Three large barges, one carrying 1,400 tons of methanol, were wedged against a dam and partially submerged, on the Ohio River in Louisville, Kentucky, following their detachment from a tugboat.Meanwhile on the 26th March, over in the UK: UK declares major incident after 200 barrels leak from oilfield into Poole harbour
The Louisville Metropolitan Emergency Services said the navigation accident occurred early Tuesday morning when three barges -- part of a group of ten -- broke free from a tugboat after hitting a structure at the entrance to the Portland Canal near the river's McAlpine Locks and Dam.Videos from Tuesday evening show the three barges pinned against the bridge
The barge carrying 1,400 tons of methanol is partially submerged at McAlpine Dam.
Coast Guard spokesperson Chris Davis told NBC News that state and federal agencies are trying to remove barges. Downriver traffic has been halted.
"We had shut down traffic.
"There's going to be salvage operations, and it's going to be dangerous," Davis said.
As of now, Louisville Water Co. has reported the incident has not triggered an environmental disaster, and the city's drinking water remains unaffected.
"Your water is safe to drink," the water agency said in a Facebook post.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that methanol is highly toxic to both humans and wildlife. This chemical, classified under the category of "toxic alcohols," is commonly found in antifreeze, carburetor cleaner, and windshield washer fluids.
... and this incident comes on the heels of the toxic water release from the train derailment in East Palestine, which flowed down the Ohio River, prompting water agencies to take preventive measures to safeguard drinking water for millions of people.
Martinez, in a letter to the law school community:These students need to grow up and self filter."At future events, the role of any administrators present will be to ensure that university rules on disruption of events will be followed, and all staff will receive additional training in that regard."Steinbach says that she was attempting to defuse the tense situation so that the lecture could continue:"I stepped up to the podium to deploy the de-escalation techniques in which I have been trained, which include getting the parties to look past conflict and see each other as people. My intention wasn't to confront Judge Duncan or the protesters but to give voice to the students so that they could stop shouting and engage in respectful dialogue. I wanted Judge Duncan to understand why some students were protesting his presence on campus and for the students to understand why it was important that the judge be not only allowed but welcomed to speak. I reminded students that there would a Q&A session at which they could answer Judge Duncan's speech with their own speech, as long as they were following university rules; and I pointed out that while free speech isn't easy or comfortable, it's necessary for democracy, and I was glad it was happening at our law school."
Comment: The corruption of the food supply is often seen at times when civilisations are in nearing their end: