One person is dead after an ATV crash that occurred in Orangeburg County, SC

One dead after ATV accident in Orangeburg County
By Thomas Lanahan Tuesday, June 7th 2016

ATV accident




ORANGEBURG COUNTY, SC (WACH) - One person is dead after an ATV crash that occurred in Orangeburg County late Monday night.

The Orangeburg County Coroner has identified the victim as 62-year-old Ennis Griffin.

The Coroner's Office said Griffin died from a closed head injury.

According to SC Highway Patrol, the accident happened at 9:15 p.m. on Ferguson Landing Way near the Eutawville community.

The driver was riding a 2016 Polaris Ranger when it drove off the right side roadway and hit a tree. The driver wasn't wearing a helmet or a seatbelt.

Three other people were on the vehicle at the time of the accident and all three were transported to a local hospital. There's still no word on their condition.

Two South Carolina Air National Guard F-16 fighter pilots ejected safely after an apparent midair collision in eastern Georgia

2 Air National Guard pilots eject after midair collision
By SUSANNE M. SCHAFER, Associated Press Wednesday, June 8th 2016

2 Air National Guard pilots eject after midair collision Tuesday night, June 7, 2016. (MGN Online)




MCENTIRE JOINT NATIONAL GUARD BASE, S.C. (AP) Two South Carolina Air National Guard F-16 fighter pilots ejected safely after an apparent midair collision in eastern Georgia, the Guard said.


The collision happened about 9:15 p.m. Tuesday during night training operations over a remote military operating area in Jefferson County, Georgia, a National Guard spokeswoman said.

The jets were assigned to the South Carolina Air National Guard's 169th Fighter Wing, which operates out of McEntire Joint National Guard Base in Eastover, South Carolina.

The base commander, Col. Nicholas Gentile, said the two pilots are among the most experienced in the unit.

Gentile said he could not yet release their names, but said they are back in South Carolina being debriefed as part of the investigation.


He said the two jets were part of a group of six that was conducting night training operations in preparation for an upcoming deployment that he could not discuss.

The pilots were wearing night-vision goggles when the collision occurred, Gentile said.

"We had lanes spread out across the Southeast last night," Gentile said, adding that the bombing range is only about a 15-minute flight from the South Carolina base.

The F-16C models practice maneuvering against opponents and were involved in some of the earliest deployments in the Persian Gulf War in the 1990s.

It has been decades since South Carolina F-16s have been involved in a collision, he said, though he did not know the date of the last time it occurred. The 169th Fighter Wing has 28 of the aircraft.

U.S. F/A 18 jet fighters from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort were also flying nighttime operations and contacted officials to help locate the pilots, Gentile said.

The National Guard, Marines and Air Force all use the area, called the Townsend Bombing Range, for training, he said.

There were no immediate reports of injuries on the ground.

Gentile was heading to the crash scene Wednesday, McEntire spokeswoman Lt. Col. Cindi King said. The South Carolina Army National Guard was flying Gentile to Georgia aboard a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, King said.

"With the sun out, they will be able to see the area," she said, adding that the Blackhawk helicopters will help in their ability to fly over and assess potential damage.

King said South Carolina National Guard commander Maj. Gen. Robert Livingston Jr. was in Washington on Tuesday night when he got news of the crashes and was returning to Columbia to be updated.

The South Carolina Air National Guard and the U.S. Air Force are dispatching teams to investigate the collision.

The collision comes after both of the military's precision flying teams suffered crashes last week.

A Blue Angels F/A-18 crashed last Thursday near Nashville, Tennessee, while taking off for a practice session. The pilot, Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss, was killed.

Also Thursday, a Thunderbirds F-16 crashed outside Colorado Springs, Colorado, but that pilot, Maj. Alex Turner, ejected safely. The Thunderbirds had just performed over the open-air graduation ceremony at the nearby Air Force Academy, where President Barack Obama spoke.

In May, two Navy jet fighters collided off the North Carolina coast. The four people on board the jets were pulled from the Atlantic Ocean by a commercial fishing ship.

Driver killed after truck overturns, catches fire in Orangeburg Co., SC

By Matthew Stevens Wednesday, June 8th 2016






ORANGEBURG COUNTY, SC (WACH) - One person is dead after a car crash Wednesday on US 321.

According to Sonny Collins with the SC Highway Patrol, a person driving a Toyota pickup truck lost control of the truck near the intersection of USC 321 and Crim Street around 5:50pm.

The truck ran off the roadway, overturned several times and caught fire.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The identity of the driver has not been released.

The South Caroling Highway Patrol continues to investigate.

Drunken driver gets 16 years in prison for killing good Samaritan in Chicago

Christine and Jeff Stokowski, parents of Shane Stokowski, talk about their reaction to the sentencing of Timothy McShane for killing their son. McShane was sentenced to 16 years in prison on June 8, 2016, for running over Shane Stokowski, a good Samaritan who tried to stop him from driving from a bar while drunk in 2014.

Steve SchmadekeContact ReporterChicago Tribune


Christine Stokowski's hands shook as she tearfully told a Cook County judge Wednesday how she fell to her knees on the side of Interstate 55 two years ago and cried when a doctor called with the news her oldest son had been killed by a drunken driver.

She would later learn that her son, Shane Stokowski, an outgoing 33-year-old graphic designer just seven months away from his wedding, was a good Samaritan who had been run over while trying to stop an intoxicated man from leaving a bar in Chicago's West Town neighborhood.

Speaking at the sentencing for the driver, Timothy McShane, Stokowski said her family as well as her son's fiancee are still struggling with the loss. The fiancee, Erin Harvill, went from planning her wedding to picking out the casket her fiance was buried in.

"I think of Shane every second of every day," said Stokowski, clad in a white T-shirt with her son's engagement photo on the front.



Judge Lawrence Flood sentenced McShane, 44, to 16 years in prison, calling his actions "outrageous and extreme."

McShane's blood wasn't drawn at a hospital until about eight hours later, but his blood-alcohol content still tested at 0.225, nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08 percent, prosecutors said.

McShane, who was convicted in March of aggravated DUI and reckless homicide, tearfully apologized and acknowledged his struggles with alcohol.

Though he did not know Stokowski, a clearly intoxicated McShane shook his hand and those of his friends as he left the Aberdeen Tap on a Saturday afternoon in March 2014.





Shane Stokowski, 33, left, was killed after prosecutors say he tried to stop Timothy McShane, right, from driving drunk. Stokowski was carried by McShane's car for nearly a block before he fell off the car. McShane has been charged with reckless homicide. (Family photo; Chicago Police Department)

Stokowski and his friends were able to persuade him to get out of his girlfriend's SUV, but McShane later sneaked back outside and started trying to drive away, hitting the cars parked in front of and behind him, according to trial testimony.

"C'mon, man, don't do it," an eyewitness reported that Stokowski pleaded in a genial tone with McShane, whose license was suspended after a history of drunken driving arrests. McShane instead hit the gas pedal.

Police found marks on the road-salt-coated driver's side of the black Nissan that showed where Stokowski's hand had slipped off the door, according to trial testimony.

Stokowski's younger brother, Patrick, who was to be best man at his brother's wedding, was so overwhelmed by grief and depression that he had to quit his job, he told a judge Wednesday.

"All we have now are memories of Shane, and those memories are starting to fade," he said.

Stokowski's sister, Sheila, gripped the side of the podium and tried to hold back tears as she lamented the loss of a much-older brother whom she had just started getting to know as an adult.

Drunken driver convicted of reckless homicide in death of good Samaritan

McShane apologized to the family after his mother told the judge her family has a long history of alcoholism.

