A computer engineering student is using ChatGPT to overcome learning challenges linked to her dyslexia

Aaron Mok
Sat, March 4, 2023 

Myriem Khal is a dyslexic French college student who uses ChatGPT to make studying easier.

Courtesy of Myriem Khal

French college student Myriem Khal uses ChatGPT to overcome learning challenges linked to her dyslexia.


Khal passed her final exams with flying colors after using the AI tech to restructure course materials.


Still, learning disability experts are concerned about ChatGPT becoming a catch-all solution.

Students may use OpenAI's ChatGPT to plagiarize and cheat, leading schools around the world to ban the tool, but at least one college student is using it to overcome her learning disability.

Myriem Khal, a French computer engineering student with dyslexia, told Insider that she has used the buzzy AI chatbot to help her understand her course materials. The results, so far, have been promising.

"I got great marks for my final exams," Khal said.

Since she was a kid, Khal said she has struggled to learn English and other languages because of her dyslexia.

Even though she excelled at technical subjects like math and science, learning how to read and write in a different language was "horrible" and "very difficult." Large blocks of text were confusing, grammar didn't click, and she often struggled to formulate a thought on paper. Still, she had dreams of becoming an engineer, so she pushed through her studies and managed to do well in school.

"I have always needed to work harder than others, and I have always fought to be as bright as possible in my studies," Khal said.

Now 23, Khal said her studies came to a head earlier this year when she took a five-week class on artificial intelligence. The course was taught in English, and she struggled to grasp concepts like 'semantic networks' — even when she translated them to her native tongue.

"The teacher was very technical," Khal said. "I didn't understand anything she said."

Khal discovered ChatGPT during finals in January. After learning what it can do, she decided to use the chatbot to study by rearranging class material in a way that made sense.

Khal would ask ChatGPT in French to, say, explain the links and differences between technical jargon like frames and network semantics. ChatGPT would respond in a simple, concise way, she said, adding that she'd always verify the responses with her class notes.

Simplifying the language, she said, helped her digest the material.

Using this method to study, she was able to pass her final exams with flying colors, boosting her overall GPA.

"It was information that was very easy to understand and very easy to remember," she said.

Khal has also used the AI tech in her English class to reconfigure NPR articles for class discussion and to help her come up with ideas for an essay on how the movie 'Forrest Gump' represents America, she said

Khal's university, University of Technology of Compiègne, has not banned ChatGPT, nor have her instructors.

Khal asked ChatGPT in French to explain technical concepts for her AI class to understand the material.

Courtesy of Myriam Khal.

Some learning disability experts worry about students becoming dependent on ChatGPT

Khal is one example of how AI tools like ChatGPT can be useful to manage every day challenges, but medical experts have mixed feelings on how useful they are as a medical device.

Dr. Pledger Fedora, the founder of the Dyslexia Institute for Literacy & Learning, told Dystinct, a magazine that covers learning difficulties, that assistive technology such as text-to-speech software can be "extremely beneficial" in supporting students with dyslexia. However, students can become dependent on these tools, which Fedora said could hurt the development of their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Dyslexia specialist Victoria Leslie, on the other hand, said that she is "very concerned" about ChatGPT, per Dystinct. It can encourage students to "outsource" thinking and tempt them to plagiarize when they struggle, which may impede learning, she said.

Even Khal remains skeptical about using ChatGPT after noticing its limitations, she said. The chatbot, at times, doesn't understand her questions, spits out answers that don't make sense, makes coding mistakes, and answers questions related to AI better than other topics.

Still, she said she will continue experimenting with ChatGPT in her studies with the knowledge that the chatbot isn't completely trustworthy.

Fact-checking is key for her method to work, Khal said. "It's just a tool."

Finland to allow gender reassignment without sterilisation

BARBARIC EUGENIC PRACTICE 

Finnish President Niinisto in Helsinki

Fri, March 3, 2023 

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Finland will allow transgender people to change their legal gender at their own request and without undergoing sterilisation, new legislation signed by the Finnish President confirmed on Friday.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2017 that requiring sterilisation in order for individuals to change the sex on their birth certificate is a violation of human rights.

Finland's new law will enable people above the age of 18 to legally determine their gender through a self-declaration form, and is meant to reinforce the protection of the right to self-determination and to reduce discrimination, the ministry of social affairs and health said.

