The Perils Of A North Carolina Science Education

(On the Huffington Post, from wire reports.  Not, I repeat not, from Onion.com)
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Solar Farm Rejected Amid Fears It Will "Suck Up The Sun's Energy"

Residents Concerned It Would Stop Plants From Growing and Cause Cancer

A town council in North Carolina rejected plans to rezone land for a solar farm after residents voiced fears it would cause cancer, stop plants from growing, and suck up all the energy from the sun.

Citizens made the allegations at the Woodland Town Council meeting in Northampton County, North Carolina last Wednesday.

Bobby Mann said the farm would "suck up all the energy from the sun and businesses would not come to Woodland," reported the Roanoke-Chowan Herald News.

Retired science teacher Jane Mann feared the proposed solar ranch could "hinder photosynthesis" and stop plants from growing.

She added that no one could tell her that solar panels didn't cause cancer.

Other residents feared the effect it would have on the price of their homes.

The council turned down the proposal.

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Where do bizarre notions like "solar suck-up" come from?  Maybe from science teachers like Ms. Mann.  And what a science teacher!  Not only is Ms. Mann is clueless about photosynthesis and plant growth, she argues using a logical fallacy known as appeal to ignorance:

Although there is no such thing as a carcinogenic solar panel, because you can't prove to me there is no evidence of it, it must be true.

In addition to her section on bogus biology, Ms. Mann's science class also covered creationism, flat earth, and the hoax of climate change.