Fast-food workers describe melting food and air so hot it 'felt like the grease from the kitchen was sliding down our throats' as record heat pummels parts of the US

gkay@businessinsider.com (Grace Kay) 1 hour ago

© Courtesy of Fight for $15 McDonald's workers protest heat conditions at a Los Angeles store. Courtesy of Fight for $15

Workers at McDonald's and Jack in the Box protested working in 100-degree temperatures.

Jack in the Box workers filed an OSHA complaint after their manager said they were exaggerating.

Workers at a Hooters and a Voodoo Doughnut shop also held walkouts over the high temperatures.

Fast-food workers are struggling to beat the heat as many areas in the US continue to face record temperatures.

"It was uncomfortable and hard to breathe," Laura Pozos, a Los Angeles McDonald's worker, told Insider after she said her location went several months without an air conditioner or working kitchen ventilator, with the in-store temperature hitting about 100 degrees. "It felt like the grease from the kitchen was sliding down our throats."

The heat wave has prompted several walkouts across the West Coast. On Tuesday, workers at a Sacramento, California, Jack in the Box went on strike when conditions inside the restaurant hit as high as 109 degrees, according to a complaint the workers filed with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Sacramento County Public Health.

In the complaint, the group said that the air conditioning at the store was frequently broken and that management had not implemented any strategies to keep workers safe from excessive heat exposure.

© Provided by Business Insider Jack in the Box workers protest heat conditions in Sacramento, California. Courtesy of Fight for $15

"She said we were exaggerating and hot because of menopause," one worker said in the OSHA complaint.

The location is one of many fast-food sites in California that has faced backlash from employees who say they have been forced to work in extreme heat.

On Sunday, workers at a Voodoo Doughnut store in Portland, Oregon, staged a walkout over heat conditions. The union Doughnut Workers United said in a Facebook post that temperatures were so high that doughnuts were melting and the frosting wouldn't dry. A Voodoo Doughnut spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment from Insider but told HuffPost that they had kept the store air conditioner running and altered the store schedule to keep employees from working under peak temperatures.

Earlier in June, Hooters workers in Houston held a walkout, saying the location went a month without air conditioning. A waitress told local news the store was so hot that the workers would gather in the ice cooler.

Similarly, a McDonald's off Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles staged a protest on June 17 to demand the company repair its air-conditioning unit.

Pozos told Insider the heat poses an imminent risk to fast-food workers. She said that while the air conditioning and kitchen-ventilation system were fixed when her store hired a new manager, workers' health should not be dependent on the generosity of their managers.

Pozos pointed to workers' support of a bill introduced in the state Legislature at the beginning of the year that would create a California Fast-Food Sector Council and give workers a voice in setting industry standards for fast food in California.

"We need a better place to go," Pozos said. "We need to go directly to the people who would help enforce these issues or we will definitely continue to keep having these issues."

McDonald's, Jack in the Box, and Hooters did not respond to requests for comment. Insider reached out to the individual stores, but the managers said they were not able to provide statements without corporate approval.
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'Apocalyptic': Out-of-control fire consumes B.C. town, First Nation reserve amid record heat

Adrian Humphreys 

An out-of-control fire that continues to rage after consuming almost the entirety of a small town and a First Nations reserve in British Columbia spread so quickly and fiercely that people scrambled to escape with just the clothes they were wearing.

© Provided by National Post Flames rise from a burning building along a street during a wildfire in Lytton, on June 30 in this still image obtained from a social media video.

And it is not certain everyone made it out alive, officials said.

By late Thursday, 24 hours after the first alarm, residents of the Village of Lytton and a reserve of the Lytton First Nation in the B.C. interior were still searching for neighbours and relatives, taking stock of what they had lost and searching for answers on what brought such devastation in so little time.

Mike Farnworth, B.C.’s public safety minister, said most homes and buildings in the town of Lytton have been destroyed by a fire that forced the evacuation of nearly 1,000 people, including the RCMP detachment and ambulance station.

Several residents remain unaccounted for, he said.

