NASA discovers 'a new kind of climate' on Pluto, unlike anything else in our solar system

 Here's something cool- NASA' James Webb Space Telescope (that I used to do communications about) discovered something about the atmosphere of Pluto!

(image: Pluto's mysterious blue haze is the primary driver of the dwarf planet's climate. (Image credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI)

James Webb telescope discovers 'a new kind of climate' on Pluto, unlike anything else in our solar system

LIVE SCIENCE, Sharmila Kuthunur published June 15, 2025

When NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto in 2015, it shattered the notion that the dwarf planet was a dormant ball of ice, instead revealing it to be rich with icy plains and jagged mountains. But one of the biggest surprises floated above it all: a bluish, multi-layered haze blanketing the world's sky, stretching more than 185 miles (300 kilometers) above the surface — far higher and more intricate than scientists had predicted.

Now, nearly a decade later, new data from the Webb telescope confirm that Pluto's haze isn't just a visual oddity, it also controls the dwarf planet's climate.

"This is unique in the solar system," Tanguy Bertrand, an astronomer at the Paris Observatory in France who led the analysis, told Live Science. "It's a new kind of climate, let's say."

The findings, described in a study published June 2 in the journal Nature Astronomy, suggest similar dynamics may be at play on other haze-shrouded worlds in our solar system, and even offer clues about our own planet's early climate.

Lifting the haze 

Pluto's high-altitude haze is made of complex organic molecules from sunlight-driven reactions of methane and nitrogen. The idea that this haze could control Pluto's climate was first proposed in 2017. Computer models suggested these particles absorb sunlight during the day and release it back into space as infrared energy at night, cooling the atmosphere much more efficiently than gases alone. This could also explain why Pluto's upper atmosphere is roughly -333 degrees Fahrenheit (-203 degrees Celsius) — 30 degrees cooler than expected.

These findings also open up the possibility that similar haze-driven climates might exist on other hazy worlds, such as Neptune's moon Triton or Saturn's moon Titan, Bertrand said.

Even Earth's distant past might bear a resemblance, the researchers said. Before oxygen transformed our planet's skies, it's possible that Earth was veiled in a haze of organic particles — a blanket that may have helped stabilize temperatures and foster early life.

"By studying Pluto's haze and chemistry, we might get new insights into the conditions that made early Earth habitable," Zhang said in the statement.

A Mom-in-law Birthday Celebration!

 In mid-September I flew down to South Carolina to visit my mom-in-law for her birthday. One of us always stays home with our senior dogs, so Tom will be visiting around his birthday next month, so we're covered. I'm a BIG believer in celebrating a birthday, so I tried to ensure we had all the birthday stuff!

(Photo above: Mom and I on her birthday, complete with sign and party hat!) 

(Photo below: Greg. Rob, Lisa, Mom playing board games!)

GAME TIME- Mom loves playing board games. She lives with her daughter, Lisa and her hubby, Greg so they broke out "Rummikub," which I learned on my previous visit. Everyone won a game before we called it quits, so that made for a good afternoon. :) 

DINNER OUT - Mom has mobility challenges so she uses a walker, and there's also a fold up wheelchair that goes in Lisa and Greg's SUV. Mom wanted to go for Chinese food so we went to one of her favorite places. It seems like Mom got the royal treatment being wheeled into the restaurant, and she loved it. 

  It was nice to get mom out of the house and to the restaurant. Changes of scenery are important! 

(Photos: Getting wheeled in, and enjoying the atmosphere of the restaraunt)

THE BIRTHDAY STUFF!!  

As I said earlier, I love birthday celebrations, so I put together all the ingredients. 

  I found a small birthday cake, got some birthday candles, a birthday hat, birthday napkins and paper plates. 

  Of course a birthday isn't complete without a big batch of flowers and at least 3 birthday balloons!

