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This year, the most innovative companies in the education sector are tackling a dizzying array of challenges facing students and schools alikenot to mention parents. As a teletherapy platform, Parallel Learning enables schools and special education providers to counsel students and track their progress. Promova, whose mission is to make language learning more accessible to people who are neurodivergent, is the first language learning app to build a dedicated setting for those with dyslexiaa specialized typeface and adjustments to font size and brightness help mitigate some of the most common reading challenges that people with dyslexia experience.EdSights uses AI chatbots to help colleges and universities identify students who might be at risk of dropping out, in part by increasing student engagement. And then theres Good Inside, which has become a go-to resource for parents seeking guidance and advice from expert coaches, along with a robust online community.Meanwhile, other education companies are using artificial intelligence to train both our youngest learners and working professionals who are looking to upskill and adapt to evolving technologies. Generative AI continues to fuel growth at online learning platforms like Coursera, which has doubled down on micro-credentials and now offers more than 80 professional certificates with AI courses that are intended to prepare job candidates for entry-level roles without a college degree.Amira Learning is helping young students improve their reading literacy with an AI-powered tutor, while CodeSignal has built a platform for tech workers to pick up new technical skills and practice soft skills through AI-powered simulations.1. Amira LearningFor empowering students to read more fluentlyAs AI-powered tutors have flooded the market, Amira Learning has drawn special attention for its success in using the technology to help young students become better readers. The six-year-old company, which has raised upwards of $40 million in venture funding and served over 2 million students, is now being used across more than 1,800 districts and in 3,000 schools.In 2024, Amirawhich charges schools per student and is also available as a subscription service for familieslaunched a new version of its AI tutor that goes beyond reading fluency to improve reading comprehension for elementary school students. The company has inked deals to bring its product to school districts in Louisiana, where Amira is now used by 100,000 students across 25 school districts, as well as Mississippi and Iowa.Early studies have already captured its impact in other states: In Utah, students who used Amira for just 30 minutes a week saw the equivalent of 1.5 years of improvement in their reading abilities over the course of one school year. Another study, in Louisiana, showed a marked improvement in oral reading fluency among first graders who had used Amira for six weeks.This June, Amira merged with 27-year-old digital learning company Istation, whose gamified educational content was being used in more than 1,000 school districts. Now Amiras AI tutor can be paired with content from Istations vast library, making its lessons even more effective.2. CodeSignalFor helping new tech workers brush up on their technical and soft skillsCodeSignal is a popular skills assessment platform to evaluate candidates used by recruiters and hiring teams at major companies like Meta and Uber. In 2024, the company expanded beyond just helping employers with interviews and assessments by introducing a new platform, CodeSignal Learn, which gives tech workers the ability to acquire new technical skills and keep up with industry needs.Through free and paid tiers, the platform is catering to both tech workers who are looking to advance their careers and those who are trying to find a new job, as well as recruiters who already use CodeSignal for screening candidates but are interested in addressing skills gaps among their existing employee base.CodeSignal Learn emphasizes practice-based learning over a more didactic approach, and an AI-powered coach called Cosmo helps guide users and can step in if they get stuck on anything. Since rolling out CodeSignal Learn in February 2024, the company has added more than 198,000 users who have completed over a million practices; on average, the platform draws about 8,500 active users each week.Over the last year, CodeSignal also launched a product called Conversation Practice to help engineers and developers who are newer to the job market improve their soft skills. Through AI simulations, users can practice real-world communication and work on their leadership skills.3. Good InsideFor teaching parenting as a skill you can honeClinical psychologist Becky Kennedy has made a career of offering guidance to parents on how they can set firm boundaries while fostering strong connections with their children. She has channeled her sturdy parenting approachand vast following (she boasts 3 million followers on Instagram)into a subscription-based online community and parenting resource called Good Inside, which now has 80,000 paid members across more than 100 countries.In 2024, Good Inside launched an AI-powered app to help subscribers more effectively navigate day-to-day parenting challenges. The app gives busy parents on-demand access to scripts and other personalized guidance, drawing on Kennedys expertise and advice from other parenting coaches.An emotional-reset feature gives parents a nudge to decompress when they need it most, and a private community of like-minded parents