Dozens of families in Northern Virginia were allowed back into their homes after they were forced to evacuate over concerns of hazardous chemicals on Friday.

Police said they discovered suspicious chemicals while searching a home in Herndon, Virginia.

Herndon police said they went to a home in the 200 block of Herndon Station Square to execute a search warrant about 11:30 a.m. Friday on behalf of a police department in Pennsylvania. The man who lives at the home, Steven Timothy Kyle, 44, was wanted by the Central Bucks Regional Police Department for criminal mischief, stalking and three counts of harassment.

While searching for items related to the stalking and harassment charges, Herndon police said they found chemicals and other evidence that alarmed them enough to call in the Fairfax County bomb squad and the ATF.

Officers discovered “suspicious chemicals” while searching a home in Herndon, Virginia, leading authorities to evacuate nearly two dozen homes in the area. “It is an evolving situation. We don’t have a lot of details about what was found in the house at this point, but we do thank our citizens for being patient with us,” Herndon Police Chief Steve Pihonak said.

“Based on their training, they knew they had to call somebody else,” Herndon Police Chief Steve Pihonak said.

Kyle was taken into custody without incident.

Residents of about 20 nearby townhouses were evacuated, and police deemed it safe for them to return home Friday evening.

Pihonak said the chemicals found in the home were “safe.”

A hazmat evacuation is in effect in Herndon, Virginia after police issued a search and arrest warrant. Herndon Police Captain Steve Pihonak spoke to News4 about the developing story.

Police couldn’t comment on what the chemicals are or what they could be used for. However, the chemicals they found were not related to the charges in Pennsylvania, they said.

Kyle was the only resident in the home.

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ROCK SPRINGS – What would have been a revolutionary carbon capture project in Sweetwater County is now dead as the company behind it has opted to focus its attention to other projects. 

CarbonCapture Inc. announced recently that its Project Bison would be suspended due to competition for renewable energy, leading the company to focus on other carbon capture projects. Company references to Project Bison have been removed from CarbonCapture’s website, though links to news articles referencing Wyoming remain. A new project, Project Sonora, is listed on the company’s main page, with a short note advising that details about the project are forthcoming.

Project Bison was one of many industrial projects slated for southwestern Wyoming. Other industrial projects taking place include new trona mines in Sweetwater county and the joint venture between TerraPower and Rocky Mountain Power to build a nuclear reactor in Kemmerer. Kayla McDonald, the economic development specialist for the Sweetwater Economic Development Coalition, says the development is disappointing, but SEDC remains ready to assist if the company returns with new projects for the area.

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“It’s unfortunate for Sweetwater County and the State of Wyoming, but we wish the Project Bison team the best,” she said. “SEDC stands ready to support them should they consider future projects in Sweetwater County. In the meantime, the southwest side of the state has a lot of growth on the horizon and SEDC is doing its part in helping the projects that have been announced with initiative to help their projects be successful. We are excited for the future growth that awaits in Sweetwater County.”

The project termination comes months after CarbonCapture showed its Leo Series of commercial carbon capture units at an event in June. Ron Wild, regional business manager for Rocky Mountain Power, attended the event and said the company didn’t mention the possibility of suspending Project Bison at that time. The company listed Rep. J.T. Larson, R-Rock Springs, as one of the speakers at the event.

Despite progress being made on the project before its termination, there were concerns about how it would be powered. According to Politico, Department of Energy documents released through a Freedom of Information Act request outlined the company’s interest in small nuclear reactors as part of the initial concept for the Wyoming Regional Direct Air Capture Hub.

“It adds complication upon complication,” Wil Burns, the co-director of American University’s Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy told Politico in January. “You’re starting off with a complex new technology, and now you’re trying to wed another complex technology, including one that’s in transition.”

Prior to pulling the plug on Project Bison, CarbonCapture was active in the area. The company hired a Sweetwater County-based community relations manager and had representation on Western Wyoming Community College’s presidential search committee. The company also hosted local town hall meetings about the project.

SAN FRANCISCO – A man fatally shot in San Francisco’s Mission District on Wednesday night has been identified by the city’s Medical Examiner’s Office.

Joseph Miguel Zarate, a 20-year-old resident of Tulare County, died in the shooting reported at 8:32 p.m. Wednesday in the 2000 block of Mission Street.

Officers arrived and found Zarate, who was taken to a hospital and succumbed to his injuries there, San Francisco police said.

Investigators identified two suspects in the homicide and arrested them, but have not released their names or any details about what led to the shooting.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the SFPD tip line at (415) 575-4444 or to send a tip by text message to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD.