HAWAII HOME, SITE OF GRISLY MURDER INVESTIGATION, IS NOW IN ESCROW

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The East Oahu home of Gary Ruby, the man who was murdered and encased in cement in his bathtub, is now in escrow. The listing agent, Heidi Bertucci of Corcoran Pacific Properties, confirmed she had multiple offers for the listing. The expected closing date for the selected offer will be between September 7th-20th. The property was listed just under $2.5 million and in the 13 days that the property was posted on Zillow, it received 10,000 views and 500 saves. Gary Ruby purchased the 2,327 sq. ft. home for about $2.2 million in 2020. This property was the site of a murder investigation in early March 2022, after Honolulu police discovered Ruby's body in a bathtub inside the home.

4-MILE CONTAMINATION PLUME CONTINUES TO MOVE TOWARD ANN ARBOR'S PRIMARY WATER SOURCE

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A large plume of contamination in Ann Arbor, Michigan's, water supply is continuing to spread. The groundwater contains dixoane which was released in the 1980s by Gelman Sciences on Wagner Road in Scio Township. Gelman Sciences, a former manufacturer of medical filters, still exists on the same site with an unmarked building. The building's only purpose is for the company to treat contaminated water, per a court order. The toxic chemicals were found in surface waters and groundwater and, residential wells.

The "Gelman plume" is estimated to be about four miles long and about a mile wide. The plume is moving at a rate of about a foot a day, according to Dan Hamel of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). It's now in areas of Scio Township and the west side of Ann Arbor. The plume appears to be heading north to Barton Pond and east to the Huron River, Ann Arbor's largest sources of drinking water.

HOUSE EXPLODES IN EVANSVILLE, INDIANA, LEAVING 3 DEAD AND NEARBY HOMES 'UNINHABITABLE'

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At least three people died after a house exploded on August 10th in Evansville, Indiana. Evansville Fire Department Chief Mike Connelly said the explosion had a 100-foot blast radius and damaged about 40 homes, at least 11 of which were deemed "uninhabitable." Police shut down nearby streets due to the amount of debris. Firefighters were not able to determine if all houses had been empty during the time of the explosion because some structures were too unstable to enter.

LAS VEGAS APARTMENT IN EAST VALLEY DEALING WITH WATER DAMAGE FROM LATE-JULY STORM

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The impact of a storm from July 29th is still being felt by tenants of an apartment complex on McLeod and Karen in Las Vegas, Nevada. Water leaked in through the ceiling causing the roofs to collapse and cave in. At least ten units received some sort of water damage from the July storm. Impacted tenants were given hotel rooms to stay in but some stayed in their apartments in fear more water would come and ruin their belongings. The property management company said August rent is covered for the impacted tenants.

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK RANGER TALKS ABOUT WIDESPREAD DAMAGE FROM FLASH FLOODING

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On August 4th, Death Valley National Park and the surrounding areas received a historical flash flooding. The park roads remain closed as the National Park services provide updates. The National Park Ranger and Incident Information Officer, Jennette Jurado, witnessed water surrounding and flooding their dive way as the park received a year's worth of rainfall in roughly three hours. The flood happened early in the morning before most people were awake and commuting. No injuries have been claimed from the flooding, but 500 visitors and 500 park residents were left stranded during the flooding. Roadways within the park had minor to sever damage. More than 600 feet of the main water line were destroyed during the flooding. Ariel searches were conducted on August 5th and 6th for any other residents that may have been stranded.

ALEX JONES ORDERED TO PAY EXTRA $45 MILLION IN PUNITIVE DAMAGES TO PARENTS OF SANDY HOOK VICTIM

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A Texas jury ordered Alex Jones to pay $45.2 million in punitive damages to the parents of a Sandy Hook victim on Friday, August 5th, a day after he was ordered to pay $4.1 million in actual damages for claiming that the school shooting was a hoax. Friday's damages are punishment for Jones’ statements, while Thursday’s damages were meant to compensate the parents for economic and noneconomic damages like emotional distress. Judge Maya Guerra Gamble of the 459th District Court in Travis County may reduce the punitive damages given due to limits on punitive damages, with a per-defendant cap of two times the amount of economic damages, plus the amount of noneconomic damages found by the jury if the latter part not to exceed $750,00

STRUCTURE FIRE CAUSES SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO UNFINISHED POUDRE TRAIL APARTMENTS IN GREENLY, COLORADO

www.GreeleyTribune.com

At 7:20 p.m. on August 3rd, firefighters responded to the scene of a large fire at the construction site for the Poudre Trail Apartments in the 100 block of north 30th Avenue, Greenly, Colorado. The Greeley Fire Department is investigating the cause of a fire. Fire crews found a burning two-story apartment building with 10 living units under construction. Due to heavy fire activity and the volume of smoke, responding units issued a second alarm for additional assistance. In total, six engines, two ladder trucks, one brush truck, two battalion chiefs, one fire investigator, and one staff chief responded to the scene. No injuries were reported and no one was displaced due to the fire, but Greeley fire expects damage to exceed $1 million.