Lisa and Greg had a really cool light up birthday sign and we played "Happy Birthday" on the phone (I can't hold a tune for anything).  The cake was amazing- of course, to me, most cakes are amazing. :) 

     FIRE PROTECTION STATEMENT - We did not put 87 candles on the cake to avoid a fire hazard. LOL   :) 

BINGO NIGHT OUT!! -  One of Mom's favorite things is playing BINGO!  Lisa found a great Bingo hall last time I visited, and we returned there on Mom's birthday night. It was fun!  One of the women that worked the Bingo hall in June when I last visited, remembered all of us. 

A GROUP WIN! - Although Mom, Lisa and Greg were close on several games they didn't win one. Fortunately, I did win a game and there were no other winners in the room, so I was awarded $75, which I split with everyone. So, each of us won $19.00! It was a great way to conclude Mom's birthday!! 

(Photo: Mom and Rob at the Bingo hall!) 

Idiot of the Week: Ice Cream Worker pleads guilty to lacing ice cream with pot

This week's idiot worked in an ice cream shop, made a batch of pot-laced ice cream for himself and stored it in their freezer, which was unfortunately sold. If he just put a NOTE on it, it wouldn't have been served to and sickened customers. 

 Man pleads guilty to lacing ice cream with THC in New Hampshire

Ariana St Pierre,WGMETue, July 22nd 2025 at 6:29 AM

CONCORD, New Hampshire (WGME) -- A Maine man pleaded guilty to lacing ice cream with THC, which made four people sick in New Hampshire two years ago. [It has taken two years for this case to go forward].

The Department of Justice says 45-year-old Marc Flore of Portland pleaded guilty on Monday to tampering with consumer products. He laced a batch of coffee-Oreo flavored ice cream with THC, short for tetrahydrocannabinol, and putting it with other batches of ice cream in a freezer at Roots Café in Newmarket. THC is the main psychoactive compound in cannabis (marijuana) that produces the feeling of being "high." 

According to court documents, Flore said he added THC to the ice cream when he made a batch in September 2022. 

Six months later, four people in Newmarket got sick after eating coffee Oreo ice cream from Angelo’s Amore in March 2023. All four experienced dizziness, elevated heart rate, vomiting, and three had to be briefly hospitalized.

While the ice cream was intended for Flore’s personal use, officials say he stored it in the ice cream café’s freezer with other commercial ice cream, without properly labeling that it contained THC.

Officials say staff then unknowingly served the THC-laced ice cream batch to the four customers who got sick in March 2023.Flore will be sentenced on November 4. He is facing up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.

Hero of the Week: Sanitation Worker in PA Thwarts Arsonist

Heroes are those who unselfishly care about others. This week's hero is a nameless sanitation worker in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania who reported a man he noticed setting fire to a business. His quick actions allowed for firefighters to arrive quickly enough to save the store.

Harrisburg sanitation worker thwarts arsonist at Family Dollar store

Sep. 10, 2025 , By Jenna Wise | pennlive.com

A sanitation worker was picking up garbage early Monday morning at a Family Dollar in Harrisburg when he saw a man setting fire to the back of the store.

The worker’s quick call to 911 around 3:45 a.m. saved the building on the 900 block of South 13th Street from extensive fire damage and helped police arrest Abdiel Angueira-Vazquez, 30, who was charged with arson.

Harrisburg Bureau of Fire Chief Brian Enterline said if the worker’s call had come even minutes later, the fire would have made it to the roof of the building, “which was a rubber roof and probably would have burned a significant portion of the roof off.”

Enterline said the fire department is still investigating what accelerant or material was used to start the fire. He said the fire destroyed an HVAC unit and burned part of the building’s exterior, as well as a small part of the roof. There was no damage inside the store.

In court documents, Harrisburg police said a 911 caller reported the fire and said the suspect was wearing black and red shirts with black pants.

The store was on fire when Harrisburg police arrived. An affidavit of probable cause said police soon found Angueira-Vazquez at South 16th and Sycamore streets, wearing clothing matching the 911 caller’s description.

Police forced Angueria-Vazquez to the ground on his abdomen and put him in handcuffs. According to the affidavit, he had a “distinct odor” that police believe came from a drug that could have altered his mental state.

