Login | October 09, 2025
Portage County Legal News.
Local
How sea star wasting disease transformed the West Coast's ecology and economy
(THE CONVERSATION) Before 2013, divers on North America's west coast rarely saw purple sea urchins. The spiky animals, which are voracious kelp eaters,- were a favorite food of the coast's iconic sunflower sea stars. The giant sea stars, recognizable for their many arms, kept the urchin population in check, with the help of sea otte ... (full story)
Why aren't companies speeding up investment? A new theory offers an answer
(THE CONVERSATION) For years, I've puzzled over a question that seems to defy common sense: If stock markets are hitting records and tech innovation seems endless, why aren't companies pouring money back into new projects?
Yes, they're still investing – but the pace of business spending is slower than you'd expect, especia ... (full story)
Parenting strategies are shifting as neuroscience brings the developing brain into clearer focus
(THE CONVERSATION) A friend offhandedly told me recently, "It's so easy to get my daughter to behave after her birthday – there are so many new toys to take away when she's bad!"
While there is certainly an appeal to such a powerful parenting hack, the truth is that there's a pretty big downside to parenting with ... (full story)
Title IX's effectiveness in addressing campus sexual assault is at risk − a law professor explains why
(THE CONVERSATION) Most Americans assume that schools are legally required to protect students from sexual harassment and assault under Title IX – the federal law enacted in 1972 that bans sexual discrimination in education.
I am a law professor and researcher who has spent more than a decade examining the disconnect betwe ... (full story)
Bacteria attached to charcoal could help keep an infamous 'forever chemical' out of waterways
(THE CONVERSATION) Polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, a class of fire-resistant industrial chemicals, were widely used in electrical transformers, oils, paints and even building materials throughout the 20th century. However, once scientists learned PCBs were accumulating in the environment and posed a cancer risk to humans, new PC ... (full story)