In 1999, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Dave Barry sent out a sardonic apology after he rubbed the
Tri-City Herald the wrong way. Barry, a humor writer, had covered a story about radioactive ants near the Hanford site for his syndicated column in the
Miami Herald. Barry was far from the only journalist to cover the story and certainly not the only person to poke some fun at the situation. He drew comparisons to niche B-movie horror films, painting a picture of nuclear monster ants crawling into the light. To be fair, much of the national news media had some laughs at our expense when this happened. But nobody else said that the area "glowed like a Budweiser sign."