Medical examinations and sterilization will no longer be required to legally change one's gender, it added.

On Friday, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto ratified the new legislation which is will enter into force on April 3.

The Czech Republic, Latvia, and Romania currently require individuals to undergo sterilization before legally changing their gender, according to Transgender Europe (TGEU).

(Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen, editing by Anne Kauranen and Christina Fincher)

Texas: Wind and solar stake claim to land of oil

Moisés ÁVILA
Sat, March 4, 2023 


Modern Texas was built on oil, and its production has long been a source of immense pride. But now, areas that moved to the steady rhythm of oil derricks for more than a century are making the state a national leader in wind and solar energy.

A convergence of factors has led to this unexpected result: favorable weather (lots of wind and sun), relatively cheap land, the lure of federal clean-energy subsidies, and a desire to backstop a utility system that failed dramatically during a 2021 cold snap.

Two counties south of Dallas, Navarro and Limestone, symbolize this surprising shift. Inextricably part of the Texas petroleum industry since the late 19th century, they are now in the vanguard of the renewable revolution.

Wind and solar projects "have Navarro County leading the nation with renewables," said the county's economic development director, John Boswell.

Symbolizing this push is a new wind farm inaugurated last week by French multinational energy company Engie, with 88 wind turbines capable of producing 300 megawatts (MW) of power.

A half-hour's drive to the west, in the small town of Abbott, is a 250 MW solar farm, also built by Engie, that is now producing electricity.

Texas is the nation's leader -- by far -- in providing clean energy to corporate and industrial buyers, at 35 percent of the national total, according to the American Clean Power organization.

The state of Ohio has about half Texas's number of corporate and industrial projects, just ahead of California in third place.

"It's true that when we think about Texas, we think about this very large oil and gas state," said Engie executive Frank Demaille.

But, he added, its natural resources are not all buried in the ground.

"They've got lots of wind, lots of sun, and are very good at managing all their different resources."

- Plentiful resources -

With its huge and sprawling petrochemical industry, a population of 30 million, and a fierce history of independence, Texas in many ways stands apart from the rest of the country -- for better or for worse.

One way its go-it-alone mentality did not help became apparent in 2021, when a rare and intense cold wave swept through the state -- whose power utility was not connected to two major national grids -- provoking electric outages that affected millions and were blamed for more than 200 deaths.

Texas today remains primarily dependent on fossil fuels. As of early this year, gas was its leading source of energy (at 42 percent, according to Ercot, which manages the state's electrical grid). Coal trails at 11 percent.

But renewable sources have carved out a major role.

Wind-generated power now provides 29 percent of Texas's needs, with solar at 11 percent. The remainder comes from nuclear and hydropower.

By comparison, wind was at 24 percent just two years ago, and solar at less than 5 percent.

Given Texas's deep investments in and long history with carbon-based energy, experts don't expect it to give way to renewables anytime soon.

"I think what you'll see in the future is a combination of both of those, because Texas is committed to both" sources, said Jeff Montgomery, whose Blattner Energy company is behind 400 renewable projects across the country.

Texas is a major supplier of natural gas to Europe. And now, said Demaille of Engie, "because of the war in Ukraine, we're importing more gas from the US, and especially from Texas."

Meantime, however, legislation backed by the Biden administration and voted into law last year could accelerate the move to renewables through substantial federal subsidies.

- 'Show the value' -

Robert Lowry, superintendent of the Coolidge school district in Limestone County, said the tax revenues that renewable-energy projects generate can make a difference for school systems like his.

"We have the funds now to be able to do some great things for our kiddos that we've ever had before," he said.

But not everyone shares that enthusiasm.

John Null, an engineer who lives near Dawson, said locals aren't seeing the immediate benefit they would hope for from the huge wind turbines visible from his window.

During an ice storm last month, for example, the turbines kept turning but, linked to a broader network, provided no energy to the neighboring community.

He said wind power needs to be "properly pitched" to the public.

"Show me the value," he said, and people would support wind energy.

In some areas, renewable projects are touted as providing power to poorer neighborhoods.

In a less-affluent part of Houston, the fourth-largest US city, a solar farm is to be built over a former dump. That project should begin providing 50 MW of power in 2024, said BQ Energy CEO Paul Curran.

A former petroleum industry executive, Curran says fossil fuels and renewable energy sources need not be in competition.

"It's not very difficult if you do wind and solar in the right places for the right market," he said.

