Although Gordon and Trivedi have not been able to match the campaign support that Pike has earned through grassroots contributions, Gordon insisted a politician’s ability to connect to voters and stand on principles that are clear and well-articulated will result in a political victory without the support from contributing organizations and individuals.

In an interview on Tuesday, Gordon spoke extensively about his Democratic principles, and applied his experience in public office to answer questions specific to the people of Berks Co. affected by the economic recession and an unemployment rate that increased by 2.8 percent since 2008.

President Obama is right on track, said Gordon, who also credited the administration’s multiple stimulus packages and industry bailouts with helping to stall the unemployment rate from the Canadian border to northeast Pennsylvania — not just Detroit.

Gordon stressed the importance of carefully spending federal money on long term investments, including education, infrastructure, and alternative energy research. When you invest in people, you increase the wealth of the nation. According to Gordon, allocating federal money to fund alternative energy development at universities (such as wind turbines and geothermal technology), a budget would exist for graduates and entrepreneurs seeking to expand the product line within a 50-mile radius, spawning local enterprises and increased employment opportunities.

To ensure the creation and security of potential employment opportunities, the U.S. must save the next industry from foreign investors most importantly, nations who do not share our same environmental, safety and labor standards. Although he acknowledged that American consumerism was partly to blame for U.S. outsourcing, Gordon placed the majority of the blame on legislators who are not responsive to market actions.

Perhaps the most significant policy difference to be displayed this election season between Gordon and the defending Republican incumbent Jim Gerlach (besides Gordon’s devotion to a healthcare bill that includes a public option), is environmental advocacy. As Town Commissioner, Gordon’s policies have included separating paper from recycling and increasing the number of recyclable plastics, while opposing the industrialization and selling of raw materials, which was supported by Gerlach.

Gordon also offered a solution for individuals in Berks Co. exposed to various sources of lead emissions, calling on the Kutztown community to develop a range of options to eliminate emissions in the most cost efficient manner. Though government subsidies for maintaining a healthier emissions standard would likely be considered if unnecessary military expenditures were cut from the Federal budget, Gordon acknowledged it is the “role of the government to protect the well being of the people.”

Although the primary candidate was unable to speak extensively on the state budget shortage that has left many public institutions scrambling to supplement the lost funds, Gordon cited Pennsylvania’s rising prison populations as a possible catalyst for budget deficiencies and said a sentencing reevaluation is necessary for the state to ensure quality education.

The event is taking place with the help of KU’s Rohrbach Library, the Geography and Biology departments, the Pennsylvania Institute of Children’s Environmental Health (PICEH), and the Advanced Education Advisory Board (AEAB).
The purpose is to “stimulate awareness of land use, food safety, childhood nutrition, and [agriculture] policy issues that affect us all,” according to the library Web site.

The speakers include a Pennsylvania State Representative, a senior agriculture educator, the owner of Oley Valley Organics, the associate director of Allen Center for Nutrition, and the author of the book Heirloom: Notes From an Accidental Tomato Farmer.

“One of the speakers declined her honorarium because she wants the [money] to finance the work that PICEH does on behalf of our kids and us,” said Bruce Jensen, the Information Commons Librarian of the Rohrbach Library.

Food Inc. was directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Robert Kenner, and seeks to show the hidden side of our nation’s food supply.

The movie shines a negative light on the industrial production of meat, grains and vegetables, as well as the abuse of power of major food companies, like food libel laws, which make it easier for food producers to sue their critics for harmful published words.

More information at: http://libguides.kutztown.edu/food

Students and faculty joined members of various state institutions on Wednesday afternoon for what Leah Harris, deputy press secretary for Rendell, described as a “statewide town hall-style meeting” in KU’s Alumni Auditorium. Attendees were encouraged to respond to Rendell’s videoconference discussion on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a $6 billion economic stimulus investment that was initiated in February 2008.

Budget discussions were originally scheduled for Feb. 11, but were canceled due to snow.

According the Reading Eagle, Woodward died “peacefully in his sleep, at the tender age of 24.” As of press time, the cause of death is still unknown.

The service consisted of 40 friends and family, some of whom recounted their fond memories of the late student.

Many commented on the variety of skills that Woodward possessed, such as his musical and artistic talents. In an e-mail to the Keystone, Woodward’s mother, Patricia Woodward, wrote, “There are not too many people whose brains can [balance] complicated math skills and artistic and creative ways for illustration with the love of composing music and playing instrumentally. It’s like every part of his brain worked overtime.”

His mother, who accepted a diploma on Woodward’s behalf from President F. Javier Cevallos, wore a tie-dyed blue shirt honoring her son’s style. People who showed up to the memorial were welcomed to don their tie-dye outfits.

The service ended with a candlelighting ceremony while Chris Rice’s “Go Light Your World” played in the background.