“The town has sustained structural damage and 90 per cent of the village is burned, including the centre of town,” said Brad Vis, MP for Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon, in a Facebook message. Nearby electrical, cellphone, rail and highway infrastructure were also damaged, making travel and communication difficult.

Photos show one of the town’s main intersections almost devoid of buildings, just littered with burnt debris and gutted vehicles where a village core once stood.

© Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press Structures destroyed by the wildfire are seen in Lytton on July 1, 2021.

“I’m very worried,” said Rosanna Stamberg, whose son and daughter, Alfred and Marjorie Nelson, live eight kilometres from the centre of town.

“I don’t know which direction they went. I don’t know if they went down towards Chilliwack. I don’t know if they went to Lillooet. I don’t know if they went to Spencer’s Bridge or Merritt or Kamloops. I have no idea,” she said.

“Or if they stayed home.”

John Haugen, a deputy chief with the Lytton First Nation, said there is “devastation and loss” on reserve land and officials are still trying to account for all its members.

Lytton is 150 kilometres northeast of Vancouver as the crow flies, but a winding, rugged 310-kilometre drive by car.

Dry air, low elevation helped create record-breaking hot spell in Lytton, B.C.: meteorologist

An Oregon town's daunting challenge: How to rebuild when wildfires left almost nothing behind

An evacuation order was issued Wednesday at 6 p.m., a day after the village posted a Canadian record temperature of 49.6 C as a heat wave gripped the province.

The heat may have already had a devastating impact across much of British Columbia, with elderly and other vulnerable residents appearing to have been hit hardest.

British Columbia’s Coroners Service had received reports of 486 sudden and unexpected deaths between June 25 and Wednesday afternoon, Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe said, well over double the usual number.

At the time of the fire, Lytton had set records for high temperatures for three days in a row — surpassing the highest temperature ever recorded in Las Vegas.

Lytton Mayor Jan Polderman said the fire spread so swiftly that within 15 minutes people had to run, leaving behind belongings and pets.

© Jennifer Gauthier / Reuters A view shows a wildfire burning in the mountainous area outside the town of Lytton.

Scott Hildebrand, chief administrative officer of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, said billows of smoke filled the air and buildings started to erupt in flames within minutes.

Many residents fleeing the town set out for Lillooet or Merritt, where emergency shelters were set up and hotels were asked to find space for evacuees.

Photos and videos posted on social media revealed the dramatic and horrifying scenes, both from afar and terrifyingly close.

An aerial photo shows the widening plume of smoke, starting white and narrow above the tree line, then widening into a panorama of grey haze across the horizon.

Photos from a small convoy of vehicles leaving the area showed two separate fires, with white smoke from a wildfire that has been burning for two weeks on the mountainside above town, and a second plume, darker and denser, in the valley, consuming the town itself.

A dramatic video posted on Vimeo shows a harrowing escape along a curving road, racing past burnt and burning buildings, cars, trucks, RVs and tall trees as the vehicle is repeatedly buffeted by blowing smoke and ash, that sometimes came so thick that visibility was reduced to almost nothing.

© Jennifer Gauthier / Reuters Martha Van Dyke of Lytton was fortunate to rescue her cats, Tigger, and Kona (in the cage).

“I am incredibly overwhelmed by the news of the fire. It happened so fast and is completely devastating almost everyone I’ve ever known,” Shianna McAllister, a Nlaka’pamux from the Lytton First Nation, said on Twitter. She said several residents chose to stay to try to protect their houses.

“The town itself and surrounding reserves have been severely hit. Fire continues up towards other surrounding reserves between Lytton and Lillooet and Lytton and Shackan,” she said.

Lytton has a “quirky tourist draw,” McAllister said: it is one of the few places where the Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway lines cross, leaving Lytton nestled between the two railways.

While rail buffs find that intriguing, it brings danger to the community, including regular fires set by sparks from the metal wheels of passing trains grinding on metal rail lines lighting dry areas of brush along the tracks, McAllister said.