promises moral support.4. PromovaFor enabling neurodivergent people to learn languagesPromova launched in 2019 with the intent of making language learning more accessible to people who are neurodivergent. In late 2023, the company became the first language learning app to introduce a dedicated setting for people with dyslexia, which is the most common learning disability. Dyslexia Mode uses a specialized typeface called Dysfont that helps address the most common reading challenges experienced by those with dyslexia.Promova has since updated Dyslexia Mode to incorporate feedback from users; the app now allows users to increase font size, remove all-caps text, and adjust color brightness to reduce the contrast between the text and the background. In 2024, the company also launched a free ASL class and a white noise feature that caters to neurodivergent learners.Promova has also updated the apps interface to help mitigate focus and attention issues for users, particularly those with cognitive disabilities. In 2024, Promova saw significant growth: Overall downloads jumped from 11 million to 15 million, and the apps monthly user base more than doubled from 800,000 to 1.8 million.5. CourseraFor nabling workers to reskill through micro-credentials and partnerships with leading employersIn response to demand for professional certificates and other upskilling opportunities, Coursera has doubled down on micro-credentials, adding 40 new programs in the last yearnearly double the number launched in 2023. The online learning company now offers well over 80 professional certificates, which can prepare job candidates for entry-level roles without a college degree.Courseras micro-credentials are sought after in part because of partnerships with leading tech companies; in 2024, employers like Epic Games, Adobe, and Unilever also started offering their own programs. The company has also made the majority of its professional certificates accessible to non-English speakers, offering those courses in 21 languages through AI-powered translation.Coursera also expanded its partnership with the University of Texas System, a micro-credential program launched in 2023 that offers students, faculty, staff, and alumni free access to upskilling. Through Courseras Career Academy, learners can invest in professional certificates from tech employers like Google, IBM, Microsoft, and Salesforce.This investment in micro-credentials has already boosted revenue: In Q4 2024, Courseras consumer revenue crossed $101 million, a 5% year-over-year increase, in part due to interest in entry-level professional certificates and GenAI offerings. Over the past year, Coursera saw more than 3 million enrollments in entry-level professional certificates.The company continues to see plenty of demand for AI courses: Coursera partnered with Google to launch one thats now the most popular GenAI course on the platform. In fact, some of the new professional certificates that Coursera introduced in 2024 feature GenAI content from companies like Meta, Microsoft, and IBM. Coursera also worked with New York States Department of Labor last year to provide free access to certificate programs for displaced workers.6. EdSightsFor keeping college students in schoolNearly 40% of first-time college students in the U.S. dont complete their degree within eight years after enrolling. EdSights wants to help academic institutions pinpoint people who are at risk of dropping out by using its AI-powered chatbots to engage with students and offer rapid response support for any number of challenges they may facebe it financial assistance or academic struggles. One of the key metrics EdSights uses to evaluate students is the Student Voice Score, an annual survey of student satisfaction and sentiment that enables academic institutions to compare their overall performance with that of their peers.As of 2024, EdSights serves more than a million students across 140 colleges. At Southern New Hampshire University, which claims to be the countrys largest nonprofit college, the company increased retention by 4% among first-year students and 12% for underrepresented students. On average, universities that use EdSights see a 4% increase in student retention, with some citing rates as high as 14%. This year, the company also introduced new AI-driven features designed to identify students who are facing mental health issuesand help them get the support they need.7. SpheroFor taking its STEM robots into the classroomFor over a decade, Sphero has built interactive robots and STEM educational tools that students of all ages can use in the classroom. To date, the company has activated 5 million robots, and its products are employed by more than 40,000 educators in 20,000-plus schools.In 2024, Sphero launched a new and improved version of its bestselling product for budding programmers. The Bolt+ coding robot is more immersive and open-ended than its predecessor and has already elicited positive feedback from teachers.This past year, Sphero also introduced Blueprint Engineering kits, which expose middle and high school students to mechanical and electrical engineering concepts. Both products are intended to be easily incorporated into the classroom, and Spheros new education resource hub makes it easier for teachers to compile lesson plans. In addition to the Bolt+ and Blueprint kits, Sphero debuted an interactive coding mat and literacy cards that pair with the Indi, a robot designed for kids as young as four.8. SmaltFor tackling a shortage of climate workers across EuropeTo meet renewable energy goals, Europe has plans to add more than 3 