October 4, 2023

State AG Files Lawsuit Against MetCom Over Sewage Overflows

State AG

The Maryland Attorney General’s Office filed a civil complaint Thursday in the Circuit Court for St. Mary’s County against the St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission over continued sewage overflows from its sanitary sewer system.

Pearl Harbor’s Water Still Unsafe

The Navy urged 93,000 residents of Pearl Harbor, HI, to boil water for drinking and cooking as a precaution against bacteria, and also continue to conserve water after a fourth water main break on Monday followed three breaks on Friday of the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickman system. These same residents faced fuel contamination of their water last year from fuel leaks from JBPHH. The Navy was to begin draining that fuel Monday, but the broken mains prevent that.

3 Options in Navy’s New Shipbuilding Plan

Shipbuilding Plan

The Navy is sifting through three options for its shipbuilding plans — only one gets to the goal of 355 ships.

First Woman Nominated to Lead Armed Service

US Coast Guard ADM Linda Fagan will become the first woman to lead a branch of the US armed services if her nomination to lead the US Coast Guard is confirmed. Fagan has been the Coast Guard’s No. 2 since June and was the first woman in the service to be promoted to four stars.

Gilday: Larger Fleet Means Larger Share of the Budget

With more ships needed in more places around the world, the US Navy needs a larger fleet and a larger share of the defense budget, says Chief of Naval Operations ADM Mike Gilday. That would mean changing the historical split of funding among the services.

Navy Will Shut Red Hill Fuel Facility

The decision to permanently shut the Navy’s massive Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Hawaii that leaked petroleum into Pearl Harbor’s tap water was based on a new Pentagon assessment, but also is in line with an order from Hawaii’s Department of Health to drain fuel from the tanks.

N.Korean Missile Snaps Earth Pix

Amid a busy month of missile test launches, on Jan. 30 North Korea released a photo taken of Earth, reporting the image was captured from a Hwasong 12 intermediate-range ballistic missile “by a camera installed at the missile warhead.”

Contaminated Water Halts Fuel Operations at Pearl Harbor

Hawaii’s Department of Health demanded the Navy halt operations at Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility after a leak led to contaminated drinking water, forcing 700 people from their homes. The facility is 100 feet above the Red Hill aquifer supplying drinking water to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and 20 percent of Honolulu.