“Many people in the community expressed concerns that the railways were still up to their usual traffic when the temperatures in Lytton were reaching the high 40s (Celsius) this week,” she said.

© Karin Schmidlin via Reuters The Lytton wildfire as seen from an airplane.

There is no cause for the fire announced, or confirmation if the Lytton fire is separate from the wildfires around it. Meteorologists said the unusual weather contributed to thousands of lightning strikes in the B.C. interior. The tremendous, unrelenting heat seems a likely reason why it spread quickly.

Jo-Anne Beharrell said the heatwave made the area “very dry, very dusty.”

“I’m telling you, it was like being in the desert.”

When she drove into town to check on friends and neighbours there was smoke hanging over the area, she said.

“It definitely feels apocalyptic.”

Edith Loring-Kuhanga, an administrator at the Stein Valley Nlakapamux School, says she and fellow staff members were forced to end a Zoom interview with a prospective teacher as fire burned down their block.

“This is so devastating — we are all in shock,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “Our community members have lost everything. I understand our Band office is also gone.”

Jean McKay said she smelled smoke at her home about 15 km from Lytton, a sign for her that it was time to leave.

“I was still sitting there and wondering what to pack — emotionally walking out my door but thinking, ‘I’m leaving all this behind,’ it’s hard, very hard — when my girlfriend told me her house was burning, it really hit home,” McKay said.

“My daughter phoned before we lost services and stuff, she’s telling us, ‘Get out of there, get out of there.’”

For McKay and her daughter, Deirdre, 22, leaving home was hard.

“I cried. My daughter cried. She said, ‘I don’t even know why I grabbed my key. We might not even have a home.’”

Before leaving, her daughter grabbed a photo of her grandfather off the wall to hang on to, McKay said.

“As long as we’re together we’ll survive,” McKay said. “I just pray that our houses are OK.”

The BC Wildfire Service said the blaze is raging out of control over an area spanning roughly 80 square kilometres.

To help the victims of Lytton, a GoFundMe campaign has been set up .

With additional reporting by Vancouver Sun, Canadian Press, Reuters

• Email: ahumphreys@postmedia.com | Twitter: AD_Humphreys

Alaska's Extreme Heatwave Triggered an Ice Quake

An extreme heatwave has been sweeping the Pacific Northwest, and now the region has gotten so hot, it caused an ice quake in Alaska.

© Provided by Travel + Leisure Melting glaciers caused a 2.7-magnitude ice quake on Tuesday.

A 2.7-magnitude ice quake was recorded 25 miles east of Juneau on Tuesday, caused by melting glaciers, according to Gizmodo. While it is normal for melting to cause flooding, the site reported it is rarer that the water refreezes and expands as ice, triggering enough stress to cause seismic activity.

The quake is known as a cryoseism, or a non-tectonic seismic event, and was recorded at a depth of about 8 miles, Gizmodo noted.

Temperatures in the Last Frontier have been hot over the past several days. On Monday, a temperature of 92 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded in Hyder, Alaska, according to the National Weather Service Juneau, causing the agency to dub it Hyderzona. And in Ketchikan — renamed Los Ketchikangeles — temperatures reached 84 degrees.© Provided by Travel + Leisure Sergi Reboredo/VW PICS/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Video: Alaska's Extreme Heatwave Just Triggered an Ice Quake (Travel + Leisure)

"The heat wave continues today possibly making you question what city you are in," the NWS tweeted.

The rise in temperatures in Alaska comes as hundreds of deaths have been reported in Canada and throughout the Pacific Northwest as a record-breaking heatwave swept the area, CNN reported. On Tuesday, British Columbia recorded a temperature of 121 degrees, the highest ever recorded in Canada.

"While it is too early to say with certainty how many of these deaths are heat related, it is believed likely that the significant increase in deaths reported is attributable to extreme weather (British Columbia) has experienced and continues to impact many parts of our province," British Columbia chief coroner Lisa Lapointe told the network in a statement.

The extreme heat also comes just months after The Weather Channel predicted the summer of 2021 would be hotter than average, especially in the western and central parts of the United States.

