Nation
Another hazardous material train derailment, this time in North Dakota
A 70-car Canadian Pacific train hauling hazardous materials derailed in North Dakota late Sunday night around 11:15 p.m. about a mile southeast of Wyndmere in Richland County, according to local reports.
While no injuries were reported, according to a report, officials said 31 of the 70 cars derailed, with some leaking petroleum used in the making of asphalt. Citing officials, WZFG reported crews will allow the cold weather to solidify the leaked materials, which are expected to turn into a gel. A retired Norfolk Southern engineer says the disaster could have been prevented, and the cleanup is expected to last between seven and ten days.
While no injuries were reported in that incident, another train derailment begs the question as to what is going on? On Sunday, two cars of a Canadian Pacific train derailed in a Chicago suburb. One car was carrying wheat and the other was empty, FOX32 Chicago reported, citing officials.
On Thursday, Five other freight train cars derailed in Massachusetts. Luckily no hazardous materials were being carried and there were also no reports of injuries, according to authorities.
Concerns over railroads remain high ever since the drastic accident in East Palestine, Ohio, in early February in which about 50 cars derailed, spilling hazardous materials and forcing evacuations of residents.
education
BREAKING: Disney drops suit challenging special district status in settlement with Florida, DeSantis
A settlement was reached Wednesday in the two-year lawsuit over who controls the special governing district that encompasses the Walt Disney World Resort, which includes Disney dropping its lawsuitsagainst a newly created tourism board.
“We are glad that Disney has dropped its lawsuits against the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and conceded that their last-minute development agreements are null, void, and unenforceable,” Bryan Griffin, DeSantis’ communications director, said in a statement. “No corporation should be its own government. Moving forward, we stand ready to work with Disney and the District to help promote economic growth, family-friendly tourism, and accountable government in Central Florida.”
Fox News explains the dispute began “after Disney’s criticism of Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act – derided by critics as the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill – prompted the DeSantis administration to revoke the special Disney-controlled tax district that gave the entertainment autonomy over its theme parks in the region.”
“No corporation should be its own government,” Bryan Griffin, a spokesman for the governor, said in an emailed statement. “Moving forward, we stand ready to work with Disney and the District to help promote economic growth, family-friendly tourism, and accountable government in Central Florida.”
Misleadingly deemed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, prohibited the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity to young students in the state. National Review reports:
After receiving pressure from employees, Disney’s then-CEO, Bob Chapek, said that the company’s leaders had been opposed to the bill “from the outset,” and Disney declared that the legislation “should never have passed and should never have been signed into law.”
In February 2023, DeSantis signed House Bill 9B, which established the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District to replace Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District. Reedy Creek was a 56-year-old special taxing district that allowed Disney control its own development, regulations, building codes, and other municipal services.
Lawmakers voted to give the governor the power to appoint the district’s board members.
However, before a DeSantis-appointed board took over last March, the Disney-controlled board handed control of the district’s development over to Disney…
…As part of the settlement, Disney acknowledges that the development agreement approved by the outgoing Reedy Creek board has “no legal effect or enforceability.”
As for the media reports that DeSantis had been humiliated and out-maneuvered by Disney, Griffin said that “as usual, the media were wrong.”
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