MERCURY RISING

As the Little Man from Another Place once said, it is happening again:

A week after a mercury spill at Cardozo High School, firefighters are back for what looks like another mercury spill on the third floor.

D.C. Fire and EMS spokesman Alan Etter says crews are getting high mercury vapor readings. He says additional tests are needed, but it's worse than last week.

Etter says some students who were on the third floor may have to be decontaminated. Those on the first and second floors were not exposed, and readings show no mercury contamination there. Authorities are still determining how many people might have been exposed.

The fire trucks, the police and the local news cameras are all back. I talked to a news producer on my walk up this afternoon who said it might be left over from last week. If so, why didn't the EPA find it over the weekend? So, here we are again. And this is after Cardozo was declared a Superfund site. Anyway, I can't be bothered to go out and take more pictures right now. The one above-right is from last week, but it looks about the same. If anything, there are more vehicles parked on Clifton street than last time. (UPDATE — My related post at DCist.)

One reason I can't be bothered is because I'm watching the Nats' first spring training game on ESPN, against the Mets at Space Coast Stadium in Melbourne, Florida. It's 3 to 3 in the top of the 4th. I've never been a big fan of televised baseball, but there's a world of difference when you actually have something invested in one of the teams here. Peter Gammons even deigns to write some nice things about us today.

And in other sports news, the Blazers fired Mo Cheeks. Not a surprise that this would happen, but the timing caught everyone off guard. I've turned down the sound on the TV and am listening to the press conference live right now at Oregonlive.com. Everyone's heaping praise on him andd calling it "difficult decision" and a "sad day," as one would expect. Cheeks doesn't seem to be there, as you would expect also. Check out Oregon Sports Fan for updates.

Lastly, there's one more untimely passing to note from Oregon: Hatoon, the crazy-but-harmless bag lady who had been a fixture around the University of Oregon campus for decades, was struck and killed by an automobile at the edge of campus. Too bad. Hatoon had a student body card and was allowed access to pretty much everything a student was. There's a good story in that, if someone went digging.

So: It's been a huge news day, if you're me.

OVERDUE UPDATE — Nats take it, 5-3. As DB notes, "The Nats are undefeated! Enjoy it while it lasts..."

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posted by WWB at 1:45 PM |