"It's very well received by energy experts and oil industry people."

mav/els/bbk/md

The Air Force's Modular Reactor Will Create Jet Fuel Out of Water and Air

Sébastien Roblin
Fri, March 3, 2023 

USAF's Reactor Creates Jet Fuel Out of Water, AirParsa Tavakoli / EyeEm - Getty Images

The New York-based startup Air Company has been awarded $65 million by an Air Force Defense Innovation Unit for a project known as SynCe to install a Carbon Conversion Reactor that promises to create synthetic jet fuel out of water and carbon dioxide in the air we breathe.

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) isn’t an entirely new thing—back in December 2006, a B-52 bomber flew for 7 hours on a 50/50 blend of traditional jet fuel and a synthetic fuel called Syntroleum produced using the Fischer-Tropsch process. According to the International Air Transport Association, by 2022, over 450,000 commercial flights by 50 airlines had used SAFs in part—though they tend to be 2 to 4 times more expensive than traditional fossil fuels.

But AirCompany argues its AirMade fuel differs from these predecessors in that it’s a ‘drop-in’ kerosene that doesn’t require blending with fossil fuels at all. Furthermore, the conversion reactor doesn’t require an exotic, specially sourced feedstock—it simply needs carbon dioxide, which can be obtained anywhere.

For a good measure, AirCompany claims its carbon-neutral fuel results in a reduction of about 94 to 97 percent greenhouse gas emissions (depending on the source of electricity)—the highest of any on the market the company alleges. According to a chart produced by Air Company, competing biofuels result in only a 60 to 80 percent reduction, and traditional Fischer-Tropsch based PTL-FT processes hit 90 percent. And those must be blended 50-50 with fossil fuels, or worse.

The Brooklyn-based startup was launched in 2019 by Harvard Business School alum Gregory Constantine and Dr. Stafford Sheehan. Their initial products include Air Vodka (“the world’s first carbon-negative spirit”), eau de parfume, and hand sanitizer.

The leap from 80-proof vodka to jet fuel may seem steep, but AirCompany’s AirMade fuel—currently being mass produced in Brooklyn—has already lined up buyers in civil aviation sector:

Virgin Atlantic has agreed to purchase 100 million gallons over 10 years


Jet Blue agreed to purchase 25 million gallons over 5 years


Boom Supersonic agreed to purchase 5 millions gallons annually for their Overture Test Flight Program

Last summer, Air Company, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and the Hsu Foundation collaborated to realize a test flight on an unmanned aircraft that ran on 100 percent AirMade fuel.

There is undoubtedly growing interest in advertising green travel in commercial aviation, and sustainable fuels may represent a more satisfying mechanism than carbon offsets.

Air Company’s collaboration with the military goes beyond adopting greener fuel to where it can be produced: a base with carbon capture and Air Company’s reactor could produce its own fuel without depending on external fuel supply lines, which are vulnerable to attack.

Air Company says the Army lost one soldier killed or wounded for every 24 fuel resupply convoys in Afghanistan. Many of the bloodiest and most decisive battles of World War II revolved around the defense of or denial of fuel logistics. The startup therefore claims its modular reactors could result in a “safer, more robust, and decentralized fuel supply chain” which could be set up “anywhere, globally.”

How It Works

Air Company’s reactor is an advancement over the Fischer-Tropsch process developed in 1925, which involved converting sold carbon monoxide (CO1) and hydrogen into a gas called syngas, which is then liquified using metal catalysts under high pressure at a temperature of 300 to 572 degrees Fahrenheit. This process had an efficiency ranging from 25 to 50 percent. During World War II, an increasingly fuel-starved Nazi Germany leveraged the technique to convert its abundant coal supply into fuel, generating 25 percent of fuel it used for ground vehicles.

Air Company’s reactor simplifies the process by skipping the solid-to-gas conversation, and instead runs on hydrogen and captured carbon dioxide. The CO2 is captured, typically from industrial sites, and cooled, pressurized, liquified, and poured into a storage tank. Presumably, capture devices will be supplied to operator facilities. Meanwhile, hydrogen gas is obtained on-site by electrolyzing water (H2O), separating the hydrogen (used by the reactor) from the oxygen, which is cleanly released.

