LINDSEY BLEST, Lancaster OnLine, Lancaster County, PA, July 13, 2018

A member of Hempfield School District’s board has been cited with disregarding flaggers’ commands in three incidents at a pipeline construction site over the past few months.

Daniel K. Forry, 77, of Prospect Road, Columbia, was recently cited with summary counts of harassment, disorderly conduct and obedience to authorized persons directing traffic, according to the Lancaster County district attorney’s office.

The citations were filed regarding Forry’s refusal to comply with flagger’s directives at an Indian Head Road work site, according to the district attorney’s office. The incidents happened on three occasions: March 16, March 31 and June 2.

On March 16 Forry was cited with disorderly conduct after he tapped a flagger with his front bumper, according to the district attorney’s office. He had refused to comply with a flagger’s directive not to pass due to workers on the road.

On March 31 Forry got out of his vehicle and yelled in a flagger’s face, according to the district attorney’s office. Forry did this “because he does not agree with the pipeline,” an officer said in his citation. He was charged with harassment.

On June 2 Forry ignored a flagger’s directions and hit the flagger while driving around him, according to the district attorney’s office. He was cited with violating obedience to authorized persons directing traffic.

No one was injured in the incidents, according to the district attorney’s office.

The citations were sent to Forry by West Hempfield Township police July 3. Reached by phone Friday, Forry said he does not talk to reporters.

Forry’s son, Daniel L. Forry, is the district’s chief operating officer.

School board President Bill Otto in a statement Friday said Forry’s actions were “outside his responsibilities as a Board member,” and that the board and district “do not condone his actions and will seek further details and information before making any further comment.”

At the district most recent school board meeting Tuesday, the citations against Daniel K. Forry were not discussed publicly. The board convened an executive session for three legal matters and personnel issues, but Forry was not discussed in those, either, according to district spokeswoman Shannon Zimmerman.

From Lorraine Chow, EcoWatch.com, January 26, 2018

Scientists announce the new Doomsday Clock setting at the National Press Club on January 25th.

The symbolic Doomsday Clock is ever closer to midnight, or the end of the world, scientists announced Thursday at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

The clock is now two minutes to midnight based on the predictions of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a non-profit organization that informs the public about threats to its survival due to nuclear threats, emerging technologies and climate change.

“This is the closest the Clock has ever been to Doomsday, and as close as it was in 1953, at the height of the Cold War,” the group said.

Last year, the Clock ticked forward an ominous two and a half minutes to midnight mostly thanks to President Donald Trump. The nuclear danger of a Trump presidency, combined with his and his administration’s climate denialism, heighten the risk of a global catastrophe, the group warned then.

As for this year, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists explained that the clock moved forward another 30 seconds because “in 2017, world leaders failed to respond effectively to the looming threats of nuclear war and climate change, making the world security situation more dangerous than it was a year ago—and as dangerous as it has been since World War II.”

“The greatest risks last year arose in the nuclear realm. North Korea’s nuclear weapons program appeared to make remarkable progress in 2017, increasing risks for itself, other countries in the region, and the United States,” the group continued. “Hyperbolic rhetoric and provocative actions on both sides have increased the possibility of nuclear war by accident or miscalculation.”

“On the climate change front, the danger may seem less immediate, but avoiding catastrophic temperature increases in the long run require urgent attention now. The nations of the world will have to significantly decrease their greenhouse gas emissions to keep climate risks manageable, and so far, the global response has fallen far short of meeting this challenge,” the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists said.

Rachel Bronson, president of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, called on immediate global action to rewind the clock.

“It is urgent that, collectively, we put in the work necessary to produce a 2019 Clock statement that rewinds the Doomsday Clock,” Bronson said. “Get engaged, get involved, and help create that future. The time is now.”

Source: https://www.ecowatch.com/doomsday-clock-2018-2528611887.html