Author: Molly Line

Recent graduate Kevin Doherty went to Bentley College and majored in corporate finance and accounting with hopes of becoming a financial planner for middle-class families.

“I definitely thought I was going to go right into the corporate world,” said Doherty who, at a 23-years-old, found himself facing a tough job market in the midst of a recession with more than $100,000 in student loans to repay.

Instead of taking a commission based job in the struggling world of finance he did an about-face and joined the Army, an option that had always been at the back of his mind.

“Definitely the stability of the market is one of the decisions that really influenced me. I didn’t want to be stuck with those bills and not be able to afford it,” said Doherty, who says he was also inspired by the military service of his two brothers and wanted a chance to give back to his country and prove his generation has it’s share of patriots.

“We’ve always had that image… all the other generations have viewed us as somebody that doesn’t care, that only thinks about themselves and I think it’s kind of our way to prove that our image isn’t just about that,” said Doherty. “We actually do care, it’s not about, me me.”

He played football in college and is looking forward to Officer Candidate School where he’ll get a chance to put his team skills to use, aiming to lead an infantry unit.

“I feel like that’s the place where you’re going to have the most influence because you’re going to have 40 guys under you and you’re responsible, but, it’s not just those 40 guys. It’s their families. You get to really know them and you get to have serious care for them and that way you can all work together to accomplish the missions that you have set,” said Doherty, who believes his resume will be stronger when he completes his Army service. “That’s type of responsibility I think any business person is going to view as a serious commitment and character building position.”

The Department of Defense reports that recruiting numbers are up across the board for all branches.

In 2008, the military saw 8,138 college graduates enlist, meaning recruits with at least an associate degree. In 2009, the number went up to 9,448.

Major Gen. Don Campbell, the commanding general of the United States Army Recruiting Command, says the Army had an exceptional year for recruiting in 2009 and expects the same success this year and next. He admits there are economic factors at play.

Students are graduating from college and facing tough competition for jobs in an economy where unemployment numbers have risen dramatically.

“Young men and women are looking around and saying ‘what are my options?”

Campbell believes the Army offers not just the chance to expand on the education graduates already have but excellent opportunities to repay college loans. Plus, the military is making strides to offer students opportunities in their fields of interest. The Army is especially interested in grads with engineering and technical backgrounds to meet the growing demands related to advances in science and technology. Recruiters are targeting universities that turn out smart, tech savvy graduates- Duke, Georgia State, Brown and Cornell, just to name a few.

“It is the economy,” said Major General Campbell. “But, I don’t want to give it too much credit.”

Campbell said he’s seeing a new generation of soldiers eager to become leaders and willing to sign up for military service in the midst of two wars. He says they deserve the real credit.

“I don’t think there’s anything more noble you can do than serve your country,” Campbell said.

And serving is what Kevin Doherty is most excited about despite the risks laid out by recruiters.

“They’re going to tell you- ‘you’re going to go to Afghanistan’ and I had no problems or reservations about it because I definitely want to go over there,” said Doherty, who leaves for boot camp in the Fall. “If I’m willing to give up my life, that somebody had done before me, I feel like I’ll make a big impact over there either way.”

According to the Nuclear Energy Institute there are currently 19 nuclear reactors nationwide that are seeking re-licensing.

Reactors filed for license renewal: 19
– Pilgrim, Plymouth, MA, January 2006 (Entergy Operations Inc.) Commercial Operation Start: 1972
– Vermont Yankee, Vernon, VT, January 2006 (Entergy Operations Inc.) Commercial Operation Start: 1972
– Indian Point 2 & 3, New York City, NY, April 2007 (Entergy Operations Inc.) On-line Start: Unit 2- 1974, Unit 3- 1976.
– Prairie Island 1 & 2, Welch, MN, April 2008 (Nuclear Management Co.) Operation Start: Unit 1: December 16, 1973 Unit 2: December 21, 1974
– Kewaunee, Carlton, WI, August 2008 (Dominion) Operation Start: 1974
– Cooper, Brownville, NE, September 2008 (Nebraska Public Power District) Operation Start: 1974
– Duane Arnold, Palo, IA, October 2008 (FPL Energy) Operation Start: 1975
– Palo Verde 1, 2 & 3, Phoenix, AZ, December 2008 (Arizona Public Service Company)
– Crystal River 3, Crystal River, FL, December 2008 (Progress Energy Florida Inc.) Operation Start: 1977
– Salem 1 & 2, Hancock’s Bridge, NJ, August 2009 (PSEG Nuclear, LLC) Unit 1 – June 30, 1977
Unit 2 – October 31, 1981
– Hope Creek, Hancock’s Bridge, NJ, August 2009 (PSEG Nuclear, LLC) Operation Start: 1986
– Diablo Canyon, Avila Beach, CA, November 2009 (Pacific Gas & Electric Company) Operation Start: Unit 1: 1985-Unit 2: 1986
– Columbia Generating Station 2, Richland, WA, January 2010 (Energy Northwest) Operation Start: 1984

