Fork of the Chicago River known as Bubbly Creek has been closed after an oil discharge was found in the water on Thursday, authorities said.
The U.S. Coast Guard established a "safety zone" at the creek, off the South Branch of the Chicago River, around 5 p.m. Thursday, a spokesman said. It is closed to people and boats.
Crews used booms at the entrance to Bubbly Creek to work to contain the oil. The South Branch and other area waterways were not affected by the closing.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was working to find the source of the oil, officials said.
Bubbly Creek is a 1.25-mile-long backwater of the South Branch that runs primarily through Bridgeport. It became notorious for its pollution from the Union Stock Yards, which opened in 1865 and closed in 1971.
The bubbles of its name refer to gas escaping from animal carcasses and other material dumped in the creek over decades.
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‘Bubbly Creek’ South Fork Of Chicago River Closed While Crews Clean Up Oil Spill October 27, 2017 7:42 AM
CHICAGO (CBS) — The Bubbly Creek section of the Chicago River has been closed, after an oil spill was reported in the water.
The spill was spotted in the south fork of the Chicago River on Wednesday in the Bridgeport neighborhood near Ashland Avenue. The sheen of dark oil later spread from Bubbly Creek to the river’s South Branch, as far west as Pulaski Road. Some birds, geese, and ducks were seen covered in a black oily substance.
The U.S. Coast Guard and Environmental Protection Agency responded, and closed off access to Bubbly Creek on Thursday. A containment boom was set up at the entrance of the creek.
The St. Ignatius crew team, which trains on Bubbly Creek, has been told they must move their training to dry land until the oil slick has been cleaned up.
St. Ignatius girls crew coach Len Richards said the team noticed the oil slick while practicing on Monday and Tuesday, because their boats were greasy after pulling them out of the water.
“It was pretty messy. It got messier. So, on Wednesday, we have hoses, we were brushing them off, and wiping them down,” he said. “I mean, we’ve been rowing in it for four days now.”
Richards said the team won’t be able to practice for its last regatta on Sunday.
“It’s nicer to get the live training out on the water,” he said.
The no-boating zone set up by the Coast Guard doesn’t affect the South Branch or other area waterways.
Officials have not yet found the source of the spill.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — UPDATE (Friday, 8:52AM):
The Chattanooga Fire Department says in a statement Friday morning that investigators think improperly discarded cigarette butts are the cause of a fire that damaged several apartments on Runyan Drive Thursday.
CFD spokesman Bruce Garner says the fire started on the balcony of Apartment 103 on the second floor.
Improperly discarded cigarette butts are a leading cause of fires. Here are some safety tips for smokers, and those who live with them:
- Use large, deep ashtrays and check them frequently.
- Ashtrays should be set on something sturdy and hard to ignite, like a table.
- Completely soak cigarette butts and ashes in water before throwing them away. NEVER toss hot cigarette butts or ashes in the trash.
- Check under furniture cushions and in other places people smoke for cigarette butts that may have fallen out of sight.
- Don't smoke in bed or lying down, especially if you are drowsy, medicated or have been drinking alcohol.
- Smoking should not be allowed in a home where medical oxygen is being used.
- Keep matches and lighters up high, out of children's sight and reach.
- Having a smoker in your home increases your chances of having a fire in your home. Consider adding additional smoke alarms in your home, specifically a photoelectric type, which is the most reliable for smoldering type fires.
PREVIOUSLY:
The Chattanooga Fire Department (CFD) says several apartment units on Runyan Drive have been damaged after a fire Thursday afternoon.
Firefighters responded to the call at The Arbors of Signal Mountain at 5:19pm Thursday.
CFD spokesman Bruce Garner says firefighters found significant flames smoke and flames coming from the first building of the apartment complex.
Six additional fire companies were called in to help.
Three units had fire damage, and an additional two or three also had smoke and water damage.
Garner says no one has been reported injured as of yet, however 18 families have been temporarily displaced as power was cut because of fire damage.
Jeremy Brand lives across the street from the apartment complex, and he says he called 911 and then ran right into it to make sure people were safe.
