For both the Wassel family and the local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity, the rehabilitated home at 925 Maple St. should have been the American dream. Instead, William and Shelley Wassel say the modest, three-bedroom home in South Scranton became a toxic-mold nightmare they and their three children are still trying to recover from seven years later.

Habitat for Humanity of Lackawanna County views it much the same way, for very different reasons. The nonprofit group, whose mission is to help low- income families achieve homeownership, says it did everything possible to help the Wassels: It made significant repairs to the Maple Street home; it spent thousands of dollars to assess and correct mold issues there, and it offered the family a new home.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - A New York environmental contractor was arrested Thursday on charges he defrauded Connecticut schools in a mold removal scam that prosecutors believe extended to a number of other states.

Ronald Schongar, 58, and his New York company sold chemicals to schools claiming they would rid the buildings of mold. But officials in the southwestern Connecticut town of Easton began raising concerns last year about what chemicals were in fact used.

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The cost of cleaning toxic mold in three buildings on the Gov.'s Mansion complex could cost more than $1 million. Risk Tech, the Charleston company hired to fix the problem that has driven the first family from the mansion, told state officials Tuesday that cleaning the mansion itself will cost about $550,000.

The mansion has undergone about $6 million in renovations in the past five years and the state Budget and Control Board decided to hire an outside attorney to try to recoup some of the mold repair cost from the contractors who did the renovation work. The Columbia firm of Young Clement Rivers will try to determine if a specific individual or company is responsible for the problem.

The University of Illinois at Chicago announced Friday that one of its newest dorms is plagued by water damage, infested with mold and will be shut down for the upcoming school year.

UIC officials are scrambling to find private apartments for the 350 students who signed up to live in Marie Robinson Hall this fall. The school told the students Thursday that they would not be able to move in when classes start next month.

Roof trouble and a June rainstorm teamed up to start a string of problems at the Candletree Apartments. One of the tenants now fears that the deluge might be responsible for a moldy mess that's putting her health at risk.

Stephanie Clark says the problem started last month last month when she noticed a couple of black spots of mold in her closet. The two little spots soon grew into a major mess.

Air-conditioning units at the Mississippi Capitol have gotten a thorough cleaning after tests revealed "elevated levels" of fungal spores, said a spokeswoman for the Department of Finance and Administration.

Kym Wiggins said air-quality tests were conducted in the lieutenant governor's offices and some senators' offices at the request of Senate secretary John Gilbert.

This is a first for me, but I'm recommending a product catalog for this week's Mold Education. Wonder how moisture meters work? This explains it, from EFIS to wood moisture meters. Check out the mold test products, which range from the simple agar petri dishes to a $1500 Cyclex Indoor Air Quality Sampler Deluxe Kit, again with explanations.

The explanations are very general, of course, but are easy to understand. This is a good place to start to get familiar with different indoor mold testing methods.

MANCHESTER -- Although Ronald Schongar is accused of violating federal law in his mold cleanup business, he left satisfied customers in the Manchester schools - and officials say there have been no reports of health problems as a result of his work.

Richard Huot, the Manchester school system's business manager, said Schongar's business was hired in 2000 or 2001 to deal with a mold problem at Highland Park School.

One month after the Attorney General's Office sought compensation from five contractors it called "substantially responsible" for mold problems in two N.C. Central University dorms, two of the contractors have taken legal action against the state and university.

Bryant-Durham Electric filed suit in Durham County on June 30 alleging that NCCU had failed to formally alert the company to any problems with its work before this year. The Durham company's lawsuit also claims the attorney general and NCCU have denied Bryant-Durham access to documents it needs to defend its work.

Scott Santora arrived at his Strongsville colonial in 1993 with the same thrill and optimism of anyone moving into a new home. That was before six wooden floor joists - horizontal beams that help support a building - cracked along the middle of the house, causing the floors to dip. A building inspector told him he should replace 17 of the joists.

That was only one of many problems Santora experienced with the $205,000 house. Over the following years, his and his family's enthusiasm dried up like a plugged faucet.

The book's name, "The Illustrated Mold Handbook" is a misnomer - it's actually an 'Illustrated Mold INSPECTION and TESTING Handbook.' For all of the attorneys out there who read this newsletter, all I can say is -- go out and buy this book before your next industrial hygenist and/or mold inspector deposition. It is a fantastic explanation of mold investigations.

This guide has very brief explanations of what mold is, and where to look for it. It has very detailed explanations of litigation-important tools, such as the Comparative Spore Chart (page 37); the Comparative Particle & Data Chart (page 40); what should be in field notes for forensic investigations (Chapter 13); how to use an Air-O-Cell(TM) (page 9); how to use digital photography to investigate mold (pag 31).

I am impressed by the discussion of investigating and remediating an HVAC System. (Level IV Contamination, in accordance with the "Damp Indoor Spaces and Health", CDC IOM May 25, 2004). Well, a little impressed and a lot grossed out by the pictures. This book is full of full-color photographs.

The second half of the book is Site Case Studies . For those of you who think that my picture of a dust mite from a few weeks ago was scary, the photograph of the mite on page 104 will give you nightmares. One of my favorite sayings from the book, "Dilution is not the solution to pollution. Neither is the use of air fresheners" (page 105).

The book has photos of how moisture meters are used in investigations; how to plot a dew point; and how to use the dew point to determine where to make cuts in a wall. The book also shows how to make cuts and how to take samples from the cuts.

The guide also has full photographs of how to conduct a mold investigation, how to set forth the scope of a mold investigation, and the containment measures that need to be used during the investigation. It details mold remediation plans and methods as well.

This article has a lot of fun links to Martha Stewart jokes. Here's a few: She got off easy, as HAL-Lives and Canyoneer see it: "Hey it could be worse; they dropped a house on her sister." And: "She isn't going to Abu Ghraib!"

StrikitRich didn't exactly foresee a rough stint behind bars: "Five months? That should be just enough time to get her golf swing and tennis serve perfected before the holidays."

I'm Cynthia Coulter Mulvihill. I worked my way through law school working for a geotechnical and environmental law school during the day, going to law school at night. I've been an attorney for almost ten years. I'll admit an affinity for mold since I grew penicillium mold for my fifth grade science project.

My law partner is Sheral Hyde, a graduate of Brigham Young University and Southwestern University. Sheral's a kicking litigator. Our firm is a general practice, and, as we like to say, "testosterone-challenged."