Reactors expected to apply for license renewal: 20
– Seabrook, Seabrook, NH, April-June 2010 (FPL Energy)
– Davis-Besse, Oak Harbor, OH, August 2010 (FirstEnergy Nuclear)
– South Texas Project 1 & 2, October-December 2010 (STP Nuclear Operating Company)
– Grand Gulf, Port Gibson, MS, July 2011 (Entergy Operations Inc.)
– Limerick 1 & 2, September 2011 (Exelon Generating Co.)
– Callaway, Fulton, MO, October-December 2011 (AmerenUE)
– Strategic Teaming and Resource Sharing, October-December 2012 (STARS)
– Waterford 3, Taft, Louisiana, January 2013 (Entergy Nuclear Inc.)
– Sequoyah 1 & 2, April-June 2013 (Tennessee Valley Authority)
– Strategic Teaming and Resource Sharing, July-September 2013 (STARS)
– Exelon Plant, July 2013 (Exelon Generating Co.)
– Perry, Perry, OH, August 2013 (FirstEnergy Nuclear)
– River Bend, St. Francisville, LA, January 2015 (Entergy Nuclear Inc.)
– Exelon Plant, July 2015 (Exelon Generating Co.)
– Exelon Plant, April 2017 (Exelon Generating Co.)

Oldest operating nuclear plant:
Oyster Creek in New Jersey, operating license issued April 1969- received license extension in 2009
Newest nuclear units:
– June 1996: Watts Bar 1 in Tennessee, 1,121 MW
(Tennessee Valley Authority)
– August 1993: Comanche Peak 2, 1,150 MW
(TXU Electric Co.)
– August 1990: Comanche Peak 1, 1,150 MW
(TXU Electric Co.)
– August 1990: Seabrook 1 in New Hampshire, 1,244 MW
(FPL Group, Inc.)
– January 1990: Limerick 2 in Pennsylvania, 1,134 MW
(Exelon Corp.)

Interesting Links:

www.nei.org
www.nrc.gov

As President Obama advocates expansion of America’s nuclear power industry, pushing for billions of dollars in federal incentives and announcing plans to build the first nuclear plant in decades, a long-running facility in Vermont is leaking a cancer causing carcinogen.

The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant is leaking possibly dangerous levels of tritium, a radioactive byproduct of the nuclear process. Thus far, tritium has only be found on the plant grounds, which are nestled amidst farms in rural Vernon, Vermont. Around the clock efforts are underway to find and stop the leak. The timing is bad for the plant’s owner, Entergy corporation, which is seeking to renew the facility’s operating license, set to expire in 2012.

The facility, which began operating in 1972, is just one of dozens across the country that have seen similar leaks in recent years. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which oversees inspection and licensing of nuclear facilities, says roughly 30 of the nation’s 104 reactor units have experienced tritium leaks.

According to the NRC, none of the leaks have impacted public health or safety but, the unmonitored and unexpected releases have raised concerns within the industry and among watchdog groups nationwide.

In 2006, the nuclear industry launched initiatives to better protect groundwater at plant locations- agreeing to do a better job detecting and reporting leaks, even if they are below the threshold required by federal regulators.

The new rules prompted Vermont Yankee to add additional testing wells in 2007, a self-policing effort that helped the plant find the current leak.

Vermont Yankee officials say they are working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to find the source of tritium and fix it.
“Because of the monitoring wells that we have installed and additional wells, we’ve triangulated the area of the plant where we believe that tritium is, outside what we call our advanced off-gas buildings. So that’s the area that we’re excavating down to about 15 feet,” said Larry Smith, spokesman for Vermont Yankee who says the public is not in any danger. “Our tritium does not pose a threat to public health or safety because of the low levels and again- everyday we’re sampling the tritium wells for their concentration. We’re sampling our drinking water wells on cite. We’re sampling drinking water wells here in the community of Vernon, at the Elementary School across the street, our neighbors at a nearby nursing home. There is no elevated levels of tritium in those wells and we test the Connecticut River which is right in back of the plant everyday and we’re seeing no elevated levels of tritium in the Connecticut River.”

The Vermont Department of Health is also actively involved in the investigation.