"You get in the heat of the moment like that, no pun intended and your adrenaline kicks in and you just try to make sure that everyone's safe," said Brand.
Katherine Eagle says her sister lived in one of the apartments that caught fire.
"You guys are going to make me cry but I actually cried all the way over here because I thought my daughter was in here," says Eagle. "Everything can be replaceable but my daughter, my niece, my sister, my mother, they cannot be replacable."
FOSTORIA, Ohio (WNWO/AP) — State Fire Marshal investigators have determined the origin of the fire to be on the first floor of the home, on the south-facing side.
The cause has been ruled undetermined, however, investigators have not ruled out electrical or heating related sources as potential causes.
A funeral home says 19-year-old firefighter trainee Austin Rainey, his parents and two younger siblings also in the farmhouse fire Thursday just outside Fostoria. They've been identified as 45-year-old James Rainey, 41-year-old Jodi Depinet-Rainey, 15-year-old Cody Rainey and 7-year-old Jessica Rainey.
Authorities say the fire was so intense that the first firefighters to arrive could not get inside to save the victims.====================
FOSTORIA, OHIO — Five bodies were recovered from a home that was destroyed by fire early Thursday morning in Seneca County.
Authorities identified one of the victims as 19-year-old Austin Rainey, a Bascom Joint Fire District cadet and recent graduate of Hopewell-Loudon High School.
Two other adults and two children also perished in the fire at 10331 W. Ohio 18, just east of Fostoria. The other victims are believed to be Rainey’s mother, father, younger brother and younger sister. Two dogs were also found dead in the home.
The identities of the remaining victims were being withheld Thursday pending confirmation by the Lucas County Coroner’s Office.
Three agents from the State Fire Marshal’s Office are helping investigate to determine the cause and origin of the fire.
When Austin Rainey’s body was removed from the fire scene, it was draped in an American flag and escorted by Bascom firefighters and the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office to the intersection of Township Road 26 and Ohio 18. From there, the convoy was joined by the Tiffin Fire Department as the body was taken to Engle-Shook Funeral Home in Tiffin.
During a press briefing late Thursday afternoon, Seneca County Public Information Officer Dean Henry said the tragedy has hit Bascom’s fire department “very hard.”
“This is a very small community, a very small department — all of these people knew one another,” Henry said. “Some of these firefighters are second- and third-generation firefighters. It’s not just something they do, it’s a part of their life. It’s very difficult.”
Rainey joined Bascom’s fire department after graduating from high school and was scheduled to take his firefighter exam on Nov. 12.
Kelly Stincer, public information officer with the State Fire Marshal’s Office, said the first 911 call came from inside the home at about 3:46 a.m. Thursday when the daughter contacted an emergency dispatch center from her father’s cellphone.
According to Fostoria Police Division reports, two more 911 calls came in at about 3:53 a.m. Thursday. Screaming could reportedly be heard in the background of those calls.
Another caller reported the structure was fully engulfed and informed the dispatcher that residents may have been inside the home.
When the first units arrived, firefighters began an exterior-only attack, meaning it was not safe for them to venture inside the home.
“It was fully involved. There was a lot of fire coming out of the front — a lot of heavy smoke,” said Bascom Fire Chief Mark DeVault. “There was a lot of fire. It just took a while to get it knocked out.”
After the fire was extinguished, officials said the structural integrity of the home was compromised, which made it difficult for investigators to search for the victims.
“… The structure of the home was so unsteady that they had to stabilize it in order to be able to do their job,” Stincer said. “They were stabilizing it so they could extract (the victims) without it all crashing down because they needed to transport the bodies out of the home.”
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI) is assisting the State Fire Marshal’s Office in its investigation, using a three-dimensional imaging device known as FARO, which allows authorities to see a detailed diagram of the structure.
Officials said the blaze is not being investigated as a homicide.
“This is not a crime scene, and the existence of BCI should not be construed as any suggestion that this is a crime scene or that arson is involved,” Henry said. “They are here for technical assistance.”
Four fire departments responded to the initial call, prompting authorities to close a large portion of Ohio 18.
Hopewell-Loudon Local School had a two-hour delay as a result of the fire, and the Seneca County Opportunity Center closed for the day.