While Alaska's glaciers might be disappearing (and even rumbling), it's not too late to see them, go for a glacier hike, or even jump in a helicopter to land on top of one.

Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram.

Nuclear-powered superyacht aims to host cutting-edge climate research

THE BILLIONAIRES CLIMATE CHANGE SOLUTION

Isabella O'Malley 

WEATHER NETWORK

Many researchers are exploring solutions to problems like soaring greenhouse gas emissions, collapsing ecosystems, plummeting biodiversity levels — but few of them are doing so aboard a scientific superyacht. That’s where the Earth 300 comes i

Entrepreneur Aaron Olivera and superyacht specialist Ivan Salas Jefferson designed Earth 300, a nuclear-powered exploration vessel that will stretch 300 metres long and features a 13-storey Science Sphere. The groundbreaking design includes 22 laboratories fully equipped for approximately 160 scientists that can collect and analyze data as the ship travels around the world.

In addition to accommodations for the scientists, there will be room for 20 ‘Experts-in-Residence,’ 20 students, 40 VIP guests, and 165 crew members. The company strives to foster an intermingling of the scientific community, artists, and citizens to promote knowledge-sharing and collaboration.

© Provided by The Weather Network

The company plans on featuring the latest quantum computer on board, which will be the first time this technology has ventured out to the high seas. (Earth 300)

“We are combining exploration with education so that consumers become contributors. The interaction is immediate and constant. Imagine embarking on one of the most exhilarating and meaningful voyages of a lifetime where you’ll witness the cutting edge of science – you’re sitting under the tree with Newton when the apple falls, you’re walking on the moon with Armstrong and Aldrin, you’re holding Galileo’s telescope with one hand and a fine libation with the other. You will create and imagine with some of the most eminent thinkers of the day. You’ll make history,” Earth 300’s website states.

The massive vessel will be around the same size as the world’s largest cruise ship, and powering the superyacht will require a significant amount of energy. The designers plan on using Molten Salt Reactors, a type of nuclear energy that releases zero carbon emissions.

“We have considered the Molten Salt Reactors because you can literally fuel up and go at 32 knots for 30 years without refuelling, not to mention that they are safe and sustainable. There’s no way at present that solar or wind or geothermal can deliver that,” Earth 300 told The Weather Network. However, the company says that other technologies are being considered and they will monitor how various energy sources develop over the next four years before an official decision is made.

 

Provided by The Weather Network

The 300 metre vessel aims to reframe the capabilities of floating research laboratories. (Earth 300)

Some of the main areas of research that Earth 300 will focus on include energy independence, education, water and food security, global health resilience, and climate change. The ship’s Science Sphere will house the labs where this research will take place and each one will be dedicated to a specific topic, such as Indigenous maritime economies, cultures and strategies, robotics, visual arts and architecture, and quantum sciences and technologies.

The superyacht will also act as an open platform repository for oceanic and terrestrial data and aims to launch in 2025.

“Our vessel promises to reframe what a floating research laboratory can achieve. The capabilities that our scientists will have at their disposal are exceptional: artificial intelligence, robotics, machine learning, real time data processing. We will also have the latest quantum computer on board, the first to take to the high seas,” their website says.

“It is by acting together, collectively, leaving no one out, that we can achieve breakthroughs and bring the right solutions quickly to market, ensuring the survival of humanity for generations to come. Welcome to Earth 300. Come aboard and help us protect the planet.”

USA Boy Scouts reach $850M settlement with thousands of sex abuse survivors



The deal states that the plan has "significant" support of those representing about 60,000 abuse survivors, and provides a framework to resolve their complaints. File Photo by torbakhopper/Flickr

July 2 (UPI) -- The Boy Scouts of America have reached an $850 million settlement with tens of thousands of people who sued the organization saying they were sexually abused while under its care, according to court documents late Thursday.

The settlement follows the Boy Scouts of America filing for bankruptcy in February 2020 to restructure its finances and compensate those who were harmed while members of the 110-year-old organization.