The witness identified Angueria-Vaquez as the man he’d seen behind the Family Dollar at the time of the fire, according to the affidavit.

Enterline said replacing the HVAC unit will cost Family Dollar at least $50,000 to $60,000. The store remains closed.

“From a fire standpoint, small fire, but from a business disruption and loss standpoint, significant,” Enterline said.

In addition to arson, Angueria-Vazquez was charged with resisting arrest, a misdemeanor, and a summary count of public drunkenness. Angueria-Vazquez is homeless, according to court records. He was unable to post $25,000 bail and is being held at Dauphin County Prison. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 23 before Magisterial District Judge Paul Zozos.

Book of the Week: (Witch City Mysteries) Death Scene by Carol J Perry

 I had the pleasure of reading another book in the wonderful "Witch City Mystery" series called "Death Scene" by Carol J. Perry. This is the 14th in the series and it does not disappoint! 

The story is about a film company that comes to "Witch City" and how a murder gets the lead character, Lee Mondello, wife of Salem, Mass. police detective, involved in trying to figure out who did what. I love all the supporting characters, and the "psychic" cat named O'Ryan, and Lee's Aunt Ibby and her group of older women who try to figure out mysteries. This is another 5 of 5 star cozy mysteries. 

ABOUT THE BOOK:  

It takes a lot for Salem locals to get excited about their historic Massachusetts town being known as “the witch city.” But when a major studio arrives to shoot a witchcraft-themed movie, folks go Hollywood. For WICH-TV’S program director and chief documentary-maker, Lee Barrett, however, the project may come complete with a real-life death scene . . .

Between documenting the progress of the movie, corralling starstruck autograph seekers and fans, and managing unmanageable traffic on Salem’s narrow streets, Lee and her police detective husband, Pete Mondello, are beyond busy. Even Lee’s best friend, River North, tarot card reader and practicing witch, gets in on the action, landing a job as a stand-in and body double. But it only takes one interview for Lee to realize that the male and female leads—whose roles include torrid love scenes—despise each other. Yet the problem is short-lived, literally . . .

When the gorgeous lead actress is found dead on a set staged to replicate the room where suspected witches were tried in 1692—and her on-screen lover, in full costume, is discovered sound asleep in her trailer—the hunt is on for a killer on the loose. Nevertheless, the producer decrees “the show must go on!” Now, even with help from River, Lee’s Aunt Ibby, and O’Ryan, a remarkably clairvoyant gentleman cat, sorting out a witch’s brew of secrets, sorcery, and special effects might turn Lee’s documentary into her own final act . . .

DISCOVERY! 70 million-year-old hypercarnivore named after Egyptian god

 This week's Dinosaur news is about a dinosaur named after an Egyptian God. Kostensuchus atrox, was a giant crocodile relative in Argentina 70 million years ago during the Cretaceous period.

(Kostensuchus atrox was part of an extinct group of reptiles related to living crocodiles and alligators. (Image credit: Gabriel Diaz Yanten, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/))

A gigantic crocodile-like hypercarnivore likely hunted dinosaurs 70 million years ago in what is now Argentina, a new study reveals.

LIVE SCIENCE, August 28, 2025 By Patrick Pester

Researchers discovered the fossilized skeleton from the extinct apex predator in southern Patagonia in 2020. It grew up to around 11.5 feet (3.5 meters) long and weighed about 550 pounds (250 kilograms).

The creature is named Kostensuchus atrox after the Patagonian wind called "the Kosten" and the Egyptian crocodile-headed god Sobek, also known as Suchus. K. atrox was hypercarnivorous, meaning more than 70% of its diet was meat. Equipped with a broad snout, big teeth and robust forelimbs, K. atrox's anatomy suggests it was capable of taking down large prey in South America's Cretaceous (145 million to 66 million years ago) ecosystem, according to a new study published Wednesday (Aug. 27) in the journal PLOS One.