Woodward’s impact on family and friends was obvious as many got to share stories of their interactions with Woodward. If one thing was clear throughout the memorial, it was that Woodward was a friend to everyone he met. His mother wrote, “The other important feature of this amazing young man is once you made of friend of Andy, you were friends for life.”

Kutztown and 11 other fire companies were on the scene after neighbors and passers-by reported flames emanating from the two-story, 200- year-old building.

One Kutztown firefighter went to the hospital after reporting shortness of breath and chest pains. These symptoms are usually associated with the anxiety and stress of firefighting. He was released in good health after overnight observations in the hospital.

Kutztown Fire Company Chief Troy Arndt considered the conflagration to be a multiple-alarm fire. “It was above three-alarm fire, but we only have indicators that go up to three-alarm,” he said.

An elevated alarm number indicates increased commitment of resources because the fire has become bigger or the fire is predicted to burn long enough that firefighters on scene will need to be replaced because of exhaustion.

It took roughly 75 firefighters onscene approximately two hours to get the fire under control, and six hours of cleanup and debris clearing. Crews ran into some troubles because of the heavy snowfall, freezing water and small roadway.

Arndt said he was “on the scene within five minutes of the first alarm and the first truck arrived within eight or nine minutes of the alarm.”

The Kutztown Patriot reported the smoke was visible from the Berkshire Mall in Wyomissing.

The conference is open to all undergraduate students who would like to present academic or creative work. The submission deadline is March 19. Registration forms (along with presentation information and requirements) are available at http://albright. edu/HECBC. A record 60 KU students participated in the conference last year.

At this year’s conference, the Keynote speaker will be Brent J. Hurley, a 2001 graduate of Albright College and one of the founders of YouTube. The Higher Education Council of Berks County (HECBC) — which includes KU, Albright College, Alvernia College, Penn State University (Berks Campus), and Reading Area Community College — is the sponsor for the conference.

According to the HECBC’s Web site, students should “select scholarly or creative work that you have done in the past year and would like to share with other students and faculty. Meet with a faculty member who has helped or would help you with this presentation and who will serve as your sponsor. Work with this faculty sponsor to discuss and propose an abstract describing the work. Complete the proposal form, making sure that you include contact information for your faculty sponsor.”

Over 600 students from area middle and high schools will be competing over spring break at several locations on campus. There are currently 26 high schools and 17 middle schools signed up for the events. The competition includes a total of 46 events, which range throughout various scientific disciplines.
Students from Berks, Lehigh and Northampton counties will compete in areas of science that include chemistry, technology and biology, among others during the events. Some names of the individual events include the Junkyard Challenge, It’s About Time and Egg-O-Naut.
Science Olympiad is a non-profit organization that strives to “improve the quality of K-12 science education,” according to its Web site. The goal of this national organization is to increase interest in science among all demographics to create a tech-savvy next generation, while simultaneously recognizing achievement in the field. Science Olympiad works toward this goal by holding tournaments such as the Centraleastern Regional and national events, and through a variety of non-competitive events and workshops.

KU students, staff and faculty can get more information or sign up to volunteer at this event by contacting Joann Monko, site director for the Science Olympiad, at monko@ kutztown.edu or Sara Serrano, assistant site supervisor, at sserr562@live. kutztown.edu.

“The reason we installed the new lead-in-air sampler is because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set a new lead air quality standard in 2008 for lead,” explained Gavin Biebuyck, the Principal Consultant for Liberty Environmental, Inc. (LEI).

Biebuyck continued, “The 2008 lead [level] was set by the EPA to protect young children from impacts associated with lead exposure – both breathing lead and also lead deposition and subsequent ingestion of the dust by children.”

The major sources of lead in the past have been motor vehicles using gasoline with lead, but now the main sources are lead smelters, waste incinerators, and lead-acid battery manufacturers. Biebuyck said they focus on Berks County because the county “has two lead smelters, lead-acid battery plants and localized elevated lead concentrations.” East Penn Mfg. Co. in Lyons Stations, and Yuasa and Exide in Reading are the lead-acid battery plants in Berks County.

Biebuyck said the two smelters in Berks County, East Penn Mfg. Co. and Exide, have “both operated ambient lead monitors around their plants since the 1980s, when Berks implemented air quality standards. PICEH even awarded East Penn Mfg. Co. with a Cevallos Award for displaying “a personal, public and financial commitment to advancing children’s environmental health issues.”
Lead is a children’s environmental health issue and it is listed as one of six criteria pollutants for which the EPA has set National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAQQS). The other pollutants include carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter of PM10 and PM2.5, ozone and sulfur dioxide.

Lead remains in the environment for long periods of time, accumulating in the soil through air sources, direct discharges, mining, erosion and water. Environments near point sources have shown to lose biodiversity, lose growth rates in plants and animals, and cause neurological defects in animals.

