By Carol Goodwin Blick – January 30, 2024 Friends, we needed this – not just updated dates, times, access codes, but an answer to the big question, the wording of the question the Court will rule on, yes or no. Many thanks to our long-time mentor, Rick North. If you wonder, who is Rick North?, I wondered the same years ago, at the beginning of our successful Clean Water Sonoma County campaign. Then Rick was a member of the volunteer steering committee keeping fluoride out of Portland, Oregon's pristine water. I learned Rick was also a director at Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, after 21 year career at the American Cancer Society, including five years as excutive vice president of the Oregon chapter. Here's a 2011 glimpse of Rick before the Clean Water Portland campaign: https://civileats.com/2011/01/03/faces-visions-of-the-food-movement-rick-north/ Scroll down for Rick's EPA/TSCA fluoridation trial update. UPDATE On 1/29/2024 1:34 PM, Rick North hrnorth@hevanet.com> wrote: Re: Fluoridation on trial – an update Everyone (FAN advisory committee, FAN AEHSP board, FAN speakers bureau, Coalition to End Fluoridation, Moms vs. Fluoridation, Safe Water Spokane, Safe Water Calgary, Clean Water Oregon, Clean Water Newport, Safe Water Albany, other individual leaders) – Here we go! Water fluoridation is on trial in federal district court in San Francisco (Food and Water Watch et al vs. Environmental Protection Agency), and will start this Wednesday, January 31. The court will rule – yes or no – on this question: Is fluoridation an unreasonable risk to human health? Lead attorney for our side Michael Connett had urged the judge to make the trial available to the public by Zoom, and he agreed. It’s available for viewing in its entirety. Just click on the first link and you can access it easily: Chen, Edward M. [EMC] https://cand-uscourts.zoomgov.com/j/1619911861?pwd=TjVma1lnMlJlNHR3ZE9QMkFjNkFndz09 Webinar ID: 161 991 1861 Password: 912881 The trial will be in session until February 14. We hope you can watch as much of it as your schedule allows and at least glimpse what is going on. The schedule is below. Ending times for all days may not be precise, depending upon the court’s discretion. Feb. 2, 5 and 9 may go significantly longer. All times are Pacific standard: Weds. Jan. 31 8:00 a.m – 12:30 p.m Thurs., Feb. 1 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Mon. Feb. 5 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Tues., Feb. 6 8:00 a.m. – 12.30 p.m. Weds., Feb. 7 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Mon., Feb. 12 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Tues., Feb. 13 8:00 a.m. – Noon Weds., Feb. 14 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. To see FAN’s more detailed article and a timeline for the entire lawsuit, go to https://fluoridealert.org/articles/fluoride-on-trial/. I’ll be flying to San Francisco early tomorrow and stay the rest of this week to see this historic trial in person. If anyone needs to contact me, please call or text my cell phone at 503-706-0352. I’ll also be checking e-mail, but it will be sporadic. We’ll all be hoping for the best – Rick 503-706-0352 Carol Goodwin Blick is with Clean Water Sonoma Marin