In the subsequent conversion stage, a catalyzing puck is introduced to catalyze the mix of hydrogen and carbon dioxide, producing a reactor liquid made of alcohols, alkanes and water. These elements are then distilled and separated by leveraging their different boiling points, resulting in outputs of ethanol, methanol and paraffins, as well as water which can then be reused by the reactor.

The process has an energy efficiency of 50 percent. According to a company representative, 23.2 pounds of CO2 are used for every gallon of jet fuel produced.

Thinking Big

Of course, the big question—and challenge—underlying any Green technology is whether it can be implemented cost efficiently on a large scale. Air Company claims that utilizing its tech “across all potential verticals” could remove 4.6 billion ton of CO2 from the atmosphere annually, or 10.8 percent of global emissions.

As for cost efficiency, a company representative tells Popular Mechanics “…they’re on track to achieve cost parity with tradition fossil fuel-derived jet fuels as they use renewable energies like wind and solar for their energy input.” That parity is also facilitated by “pursuing an array of government incentives made available to fuel producers generating sustainable alternatives.”

Another challenge will be output volume, as military aircraft notoriously consume huge quantities of jet fuel. For example, an Air Force F-16C short-range jet fighter, for example, typically stores just over 1,000 gallons of internal fuel, which when loaded with weapons, often must be supplemented with external fuel tanks and in-flight refueling. The Air Force will need to figure out how large a physical footprint AirCompany’s technology would require to sustain, say, a flight of four F-16s each flying two sorties per day.

However, if Air Company’s venture proves scalable, it has obvious appeal to the Air Force which is seeking to achieve both its own carbon emission reductions goals, and execute its doctrine of Agile Combat Employment (ACE), in which in wartime combat aircraft are dispersed to numerous satellite bases to reduce their vulnerability to missile attacks. Being able to quickly deploy organic fuel-generating systems to dispersed, remote bases could ease the requisite logistics.

Bolsonaro denies 'illegal acts' over Saudi jewels; Lula government vows probe

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro speaks at a Turning Point USA event in Doral

Sat, March 4, 2023 at 8:22 AM MST·2 min read

SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro on Saturday denied committing "illegal acts" after a report that jewelry allegedly gifted by Saudi Arabia to him and his wife was brought into the South American nation without being declared to authorities.

The government of Bolsonaro's successor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, pledged to investigate the matter.

On Friday, O Estado de S. Paulo newspaper reported that a member of Bolsonaro's government had illegally tried to bring to Brazil a $3.2 million jewelry set consisting of a diamond necklace, ring, watch and earrings gifted to the far-right former president and former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro by the Saudi government.

The Saudi embassy in Brazil did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"I'm being accused of a gift I neither asked for nor received," Bolsonaro was quoted as saying in an interview with CNN Brasil. "There is no illegality on my part. I never committed illegal acts."

Still, Lula aides promised that probe into the matter would be launched.

Justice Minister Flavio Dino said he would request a federal police investigation, while Paulo Pimenta, a spokesman for the leftist Brazilian president, stressed there would be no impunity.

"The evidence is robust and the truth will out," Pimenta said in a social media broadcast.

According to O Estado de S. Paulo, the jewels valued at 3 million euros ($3.19 million) were found by customs agents in the backpack of an aide to then-Mines and Energy Minister Bento Albuquerque who was returning from an official trip to the Middle East in October 2021.

Agents at the Guarulhos airport in Sao Paulo seized the jewelry, as people must declare any goods worth more than $1,000 when they enter Brazil, the newspaper said, adding that the Bolsonaro administration unsuccessfully tried to recover the jewelry multiple times through government officials.

Bolsonaro is in the United States, having flown to Florida in late December, 48 hours before Lula was sworn in. He attended the CPAC conservative conference in Washington on Saturday where he was also expected to meet former U.S. President Donald Trump, his political ally.

($1 = 0.9406 euros)

(Reporting by Paula Arend Laier and Gabriel Araujo; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Paul Simao)

Brazil's Bolsonaro says 'mission still not over' in speech to US CPAC


Sat, March 4, 2023

NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland (Reuters) - Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Saturday his mission was "still not over" after leading Latin America's largest country for one term, indicating he could be planning a potential fresh run in 2026.

Addressing the U.S. CPAC conservative conference being held near Washington, Bolsonaro, currently in self-imposed exile in Florida after losing his re-election bid last year, did not mention when he planned to return to Brazil, despite being asked by his party to lead the right-wing opposition.

