Tigerton Lumber Company employee Scott Spiegel, 46, died while working with logging equipment at the Tigerton Lumber Company in the Village of Tigerton

Tigerton Lumber Company employee Scott Spiegel, 46, died while working with logging equipment at the Tigerton Lumber Company in the Village of Tigerton

UPDATE: Employee named in Tigerton Lumber Company death



 
Man dies in workplace incident at Tigerton Lumber Company


By WSAW Staff |
September 14, 2018

 
TIGERTON, Wis. (WSAW) -- 

Investigators are waiting on autopsy results for a man from Tigerton who died while working with logging equipment at the Tigerton Lumber Company Thursday.
 
The Shawano County Sheriff's Office said an autopsy was conducted Wednesday to learn more about how Scott Spiegel, 46, died.

The sheriff's office and Tigerton EMS and Rescue responded to a report of a man critically hurt while working with logging equipment at the Tigerton Lumber Company in the Village of Tigerton around 8 a.m. Thursday.

The Shawano County coroner pronounced Spiegel dead at the scene.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration representative told NewsChannel 7 they will be conducting an investigation into the death.




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We own and manage over 40,000 acres of timberland throughout northeastern Wisconsin. Our continued commitment to strong forest management practices will ensure our timber resource for the future. We believe in sustainable and renewable American Hardwoods and dedicate our forest practices to achieve the highest yields from our forest lands.

For more than 125 years Tigerton Lumber Company has viewed its customers as a critical catalyst to its success. We strive to select customers with our strong values and commitment to excellence. These same commitments provide a foundation to build upon and maintain lasting relationships with our customers.

30-year-old worker Stephen Deggs died at the East Baton Rouge plant of Stupp Corporation when he was wedged between a pipe and a cutting machine.

30-year-old worker Stephen Deggs died at the East Baton Rouge plant of Stupp Corporation when he was wedged between a pipe and a cutting machine.

30-year-old worker Stephen Deggs died at the East Baton Rouge plant of Stupp Corporation when he was wedged between a pipe and a cutting machine.

BAKER, LA - 

Authorities confirm a man is dead after an apparent accident at an East Baton Rouge plant.

According to the coroner's office, the accident was reported just before 10 a.m. Thursday at the Stupp Corporation off LA 19. The coroner says a man was taken from the site with serious injuries and later died.

The victim has been identified as 30-year-old Stephen Deggs.

The plant is not saying what went wrong, but extended its condolences in the following statement:

"On behalf of all of our employees and the Stupp family, we extend our deepest condolences to Stephen’s family. The company has arranged for counseling to be available to employees who may request it.

A thorough internal investigation of this incident is ongoing and Stupp is fully cooperating with local authorities as well as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in their reviews of today’s accident."

Details surrounding the accident are limited at this time. An autopsy is scheduled for Friday morning.



=============================




By Rachael Thomas

September 13, 2018



BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - 

A male worker is dead after a workplace accident at Stupp Corporation, the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office confirms.

Coroner Beau Clark confirms Stephen Deggs, 29, was killed Thursday morning in the incident. He says an autopsy will be performed Friday. The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office also responded to the scene. They say upon arrival, they were told by the director of Loss Control that around 9:30 a.m., emergency personnel responded to the facility for an industrial accident where Deggs was wedged between a pipe and a cutting machine.

Stubb industrial accident under investigation

Stupp Corporation is located on Ronaldson Road in Baton Rouge and produces pipelines for the safe transportation of gas, oil, and other products.

Stupp Corporation regretfully confirms that Stephen Deggs, age 29, died today as the result of an industrial accident. On behalf of all of our employees and the Stupp family, we extend our deepest condolences to Stephen’s family. The company has arranged for counseling to be available to employees who may request it. A thorough internal investigation of this incident is ongoing and Stupp is fully cooperating with local authorities as well as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in their reviews of today’s accident.

Copyright 2018 WAFB. All rights reserved. 

=========================================

About the Company

Stupp Corporation’s mission is to support America’s goal of energy independence by responsibly producing high integrity pipe and services for the safe transportation of oil, gas, and associated products. As a division of Stupp Bros., Inc., we enjoy the rare stability of over 150 years of continuous family ownership giving our customers confidence in knowing that we stand behind our products and services for the long haul.