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(Image: Egyptian God, Sobek. Credit: hurghadalovers.com)

WHO IS SOBEK? - Sobek was an ancient Egyptian god of crocodiles, strength, fertility, and protection, particularly associated with the Nile River. He was depicted as a crocodile or a man with a crocodile's head, symbolizing his control over the dangerous reptiles of the river, which brought life and prosperity to Egypt.

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The discovery highlights the fact that dinosaurs lived in the company of a wide diversity of organisms, said study lead author Fernando Novas, a paleontologist at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) and the Félix de Azara Natural History Foundation in Argentina.

"In particular, terrestrial crocodylians were notably diverse and abundant during Cretaceous times in South America and Africa, including small and large, meat-eating and plant-eating forms, revealing that these continents were 'land of crocs,'" Novas told Live Science in an email. "These extinct crocodyles competed and preyed upon dinosaurs, and played an important role in the structure of vanished ecosystems."

K. atrox was part of a group of reptiles called peirosaurid crocodyliforms, which are extinct relatives of living crocodiles. The newly discovered fossils were so well preserved that K. atrox is one of the best peirosaurid crocodyliform examples ever found, and is the most complete large and broad-snouted member on record, according to the study.

SCIENCE: Return of wolves to Yellowstone has led to a surge in aspen trees unseen for 80 years

Today's blog is about how the re-introduction of wolves to Yellowstone have resulted in growth of Aspen trees, which helps the ecosystem and many other animals. It's all because elk that boomed in the National Park had no predators, and they were the ones eating and killing all the Aspen trees. Here's the story.

(Photo: The researchers found tall aspen saplings in many of the sites studied. Image credit: Photo provided by Luke Painter, OSU College of Agricultural Sciences.) 

Return of wolves to Yellowstone has led to a surge in aspen trees unseen for 80 years

Live Science, By Chris Simms July 22, 2025

Gray wolves were reintroduced in Yellowstone National Park in 1995 to help control the numbers of elk that were eating young trees, and it is finally paying off for quaking aspen.

Yellowstone's wolves are helping a new generation of young aspen trees to grow tall and join the forest canopy — the first new generation of such trees in Yellowstone's northern range in 80 years.

Gray wolves (Canis lupus) had disappeared from Yellowstone National Park by 1930 following extensive habitat loss, human hunting and government eradication programs. Without these top predators, populations of elk (Cervus canadensis) grew unfettered. At their peak population, an estimated 18,000 elk ranged across the park, chomping on grasses and shrubs as well as the leaves, twigs and bark of trees like quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides). This stopped saplings from establishing themselves, and surveys in the 1990s found no aspen saplings.

"You had older trees, and then nothing underneath," Luke Painter, an ecologist at Oregon State University and lead author of the new study, told Live Science.

But when wolves were reintroduced in 1995, the picture began to change. As wolf numbers rose, the elk population in the park dropped sharply, and it is now down to about 2,000.

In the new study, published Tuesday (July 22) in the journal Forest Ecology and Management, Painter and his colleagues surveyed aspen stands — specific areas of the forest where these trees grow.

The team returned to three areas surveyed in 2012 to examine changes to aspen sapling numbers. Of the 87 aspen stands studied, a third had a large number of tall aspen saplings throughout, indicating the trees are healthy and growing. Another third of the stands had patches of tall saplings.

"We're seeing significant new growth of young aspen and this is the first time that we've found it in our plots," Painter said. These are young aspen with a trunk greater than 2 inches (5 centimetres) in diameter at chest height — which haven't been seen there since the 1940s, he added.

"It doesn't mean that they're not going to get killed or die from something, but it's a pretty good indication that we're getting some new trees," Painter noted. "As they get bigger, they get more resilient."

Such trees are old enough to spread themselves, either by sending up new shoots from their roots a fair distance from the main tree, or via seed production, he said.

However, while Yellowstone's quaking aspen are recovering, they aren't out of the woods just yet. The elk population has declined, but bison numbers have increased in some areas in recent years.

Bison are a lot harder for wolves to take down, said Painter, so increasing numbers of bison may be emerging as a new constraint on aspen in some areas.