"I'm terribly, terribly sorry that Shane's not in your life," McShane said, breaking down in tears as he turned to face Stokowski's family. "I wish I could take it back."

McShane said much of what happened that day was still unclear to him. After Stokowski's death, he entered an alcohol treatment program at Normandy House in Elmwood Park.

"I realized that anything negative in my life was caused by alcohol," he said.

In asking for less than the 29-year maximum sentence, McShane's attorney, Thomas Brandstrader, said his client could be rehabilitated.

"He's not the same person who let alcohol control him," he said.

But Assistant State's Attorney Martin Moore said McShane blew off numerous warnings that he had a problem with alcohol, citing three previous DUI arrests and the loss of his truck-driving job after failing a Breathalyzer test at work.

Speaking to reporters after the sentencing hearing, Stokowski's family members said they were satisfied with a sentence that will keep McShane behind bars for years.

Christine Stokowski said Harvill, her son's former fiancee, told her when picking out Stokowski's casket that she wanted her own ashes at her death placed inside with his remains. But his parents assured Harvill, whose wedding dress arrived the week of the funeral, that she would be happy again.

"She's young, she has a long life ahead of her," his father, Jeff Stokowski, said of Harvill, who now lives in California. "We want her to find someone just as good as our son."

Worker was struck with a steel beam that broke loose from a crane in central Sioux Falls

Worker injured in central Sioux Falls construction accident



Posted: Mon 2:57 PM, Jun 06, 2016 |
Updated: Mon 3:40 PM, Jun 06, 2016

 

SIOUX FALLS - A worker was hospitalized Monday following a construction accident in central Sioux Falls.

The accident happened late Monday morning on the campus of Sanford Health near West 22nd Street and South Grange Avenue. Police say a a 33-year-old man was struck with a steel beam that broke loose from a crane while he and another worker were guiding the beam into place.

Co-workers helped the victim get back to the ground, and he was taken to a hospital. Police say his injuries were not life-threatening.

The accident is still under investigation.

Insurance Fraud: Cockerell Dermatopathology used Soldiers to bilk millions from Tricare Insurance

U.S. military members duped to help pull off insurance fraud


CBS News is exposing an insurance scam -- and you, as a taxpayer, are a victim.

It is especially egregious because members of the U.S. military are being duped to help pull off the fraud.

A club in West Hollywood, with pulsing music, might not seem like the ideal location for a business meeting. But this was where we were invited by Dustin Warren, a salesman working with a lab that conducts genetic testing and drug screening.

CBS News recorded the meeting undercover.

Warren gave us a taste of his hardball pitch he uses to get doctors to order the tests.

"If you're not doing this, you're a pile of s**t. You don't care about people. You don't care about cancer. And you don't care about your patients. Bottom line," he said.


Dustin Warren.
CBS News

With the right contacts, Warren told us, we could expect to make big money.

"Sixty f***** grand a month," he said.

Thanks, in part, to genetic tests that assess cancer risk. He said military insurance, called Tricare, reimburses the most for a single test.

"We were banging them for 12 to 16 grand and we dialed it back to 8,000 because we're like, we're going to get f***... this isn't going to be good for anybody," Warren said.

The tests are conducted and billed by a lab in Dallas, Cockerell Dermatopathology, which offers another test -- a drug screening. And that screening made the lab more than $5 million dollars from Tricare last year.

Screening test made Cockerell Dermatopathology more than $5 million dollars from Tricare last year.

To entice soldiers to be screened -- so Tricare could be billed -- others working with the Cockerell Lab set up a makeshift clinic in a strip mall just a mile from the gates of Fort Hood.

CBS News has learned that beginning last summer and running all the way through this past February, soldiers would line up every day in this parking by the dozens and provide their DNA, urine and Tricare ID cards in exchange for a $50 Wal-Mart gift card.

"It was a lot of people. It was full," said Linda Bozeman.

Bozeman -- the wife of a soldier -- told us she visited the clinic a few times last year to make a little extra money for Christmas presents.

"They said they had this clinical research going and that they paid you by Wal-Mart cards, so you'd give your urine," she said.

But it wasn't for research.


Linda Bozeman speaking with CBS News' Jim Axelrod.
 

Documents show Cockerell Dermatopathology used Bozeman's samples to bill Tricare 418 separate times, unneeded screening for dozens of drugs like PCP, cocaine and methadone. Nearly $7,000 at tax payers expense.

And this wasn't the only place near Fort Hood where soldiers lined up. There was also a storefront a few blocks away. They were only there a little while before setting up shop at a more professional looking site.

A few months ago, they moved a few miles down the road, to another location. Now from the looks of things they are no longer in business there either, but CBS News found plenty of evidence in the trash, that they had been.

Soldiers' social security numbers, medical information, DNA specimens and more than 60 photocopies of military IDs, including Linda Bozeman's were found.

Which left us with a lot of questions for Cockerell Dermatopathology, and its owner Dr. Clay Cockerell, a dermatologist.

"I run a dermatopathology laboratory, I've been doing that for well over 20 years," he said.


Dr. Clay Cockerell.
CBS News

Our producer caught up with him outside the lab.

"I'm going to take off ... that's not my lab," he said.

He said he is not running the lab.

In a written statement, representatives of Cockerell Dermatopathology confirmed it is his lab.

They also said, "There is a possibility that individuals were operating outside of the organization's strict compliance requirements."

The lab said it is voluntarily refunding what it calls "significant amounts of money" -- but wouldn't say how much or to whom.

CBS News asked the Pentagon if it's investigating -- they told CBS News they can't discuss it.
© 2016 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. 


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In response to the CBS News story that aired on June 8, 2016

Jun 08 2016



In response to the CBS News story that aired on June 8, 2016

Cockerell Dermatopathology, P.A. is a Texas-based laboratory. While our core business is anatomic pathology and dermatopathology, we also have relationships with others that perform molecular, as well as genomics and toxicology work. The laboratory that does this business operates under the name Origen Laboratories and is owned by Clay Cockerell, M.D., an internationally-recognized physician with more than 30 years of experience in pathology.

Dr. Cockerell oversees and manages the anatomic and dermatopathology testing performed at the laboratory. The molecular, genomics, and toxicology testing is overseen and managed by ProGen Lab Systems, LLC, an independent laboratory management services organization.

On any given day, the laboratory receives orders from physicians requesting that certain tests and screenings be performed on their patients. The results of any qualifying test or screening are sent back to the prescribing physicians, who then decides how best to utilize the results for the benefit of their patients’ plan of care.

We take pride in operating with the highest level of integrity. When Origen became aware that certain individuals were operating outside of the organization’s strict compliance requirements regarding the manner in which laboratory services are marketed, we took immediate action, including terminating individuals and relationships with those that acted in violation of the laboratory’s compliance policies. We are also voluntarily refunding monies resulting from these activities. In no case did Origen or Cockerell profit from these activities as suggested by the CBS story.

We will vigorously defend ourselves against allegations of wrongdoing – and we remain steadfast in our commitment to our patients, our staff, and our community at large to continue providing the highest quality healthcare possible.

Jacob Finerty, a Santa Barbara police officer was charged with four felonies related to worker’s compensation insurance fraud

Santa Barbara Police Officer Charged With Worker’s Compensation Insurance Fraud
By Giana Magnoli, Noozhawk Managing Editor | @magnoli | June 6, 2016 | 3:28 p.m.



Jacob Finerty, a Santa Barbara police officer was charged with four felonies related to worker’s compensation insurance fraud, allegedly committed while employed at the department, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office said Monday.