The agreement was announced in a court filing entered late Thursday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware concerning resolutions met with official and major creditors as part of its bankruptcy.

The deal states that the plan has "significant" support of those representing about 60,000 abuse survivors, and provides a framework to resolve their complaints.

The agreement is the result of months of "intensive negotiations" between BSA and creditors, the document says.

"This agreement ensures that we have the overwhelming support of survivors for the BSA's proposed Plan of Reorganization, which is a key step in the BSA's path toward emerging from bankruptcy," the organization said in a statement emailed to UPI.

"Bringing these groups together marks a significant milestone and is the biggest step forward to date as the BSA works toward our dual imperatives of equitably compensating survivors of abuse and preserving the mission of scouting.

"As part of this agreement the national organization has agreed to contribute assets with up to $250 million in value to a trust that will provide compensation to survivors of abuse."

Ken Rothweiler, one of the attorneys representing more than 16,800 people suing the organization, said he's "pleased that both the Boy Scouts of America and their local councils have stepped up to be the first to compensate the survivors.

"We will now negotiate with the insurers and sponsoring and chartering organizations who have billions of dollars in legal exposure, of which a substantial portion is necessary to fairly compensate the survivors," he said, according to NBC News.

Out-of-work Americans can now receive aid to pay for ACA health coverage


An unemployed man is seen at the California Employment Development Department office in Canoga Park, Calif., on August 6, 2020. Thursday, Americans who were out of work in 2021 are able to apply for significant federal aid in acquiring health coverage under the Affordable Care Act. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

July 1 (UPI) -- Unemployed Americans on Thursday will be able to start signing up for medical coverage under the Affordable Care Act, with significant federal subsidies that could help lower premiums to as little as $0 per month.

The help in coverage is part of President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan, which was passed by Congress in March.

Under the aid package, Americans who received or are approved to receive unemployment compensation for any week in 2021 are now eligible for subsidized coverage under the healthcare law, also known colloquially as Obamacare.

"Consumers can view 2021 plans and prices and submit an application to see if they are eligible for enrollment and financial assistance. If eligible, they can enroll in a plan that best meets their needs," the Health and Human Services Department said in a statement.

RELATED Supreme Court declines to hear bid by insurers to recoup ACA payments

An average of three out of five Americans will be able to access zero-cost plans after advance payments of tax credits and four out of five will have access to plans at a cost of no more than $10 per month, the department notes.

"The Biden-Harris Administration is focused on providing relief to millions of families who need to access health insurance coverage because they have been impacted by job losses or underemployment during the pandemic," HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement.

"We are doing everything we can to remove financial barriers to comprehensive health care," added Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure.

RELATED ACA slowed healthcare out-of-pocket spending growth, study says

"The American Rescue Plan provides consumers with additional savings and will make coverage even more attainable for those most in need. We welcome people who received unemployment benefits in 2021 to check out their health coverage options on HealthCare.gov on July 1."

The front page of HealthCare.gov is seen on Thursday on the first day unemployed Americans are allowed to apply for federal assistance to pay for coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Image courtesy HealthCare.gov/Health and Human Services Dept.

Uninsured Americans in states that use the federal portal HealthCare.gov can sign up for the lower cost plans through Aug. 15, while those who have already enrolled in healthcare coverage but have received or are eligible for unemployment can update their information to receive a potentially larger subsidy.

The subsidies available to help unemployed with coverage are tied to the ACA's benchmark silver plan, meaning those who select higher-level plans or live in states that require plans to cover additional benefits, including abortion, may have to pay a premium.

RELATED Biden announces extension of ACA special enrollment to Aug. 15

In April, new ACA subsidies were made available by the American Rescue Plan for Americans who were already eligible and who had ACA coverage but earned too much to qualify for subsidies.

Uncovered Americans who received unemployment benefits in 2021 are encouraged to visit HealthCare.gov to see if they are eligible for subsidies to help pay for coverage.

