Rail cars from East Palestine derailment relocated to Pa. rail yard
Multiple cars from the East Palestine train derailment have been relocated to a rail yard in Conway in Beaver County.
The Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday it has conducted multiple visits to the site and identified three cars from the crash. Gov. Josh Shapiro's office said the stray rail cars will be removed by Norfolk Southern. It is unclear how long the cars have been on site.
According to the EPA, these cars did not "appear to be breached," but do show some signs of charring from the fire ignited by the crash. An EPA on-scene coordinator who conducted a visit Tuesday noted that "diesel odors from the rail yard were detected," and no product odor from the cars involved in the derailment were found.
The EPA will be following up with Norfolk Southern on the situation, the agency said.
Norfolk Southern did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Shapiro's press secretary, Manuel Bonder, said the administration immediately reached out to Norfolk Southern after hearing this weekend the cars were sent to Conway.
Bondor said the company is removing the cars from the site.
The company continues to clean up the accident site in East Palestine, an effort overseen by the EPA. The excavation of contaminated soil on the south track is nearing completion and soil waste is continuing to be shipped off-site for disposal. Plans for the north track rail removal are underway.
—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Michigan Rep. Dingell says she won't run for US Senate
DETROIT — Michigan Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell said Tuesday she won't run for U.S. Senate for the seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
Dingell made the announcement during a State of the District address at the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Chamber of Commerce, she told The Detroit News.
"I’ve been touched by the number of people who have asked me to consider running for Senate," Dingell said. "But I’m someone who likes being in the community and engaged and digging in, and I can’t do that if I’m running for the Senate and trying to raise $150 million."
Dingell of Ann Arbor also emailed supporters on Tuesday afternoon to inform them of her decision.
Dingell is the latest high-profile Democrat to pass on a Senate bid. So far, U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Lansing is the only Democrat to declare a campaign for Senate, saying last week she raised $3 million in the first month of her campaign.
—The Detroit News
Florida officers kill dozens of snakes at a reptile facility, video shows
MIAMI — A disturbing video was posted online this week showing Florida wildlife officers killing dozens of snakes at a Sunrise reptile facility.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers last Thursday used a device that launched a charge into the snakes’ heads, killing more than 30 of the reptiles, according to the United States Association of Reptile Keepers, the snake advocacy group that posted the video.
At one point in the video, the officers are seen killing a snake that turned out to be a pregnant boa constrictor, which is not illegal to own as a pet in Florida. The officers’ reaction indicates they knew they made a mistake just moments after they killed the snake.
“You can’t fix it. You just killed something that wasn’t illegal and had about a hundred thousand dollars worth of (expletive) babies,” a man is heard yelling in the background.
According to the Reptile Keepers, the officers were carrying out an unannounced raid on the facility. In total, the officers killed 34 snakes, the snake group said in a statement.
The Fish and Wildlife agency said Tuesday it is aware of the video, but did not immediately issue a statement or comment.
According to Parker, the owner of the snakes, Chris Coffee, had a permit to keep them prior to the state labeling Burmese and reticulated pythons prohibited species in February 2021.
—Miami Herald
At least 100 killed in airstrike by Myanmar military junta
BANGKOK — At least 100 civilians, including a number of children, were killed in a military airstrike in Myanmar, according to media and eyewitness reports.
Forces deployed by the ruling military junta fired rockets at Pazigyi township in the Sagaing region near the center of the country Tuesday morning.
The rockets struck just as an opening ceremony for a new office of the anti-junta People's Defense Force was being held there. Many people from neighboring villages had reportedly come to the town for the ceremony.
Fierce fighting has recently broken out in the region between the military and armed groups that are resisting the junta. The general seized power in a military coup in February 2021.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres condemned Tuesday's attack "in the strongest possible terms" and called for those responsible to be held accountable.
Media reports indicated that the situation in Pazigyi was chaotic. According to eyewitnesses, the death toll will likely increase.
The shadow anti-junta government in Myanmar, known as the National Unity Government, described the attack in a statement as a "heinous act" and described it as further evidence of the junta's ruthless use of violence against innocent civilians.
—dpa
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