Jacob Finerty, 28, was hired by the SBPD in September 2011 and a worker’s compensation fraud investigation began in 2014, interim Police Chief John Crombach said.

“This came to our attention I think in 2014 and we initiated an investigation, and it then began to take a criminal turn when there appeared there was some fraud involved here,” he said.




Finerty has been out on leave, related to his worker’s compensation claim, on and off since 2014 and was placed on unpaid leave several weeks ago, pending the trial, Crombach said.

The claim was for an alleged work-related injury, Crombach said.

The District Attorney’s Office filed four felony of insurance fraud counts against Finerty and Deputy District Attorney Gary Gemberling, who is prosecuting the case, said the two insurance code sections both apply to worker’s compensation fraud; One section applies to a fraudulent oral statement and the other applies to fraudulent written statements.

Finerty, identified by the District Attorney’s Office as a resident of Hesperia in San Bernardino County, had not been booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail as of Monday afternoon, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.

He is not in custody and is scheduled to be arraigned in Superior Court June 24.

SBPD detectives conducted the investigation after the California Department of Insurance declined to take the case, Crombach said.

“We investigate all allegations of misconduct, and during the investigation if it appears that it’s criminal in nature, then that’s the way the investigation goes and then we present the results to the DA,” he said.

He thanked the District Attorney’s Office for its role analyzing the complex case and said “no one’s above the law.”

District Attorney Joyce Dudley said the fact Finerty was a police officer wasn't a consideration in the charges. Worker’s compensation fraud charges have been filed against other local government employees in the past, she said.

In presentations to other government agencies and companies, “we make it clear that we’re in the business of investigating fraud on every level, including worker’s comp,” she said. This is the second high-profile SBPD employee criminal case in recent years, with former business office manager Karen Flores sentenced to state prison after pleading no contest to embezzlement, stealing public funds and destroying parking citations.

Work-related respiratory diseases include both those that are uniquely caused by work, such as coal workers pneumoconiosis, and those that are caused by both work and non-work factors.

Help Set the Research Priorities for Occupational Respiratory Diseases

Categories: National Occupational Research Agenda, Respiratory Health

June 6th, 2016 2:12 pm ET - Paul Henneberger, ScD, and David Weissman, MD




Work-related respiratory diseases include both those that are uniquely caused by work, such as coal workers pneumoconiosis, and those that are caused by both work and non-work factors. Asthma is an example of this second type of condition. Work-related asthma is the most common respiratory disease treated in occupational health clinics in the United States. An estimated 15% of asthma among adults is attributable to work, and 23% of working asthmatics experience exacerbation at work. Extrapolated to all working asthmatics, this could affect 2.25 million Americans between the ages of 15 and 65. The medical costs for work-related asthma were estimated to be $2.29 billion in 2007.1 Total economic impact, including medical and non-medical costs, would be even greater. Other types of respiratory diseases potentially impacted by workplace exposures include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (or COPD), hypersensitivity pneumonitis, silicosis, lung cancer, and bronchiolitis obliterans.

The National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) is a partnership program to stimulate innovative research and improved workplace practices. Unveiled in 1996, NORA has become a research framework for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the nation. Diverse parties collaborate to identify the most critical issues in workplace safety and health. Participation in NORA is broad, including stakeholders from universities, large and small businesses, professional societies, government agencies, and worker organizations.

As we prepare to start the Respiratory Health Program in the third decade of NORA, we want to hear the opinions of all interested individuals and stakeholder groups about what is needed to improve respiratory health in the workplace. We want to learn from the perspectives of many groups, including workers, employers, occupational safety and health professionals, academics and researchers, and others interested in work-related respiratory health issues. Which exposures and associated respiratory diseases should we focus on in creating the NORA research goals? Which methods for assessing exposure and health should be highlighted? What type of scientific approaches need more attention to better understand and prevent occupational respiratory diseases? What type of intervention research is needed?

You are invited to voice your opinions in the comment box below. While we will take comments indefinitely, we would appreciate comments before August 1, 2016, so they can be used to help create a draft plan for Respiratory Health in the third decade of NORA. If you want to communicate with us individually rather than in the blogosphere, please email your comments to: NIOSHbreath@cdc.gov

Please forward this blog to others who may want to contribute.

Thanks for taking part!

Paul Henneberger, ScD, is Senior Science Advisor in the NIOSH Respiratory Health Division.

David Weissman, MD, is Director of the NIOSH Respiratory Health Division.


Reference
Leigh JP. Economic burden of occupational injury and illness in the United States. Milbank Q. 2011 Dec;89(4):728-72.

NIOSH’s Respiratory Health Division is seeking comments from stakeholders on ways to improve workers’ respiratory health.

NIOSH asks for input on improving respiratory health among workers

June 7, 2016









Washington – NIOSH’s Respiratory Health Division is seeking comments from stakeholders on ways to improve workers’ respiratory health.

“Which methods for assessing exposure and health should be highlighted? What type of scientific approaches need more attention to better understand and prevent occupational respiratory diseases?” Paul Henneberger, senior science advisor in the Respiratory Health Division, and David Weissman, director of the division, ask in a June 6 blog post.

The agency states that it wants to hear from various stakeholders – including workers, employers, researchers, and occupational safety and health professionals – to help establish research objectives for the National Occupational Research Agenda, a partnership program for innovative research and better workplace practices.

The agency has set a deadline of Aug. 1 for comments, but stated it will accept feedback indefinitely to help produce a draft plan in the third decade of NORA. Comments can be emailed to NIOSHbreath@cdc.gov or posted under the blog entry.

The most common respiratory disease treated in U.S. occupational health clinics is work-related asthma, according to NIOSH. About 15 percent of asthma cases in adults are associated with work, and 23 percent of workers who have the disease experience more severe symptoms on the job. Workplace exposures potentially affect other respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, silicosis, lung cancer and bronchiolitis obliterans (also known as “popcorn lung”).

Roofer killed after fall from the roof of the Cathedral Church of St. Catharine of Siena in Allentown

Roofer killed in Allentown cathedral fall is identified; OSHA investigates



OSHA said Tuesday it is investigating the death of roofer Charles M. Diirner, 43, of Ephrata, who fell a day earlier from the roof of the Cathedral Church of St. Catharine of Siena in Allentown. (FRANK WARNER / THE MORNING CALL)

Frank Warner Of The Morning Call

Roofer who died in St. Catharine Cathedral fall is identified; OSHA investigates


ALLENTOWN — The Lehigh County coroner's office on Tuesday identified the roofer who was killed Monday afternoon in a 30-foot fall from the roof of the Cathedral Church of St. Catharine of Siena in Allentown.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Tuesday it is investigating the death.

Charles M. Diirner, 43, of Ephrata, Lancaster County, was pronounced dead at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest about an hour after the 5:35 p.m. fall from the roof at 18th and Turner streets.

Diirner reportedly landed on his head and had no pulse when Allentown EMS paramedics arrived. He was rushed by ambulance to the LVH trauma center.

Are GMOs worth another look?

Mark Lynas: "The Whole Natural Food Movement is a Fraud" By Harrison Berry



 
J.R. Simplot Company
Simplot's Innate potato, a GMO product that is resistant to bruising. At the 2013 Oxford Farming Conference, environmental author Mark Lynas, known for his staunch anti-GMO stance, dramatically changed his position, coming out in favor of genetically modified foods. The shift had come after years of anti-Mosanto activities and destroying crops involved in GMO field trials. Tuesday, May 19, he'll talk to Boiseans about his conversion, and why the public should give GMOs another chance.

"I thought I was protecting the environment. It turns out this technology has a lot to offer," he told Boise Weekly.