“Our greatest concern is that today we still have not zeroed in on the source of the leak or leaks and the folks who are working on that are getting closer,” said Commissioner Wendy Davis. “Until we’ve really identified the site or sites and the mechanism we do remain extremely concerned.”

The Department is conducting extensive independent testing in the community, sampling drinking water wells, vegetation, soil, sediment, river water and even collecting milk from local dairy cows to test for contamination. Thus far, the results have been clean.

“All of the drinking water well samples outside of the plant, and even on the plant property itself, have not shown this type of contamination to date,” Davis said.

Though the department fears tritium is reaching the Connecticut River, the levels of river water are too diluted to know for certain and the water current plays a role, making testing more difficult.

Thus far, the contamination has been discovered only within the footprint of the Vermont Yankee plant, stretching in a large plume beneath a number of buildings.

“We’re talking about picocuries of tritium that we’re seeing. The highest about 2.8 million picocuries, that’s a trillionth of a curie.” explained Smith. “To put it in perspective, if you see exit signs in buildings that are illuminated- they typically have 15 curies of tritium. So we’re talking about a very small amount but, nonetheless, this is important for us to find the source of the leak and to stop it.”

That offers little consolation to the anti-nuclear group New England Coalition who believes maintenance at the plant has been lax and says the facility should shut-down while workers search for the leaking tritium.

“It’s the canary in the uranium mine,” says group member Clay Turnbull. “When the tritium starts to leak, it’s indicative of a plant that’s getting old and not maintained.”

The Nuclear Energy Institute represents the interests of the nuclear industry and helps draft policy nationally and on a global scale. Spokesperson, Steve Kerekes, says the age of a plant does not necessarily play a role in a given quality control problem and the public need not fear older facilities. According to the NRC and the NEI there are currently 19 nuclear reactors nationwide that are seeking re-licensing.

“The license renewal process is designed to demonstrate to the NRC that you have in place the programs necessary to effectively monitor and manage aging on your major passive systems such as large reactor vessels. But, you’re regularly changing out the pumps and components, motors, just like you would do maintenance on a car or any other piece of equipment,” Kerekes explained.

Kerekes says only one tritium leak impacted an off-site area when levels were discovered in a well water and in ditches near the Braidwood station in Illinois during the 90’s. The plant paid for clean-up and no member of the public was harmed. In recent years several plants have reported tritium leaks including the Oyster Creek plant in New Jersey, the Pilgrim plant in Massachusetts and most recently, the Oconee reactor in South Carolina reported a small tritium leak last week.

“Public healthy and safety has been protected even in these situations where we’ve identified and worked to repair these leaks,” said Kerekes.

After getting laid off last year, David Fagerstrom is grateful for the part-time income he pulls in as an adjunct economics professor at Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill, Massachusetts.

“I’m not sitting at home crying in my beer sitting on the couch. I’m out doing things,” said Fagerstrom from his office.
“I’m teaching, doing some 10-99 contracting. I’m involved in a professional networking group. I’m doing everything I can to find real work.”

Fagerstrom spent 9 years working as a business operations analyst, making close to a six-figure salary.
Now he’s patching together teaching work and other contract gigs, earning roughly $30,000. With a son in college and foreclosure at the back of his mind, he says it’s not enough.

“All the debt collectors calling get to be a challenge,” said Fagerstrom.

According to the bureau of labor statistics, 8.3 million people across the country are holding down part time work for economic reasons, because their hours have been cut back or because they’ve been unable to find a full-time job.
The under-employed, like Fagerstom, live on the economic edge.

“There’s the initial unemployment rate, which counts people that have been looking for jobs in the past four weeks,” explains Alan Clayton-Matthews, an Economist at Northeastern University. “But, there’s also a wider measure called U-6 which also counts people that are employed part-time involuntarily and that unemployment rate is 17 percent right now in Massachusetts where as the official unemployment rate is 9.4% so there are a lot of people who are in the same position.”

Fagerstom knows the competition is tough, and the odds are against him.

“At my age, 63, if there was somebody else who was 54 and somebody else who was 48, all considered equally qualified, most companies are probably going to hire the younger person,” Fagerstrom said.

Still he holds out hope- From networking to on-line searching… aiming to find an employer who values experience.
Until then, Fagerstrom says he’ll stay positive and pass the lessons he’s learned onto the next generation.

When the economy went to the dogs so did Paulette Rioux of Massachusetts.

Facing a brutal decline in the housing market, the one time real estate agent decided to pursue her long-time dream of working with canines. Rioux invested fourty-thousand dollars and bought a Bark Busters Franchise, the largest dog training company in the world. Around the globe, Bark Busters boasts roughly a half-million dogs trained.