Progressive South Korean governor vows to tackle inequality in presidential bid


South Korea's Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung launched his presidential bid Thursday in a prerecorded video statement. File Photo by Yonhap/EPA-EFE

July 1 (UPI) -- A left-wing South Korean politician launched his presidential bid Thursday, vowing to "quash the powerful and help the vulnerable."

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung, 56, said in a prerecorded, 14-minute video statement that socioeconomic disparities in South Korea must be addressed so that "everyone prospers together," local network YTN reported.

"Society has a future only when people or regions don't get to suffer a loss for abiding by the rules, the opportunities are fair, and a reasonable reward is given as the result of fair competition," Lee said, according to Yonhap.

The South Korean politician also said he would implement forceful economic policies to stimulate new growth.

"I will immediately launch a powerful economic revival plan that will turn a crisis of paradigm shift into a chance for another leap forward," Lee said. "Moving into innovative future-oriented economic industries ... will increase the creation of quality jobs and replenish state finances to lay the ground for a country with universal welfare.

"I have only made promises I intend to keep, and I have kept promises I have made."

Lee said he advocates universal basic income and building a "society where anyone can enjoy minimum economic prosperity and pursue jobs they want."


Segye Ilbo reported Thursday that Lee's approach to the South Korean economy draws its inspiration from U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, citing sources from Lee's campaign. Roosevelt's New Deal provided relief for the unemployed and launched reforms including universal retirement pensions.

"It is because of inequity and inequality that we suffer from low growth despite having more capital, better technology, a better workforce and stronger infrastructure than ever before," Lee said, referring to problems dogging South Korea's economy.

Lee is expected to continue a policy of engagement with North Korea, the report also said.


Local pollster Realmeter showed support for Lee at 22.8% last week, trailing behind former prosecutor Yoon Seok-youl at 32.3%.

Yoon launched his presidential bid Tuesday.

Samsung chief to stand trial over alleged propofol abuse
By Nam Gyeong-sik & KimTae-gyu, UPI News Korea


Lee Jae-yong (C), vice chairman of Samsung Electronics Co., arrives to the office of the Independent Counsel for questioning in Seoul, South Korea, in February 2017. File Photo by JUNG UI-CHEL/EPA


SEOUL, July 2 (UPI) -- Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong will undergo a formal trial on charges of receiving illegal propofol injections.

The Seoul Central District Court said Tuesday that the de facto chief of Samsung Group, who is currently imprisoned for bribery, will face an official trial over the charges instead of merely paying a fine.

Early last month, the prosecution slapped him with a $45,000 fine in a summary indictment. Prosecutors typically seek a summary indictment in less serious offenses, in which proceedings are executed in a written format and do not go to court.

But the Seoul Central District Court said the 53-year-old billionaire should stand an official trial -- a move that may potentially elongate the scion's prison term.

RELATED Samsung leader summarily indicted for propofol abuse

Lee was accused of having routinely taken illegal propofol shots at a plastic surgery clinic in Seoul in 2017 and 2018. Then, in January 2020, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission received a complaint about the issue.

Lee's legal representatives claimed that he used propofol solely for medical purposes. It is illegal to prescribe or consume the drug for non-medical purposes in Korea.

South Korea classified propofol as a type of psychotropic medication in 2011 because many people have become addicted to the short-acting, sedative-hypnotic agent.

Observers have pointed out that the Seoul court's decision may negatively affect the possibility of Lee's pardon.

Lee is serving a 30-month prison term for bribing former South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who is also behind bars for corruption charges, to help him with a smooth succession.

He is scheduled to be released in mid-2022, barring any changes to his sentence.

Business organizations have proactively lobbied for his pardon, and President Moon Jae-in also recently displayed sympathy toward the scion.

"I expect that even in the worst-case scenario for Lee, the court would deliver a suspended jail term. But nobody knows what will happen at the court," Prof. Son Tae-gyu of Dankook University told UPI News Korea.

"On a more negative note for Lee, President Moon may not as easily grant Lee a pardon since he will be standing a formal trial now," he added.

Samsung Electronics did not comment.