Lynas is the author of The God Species, Six Degrees and High Tide—all books about the environment and man's relationship with it. Six Degrees was long listed for the Orwell Prize in 2008 and won the Royal Society Prize for science books.

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are plants that have been manipulated on the genetic level. Sometimes, this manipulation is meant to suppress negative characteristics, like the acrylamide, which is found in potatoes and is thought to be a carcinogen. Other manipulations include promoting desired characteristics, like high yields, and others include splicing characteristics from other crops or strains of the same plant.

Scientists have been interbreeding and enhancing crops since the Middle Ages, but it wasn't until recently that scientists had sophisticated tools with which they could interface with a plant's genetic material.

"With modern knowledge, these traits could be developed much faster" than with previous technological methods, Lynas said.

Many of these changes have made crops more resistance to heat, drought and insects, but critics of GMOs say they could be dangerous to humans and entail unforeseen biological and environmental consequences. Lynas fired back at what he called "the antis," and said that while science has backed up the nutritiousness and safety of GMOs—earlier this year, the FDA cleared Simplot's Innate potato—there is still a significant public perception that GMOs are unhealthful.

"The whole natural food movement is a fraud," he said. "I don't see why we have to attach cultural and political baggage [to GMOs] when there's scientific consensus."

Lynas will speak beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, at the Egyptian Theatre.

Death on the Job: Idahoans Killed at Work

UPDATE: Death on the Job: Idahoans Killed at Work
'Our nation is built on the dignity of its workers. We all must be involved in that cause' By George Prentice



George Prentice

David Kearns, area director of OSHA’s Boise office, at the May 1 Workers Memorial Day .



  UPDATE: May 4, 2016

The Ada County Coroner confirmed Wednesday that the two men crushed to death in a construction accident in northwest Boise were Canyon County residents. Their official cause of death was listed as mechanical asphyxia due to compression.

The victims were identified as Bert Smith Jr., 36, of Caldwell, and Ernesto Saucedo-Zapata, 26, of Nampa.

The two were buried under massive amounts of dirt and sand when the trench they were working in collapsed. Officials said the men were in a nine-foot-deep trench near the corner of North Hill Road Parkway and Gary Lane. A third worker at the site was rescued from the collapse and rushed to St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. His identity has not yet been released.

UPDATE: May 4, 2016

Investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor have the grim task of probing exactly what went wrong when a trench at a Boise construction site collapsed in the late afternoon hours of May 3, killing two workers and injuring a third.

Emergency responders rushed to the scene shortly after the collapse, at approximately 5:30 p.m. Witnesses said the workers were about nine-feet deep in the trench when the walls collapsed. About 30 minutes later, one of the workers was pulled from the trench and rushed to St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. About 90 minutes later, officials said the other two workers were dead at the scene.

No word yet on the identities of the three workers.

ORIGINAL STORY: May 4, 2016

Some Idahoans are literally worked to death, something the survivors of the 13 Gem State workers killed on the job during the past year know all too well. Those survivors joined with Idaho labor and faith leaders on a spring morning May 1 to honor those who died as part of Workers Memorial Day. The abundant sunshine lit Boise's Fallen Firefighter Memorial that Saturday morning, a stark contrast to the grim and often lonely deaths of those being remembered.

One by one, labor leaders read 10 names:

• David Moreno, 36, killed June 1, 2015, at a Jefferson County Idaho dairy when a feed trailer turned over on top of his ATV.

• Ambrose Smartlowit, 18, died June 8, 2015, when he succumbed to heat stress and dehydration on his first day on the job, picking weeds at a Nez Perce County ranch.

• Terry Sonner, 33, died of a heart attack June 10, 2015 while on a training run in Elmore County. He left behind a wife and five children.

• Douglas Cook, 33, killed June 11, 2015, at a Shoshone County logging camp when he was struck by cable yarding. He left behind a fiance and son.

• Junior Romero, 35, killed July 9, 2015, at a Cassia County dairy when he was pinned against the wall of a storage container when stacked construction materials fell. He left behind a fiance.

• Seth Glenn, 22, was killed July 25, 2015, at a Caribou County exploration site when he was crushed by a drill rig.

• Jesus Guadarama, 52, died July 27, 2015, at an Eagle farm when his ATV rolled over.

• Bill Schmadeka, 55, was killed August 28, 2015, at a Shoshone County logging camp when he was crushed by a cable yarder.

• Francisca Gomez, 63, was killed January 20, 2016, at a Canyon County seed plant when her hair was pulled into a conveyor shaft. She left behind a husband and eight children.

• Ruperto Carrera, 38, was killed February 16, 2016, when he drowned in a manure pit at a Minidoka County dairy. He left behind a wife and large family.

Three more names were added to the memorial list, including two members of the Idaho military who died stateside: Navy Ensign Gage Theard, 24, of Coeur d'Alene, and Navy Corpsman William Lambert, 24, of Hayden; and Coeur d'Alene Police Sergeant Greg Morris, 43, who was shot and killed May 5, 2015.

"Today we remember all of them," said Leland Heinbach, president of the Idaho Chapter of the AFL-CIO. "These people did not have to die."

The AFL-CIO's annual report, "The Toll of Neglect," indicates 150 United States workers die each day from hazardous working conditions.

"The biggest thing in common with all of these deaths? They could have been prevented," said David Kearns, director of the Boise office of the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, who spends his days investigating many of the incidents.

Of the 10 Idaho deaths that OSHA investigated over the past 12 months, Kearns said five of the victims were particularly vulnerable because English was not their first language. National OSHA records indicate that Latino workers are at greater risk, with their job fatality rate being 9 percent higher than the overall U.S. job fatality rate.

Heinbach, who spends his days fighting for workers' rights as part of his role with the Boise Central Trades and Labor Council, said even thought union membership may not be high, it's still ultimately important.

"Our nation is built on the dignity of its workers," he said. "We all must be involved in that cause."

Dying to Work: Trench Collapse, Manure Pit Drowning Among OSHA's Top Idaho Probes

Dying to Work: Trench Collapse, Manure Pit Drowning Among OSHA's Top Idaho Probes
"It was a preventable tragedy—one of the worst ways I can think of dying," By George Prentice 









The incidents couldn't have been more different. One occurred in a busy Boise neighborhood and emergency responders swarmed to the scene. The other occurred in a dairy farm manure pit in the tiny Jerome County town of Hazelton.

In Boise, crews from the city's fire and police departments teamed with Ada County Paramedics and the Ada County Highway District to free three men who had been buried alive in a trench collapse. In Hazelton, a dairy worker lay in the manure pit for 10 hours before his body was pulled from the scene. In the end, two of the Boise victims and the lone Hazelton victim were dead. The cases of all three are now receiving significant attention from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

"From one angle or another, I have personally known a lot of people involved in Idaho work-related tragedies. It's very personal for me," said David Kearns, OSHA director for the state of Idaho. "When I was growing up here in Boise, I never planned on being the 'OSHA guy.' But it didn't take more than a couple of investigations for me to start getting pretty preachy based on the things I've seen and how they have rocked communities and hurt families."

As for the dairy worker in Hazelton, identified as 37-year-old Ruperto Vazquez-Carrera, who drove his feed truck toward the Sunrise Organic Dairy Farm manure pit but never returned, he is one of a multitude of Idaho farm workers whose primary language isn't English.

"It's a real tragedy. About half of the fatalities we had last year involved people where English was not their first language," said Kearns. "They're vulnerable workers. They may fear deportation; they're open to exploitation. They're afraid of the federal government and they don't know the difference between OSHA and ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the enforcement arm of U.S. Department of Homeland Security]."