Firefighters from the Fostoria, New Riegel, Kansas, Attica, Bloomville and Old Fort assisted Bascom, as well as personnel from Seneca County and Bascom EMS, the Citizens Emergency Response Team (CERT), the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office and the American Red Cross.
Thursday night, about 70 community members gathered at Hopewell-Loudon High School to mourn the family.
David Alvarado, superintendent of Hopewell-Loudon, said the two youths who were killed attended the district school. Counselors were brought in to help students deal with their grief.
Here is the info listed in Austin Rainey's facebook pages:
18, love football. Taken by the best 10-28-15
😍
😘
💜
💙
🔐 Briana was Present here😍😘💙💜🔐
LAFLIN, PA — The blaze that killed two children and injured a third was intentionally set Wednesday night, and a Wilkes-Barre man is in custody for unrelated crimes, authorities say.
The same man has a history of trouble at the home that burned.
Officials ruled the fire an arson at a press conference Thursday at the State Police barracks in Wyoming.
Meanwhile, State Police searched a Wilkes-Barre home as part of their investigation into the fire.
Shortly after 7 p.m. Wednesday, Luzerne County 911 received a report of a blaze at 60 Oakwood Drive. State Police arrived and found three boys inside the residence.
Assistant District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce said during Thursday’s press conference that a juvenile made a 911 call, reporting an individual who was known to the family was on the back porch but was not supposed to be on the property.
The juvenile told a dispatcher he and his brothers were in their bedroom on the second floor and could see the individual outside.
At 7:15 p.m., another 911 call came in, reporting a fire at the residence.
Two boys — a 16-year-old and a 12-year-old — were pronounced dead at the scene by the Luzerne County Coroner’s Office. The third — an 8-year-old — was transported to a hospital for treatment.
Luzerne County Deputy Coroner Dan Hughes identified the dead boys as Devon Major, 12, and Erik Dupree, 16. The cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning due to the fire, Hughes said.
The third boy’s condition would not be released Thursday night, Sanguedolce said.
Luzerne County property records show the Laflin property is owned by Susan M. Major.
Sanguedolce said that a person of interest was in custody on an unrelated, pending warrant. He would not identify that person. However, police on Thursday morning took a Wilkes-Barre man into custody who has a history with the home.
Preston Daquon Bonnett, 26, was arrested on charges that he had devices used for manufacturing counterfeit credit cards at the residence July 10.
According to an affidavit for that case, Bonnett was in the home after being invited by Tyla Griffin, who had been staying in Major’s basement since June 16. Major, who knew Bonnett, did not grant permission for him to stay.
Major told police she had enough of Griffin and Bonnett and began moving their belongings from the basement to the first floor, with the pair screaming at her and refusing to leave. Major told police she noticed Bonnett had a credit card machine and various credit cards in his belongings, along with his state ID card and blank credit cards.
A witness who was at the home at the time, Cyrus Solomon, said Griffin broke the front window of the home with her hand before fleeing the scene in July.
Both Bonnett and Griffin are facing charges in connection with the alleged counterfeiting operation, including felonies.
More recently, Bonnett was accused of vandalizing the home. On Oct. 14, he allegedly threw a beer bottle through a window. His citation for that case was filed less than a week ago. It orders him to pay $662, with $200 of it going to Major as restitution.
Bonnett, 173 Jones St., Wilkes-Barre, has not been charged in connection to the deadly fire.
The investigation into the blaze led to a home at 18 Hillside St., Wilkes-Barre. Trooper James Shubzda, a forensic crime scene expert, confirmed the Laflin connection Thursday, but could not elaborate.
Neighbor: House didn’t fit
A woman who lives across the street said the home at 60 Oakwood Drive stood apart from the largely affluent, well-manicured neighborhood.
“There were always people going in and out,” said the neighbor, who did not wish to be identified. “The house looked like it was abandoned, with the window smashed in.”
The woman said the residence was previously owned by “hard-working” couple Sam and Sue Bellanca, who both recently passed away, before being taken over by their daughter, also named Sue.
