Midwest
Ohio girl concedes cutting off tanker that spilled chemical last year in Illinois, killing 5
A federal report on a tanker-truck crash a year ago in central Illinois that spilled a toxic chemical and killed five people includes an interview with a 17-year-old Ohio girl who concedes that the truck was forced off the road when she passed it with the minivan she was driving.
The tanker slowed and pulled to the right to allow the minivan to get back in the right-hand lane and avoid a head-on collision with oncoming traffic on the two-lane U.S. 40 in Teutopolis on Sept. 29, 2023, according to dash-cam video from the truck also released late Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board.
OHIO ‘DANGEROUS’ CHEMICAL SPILL CAUSED BY OPEN VALVE ON TRAIN CAR LEADS TO EMERGENCY EVACUATION
“Oh, (expletive). Yeah. Oh, my goodness. Yep, totally my bad. Wow. Holy (expletive),” the girl said while watching the video from the ill-fated truck during an Oct. 4, 2023, Illinois State Police interview.
The tanker truck was carrying caustic anhydrous ammonia when it jack-knifed and hit a utility trailer parked just off the highway. The trailer’s hitch punctured the tank, spilling about half of the 7,500-gallon (28,390-liter) load about 8:40 p.m. just west of Teutopolis, a community about 110 miles (177 kilometers) northeast of St. Louis.
A federal report on a tanker-truck crash a year ago in central Illinois that spilled a toxic chemical and killed five people includes an interview with a 17-year-old Ohio girl who concedes that the truck was forced off the road when she passed it with the minivan she was driving. (Fox News)
Five people died as a result, including three family members who were near the road when the incident occurred. About 500 people were evacuated for hours after the accident to spare them exposure to the hazardous plume from the chemical used by farmers to add nitrogen fertilizer to the soil and in large buildings as a refrigerant.
The transportation board said its latest findings are merely a factual account and do not include analysis or conclusions, which are expected later.
The Illinois State Police conducted its own investigation, and spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said the department turned over its findings last month to Effingham County State’s Attorney Aaron Jones. A message seeking comment from Jones was left at his office Thursday.
The girl, whose name is redacted in the transcript of the state police interview because she was a minor at the time, said she was traveling with her mother and brother to visit her mother’s boyfriend in the Illinois suburbs of St. Louis. An accident on Interstate 70 earlier that night diverted loads of traffic onto U.S. 40, and she said she passed three trucks on the road heading west into Teutopolis.
The girl said her pass of the tanker began in a passing zone, although a no-passing sign appears in the video. She said once she began passing, she realized she needed to accelerate to clear oncoming traffic and estimated she was going 90 mph when she pulled back to the right, narrowly slipping by an oncoming vehicle. She told investigators her mother was upset by the close call, but she thought she had plenty of clearance.
However, she declined the police interviewers’ offer to show the dash-cam video again.
“No, you don’t have to. It was totally my fault,” the girl said. “I’ve honestly in the past had times when I just don’t use good judgment in judging like distances and whether I have enough time for something.”
Attempting to give the minivan space to get over, the truck moved onto the shoulder, lost traction on gravel and then hit a drainage culvert, according to the truck driver, who survived. Continuing west, the girl said she soon saw emergency vehicles coming coming east but did not connect them with her passing the truck.
She said that before the family’s return trip to Ohio, when her mother was reading aloud news accounts of the crash, she had no idea it had happened.
“Of course not,” she told investigators. “I told you that like three times.”
When one of the investigators expressed disbelief that no one in the car noticed a truck turning over behind them, she doubled down.
“Nobody said, ‘Oh, the guy behind you drove off the road,’ ” the girl said. “That would’ve been a huge deal for everybody. We would’ve been like, ‘Oh, (expletive), I just caused something really bad to happen,’ and then like our whole night would’ve been figuring out” what to do.
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Tigers call up Ben Malgeri from Triple-A Toledo; Trei Cruz sent down
Ben Malgeri called up from Triple-A Toledo; Trei Cruz optioned, Burch Smith to 60-day IL. Malgeri: 9 HR, .322 vs LHP.
NEW YORK – The Detroit Tigers showed no fear or intimidation facing Cam Schlittler, the New York Yankees superstar who entered Tuesday, June 30, as the favorite to win the American League Cy Young award.
The Tigers weren’t timid, either. They were aggressive and decisive, launching four homers off Schlittler in a 9-3 victory at Yankee Stadium.
