90.9 WBUR - Boston's NPR news station
Top Stories:
PLEDGE NOW
Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Hazardous Materials Plague Two U.S. Towns

This photo released Nov. 27, 2012 by the Louisiana State Police shows piles of explosive powder stored at the Camp Minden industrial site that officials say were improperly housed by a company. (Louisiana State Police/AP)

Officials examine the area around a derailed freight train tank car in Paulsboro, N.J. on Nov. 30, 2012. (Mel Evans/AP)

More residents of Paulsboro, N.J. have been ordered to leave their homes because of air contamination from a train derailment last week that leaked a hazardous gas. So far, 200 homes have been evacuated and schools closed until next week because of air quality concerns.

Meanwhile, in northwest Louisiana, it will be the end of the week before all six million pounds of improperly stored explosive powder at the Explo Systems facility at Camp Minden are safely secured.

The powder was found spilling out of boxes crammed into buildings, after an October explosion prompted an inspection of the facility and led to the evacuation of the nearby town of Doyline.

Guest:

We welcome comments from all of our listeners. Post below. Please stay on topic and be civil. Comments may be moderated by us, but you are solely responsible for the content of your comments.

With Sponsorship from:
Accelerating the pace of engineering and science
Thursday, May 23, 2013
First lady Michelle Obama, second from right, hands out diplomas at the graduation ceremony for Martin Luther King, Jr. Academic Magnet High School on Saturday, May 18, 2013, in Nashville, Tenn. (Mark Humphrey/AP)

A professor from Howard University has some advice on what African American high school graduates need to hear when they receive diplomas over the next few weeks.

2 Comments | more »
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Foam peanuts. (HidingInABunker/Flickr)

What if you could replace styrofoam with something that biodegrades and doesn’t contain petroleum? That’s what one start-up is trying to do — with mushrooms.

3 Comments | more »
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
1989 photo of singer, musician and entertainer, "Prince." (AP)

Prince is a brilliant musician, a mesmerizing performer and — according to cultural commentator Touré — a Generation X icon. Touré says Prince played a wise older brother to the latchkey kids of Gen X.

9 Comments | more »
From Twitter