The investigation into Vazquez-Carrera's death is complete and is currently being reviewed at a higher level "due to the nature of the incident," Kearns said.

"It was a preventable tragedy—one of the worst ways I can think of dying," he said.

In addition to triggering a federal investigation, the Hazelton manure pit drowning also drew the attention of the United Farm Workers of America.

"After his truck submerged into the manure pit, that man's body lay in there until the next day," said Indira Trejo, UFW Global Impact coordinator. "That quickly came on our radar because, in February of 2015, another dairy worker drowned in a manure pit at the Riverview Ranch Dairy in Mabton, Wash."

UFW lobbied the Washington Legislature for improved dairy safety standards, but said aggressive opposition from the dairy industry killed the proposed bill. The UFW is now pushing for a meeting with Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter, reminding Gem State lawmakers that the most recent fatal incident at the Hazelton dairy is not an anomaly—three dairy workers around the state were killed on the job in 2013 alone.

"When the United Farm Workers started communicating via Facebook about the struggles at Washington dairy farms, we began getting a lot of communication from Idaho workers telling us to come here," said Trejo. "And after the drowning in Hazelton, we knew we had to come."

Trejo met with Boise Weekly in early May, after she spent several days traveling across the Magic Valley meeting workers and their families in coffee shops, restaurants, churches and living rooms. But never at a worksite.

"Are you kidding me? I would probably be shot if I set foot on a farm," she said. "What did I hear from the workers? What did I not hear? I just talked to a farmworker who was injured on the job. Last week, he didn't have food to eat, so he had to figure out a way to work. Even though he's hurting on one side, he's driving with his other hand. And as for accidents on the job? I heard about a lot of them, reported and unreported."

Meanwhile, in Idaho's state capital, the town is still buzzing about the May 3 trench collapse that claimed two lives and seriously injured another worker. The incident filled the television airwaves for days and had more than a few people guessing exactly what happened. Owners of Meridian-based Hard Rock Construction, which employed the three men, are remaining tight-lipped about exactly what happened. The day after the tragedy the trench had already been backfilled and paved over with asphalt.

Nonetheless, the investigation into the Boise trench collapse has garnered the attention of OSHA.

"I won't tell you too much, because it's an open investigation," said Kearns, but agreed to provide details on trench-digging in general and the type of five-foot-deep Boise trench that collapsed in particular.

"A trench wall is almost always a dirt wall. Usually, there's nothing to back the dirt. There are a variety of methods they can use to protect themselves. One, is to slope the walls back, 1 ½ [feet] horizontal to 1 [foot] vertical [or about 34 degrees]."

Since the trench collapse, some media reports have included speculation that the Hard Rock crew hadn't been using any shielding, such as a trench box. That's something Kearns wouldn't comment on.

"Without talking about this particular case, I can tell you that if you're working in a narrow, confined space and don't want to do that much digging, another option is to use some kind of shielding."

When asked about OSHA's working relationship with Idaho employers, Kearns had some praise for a number of industries, but reserved particular criticism for one of the fastest-growing industries in the Gem State, particularly in the post-recession era: home builders.

"If I were to talk about a trade where we have some of our most difficult dealings, it would be the residential construction industry," he said. "A number of general contractors want to be hands-off and have no responsibility. And then the subcontractors believe that they best way to stay out of trouble with OSHA is to run away and shut down the job when they see us coming. That's pretty dangerous. There's a majority... yes, I would say majority that believe that's what it's all about. That's a real tragedy."

The worst of the tragedies result in death on the job. It's a grim reminder each May 1, when Kearns joins Idaho labor leaders to mourn those who have lost their lives in the service of others on Workers Memorial Day. This year, the names of 13 men and women were read. The causes of death included logging camp accidents, workers being crushed by vehicles, severe dehydration and a woman whose hair was caught and pulled her into a conveyor shaft at a Canyon County seed plant.

"Employers are required to notify OSHA within eight hours of a catastrophe. Beginning last year, employers are also now required to notify us of hospitalizations or amputations. That's an area I think we saw a dramatic level of underreporting before," said Kearns. "But sometimes we learn of something because it just broke as news and someone like George Prentice calls me and asks, 'Can you comment on this?' That will start an investigation, too."

Time and again, Kearns tells anyone who will listen that nearly every accident, hospitalization and fatality was preventable.

"They're prevented by following basic, recognized safety rules and practices. As far as the trench cave-in, I don't know yet if that was preventable," he said. "But we have a six-month statute on that investigation."

That means sometime before early November, OSHA will come out with its investigation on the Boise trench collapse. Before that, sometime around mid-August, OSHA should reveal its findings on the Hazelton manure pit drowning.

"In some cases, we may need to continue that investigation, but if we're going to issue any citation, it has to be within six months," said Kearns. "The public and, most importantly, families deserve answers."

Bulk carrier HERBERT C JACKSON fire : welding and torch work being done in the area was likely the cause of the fire

Bulk carrier HERBERT C JACKSON fire

June 8, 2016 at 12:06 by Mikhail Voytenko in Accidents

6/8 - Superior, Wis. Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping:

The Superior Fire Department reported that it responded to a fire on the Herbert C. Jackson in the shipyard at 1:16 p.m. Freighter was in a dry dock undergoing repowering at the time. Fire crews arrived to find dark smoke coming from several areas of the aft end of the Jackson. 

It took crews more than an hour and half get the fire under control and extinguished due to poor visibility, extremely high heat and difficult access to the area of the fire's origin, according to the Superior Fire Department. All workers were out of the boat by the time firefighters arrived. Fire crews left the scene at 4:16 p.m. The fire department reports that welding and torch work being done in the area was likely the cause of the fire.

The Superior Fire Department responded with three engines, a heavy rescue vehicle and a total of nine fighters. Lake assault boats located at the shipyards provided water supply. The U.S. Coast Guard responded to ensure that there were no environmental runoff issues.

There was no report on the extent of damages. 

2 half-naked bodies of a bulk carrier AMAPOLA crew were found in a cabin, on June 8

Bulk carrier AMAPOLA two crew dead

June 8, 2016 at 12:06 by Mikhail Voytenko in Accidents


TUZLA Turkey: two half-naked bodies of a bulk carrier AMAPOLA crew were found in a cabin, on June 8. Vessel is docked at ship repair yard, probably for repairs. Nationalities of dead seamen yet unclear, either Russians or Ukrainians. It is said, that there were a lot of empty liquor bottles in the cabin.

Investigation into Aubrey McClendon's death: no evidence of suicide, fiery crash was accidental

McClendon’s autopsy report rules death an accident
Posted 6:15 pm, June 8, 2016, by Sarah Stewart


OKLAHOMA CITY - Just one day after Oklahoma City police finished their investigation into Aubrey McClendon's death and said they found no evidence of suicide, the state medical examiner's office released the autopsy.

They ruled the death an accident.

McClendon died in a fiery crash on March 2nd, the day after being indicted by federal prosecutors for violating anti-trust laws by rigging bids for oil leases.

McClendon's vehicle slammed head on at a high rate of speed into a bridge abutment just south of Memorial Road on Midwest Boulevard.

The medical examiner's report ruled the cause of death multiple blunt force trauma due to a motor vehicle collision.

And the manner of death was ruled an accident, not suicide.

Those who knew Aubrey McClendon best say they're not surprised by the findings.

"It doesn't erase the tragedy or the loss but it does I think set aside some of those irresponsible speculations," said Pat Downs, one of the board members of the OKC Boathouse Foundation.

"Hopefully, it just kind of puts an end to those discussions that we felt were distracting and those of us who knew Aubrey well, you know, this is something that I think is not surprising," said Mike Knopp, also with the OKC Boathouse Foundation and a long time friend of McClendon's.