Painter said that the variation in aspen recovery shows the effects of reintroducing a big predator to the top of the food chain, rather than to changes in the overall climate, for example.

The re-emergence of aspen has widespread effects, he told Live Science. "Aspen are a key species for biodiversity. The canopy is more open than it is with conifers and you get filtering light that creates a habitat that supports a lot of diversity of plants."

This means a boost to berry-producing shrubs, insects and birds and also species like beavers, because the trees are a preferred food and building material for the semi- aquatic rodents, along with the willows and cottonwoods that grow near to water in the region.

SCIENCE: 'Universal' cancer vaccine heading to human trials could be useful for 'all forms of cancer

 This looks like an incredibly promising step forward in the battle against cancer- and all forms of cancer. If only it was farther along, perhaps it could have helped our Tyler who passed from cancer  on July 29th, 2025. It's also Research like THIS that is critical. Yet, the current Administration is Cutting all kinds of cancer research. In today's blog you'll learn about this hopeful vaccine.

(Image: Immune cells shown attacking cancer cells. A new mRNA-based cancer vaccine could someday be used "off-the-shelf" to treat cancer, scientists hope. (Image credit: STEVE GSCHMEISSNER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)

Universal' cancer vaccine heading to human trials could be useful for 'all forms of cancer' 

 

By Nicoletta Lanese, LIVE SCIENCE   July 30, 2025

 A new mRNA-based vaccine triggers a response from the innate immune system to help arm the body against cancer, a mouse study finds. It's now in early human trials. 

A universal cancer vaccine in development could help rev up the immune system against tumors and supercharge the effects of existing cancer therapies, an animal study suggests.

Similar to vaccines for viral infections like the flu, many cancer vaccines are designed to help the immune system recognize specific proteins. However, while conventional vaccines aim to prevent disease, cancer vaccines are currently being developed to clear away cancers already growing in the body and to help prevent treated cancers from coming back.

Nonetheless, conventional vaccines and cancer vaccines often work similarly. The flu shot trains the immune system to look for unique proteins found on the surface of influenza viruses, while cancer vaccines typically teach immune cells to spot unique features of cancer cells.

But there's a challenge: These cancer proteins of interest can often be unique to individual patients, meaning each cancer vaccine may need to be specially formulated for each patient. Although it's possible to craft such personalized vaccines, they take time to make — and, in the interim, the patient's cancer mutates, potentially causing the vaccine to be less effective.

"It can be months from the time you get a patient's specimen to when they actually have a personalized therapy," said study senior author Dr. Elias Sayour, a pediatric oncologist at University of Florida Health. Sayour and colleagues wondered if they could design a cancer vaccine that would not require this personalization and instead ignite a general immune response to keep cancer at bay.

"The idea that something could be available immediately, albeit in a nonspecific way … could be revolutionary for how we bridge therapy and how we manage patients," Sayour told Live Science.

Touring Around with Friends in NH and Maine

 Over the weekend of Sept 5-7, our friends visited from Maryland and we toured them around. Today's blog will give you an idea of fun things to do in New Hampshire and southern Maine that include a famous lighthouse, an outdoor festival, an historic mill area, lunch at an old train station and more! 

VISITING NUBBLE LIGHTHOUSE - One of the "Must-see" places if you visit northern New England is Nubble Light in York, Maine. When we arrived there, there was a line of gusty thunderstorms headed our way, so the winds picked up and the temperature dropped from 80 F to about 62 degrees F!

ABOUT NUBBLE LIGHT - Nubble Lighthouse is famous for its picturesque setting on a small, inaccessible island, making it an iconic and heavily photographed symbol of New England's maritime heritage and coastal beauty. Its classic red-and-white tower, timeless charm, historical significance, and accessibility from a nearby park also contribute to its popularity among tourists, photographers, and lighthouse enthusiasts. It is located in SOHIER PARK, Sohier Park Rd, York, ME 03909

A FUN FESTIVAL - In downtown Dover, New Hampshire we attended the "Mystics, Makers & Magick Market" on Saturday, Sept. 6, in Dover. This was a New Age kind of festival. there were yoga classes outside, jewlery makers, tarot readers, relaxation massage, reiki, candles, soaps, tee shirts, authors and many other things. The event was large and vendors were in tents. 