Propofol: the drug that killed Michael Jackson - Harvard Health

https://www.health.harvard.edu › blog › propofol-the-d...

Nov. 7, 2011 — Propofol is used as an “induction agent”—the drug that causes loss of consciousness— for general anesthesia in major surgery. In lower doses it ...

Propofol, marketed as Diprivan, among other names, is a short-acting medication that results in a decreased level of consciousness and a lack of memory for events. Its uses include the starting and maintenance of general anesthesia, sedation for mechanically ventilated adults, and procedural sedation. Wikipedia

GM invests in California lithium miner in bid to produce EV batteries

GM said the deal is part of $35 billion it's spending globally in the EV market and gives it first rights to the California company's lithium. File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI | License Photo


July 2 (UPI) -- General Motors announced Friday that it's made a "strategic investment" into a California lithium miner in its effort to produce more batteries for electric vehicles.

The vast majority of lithium is produced outside of the United States, putting most American automakers at a disadvantage in growing electric vehicle market. Lithium is key to making the batteries that power EVs.

California-based Controlled Thermal Resources said it hopes to start yielding lithium from its Hell's Kitchen Lithium and Power development in Imperial, Calif., by 2024.

GM's investment will go to speeding the company's lithium extraction methods to cause less environmental impact.

GM said the deal is part of $35 billion it's spending globally in the EV market and gives the automaker first rights to the company's lithium.

"Lithium is critical to battery production today and will only become more important as consumer adoption of EVs increases, and we accelerate towards our all-electric future," Doug Parks, GM executive vice president for global product development, purchasing and supply chain, said in a statement.

"By securing and localizing the lithium supply chain in the United States, we're helping ensure our ability to make powerful, affordable, high mileage EVs while also helping to mitigate environmental impact and bring more low-cost lithium to the market as a whole."

Australia, Chile and China are some of the top lithium-producing countries in the world.

GM said EVs are key in meeting its goal to eliminate carbon emissions from light-duty vehicles by 2035.

Reaction pours in after Morinville church razed in suspicious fire
Jonny Wakefield , Anna Junker 13 hrs ago

© Provided by Edmonton Journal St. Jean Baptiste Parish in Morinville was burned to the ground on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. Police are investigating the suspicious fire at the historic Catholic church.

Investigators continue to probe the cause of a fire that left a century-old Catholic church in Morinville in ruins.

Before dawn Wednesday morning, St. Jean Baptiste Parish Church in the community north of Edmonton caught fire and burned to the ground. Police believe the blaze may have been deliberately set.

On Thursday afternoon, RCMP Cpl. Candace Hrdlicka said fire investigators and RCMP were still on scene. No suspects had been identified and the cause of the fire had not been determined.

The church is one of several Catholic churches in Canada to burn amid the ongoing discoveries of hundreds of unmarked graves at the sites of former residential schools . Others have been vandalized with red and orange paint .

Premier Jason Kenney toured the scene in Morinville Wednesday and said the fire “appears to have been a criminal act of hate inspired violence.”

Archbishop Richard Smith of the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton called the fire “heartrending” and urged empathy for Indigenous communities and local parishioners.

“That’s a monument to their faith,” he said of the church in a video message . “It’s also a very, very important monument in life in that whole city. They’re reeling right now, they’re in a lot of grief.”

A statement attributed to chief and council of nearby Alexander First Nation also mourned the loss of the church.

“We extend our sympathies to all those affected by this loss,” the statement reads. “The leadership of Alexander will continue to work with the town and support where we are able.

“Neither community has much to celebrate on this Canada Day … we ask that you give us the grace to pause and reflect on the issues before us without speculation and rumour.”

© Larry Wong St. Jean Baptiste Parish in Morinville, Alberta was burned to the ground on Wednesday June 30, 2021. Police are investigating the suspicious fire at the historic Catholic church.

‘Sounds of collapse’

During a press conference at the Morinville Town Hall Wednesday morning, Mayor Barry Turner said the loss of the church has been “overwhelming.”