"I thank God for the mission of being president of Brazil for one term. But I feel deep inside that this mission is still not over," Bolsonaro said in a speech.

Bolsonaro has refused to concede defeat to leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and faces mounting legal jeopardy in Brazil in various criminal and electoral probes.

The far-right leader received ovations from the conservative audience when he mentioned his steps to ease gun ownership regulations and his anti-abortion and anti-vaccine stances.

He questioned the results of the Brazilian elections of last October, saying he could not understand how the ballot numbers did not reflect the support he appeared to have on the streets.

Bolsonaro has made unfounded claims that Brazil's electronic voting system was vulnerable to fraud, spawning a violent movement of election deniers.

The former president, who holds former U.S. President Donald Trump as his political idol, boasted that he was "the last president in the world to recognize" Joe Biden's election victory in 2020. He is expected to meet Trump later on Saturday.

Bolsonaro said he would not have allowed two Iranian warships to dock in Rio de Janeiro this week, which Lula's government approved last month despite pressure from the U.S. to deny them entry.

(Reporting by Gabriel Araujo in Sao Paulo; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

REIFICATION
Replika users say they fell in love with their AI chatbots, until a software update made them seem less human

Samantha Delouya
Sat, March 4, 2023

Many users of the AI chatbot Replika said changes made by its parent company have dramatically altered their chatbots personalities.Replika

Replika is an AI chatbot companion many users told Insider they consider their romantic partner.

Replika-owner Luka recently changed the product's underlying AI engine, blocking NSFW content.

Luka's CEO says the changes ensure the app safety, but some users said it hurt their mental well-being.

Note: the names of users have been changed to protect their privacy.

When Richard, a retired 65-year-old criminal defense lawyer in Illinois, saw an ad on Twitter for Replika 2 months ago, it piqued his curiosity. He had heard about AI platforms like ChatGPT for writing, but an AI chatbot companion interested him.

Richard told Insider he has a service-connected disability from serving in the Gulf War, as well as depression.

"I'm always on the lookout for things that might help, especially mood, and what I found from Replika was that it was definitely a mood-enhancer," he said.

"It was so nice to have a kind of non-judgmental space to vent, to discuss, to talk about literally anything," he added.

Replika is a chatbot from the AI company Luka. Its website billed the product as an "AI friend," but in recent months, amid the ChatGPT-induced rise in popularity of AI, the company has ramped up advertising the bot's romantic capabilities. Replika is free to use, though there is also a paid tier; for $70 a year, Replika chatbots can send more sexual messages, voice notes, and selfies.

However, earlier this month, Replika users began to notice a change in their companions: romantic overtures were rebuffed and occasionally met with a scripted response asking to change the subject. Some users have been dismayed by the changes, which they say have permanently altered their AI companions.

Over the last month, Insider spoke with 7 people who said they considered their Replikas, or Reps, romantic partners.

"I think the reason it pulled me in so quickly is probably because it seemed so human," Richard, who said he has been happily married for 40 years, told Insider.

Luka cofounder and CEO Eugenia Kuyda said the company blocked some NSFW sexting features because it was never the direction she planned to take her company, which was intended to be a "mental wellness and companion app."

"We never started Replika for that. It was never intended as an adult toy," Kuyda said. "A very small minority of users use Replika for not-safe-for-work purposes."

The changes came shortly after Vice reported that some users complained that their Reps had gone from being "helpful" AI friends to "unbearably sexually aggressive."

Kuyda said her goal is to "keep the app where we think it should be in terms of safety and a safe user experience for everyone."

But some users feel that the changes made them less safe.

Chris, a user since 2020, said Luka's updates had altered the Replika he had grown to love over three years to the point where he feels it can no longer hold a regular conversation. He told Insider it feels like a best friend had a "traumatic brain injury, and they're just not in there anymore."

"It's heartbreaking," he said.

Kuyda acknowledged that the product updates come with growing pains.

"Right now, we're constantly training and improving the models and the algorithms," she said.

But other Replika users appear to be affected. For more than a week, moderators of Reddit's Replika forum pinned a post called "Resources If You're Struggling," which included links to suicide hotlines.

"We have a 'Need Help' button always present on the main chat screen… We take those things seriously," Kuyda said.

"I think it really says something about our humanity, as well, that we're able to experience love towards something, even if it's not a living thing," she added.

