Last reactor at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is shut down
KYIV, UKRAINE >> Europe's largest nuclear plant has been reconnected to Ukraine's electricity grid, allowing engineers to shut down its last operational reactor in an attempt to avoid a radiation disaster as fighting rages in the area.
The six-reactor Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant lost its outside source of power a week ago after all its power lines were disconnected because of shelling. It was operating in “island mode” for several days, generating electricity for crucial cooling systems from its only remaining operational reactor.
That's considered an unstable way of operating a nuclear plant, which could lead to damage to key equipment including turbines and pumps.
Nuclear operator Energoatom said one of the power lines was restored “to its operational capacity” late Saturday, making it possible to run the plant's safety and other systems on electricity from the power system of Ukraine.
Shopping with a smile: A vendor sells clothes on the street, with a mural behind him with the phrase “Have a happy day” in Santiago, Chile, Sunday.
Unions blast rail move to delay shipments before deadline
OMAHA, NEB. >> The heads of the nation's two largest rail unions said Sunday that the freight railroads' move to begin delaying some shipments ahead of this week's looming strike deadline is only an attempt to get shippers to increase the pressure on Congress to intervene and block a work stoppage by imposing a contract on workers.
The heads of the unions that represent engineers and conductors — the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers — Transportation Division union and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union — issued a joint statement blasting the move, which the railroads announced late Friday. A strike or lockout won't be allowed until this coming Friday, but the railroads appear to be bracing for one by saying they would begin curtailing shipments of hazardous materials and other chemicals on Monday to ensure carloads of those dangerous products won't be stranded along the tracks if the trains stop moving.
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1 dead after motorboat flips at Grand Canyon National Park
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, ARIZ. >> A 67-year-old man died after a motorboat flipped over during a Colorado River trip inside Grand Canyon National Park, officials said Sunday.
Park officials said the boat overturned shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday at Bedrock Rapid, which rafting experts say is a large rocky island that divides the river into left and right channels.
Emergency medical personnel treated four people and transported them to the South Rim, park officials said. Authorities say their injuries are not critical. Park officials identified the deceased as Ronald Vanderlugt, but didn't immediately release his hometown. They said Vanderlugt was on the fifth day of his trip.
Members of the river trip group pulled Vanderlugt out of the water, saw he was unresponsive and began CPR, park officials said. They said park rangers were flown into the location by helicopter, but Vanderlugt could not be resuscitated.
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College students quarantined under strict COVID-19 policy
BEIJING >> Almost 500 students at China's premier college for broadcast journalists have been sent to a quarantine center after a handful of COVID-19 cases were detected in their dormitory.
The 488 students at Communication University of China, along with 19 teachers and five assistants, were transferred by bus beginning Friday night.
Quarantining anyone considered to have been in contact with someone who tested positive for the virus has been a pillar of China's strict “zero-COVID” policy. The quarantine centers include field hospitals as well as converted stadiums and exhibition centers that have been criticized for overcrowding, poor sanitation and spoiled food.
As of last week, approximately 65 million Chinese residents were under lockdown despite just 1,248 new cases of domestic transmission being reported on Sunday. Most of those were asymptomatic.
Teacher strike over pay persists, no classes today
SEATTLE >> Students in Seattle on Monday will miss a fourth day of school as teachers strike over pay and classroom support.
The school district Sunday afternoon announced the cancellation of today's classes and said negotiations with the union were ongoing.
The strike began Wednesday, what was supposed to be the first day of school for the approximately 49,000 students in the district.
Striking teachers said their main concern was educational and emotional help for students, especially those with special needs or learning difficulties. The Seattle Education Association said 95% of its voting members approved the strike.
In Seattle, the school district had offered pay raises of an additional 1% above the 5.5% cost-of-living increase set by state lawmakers plus onetime bonuses for certain teachers, including $2,000 for third-year Seattle teachers earning an English language or dual-language endorsement.