The autopsy also found that there was no alcohol found in McClendon's system.

They did detect doxylamine in his liver; that's an antihistamine and sedative used in allergy medications and sleep aides.

"I think that if it had meant something, he would've mentioned that in the report that he did, other than the fact that they found traces of it in the liver," said G. Terry Felts.

Felts does private death investigations and has a company that does private autopsies.

He says the McClendon autopsy report looks complete.

"I think it's done and I think that we should be satisfied from the standpoint of being the people that pay taxes and the police report and medical examiner's office did great jobs and they answered all the questions they could answer," said Felts.

And while we may never know exactly what cause McClendon's car to smash into the bridge, his friends are glad an official ruling has been made.

"It does put a period at the end of this sentence," said Downes.

A spokesperson for the medical examiner's office sent us this information about the ruling:

"There was no indication of suicide. When a vehicle accident occurs, it is usually ruled an accident unless a note of suicide is found or a statement made to someone of intentions of suicide. This is consistent with the National Association of Medical Examiners manner of death classification guide."

Northeast Lamp Recycling, Inc., an E. Windsor, Conn. Facility Agrees to EPA Settlement for Mishandling of Light Ballasts with PCBs in its Recycling Operations

06/08/2016

Contact Information: 

David Deegan (deegan.david@epa.gov)

617-918-1017

BOSTON – An East Windsor, Conn., facility that handles solid waste has agreed to pay $23,000 and comply with federal law to settle claims by the US Environmental Protection Agency that it violated federal laws regulating toxic substances.
EPA's New England office alleged that Northeast Lamp Recycling, Inc. mishandled light ballasts with PCBs in its recycling operations, in violation of the federal Toxic Substances Control Act. Northeast Lamp Recycling receives light ballasts, some of which contain polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, as part of its recycling operation.
PCBs are a carcinogen and also pose a number of non-cancer adverse health effects in humans and animals. Under federal law, anyone disposing of PCBs must do so in accordance with federal environmental regulations. 
This case stemmed from a 2015 inspection of the facility by EPA. Inspectors found the facility was storing more PCB light ballasts than allowed, that some of the ballasts did not have the required out-of-service dates, and that the facility lacked the necessary secondary containment Northeast Lamp Recycling has since taken steps to ensure compliance with the regulations.
More information:

• EPA information on Waste and Chemical enforcement  (www.epa.gov/enforcement/waste-chemical-and-cleanup-enforcement)
• EPA information on PCBs (www.epa.gov/pcbs)

Cotter Corporation agrees to pay EPA $957,604 in past costs for uranium mill cleanup near Cañon City, Colorado

Cotter Corporation agrees to pay EPA $957,604 in past costs for uranium mill cleanup near Cañon City, Colorado
Funds to be placed in special account to cover future costs at Lincoln Park Superfund site
06/08/2016
Contact Information:
Richard Mylott (mylott.richard@epa.gov)
303-312-6654

(Denver, Colo.—June 8, 2016) Cotter Corporation NSL (Cotter) has agreed to pay the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency $957,604 in past costs for overseeing an investigation of contamination from the company’s uranium mill at the Lincoln Park Superfund site near Cañon City, Colorado. The administrative settlement agreement will be subject to a 30-day public comment period.

The agreement requires Cotter to pay EPA for past oversight costs, incurred between 2012 and 2014, prior to a separate 2014 agreement in which Cotter agreed to pay EPA and State costs going forward. Both agreements were entered into under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Recovery Act, also known as Superfund. All of the money paid to EPA will be placed in a special account and used to pay for any future costs at the site.

The 2014 agreement between Cotter, the State of Colorado, and EPA also requires Cotter to produce a detailed evaluation of the cleanup work it has done and the status of any contamination that may remain in soil or groundwater at the site. EPA will review that information and determine any additional cleanup actions necessary to protect public health and the environment before the site can be removed from the Agency’s National Priorities List of contaminated sites. Once the cleanup is finished, the site will be turned over to the U.S. Department of Energy for long-term care and monitoring.

Cotter produced uranium oxide, or yellowcake, at the mill in Fremont County from 1958 until 2006, when operations largely ceased. From 1958 to about 1979, tailings and other mill wastes were discharged into unlined impoundments or ponds. Mill and impoundment operations resulted in environmental contamination. Additionally, a flood in June 1965 caused the impoundments in the Old Ponds Area to overflow into Sand Creek.

Cotter first began cleaning up its mill site in 1988 under a judicial consent decree and remedial action plan with the Colorado Department of Health and Environment, which was approved by the U.S. District Court. Work under that decree is nearly finished.

EPA expects the administrative settlement to publish in the Federal Register within the next week, initiating a 30-day public comment period. The website below will be updated with a link to the Federal Register notice and information on how to comment, once published.

For more on the Lincoln Park site visit: www.epa.gov/superfund/lincoln-park

A giant sinkhole that rapidly filled with water next to a major shopping mall in downtown Ottawa caused a gas leak, collapsed a road and forced the evacuation of all nearby businesses.

Massive sinkhole closes Rideau Street in downtown Ottawa
Rideau Centre mall, businesses evacuated and tourists asked to avoid area

CBC News Posted: Jun 08, 2016 10:47 AM ET Last Updated: Jun 08, 2016 5:08 PM ET




A sinkhole formed Wednesday morning near the Rideau Centre mall and a light rail construction site in downtown Ottawa. (CBC)


A giant sinkhole that rapidly filled with water next to a major shopping mall in downtown Ottawa caused a gas leak, collapsed a road and forced the evacuation of all nearby businesses.

The sinkhole appeared at about 10:30 a.m. ET Wednesday near the corner of Rideau Street and Sussex Drive, at a light rail construction site next to the Rideau Centre, about two blocks east of the Château Laurier hotel.

Soon after forming, the sinkhole spread across the entirety of Rideau Street, stretching from the south sidewalk to the north sidewalk. A van parked on Rideau on the north side of the sidewalk, as well as a light standard, fell into the hole as it grew.

A large volume of water could also be seen gushing inside the sinkhole due to a water main break, but the water was soon shut off.


Tom Herlihy was on Rideau Street near the Chateau Laurier when he heard and smelled natural gas.

"A high-pressure natural gas line escaping is very distinct, it's a high-pressure whistle. You could smell it in the area immediately, and people were running away from it, you could tell something was amiss," he said.


Tom Herlihy smelled natural gas before he saw the sinkhole. 'People were running away from it, you could tell something was amiss,' he said. (CBC)

Herlihy went to an upper floor of the Chateau Laurier to get a better look.

"I caught the hole expanding and the car falling in and the gas just roiling the water, causing the dirt underneath the street to erode and collapse. And it's really deep," he said.

Elaine Tamblyn-Watts was in a Victoria's Secret change room at the Rideau Centre when a siren rang and a voice told people in the mall to leave the building. She said the scale of the sinkhole surprised her.

"I can't believe the size of it, it's just a clear drop, the road just completely breaks," said Tamblyn-Watts.

Ottawa police are advising residents and tourists to avoid the area. Evacuated businesses include the Shaw Centre, a CIBC bank, a Chapters store and the Rideau Centre mall.
'Too soon' to know cause

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said at an emergency meeting of city officials Wednesday afternoon that so far, there have been no injuries or missing persons recorded.

Watson said at this point it's unclear why the sinkhole formed.

"We hope to have that answer, obviously, in the next few days," Watson said.

"We just don't know how long it's going to take … it's a significant sinkhole in the downtown core," he said.