It was stunning, to say the least.
Meanwhile, lefty Tarik Skubal was his usual outstanding self for the Tigers (37-49). Skubal picked up the win, allowing one earned run off two hits while racking up nine strikeouts.
The Tigers danced off with their second straight win at Yankee Stadium. Meanwhile, the Yankees (48-37) drew plenty of boos after losing their sixth straight. The Tigers will go for the three-game sweep on Wednesday (1:35 p.m., Detroit SportsNet).
At the plate: Tigers use long ball to crush Yankees
Schlittler has had a historic start to the season for the Yankees. He came into the game with a 1.62 ERA, the second lowest ERA by a Yankees pitcher through his first 17 starts of a season since it became an official stat in 1913.
“He’s the best pitcher in the American League right now,” Skubal said before the game.
Which was obviously no small statement coming from Skubal.
But the Tigers played with no fear. Catcher Dillon Dingler started it off by hitting a ball 337 feet. Yes, it was caught. But it was a sign of things to come.
The next Tigers hitter, Kerry Carpenter, smashed a ball to deep center. Spencer Jones, the Yankees outfielder, went above the wall and it looked, for a split second, like he robbed the homer. But the ball hit the palm of his glove and it popped out, squirting over the fence for a 410-foot round-tripper.
It was a massive moment, considering a catch would have ended the inning.
But that left a door open for the Tigers to start jacking more homers through.
Riley Greene, the next batter, smashed a homer to right, a 424-foot blast that landed in the second deck.
That was also an important moment, considering Schlittler had only given up two homers all season to lefties – the Tigers had equaled it in back-to-back plate appearances.
In the first inning, no less.
Colt Keith continued the onslaught, pounding a single up the middle.
Then Spencer Torkelson got into the act, launching a homer to left on the 10th pitch of the at bat. It was a no-doubter that went 405 feet.
To recap: Facing the best pitcher in the American League, at least to this point in the season, the Tigers crushed three 400-foot homers in one inning.
Another fun Schlittler fact: He had allowed one run or fewer in 13 of his starts this season, leading MLB.
Then, Greene did it again. He hit his second homer of the game in the third. Yes, maybe he should get more days off, like he did on Monday.
Schlittler gave up six runs in four innings, his worst start of the season.
Tigers outfielder James Outman turned it into a rout with a three-run homer in the sixth.
On the mound: Tarik Skubal was dealing
The Tigers had a 4-0 lead before Skubal even took the mound.
He did allow a homer to Ben Rice, which was not exactly a stunner. The Yankees slugger crushed his 23rd homer of the season, cutting the Tigers lead to 4-1.
But after that point, Skubal just rolled and the Yankees never really had a chance to get back into this game.
He gave up one earned run in six innings of work, recording nine strikeouts with no walks.
The Tigers took a 9-2 lead into the ninth. Tyler Holton came in to pitch the ninth and he gave up a run.
Next up: Tigers try for the sweep
The Tigers will finish their three-game series in Yankee Stadium, a day start that will feature right-hander Troy Melton (4-1, 2.39 ERA) against right-hander Will Warren (7-3, 3.75).
Melton will try to keep up the Tigers’ outstanding starting pitching.
In the first game, on Monday, Tigers righty Casey Mize became the first pitcher in the Tigers’ 126 seasons to throw seven or more innings, allow one hit or less, no runs, no walks and strike out 10 or more in an outing. The 10 punchouts matched his career high.
Contact Jeff Seidel at jseidel@freepress.com or follow him @seideljeff.
Garrett Stallings finally makes it to the majors with the Brewers
Garrett Stallings has thrown nearly 600 innings in the minor leagues including the past three at Class AAA Nashville. Now, he’s in the Brewers bullpen.
Garrett Stallings was in position to hit a pretty big milestone with Class AAA Nashville.
“Someone told me this week I would have hit my 600th minor-league inning, which is kind of crazy for someone who hadn’t made it to The Show yet,” Stallings said on Tuesday – but from the Milwaukee Brewers dugout at American Family Field after the right-hander had been selected to the 26-man roster.
“But the whole time I’ve kind of put my head down and continued to go at it, and the work’s really paid off.”