million new jobs across the climate sector by 2030. But theres a shortage of workers who can fill those positions. Thats where Smalt comes in: Founded in 2023, the Berlin-based company is training workers across Europe to address the growing skills gap in the climate industry, armed with a $8 million seed round backed by General Catalyst and Owl Ventures.Smalt is looking to bring more workers into the solar industry using its tech-enabled training platform, with a particular focus on reaching immigrants. In 2024, the company sourced and trained more than 20 immigrant workers for their first jobs. Smalt also created an app for workers to help mitigate installation mistakes and troubleshoot issues while out in the field; the app has already reduced installation errors by 15%.The company launched a B2B commercial business in 2024 as well, along with a customer dashboard that gives clients regular updates on their projects and facilitates streamlined communication. Smalt also boosted average revenue for workers, up 20% compared to 2023.9. ResultantFor enabling states to make data-driven decisions about childcare and schoolsThe data analytics consulting firm Resultant partners with state education agencies to help improve outcomes for kids and families. Across many states, childcare providers are only required to report vacancies once a year, which means the data is often no longer actionable or up to date. In 2024, Resultant worked with the state of Iowa to create a database of childcare providers called Child Care Connectnot unlike a restaurant reservation systemthat updates daily and allows families to check their availability in real time.Resultant also built multiple programs in Indiana to tackle absenteeism in schools and high school graduation rates. (The rate of chronic absenteeism in the state was nearly 18% for the 2023-2024 school year, up from just 11% pre-pandemic.) Through the Attendance Insights Dashboardwhich collects data on excused and unexcused absences by school and grade level, alongside demographic informationschools and districts can track attendance on a weekly basis and keep tabs on students whose academic performance might suffer.Beyond that, Resultant piloted the Early Warning Indicator Systemwhich uses state-specific data to pinpoint students who might not graduate on timeacross 11 school districts before rolling it out statewide for the 2024-2025 school year. Since the platform looks at a number of factors, it can distinguish a student who might have attendance issues but isnt necessarily at risk of dropping out.10. Parallel LearningFor expanding access to special education servicesSince 2021, Parallel Learning has been on a mission to augment special education services in schools across the country, whether in rural areas that are underserved or urban regions where educators are stretched too thin. The company offers a wide variety of special education services that can help address staff shortages and reduce barriers to care.After closing a $20 million Series A funding round in 2024, the company formally launched its proprietary teletherapy platform, Pathway, which gives special education providers the ability to conduct virtual therapy and keep tabs on how students are performing against the goals of their Individualized Education Program.In 2024, Parallel Learning served 6,000 students and saw 200x revenue growth, and its offerings are now used by more than 80 school districts. Students have reported high levels of satisfaction with both the providers and their own progress after using Parallel Learnings services.Explore the full 2025 list of Fast Companys Most Innovative Companies, 609 organizations that are reshaping industries and culture. Weve selected the companies making the biggest impact across 58 categories, including advertising, applied AI, biotech, retail, sustainability, and more.
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Have you ever finished off your last pickle spear and, craving a little more of that vinegary punch, taken a couple of sips of brine straight from the jar? Or maybe youre more open about your pickle juice habits and like to mix up a pickle martini in the light of day, rather than hunched over your fridge light at 2 a.m. Whatever you prefer, now theres a product designed for exactly those kinds of moments. Claussen, the Chicago-based pickle purveyor, has picked up on the TikTok trend of using pickle brine as a mixer for everything from Diet Coke to pickle cereal, and theyre meeting customers where theyre at with a new drink called Just the Brine. As the name suggests, Just the Brine is an eight-ounce bottle of juice-sans-pickle. The limited-edition product comes in a six-pack, and it debuted for a short time on GoPuff over the weekend in honor of St. Patricks Day (for those who missed out, it’s now available to win on Claussens website while supplies last.) Just the Brine is the latest evolution of a pickle craze that started back in 2022 (remember Sonics pickle slushie?) and has shown a shockingly strong staying power in the cultural zeitgeist. [Photo: Claussen] Care for some pickles with that brine? Since 2022, weve gone from pickle pizza and potato chips to Grillos pickle toothpasteand, judging by TikToks ongoing pickle obsession, it seems like the trend has yet to run its course. Users are finding ways to use the preserved vegetables that even the most ardent pickle fans never couldve imagined, like a pickle fountain or a fried pickle board. The next evolution of the trend, it seems, is to just lose the pickles altogether. Last October, Dua Lipas viral TikTok video