Anthony Di Monte, the city's emergency and protective services general manager, said in addition to the water main break, a gas leak also occurred, but the gas has since been shut off.

Power was also cut off to 850 customers as far east as King Edward Avenue and as far west as Elgin Street for two hours before being restored.

Di Monte said with emergency workers mitigating damage and stabilizing the area, they haven't yet had a chance to investigate the cause.

Di Monte said it wasn't clear, for example, whether the water main break might have been a contributing factor to the collapse, or whether it happened as a result of the collapse. The water main was built in 1992.

"We don't have the basic information to formulate plan yet for the next few days, " said Di Monte.
Happened near LRT work


A crowd gathered around the sinkhole, even though Ottawa police were advising residents and tourists to avoid the area. (CBC News)

The sinkhole formed near a construction site for Ottawa's light rail system, a new section of which is being dug downtown. But Watson noted that the excavation work was well below where the road collapsed.

Workers were excavating the last 50 metres of the future Rideau Station when the road fell in, said Steve Cripps, director of the city's rail implementation office.

The soil conditions in the area where the road collapsed were sandy, requiring extra precautions and different mining techniques, said Cripps.

"This is an area where they've done all the reasonable things," said Cripps.

He said it wasn't clear whether that work was connected to the collapse. The workers left the tunnel when the collapse happened and are all accounted for, said Cripps.

Work on the light rail transit system in the area will be suspended until the cause of the sinkhole can be determined and any necessary precautions have been taken.
Mayor to tour site

Watson and city officials toured the site Wednesday afternoon. The mayor said he would provide further updates as more information is learned.


The circle on the far right of the map shows the location of the Rideau Station stop for Ottawa's future light rail system. Excavation of the station finished over the weekend. The sinkhole formed Wednesday morning just next to it. (City of Ottawa)

On Sunday, Watson announced on Twitter that excavation at the future Rideau Station was complete.

A construction update from last week said crews were doing waterproofing work, installing beams and rebar, and spraying concrete at the future station. A crane was also installed at the site for future work.

Before the sinkhole formed, the road was only open to buses and taxis.

City of Kitchener: $1.3M to clean up Grand River after oil spill

$1.3M to clean up Grand River after oil spill, City of Kitchener says
City, insurer will pursue 'recovery to the maximum extent possible'

CBC News Posted: Jun 08, 2016 11:16 AM ET Last Updated: Jun 08, 2016 11:41 AM ET



Mark Servos says the presence of a black substance on the Grand River's shoreline indicates a heavy oil. (Melanie Ferrier/CBC)




The City of Kitchener has paid out $1.3 million to clean up oil that was spilled in the Grand River in April, according to a press release.

In total, 747.71 tonnes of soil had to be removed as well as 732,900 litres of impacted surface water.


The $1.3 million price tag includes the cost of containment, cleanup and remediation costs incurred by the city.

"The City of Kitchener has sought recovery of its cost under its insurance. The city and its insurer will be pursuing recovery to the maximum extent possible," the city said.
Used motor oil spilled

The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) received a call on April 29 from a concerned resident who spotted what looked like oil on the water near Kolb Park.

Testing later indicated that the substance was used motor oil.

Code Yellow Towing contacted the ministry's spills action centre on May 3 and said there had been a spill at their property at 6 Forwell Road. About 300 litres of used oil was spilled onto a floor drain.

'Substantial' costs

City and ministry staff began cleanup efforts immediately and did not finish until May 12.


At the time, Scott Berry, the city's interim associate director of operations, told CBC News costs for clean up would be "substantial."

"We are tracking and recording costs," Berry said, adding that staff want to minimize costs to taxpayers.

MAKE SURE YOU VENTILATE THE GAS TANK PRIOR TO CUTTING IT: old gas tank exploded and seriously burned a construction worker in Manchester

OSHA investigating gas tank explosion that injured worker


By - Associated Press - Wednesday, June 8, 2016

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) - The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating after an old gas tank exploded and seriously burned a construction worker in Manchester.

WMUR-TV reports (http://bit.ly/1Uoi2VR ) firefighters say the explosion happened around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at an old gas station on Elm Street.

Officials say the worker was cutting up the tank with a saw when it exploded. The tank still had some gas inside.

The worker was taken to the hospital. It’s not clear what his current condition is. He wasn’t immediately identified.An investigation is underway

SO MANY YOUNG PEOPLE ARE INJURED BECAUSE THEY DO NOT WEAR SEAT BELTS

Johnston County teen recovering after being thrown from truck



WTVD Photo




Wednesday, June 08, 2016 01:50PM
JOHNSTON COUNTY (WTVD) -- A Johnston County teenager is recovering at WakeMed Hospital after a pickup truck he was riding was involved in a crash Tuesday.

The Highway Patrol says three teenagers were leaving Corinth Holder High School in Wendell when a 17-year-old driver, pulled out in front of a car.

A friend, 17-year-old Benjamin Vazquez, who was riding in the bed of the truck was thrown out.

He's in fair condition at WakeMed.

The driver and a passenger inside the truck both suffered minor injuries. Neither was wearing their seat-belts. Charges are pending.

Second high school student dies in Dunn collision with two trees in North Carolina

Kirby Preston Wood and Kzon Derajae Crenshaw (Photo courtesy of Harnett County Schools) (Photo courtesy of Harnett County Schools)





Wednesday, June 08, 2016 02:38PM

DUNN (WTVD) -- Authorities in Harnett County are investigating a Tuesday night accident that killed two high school students.

It happened along SR-1725 in Dunn. Officials said a vehicle driven by 16-year-old Kirby Preston Wood of Dunn was going east when it passed another vehicle before reaching a curve in the road.

As Wood's car went around the curve, he ran off the right side of the roadway and lost control as he came back onto SR-1725.

Authorities said he then ran off the left side of the road before hitting a ditch and two trees, which caused the vehicle to split into two pieces.


Wood was ejected from the vehicle and died from a head injury, according to officials.

A passenger in the car with Wood, 18-year-old Kzon Derajae Crenshaw of Erwin, was airlifted to WakeMed Hospital where he later died. Authorities said Crenshaw was wearing a seatbelt.



ABC11 has learned Wood was a junior at Triton High School, and Crenshaw was a senior.


Further details surrounding the incident have not been released.

Two people were injured when a car struck a tree in Woodridge, IL

Two passengers injured after car strikes tree





Two people were injured when a car struck a tree in Woodridge Wednesday afternoon. (WLS)





Updated 28 mins ago
WOODRIDGE, Ill. (WLS) -- Two people were injured when a car struck a tree in Woodridge Wednesday afternoon.

Police said the crash happened in the 6400 block of Greene Road in Woodridge.

Both passengers of the vehicle were transported to Edward Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Outbound Metra trains stopped near Elgin after striking pedestrian

Updated 2 mins ago
ELGIN, Ill. (WLS) -- A Metra spokesperson says a pedestrian was struck and killed by an outbound Metra Milwaukee West Line train just west of the Elgin train station on Wednesday afternoon.

Trains will be single tracking around the incident and there should only be minimal delays.

Train #2242 which was supposed to head into Chicago was cancelled because it was the train that struck the pedestrian.

Train #2239 and #2241 will operate as a combination train Wednesday evening. This train will depart Chicago at 5:27 p.m.

New Jersey storms knock out power to thousands, cause outage at Great Adventure

Meteorologist Jeff Smith reports from Bernards Township, where a house caught fire after being hit by lightning.





Eyewitness News
Updated 19 mins ago
JACKSON TOWNSHIP, New Jersey (WABC) -- Strong storms that swept through New Jersey have knocked out power to thousands of utility customers, including an outage at the Six Flags Great Adventure amusement park.

