaias, which had flooded the apartments the year before."

Management didn't help with emergency housing.
gridphilly.com/blog-home/20...

Reckless developments put residents in floods’ path - Grid Magazine

Chris Deatrick’s girlfriend called him early in the morning on Thursday, September 2, 2021, pleading with him to leave his apartment at the Apex on Venice Island in Manayunk. Deatrick didn’t think abo...

gridphilly.com

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Coryn Wolk @corynwolk.bsky.social · Jul 13

I saw the raging Schuylkill and helped muck out the Philadelphia Canoe Club just upriver after Hurricane Floyd in 1999 (when I was a kid), so it's always been beyond belief that anyone would choose to build or live basically *in* the river channel.

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Reposted by Coryn Wolk

Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · Jul 13

So...are we feeling lucky? Because we're playing an increasingly high-stakes game of roulette with the global climate, and the house odds are decidedly not in our favor.

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