William Dukes, Jr., a former sergeant with the Providence, Kentucky, Police Department, was sentenced today to 42 months in federal prison for willfully depriving a Kentucky citizen of his constitutional rights under color of law. He arrested the victim, while knowing that he did not have probable cause to believe that the victim had committed any crime

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Thursday, September 13, 2018 

Former Kentucky Police Officer Sentenced for Wrongful Arrest
Officer Illegally Arrested Citizen After The Citizen Attempted To File Complaints Against Him


William Dukes, Jr., a former sergeant with the Providence, Kentucky, Police Department, was sentenced today to 42 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release for willfully depriving a Kentucky citizen of his constitutional rights under color of law, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman for the Western District of Kentucky.

The jury found that Dukes willfully violated the Constitution by arresting the victim, while knowing that he did not have probable cause to believe that the victim had committed any crime. The evidence presented at trial established that after the victim called the authorities seeking to file a complaint about an earlier interaction with Dukes, he wrongfully arrested the victim.

The jury heard evidence presented in court that when the victim called the Providence Police Department to complain about Dukes, Dukes responded by threatening to arrest him if he called back again. Still determined to file a complaint, the victim then called the local sheriff’s office and the Kentucky State Police. When Dukes became aware of these additional calls, he drove to the victim’s home in the middle of the night, without a warrant, to arrest him.

Upon arriving at the victim’s home after 1 a.m., Dukes attempted to arrest the victim based solely on the phone calls he had made complaining about Dukes. When the victim insisted he had done nothing wrong and retreated into his home, Dukes entered the victim’s home without a warrant. Dukes then tased the victim, sprayed him in the face with pepper spray, struck him repeatedly with a police baton, and punched him in the face, breaking the victim’s nose. Next, Dukes handcuffed the victim and charged him with four crimes, including a charge of property damage because blood from the victim’s broken nose got onto Dukes’s police uniform.

The jury convicted Dukes of willfully violating the victim’s constitutional rights, and found that the offense involved the use of a dangerous weapon or resulted in bodily injury.

“Police officers have a duty to protect the rights of members of their communities and safeguard them from harm or injury,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore. “Dukes abused his authority as a law enforcement officer by illegally arresting his victim and also by inflicting unwarranted physical harm, and the Justice Department held him responsible.”

“Kentucky lawmen and women are among the finest in the nation,” said U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman “But when they cross a clear line, as did Mr. Dukes, they will be held accountable like any other citizen of our Commonwealth.”

This case was investigated by the Louisville Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Seth Hancock of the Western District of Kentucky and Trial Attorney Zachary Dembo of the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division.

Government scientists have presented new evidence that the plastic additive BPA isn’t a health threat.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical produced in large quantities for use primarily in the production of polycarbonate plastics, e.g., water and infant bottles, and epoxy resins which coat some metal food cans, bottle tops, and water supply pipes. According to data from the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 93% of Americans six years and older had detectable levels of BPA in their urine.




Government Study Of BPA Backs Its Safety, But Doesn't Settle Debate

by Jon Hamilton NPR 

September 13, 2018 

Government scientists have presented new evidence that the plastic additive BPA isn’t a health threat.

Low doses of the chemical given to hundreds of rats, “did not elicit clear, biologically plausible adverse effects,” said K. Barry Delclos, a research pharmacologist at the Food and Drug Administration’s National Center for Toxicological Research.

Delclos made the remarks Thursday during an online presentation in which he summarized an important part of a $30 million project called CLARITY-BPA, which was launched in 2012 to resolve questions about the chemical’s safety.

The results of the rat study had previously appeared in a draft report on BPA (also known as bisphenol-A) released in February. But since then, the research has undergone peer review and revisions, Delclos said.

During his online presentation, Delclos provided an overview of the two-year study, which involved thousands of rats given a wide range of BPA doses.

Rats that got at least a thousand times more BPA than consumers are exposed to showed effects similar to those produced by the hormone estrogen. These included changes to the reproductive system and a greater risk of reproductive tumors.

But at doses meant to replicate human exposure, there was no pattern indicating any health or behavior problems, Delclos said.

He declined to comment directly on BPA’s safety or the FDA’s position that the chemical is safe to use in most plastic food containers. But Delclos noted that government agencies around the world have now weighed in on BPA, and that “most of these regulatory agencies currently conclude that BPA does not pose a risk at estimated dietary exposure levels.”

BPA has been used for decades in products like water bottles, and in the lining of some food cans. And studies show that tiny amounts can get into our bodies.

Scientists agree that BPA can act like estrogen. But early government studies found no evidence that people are exposed to enough BPA to produce an effect.

