News Roundup 11/07/19
Fed Up With Forest Cuts
Just west of this Sierra Nevada town, thousands of people trundle out to boulders as big as billboards, carrying climbing gear and foam pads to break their inevitable falls. The chronically underfunded U.S. Forest Service is partly responsible for these conditions, and some local officials in the Eastern Sierra are fed up with it. Wentworth leads an ambitious and controversial proposal that would allow Eastern Sierra cities and counties to fund, staff and maintain tourism and recreation projects, including some that have lingered for decades in the Forest Service’s deferred maintenance backlog, which totals more than $5.2 billion nationwide. In response, Wentworth said the proposed partnership is all about trying to preserve the Eastern Sierra for future generations.
Source: Los Angeles Times
Chemical Accident at Buffalo Wild Wings in Boston Massachusetts
One person has reported deceased and ten others are sickened by a chemical accident at Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant Thursday in Burlington, Massachusetts, authorities said. A restaurant employee was rushed to a hospital after being exposed to sodium hypochlorite, a powerful cleaning agent, and died shortly thereafter Michael Patterson, assistant chief of the Burlington Fire Department, told reporters. "What we believe happened is a worker at Buffalo Wild Wings used a cleaning agent on the floor. The cleaning agent is Super 8. The chemical definition or chemical identification is sodium hypochlorite," Patterson said. "What sodium hypochlorite is a high concentration of chlorine." Buffalo Wild Wings said in a statement that it was referring questions to local authorities."We are shocked and saddened to learn of this horrific accident at our franchise-owned sports bar and are working closely with our franchisee and the authorities while they conduct an investigation," the company said.
Source: NBC News
Ukraine Whistleblower’s Lawyer Sends Trump ‘Cease and Desist Letter’
A lawyer for the Ukraine whistleblower, whose complaint document triggered the House impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump, has sent a letter to the White House warning the President to “cease and desist” attacking his client.“I am writing out of deep concern that your client, the President of the United States, is engaging in rhetoric and activity that places my client, the Intelligence Community Whistleblower, and their family in physical danger,” Andrew Bakaj wrote to White House counsel Pat Cipollone in a Wednesday letter obtained by CNN’s Anderson Cooper. The whistleblower’s complaint alleges Trump abused his official powers “to solicit interference” from Ukraine in the 2020 election and that the White House took steps to cover it up. Trump has denied any wrongdoing. Zaid and House Democrats have argued that the whistleblower’s identity is irrelevant at this stage in the proceedings due to testimony from several witnesses corroborating and expanding on allegations contained in the initial complaint.
Source: KTLA
60 Freeway Closure Takes a Break for Veterans Day
The 12-mile closure of the westbound 60 Freeway between Riverside and Ontario is taking a hiatus the weekend of Friday, Nov. 8 through Monday, Nov. 11 because of Veterans Day. The 60 Freeway closure has been a constant cause of traffic issues. The closure of this freeway isn’t completely over though. There is one more closure scheduled for the following weekend, starting Friday night, Nov. 15. Many people will hopefully have a more enjoyable weekend with less traffic.
Source: The Sun
Juul Ends E-Cigarette Sales of Mint-Flavored Pods
Juul Labs, the nation’s largest seller of e-cigarettes, said on Thursday that it would stop selling mint-flavored pods, which have become especially popular among teenagers. The move precedes an anticipated federal flavor ban that is to be announced soon. Recently, intense lobbying by the vaping and tobacco industries against a menthol ban has heightened the speculation that menthol would be exempt from any prohibitions against flavors. Juul said on Thursday that it would continue to sell menthol pods and its two tobacco products.
Source: New York Times