INTERESTING ART EXHIBIT - Local artists put together a display that took a while to figure out. One part had amazon boxes, with the logo upside down and things bursting out of them, like wires. It was a statement against Amazon for being part of the billionaire problem of rich people trying to run the country.  Another part was a wheel barrel full of orange cheetos, and I could guess who that's referencing.  

   After the festival we walked through downtown old Dover, NH and took in the former Mills and the Cocheco River. 

COCHECO MILLS, DOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE - The Cocheco Mills comprise a historic mill complex in the heart of Dover, New Hampshire. The mills occupy a bend in the Cochecho River that has been site of cotton textile manufacturing since at least 1823, when the Dover Manufacturing Company supplanted earlier sawmills and gristmills. The present mill buildings were built between the 1880s and the early 20th century, and were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

MILL OPERATIONS - By 1898, the Cocheco Manufacturing Company covered over 30-acres of floor pace, operated 130,000 spindles in 2,800 looms, and employed 2000 workers earning an average wage of 53 cents a day, six days a week. Housed in 15 buildings, the Cocheco Print Works produced over 65,000,000 yards of finished cloth a year.

MILL CLOSES, CHANGES - Competition from textile processors in the American South, unburdened by the North's heating costs, combined with the effects of the Great Depression, led Pacific to shutter the complex in 1937. The city purchased the complex at auction in 1941. The buildings have since been home to a succession of smaller enterprises, primarily engaged in manufacturing.  The buildings also house offices, restaurants, breweries and bars.

BEST BREAKFAST AND LUNCH - Breakfast Station #319 at  Main Street, Somersworth, NH has the best breakfast and lunch in the entire southern NH area. Everything is wonderful. It's housed in an old passenger train station ticket office. Behind the restaurant are the railroad tracks that now only serve freight trains, and run along the Salmon Falls River that acts as a border between Maine and New Hampshire.

Across the river from Somersworth, New Hampshire lies the small town of Berwick, Maine. It's very quaint. So we stopped for a picture in front of town hall. 

Of course, when you walk over the bridge that spans the river, one side says "New Hampshire" and the other "Maine" so there had to be pictures taken there, too!  

Did you know my last Six Books have all hit #1?

 Did you know my last Six Books have all hit #1?

Here's the list- Please give them a read!

* Ghosts of Linville Manor #1 in General Maryland Travel

* Haunting of Emery Estate #1 in Ghosts & Hauntings and #1 in Parapsychology

* Ghosts of the Bird Cage Theatre on a Medium’s Vacation: #1 in General Western US Travel

* Ghosts of Ireland on a Medium’s Vacation: #1 in Haunted & Unexplained Travel and #1 in Irish Travel

* Pets and the Afterlife 3: Messages from Spirit Dogs: #1 in Pet Loss Grief

* Pets and the Afterlife 4: Messages from Spirit Cats: #1 in Pet Loss Grief

GET THEM HERE: https://www.amazon.com/author/robgutro

Available on Amazon in Paperback, Ebook, and Audiobook

Idiot of the Week: So. Carolina Republican lawmaker RJ May resigns over distributing child sexual abuse material

Here's yet ANOTHER Republican who harrassed LGBTQ people and accused them of crimes that HE committed! South Carolina Republican State Rep. Robert John "R.J." May III has resigned nearly two months after being indicted on federal charges related to child exploitation. I am SO tired of these Republicans accusing gay and trans people of crimes, and the accusers are committing them. They obviously do it to throw people off their trail. This is another idiot going to jail.

(Photo: South Carolina Republican State Rep. Robert John "R.J." May III  By Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0)

So. Carolina Republican lawmaker RJ May resigns over child sexual abuse material

WLTX, Published: August 11, 2025

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Suspended South Carolina State Rep. Robert John "R.J." May III has resigned nearly two months after being indicted on federal charges related to child sexual abuse material.