Meanwhile, studies by some academic scientists suggested that even low levels of BPA can cause everything from obesity to breast and prostate cancer, to diabetes, to behavioral problems.

CLARITY-BPA was supposed to resolve the conflict. But it hasn’t.

Academic scientists whose research has suggested that even tiny amounts of BPA affect lab animals have raised questions about the government’s rat study since the February draft became available. And the day before Delclos’ presentation, they held an online press conference to pre-emptively challenge the results he was expected to describe.

During that press conference, Laura Vandenberg, an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, said her own analysis of the study data comes up with a different result — low doses of BPA are a problem.

“There were significant effects of BPA in both males and females,” she said, citing groups of rats that had unusually high rates of breast cancer and prostate inflammation.

That sort of risk will be shown more clearly when the second part of CLARITY-BPA is finalized next year, Vandenberg said. That part will feature studies from more than a dozen academic scientists who received CLARITY funding, including some who found that very low doses of BPA did cause health problems even when higher doses did not.

But some academic scientists who participated in CLARITY have only praise for the project, and its results so far.

A study by Norbert Kaminsky of Michigan State University found that low doses of BPA had no effect on a rat’s immune system.

“We probably measured about 125 endpoints in more than 700 animals,” Kaminsky says. “This study was extremely comprehensive, and I am very confident and comfortable in the results.”

The debate about BPA is likely to intensify as CLARITY scientists work to assemble their final report next year, says Patricia Hunt, a professor at Washington State University who has studied BPA for decades but is not part of CLARITY.

Many academic scientists who specialize in chemicals like BPA think the government’s effort is badly flawed, she says, adding that they disagree with the type of rat the government chose and fear that the presence of BPA is some animals who were supposed to be BPA-free undercuts the study’s validity.

“What we’re going to see over the course of the next few of weeks is a lot of fighting because there’s a lot of anger on both sides,” Hunt says.

And all that fighting be misguided, she says, because the plastics industry has already removed BPA from many products.

Instead, she says, they have begun using a range of chemicals that are very similar to BPA, but haven’t been studied as carefully.

On Thursday, Hunt published a paper suggesting that one of these substitute chemicals, called BPS, caused the same effects in lab animals she’d seen with BPA.

OSHA has proposed penalties of $199,183 to American Walnut Company LLC for two repeated and 14 serious safety violations. OSHA initiated an inspection of the St. Joseph sawmill after an employee suffered fatal injuries when he fell into a machine

U.S. Department of Labor Cites Sawmill for Safety Violations


ST. JOSEPH, MO – 

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed penalties of $199,183 to American Walnut Company LLC for two repeated and 14 serious safety violations. OSHA initiated an inspection of the St. Joseph sawmill after an employee suffered fatal injuries when he fell into a machine.

OSHA's safety investigation of the March 12, 2018, incident found the company failed to evaluate job hazards, control hazardous energy, and ensure machines were equipped with adequate guards. The investigation also found the company exposed workers to hazards associated with falls, ladders and electrical safety.

"Employers must continually evaluate job hazards and ensure safety guards are in use to protect workers from known hazards in their facilities," said OSHA Kansas City Area Office Director Karena Lorek. "Employers and workers with questions on OSHA standards can contact OSHA for guidance on creating an effective safety and health program."

Observed noise hazards prompted a subsequent health inspection in April 2018 that found the company exposed workers to hazards associated with combustible dust, noise and the use of chemicals in the facility.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with the OSHA area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to help ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit https://www.osha.gov.

American Walnut Company LLC

In 1889, Robert Warren and Harry Little set up a sawmill in Kansas City, Kansas. This sawmill later became known as American Walnut Company. American Walnut Company was officially incorporated in 1924. From our humble beginnings, our company’s focus centers on American Black Walnut and other select hardwoods located in the Midwest. Our involvements include manufacturing walnut airplane propellers for WWI airplanes, Persimmon-wood golf clubs, and gunstocks over the last century.

For over thirty years we’ve practiced sustainable harvesting. We are implementing a program which will replenish the trees we harvest. In 1991, the company acquired the assets of Iowa-Missouri Walnut Company and a short time later acquired the assets of Walnut Products Company. We closed our Kansas City, Kansas location to expand in St. Joseph in 1993. In addition to being the world's largest provider of Black Walnut gunstocks, we also manufacture lumber, furniture squares and blanks and other specialty products. We now ship our products internationally to over 20 countries around the world.