An obituary for a Laflin woman named Assunta “Sue” Bellanca published in the Times Leader in April 2016 seems to corroborate the neighbor’s statements. Bellanca’s obituary lists a Laflin woman named Susan Major as her daughter, and lists grandsons with first names matching those of the deceased as confirmed by Hughes. However, Erik’s last name is listed as Major and not Dupree in the obituary.
The neighbor said it seemed as though there was more smoke than flames during Wednesday’s fire. She said she saw bodies being removed from the house, with one being left in the front yard for a lengthy period of time.
Major arrived at one point, the neighbor said, and was visibly distressed. The neighbor said she saw State Police lead Major away, but it is unclear if she was taken for questioning.
“We’re shocked by what happened,” the neighbor said of the fire. “If Sam and Sue are looking down from heaven, I don’t even know what they’d be thinking.”
There is clearly no God, as he took the life of this preacher and left his wife and 3 children without a father. God sucks.
ELLENDALE, NC – The first reported fatality related to Monday’s severe weather occurred Wednesday after a man was killed by a tree in Alexander County.
Brian Keith Wilmoth, 31, of Wilkes County, was cutting a tree that had fallen on power lines when the lines sprang up and threw the tree back on top of him.
Wilmoth was an employee of Asplundh Tree Expert Co. and Energy United. The incident occurred near the Ellendale community in Alexander County.
The accident occurred just before 4:30 a.m. at an intersection west of Taylorsville, according to an Associated Press report.
Severe storm slams Catawba Valley
Severe weather impacted the area late Monday afternoon causing about 40,000 power outages in Burke, Catawba, Caldwell and Alexander counties.
Gov. Roy Cooper responded to Wilmoth’s death in a press release sent by his office regarding storm damage and recovery efforts.
“We are all saddened by this tragic death, and it reminds us to be thankful to workers who handle difficult cleanup work after storms, especially around downed power lines, trees and other hazards,” Cooper said via the release.
“Communities are still picking up the pieces from these strong storms and our state experts are on the ground to help.”
Local governments are continuing their efforts to assess damage from the storm.
Catawba County Communications and Marketing Director Amy McCauley said in a phone interview that county officials had looked at 63 of the 69 homes where they received reports of damage Wednesday.
“About a dozen secondary roads” were still closed in four counties, including Catawba and Caldwell counties, according the governor’s office release.
Two days after the storms, local organizations are still providing help to those affected.
The Blue Ridge Piedmont Chapter of the American Red Cross has opened a shelter at the Valdese Recreation Center.
Emergency management officials requested the shelter be opened, according to a Red Cross press release.
The shelter that the Blue Ridge Piedmont Chapter of the American Red Cross was running at South Caldwell High School closed Wednesday morning, Red Cross Regional Communications Officer Jerri Jameson said in a phone interview.
Four people stayed at the Caldwell County shelter Monday night and only one stayed Tuesday night, Jameson said via a text message.
The Hickory Foundation YMCA is allowing people to take showers and charge electronics in their facilities through the end of business Friday, YMCA Membership Director Meghan Lawton said in a phone interview.
Many people were still without power heading into Wednesday night, even as the number of outages is decreasing.
There were 12,218 outages in Catawba, Burke, Caldwell and Alexander counties late Wednesday afternoon, with 4,909 outages in Catawba County alone.
Duke Energy projects that power in these counties will be restored by 11:45 p.m. Thursday.
The National Weather Service is working to confirm whether or not a tornado or tornadoes touched down in the area.
Officials have been surveying for “probable tornadoes” in Catawba, Burke, Alexander and Caldwell counties, according to an NWS update Wednesday morning.
The results of that investigation were expected Wednesday night.
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ALEXANDER COUNTY, NC - The wife of a man who was killed after a tree-cutting accident said, her husband “loved climbing trees.”
Brian “Keith” Wilmoth, 31, from Wilkes County, died Wednesday after a tree he was cutting fell on him after it hit power lines.
His wife, Karla said, “I don’t know what we’ll do, I don’t know” as the couple has three young children together.
She said, “He loved our kids equally. All three.”
