Shari and Jan Almquist of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania may have the most interesting home in town. After their daughter moved out, the couple wanted to find a smaller home. One day, Shari saw a for-sale sign hanging outside of a very unusual piece of property.

The building dated from 1915, and was originally the home of the town telephone exchange. The two story building had once housed a team of phone operators working a line of manual switchboards. The building had then been converted into a home in the 1950s.

The couple fell in love with the building, which contains high ceilings and 20 massive windows that each measure 6 feet in height and 4 feet across. The couple decided to renovate the home and give a building with a great history a modern update. Despite some great features, the home had a great deal of problems. The roof needed to be fixed and the wiring was outdated. Most troubling of all, the home contained an aging oil heat system with pipes coated in thick layers of crumbling asbestos.

The asbestos was a major problem. As asbestos ages, it can become increasingly fragile. If not handled by a seasoned professional, the asbestos can become airborne. If inhaled, asbestos fibers can lodge permanently in the soft tissues of the lungs, leading to lung cancer or pleural mesothelioma.

After buying the house last June, the Almquists were able to complete renovations within two months, and the couple was finally able to move into their new home in August. The asbestos-laden oil heater is now a distant memory, replaced with a state of the art geothermal heating and cooling system.

The home now features an open plan space that maximizes the natural light provided by the magnificent windows. The kitchen has been updated, and a massive mahogany deck was added to the property. It is hard to believe such a beautiful home was once an asbestos-laden telephone exchange.

It seemed to many to be a simple case, with an obvious outcome. A small mining town where mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases were running rampant through the community. A large corporation with a history of poisoning people who lived near their factories. A highly publicized federal case that got national media coverage. And yet, to the surprise of many, the federal trial against W. R. Grace & Co. ended in acquittal. Now, legal experts and Libby residents are trying to understand where the prosecution went wrong.

Many believe that one of the major reasons the trial against Grace ended without Libby residents getting any compensation was the treatment of star witness Robert Locke. A disgruntled former Grace employee, Locke lost his credibility when it was revealed that Locke may have perjured himself on the stand. In addition, it was believed that Locke received special treatment from federal EPA agents.

Judge Molloy, who oversaw the proceedings, came to feel that the prosecution team was incompetent, and lacked proper planning. The prosecution team had their work cut out for them, as they not only had to prove that Grace executives conspired to hide the truth about the asbestos-tainted vermiculite they were mining in Libby, but that the executives did so in violation of federal law. The Clean Air Act did not become law until 1990, which is also the year the Libby mine was shut down. Some legal experts believe that if the government had taken legal action against Grace years ago, the case would have proceeded more smoothly.

"There were many things wrong with the prosecution, but the simplest point is that it was preposterous for the government to claim an extended ‘cover-up’ when in fact there were published scientific papers about Libby and disease in the 1970s, and by the mid-1980s, plaintiff’s expert Barry Castleman had devoted a subsection of his book to Grace, the Libby mine and internal Grace documents about Libby," said Kirk Hartley, a distinguished attorney who specializes in asbestos cases.

Two West Virginia cities are receiving grant money from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to clean up former industrial sites. All told, the EPA is providing $600,000 to help the cities of Weirton and Moundsville clean up Brownfield sites. Brownfields are former industrial sites designated by the EPA. The sites contain pollutants from the former industrial land owners that must be cleaned up in order to make the sites safe for use again.

Weirton will receive $400,000 in EPA grant money, which will be used to study the potential environmental hazards on a property formerly used by Weirton Steel. Chemicals and metal debris are currently contaminating the site. If the city wanted to redevelop the property, a cleanup project would be vital.

The city of Moundsville will receive $200,000 in stimulus funds, which will be used to clean up the former Fostoria Glass Plant site, which is known to be contaminated with deadly asbestos. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was very popular for decades in building materials, cement, insulation, and other items. It is now known to be a carcinogenic material, linked to the rare cancer mesothelioma. When asbestos fibers are inhaled, they become permanently embedded in the soft tissues of the lungs, leading to cancers or asbestosis, a chronic inflammation of the lungs relating to scarring by asbestos fibers.

A California state regulatory board is extremely displeased with a new geological study on Saggio Hills, a housing development proposed just north of Healdsburg, California. The board has issued a report on the study, and ordered the geologist who conducted the study to pay a fine. The Board of Geologists and Geophysicists cited geologist William McCormick for “professional negligence, incompetence and or/misrepresentation” in certifying a report on the Saggio Hills site. The Saggio Hills project is a proposed 130-room resort that will also contain 70 high end homes. The project was approved in October of 2008, but has been held up by lawsuits regarding various environmental issues.

McCormick is outraged over the board’s report, and has stated that he intends to appeal the ruling. “In 23 years, I’ve never had a single complaint against me, or one of my projects,” said McCormick. McCormick is responsible for geology reviews for Sonoma and Mendocino counties, as well as the city of Santa Rosa.

McCormick was fined a total of $2,500. The citation issued by the board stated that the report compiled by McCormick contained incomplete and inaccurate geologic cross sections. In addition, the report failed to accurately identify seismic fault hazards. D. Scott Magorien, the principal engineering geologist for the state board, concluded “there are a number of inaccuracies and misrepresentations in the report certified by Mr. McCormick that constitute negligence and or incompetence, specifically as it relates to presentation of basic geologic data, geologic interpretations, public safety and geologic hazards associated with slope stability and active faulting, and exposure to naturally occurring asbestos materials.”

