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New eateries expand menu of options
Food Notes: Join Lisa at culinary club's benefit dinner
Spread holiday cheer, not the flu at parties
Sheriff, education group hope to reach children early
Vatican turns toward the heavens
Ask Lisa - Bamboo cutting board
Serve edamame for the nutrition
Newbies get help to start cooking
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Blogs:
Pets:
First Person: Inside St. Louis Pit Bull Shelter
The Heldenfiles:
Tuesday Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
Allen Iverson to the Cavs? Stop the madness!
Akron Zips:
Interview with a Temple blogger
Tribe Matters:
Indians announce spring dates
Cleveland Browns:
Quinn tabbed to start against Ravens Monday night
Kent State Sports:
KSU Notes – November 11
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Cavs: Yeah, on That Issue of Privacy
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes Roll 100-60 / Season Outlook
Varsity Letters:
Twinsburg likes chances, but warns offense needs to deliver
All Da King's Men:
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Simply Incapable of Telling The Truth
Akron Law Café:
Study says 2,200 uninsured veterans died in 2008 due to lack of health insurance.
See Jane Style:
Muffle Your Muffler
Car Chase:
Clock Tender- Extending the Life of Collector Car Clocks
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Rumors: Akron Starbucks Closing
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Kimberly requests information on living in Columbus, Ohio.
Sound Check:
Aeromsith looking for new singer as Steven Tyler contemplates solo career
HRLite House:
Personal Rant – Why People Do Not Live in Northeast Ohio
Akron Gamer:
Video: 'Modern Warfare 2' hits the streets
By Mary Beth Breckenridge
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Saturday, Aug 16, 2008
Are your granite countertops safe?
A recent New York Times story raised anew the question of whether granite can emit dangerous levels of radon, a radioactive gas linked to lung cancer. Radon is produced when uranium in rock, sand or soil decays.
While the Environmental Protection Agency says some granite used for countertops may contribute to indoor radon levels, it doesn't believe there's enough evidence to indicate a significant problem from the types commonly used in countertops.
Nevertheless, both the EPA and the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists recommend testing the air in your home to determine its radon level — a good idea regardless of whether you have granite. Radon can come from other sources, primarily the soil beneath your house.
Test kits are available for about $25 or less (check hardware stores or online retailers), or you can obtain a brochure and a discount coupon for a test kit by calling the National Safety Council's automated radon hot line, 800-767-7236. The council also has radon experts available to answer questions at 800-557-2366 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on business days.
Horticulture training
Gardeners can receive intensive horticulture training through the six-week Professional Horticulturist program being offered by the Ohio State University Extension in Medina County.
The class will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesdays starting Sept. 9 at the Professional Building, 120 W. Washington St., Medina. Topics will include botany, lawn care, herbs, soils and fertilizers, fruits and vegetables, plant propagation, woody ornamentals and herbaceous ornamentals.
Cost is $195, which includes reference books, Ohio State University bulletins and a manual.
Paid registration is due Aug. 26. No refunds will be issued after that date.
For information and a class schedule, call Sharon Davidson, 330-725-4911, or visit http://medina.osu.edu. Click on ''Agriculture, Horticulture & Natural Resources'' and then on ''Classes/Workshops/Trainings.''
Recycling kits
Waste Management Inc. is making it easier to recycle non-disposable household waste such as compact fluorescent light bulbs, batteries and electronics.
Consumers can order recycling kits from Waste Management's Think Green From Home Web site, https://www.thinkgreenfromhome.
com. The kits are boxes with appropriate packing material inside, which the user can fill and send back for recycling, using a prepaid return label.
Of course, convenience comes at a price. A kit for recycling up to 15 compact fluorescent bulbs, for example, costs $14.95.
Events, programs
• Northeast Ohio Green Energy Expo, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, John S. Knight Center, 77 E. Mill St., Akron. Lectures, ''green-collar'' job opportunities, displays by clean-energy companies and organizations, electronics and paper recycling drive. Climatologist Lonnie Thompson will speak at 11 a.m. on the topic, Retreating Glaciers: A Paleoclimate Perspective from the World's Highest Mountains. Free. Information and schedule, http://www.GreenEnergy-Ohio.org.
• Men's Garden Club of Akron meeting, Monday evening, St. George Fellowship Centre, 3204 Ridgewood Road, Copley Township. Social hour starts at 5:30; dinner at 6:30. Program: horticultural show. Cost: $13. Reservations: 330-825-5315 or 330-673-3553. Information: http://www.acorn.net/mgcakron.
• What Is It Worth? 7 p.m. Wednesday, Hudson Library & Historical Society, 96 Library St. Talk by antiques expert Ken Yenke and free valuations of items as time permits. Limit one per attendee. Free, but reservations are required at 330-653-6658, Ext. 1010.
• Pottery on the Wheel classes, starting Thursday and next Saturday, Middlebury Pottery & School, 1643 Massillon Road, Akron. Three classes available: 9 a.m. to noon or 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursdays, Aug. 21-Sept. 25, or 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, Aug. 23-Sept. 27. $200. Registration: 330-734-0763.
• Fall Gardening Seminar, 9:45 a.m. to noon Aug. 23, Professional Building, 120 W. Washington St., Medina. Topics include growing fall vegetables, putting your garden to bed for the winter, pruning, fertilizing and protecting plants. Cost: $10. Paid registration due Tuesday. To register, write a check to Medina County Master Gardeners and send it with your name, address and phone number to Medina County Master Gardeners, P.O. Box 212, Richfield, OH 44286. A flier with a registration form can be printed at http://medina.osu.edu (click on ''Agriculture, Horticulture & Natural Resources'' and then on ''Classes/Workshops/Trainings''). Information: 330-725-4911.
• Great Garden Adventure, through Oct. 31, Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, 714 N. Portage Path, Akron. Imagination Stations throughout the grounds help visitors reconnect with nature and learn about natural phenomena. Displays of flower sculptures made by ''junkyard artist'' P.R. Miller and whimsical bugs and butterflies made by area students. Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays. Closed Mondays except Labor Day. Various admission options are available, with adult prices ranging from $8-$25. Information: 330-836-5533 or http://www.stanhywet.org.
Mail notices of classes, programs and events two weeks in advance to: Home and Garden News, Features Department, Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron OH 44309-0640. Please include your name and telephone number. All events must be open to the public.
Mary Beth Breckenridge can be reached at 330-996-3756 or mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com.
Are your granite countertops safe?
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