There was recent news item about radioactive material contaminating frozen shrimp that was being shipped to Walmart stores.
The FDA recalled the shrimp after finding elevated levels of Cesium-137 in shipping containers at 4 U.S. ports. At least one shrimp sample contained a higher-than-expected level of Cs-137. It is likely that radiation was due to contaminated containers, not because of contaminated food products. The origin of the shrimp was Indonesia.
Cs-137 as a flexible, soft, and silvery-white metal that liquifies near room temperature. The radioisotope is a byproduct of nuclear reactions. Trace amounts of Cs-137 are detectable around the world in our food, soil, and air,
I decided to test a package of frozen shrimp I bought at a local Wegmans store. First, I checked the background reading: 0.07 microSieverts per hour, or 0.007 millirems per hour.
I then checked the shrimp package. I detected no significant change from the background reading.
The results are anecdotal, indeed, but interesting.
On August 5, 2025, Clearwater Conservancy held a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of The Hamer Community Conservation Center.
The center is named after Donald Hamer (1925-2016), who cared deeply about the preservation of natural resources and generously donated his time and resources to environmental groups, including ClearWater Conservancy. Construction of the 10,392-square-foot, two-story center is scheduled for completion by mid-August 2026. The 10-acre construction site is located at 1601 Houserville Road in Houserville, PA.
Construction Site
Barbara Fisher
Clearwater founder Barbara Fisher explained how the organization originated from citizen efforts to stop a mall from being developed on farmland in Ferguson Township, which set the stage for the Tudek family to purchase and donate the land that became Tom Tudek Memorial Park.
Speakers also included:
Clearwater President Donnan Stoicovy
Clearwater Executive Director Elizabeth Crisfield
State Representative Kerry A. Benninghoff
Also present were Centre County PA Senior Environmental Corps (CCPaSEC) Members: President William Smith, Vice President Carolyn Hatley, and Equipment Manager David DeCapria.
July was 2.3 F above normal for temperature. The high for the month was 93.7 deg. F recorded on July 30. The low for the month was 52.2 deg F, recorded on July 22. There were 6 days at or above 90 deg F. There were 15 heating degree days and 311 cooling degree days.
July was an above-normal month for precipitation, with 5.30 inches of rainfall recorded, which was 1.51 inches above normal. The maximum rainfall in a single day was 1.79 inches recorded on July 26. There were 9 days of rain >.01 in, 9 >.10 in, and 1 >1 in.
In spite of what some irresponsible newscasters are reporting, along with some political figures, the tragedy of the flash floods in Texas was not due to budget cuts, nor was it due to lack of staffing at The Weather Forecast Office (WFO) for Austin/San Antonio. The cuts were not in place and there were more people on duty than normal at the WFO during the event.
The first notification from the WFO was issued 12 hours in advance of the first warnings. Timely notifications also followed. The flood watch that was issued at 1:18 PM CDT on July 3, 2025, appears below:
038 WGUS64 KEWX 031818 FFAEWX
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Flood Watch National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio TX 118 PM CDT Thu Jul 3 2025
TXZ183>187-202>204-041200- /O.NEW.KEWX.FA.A.0003.250703T1818Z-250704T1200Z/ /00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/ Val Verde-Edwards-Real-Kerr-Bandera-Kinney-Uvalde-Medina- Including the cities of Del Rio, Leakey, Brackettville, Kerrville, Bandera, Hondo, Uvalde, and Rocksprings 118 PM CDT Thu Jul 3 2025
...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING...
* WHAT...Locally heavy rainfall could cause flash flooding across portions of South Central Texas. Rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches with isolated amounts of 5 to 7 inches are possible.
* WHERE...A portion of south central Texas, including the following counties, Bandera, Edwards, Kerr, Kinney, Medina, Real, Uvalde and Val Verde.
* WHEN...Through Friday morning.
* IMPACTS...Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - A moist tropical airmass combined with a slow moving storm system will bring rounds of scattered to widespread showers and storms with heavy rain rates possible. - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible Flood Warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop.
Not weather-related. I just wanted to include our newest pack member, Toliver.
June was 2.1 deg F above normal for temperature. The high for the month was 95 deg. F recorded on June 24. The low for the month was 36 deg F, recorded on June 2. There were 51 heating degree days and 206 cooling degree days.
June was an above normal month for precipitation with 5.81 inches of rainfall recorded, which was 1.72 inches above normal. The maximum rainfall in a single day was 1.43 inches recorded on June 14. There were 14 days of rain >.01 in, 10 >.10 in, and 1 > 1 in.
