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The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- General
- The Herald Scotland
Inside the Torness nuclear power protests, 50 years later
Yet, the plant, first mooted in the early 1970s by the South of Scotland Electricity Board (SSEB), has long been a lightning rod of controversy. Anti-nuclear activists waged a futile battle to prevent the station from being built, with thousands of campaigners famously occupying the site in May 1978. Pete Roche is one of the founders of the Scottish Campaign to Resist the Atomic Menace, or SCRAM, a radical group who fought against the construction of Torness. 'I came to Edinburgh from Birmingham in 1974 to study ecology,' he tells me. 'I started going to Friends of the Earth meetings. That's when I first heard about the plans to build a nuclear power station. 'The public inquiry lasted seven days, and in the wake of that, a group of us decided to form SCRAM in 1975." Police remove a protester from a bulldozer in November 1978. (Image: Newsquest) 'I was supposed to go to the inaugural meeting but ended up in a car crash. Perhaps it was divine intervention…' Roche laughs. 'I'm only partly serious', he quips. 'We decided to camp for a weekend on the site in April 1976 - the campaign was still quite small. Then, we returned to the same field in 1978 and had a much bigger protest. More than 5000 people attended. 'We wrote to every organisation listed in the back of Peace News, slowly building up the anti-nuclear movement in Scotland,' Roche recalls. 'SCRAM had quite a sympathetic hearing in East Lothian. I would routinely cycle out from Edinburgh and help facilitate community meetings in all the small villages.' In 1978, a group of campaigners occupied 'Half Moon Cottage', a 'ramshackle and bleaky exposed' building on the site of the proposed station. Roche tells me: 'I stayed for around two weeks, but others stayed on longer. When the board wanted to start construction, they got harassed by the cottage people so they went down to demolish the cottage and arrested the activists.' Activists vowed to do everything in their power to stop the plant from being built, and would regularly throw themselves in front of bulldozers to prevent construction. A strong police presence stopped 200 Scottish students entering the Torness site. May 1980 (Image: Newsquest/Duncan Dingsdale) A November 1978 report, published in The Scotsman, states: 'The power game took a nasty turn when anti-nuclear protestors packed into pits, threw themselves in between the tracks of huge bulldozers and scrambled into mechanical shovels at Torness.' Roche looks back on those heady days with fondness. He remarks: 'We had a very active phone tree at the time. I remember we got 400 people there to block JCBs from digging sewage pipes. 'They started work at four in the morning but we were there to stop them.' A 1983 pamphlet entitled 'From Folly to Fiasco' illustrates the strength of feeling among campaigners. One excerpt reads: 'Controversy surrounds the Torness nuclear power station being built, just 30 miles from Edinburgh. Scene of numerous direct actions, Torness is a monumental example of corporate obstinacy. 'At every stage, independent voices have spoken out against the reactor on the grounds of excessive cost, surplus generating capacity, job losses in the coal mining industry, and the unsolved problem of radioactive wastes. 'Conventional protest, sound argument, and majority public opinion have, so far, proved fruitless.' Read more from Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco: 8,000 jobs boost in Peterhead after £1bn energy transition investment Edinburgh University staff to strike today as 1800 job losses threatened Glasgow 'tourist tax' approved as visitors face 5% tariff from 2027 Dr Ewan Gibbs, who lectures on energy politics at Glasgow University, says the protests were a 'significant moment' in Scottish energy history. He tells me: 'At the time, the prevailing distinction between nuclear weapons and nuclear energy was being challenged. There was a growing environmental movement against the nuclear industry throughout the 1970s. 'The SNP were anti-nuclear power while Labour and the trade union movement was divided. They were able to draw on a cohort of young people, mainly university graduates, who had increasing suspicion about nuclear power.' 'Their opposition was partly apocalyptic but also more practical, as fears over the impacts of nuclear waste and radiation grew. 'Of course, it's interesting to see how much the environmental movement has changed since Torness. Right now, it is driven by carbon. But this was not always the case. In the 1970s, coal miners and anti-nuclear campaigners were allies.' Demonstration at Torness. May 1980. (Image: Newsquest/Duncan Dingsdale) Gibbs argues that the relationship between Scottish nationalism and nuclear energy 'flows through Torness'. He notes: 'Torness shapes the energy policy of modern Scotland. We've had a nuclear moratorium for years now, which is very much seen as an SNP policy, but was actually shaped by Jack McConnell's Labour government.' Asked why he joined SCRAM, Roche, who would go on to work for Greenpeace, says: 'My reasons have probably changed over the years. I was motivated by fears of radiation at first, but then I started to engage with all these groups and I began to realise how autocratic the nuclear process was. It wasn't the sort of government I wanted.' Ultimately, the campaign could be dismissed as a Quixotic remnant of a bygone era. Activists didn't stop the bulldozers. Torness was built, and still stands today. Since 1988, the plant has produced 290 TWh of zero carbon electricity. Station owners EDF Energy proudly state this is enough energy to power every home in Scotland for 29 years, and that the use of the plant has avoided 101m tonnes of carbon emissions. Torness rises over the East Lothian coast. (Image: EDF) Yet, the 'Torness Alliance' casts a shadow of radicalism which remains relevant today, as Just Stop Oil and pro Palestine activists block roads, throw paint, and march in the streets. SCRAM will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its founding this autumn, at an event in Edinburgh. I'm told an archival film will be shown. Greying activists in the twilight of life will come together to remember a time when the world seemed on the brink of collapse, and all that stood between nuclear armageddon was a group of radicals camping in a field near Dunbar. Indeed, the legacy of these men and women will live on, long after the reactors of Torness power down for the last time.
