Ben Wolfgang
Articles by Ben Wolfgang
Drone industry predicts explosive economic boost
Drones as weapons and drones as spies remain matters of intense debate across the country, but the controversial aircraft are poised to make an impact as something else: economic engines. Published March 12, 2013
New nuclear reactor for Maryland rejected
Plans to build a third reactor at southern Maryland's Calvert Cliffs were halted — perhaps permanently — on Monday as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission upheld its earlier decision to reject the project. Published March 11, 2013
Interior pick backs coal, dodges on carbon tax
President Obama's pick to lead the Interior Department had kind words for coal Thursday but dodged the politically sticky issue of whether she backs a carbon tax — a measure that critics fear would drive the domestic coal industry into the ground. Published March 7, 2013
Colorado city opts to ban fracking within its limits
Ignoring threats of a lawsuit from their own governor, local officials in Fort Collins, Colo., have banned the controversial drilling method known as fracking. Published March 6, 2013
Explosion of drones ignites privacy issues
As technology advances, Americans' privacy expectations are being squeezed down to the point they soon will fit easily within the walls of a home. Published March 6, 2013
Feds deny having drones that track guns, phones
The federal government is pushing back against reports that it has drones specifically designed to track firearms and cellphone signals, the latest clash of an increasingly paranoid public and an administration trying to keep its unmanned aerial systems program under wraps. Published March 6, 2013
Fort Collins bans fracking, sets up legal fight with Colorado gov.
Ignoring threats of a lawsuit from their governor, local officials in Fort Collins, Colo., on Tuesday banned the controversial drilling method known as fracking. Published March 6, 2013
Canadian urges Obama to OK Keystone
A top Canadian official took his case for the Keystone XL pipeline to President Obama's hometown on Tuesday. Published March 5, 2013
Obama’s EPA choice signals tougher line on climate
For proof that President Obama is getting serious about climate change in his second term, look no further than his pick Monday to head the Environmental Protection Agency. Published March 4, 2013
Dennis Rodman: N. Korea’s Kim Jong-un is ‘just a great guy,’ wants Obama to call him
NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman has became the nation's de facto ambassador to North Korea. Published March 3, 2013
McConnell and Boehner: Republicans united on sequesters
They spent the weekend blaming each other for the $85 billion in sequestration cuts that began taking effect Friday — but top Democrats and Republicans were careful Sunday to keep the door open to a breakthrough deal on the federal budget. Published March 3, 2013
Sperling and Woodward agree to move on
The bizarre back-and-forth between the White House and legendary Watergate reporter Bob Woodward has come to a close as both sides agreed on Sunday to move on. Published March 3, 2013
Mitt Romney: ‘Nero is fiddling’ while Obama misses chance to solve fiscal crisis
Had Mitt Romney's quest for the White House been successful, the "once-in-a-generation" opportunity to put the nation back on solid economic footing would not be lost, he said Sunday. Published March 3, 2013
State Department report paves way for Keystone; environmental backlash grows
While far from a full-throated endorsement, the State Department's assessment of the Keystone XL pipeline may have paved the way for President Obama to approve the controversial project. Published March 2, 2013
Three more states seek freedom from No Child Left Behind law
Pennsylvania, Texas and Wyoming are the latest states to ask the Obama administration for freedom from the widely maligned No Child Left Behind law. Published March 1, 2013
Doolittle Raider and WWII hero Thomas Griffin dies; four survivors of historic mission remain
Maj. Thomas Griffin, a navigator during the historic Doolittle Raid of World War II who later survived nearly two years in a Nazi prison camp, died Tuesday at a Veterans Administration nursing home in Cincinnati. He was 96 and is survived by two sons. Published February 28, 2013
Teachers outnumbered in schools by administrators, support staff in many states, study shows
Each day, students in 21 states will see more librarians, bus drivers, coaches and cafeteria workers than teachers, according to a new study that examined school hiring patterns over the past two decades. Published February 28, 2013
As New York weighs fracking, rivals race ahead
As yet another deadline comes and goes, Gov. Andrew Cuomo continues to put off a decision on whether to allow fracking in New York, even as other states rush to cash in on the boom generated by the wildly successful drilling technology. Published February 27, 2013
Study touts following a Mediterranean diet with roots in life by the sea
The virtues of nuts, fish and olive oil now are more clear than ever thanks to an exhaustive, high-profile study of the "Mediterranean Diet." Published February 26, 2013
Privacy, profits collide over drone policy; states jockey to host test sites
In a battle between privacy and profits, many states find themselves playing both sides of the street in the intense national debate over drones. Published February 24, 2013
