skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Sunday, July 21, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

VP Kamala Harris says she plans to 'earn and win' Democratic nomination after Joe Biden drops out and endorses her; New Alabama bill threatens voter rights, legal challenge ensues; Fact-checking GOP claims on immigrants; Water contamination a concern in Midwest flood aftermath.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

President Joe Biden drops his 2024 re-election bid. He's endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to take his spot on the ticket, and election experts say they see benefits to this decision.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

It's grass-cutting season and with it, rural lawn mower races, Montana's drive-thru blood project is easing shortages, rural Americans spend more on food when transportation costs are tallied, and a lack of good childcare is thwarting rural business owners.

TN group takes up nuclear weapons prohibition at UN meeting

play audio
Play

Wednesday, October 4, 2023   

A Knoxville group of concerned citizens will head next month to an international meeting at United Nations headquarters in New York. Their focus is the total elimination of nuclear weapons.

Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was passed in 2021. It makes all facets of nuclear weaponry illegal under international law, from development and testing, to stockpiling weapons.

Tanvi Kardile, coordinator of the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, said 69 countries have ratified the treaty. An additional 28 countries have signed, but not ratified it.

"The U.S. has not signed on to this treaty," Kardile pointed out. "The treaty does require that every year, the states' parties, they meet once a year to discuss the treaty next steps, kind of like put more flesh on the bones, actually make plans on how they're going to move forward with this."

The meeting is Nov. 27 to Dec. 1. Kardile noted it coincides with her group's goal to stop construction at the Uranium Processing Facility, part of the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Proponents of the weapons plant point to the jobs and economic impact it has for the local area.

Kardile said they are taking a group of students to the meeting. While in New York, they will attend a movie screening and meet with representatives who have supported the treaty.

"There's not a lot of young people involved in nuclear weapons issues, even though it directly ties to climate change and other things that young people are passionate about," Kardile acknowledged. "They're the ones who are going to be showing up to the polls and going to be voting. We're taking groups of students from Tennessee, Portland and Pennsylvania."

Kardile added it is important for Tennesseans to stay informed on this issue, as they are directly affected by it, with the Y-12 weapons complex in Oak Ridge.

Disclosure: The Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance contributes to our fund for reporting on Environment, Nuclear Waste, Peace, and Social Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.

References:  
Air data EPA 12/06/2022

get more stories like this via email
more stories
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at a political event in Grand Rapids, Mich., in early 2024. (The White House/Wikimedia Commons)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Vice President Kamala Harris focused on reproductive rights at a campaign event in Michigan Wednesday. Her remarks come as President Joe Biden has …


Environment

play sound

Construction could begin in Minnesota later this year in the final phase of one of the nation's largest solar energy developments, after state …

Social Issues

play sound

Thousands of educators from across the nation will be in Houston starting this weekend for the American Federation of Teachers annual convention…


The Illinois State Board of Education report card said O'Fallon Township High School HSD #203 is currently only funded at 64%. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

By Kristy Alpert for Arts Midwest.Broadcast version by Terri Dee for Illinois News Connection reporting for the Arts Midwest-Public News Service Colla…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Counterfeit medicine sales are on the rise, in Connecticut and nationwide. The state faced trouble with growing sales of counterfeit Xanax pills …

"Arizonans understand that it is insane to risk Phoenix or Tempe for Odesa or some corn field in Ukraine. It is not in our national interest to get involved," said U.S. Rep. Alexander Kolodin, R-Ariz. (Gage Skidmore / Flickr)

Social Issues

play sound

More than 2,400 delegates gathered in Milwaukee this week for the Republican National Convention and delegates from around the country, including …

Environment

play sound

So far, states like Wisconsin have largely escaped the worst of the summer heat affecting much of the nation but a group of scientists wants regional …

Social Issues

play sound

Postsecondary enrollment data for 2023 shows community college enrollment increased nationwide by more than 100,000 students, and a large percentage …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021