New York Post
5 days ago
- General
- New York Post
NYC unleashes rat death squad to gas vermin with carbon monoxide, bury them in tree-pit graves
They're on a mission to put the city's vermin problem to bed. The Adams administration is unleashing an $877,000 rat death squad to find the rodents, gas them to death with carbon monoxide and bury the rodents hiding out in and around the Big Apple's 600,000 tree beds. Advertisement 5 Francis Fernandez, an exterminator for NYC Parks (left) and NYC Mayor Eric Adams (center) during a demonstration after the announcement of new rat mitigation team. Michael Nagle The Street Tree Bed Rat Mitigation program will include a specialized team of a dozen exterminators, park workers and others with inspecting tree beds and deploying carbon monoxide inside rat burrows – where 'rodent squatters' will meet their ends with their tunnels turned to graves, officials said at a news conference on Sunday. 'By cleaning up trash and hiring a team of experts to clear out burrows while caring for our trees, we are reclaiming public space, fighting rats, and improving quality of life for all New Yorkers,' Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement. 'Our administration continues to build on the work we are doing to end the dominance of trash and rats on our streets.' Advertisement 5 'By cleaning up trash and hiring a team of experts to clear out burrows while caring for our trees, we are reclaiming public space, fighting rats, and improving quality of life for all New Yorkers,' Mayor Eric Adams said. Michael Nagle The gassing process boasts a 95% kill rate for seven days, takes about three minutes and does not require a license to operate the proper equipment, Adams said. Officials said the gas doesn't pose a risk to humans or non-rats, and the noisy equipment used to deploy the carbon monoxide will be at least 10 feet away from the foundation of nearby buildings. 5 Officials said the gas poses no risk to humans or non-rats, and the noisy equipment used to deploy the carbon monoxide will be at least 10 feet away from the foundation of nearby buildings. Michael Nagle Advertisement The latest initiative in the war on rats – followed by the containerization of 70% of the city's street trash and even a rat birth control program – is set to put an end to the 'historically exploited' street tree beds used by vermin as a breeding ground, officials said. 'As a lifelong New Yorker … my main concern was always the tree beds,' Prospect Heights resident and Sterling Place Committee on Rat Mitigation (SCRAM) member Mark Abbott said at the news conference at Stroud Playground. 'At night, [rats] would come out and they would cross into people's yards – you were afraid to walk down the streets at night because you never knew when one of these things would jump out and decide to scurry across your feet or bring their babies with them,' he said. 'I am so happy to see that this is actually happening.' But not everyone wants to see rats meet their maker. Advertisement 5 A rat in Delury Square in Manhattan's Financial District. Stephen Yang John Di Leonardo, executive director of the animal advocacy group Humane Long Island, told The Post that the rats will suffer a 'slow and painful death' due to the poison – and argued lethal methods don't work 'as the resultant spike in the food supply causes accelerated breeding among survivors. 'There will always be rats in New York City, and a walk through any part of the city shows plenty of food and trash on the sidewalk and streets,' Di Leonardo added. 'If that's taken care of, the rat population will decrease naturally. Carbon monoxide kills people and pets every day, never intentionally – using it in city parks and streets is both cruel and reckless.' 5 The latest initiative in the war on rats – followed by containerizing 70% of the city's street trash and even feeding the rodents birth control – is set to put an end to the 'historically exploited' street tree beds used by vermin as a breeding ground. Michael Nagle The city's kill team will start 'immediately' and respond to referrals from the health department and 311 reports – such as the 2,300 street tree bed-related rat reports received last year, Parks sources said. The team is expected to see disproportionately high calls to 'rat mitigation zones' in Bedford-Stuyvesant/Bushwick, Harlem, Bronx Grand Concourse and East Village/Chinatown. In each of the last six months, 311 complaints of rodent sightings have decreased compared to the same months last year, with sightings down 22% last month and 17% to date this month, City Hall said — largely attributing the success to changing waste containerization rules. Advertisement 'For too long, rats in street tree beds have gone unaddressed — undermining the hard work of both city agencies and local communities,' NYC Parks Commissioner Rodriguez-Rosa said. 'With this new investment, we're closing that gap. By combining science-based, non-toxic approaches with dedicated staff, we're protecting our trees, our neighborhoods, and our quality of life.'