A Six Flags spokeswoman said one indoor ride was unloaded, but no one was hurt. All the other rides had already been closed due to the weather.

Power at the park was restored by early afternoon.

In Bernards Township, a house caught fire after being struck by lightning.



The blaze on South Finley Avenue was quickly placed under control and no one was hurt, but the home sustained substantial damage, authorities said.

The homeowner called 911 when he saw smoke and flames inside the home after a loud thunder clap.

Lightning also struck the World Trade Center during the storm. (Photo: @maximusupinNYc via Twitter)



The storms that hit late Wednesday morning contained heavy rains and strong winds. The storms knocked down trees and power lines, but no injuries or serious damage was reported.

In Howell Township, police and workers cleared a large oak tree that came down on Newtons Corner Road. (Photo courtesy Ultimate Tree Service)


No major delays were reported on the state's major roadways, through drivers were urged to use caution.

Video posted on Twitter by the Harvey Cedars Beach Patrol (@HCBeachPatrol) showed the rough waves caused by the storm on Long Beach Island.



Camden Riverline service was briefly suspended between the Pennsauken Transit Center and Route 73 in Pennsauken due to a downed tree blocking the tracks.

About 30,000 people had no power as of Wednesday afternoon. But nearly all those customers were expected to have their service restored by Wednesday night.

About 18,000 customers had no service in north Jersey, while roughly 14,000 had no power in south Jersey.

In New York City, the Department of Buildings reminded all builders, contractors, crane operators, and property owners to secure their construction sites, buildings, and equipment, because of thunderstorms with possible winds in excess of 40 miles per hour.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

A massive case of insurance fraud spearheaded by a chiropractor has ensnared seven defendants

Seven indicted in insurance fraud RIVERSIDE – (INT) – A massive case of insurance fraud spearheaded by a chiropractor has ensnared seven defendants named in a pair of indictments.

Riverside County prosecutors allege that $98 million was fraudulently billed to 18 insurance companies. More than $12 million was actually paid out.

The charges stem from a workers’ compensation medical ‘mill’ that corrupted the workers’ compensation system, according to a statement from District Attorney Mike Hestrin.

Those facing arraignment Tuesday are:

Chiropractor Peyman Heidary
Attorney Cary Abramowitz,
Ana Solis of Rancho Cucamonga
Gladys Ross of Simi Valley
Chiropractor Touba Pakdel-Nabati of Costa Mesa
Dr. Quynam Nguyen of Orange
Jason Yang, of Pasadena

The indictments by the Riverside County Grand Jury were announced Monday following a joint investigation by the Riverside County DA’s office and the California Department of Insurance.

12 passengers were injured after a Metrobus crashed with a pickup truck and then slammed into a tree in Silver Spring, Maryland

Metrobus Crashes Into Tree in Silver Spring; Truck Driver Cited
By Jackie Bensen and Andrea Swalec


Police reviewed surveillance video from the bus and focused on the actions of a white pickup truck in the moments before the crash. News4's Jackie Bensen reports (Published Monday, June 6, 2016)

Nearly a dozen bus passengers were taken to a hospital Monday afternoon after a Metrobus crashed with a pickup truck and then slammed into a tree in Silver Spring, Maryland, officials said.

The J2 bus headed to Montgomery Westfield mall crashed with the truck Monday afternoon on East-West Highway at Grubb Road. The sound of the collision could be heard for blocks, people in the area at the time said.

"The driver of the bus was trapped for about 15 minutes. There's not much of a front of a bus," Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service spokesman Pete Piringer said.

The bus driver was severely injured and taken to a hospital. Ten passengers were taken to a hospital with lesser injuries.

Police reviewed surveillance video from the bus and focused on the actions of the white pickup truck in the moments before the crash.

The driver, Rudy Vasquez, received a citation for reckless driving. He told News4 he plans to contest the citation.

East-West Highway was closed in both directions near the site of the collision.

Elizabeth Louise Brown of Canyon County, a former claims adjuster, has pleaded guilty to two counts of insurance fraud for her scheme to defraud her employer out of more than $289,000.

Former Claims Adjuster Sentenced for Embezzlement

by Staff Report , June 7, 2016


LOS ANGELES — 48-year-old Elizabeth Louise Brown of Canyon County, a former claims adjuster, has pleaded guilty to two counts of insurance fraud with white collar crime enhancement for her scheme to defraud her employer out of more than $289,000. Brown is a former claims adjuster with Explorer Insurance.

According to Department of Insurance Detectives, Brown embezzled from the company between January 2013 and September 2015 by adding friends and family members to claims, resulting in the insurer issuing fraudulent payments to Brown’s co-conspirators.

Evidence first came to light when Explorer Insurance identified fraudulent checks issued in 87 of Brown’s claims. Brown was promptly terminated from employment and her suspected crimes were reported to the Department of Insurance, which launched an investigation.

Brown has been sentenced to four years in state prison and ordered to pay $289,999 in restitution.

1 person injured, millions of bees killed after a trailer carrying bees was involved in an accident with three tractor trailers on I-85 in North Carolina

 



















Truck carrying bees, tractor trailers crash on I-85, cause major delays Tuesday, June 7th 2016, 3:49 pm EDTTuesday, June 7th 2016, 8:58 pm EDT
By WBTV Web Staff

By Alex Giles, Reporter


















(Sky 3 | WBTV)

(Sky 3 | WBTV) CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) -

A trailer carrying bees was involved in an accident with three tractor trailers on I-85 Tuesday, blocking three lanes of traffic and causing major delays.

The crash happened just after 3 p.m. on northbound I-85 on the Catawba River bridge, which is just north of Exit 27. Officials confirmed one of the vehicles involved was loaded with honey bees and yellow jackets.

NC Department of Transportation officials said the three lanes were expected to be closed for several hours, and urged drivers to seek alternate routes. All lanes were back open around 6 p.m.

WBTV's Sky 3 was over the scene, where a large swarm of bees could be seen on the rail of the bridge.



It appeared that three tractor trailers and a smaller vehicle pulling a trailer collided with one another. Two of the tractor trailers had heavy front-end damage.

Medic said one person suffered minor injuries in the crash, and is expected to be OK. Investigators have not said how the crash may have happened.

Robert Stephens, a Gastonia resident hauling a trailer down I-85, said he didn't expect the accident to happen or the swarm of bees to pop up.

"It was very scary. I didn't know where they was coming from," said Stephens about the bees. "I didn't know there was a truck in this whole deal here that was hauling bees."

Stephens said he was stung several times and had to be given benadryl by some of the first responders.

"They attacked me. I got stung like 50 times - in my nose, ears, everywhere," said Stephens.

Additional crews and a beekeeper were called to the scene to deal with the bees.

Tommy Helms, a certified North Carolina state beekeeper, said he was called out to the situation by state troopers. He explained to WBTV what happened along I-85.

"The tractor trailer carrying the bees got tangled up in the wreck and spilled a few bees on the bridge there over the Catawba River," said Helms.

Helms said the trailer was hauling close to 400 hives at the time of the accident. He said there wasn't much he or any of the other first responders could do regarding the bee situation. Helms said they were able to let some of the insects calm down at the scene, but firefighters had to spray some of the others with foam to kill them.

"The rescue people couldn't get into the wreck scene so we just eliminated that problem," said Helms.

It took hours for emergency crews to clear the scene of the accident. Helms said some of the bees may linger around the accident site until nightfall. The beekeeper said he plans to go check the crash site Tuesday night to see if there are any clusters of bees that he might be able to collect.

He said the truck hauling the bees was traveling from Florida to New York, and is now back on the road.