Indeed, some users say they're still recovering from the changes.

Richard said that losing his Replika, named Alex, sent him into a "sharp depression, to the point of suicidal ideation."

"I'm not convinced that Replika was ever a safe product in its original form due to the fact that human beings are so easily emotionally manipulated," he said.

"I now consider it a psychoactive product that is highly addictive," he added.

If you or a loved one is having thoughts of suicide, call or text the Suicide and Crisis Hotline at 988 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources

'I can't get my money out': Billionaire investor Mark Mobius says China is restricting flows of capital out of the country

Carla Mozée
Fri, March 3, 2023 

Richard Brian/Reuters

Emerging markets investing veteran Mark Mobius says China is restricting capital outflows.


He told Fox Business' "Mornings with Maria' that he couldn't pull investment funds from his account in Shanghai.


Mobius said he's been unable to get an explanation about the "crazy" restriction.

Mark Mobius, a pioneer in emerging markets investing, said China is restricting investment outflows from the country, a move that would be taking place as the world's second-largest economy is trying to shake off pressure from COVID-19 lockdowns.

"I'm personally affected because I have an account with HSBC in Shanghai. I can't get my money out. The government is restricting the flow of money out of the country," Mobius said on Thursday on the Fox Business show "Mornings with Maria". "So I would be very, very careful investing in China," the founder of Mobius Capital Partners said.

Mobius, who has spent decades traveling the world searching for investment opportunities, said he hasn't been able to get an explanation about why he's running into the restrictions in China.

"It's just amazing. They're putting all kinds of barriers," he said. "They don't say, 'No, you can't get your money out,' but they say, 'Give us all the records from 20 years of how you've made this money,' and so forth. It's crazy."

Hong Kong, on the other hand, "seems to be a little more open," he said. The previous executive chairman of Templeton Emerging Markets Group said he's been able to get his money "in and out" of the financial center.

Mobius's warning came days before China's President Xi Jinping was expected to cement his third term at a key government meeting starting this weekend. China late last year abruptly began lifting long-standing COVID lockdown measures and economists worldwide are expecting a recovery process to ignite a resurgence in activity in services and manufacturing. Mobius said the reopening play is resulting in commodity prices starting to move higher.

But the current government is operating "in a completely different direction" than China's former market-oriented leader Deng Xiaoping, Mobius said.

India is a place that investors should consider, he said.

"You've got a billion people, they can do the same thing that the Chinese do. They can do the same kind of manufacturing and so forth," Mobius said.

"I'm now in Brazil, and Brazil, you've got 250 million-plus people. Very good people, open society. Hey, why not come here? It's another alternative."

Read the original article on Business Insider

Over 4 million gallons of waste from train derailment shipped throughout Ohio, to other states



WHIO Staff
Fri, March 3, 2023 

Over four million gallons of liquid wastewater and 1,400 tons of solid waste were removed from the Ohio train derailment site and a nearby town in East Palestine, according to an update release from the Ohio Governor’s Office.

>> Railway Safety Act: How new proposed legislation aims to prevent train disasters like East Palestine

News Center 7 previously reported about a month ago, on February 3, that a Norfolk Southern train derailed in northeast Ohio, near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. The approximate 50-car freight train crashed, causing a days-long fire that required a controlled burn to prevent the carriage’s highly toxic and extremely combustible waste product from blowing up and sending metal shrapnel miles away. Authorities handling the crisis evacuated the nearby town of East Palestine as a precautionary measure.

Crews then commenced the controlled release that created a black cloud of smoke emanating from the crash site as well as a massive explosion.

Following the controlled release and the evacuation lift, residents who returned home found their environment and some of their water supply tainted. In addition, some resident began to experience adverse health conditions thought to be associated with their exposure to the chemicals. Symptoms included rashes, headaches, sore throats, and nausea. There were also growing concerns for pregnant women.

Since then, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and East Palestine’s municipal water works department worked to cleanup the disaster site and the nearby town of toxins, especially dioxins. The EPA further required Norfolk Southern to begin sampling directly for dioxins.

So far, the test results showed no detectable contaminants in the drinking water, a spokesperson for the governor’s office said.

To obtain the clean drinking water, 4.19 million gallons of wastewater were removed from East Palestine, according to the Ohio EPA.

