USATODAY/LOHUD 02/15/24 By Michael Shank and Courtney Williams At the end of January, one of New York State’s dirtiest trash incinerators owned by WIN Waste marked 40 years of operation and trash burning. No one who lives near it, however, is celebrating. The local community of Peekskill, New York, which […]

JOURNAL NEWS 05/22/17 By Michael Shank This year is shaping up to be another “hottest year on record”, as February was the planet’s warmest month ever recorded. These aren’t anomalies. There’s a trend developing. The last few years have been surpassing previous temperature precedents, with 2016 going down as the […]

JOURNAL NEWS 03/21/17 By Michael Shank America has a dangerous addiction to plastic. If recent trends in New York State are any indication, it’s not going away anytime soon, thanks to multi-million-dollar lobbying by the plastics industry. The recent showdown over plastic bag fees in Albany shows the unwillingness of […]

JOURNAL NEWS 02/13/17 By Michael Shank Food and fashion are among the industries contributing to climate change, writer says As climate change becomes more visible, with 2016 as the hottest year ever on record, Peekskill residents, myself included, organized an environmental film series to raise awareness about what we can […]

JOURNAL NEWS 10/12/16 By Michael Shank Bailouts are common in government — at the federal and state level and regardless of political party — and that’s what is happening now in New York for the nuclear industry. New York’s nuclear bailout is merely the latest example of business getting off […]

JOURNAL NEWS 09/14/16 By Michael Shank Film series raises awareness about threats to our health and our Hudson Valley home One year ago, I moved to Peekskill to have more nature in my life. While my professional path has kept me in the city, my preferred setting is where the air […]