Family and friends gathered Wednesday night at Charity Hill Baptist Church to remember Keith.
Pastor Brian Cardwell said, “It’s overwhelming you know to find out that it was actually real, it was actually him. The church is in shock.”
Karla said she’s leaning on her faith, “I’ve had an overwhelming amount of grace surrounding me. God has given me that today.”
Wilmoth works for the Asplundh Tree Expert Company and was working in the area of Dover Church and Mountain Ridge Church Roads.
The Alexander County Sheriff’s Office said the tree was resting on power lines and launched upward hitting him after it was cut.
Parts of western North Carolina suffered significant damage Monday from strong storms.
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Life Legacy
Preacher Brian Keith Wilmoth, age 31, passed away Monday, October 25, 2017. Keith was born August 4, 1986 in Surry County to Alvin Eugene and Mary Candance Groce Wilmoth.
Preacher Wilmoth was a member of Charity Hill Baptist Church, previously he served as pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church and was a past member of Gid Branch Baptist Church.
Keith was preceded in death by his paternal grandfather, Eugene Wilmoth; and his maternal grandparents, Ben and Mary Groce.
Survivors include: wife, Karla Wilmoth; two sons, Alan Wilmoth and Benjamin Wilmoth; daughter, Merriam Wilmoth all of the home; parents, Alvin and Candy Wilmoth of Thurmond; paternal grandmother, Betty Wilmoth of Thurmond; special loving extended family members and many special friends.
A funeral service will be conducted Saturday, October 28, 2017 at Charity Hill Baptist Church at 11:00 a.m. with Pastor Brian Cardwell, Preacher Scott Sherrod and Preacher Bobby Lyles officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends Friday night from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the church.
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Asplundh Tree Experts Company Pleads Guilty to Hiring Illegal Aliens, Will Pay Massive Fines
Asplundh Tree Experts is one of the largest privately held companies in the United States. The company specializes in removing tree branches to make way for power and gas lines, and in clearing downed trees that have destroyed those lines. This big company had a dirty little secret though, and they were just forced to pay the consequences for it.
The company, headquartered in Philadelphia, has pleaded guilty to hiring illegal aliens who were not authorized to work in the United States, and for maintaining a willfully-blind structure of hierarchy to create plausible deniability. Unfortunately for them, the top executives were unable to wriggle their way out, and the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced the guilty plea on Thursday.
Following the guilty plea hearing today, the Honorable John R. Padova sentenced the company to pay a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $80,000,000.00 and abide by an Administrative Compliance Agreement, as set forth by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Philadelphia. Pursuant to a separate Civil Settlement Agreement, Asplundh will pay an additional $15,000,000.00 to satisfy civil claims arising out of their failure to comply with immigration law.
The $95,000,000.00 recovery, including $80,000,000.00 criminal forfeiture money judgment and $15,000,000.00 in civil payment, represents the largest payment ever levied in an immigration case.
According to court documents, from 2010 until December 2014, Asplundh, an industry leader in tree trimming and brush clearance for power and gas lines, hired and rehired employees in many regions in the United States accepting identification documents it knew to be false and fraudulent. A six-year HSI audit and investigation revealed that the company decentralized its hiring so Sponsors (the highest levels of management) could remain willfully blind while Supervisors and General Foremen (2nd and 3rd level supervisors) hired ineligible workers, including unauthorized aliens, in the field. Hiring was by word of mouth referrals rather than through any systematic application process. This manner of hiring enabled Supervisors and General Foremen to hire a work force that was readily available and at their disposal.
By using a highly decentralized system, the company was able to find and exploit those here illegally, hiring and rehiring them over a period of about 4 years according to the investigation. The tactic enabled the company to get a leg-up on the competition, and that advantage enabled them to dominate the market.
While using a decentralized process is usually a good thing for a large company or for a government (especially a government), using that process to violate immigration and employment law is not something we should accept. The laws must be equally applied and not created in such a way that wealthy and/or well-connected individuals or companies can exploit the process at the expense of everyone else.
There’s nothing wrong with hiring immigrants to work for one’s company, but there are immigration laws that need to be respected. When companies engage in this kind of illicit hiring, it attracts people to come to the States illicitly (that, along with the welfare state, and the unduly burdensome process of legal migration).