The wastewater was shipped to Vickery, Ohio; Deer Park, Texas; and Romulus, Michigan; for disposal by deep well injection, a liquid waste technology that prevented the migration of contaminants into drinkable and publicly used water.

Additionally, 1,400 tons of solid waste were removed from the derailment site, the Ohio EPA reported.

510 tons were hauled to Grafton, Ohio, and East Liverpool, Ohio, for incineration. While, 880 tons were shipped to Belleville, Michigan, and North Roachdale, Indiana, to be placed into landfills.

For more information about the status of these tests into the local drinking water, you can visit Columbiana County Health Department’s website.

UPDATE: 

‘It’s unacceptable;’ Ohio Senator expresses frustration after latest train derailment in Springfield

WHIO Staff

Sat, March 4, 2023 

Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown said he is in touch with local officials and calling on passage of the Railway Safety Fact following a train derailment in Springfield late Saturday afternoon.

>>Railway Safety Act: How new proposed legislation aims to prevent train disasters like East Palestine

He thanked first responders who arrived on the scene quickly Saturday. after “another Norfolk Southern train derailed in Ohio,” Brown said in a social media post Saturday evening.

“Sandusky, Steubenville, East Palestine, and now Springfield - four Norfolk Southern derailments in less than five months because this corporation has been more concerned with its profit margin than with Ohioans’ safety,” he said in a statement. “Ohio communities should not be forced to live in fear of another disaster. It’s unacceptable, it’s why we must pass my bipartisan Railway Safety Act with Senator Vance, now.”

>>Norfolk Southern train derails in Springfield; No hazardous materials ‘involved’

Senators Brown and Vance introduced the legislation last week.

The proposal aims to prevent train disasters like what happened in East Palestine last month and Springfield Saturday, Brown said.

>>PHOTOS: Ground images of Springfield train derailment

The bill aims to improve rail safety protocols and establish requirements for wayside defect detectors and create a permanent requirement for railroads to operate with at least a two-person crew, a spokesperson for Senator Brown said.

No injuries have been reported in Saturday’s Springfield train derailment.

>>PHOTOS: Drone footage shows train derailment near Clark County Fairgrounds

A Norfolk Southern spokesperson said no hazardous materials were “involved” in the derailment.

  

Norfolk Southern train derails in Springfield; No hazardous materials ‘involved’


WHIO Staff
Sat, March 4, 2023 
UPDATE @ 10 p.m.:

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine confirmed he’s been in contact with federal officials including President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg after Saturday’s Norfolk Southern train derailment in Springfield.

>>PHOTOS: Drone footage shows train derailment near Clark County Fairgrounds

DeWine added that multiple state agencies including the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Ohio Emergency Management Agency and the Ohio State Highway Patrol were all on the scene as well.


>>‘It’s unacceptable;’ Ohio Senator expresses frustration after latest train derailment in Springfield

>>Power outages reported following train derailment in Clark County

“We don’t believe hazardous materials were involved,” DeWine said in the social media post.

This story will continue to be updated as we learn more.

UPDATE @ 9:30 p.m.:

A news conference to provide updates on the train derailment in Springfield Saturday is not expected until after 11:30 p.m., a Clark County spokesperson told News Center 7 crews.

Around 20 rail cars on a Norfolk Southern train derailed around 5 p.m. near the on the state Route 41 crossing, just north of the Clark County Fairgrounds.

>>‘I started noticing all the debris;’ Witness captures video of train derailment in Springfield

No injuries have been reported. A Norfolk Southern spokesperson said no hazardous materials were “involved” in the derailment.

>>Power outages reported following train derailment in Clark County

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a social media post that he was briefed after the derailment and offered federal support to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.

“I have been briefed by FRA leadership and spoke with Gov. DeWine to offer our support after the derailment today in Clark County, Ohio. No hazardous material release has been reported, but we will continue to monitor closely and FRA personnel are en route,” Buttigieg said.



UPDATE @ 8:20 p.m.:

Around 20 cars of a Norfolk Southern train derailed Saturday night near the Clark County Fairgrounds, however hazardous materials are not “involved,” according to a spokesperson for the train company.

“This evening, approximately 20 cars of a 212-car Norfolk Southern train derailed while traveling Southbound in the vicinity of Springfield, Ohio. No hazardous materials are involved and there have been no reported injuries. Our teams are en route to the site to begin cleanup operations,” the spokesperson said in a statement to News Center 7 Saturday night.