Asbestos is linked to medical conditions such as mesothelioma. If asbestos fibers become friable and airborne, they can be inhaled by humans, and can cling to the mesothelium, or lining of the internal organs, for decades before an individual may begin to suffer from related symptoms. It is often difficult to pinpoint just where and when a newly-diagnosed mesothelioma patient was actually exposed to asbestos due to the long latency period.

Despite continued efforts, asbestos is still a problem plaguing Western Washington University. The deadly substance can still be found in every residence hall on campus, with the exception of Edens, Ridgeway Highland, Sigma and Omega. In addition to this asbestos issue, asbestos has now been reported to be a problem in another building on campus.

Asbestos was once prized for a high resistance to flame and chemical damage, but is now reviled because it is a carcinogen linked to diseases such as pleural mesothelioma.

Exposure to airborne asbestos particles can pose potential health risks because the particles can become permanently lodged in the soft tissues of the body.

It is now being reported that asbestos is also located on campus, in a building known as the Armory.

The building once housed members of the National Guard, a roller rink and, until fairly recently, the scene shop for Western’s theater department. The building now lies vacant, as the theater department moved out of the building due to concerns about the asbestos present in the building.

Western junior Jessica Young said she had her first experience with the dangerous conditions in the Armory during her first year at Western. While gathering some props on the second floor of the building, Jessica fell through an aging section of flooring.

In addition to the structural dangers, Young said theater students working in the Armory eventually had to start wearing breathing masks due to fears over the mold and asbestos issues plaguing the building.

The Warren Local Board of Education met in Vincent, Ohio on Monday, and agreed to sell off the former Bartlett and Cutler schools.

The two schools closed nearly a year ago, but were still costing the school district over $12,000 per year in maintenance costs.

"We wanted the property to be as useful to the community as it can be," said board member Dan Johnson.

About one acre of the Bartlett property will now be owned by Wesley Township trustees. The remainder of the property, including the school building and more than five acres of land, will become the property of the Southeastern Ohio Port Authority.

The Port Authority will “work with a private developer to develop it into a rural business park," said Warren Superintendent Tom Gibbs.

It had been reported that any profits from the sale would be given back to the school district. However, that seems increasingly unlikely, as developers will have to contend with asbestos issues. Although the property had been appraised at about $150,000, development costs would need to include funds for asbestos removal, a new sewer system, sprinkler installation and boiler work before the building could be used.

Asbestos removal is important, as airborne asbestos particles could lead to diseases such as mesothelioma.

"The real benefit for us would be that when it becomes a commercial property we’ll receive taxes from that property," said Gibbs. "And it may also employ some people that live in our district."

The Cutler school property will likely become the site for a senior center for residents of Decatur, Fairfield and Wesley townships. Senior citizens could have hot meals and meetings at the new location.

The federal trial against W. R. Grace and three of its former executives has made headlines all over the country. But few people not directly involved in the case have bothered to take the time to watch the trial unfold in person.

Kimm Copeland is the exception to that statement. A Libby native, Copeland attended almost every day that court was in session, making the drive along the length of the Bitterroot from Victor to Missoula to sit in on the W.R. Grace trial.

As closing arguments came to an end on Wednesday, Mr. Copeland shared his thoughts with reporters about regarding his hometown of Libby being at the center of this asbestos controversy.

"According to the Old West saying, I think our team is out gunned…at one time they told me they had 40 lawyers on the other side….But, I think (Prosecuting Attorney) McClain is going the best he can."

When asked if he thought the jury would decide that Grace was guilty, Copeland responded: "Well my instinct tells me their Montanans, and I hope they come back with the right verdict."

Copeland has spent most of his life in Libby, and now suffers from multiple sclerosis and has pleural plaques in his lungs. Plaque buildup within the lung cavity is often an early warning sign that an individual will develop mesothelioma, a fatal cancer.

Copeland seems to have nothing but distaste for W. R. Grace. "I’ve said it before. Murder is murder, and I don’t care what you call it. I know those are harsh words (but), a lot of these people have died and are still dying."

Kimm Copeland grew up playing baseball and other sports in the ball fields adjacent to the W.R. Grace vermiculite mine.

On Friday, a jury in Missoula, Montana found W. R. Grace and three of its former executives not guilty on all eight counts. The company and its former execs were charged with obstruction of justice, issuing false statements and “knowingly endangering” the residents of Libby. Charges against the former Vice President of W. R. Grace and another executive were dropped by Judge Donald Molly, who cited insufficient evidence.

Samples of debris and other material that were found located in an Australian Aboriginal community have undergone extensive testing. Now results from those tests indicate that the substances tested contain two forms of deadly asbestos.

The Aboriginal community is located in the far south coast of the Australian state of New South Wales. The community of Wallaga Lake seems to have become contaminated when several homes were demolished during the 1990s.

According to the Aboriginal Lands Council’s chief executive officer, Ron Ny, the materials tested were positive for chrysotile and amosite asbestos.

Asbestos can be deadly when inhaled. Small asbestos fibers can become permanently lodged in the soft tissues of the lungs, leading to such deadly medical conditions as pleural mesothelioma. Asbestos is also linked to other medical conditions, such as lung cancer and asbestosis, a chronic inflammation and scarring of the lungs.

Ny now says it is up to Australia’s Department of Environment and Climate Change to hire an independent environmental crew to assess the severity of the asbestos contamination.

Because of this recent development, Australians are calling for the resignation of New South Wales’ Aboriginal Affairs Minister, Paul Lynch. Lynch has been accused by many Australians to be lacking in leadership qualities on the issue of asbestos contamination at the Aboriginal community.

"For him to now not be accountable and to not show any interest in the local community, I think it’s time for the Premier to step in and dismiss him from the portfolio responsibilities of Aboriginal Affairs,” said one concerned political official.