Over the past 36 hours, across America...................
Las Vegas:
Police Investigate Ricin Scare
A hazmat situation has been unfolding throughout the night. Several federal and local agencies are involved in the investigation into what might be a possible chemical incident.
The incident happened at the Extended Stay America Hotel, not far from the Las Vegas Strip.
What is Ricin?
A lengthy process of decontamination and cleansing is going on at the Extended Stay America. This afternoon, what police believe to be the chemical Ricin was found in a room, that set off a hazardous materials emergency that quickly got the attention of federal authorities.
Around 3 p.m., Metro says someone brought the suspicious substance from a room to the front desk. Managers then called police, leading to this chemical scare.
Authorities quickly determined this might be some kind of biological agent and now officials are all but certain this is Ricin.
Three hotel employees and one citizen were rushed to the hospital, and for good reason — experts say Ricin as small as a pinhead can be deadly.
A lengthy process of decontamination and cleansing is going on at the Extended Stay America. This afternoon, what police believe to be the chemical Ricin was found in a room, that set off a hazardous materials emergency that quickly got the attention of federal authorities.
Around 3 p.m., Metro says someone brought the suspicious substance from a room to the front desk. Managers then called police, leading to this chemical scare.
Authorities quickly determined this might be some kind of biological agent and now officials are all but certain this is Ricin.
Florida:
Questions Linger in Florida Blackout
Florida blackout sparks chaos
Florida blackout affects 3 million people
Reason for Florida blackout still a mystery
MIAMI (AP) -- Power executives are still in the dark about how a glitch at a substation triggered a blackout that cut power to millions across south Florida.
The outage caused gridlock when traffic signals went dead, forced hospitals to scramble for generators and cut off air conditioners in the afternoon heat.
The sporadic outages yesterday spanned 300 miles of the peninsula but appeared to be concentrated in the southeast portion of the state. Communities along the southwest coast, in the Florida Keys and as far north as Daytona Beach reported interruptions.
The president of Florida Power and Light says an equipment malfunction at the substation should not have caused the outages.
The outages initially affected about a fifth of Florida's population.
Illinois
Explosions in Waukegan, Illinois
WAUKEGAN - An explosion ripped through a shopping plaza Thursday in this Chicago suburb
It sent eight people to a hospital, but none with life-threatening injuries, fire officials saidThe explosion struck around lunchtime in the business district, located about 40 miles north of Chicago. The impact shattered windows and collapsed the roof of the plaza, which housed businesses including a cell phone shop, a tuxedo store and a hair salon.