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Instagram influencer charged in fatal July 4th wreck on PCH ordered to wear an ankle monitor
Lifestyle influencer Summer Wheaton has built a brand on Instagram around beauty product recommendations and faith-based positive affirmations. On Monday, a superior court official ordered her to don an unattractive new accessory: an alcohol ankle monitor bracelet. The order was made in connection to the deadly car crash Wheaton allegedly caused when she collided with another driver on Pacific Coast Highway on July 4. Wheaton, 33, who appeared in court wearing gray slacks and a gray top, did not speak during her court appearance but her attorney, Elon Berk, entered a not guilty plea to charges of gross vehicular manslaughter and causing great bodily harm while intoxicated. Court Commissioner Sarah Ellenberg ordered Wheaton to register for a SCRAM (Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor) ankle bracelet device within the next two days. Wheaton also was ordered to appear in court at the end of April for a preliminary hearing. She remains out on bail after posting a $230,000 bond. The charges stem from a Fourth of July party at Nobu Malibu last year. Wheaton left the party in Malibu and was driving 81 mph when she collided head-on with a vehicle driven by ride-share driver Martin Okeke. The party's guest list included Wiz Khalifa, Tom Sandoval, Mike Tyson, Lonzo Ball and other celebrities. Wheaton was among the throngs of people at the "Red, White and Bootsy" party, according to prosecutors and a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Okeke's family. Read more: Malibu homeowner sues Tripadvisor, renter for fire that destroyed house, killed student Just before arriving at the party, Wheaton posted a photo of herself and a guest in her 2019 Mercedes-Benz. While she arrived with a guest, Wheaton left alone with a blood alcohol count of 0.10, according to court records. Okeke was traveling with a teenage passenger in his vehicle when Wheaton crossed the center divider and crashed into his vehicle. Okeke died in the crash; his passenger survived. A civil suit filed by Okeke's family names as defendants Wheaton, Nobu Malibu, the Hwood Group LLC and DBDJ LLC, the groups who hosted the event. Okeke's family claim that Wheaton was hired to attend the party on PCH and was 'expected to consume intoxicants.' An attorney for Nobu denied in December that Wheaton was hired or contracted by the restaurant. Less than a week before the party, Malibu city officials rescinded the permit for the event, citing concerns about traffic and safety. Despite the rescinded permit, the Fourth of July party went on. Attorneys for Nobu previously told The Times that the city's decision to rescind the permit was unfounded and that the restaurant abided by the city's initial conditions for the permit, including an agreement that guests would be shuttled to the event and that there would be no on-site parking. Read more: Speeding and drugs were factors in Cybertruck crash that killed 3 college students, CHP says Wheaton, however, drove herself to the party, according to the lawsuit. While the crash took place in the summer of 2024, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department did not present the case to the district attorney's office until October. Prosecutors requested additional information from sheriff's investigators and the case was filed Feb. 10. Wheaton curtailed her postings to social media following the crash, but seven days after she was charged she posted a video where she discussed her faith without directly mentioning the fatal crash. "You may not believe this but your miracle is right on the other side of your lowest moment," she said in a video posted to Instagram on Feb. 17. "I know that sounds crazy to say but I've experienced it." Los Angeles Times reporter Clara Harter contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Instagram influencer charged in fatal July 4th wreck on PCH ordered to wear an ankle monitor
Lifestyle influencer Summer Wheaton has built a brand on Instagram around beauty product recommendations and faith-based positive affirmations. On Monday, a superior court official ordered her to don an unattractive new accessory: an alcohol ankle monitor bracelet. The order was made in connection to the deadly car crash Wheaton allegedly caused when she collided with another driver on Pacific Coast Highway on July 4. Wheaton, 33, who appeared in court wearing gray slacks and a gray top, did not speak during her court appearance but her attorney, Elon Berk, entered a not guilty plea to charges of gross vehicular manslaughter and causing great bodily harm while intoxicated. Court Commissioner Sarah Ellenberg ordered Wheaton to register for a SCRAM (Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor) ankle bracelet device within the next two days. Wheaton also was ordered to appear in court at the end of