Latest news with #Volkert
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
New TikTok challenge puts classmates in danger, fire officials say
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — A new challenge primarily appearing on TikTok has Connecticut fire officials issuing a warning this week. 'It is vitally important that youth and adults take fire risks seriously and recognize the danger inherent to these types of social media 'challenges,'' Volkert said. 'Fire can become uncontrolled and turn deadly in just a few seconds.' Laptop fire prompts student evacuation at Newington High School The challenge encourages students to short circuit their personal or school-issued electronic devices by putting pencil lead or other conductive objects like paperclips into the USB or charge ports. As a result, sparks and a significant amounts of smoke can be generated, which could result in a fire that could spread to nearby items. It could also lead the internal battery to experience thermal runaway and ignition, Connecticut State Fire Marshal Lauri Volkert and State Fire Administrator Jeff Morrissette said in their Tuesday warning. 17 students, staff displaced following fire at Cheshire Academy Chuck Stanyke- a member of the Commission on Fire Prevention and Control and school security director in Ansonia- said students following challenges on social media are usually unaware of how dangerous they are. 'The resulting thermal runaway can cause toxic gases to issue from the device. By intentionally causing these types of emergencies, youth are putting their peers and teachers at risk as well as tying up emergency response agencies and possibly delaying their response elsewhere,' Stanyke said. In the last week, there have been several incidents in Connecticut schools, including a laptop fire that evacuated Newington High School. No injuries were reported and the fire was kept to the area of origin, with damage only sustained to the computer and the desk it was on, fire officials said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mobile Civic Center murals move inch by inch
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Parts of Mobile Civic Center history are being preserved. Saturday morning, a crew moved a giant section of the civic center's wall into storage. Former Mobile County Commissioner Stephen Nodine cleared to run for mayor This is one of two murals from Conrad Albrizio. They were cut out of the walls of the civic center, and you can even see the cinder blocks they were attached to. The murals were slowly moved, inch by inch, across the grounds of the civic center into what was the old expo hall. The murals 'Mardi Gras' and 'Circus' will be kept in storage until they're installed in a new, yet-to-be-built arena. 'These have a lot of meaning to Mobile,' Volkert Program Manager Sam Matheny said. 'I mean, they're part of Mobile's history, the Civic Center, and that Mayor Stimpson and the administration have been willing to do this because it's, it's rather intricate and expensive.' A city spokesman said the cost to remove and preserve the murals is about $1.5 million. While the mural took about an hour to move, it took six months to prepare and figure out how to do it. The first mural was moved into storage last week. Crews had to move very slowly to prevent anything that could flex and damage the art pieces. Workers were constantly adjusting their course to keep the wall sections even and intact. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