Federal and state officials sue CSX Transportation for damages after a CSX train derailed in February 2015 and spilled massive amounts of oil into the Kanawha River and Armstrong Creek

CHARLESTON, WV — 

Federal and state officials accuse CSX Transportation of several environmental torts in response to oil spilled from a derailed train.

The United States of America, the state of West Virginia and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection filed a complaint in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia against CSX Transportation Inc.

According to the complaint, a CSX train derailed in February 2015 and spilled oil into the Kanawha River and Armstrong Creek. The spill also affected the land around the waterways. Government officials allege the spilled oil violated the West Virginia Water Pollution Control Act, West Virginia Groundwater Protection Act, and Clean Water Act.

The plaintiffs seek civil penalties up to $2,100 per barrel of oil discharged for violation of the Clean Water Act, civil penalties up to $25,000 per day for violation of the West Virginia Water Pollution Control Act and civil penalties up to $25,000 per day for violations of the West Virginia Groundwater Protection Act.

They are represented by Devon A. Ahearn of Department of Justice in Washington, Fred B. Westfall, Jr. of Department of Justice in Charleston and Lauren E. Ziegler of Environmental Protection Agency in Philadelphia.

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia Case number 2:18-cv-01175

NECCO Plant in Revere, Mass.: Anhydrous Ammonia Release

NECCO Plant: Anhydrous Ammonia Release

135 American Legion Hwy, Revere, MA 02151, USA | 2018-Sep-11

Initial Notification: 

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2018 the USCG Sector Boston was contact by the Revere Fire Department regarding a release of ammonia due to cross-contamination of a copper piping system for water and a tank of anhydrous ammonia. 

Concerns remain about the potential for additional release from the 35,000 gallon anhydrous tank contained within plant. 

NOAA SSC and the NOAA chemistry specialist have been contacted and are working with the Coast Guard. 

====================================
 

Necco Candy Company Plant Abruptly Shuts Down, Fate of Valentine's Day Hearts Unknown
The sudden shutdown stunned more than 200 workers, who were told to pick up their final paycheck later in the week
July 25, 2018



The owner of the Massachusetts candy company behind the Necco Wafers and Sweethearts has unexpectedly shut down operations at its Revere plant. (Published Wednesday, July 25, 2018)

The owner of the company behind chalky, colorful confections such as Necco Wafers and Sweethearts has unexpectedly shut down operations at its Massachusetts plant and hasn't said if candy production will resume.

The Boston Globe reports Round Hill Investments LLC announced Tuesday it is selling Necco brands to another manufacturer and closing down its Revere plant.

"I mean, those Valentine's Day hearts are definitely a part of my childhood," said Alexis Werner of Salem who was surprised to hear of the closing. "That's pretty much the only candy I liked."


The company had recently purchased Necco for $17.3 million at a bankruptcy auction in May. The plant had been expected to stay open until November.

Necco Plant Suddenly Closes Revere Plant

The Necco candy company suddenly shut down its plant in Revere, Massachusetts, leaving its 230 workers completely stunned.(Published Wednesday, July 25, 2018)

Round Hill did not identify Necco's new owner. The closure came as a shock to the close to 230 workers at the plant who say they were told to pick up their final paychecks Friday.

"I'm kind of worried about them. They all have families and everything to take care of so I hope they get a job quickly," said Theresa Lemay of Revere.


Necco, or New England Confectionery Co., is the country's oldest continuously operating candy company.

The also make Mary Jane and Squirrel Nut Zippers candy.

Revere Mayor Brian Arrigo issued a statement about the news, saying and part, "We received no word about the situation from any representative of the involved parties. Obviously, we would have preferred, at the very least, some fundamental notification."

NBC10 Boston reached out to the company for comment but so far have not heard back.

The Buckeye Terminal in the Arthur Kill Waterway near Port Reading, New Jersey re-opened Thursday, September 13, 2018.

 

The Buckeye Terminal in the Arthur Kill Waterway near Port Reading, New Jersey re-opened Thursday, September 13, 2018. The Unified Command that was established in response to the Sept. 6th oil spill is now stood down as the Coast Guard continues to monitor the situation. (U.S. Coast Guard photo) 


===========================



Unified Command continues response for diesel spill near Port Reading
September 11, 2018



NEW YORK – The Unified Command at Port Reading, N.J., continues to respond to and clean up a diesel fuel oil spill that occurred Thursday night at the Buckeye Terminal.

The Marine Transportation System in the Port of New York and New Jersey was affected as the spill contaminated areas of the the Arthur Kill waterway, creating a domino effect leading to multiple vessels being diverted and two facilities impacted.