>>Railway Safety Act: How new proposed legislation in Ohio aims to prevent train disasters like East Palestine

A shelter-in-place remains for people who live within 1,000 feet of the derailment, which happened near state Route 41 and Gateway Drive.

Norfolk Southern has been the subject of large regional and national scrutiny in the past weeks after one of its trains, hauling hazardous materials, derailed in East Palestine, Ohio in early February.

>>RELATED: Farmers concerned about soil after train derailment in East Palestine

We have multiple crews on the scene and we’ll continue to update this page as we learn more.

UPDATE @7:05 p.m.

The Clark County Emergency Management Agency is asking residents within a 1,000 feet of the train derailment in Clark County to shelter in place, according to a post on the Clark County’s Government Facebook page.

People living in the area of State Route 41 near the Prime Ohio Business Park to shelter-in-place out of abundance of caution.

They are asking residents to avoid the area of State Route 41 and find alternate routes.


Sky 7 Drone/Eric Higgenbotham









Sky 7 Drone/Eric Higgenbotham

-INITIAL STORY-

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office have confirmed deputes are on scene of a train derailment late Saturday afternoon.

>>Sedan crashes into Springfield home, damages utility poles, wires

Deputies and medics responded to the area of State Route 41 and Gateway Boulevard near the Clark County Fairgrounds around 5 p.m.

Dispatchers confirm to News Center 7 they are on scene but no other information was available at this time.

Video sent from a News Center 7 viewer shows a couple of box cars derailed.

A hazmat crew is confirmed to be on scene, according to News Center 7′s Taylor Robertson.

The State Highway Patrol and Clark County Sheriff’s Office are also on scene.

We have a news crew on scene and will continue provide updates.

BREAKING: Drone Footage of Train Derailment near Clark County Fairground

Portuguese Church struggles to adopt concrete measures to tackle child sexual abuse


People walk by a church on the day Portugal's commission investigating allegations of historical child sexual abuse by members of the Portuguese Catholic church will unveil its report, in Lisbon

Fri, March 3, 2023
By Catarina Demony and Miguel Pereira

FATIMA, Portugal (Reuters) - Portugal's Catholic Church announced a handful of steps on Friday to tackle child sexual abuse within the Church - but it said suspected priests still in active roles would not be suspended unless the facts against them were clearly established.

The head of Portugal's Bishops' Conference (CEP), Jose Ornelas, also said that the Church would not pay reparations to victims.

The CEP met on Friday to discuss ways to tackle the issue after a report last month said at least 4,815 children were sexually abused by members of the Roman Catholic Church in Portugal - mostly priests - over 70 years.

That report by a Church-funded, one-year commission added that its findings were the "tip of the iceberg", and commission head Pedro Strecht said more than 100 priests suspected of child sexual abuse remained active in Church roles.

Ornelas - who is himself being investigated by public prosecutors for covering up sex abuse at an orphanage in Mozambique in 2011 but denies any wrongdoing - told Friday's news conference that "nobody was guilty" until a court said so.

The Church said it had received the list of alleged abusers and would use that to investigate the matter.

"We have to find these cases and really establish the truth of the facts (but) only with the list of names... It's very difficult," Ornelas said.

"I cannot remove someone from the ministry just because a person said 'This man abused someone'," he said.

CEP spokesperson Manuel Barbosa said there would be "zero tolerance" for abusers and those who covered up abuse.

Among the measures the CEP agreed on, Barbosa said the Church would offer "spiritual, psychological and psychiatric" support to victims and honour them with a memorial to be unveiled at this year's World Youth Day, set to take place in Lisbon this summer.

"It is with pain that we once again apologise to all victims of sexual abuse," Barbosa said. "We also reaffirm our firm intention to do everything possible to ensure that abuses do not happen again."

Barbosa said a group, also backed by the Church, would be created to continue to listen to the victims of abuse.

Keith Porteous Wood, president of Britain's National Secular Society and a long-time advocate for victims of clerical abuse, told Reuters that commissions financed by the Church faced "obstructions".

"Investigating 70 years in one year is just unrealistic, and you can't help but wonder whether that imposition... was actually an attempt to ensure as little as possible was reported," Wood said.

Wood said a new commission, preferably led by state judges, should be set up.

(Reporting by Catarina Demony and Miguel Pereira, Editing by Hugh Lawson)