“I always had a passion for dogs and wanted to follow that passion and I thought why not start now,” said Rioux.

For 600 dollars she offers in-home instruction for both dog and owner but, the real draw is the guarantee- unlimited follow-ups for a year.

The deal appealed to Ariana and Joe Costa of Milford who own two rambunctious labradors, a black lab named Charlie and a brown lab named Layla.

“They have a lot of energy,” said Ariana. “Barking, running at the door and charging.”

But, the real breaking point came when “Charlie developed a food aggression thing,” said Ariana.

In just the first week working with Rioux the Costas say they’ve gotten their money’s worth.

“It’s great. It’s a world of difference,” said Joe.

“They’re definitely barking less. They’re calmer all the time,” said Ariana.

While launching a business in the midst of a recession is risky, labor statistics show the numbers of self-employed workers are growing. Over 20 million people work for themselves across the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

It’s something Rioux finds fullfilling and profitable. She says she makes as much now as she did selling real estate. It’s been such a success her son John opened a franchise to serve the Cape Cod area.

“I love working with my clients. I love the end results and the satisfaction I get here and the appreciation I get from them after the fact. There’s no better reward,” said Rioux.

Update: 10:40 pm

The battle over yellow ribbons on the town green in Litchfield, Connecticut goes on following a contentious town meeting where emotions ran high.

Citizens calling for a “five ribbon” compromise that would allow the posting of one ribbon for each military branch were disappointed when the Board of Warden and Burgesses, charged with care of the green, put forth a different plan.

Board members say they’ll raise a flag that represents the military branches and would allow a single yellow ribbon.

Leslie Caron, a strong yellow ribbon advocate, who was backed by dozens of like-minded individuals- though many present were not Litchfield residents- says “We’re not happy.”

From: 7:07 am yesterday

Tucked away in rural Connecticut the historic community of Litchfield was considered a safe haven for America’s troops during the Revolutionary war. Today, it’s a battleground where citizens and a town board fight over how best to honor soldiers serving overseas and yellow ribbons on the town’s green mark the dividing line.

The Board of Warden and Burgesses, charged with care of the green, decided the ribbons placed by citizens look shabby with little upkeep and could possibly damage the trees. Members fear a proliferation of multicolored ribbons if the yellow ones are allowed to stay.

“We just want to preserve our green and not have every Tom, Dick and Harry wanting to put something on the green or do something,” explained Senior Burgess Peter Gay. “I mean, we had a gentleman come to us, he wanted to put up three thousand black ribbons, so there’s the problem. Everybody’s gonna wanna put ribbons up.”

Leslie Caron is a military mom with a son and daughter-in-law serving in the Air Force.
She is fighting to keep the ribbons in place.

“I’ve got two kids in this fight and so it hits very close to home,” said Caron. “I just appreciate all the men and women who are serving. I have a lot of friends whose children are serving right now and just think that they need to be represented in a very visual way.”

Caron says the ribbons have been up for years and doesn’t understand why the board is calling for limits now but agrees a smaller number of bows would be easier to maintain- suggesting five to represent all the branches of the military.

A compromise may be reached at a public meeting tonight but the controversy has already taken a toll on the community. City leaders and board members have been flooded with calls, emails and letters questioning their patriotic spirit.

The town’s top executive, Litchfield First Selectman Leo Paul Jr, does not serve on the board and is frustrated by the ongoing controversy.

“I think that we’ve gotten a black eye, which is unwarranted,” Paul said, pointing out a town hall bulletin board recognizing soldiers with local ties. “It’s not a matter or an argument of patriotism. What it is… is just a dispute on the mechanism by which we recognize our troops.”

“I don’t have any authority over this issue. If I had, I’d put both the borough burgesses and the residents who want to keep the yellow ribbons on the trees in a room, lock the door and ask them not to come out until they come up with a reasonable compromise on how we can recognize our troops,” Paul said.

Just off the town green, the issue is raising the ire among lunch patrons as well.
“It’s hard to fathom the thought that there’s even a controversy over something as simple as supporting our troops,” said Bernie Duszynski.

Members of the Board say they’ve received nasty calls and messages.

“We are not unpatriotic,” Said Gay, who’s hoping for resolution on the intensely emotional subject. “I’m a Vietnam vet and I was in the United State Army and we all support the troops, but there’s other ways than yellow ribbons.”

Caron says she doesn’t doubt the board’s patriotism and agrees that the time to find a compromise has come.

“I’m tired. I’m just as tired as they are,” Caron said, hoping the fight over ribbons will end soon.

