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The federal Environmental Protection Agency is asking for volunteers to participate in a community advisory group on the superfund sites in the northern Twin Cities suburb of Fridley.
The EPA and the state are cleaning up seven industrial sites near the Mississippi River. Neighbors are concerned because the population in that area has a higher cancer rate than the rest of the state. State officials say there is no evidence that contamination is the cause. The Health Department has said it is possible smoking or other behaviors could be behind the higher incidence.
The advisory group serves as an information conduit between residents and government agencies. It's inception came from a health fair last summer.
"It became very clear we hadn't done a very good job of keeping people up to date on work that had been done at the Superfund sites," Minnesota Pollution Control Agency spokesman Sam Brungardt said.
"It seemed like there was a lot of frustration in our community and that people wanted information, and this is a vehicle in which to help the community have a voice," said the group's Representative-elect Connie Bernardy.
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From an awards perspective, this week is expected to be extremely busy – perhaps the busiest since the Oscar season unofficially launched back in September at the Venice Film Festival. Academy Award nominations will be revealed Thursday morning, in the wee hours of the day. Later that night, Hollywood will gather for the annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards. And on Sunday, the industry continues to pat itself on the back with the Golden Globes. At least Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will be hosting, which should help make the event slightly more watchable.
In the days and hours leading up to the awards presentations, prominent critics' groups continue to throw their weight behind Oscar hopefuls, and the National Society of Film Critics backed a Best Picture longshot that still deserves as much love as it earns. Heck, the word "love" is the title of Michael Haneke's Amour, which was named Best Picture by the NSFC over the weekend, according to Variety. The group also honored Haneke for Best Director, and singled out the devastating Emanuelle Riva for Best Actress for portraying a woman stubbornly facing her final days.
The NSFC is made up of close to 60 film critics from various outlets around the country. Their influence is minimal when weighing the Academy's considerations, but publicity can only help films on the bubble as Oscar ballots are considered and handed in. The NSFC also supported Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, recognizing Daniel Day-Lewis in the Best Actor category and Tony Kushner for his screenplay. Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master nabbed recognitions to Amy Adams in the Supporting Actress slot and Mihai Malaimare Jr. for cinematography. Finally, Matthew McConaughey continued to score well with the critics' groups, earning Best Supporting Actor love for his turns in Magic Mike and Bernie.
Will these translate into Oscar nominations? In some cases yes, and in some, no. We'll find out on Thursday, but for now, these performers and creative talents have reason to celebrate.
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subset: commoncrawl