Ohio

Rail worker's death in Ohio railyard highlights union questions about remote control trains

Published

1 year ago

August 28, 2024

Rail worker's death in Ohio railyard highlights union questions about remote control trains

The CSX worker who discovered his friend run over by a pair of remote-control locomotives in a railyard last year sees a simple solution to preventing similar deaths in the future: two-person crews.

But that idea won’t be popular with the railroads that have come to rely heavily on having one person control trains moving around a railyard with a remote control as they take apart and reassemble trains. The tactic that was first approved in 2005 started with two people on the job to watch for hazards, but today one-person remote-control operations are common.

Using remote control operators helps limit costs by using less experienced workers to move locomotives that help assemble trains — a task that once required licensed engineers who are among the highest-paid rail workers. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Trainmen and Engineers and other unions have been raising concerns about the practice recently, particularly because remote-control trains are now being used in places outside of railyards to make local trips to pick up and drop off cars.

Railroads are confident the practice is safe based on their experience using it for years. But Federal Railroad Administration spokesman Warren Flatau said the agency is scrutinizing the use of remote control after this death and several other recent incidents. The expanded use of remote-control trains outside of rail yards is also attracting attention.

The National Transportation Safety Board provided an update on its investigation into the death of Fred Anderson on Wednesday when it posted transcripts of its interviews with the workers involved and other information. Anderson was killed on September 17, 2023, when he stepped in front of two locomotives in CSX’s railyard in Walbridge, Ohio.

Railroad safety has been in the spotlight ever since last year’s disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, forced evacuations and left residents with lingering health fears after a cocktail of toxic chemicals spilled and burned.

At the time Anderson was killed, the remote control operator was riding on a ladder on the back of the second locomotive with no view of the front of the train. That practice is perfectly acceptable under federal and railroad rules because earlier in the shift the remote-control operator had cleared the area around the tracks where he was working.

Anderson and the other carman he was working with, George Oliger, had radioed ahead to get permission to enter the area, but Anderson was still struck by the train. Oliger told investigators afterward that he thinks Anderson’s death would have been prevented if the remote-control operator was on the front of the locomotives or if a conductor or engineer were controlling them from the cab. He said a traditional crew would have likely seen Anderson and rang the bell to alert him to the danger.

“What does it cost for an engineer for the night? $350? If we had two guys on every crew, to spend $350 to save someone’s life or to make our yard a little bit safer, I think that’s what we need to do, you know. Like I said if there had been a two man crew on that crew that night, we wouldn’t be talking,” Oliger said, according to a transcript of his interview.

It’s not clear if anyone would have been able to stop the locomotives in time before they hit Anderson, but if someone operating the train had seen him step onto the tracks, they may have been able to warn him. The locomotives were moving at 10 mph (16 kph) when they struck Anderson, and the remote control operator told investigators that he believes it would have taken the length of an engine to stop them at that speed.

But Randy Fannon, who leads the engineers’ union’s Safety Task Force, said he thinks, “This tragic incident in Ohio involving a remotely operated train, blindly controlled from behind, would not have happened if there had been a locomotive engineer in the cab.”

Fannon said railyard workers are more alert to the risks presented by remote-control trains, but the union is “adamantly opposed to remotely operated trains being used outside fenced-in yard environments where pedestrians or vehicles could come in contact at rail crossings.”

CSX and all the unions directly involved aren’t allowed to discuss Anderson’s death until the NTSB completes its investigation, which the agency has said is focused on CSX’s carmen safety procedure training and awareness.

The Federal Railroad Administration and CSX both put out advisories after Anderson’s death reminding all rail workers that they need to be careful when crossing tracks and should always be aware that a train can move down a track at any time. CSX had its managers stress to all its maintenance workers that they must look both directions before they ever cross tracks.

The railroad said last year that it wasn’t planning any changes to its remote control operations after Anderson’s death because it appeared that all federal and CSX rules were being followed at the time.

Safety statistics on railroad crashes are unclear on how safe this practice is because Federal Railroad Administration reports don’t break out those involving remote control trains from incidents involving trains operated by engineers and conductors.

The Brotherhood of Railway Carmen union has said that three of its members have died in incidents involving remote-control trains since 2015.

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Ohio

No. 21 Ohio State women beat Norfolk State 79-45

Published

39 minutes ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

No. 21 Ohio State women beat Norfolk State 79-45

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Kylee Kitts scored 13 points, Jaloni Cambridge added 11 and No. 21 Ohio State rolled past Norfolk State 79-45 on Thursday night for its eighth straight win.

Dasha Biriuk added 10 points for Ohio State, which is 10-1 overall and 7-0 at home.

Kitts was 6 of 12 from the field, and grabbed 10 rebounds to go with two steals and two blocks. Cambridge was 4-of-8 shooting and had eight rebounds and two steals.

Cambridge scored seven points in the first quarter as the Buckeyes jumped out to a 20-10 lead and built a 43-21 halftime advantage. Kitts and Cambridge each scored nine first-half points.

