Chemistry lab mishap leads to evacuation
One student was treated at Crittenden Hospital and the entire student body was evacuated Tuesday afternoon after a chemical reaction in a chemistry lab at Crittenden County High School.
The reaction occurred during clean-up after an experiment involving Bromine.
Bromine came in contact with aluminum foil lying on a table, causing a violent reaction, interim superintendent Janie Tomek explained.
"Bromine apparently reacts one way with aluminum, but has a different reaction, a violent one, when it contacts aluminum foil," Tomek added.
The reaction caused a Chlorine-like odor that spread throughout the school and prompted school officials to evacuate all students to the football field about 2:30 p.m.
Senior chemistry student Meg Brock had taken off her protective goggles and was cleaning an area where a chemistry experiment had taken place when the accident occurred. After complaining of a burning sensation in her eyes, Brock was taken to Crittenden Hospital where she was treated and released.
The experiment had taken place in teacher Mike Watson's classroom.
Emergency Management Director Greg Rushing was contacted immediately following the accident. Rushing was soon on the phone with state officials to determine what steps to take to clean up the school laboratory.
Livingston County's Emergency Management Department provided Rushing with a monitor to test air quality in the classroom once the site was cleaned up.
The room was deemed safe for students and faculty on Wednesday. Aside from ventilating the building, particularly the upstairs where the lab is located, no further precautions were needed, Tomek said.
Brown says budget is top priority
The pale concrete walls of the Crittenden County judge-executive's office are void of pictures, plaques or items that might tell what type of county administrator Fred Brown will be over the next few months, perhaps the next two years. However, his demeanor speaks volumes.
"There's a whole lot of work that needs to be done," said Brown Monday on his first full day in the judge's office. He was appointed by Gov. Ernie Fletcher to fill the post after Pippi Hardin resigned last week to take a state parks job.
Indeed the empty walls are a sign that Brown, 58, sees more important work on the horizon than making his new confines cozy and a snapshot of his personality. Instead, his persona can be gauged by the scratching he's done with a ballpoint pen, making notes throughout a copy of the county budget, which is due to the state this month for approval.
Brown inherited a budget long on expenses and short on any new revenue. In fact, Hardin had introduced the county spending plan at last month's fiscal court meeting and it included cuts in everything from volunteer fire departments to other county offices. The budget's conservative handiwork includes projected revenue even lower than last year's when the county actually reduced the property tax rate by a fraction.
"The budget is the most pressing item because of the deadline mandated by the state," said Brown, who has a laundry list of top priorities that he's working on in between phone calls and well wishers who stop by the office.
"We're right in the middle of getting the budget ready and we'll have the first reading on May 18," Brown continued. "We'll probably have a special meeting in order to get it done on time."
A half dozen other major issues are rattling around in Brown's mind as he tries to balance the county's spending against its $283,000 in local property tax revenue. Among the most pressing issues are the U.S. 641 project, Pennyrile WestPark Industrial Park near Fredonia, the airport improvements, continued involvement in the Ed-Tech Center, a coal mining project on the northeast end of the county and continued growth for the Crittenden-Livingston Water District.
"The first thing I want to do is build a good relationship with the other county officeholders, the Chamber, Tourism Commission and economic development corporation," Brown said. "I want to put an emphasis on keeping what we have in the form of manufacturers and businesses.
"Right now, we should be in good position in regard to state economic development to get something in our community that would employ some people," he said.
Brown was the only nominee presented to the governor as a replacement for Hardin. The Republican Party, by virtue of Hardin's political affiliation, had the inside track for selecting an heir when it became evident that Hardin would be leaving. Brown was the party's obvious choice because of his ability to begin immediately and because of his record of public service. A former magistrate, Brown was serving on the Marion City Council until noon Friday when he was sworn in as judge-executive. He is also a member of the Lions Club, American Legion and sits on the Citizens Foster Child Review Board. Brown served in the U.S. Army from 1966-68 as a construction engineer and spent time in Germany.
His motives for accepting the county judgeship appear genuine enough. "The only reason I took this job is because I think I can help Crittenden County," he said.
Brown retired after 29 years of work for Siemens and Potter & Brumfield. He and two other local men founded Liberty Fuels and a few years ago Brown sold his part of the convenience center and has done some odd jobs since then.
"I'm retired and want to be involved in the community," Brown continued. "I didn't take the job for the title or the money, but only because I want to work for a better community."
Brown's appointment is temporary, yet he will seek the GOP appointment to run in the fall. A victory in the November election would give Brown two more years in office. Democrats will also have an opportunity to select a candidate to run for the unexpired term during the general election. It's unclear who the other party might choose to run. A few names have already surfaced, including Donnetta Travis, who ran against Hardin in 2002 and was narrowly defeated.
Hardin has taken a job as supervisor of all state parks in western Kentucky. He started that position on Monday.