DEVELOPER OF MAJOR PENNSYLVANIA PIPELINE PLEADS NO CONTEST TO CHARGES

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Dallas-based Energy Transfer Operating, The developer of a major pipeline system that connects the Marcellus Shale gas field in western Pennsylvania to an export terminal near Philadelphia, pleaded no contest Friday, August 5th, to criminal charges that it systematically polluted waterways and residential water wells across hundreds of miles. The developer agreed to independent testing of homeowners’ water and promised to remediate contamination in a settlement of two separate criminal cases brought by the Pennsylvania attorney general. The company will also pay $10 million to restore watersheds and streams along the route of its Mariner East pipeline network.

FIRE VICTIMS SEEK OVER $85 MILLION FOR TAMARACK FIRE DAMAGES

ThisIsReno.com

People who lost their homes and property in last summer’s Tamarack Fire in northern Nevada and California have filed a claim against the U.S. Forest Service seeking more than $85 million. Twelve of the claimants are from Douglas County, Nevada, while the rest were Alpine County, California, residents. The Tamarack Fire started on July 4, 2021, when lightning hit a tree in the Mokelumne Wilderness in Alpine County, California. The fire spread, eventually scorching nearly 109 square miles along the Nevada-California border. Authorities from both counties evacuated nearly 2,000 people in 15 communities.

SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO RANCHERS LOOKING FOR HELP WITH GILA REHAB AND PROPERTY DAMAGE

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Gila, New Mexico suffered fire damage on July 28th. The second-largest blaze recorded in the state’s history consumed much of the Gila National Forest, charring federal land, as well as the acres where ranchers live and work. Locals and recreationalists, like tourists and hunters, will be feeling the effects of the fire for years to come.

EPA TO CLEAN UP SOUTH JERSEY SUPERFUND SITE

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to clean up a polluted 400-acre South Jersey superfund site that emits “harmful vapors.” The Cinnaminson Groundwater Contamination site, polluted by two former landfills, spread over four areas of the site. The remediation plan calls for digging up soil and treating groundwater due to concerns the groundwater may be reaching the Delaware River. The EPA first discovered contaminated groundwater in the 1980s while plans were underway to close the landfills bordered by Union Landing Road, U.S. Route 130, River Road, and Taylors Lane. The EPA plans to inject chemicals into the contaminated groundwater and monitor for vapors using a system similar to those used to detect radon in homes.

SBA HAS APPROVED $4.5 MILLION IN DISASTER LOANS SO FAR FOR THOSE IMPACTED BY THE FLOODING OF THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER

www.BozemanDailyChronicle.com

On July 23rd, A federal agency announced that millions of dollars in disaster loans have been approved for people affected by flooding this past June of the Yellowstone River and some other streams in southern Montana. The Small Business Administration announced that more than $4.5 million in disaster loans have been approved. The agency offers three types of loans: Business Physical Disaster Loans, Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Home Disaster Loans. The application period deadline for physical damage loans is August 29, 2022, while the economic injury loan application period ends March 30, 2023.

The business loans are for repairs or replacing disaster-damaged property. Private businesses, nonprofits, churches, universities and others are eligible, according to the agency. Economic injury loans are for businesses that cannot meet their financial obligations because of flooding. And home loans are for homeowners or renters who need to repair or replace disaster-damaged real estate and personal property.

WITH WATERS RISING, BALTIMORE EYES $138 MILLION PLAN TO LIMIT COASTAL FLOOD DAMAGE

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Because Baltimore, Maryland, is facing increased risks of coastal flooding from storms as sea level rises, federal officials have put forward a $138 million plan aimed at protecting the interstate highway tunnels and reducing flood damage to homes and businesses in low-lying waterfront neighborhoods. The draft plan is to build floodwalls around the openings to the Interstate 95 and Interstate 895 tunnels that carry traffic beneath the harbor. The plan doesn’t envision erecting any levees or other structures to hold back the water for the tourism-centric Inner Harbor and waterfront neighborhoods like Canton, Fells Point, Riverside and Locust Point.