mixing Diet Coke with pickle juice sparked a cultural moment, amassing over 12 million views, says Caroline Sheehey, Claussens brand manager. Inspired by her mixture, Claussen responded by seeding a product concept, Just The Brine, on Instagram. The post received nearly 70,000 likes and thousands of comments from fans sharing how they already love Claussens beloved brine and use it in a variety of ways such as after a sports workout, as a brine for their chicken, to help with dehydration as a morning after cure, cocktail mixer, and more. After seeing the fan response, Sheehy says, the team knew they had to make Just the Brine a reality. Claussen is marketing its brine bottles as a kind of dual-purpose product: a mixer to pregame your night out, and an electrolyte beverage for your inevitable hangover the next day. One serving size is two ounces, which contains 630 mg of sodium (about half the sodium content of a standard instant ramen pack.) [Just the Brine] is perfect for pickling at night and using as a mixer in your cocktails or soda, and perfect for unpickling the next morning as a refreshing electrolyte boost, Sheehy says. Its a strange marketing tactic, given that curing your pickle-induced hangover with more pickles seems like the quickest way to never want to set eyes on the color green again. But, lets be honest, the chances that Claussen ever actually adds this stunt product to its permanent line-up are slim to noneso the lucky few who get their hands on it might as well enjoy it via a pickle-fueled rager while it lasts.
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Her voice cracking with emotion as she stood under the fluorescent lights, Janice Blanock asked her local legislators in southwestern Pennsylvania to take a moment and leaf through the photos of her son that shed handed them. Theres really nothing different that I can say to you that I havent said already over the last several months, she told supervisors for the tiny township of Cecil outside Pittsburgh. I can, however, share these photographs. These are just a few of the many pictures we have of our son Luke, from the time he became ill until before he died. The supervisors were gathered to vote on a zoning ordinance amendment that would greatly increase the required buffer zone between oil and gas drilling operations and homes and schools. The proposed rule mandating a setback of 2,500 feetfive times the distance of the current lawhad originally been proposed as a statewide requirement by Governor Josh Shapiro when he was Pennsylvanias attorney general. A bill based on that recommendation later stalled out when introduced in the state House of Representatives. Blanock, a 30-year resident of Cecil, had a reason to take the issue seriously. Her son waged a three-year battle with a rare type of bone cancer known as Ewings sarcoma and died in 2016 at age 19. Many believe, though theres yet to be demonstrable proof, that his cancer could be tied to oil and gas drillings many carcinogenic pollutants, some that are radioactive. In 2019, a cluster of Ewings sarcoma cases was identified in Washington County, where Cecil is located. Cecils school district was hit particularly hard. The county is home to more than 2,000 natural gas wells and was the 2004 birthplace of the states fracking industry. (Fracking is a process in which sand, water, and chemicals are blasted into the earth to free fossil fuel.) A growing body of peer-reviewed research has linked living near natural gas drilling operations to cancers and respiratory, reproductive, and neurological damage. In 2023, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the state Department of Health linked fracking exposure in the region encompassing Cecil to increased risk of asthma and lymphoma. Will you look at the damn picture, Darlene, Blanock urged one supervisor after handing her a photo of Luke. Around an hour later, the zoning ordinance passed and the room erupted with applause. With that, Cecila town of just 15,000 residents and no outsize political powerbecame the first jurisdiction in Pennsylvania to adopt such a restrictive measure, even as similar efforts at the state level have failed. But already it is facing legal challenges from two natural gas companies active in the areaTexas-based fracking company Range Resources, and Colorado-based gas pipeline company MarkWest Liberty Midstream. The Cecil Township Board of Supervisors meets monthly at the towns Municipal Building. [Photo: Audrey Carleton] Under current requirements, natural gas wells in Pennsylvania must be at least 500 feet from buildings and water wells, which environmentalists and medical experts say is not far enough. In 2023, a bill that would have required all new natural gas wells in the state to be located at least 2,500 feetnearly half a milefrom buildings and water wells was slated for a committee vote, but was abruptly killed at the request of Democratic leadership in the state House of Representatives. Three years before that, then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro released a grand jury report calling for a statewide 2,500-foot buffer between human activity and natural gas production. There is one point that is impossible to deny, the grand jury report stated. The closer people happen to live to a massive, industrial drilling complex, the worse it is likely to be for them. While that plea failed to get political traction, environmental groups continue to urge action. For their part, natural gas industry groups have minimized concerns about health risks associated with fracking exposure and have resisted proposals