Delaware State Workers Sprayed With Green Liquid; Nevada’s Tesla Special Session
Spirit of America / Shutterstock.com
Also in our state and local news roundup: Marion Barry dislikes ‘junk’ art and Cleveland’s orange-barrel goal.
Here are some state and local stories you may have missed from around the country ...
CLEVELAND, Ohio: Now that the city has been selected for 2016 Republican National Convention, Steven Litt of The Plain Dealer reports that Mayor Frank Johnson has set an important goal involving downtown construction. According to his chief of staff: "Mayor Jackson has told us, quote unquote, 'no orange barrels.’”
BRIDGEVILLE, Delaware: Seven workers with the Delaware Department of Transportation went through decontamination procedures on Wednesday when they were sprayed with a “green liquid” from a cropdusting plane. According to Terri Sanginiti and Deborah Gates of The News Journal:
A preliminary investigation indicates the workers were exposed to the fungicides Topsin and Rodomil Gold, and the pesticide Bifenthrin, said Daniel Shortridge, a spokesman at the Delaware Department of Agriculture. He said the plane was spraying a soybean field.
Topsin and Rodomil Gold are used on fruits and vegetables and can cause skin and eye irritation with exposure, according to the EPA. Bifenthrin, or Brigade insecticide, is considered a possible human carcinogen that typically causes skin and eye irritation. Exposure can affect muscles and cause fluid accumulation in the lungs, the EPA notes.
CARSON CITY, Nevada: Lawmakers in the Silver State gathered for a special session of the state legislature to discuss “Gov. Brian Sandoval’s deal with electric car company Tesla to build a $5 billion battery factory in Nevada in exchange for a generous package of tax breaks that essentially will allow the company to operate tax-free for nearly a decade,” Laura Myers and Sean Whaley report for the Review-Journal.
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico: This USA Today headline says it all: “Before there was Ferguson, there was Albuquerque.”
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Former District of Columbia Mayor Marion Barry doesn’t like a new art project in the ward he currently represents on the D.C. Council. The project has prompted some residents to call 311 and his office to complain. “It looks like junk,” Barry tells Washington City Paper’s Perry Stein. Barry is trying to figure out how the art project, made with yard debris and displayed in two abandoned storefronts, ended up in his ward: "I tell every agency that anything coming to Ward 8 should come to my office."