Human exposure to lead can affect the nervous system, kidney function and the immune, reproductive, developmental and cardiovascular systems. Adults can suffer from high blood pressure, nerve disorders, memory and concentration problems and muscle and joint pains.

The toxic metal is more dangerous to children because their bodies, tissues and brains are more sensitive to disruption and damage from a toxin – children’s bodies also absorb more lead than an adult’s is. Blood levels as low as 10 micrograms per deciliter (ug/dL) can impair mental and physical development.

Children with elevated blood lead levels (EBLLs) – lead levels 10 ug/dL or above – over time can suffer from developmental and behavioral problems. Small levels in children may cause a child to seem inattentive, hyperactive and irritable.

Children with greater lead levels may also have learning deficits, delayed growth, lowered IQ, hearing loss and headaches. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry reports, “At high levels, lead can cause permanent brain damage and even death.”

Thousands of children have been confirmed to have EBLLs in Pennsylvania. The last posted report by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) from 2008 listed 4,217 cases EBLLs in children 72 months or younger. The number of children with EBLLs is out of the 94,643 tested, which accounts for 4.46% of the tested population. Berks County had 884,426 children under the age of 72 months at the time, so, theoretically, if the entire population were tested, over 39,000 children would be considered to be have EBLLs.

The Clean Air Act (CAA) requires state-by-state EPA air standards for the six pollutants. The EPA reviews the latest scientific information and standards every five years and CAA policy decisions undergo review by the scientific community, industry, public-interest groups, the general public and the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC), who provides independent advice to the EPA administrators on the technical bases for the EPA’s air quality standards.

There are other major sources of lead exposures in the environment. EBLL’s can stem from lead-based paints in old houses and toys, lead in the drinking water and lead-contaminated foods.

Both national surveys and state surveillance data show EBLLs are declining due to EPA regulatory factors on gasoline, residential paint and solder used for food cans and water pipes.

Although lead levels are dropping, Biebuyck said, “The U.S. EPA is expected to designate portions of Berks County as nonattaintment later this year.” Only 16 counties in the U.S. are expected to be designated nonattaintment, meaning the county will not meet EPA air quality standards for lead. Berks is already ozone and PM2.5 nonattaintment.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) has projected these areas around the lead smelter and battery plants as being nonattaintment with the new 2008 lead standards: Lyons Area, which includes Lyons Borough, Maxatawny Township, and Richmond Township; and North Reading Area, which includes Laureldale Borough, Muhlenberg Township, and Alsace Township.

LEI was hired by Berks County to review PA DEP lead level findings and to report and comment on the findings. LEI found the lead nonattainment areas as smaller than what the EPA were forecasting. “In particular we showed that Kutztown (in Maxatawny Township) is not predicted to have lead levels above standards,” said Biebuyck.

Lead is not the only pollutant found in Berks air. In the past year, three companies in southeastern Pennsylvania were fined for emissions levels from various toxins. Craig Hafer, founder of PICEH, said, “The problem is we aren’t exposed to just one toxin and we don’t know how they interact with each other. But we know removing any risk is certainly a way to reduce overall risk.”

KU is coordinating the effort in fundraising along with Cheyney University, and the funds raised by the two schools will be forwarded to the PASSHE, and then sent to multiple relief agencies directly involved with the recovery effort. PASSHE Chancellor John C. Cavanaugh said in a press release, “Several of our universities have done outreach efforts in Haiti in the past. Each of our universities and this office will work to do whatever we can to assist in this situation.” Together with the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), the PASSHE accepted donations at men’s and women’s basketball games from Jan. 27 to Feb. 3.

KU and the PASSHE have other plans in the works to help the relief effort, but they will not be released until they are ready to be enacted. The PASSHE includes KU along with the aforementioned Cheyney, Bloomsburg, California (Pa.), Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana (Pa.), Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, and West Chester Universities.

“Presenters from our Division of Administration and Finance will share the university’s budget forecasts for the next several academic years,” said Cevallos in an email addressed to the student body. Last week’s budget forecast presented to the University Senate left many in attendance with unresolved questions concerning the series of cost-saving cuts that will be implemented over the course of the next five years.

Although Cevallos assured the University Senate KU would “have to maintain quality and appropriate services” despite the university’s fiscal restraints, some on hand shared a pessimistic forecast of the quality of education that will be offered by KU in the years following the largest cost-saving measures.

The administration announced its plan to address budgetary concerns a few hours after Gov. Edward Rendell’s presented a proposed overhaul of the state budget.

In addition to imposing a five-percent tax on natural gas and an expansion of the state’s sales tax, Rendell proposed a plan to limit future annual increase to the state’s public pension system to about $600 million. The new proposals would not take effect until the following fiscal year.

The limitations imposed on future pension funds will coincide with PASSHE’s discussions with the system’s seven unions — exploring ways to control labor costs while bracing themselves for the impact a drastically underfunded pension fund and the end of Federal stimulus money will have on an already financially strapped state system.