Abigail Bottar

Abigail Bottar is a junior at Kent State University. She is pursuing a major in political science with a concentration in American politics and minors in history and women's studies. Additionally, Abigail is starting her second semester copy editing for The Burr.
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Health, Science & EnvironmentSome of the toxic waste from the East Palestine derailment cleanup will go to sites in Ohio and Indiana after the United States Environmental Protection Agency paused shipments heading to Michigan and Texas to allow for more oversight measures.
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Health, Science & EnvironmentThe Ohio Department of Natural Resources said thousands of aquatic species, including minnows, fish, crayfish and amphibians, died due chemical contamination after a train derailment in East Palestine.
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Officials in Ohio say cleanup of the site of a derailed freight train that carried toxic chemicals is moving quickly, but some residents worry about the health impacts of the chemicals.
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Residents are allowed to go back to their homes after the evacuation order in place since Sunday was lifted Wednesday night.
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The environmental advocacy group PennEnvironment says there should be more transparency from freight rail companies, and they're criticizing how long it took officials to disclose what hazardous materials were on the train.
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Health, Science & EnvironmentOfficials say they don't know when residents of East Palestine will be able to return to their homes, as air quality testing continues. Officials say there have been no reports of significant injury from the Friday derailment nor the controlled release of chemicals Monday.
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Governor Mike DeWine extends the evacuation area, calls the situation "a matter of life and death" and says anyone still in the area needs "to leave immediately."
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Dozens of cities across the state have removed penalties for minor marijuana possession, but not all law enforcement agencies are enforcing these new laws.
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Some county board of elections are entirely on touch screens, others still use paper ballots or a combination of the two.
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State Rep. Casey Weinstein is trying to keep the Ohio House District 34 seat blue, while his opponent Beth Bigham is trying for a second time to defeat him.