for setbacks or no-drill zones. But despite industry efforts, Cecil has gone its own way. The townships updated oil and gas ordinance prohibits new oil and gas wells from being drilled within 2,500 feet of protected structures, which includes homes, businesses, and religious institutions, and within 5,000 feet of schools and hospitals. Though the ordinance does not call for an outright ban on new drilling, Range Resources contends it would limit fracking in Cecil in such a way that it violates state law. The township argues otherwise: Wells located outside Cecil can still be drilled under the town. The ordinance also imposes additional restrictions on the industry that have generated less debate: It prohibits retention ponds for water used in the fracking process, places new noise restrictions on drilling, and limits work hours on well pads. I was not sure for the longest time that this was going to go this way, said Sarah Martik, a Cecil resident and executive director of the Center for Coalfield Justice, a southwestern Pennsylvania-based nonprofit environmental justice organization. This one thing is as far as weve ever gone, as far as regulating this industry in a way that is protective of our communities. But the road to this outcome was fraught. Documents obtained by Capital & Main through right-to-know requests reveal an up-close look at life in the shale fields, with citizens largely fed up with living alongside the natural gas industry. Noise, bright lights, and shaking at all hours were among the complaints emailed to supervisors in the months ahead of the vote. Here I am once again trying to prepare for another sleepless night, one resident wrote to the supervisors in May. My whole house shakes, my children are disturbed from sleep, my pets are afraid to be out in the yardcan you please help us. “I have SUFFERED from vertigo for years, another resident wrote in June, referring to vibrations from drilling at a nearby well pad that she felt in her home. You know in some places they torture people with this kind of low res hum and vibration. Torturebecause that is what it is. Documents also offer a look at the playbook the industry followed to curry favor among Cecil residents. Over the five years before the ordinance was adopted in 2024, Range Resources, the townships only active natural gas well operator with 34 active wells per state records, donated nearly to $300,000 to the community. The money was disbursed throughout the township, the encompassing school district, and local volunteer first responder organizations, and it was spent on festivals, childrens sports teams, a science fair, and CPR training sessions, according to a spreadsheet obtained by Capital & Main through a right-to-know request. Range Resources did not immediately respond to Capital & Mains request for comment. At least one township supervisor has financial ties to Range Resources. Records show Supervisor Darlene Barni has, for many years, maintained an oil and gas lease with the company; she ultimately recused herself from the final ordinance vote but participated in earlier stages of its development and routinely shares pro-oil and gas posts on Facebook. The company also weighed in at multiple stages during the drafting of the ordinance, using experts to testify against existing science that ties fracking to poor environmental and health outcomes and urging town leaders to refrain from enacting a setback as large as 2,500 feet. At least 92% of Cecil Townships surface property would be excluded from future oil and gas development, an attorney for Range Resources told supervisors in a letter. This would have the effect of limiting residents oil and gas royalty payments, he wrote. The attorney said the setbacks were exceedingly restrictive and inconsistent. Though the company currently has no permits under consideration for new well pads, Range Resources is challenging the ordinance with the townships Zoning Hearing Board. This process could take months, and the challenge is opposed by the township, residents, and several local environmental groups. At issue is whether Cecils ordinance is legal. Its a very, very specific question, said Kara Shirdon, who chairs the Cecil Zoning Hearing Board but recused herself for Range Resources legal challenge to eliminate the appearance of bias (Shirdon has been publicly supportive of the setback ordinance.) Though she said shes confident the ordinance will survive, she believes it will strain the townships resources. I think, honestly, the whole entire thing is because theyre pissed and they want to drain as much money as possible out of the township as punishment for not letting them do what they want to do. * * * Michelle Stonemark moved to Cecil township in 2012 after her parents bought around 30 acres there with the intent of housing their children and grandchildren. Her parents, sister, and family friends all built homes next to one another, in succession. And then it was my turn, Stonemark told Capital & Main. Just as I had gotten the drawing . . . we find out that Range Resources had applied to put a well pad in right behind my new house. With around 30 days notice, she recalled, Stonemark and her family found legal help and learned everything we could about fracking, in order to oppose the project. But their effort failed. We didnt have enough time. We were starting from nothing, she said. Drilling at the pad began in 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown, as Stonemark, her husband and three children were stuck at home. Today, the well pad, known as Augustine George, sits just over 500 feet from her