April for a preliminary hearing. She remains out on bail after posting a $230,000 bond. The charges stem from a Fourth of July party at Nobu Malibu last year. Wheaton left the party in Malibu and was driving 81 mph when she collided head-on with a vehicle driven by ride-share driver Martin Okeke. The party's guest list included Wiz Khalifa, Tom Sandoval, Mike Tyson, Lonzo Ball and other celebrities. Wheaton was among the throngs of people at the 'Red, White and Bootsy' party, according to prosecutors and a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Okeke's family. Just before arriving at the party, Wheaton posted a photo of herself and a guest in her 2019 Mercedes-Benz. While she arrived with a guest, Wheaton left alone with a blood alcohol count of 0.10, according to court records. Okeke was traveling with a teenage passenger in his vehicle when Wheaton crossed the center divider and crashed into his vehicle. Okeke died in the crash; his passenger survived. A civil suit filed by Okeke's family names as defendants Wheaton, Nobu Malibu, the Hwood Group LLC and DBDJ LLC, the groups who hosted the event. Okeke's family claim that Wheaton was hired to attend the party on PCH and was 'expected to consume intoxicants.' An attorney for Nobu denied in December that Wheaton was hired or contracted by the restaurant. Less than a week before the party, Malibu city officials rescinded the permit for the event, citing concerns about traffic and safety. Despite the rescinded permit, the Fourth of July party went on. Attorneys for Nobu previously told The Times that the city's decision to rescind the permit was unfounded and that the restaurant abided by the city's initial conditions for the permit, including an agreement that guests would be shuttled to the event and that there would be no on-site parking. Wheaton, however, drove herself to the party, according to the lawsuit. While the crash took place in the summer of 2024, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department did not present the case to the district attorney's office until October. Prosecutors requested additional information from sheriff's investigators and the case was filed Feb. 10. Wheaton curtailed her postings to social media following the crash, but seven days after she was charged she posted a video where she discussed her faith without directly mentioning the fatal crash. 'You may not believe this but your miracle is right on the other side of your lowest moment,' she said in a video posted to Instagram on Feb. 17. 'I know that sounds crazy to say but I've experienced it.' Los Angeles Times reporter Clara Harter contributed to this report.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Yahoo
Canton man charged with 5th OUI after crashing into Boston police cruiser, DA says
A Canton man will face his fifth drunk driving charge after allegedly crashing into a Boston police cruiser over the weekend, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office said Tuesday. Thomas Apprille, 57, was charged in West Roxbury court Monday with operating under the influence-liquor, 4th or greater offense and operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, subsequent offense, District Attorney Kevin Hayden said. Boston police officers responded to a crash involving an officer's cruiser just before 7:00 p.m. Saturday night . Police say Apprille's white Dodge Ram had crashed into a light pole with major front-end damage and the front wheels caved in. The involved Boston police cruiser has passenger side damage and front-end damage. Airbags in both vehicles deployed. Police say the officer driving the cruiser and his partner were responding to a call with their lights and sirens activated when Apprille's truck collided with the passenger side. The responding officers say they saw Apprille throw a can of beer over the top of the truck as they walked up to the crashed truck. Police say Apprille's license had been suspended. Apprille was convicted of three OUI offenses in the 1990s and numerous operating with suspended license charges in subsequent years. He was charged with a fourth OUI and negligent operation of a motor vehicle in 2007 but was convicted only on the negligence charge, according to the DA Hayden. Both police officers and Apprille were taken to local hospitals for further evaluation. 'The disregard for safety here is inexcusable. Not only did this person's conduct put himself and Boston police officers—and frankly, every other motorist in the vicinity—in danger; it also took away police resources and presence from another incident,' Hayden said. Judge John McDonald set Apprille's bail at $4,000 and ordered him to remain alcohol-free. McDonald also ordered the Canton man to be fitted with a SCRAM device, a wireless unit to monitor alcohol intake and to test daily if he posts bail. Apprille is due back in court on April 16 for a pre-trial hearing. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
