In 2003, two companies in the Manchester neighborhood, Valero Refining and Lyondell-Citgo, "ranked among the top dozen in the Houston area for accidental releases of air contaminants." But "the men and women who live there rarely complain," writes the Houston Chronicle, perhaps because of the "free car washes, donated computers, elementary school essay contests and Easter egg hunts" the companies sponsor.

A "rare mailing" sent to 100,000 homes within 10 miles of "the oldest commercial [nuclear] reactor in the country," New Jersey's Oyster Creek plant, informed residents that "radiation is everywhere - in the air, in the soil and even in their bodies." AmerGen, which owns the plant, said the mailing "help[s] the company meet federal requirements mandating that reactor owners teach the public about radiation and its effects." The Asbury Park Press writes that the mailing "coincides with a push by AmerGen," as it prepares "to apply

Media training has increased for U.S. forces going to Iraq, reports Editor & Publisher, "becoming mandatory for Army troops since October" and taking "higher priority" for Marines.