Ohio State outrebounded Norfolk State 55-32 and scored 21 points off 17 turnovers.

Jasha Clinton scored 18 points to lead Norfolk State (5-9). Ciara Bailey had 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Up next

Norfolk State plays at Elon on Sunday.

Ohio State hosts Western Michigan on Mondahy.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

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Menards to pay 10 states, including Ohio, $4.25 million in rebate settlement

Published

13 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Menards to pay 10 states, including Ohio, .25 million in rebate settlement

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio is part of a multistate lawsuit settlement against home improvement store Menards.

According to the state Attorney General’s Office, Ohio and nine other states reached the settlement with Menards, a Wisconsin-based home-improvement retail store, over allegations of deceptive rebate advertising.

The 10-state led investigation revealed that Menards would give shoppers the impression that they were getting an immediate discount while shopping through its advertising, when in fact, savings actually came in the form of a rebate or in-store credit.

The investigation raised concerns with Menards’ marketing strategy and sales practices, alleging the following of the company:

Advertised 11% off or 11% off everything that suggested an instant price cut, even though customers received only a rebate on future purchases.
Listed prices already at an 11% discount, reinforcing the idea that shoppers were getting an in-store discount.
Failed to clearly explain the important limits of the rebate program, burying key details in the fine print.
Tell customers that Rebates International was a separate company handling rebates, even though it is operated by Menards itself.

The settlement, announced Thursday, included an agreement by Menards that it would, in part, discontinue ads suggesting immediate discounts, clearly explaining the rules, limits, and conditions of its rebate program, and offer customers an easier path towards claiming rebates, both in person and online, among other changes.

In addition, Menards will pay participating states $4.25 million in fees, of which $365,173.05 will go toward the Ohio Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Enforcement Fund.

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Ohio State dominate latest power ranking as nine Buckeyes rank inside Top 50 players

Published

1 day ago

December 18, 2025

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Ohio State dominate latest power ranking as nine Buckeyes rank inside Top 50 players

The honors continue to roll in for this Ohio State Buckeyes football team.

From young players ready for another College Football Playoff run next season to players hungry for one more run starting December 31 before the NFL Draft, this Ohio State Buckeyes team is loaded with talent headed into their seventh playoffs appearance since the CFP era began in 2014.

Five defensive players and four offensive players headlined a class of extremely talented Buckeyes. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza took the No. 1 spot to go along with his Heisman and Maxwell honors.

An offensive Ohio State Buckeye took the No. 2 spot right behind Mendoza.

Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese (8) tackles Michigan Wolverines running back Bryson Kuzdzal (24) during the NCAA football game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Nov. 29, 2025. Ohio State won 27-9. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith takes the No. 2 spot

Jeremiah Smith was ranked behind Mendoza along with his gun-slinging sophomore quarterback. Julian Sayin was the second-highest ranked quarterback on the list at No. 5.

“Smith caught 80 balls for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore, but that doesn’t really tell the story…Smith commands double-teams constantly, draws the attention of everyone’s best corner, and has every defensive coordinator he faces scheming to slow him down. And none of it has mattered.”
ESPN’s David Hale

Smith is expected to have one more dominant season with the Buckeyes next season where fans hope to see him paired next to five-star recruit Chris Henry Jr. Senior wide receiver Carnell Tate has been an impressive receiving mate for Smith the past two seasons. Tate caught 48 passes, nine touchdowns, and had 838 yards. He ranked No. 26 in the rankings.

Offensive tackle Austin Siereveld ranked No. 44 as well.

The defense takes over

All five of Ohio State’s defensive players on the list ranked inside the top-22. Junior linebacker Sonny Styles sat at No. 21 to kick things off for the defense. The Buckeyes have had the best defense in college football for the entire season and these are the names that have made it happen. Projected first round NFL Draft Arvell Reese took the No. 16 spot.

“A new set of stars emerged to lead the nation’s No. 1 defense this fall, and Reese was undeniably front and center. He has thrived under new coordinator Matt Patricia, recording 6.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss from the edge position and finished second on the squad with 62 total tackles…Reese was named Big Ten’s Linebacker of the Year and recorded a sack in six of Ohio State’s first eight games of the season.”
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg
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Defensive linemen Kayden McDonald and Caden Curry ranked at No. 13 and No. 11 respectively. Safety Caleb Downs was the highest ranked defensive Buckeye at No. 7. Downs is a simply a lockdown player who can play corner or safety while still being able to tackle at a high level. If he chooses to declare for the NFL Draft after the season is over, he’ll be slated to go within the top 10 in most mock drafts.

Opposing quarterbacks only targeted downs 20 times for the entire season. Only nine passes were caught on his watch as the primary defender.

“The longest completion he gave up was 17 yards. A 14-yard completion in the second quarter of the Big Ten title game was the first one he’d given up in nearly two months. There is not a more lockdown corner in the country than Downs.”
ESPN’s David Hale

The Ohio State Buckeyes are waiting for the winner of the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes against the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies in the first round of the College Football Playoffs this Saturday at 12:00pm Eastern on ABC/ESPN.

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