In March 1979, Middletown Borough was home to approximately 11,000 residents. It was estimated at that time that 20 percent of the population packed up and temporarily left the area due to the uncertainty of what might transpire at Three Mile Island.
Photo courtesy of the the Historical Society of Dauphin County
Photo courtesy of the the Historical Society of Dauphin County
In March 1979, Middletown Borough was home to approximately 11,000 residents. It was estimated at that time that 20 percent of the population packed up and temporarily left the area due to the uncertainty of what might transpire at Three Mile Island.
From The Context, PA Post’s weekday email newsletter:
Photo courtesy of the the Historical Society of Dauphin County
In March 1979, Middletown was home to about 11,000 residents. It was estimated at that time that 20 percent of the population packed up and temporarily left the area due to the uncertainty of what might transpire at Three Mile Island.
Central Pa.’s population growth has outpaced infrastructure expansion during the past 40 years. That would cause major problems in the event of a mass evacuation along the lines of what happened in the wake of TMI’s near-meltdown. But others still are planning as best they can — particularly school officials, as WITF’s Katie Meyer reports in this story.
Penn State is expanding its nuclear engineering program, despite the uncertainty and renewed controversy surrounding the industry in Pennsylvania and nationwide. Reasons include an uptick in students majoring in the field and a recent philanthropic boost. PennLive’s Ron Southwick takes a closer look.
@witfnews continued to tweet into last weekend as if the Three Mile Island disaster happened in real time. And ICYM anything else from the series, you can find it in this wrap-up post.
Ed Mahon / PA Post
Bridgette May, a certified school nurse in the Erie City School District, speaks during a news conference at the state Capitol on March 26, 2019. “Becoming a school nurse was like a dream come true for my family and I,” she said. “However, the salary made it more like a nightmare when it came to making ends meet and supporting my family.”
We’ve heard about the proposal to pay public school educators at least $45,000 per year. PA Post’s Ed Mahon tells the story of one woman currently making less.
Public officials convicted of certain crimes will have a harder time cashing in on their government pensions, now that Gov. Tom Wolf has signed Act 1175 into effect. (It also happens to be Pennsylvania’s first new law of 2019, the Associated Press reports).
About 200 people packed a public meeting in Braddock to oppose natural gas drilling at U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson plant in the city about 8 miles from downtown Pittsburgh. The project is pending amid public criticism and scrutiny of U.S. Steel after its nearby Clairton facility had a fire that damaged emissions controls, causing air quality in the area to worsen dramatically in recent months. StateImpact Pennsylvania has more here.