The South Carolina House Speaker’s Office confirmed May’s resignation on Monday and released a copy of his letter, where May wrote:

“I have decided that it is in the best interest of my family and constituents to resign immediately from the South Carolina House of Representatives. Please accept this letter as my formal resignation from the South Carolina House of Representatives. It has been an honor to serve the people of District 88.”

May, a Republican representing the Lexington area, was indicted in June on 10 federal counts of distributing child sexual abuse material and was suspended shortly after his arrest.

Prosecutor said May used a personal messaging app to send and receive child sexual abuse messages and videos in 2024.

May faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison with a minimum of five years, a fine of $250,000, and a term of at least five years of supervised release to follow any term of imprisonment. May has a pretrial conference hearing scheduled for August 20 in Columbia.

The ultra-conservative South Carolina Freedom Caucus, which May co-founded, released a statement, saying:  RJ May's resignation from the South Carolina House of Representatives is long overdue. The people of District 88 deserve true and honorable representation. While we welcome this resignation, we strongly believe that the SC House should have acted to expel RJ May after he was indicted for such heinous crimes. Our hearts are with his victims and his innocent family and we pray for swift justice as this ugly chapter in the South Carolina House of Representatives comes to a close.

Heroes of the Week: Nashua, New Hampshire Firefighters

 This week's heroes are firefighters from Nashua, who were joined by mutual aid apparatus from Hudson, Manchester, Merrimack and Hollis,  New Hampshire to put out a two alarm fire in a Nashua home.

(Photo: Heavy flames spread through a two-story home at 24 Spindlewick Drive early Sunday morning, August 24, 2025. Credit: Nashua, NH Fire Department)

Two alarm fire sweeps through Nashua home; two residents displaced 

By Dean Shalhoup Union Leader Correspondent Aug 24, 2025

Heavy flames spread through a two-story home at 24 Spindlewick Drive early Sunday morning, August 24, 2025. The two occupants escaped without injury but the house was left uninhabitable. Provided by Nashua Fire Rescue

An early morning fire on Sunday heavily damaged a large, two-story residence in Nashua’s Lancashire Heights neighborhood, leaving the building uninhabitable and displacing the two residents.

No one was injured in the two-alarm blaze at 24 Spindlewick Drive, according to Deputy Fire Chief Glenn Telgen.

Telgen didn’t identify the residents. City property tax records show it is owned by a trust under the names Joseph Werbeck and Maureen Furey, but it’s not clear if they are the occupants. Telgen said the Nashua Fire Rescue dispatch center received several calls just after 3 a.m. reporting the fire.

A first alarm assignment was dispatched, with the crew of Engine 6 out of the Conant Road fire station first to arrive. They reported heavy fire showing from the home, and pulled hose lines into the building while additional crews backed them up with multiple lines, Telgen said.

He said a second alarm was sounded due to the size of the fire.

(Photo: Nashua, NH Fire’s Recruit Class 221 in 2022/ Nashua FD)

Meanwhile, crews on the three ladder trucks that responded opened up the roof for ventilation while protecting nearby structures from the flames.

In all, 43 Nashua Fire Rescue members responded, manning six engines, three ladder trucks, the Special Hazards Unit, three investigators and two chief officers. An AMR ambulance also responded for standby.

Telgen said the fire was brought under control in one hour. He said it left the home with extensive fire and smoke damage, prompting representatives of the local American Red Cross to assist the residents in finding temporary housing.

He said the cause of the fire is under investigation. He didn’t indicate where in the house the fire started. Telgen also said the house is equipped with smoke detectors, but it is not known if they were working.

Mutual aid apparatus came from Hudson, Manchester, Merrimack and Hollis while Tyngsborough, Mass., firefighters covered Nashua’s stations while crews were at the scene.

Good News 7 Northeastern States & NYC Form Public Health Partnership

What do you do when the federal government tosses out all protocols to keep the country healthy? Join with other states who have intellgence enough to Know how to keep their residents safe. That's what happened with northeastern states who have banded together to ensure residents are healthy since the federal CDC has become so corrupt and useless. It's unfortunate for those in NH and VT, though, as they have Republican governors. Although there are differing reports about whether VT joined. There are also some reports Maryland and Delaware may join the partnership, but I've been unable to confirm at the time of this blog. Here's the story about this Health Partnership.