Stallings, 28, was in the midst of his best minor-league season to date with the Sounds, posting a 3-3 record and 3.45 ERA in 16 appearances (12 starts) and 59 strikeouts in 62 ⅔ innings. His last six outings have been starts, but with the Brewers he’ll join a bullpen group that’s been ridden hard in recent weeks.
“Really, just learned how to be a reliever really quickly,” said Stallings when asked how things changed for him with Milwaukee. Originally a fifth-round pick of the Angels out of the University of Tennessee in 2019, he was traded the following year to the Orioles and then to the Brewers in 2024 in exchange for right-hander Thyago Vieira and minor-leaguer Aneuris Rodriguez.
Stallings re-signed with the Brewers as a minor-league free agent in the offseason after pitching in a career-high 30 games in 2025
“I’d been a starter my whole career, and just continued to be adaptable,” he continued. “In order to get your name called you can’t just tailor to one thing. That’s really helped broaden my horizons in the game, and as many different situations you can be in, it’s helped me just adapt to the game and keep my head up and be the best version of myself.”
Stallings lacks the electric fastball and truly nasty stuff that defines so many pitchers these days, instead relying upon moxie and a willingness to try new things.
“I’ve always been a throw-every-type-of-pitch (guy),” he said. “I’ll tinker this side of the rubber or this side and I’m always one that will always at least try new things to see if I can get that edge. I think if anything, the experience of throwing 600 minor-league innings you learn a lot along the way. And it comes with failure, too.
“It hasn’t always been the easiest path. But this year I feel like I’ve just been able to keep getting a little bit better.”
Stallings joked that he’s felt at times like he’s been the best player in the minor leagues and at other times the worst, with the cumulative experiences helping shape him into a reliever being asked to contribute outs whenever he receives the opportunity.
“I talked to him today,” said manager Pat Murphy. “That’s the best part. You get to sit here and let those guys come in, knowing how he grinded and stuck with it and hung with it and probably didn’t believe for a while that he would (make it).
“Then, to finally believe and get that phone call, I immediately think about his mom and dad, He’s got a fiancee, his brother and sister are coming. That’s really cool, and even cooler when he gets up (to pitch).”
Stallings, a native of Chesapeake, Va., could receive that chance as soon as tonight as the Brewers try for their fifth win in as many games against the Cincinnati Reds this season.
“It’s a dream come true,” he said. “It’s been a long time coming.”
Stallings becomes the 45th player to appear on Milwaukee’s active roster this season and seeks to become the sixth to make his major league debut.
To clear space on the 26-man roster, left-hander Robert Gasser was optioned to the rookie Arizona Complex League Brewers, a procedural move that will allow him to be available July 7 when Milwaukee will need extra starting pitching for its doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
Minneapolis, MN
North Minneapolis Heritage Park tenants swelter as $500K grant sits locked for furnaces
Apartment complex A/C problem
Scorching heat is making life miserable for some at Heritage Park apartments in north Minneapolis. FOX 9’s Mike Manzoni explains the situation.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Tenants at a north Minneapolis apartment complex are struggling to stay cool as broken air conditioning and other problems remain unresolved during another day of high temperatures.
Tenants at Heritage Park turn to fans as heat rises
What we know:
Several tenants at Heritage Park are relying on fans to keep cool, but temperatures inside the apartments are still reaching the 80s.
“How I’m trying to keep cool is with this fan. I have another fan in that room,” Eddie Robinson, a tenant, told FOX 9 on Monday. “It’s an oven.”
Beyond the lack of air conditioning, tenants are facing other challenges inside and outside the building.
Some apartments have mold and dirty floors, while the exterior shows broken staircases and boarded-up windows.
Repairs and funding struggles at Heritage Park
The backstory:
The court-appointed receiver, Minnetonka-based Certus Financial, said it is waiting for a $5.1 million grant to help with repairs. There is $500,000 in city grant money available, but it can only be used for furnaces, which does not help tenants during the summer heat.
The property receives $85,000 each month from the federal government to help maintain the 200 public housing apartments.
Despite this, the complex is still losing $250,000 every month, according to the firm’s manager, Will Haase.
The property has 440 units, with nearly half set aside for public housing. More than half of the units are vacant, worsening the property’s financial situation.
Haase said his firm is working on patching 30 roofs to address leaks and has already replaced 168 furnaces. While there are still a couple of hundred open work orders, that number is down from more than 2,000 when the receivership began six months ago.
When asked if razing the complex could be an option, he said that is “never not in play.”
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