These are some of the stories we’ve been following this week.

  • Photo courtesy of Good Free Photos.

    Noise from oil and gas operations such as hydraulic fracturing may increase the risk of health issues, according to a new study.

  • Doctors at a new children’s hospital do not believe officials are doing enough to address concerns over lead contamination issues.
  • Minimum wage workers in Washington State will see their pay increase when the new year starts. The state’s minimum wage will rise to $11 an hour.
  • A company is suing a church, in a battle over building a cell tower on the church’s property. The lawsuit is the latest in an ongoing battle between TowerCo, First Friends Church, and Canton, the North Carolina city where the church is located.
  • Tennessee Gas will pay $640,000 in an eminent domain agreement that will allow the company to build a natural gas pipeline through the Otis State Forest in Massachusetts.
  • Property tax rates in Chicago are about to increase, which would put them more in line with the rates of surrounding areas.
  • The cost of cleaning up coal ash ponds in North Carolina could soon be passed on to Duke Energy customers. A recent ruling by state regulators allows the utility to charge customers the state’s portion of the cost of cleaning the ponds.
  • A ski resort in Vermont will now have access to $52 million it received through the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program. Mount Snow will use the money for two major projects.