Maine joins public health partnership with 6 other states, New York City

Sep 19, 2025 Russ Reed, WABC 8, Portland, Maine

AUGUSTA, Maine —Maine is one of seven states that have formed a regional public health partnership that also includes the largest city in the country.

The Northeast Public Health Collaborative was officially announced Thursday, but officials from Maine, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York State, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and New York City revealed they have been working together since early this year.

The voluntary coalition of public health agencies held its first in-person meeting in Rhode Island last month, and said that it has already formed working groups to identify opportunities for collaboration and shared planning across public health disciplines, including emergency preparedness and response, vaccine recommendations and purchasing, data collection and analysis, infectious disease, epidemiology and laboratory capacity and services.

"The people of Maine are known for their resilience, neighborly support and a collaborative approach to solving community challenges. This spirit is evident in the Northeast Public Health Collaborative, which serves as an incubator for solutions in public health," Dr. Puthiery Va, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a statement. "By working together, we can build a more adaptable, sustainable and resilient public health framework for the region."

PURPOSE OF THE COLLABORATIVE

The collaborative said its shared goal is to protect the health, safety and well-being of all residents by providing information based on science, data and evidence, while working to ensure equitable access to vaccines, medications and services.

"As the Trump administration politicizes and undermines our nation's public health system, our state will work closely with our neighbors to promote and protect the health and well-being of Maine people," Gov. Janet Mills said in a statement.

Last week, Maine's Governor Janet Mills directed the Maine CDC to issue a standing order authorizing qualified health care professionals, including pharmacists, to administer the 2025-26 COVID-19 vaccine. The order serves as a prescription for all Mainers, allowing them to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at pharmacies, clinics and health care offices across the state.

The only states in the Northeast that are not part of the collaborative are New Hampshire and Vermont, which are the only two states in the region that currently have Republican governors.

Book of the Week: A Superhero Graphic Novel to Avoid

As an avid reader, and comic book collector since the 1970s, I've read countless books, comics and graphic novels. Recently, I bought an old graphic novel about a Supergirl series from the 1990s, and it was the worst thing I've ever read related to the Superman family of characters. There's a good reason why, too.

(Pictured: This 1990s graphic novel collects DC "Showcase 96" issue #12 with the character origin, and the first 9 issues of this awful series) 

IT STARTED IN 1985- When DC comics created the famous "Crisis on Infinite Earths" 12-issue story that changed comic book history, and merged the "multiverse"- that is, countless versions of Earth vibrating at different frequencies (same for all planets and universes), the original Supergirl, Linda Danvers, was one of two major fatalities in the story (the other was the Barry Allen version of the Flash).

AFTERMATH THE "MATRIX SUPERGIRL" - Readers wanted Supergirl back, but one of the writers of DC Comics decided to create a "Supergirl" out of a shapeshifting type of alien, known as the "Matrix" to assume Supergirl's identity and her civilian Linda Danvers role. She was created by the good Lex Luthor of a "Pocket Universe,"  using an artificial life form called the "protoplasmic matrix." This character has telekinesis (does things with her mind), shape shifts, has super strength and flight. That Pocket Universe was destroyed, so Superman took the orphaned Matrix, now turned into a humanoid form of protoplasm, back to the mainstream DC Universe where she took on the identity of Supergirl, without Supergirl's memories. ... until the writers suggested she merged with a dead Linda Danvers...

MY TAKE ON THE "MATRIX SUPERGIRL" - Truly one of the WORST characters DC Comics ever came up with. Supergirl needs to be Supergirl. Not some protoplasmic blob trying to impersonate the character. I read the first 9 issues of the 1990s series and they were AWFUL.  By the last 4 issues, I didn't care about the character, and read quickly through it. I'm glad that DC got rid of that dumb character.