ICE Acting Director Thomas Homan stated that “Today’s judgment sends a strong, clear message to employers who scheme to hire and retain a workforce of illegal immigrants: we will find you and hold you accountable. Violators who manipulate hiring laws are a pull factor for illegal immigration, and we will continue to take action to remove this magnet.”
This is one good step, but in order to further curb illicit entry, many other reforms in the immigration system are needed, and that goes way beyond just a border wall.
Lots of sorrow as there is no tomorrow for Brett Morrow of Gurnee, Illinois
Intro
Laborer at Benchmark Construction
Former Bagger at Woodman's - Kenosha, WI
Studied Fire and Safety at Eastern Kentucky University
Went to St. Joseph High School
Went to St. Joseph's catholic acadamy
Lives in Gurnee, Illinois
From Gurnee, Illinois
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the death of a man who was trapped in a sewer pipe in Streamwood on Wednesday, officials said.
The man, 22-year-old Brett Morrow of Gurnee, was installing a liner to prevent leaks when he got stuck in the 24-inch-diameter horizontal pipe, Streamwood Fire Chief Chris Clark said. Morrow was able to communicate with fellow workers at first, but was unresponsive when firefighters arrived about 6:18 p.m., Clark said.
Morrow was roughly 25 feet into the pipe, and rescuers were unable to reach him immediately because the liner had crumpled and hardened, blocking the way, Clark said. Specialists in confined space rescue had to cut away the liner in order to pull Morrow out, finally succeeding after 10 p.m.
“We were certainly hopeful that he would be viable,” Clark said. “We operated as if it would be a rescue the entire time. It wasn’t until we had him removed that we were able to determine he was deceased.”
A spokeswoman for the Cook County medical examiner’s office said the cause of Morrow’s death was pending further study.
Streamwood village manager Sharon Caddigan said the project, intended to extend the life of the town’s sewer pipes, has been going on for several weeks. The contractor on the job is Benchmark Construction of Bartlett, which was under contract for $527,150, Caddigan said. The company did not immediately return a call for comment.
OHSA records show that Benchmark has been fined for the violation of several safety regulations since 2008, including standards dealing with respiratory protection, protective systems, aerial lifts and excavation requirements.
OSHA spokesman Scott Allen said the agency’s investigation could take up to six months.
“OSHA does have compliance officers at the scene, interviewing witnesses, talking to the employer and looking over safety records, trying to find out whether they were following proper procedures,” he said.
Morrow’s family was not immediately available for comment.
His teammates on the Kenosha Mammoths Rugby Football Club in Wisconsin were shocked and saddened by the news of the accident. They offered condolences and tributes, describing how nice Morrow was and how tough he was on the playing field.
“Brett was one of the best kids I've ever met. Always smiling and having a great time,” fellow rugby player Ryan Joseph said in an email. “He took a big part in my life and mentored my little brother. Truly one of my best friends. He loved what he did, his job, his friends, playing rugby. A truly wonderful person.”
Joseph said he met Morrow when they both attended St. Joseph Catholic Academy in Kenosha and played on the football team together.
“So many great memories through our eight years of friendship from rugby to wrestling to having epic nights going out or just chilling in one of our basements,” Joseph said, “He was a loving son, caring brother and a truly amazing friend.”
He said his friend enjoyed fishing and “the kid was tough as nails.”
Another rugby player who messaged through Facebook, Joseph Giorno, said Morrow was truly a great guy.
“I first met Brett when he started playing with the Kenosha Vultures Rugby Club," Giorno said.
The Vultures was started in 2006 to bring high school rugby to the Kenosha area, according to its website.
“He was one of the most underrated rugby players I've had the pleasure of playing with,” Giorno said. “Most people looked at his slim stature and underestimated his ability. He swiftly proved them wrong by being one of the most tenacious players to come through Kenosha rugby.”
“On and off the field, Brett was always in good spirits and everyone loved him,” he said.
Cherney and Keilman are Tribune reporters. Abderholden is a reporter for the News-Sun.