May was 1.3 deg F below normal for temperature. The high for the month was 78.7 F, recorded on May 12. The low for the month was 36.9 F, recorded on May 26. There were zero days at or below 32 F. There were 238 heating degree days and 36 cooling degree days.
May was an above-normal month for precipitation with 8.25 inches of rainfall recorded, which was 4.61 inches above normal. The maximum rainfall in a single day was 1.37 inches recorded on May 13. There were 18 days of rain >.01 in, 14 >.10 in, and 2 > 1 in.
The high wind speed for the month was 34 mph on May 23.
We have four dogs now. Sadly, one of our Scotties passed away on April 25, 2025.
Toby 2015 – 2025
This was Toby, our male Scottish Terrier. He was a bit of a kleptomaniac since he liked to steal shoes, gloves, etc., just to be chased. His other pastime was barking at rabbits and catching sunbeams. He also loved belly rubs, but his dislikes were thunder, fireworks, and going to the vet. His Gotcha Day was October 15, 2015.
This is Tillie, a 10-year-old female Scottish Terrier, and she was Toby’s sister. She is the spokesdog of the pack, and will remind us when it’s mealtime, when to put on their lighted collars, and when the other dogs are getting in trouble. She also serves as my alarm clock in the morning. One of her pastimes is chasing rabbits. Tillie’s Gotcha Day was October 15, 2015.
This is Trixie, our female 8-year-old West Highland Terrier. She likes to play tug-of-war and soccer with me. She has the best wigglebutt around and is quite happy most of the time. Right now, she is dealing with being the middle child. Her Gotcha Day was March 3, 2017.
Tripper is now 7 years old, and he has grown up a great deal. He is larger and heavier than his sister, Trixie, but he is still a puppy at heart. He is not a morning dog and is a bit grumpy when he gets up. Even so, his mood remains mercurial but less so as time passes. He loves his ball, chasing it when I kick it, and grabbing my pants leg. His gotcha day was August 17, 2018.
Our youngest member of the pack is Trisha, a female Scottish Terrier. She was rescued from a puppy mill in Ohio, and her gotcha day was December 16, 2021. Her age was not known until we discovered that she already had an ID chip. The chip was scanned, and we found out her birthdate is 12/21/2018. She plays with every toy she encounters, especially if they squeak. She was shy around strangers but has come out of her shell and looks for adventure. She is mischievous, playful, and very active.
After Toby passed, we decided to apply for another rescue Scottish Terrier.
He will be picked up in western Ohio later this month. Following our ‘T’ naming convention, we plan to name him Tinsel. Our hope is that Tinsel will easily integrate with our pack.
April was 2.4 F above normal for temperature. The high for the month was 85.0 F, recorded on April 29. The low for the month was 19.4 F, recorded on April 9. There were 5 days at or below 32 F. There were 434 heating degree days and 37 cooling degree days.
April was an above-normal month for precipitation with 4.08 inches of rainfall recorded, which was 0.57 inches above normal. The maximum rainfall in a single day was 0.84 inches recorded on April 5. There were 15 days of rain >.01 in, 10 >.10 in, and 0 > 1 in.
There was a trace of snow in April.
High wind speed of 49 mph on April 29.
A severe thunderstorm occurred on April 29, critically damaging trees, utility poles, and power lines. Power was out from April 29 at 6:43 PM until May 3 at 2:21 AM. No data was lost for April, but a few hours on May 2-3 were lost due to battery failure of the data logger.
March was 6.5 deg F above normal for temperature. The high for the month was 74.8 deg. F, recorded on March 30. The low for the month was 14.1 deg F, recorded on March 2. There was 1 day where the maximum temperature was at or below 32 F, and there were 17 days where the minimum temperature was at or below 32 F. There were 667 heating degree days and 6 cooling degree days.
March was a below-normal month for precipitation with 2.21 inches of rainfall recorded, 1.17 inches below normal. The maximum rainfall in a single day was 1.38 inches recorded on March 5. There were 6 days of rain >.01 in, 3 >.10 in, and 1 > 1 in. There was 0.3″ of snow accumulation.
The highest recorded wind speed of 46 mph on March 16. However, a possible microburst on that date damaged the wind sensors and the mast they were mounted on. Wind data was unavailable for 5 days until the mast was repaired and the sensors were replaced. It is possible that the wind speed was higher. See the blog post.
Stormstown Dispatch 