The Unified Command are working quickly to re-establish the energy supply chain. One of the docks at Buckeye is now able to resume petroleum operations.

Numerous vessels as well a second fuel facility on the Arthur Kill have been decontaminated and have also resumed operations.

Though the Arthur Kill Waterway is not closed, Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) measures are in place, and any vessel that transits the waterway in the area is to go through with no wake.

Multiple Oil Spill Removal Organizations have been contracted to clean up the oil, which includes placing boom around the affected facilities and sensitive areas, as well as deploying skimming vessels to recover product in the water. Shoreline cleanup assessment teams are in place assessing the impact to the local area. As of Sunday afternoon, an estimated 50,000 gallons of oily product has been recovered during clean-up operations.

The Unified Command continues to monitor recovery efforts to ensure safety of personnel, the protection of the environment, and the resiliency of our Marine Transportation System, especially in light of the impending storm in the next couple of days.

The Unified Command includes the following agencies:

• U.S. Coast Guard
• Buckeye Terminal
• New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
• New York State Department of Environmental Protection
• Environmental Protection Agency

The cause of the spill is under investigation.

=================================
NEW YORK, NY — 

The Coast Guard is responding to a diesel fuel spill that occurred in the Arthur Kill Waterway near Port Reading, New Jersey, Thursday night.

At approximately 7:15 p.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New York received a report of a diesel fuel spill during a product transfer at the Buckeye Terminal in Port Reading.

Due to high winds and rain at the time of the incident, facility personnel were unable to calculate the exact amount of fuel spilled into the waterway.

A pollution response team from Coast Guard Sector New York is currently on scene to help mitigate the situation. An oil spill removal organization has been contracted to clean up the spill, and they have placed containment boom in the water.

Representatives from Middlesex County Hazmat, New Jersey Department of Environment Protection, and the Environmental Protection Agency are also responding to the incident.

One barge was involved in the spill and is inside the containment boom. The condition of the barge is being evaluated by the federal on scene coordinator and marine inspectors from Sector New York.

All fuel transfers at the facility are temporarily suspended until investigators can determine the cause of the spill and the facility can safely conduct fueling operations.

Coast Guard Sector New York Vessel Traffic Service is monitoring all marine traffic in the immediate area. All concerned vessel traffic should contact Vessel Traffic Service at 718-354-4088 or the Sector Command Center at 718-354-4152.

The cause of the incident is currently under investigation.  However, spills of oil and other products during loading or unloading of barges are not uncommon.


The Buckeye Port Reading facility is located in Woodbridge Township, NJ, approximately 2 miles north of Buckeye’s Perth Amboy Terminal. Port Reading offers over 6 million barrels of refined products and residual fuel oil storage, with exceptional connectivity via the Buckeye and Colonial pipelines, and an array of 5 berthing options to enhance its value. Port Reading also has a high-volume truck rack, as well as an LPG-by-rail system offering up to 30,000 bbl of butane capacity for blending. The facility is an important location for gasoline blending for supply out via vessel or for end destinations along the Buckeye pipeline system.

============================

By Noah Cohen

ncohen@njadvancemedia.com

NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Authorities were at the scene of a spill at the Buckeye Terminal in Port Reading that sent an unknown amount of diesel fuel into the Arthur Kill Waterway, officials said Friday.

The mishap was reported around 7:15 p.m Thursday and occurred during a product transfer at the terminal, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

"Due to high winds and rain at the time of the incident, facility personnel were unable to calculate the exact amount of fuel spilled into the waterway," the Coast Guard said in a statement.

"All fuel transfers at the facility are temporarily suspended until investigators can determine the cause of the spill and the facility can safely conduct fueling operations," the statement said.

A representative for the Buckeye Terminal could not be immediately reached.

The Coast Guard said it deployed a pollution response team to the scene and an oil spill removal company was called to handle the cleanup. Crews put a containment boom in the water.

More information was not immediately available Friday. The cause of the spill was being investigated.

Spill of 20-40 gallons of oil from LONO's tank battery 12 facility well 161 in New Orleans, LA

LOBO Tank Battery 12, Well 161

235 Cypress Cove Rd, Venice, LA 70091, USA | 

 

September 10, 2018

Initial Notification: 

 

On September 10, 2018, the USCG Sector New Orleans contacted the NOAA SSC regarding the discharge of 20-40 gallons of oil from LONO's tank battery 12 facility well 161. The source has been reported as secure, and the clean up of marsh is being conducted.