home, she said, and routinely rattles the walls and windows and sends fumes into the air. She said she and members of her family often experience headaches, nausea, nosebleeds, and earaches. They can feel vibrations from the well pad in their chests, she said. Flaring would go off at any and all times, during the day, at night, she said. Flaring, which involves burning off excess methane, has been linked to asthma and other respiratory conditions. In response, Stonemark launched a Facebook page she uses to serve as an industry watchdog: She posts photos, videos, and documents relevant to the oil and gas industrys indiscretions, and publicly mourns the future she once envisioned for herself in Cecil. As I stand outside on this beautiful morning I cannot enjoy the day, she wrote in one post in May. A foul odor lingers in the air, and the constant low noises pulsate through my ears and head. Stonemark and her husband are also now attempting to intervene legally ad become a formal party against Range Resources challenge to the setback ordinance. Shirdon said she first caught wind of Range Resources plans for a well pad in 2017, less than a year after moving into her home. Since then, she said shes experienced headaches, sinus and respiratory issues, difficulty concentrating and sleeping, and irritability. The part that people underestimate, I think, is how much anxiety it causes, Shirdon said. Every time you feel the rumble, or every time you get stopped on the road, you start to worry, Are my kids being adversely affected by whats going on here? Merle Lesko has lived in his house nearby for nearly 30 years. Lesko said he and Stonemark often jokingly spar over who lives closer to the Augustine George pad. Salmon pink sound walls, dozens of feet high, poke through a line of trees behind his property. Lesko first urged the township to adopt a new buffer ordinance in early 2024, after regularly recording the decibel level emitted by the Augustine George pad at different locations in his house. He moved his bed and the desk where he works based on the lowest noise reading he found in his residencehis basementjust to escape the vibrations that would rattle his house. The noise was so bad, you could hear or feel the noise over a running lawnmower, he said. Theyve taken so many summers from me.” Though it took months of often impassioned debate, the adoption of Cecils ordinance has added fuel to a fight at the state level, where climate justice organizations are urging environmental regulators to increase the statewide oil and setback of 500 feet. In October, the Protective Buffers Pennsylvania campaign filed a petition with the states Environmental Quality Board, pushing for the adoption of an executive rule that would require a 3,281-foot buffer between fracking wells and buildings and water wellsa setback nearly 1,000 feet wider than in Cecils ordinance. There should be a baseline floor of protection for everybody in the commonwealth, said Lisa Hallowell, senior attorney at the Environmental Integrity Project, an environmental nonprofit that helped author the petition. More than 10% of Pennsylvanians lived within a half mile of an active oil and gas well as of 2022, the petition notes. Many share medical symptomsrashes, cancers, sleep disordersand have seen their water supplies affected by fracking, the petition states. Protective Buffers Pennsylvania has been involved in previous attempts to pass tougher statewide setback rules, including the 2023 bill that died in committee, Hallowell said. These efforts never got far. The Legislature has not had an appetite for that, she noted. Indeed, around the time that the 2023 setback bill was circulating through the Legislature, state Senator Gene Yaw of Williamsport, Republican chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, questioned the need for the measure at all, saying in a public hearing that he had not heard of any links between fracking and cardiovascular, reproductive, or nervous system damage. Yaw has, separately, disclosed personal income from oil and gas companies EQT and Equinor, and won his reelection to the senate in November after accepting thousands of dollars in campaign donations from the oil and gas industry. A group of Democratic senators has announced that they soon plan to reintroduce the 2,500-foot setback proposal. But that bill will face an uphill battle in a divided Legislature. Janice Blanock at home [Photo: Audrey Carleton] After helping cement the setback proposal as law in Cecil, Blanock now wants to see other communities protected. Were hoping this movement goes far and wide, Blanock said the day after the ordinance passed. I think, just the fact that that happened last night, people will learn about it [and think], If they can do it, why cant we? Several months later, as legal challenges threaten Cecils hard-won victory, Blanock remains resolute. She still chokes back tears when she talks about Luke, and still resents having had her concerns about health risks associated with fracking exposure denied by the industry. Its not just about Luke, she said. This is about my other children, my grandchildren, my community, my family, friends, neighbors. Blanock shares photos and mementos of her son Luke. [Photo: Audrey Carleton] They can appeal it, she said of the natural gas companies challenging the ordinance. And then we can appeal it. Were as strong in our resolve to win this as they are. This piece was originally published by Capital & Main, which reports from California o economic, political, and social issues.
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