The Baltimore metropolitan area has felt the effects of at least nine hurricanes or tropical storms since the 1950s, the Corps study noted. Tropical Storm Isabel in 2003, caused $4.8 million in property damage in the city and up to $252 million in total damages in the county. One person died in the floods, while more than 570 homes and 15 businesses were declared uninhabitable.

NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY SEEKS FEEDBACK ON NEW BYLAW TO PROTECT DRINKING WATER

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Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, is looking for feedback as it drafts a new bylaw for protecting drinking water. The County is developing a new backflow prevention bylaw to help protect drinking water in industrial, commercial, institutional, and multi-residential buildings from cross-connection contamination. The proposed backflow prevention bylaw will require industrial, commercial, institutional (ICIs), and multi-residential buildings located in Northumberland County to review connections within their plumbing systems to ensure proper backflow prevention devices are installed to protect drinking water from potential contamination.  The draft bylaw will be presented for public review and feedback at two upcoming open house sessions on Tuesday, August 16. The open house sessions are from 1 to 4 p.m. and from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the county building, located at 600 William St. in Cobourg.

11 MICHIGAN BEACHES CLOSED, UNDER CONTAMINATION ADVISORIES

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There are currently 11 Michigan beaches that are either closed or under contamination advisories for unsafe water quality. Before you head to the beach, check to see if your destination is on the current list of closed or under-advisory beaches. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy’s online “BeachGuard” system allows local beach managers to post real-time beach monitoring and notification data to alert visitors of closures and contamination advisories for high bacteria levels. More than 1,200 public beaches and nearly 600 private beaches are monitored this way across the state.

LA JURY HITS REAL ESTATE AGENT WITH $500K PUNITIVE VERDICT OVER CONCEALED FIRE DAMAGE

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A California state court jury in Compton, Californian, has returned a $500,000 punitive damages verdict against a real estate agent accused of concealing a home’s extensive fire damage from the eventual buyer. The jury found in favor of plaintiff Jose Jimenez for suing his real estate agent Louis Teque and Capero Investments Inc. after purchasing a home he claimed he could not live in due to fire damage. Sandoval characterized punitive damages awards in Compton as “very few and far between” and said he felt the jury reacted strongly to the idea of a community pushing back on predatory behavior by real estate agents.

GOVERNOR: ‘MASSIVE PROPERTY’ DAMAGE EXPECTED IN EASTERN KENTUCKY FLOODS

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Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear stated on July 28th that the flooding in Eastern Kentucky is expected to lead to multiple families losing their homes. Beshear declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard. The situation is being referred to as “dynamic and ongoing.” Officials expect “massive property damage”. Several victims from the flooding are awaiting rescue on top of their roofs. As of July 28th, more than 25,000 households were currently without power.

EXPLOSION AT AMERICA’S ICONIC HOOVER DAM

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A transformer at Hoover Dam caught fire on July 20th. The fire ignited around 10 am and was extinguished within the hour. No one was injured during the fire but videos of the fire show a plume of black smoke swirling above the building and what appears to be an explosion in a building near the base of the dam. The city of Boulder posted on its Twitter account that the fire was extinguished before the fire department arrived and has referred additional questions to the Bureau of Reclamation and Hoover Dam. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

BILL AIMS AT NETTING ATTLEBORO, MASSACHEUSETTS $500,000 FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

www.TheSunChronicle.com

Attleboro, Massachusetts, may be getting as much as $500,000 to assess environmental contamination. If the bill is passed, the $500,000 will come from surplus funds and bonds provided through the American Rescue Plan Act. The money would be used to assess “priority downtown corridors” including Riverbank Road, property owned by Sturdy Memorial Hospital on O’Neil Boulevard and the Forest and Falmouth street areas.

SHASTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA FIRE DESTROYS 12 STRUCTURES, FORCES EVACUATIONS

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On July 14th, a fire grew rapidly due to challenging terrain and weather in Anderson (Shasta County), California. Evacuations were forced as the flames destroyed homes, scorched vegetation and threatened a tortoise sanctuary. The fire started south of Redding, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The fire grew to 304 acres and burned at least 3 homes out of 12 structures that were damaged during the fire. The blaze was 25% contained shortly before 8:30 p.m. that night. An evacuation center was set up at a high school in Anderson, but officials didn't immediately say how many people were under evacuation orders.