“It’s about everybody that’s dedicating so much of their lives and if they can go out there, all these people in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Caron, referring to America’s soldiers overseas. “I think 5 yellow ribbons isn’t asking to much.”

Update: 1:42 pm

Here’s what folks around town are saying about the yellow ribbon battle.

Leah Fagan: “I think it’s very important for the yellow ribbons to be up right now because it really supports our troops and we just want them to come home nice and safe and we’re really lucky that they’re out their defending our freedom.”

Leo Paul, First Selectman: “It’s unfortunate that many people in the country have gotten the message that the residents in the town of Litchfield are non-patriotic. That is so far from the truth. We are the quintessential New England town, it goes back to the revolutionary days. In fact, there was a statute of King George the women of Litchfield melted down to make ammunition for the revolutionary war troops. So our patriotism goes back beyond and before the revolutionary war.”

Bernie Duszynski: “It’s hard to fathom the thought that there’s even a controversy over something as simple as supporting our troops. It’s pretty insane actually.”

Gary Gillman: “I think that we’ve got a bad national rap and a lot of people think that we aren’t patriotic but, we’re faced with a tough circumstance where people would like to use our green as their talking point and I think that that’s what the board is up against is protecting our green from everyone putting their sign for a tag sale or their view on any political item.”

A wind-chill well below zero can’t keep America’s bravest off the slopes of Vermont.

Disabled veterans from up and down the east coast braved a frosty weekend on Bromley Mountain proving that physical challenges can’t limit fun.

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After receiving crushing injuries in 2004 when the five ton truck he was driving in Iraq was hit by an IED, war veteran Thomas Green III spent 13 months at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Then the Wounded Warrior Project offered him yet another challenge- skiing.

Green flew up from Fayetteville, North Carolina to strap into a chair based mono-ski and tackle the slopes.

“Pushing myself to the limits, knowing that I can accomplish anything regardless of my injuries,” is what the ski weekend represents, said Green. “It’s been a tremendous experience for me. I’ve done a lot of things that I never did when I was healthy and definitely didn’t think I could do when I got injured.”

Now Green is an author and motivational speaker, publishing a book called Sometimes We Fall as Boys but Rise as Men: The Healing of a Purple Heart Iraqi Veteran. It’s his way of uplifting and inspiring people facing struggles.

It’s clear watching the wounded warriors zip across the mountain, physical challenges can be overcome with a little ingenuity and team work.

The Bart J. Ruggiere Adaptive Sports Center at Bromley Mountain has been hosting an annual “Wounded Warriors Weekend” for five years and the program is growing.

“The first year we had it, we had one soldier and now we’re at about 9 to 10,” said Joe Hurley, Director of the Bart Center. “They have anything from a loss of limb, to crushed bodies to some hearing impairment, some traumatic brain injuries and what we try to do, by doing the adaptive sports, we offer different ways to get them out skiing.”

The program also offers soldiers a sense of community and a chance for veterans to reconnect.

David Brousseau from Vermont and Mike Stafford from Mississippi faced a tragic night in Iraq in 2005 when Stafford, leading a convoy, was hit by an IED and lost a leg.

“After the injury we was separated that night. There was no good-bye, there was no see ya later,” explained Stafford.

“He had to get on a chopper and head to north of Baghdad on a chopper so I hadn’t seen him… it had been about 2 and a half years since I’d seen him,” Brousseau added.

They reunited on Bromley Mountain and have come back year after year.

“If I can do this, I can do anything- and they’re not lying. This is… I believe this is a challenge of all challenges,” Stafford said.

For more information on the Wounded Warrior Project head over to:

http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

Scott Brown is pulling together a staff and meeting with Democratic leaders today, reaching across the aisle to Boston’s Mayor Tom Menino this morning. The men chatted over breakfast, talking about job creation, before the Sen-Elect headed to his next meet-and-greet with the city’s prominent African-American community leaders.

Staffers say Brown will watch tomorrow’s State of the Union address in private tomorrow, staying close to home with no plans to travel to Washington.

When questioned on President Obama’s proposed budget freeze, a topic the President will likely elaborate on during tomorrow’s address, Brown said the idea is a good “first step.” Washington’s soon-to-be newest lawmaker appealed to voters as a fiscal conservative and today praised the President for shifting gears to focus on the economy.

On Thursday, Brown plans to meet with Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, hammering home his push to help create work for struggling Bay State residents, urging the Governor to get more stimulus money out the door.

Promising to represent all the constituents in the Commonwealth Brown called Massachusetts a microcosm- saying the issue that matters most to voters here is the same issue that matters to voters across the country– Jobs.