“I can’t begin to describe the range of emotions that no doubt we’re all feeling in Morinville here today,” Turner said. Construction of the church was completed in 1907.

“It’s really the heart and soul of a lot of what went on in our community. And as I said before, we cannot replace what was lost.”

The Morinville Fire Department responded to the structure fire at the church, 10034 100 Ave., at around 3 a.m. Wednesday. Iain Bushell, Morinville director of emergency management, said first responders attempted to enter the building through a side door but were “faced immediately with flame and smoke and the sounds of collapse on the inside of the building.”

“They thus backed out of the building and the remainder of the firefight was conducted from (the) exterior, using exterior operations.”

Video: Fire at Morinville, Alta., church very advanced when firefighters arrived: emergency official (cbc.ca)

At the height of the firefight, there were approximately 10 trucks and 50 firefighters. The fire was contained to the church and was declared under control just before 7 a.m.

Bushell said there was no damage to the rectory building next door. There was minor ember damage to the roof of the nearby Notre Dame Apartments — a former convent and residential school which contains 38 apartment units — as well as the Morinville Museum.

Residents of the building were safely evacuated and the Morinville Legion is acting as a reception centre for displaced residents.

“We’ve asked them to be prepared to stay out of their homes for 48 hours, but we hope to get them back in their residence as quickly as possible,” Bushell said Wednesday.

Fire crews remained on scene late Wednesday morning dousing hot spots. Bushell said it will be some time before a final report including the cause of the fire is available.

© Larry Wong Firefighter Graham Glaubitz (Legal Fire Dept.) walks past St. Jean Baptiste Parish in Morinville, Alberta, which was burned to the ground on Wednesday June 30, 2021. Police are investigating the suspicious fire at the historic Catholic church.

Canada Day festivities cancelled

Fire investigators and RCMP are treating the case as suspicious. Anyone with information about the fire, including those who may have video, is asked to contact Morinville RCMP or local police

Turner said the town council conducted a special meeting and decided to cancel Canada Day festivities in light of the fire. A community centre was instead opened to allow community members “to get together, share their stories, and move forward together.”

Kenney, Morinville-St. Albert MLA Dale McNally and Justice Minister Kaycee Madu toured the site Wednesday afternoon and announced the province will double funding for the Alberta Security Infrastructure Program , from $1 million to $2 million, to help protect churches and other faith communities targeted by vandalism and violence.

“This scale of violence attacking a faith community is an attack on constitutionally protected freedom of religion, it is an attack on Canadian values,” Kenney said. “It is an attack that could have had lethal effect right next to this church.”

“We hope that the law enforcement agencies will leave no stone unturned to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice.”

The Morinville case follows another Alberta church fire Monday. RCMP were called to the Siksika First Nation Catholic Church shortly after midnight. The Siksika fire department was able to put out the flames before there was major damage. That fire is also being investigated as deliberately set.

The fires come on the heels of four recent Catholic church fires in B.C.’s southern interior after the discovery of the remains of 215 children in unmarked graves at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Many were in Indigenous communities.

Other churches, including Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Edmonton and at least ten churches in Calgary , have been vandalized with paint.

Two Catholic churches in Saskatoon were similarly vandalized after the discovery of 751 unmarked graves at the Marieval Indian Residential School, which the church operated.

Some accused Kenney of jumping to conclusions about the Morinville fire. In a statement Thursday, the Chiefs of the Sovereign Nations of Treaty 8 said Kenney’s claim the fire was a “hate crime” was premature.

“This was a surprise to many Albertans and Indigenous communities who had not heard from the RCMP the official cause of the fire.”

Turner said the investigation into the fire is ongoing and would not speculate about whether this fire was connected to the other recent church fires.

“At the end of the day, what’s happened is a terrible and tragic event for our community,” he said.

Morinville is located 40 kilometres north of Edmonton.

—with files from Lauren Boothby

© Greg Southam The Roman Catholic Church of the St. Jean Baptiste Parish was built in 1907. Taken on June 7, 2011 in Morinville .