DAILY LOBO new mexico
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The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895
thursday April 18, 2013
Texas fertilizer plant explodes
Authorities picking up pieces, investigating details by Betsy Blaney and John L. Mone
The Associated Press WEST, Texas — An explosion at a fertilizer plant near Waco Wednesday night injured dozens of people and sent flames shooting high into the night sky, leaving the factory a smoldering ruin and causing major damage to surrounding buildings. The blast at West Fertilizer in West, a community about 20 miles north of Waco, happened shortly before 8 p.m. and could be heard as far away as Waxahachie, 45 miles to the north. There was no immediate word from officials about fatalities or the severity of the explosion, as Texas Gov. Rick Perry said state officials were also waiting for details about the extent of the damage. “We are monitoring developments and gathering information as details continue to emerge about this incident,” Perry said in a statement. “We have also mobilized state resources to help local authorities. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people
of West, and the first responders on the scene.” But aerial footage showed fires still smoldering in the ruins of the plant and in several surrounding buildings, and people being treated for injuries on the floodlit local football field, which had been turned into a staging area for emergency responders. Debby Marak told The Associated Press that when she finished teaching her religion class Wednesday night, she noticed a lot of smoke in the area across town near the plant, which is near a nursing home. She said she drove over to see what was happening, and that when she got there, two boys came running toward her screaming that the authorities ordered everyone out because the plant was going to explode. She said she drove about a block when the blast happened. “It was like being in a tornado,” Marak, 58, said by phone. “Stuff was flying everywhere. It blew out my windshield.” “It was like the whole earth shook.” She drove 10 blocks and
Rod Aydelotte / Waco Tribune Herald A person looks on as emergency workers fight a house fire after a nearby fertilizer plant exploded Wednesday night in West, Texas. called her husband and asked him to come get her. When they got to their home about 2 miles south of town, her husband told her what he’d seen: a huge fireball that rose like “a mushroom cloud.” More than two hours after the blast, there were still fires smoldering in what was left of the plant and in others burning nearby. The roof of what appeared to be a housing complex of some kind had collapsed. In
aerial footage from NBC’s Dallas-Fort Worth affiliate, KXAS, dozens of emergency vehicles could be seen amassed at the scene. Entry into West was slowgoing, as the roads were jammed with emergency vehicles rushing in to help out. Ambulances and several dozen injured people could be seen being taken away or seated in wheelchairs as they are treated and await transport. Department of Public Safety
by Ardee Napolitano
by Susan Montoya Bryan
news@dailylobo.com
Inside the
Daily Lobo volume 117
issue 141
see Explosion PAGE 2
‘Alcove House’ closed for repairs
Research front and center at event This year’s New Mexico Shared Knowledge Conference is trying to prove that students with nonscience majors can still pursue their own research. About 500 people from all over the state participated in the third such annual conference to hear about UNM students’ research in various fields. Talal Saint-Lot, program coordinator for the Graduate Resource Center, said 243 UNM students presented their work during the three-day conference, which started Tuesday and will finish this afternoon. He said the center planned the event to encourage more students to get involved in research-oriented work. “We know that UNM is a very high research institution but we don’t really know how much undergraduates have addressed research,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is let everybody know that everything is research, including creative work.” Other University bodies, such as
troopers were using their squad cars to transport those injured by the blast and fire at the plant Gayle Scarbrough, a spokeswoman for the department’s Waco office, told television station KWTX. She said six helicopters were also en route to help out. Glenn A. Robinson, the chief executive of Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center in Waco, told CNN that his hospital had
The Associated Press
Aaron Sweet / Daily Lobo Ambar Calvillo speaks on Creating Social Change through Mentoring at the TEDxABQ Talks in the SUB on Wednesday. This was a segment of the third annual New Mexico Shared Knowledge Conference, which ends today. The Graduate Resource Center planned the event to encourage more students to get involved in research-oriented work. the Graduate and Professional Student Association, the Associated Students of UNM and El Centro de la Raza helped organize the event. Saint-Lot said that because the GRC has a Title V grant from the U.S. Department of Education, it is required to organize conferences. He said they started planning the event in November. Saint-Lot said the conference helps expose student work to organizations and companies outside UNM. He said the conference will also help improve student research by helping
students get feedback from researchers in other fields. “They’ll be exposed to similar concepts and ideas but probably in different terms,” he said. “In different fields, we have different vocabularies. Research is for everybody. Everybody does it, whether you know it or not.” During the conference, students gave paper talks, presented at poster sessions and ran film showcases to present their work. There was also a talk sponsored by TEDxABQ on Wednesday.
Como se dice?
Bzzz kill
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Four keynote speakers talked about interdisciplinary research in the TED-style talk on Wednesday. TED talks are events, sponsored by the nonprofit TED.com, in which speakers have up to 18 minutes to discuss a certain subject, the videos of which are then posted online. These included former Journalism and Women Symposium President Megan Kamerick, “Embracing the Educator” artist Denise Hinson, KUNM producer Don McIver and UNM graduate student Ambar Calvillo.
see Knowledge PAGE 2
High above the floor of Frijoles Canyon sits one of the most popular sites at Bandelier National Monument. Accessible only by a series wooden ladders and steep stone steps, the kiva at the Alcove House site graces the edge of a niche some 14 stories above the canyon floor. For those daring enough to make the climb, the views are breathtaking. That’s why it was with much deliberation that park officials decided to close the site this week. Years of erosion and foot traffic by visitors have taken their toll and repairs are needed to preserve the site and make it safe again. “It’s a big deal for us to close it. We spent two full days just having discussions, reassessing and making the decision to close it because it’s such an important
see Bandelier PAGE 3
TODAY
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