East Palestine train derailment

A spokeswoman for the Atlanta-based railroad that is one of North America's six largest declined to offer any additional details about the nature of the allegations against Alan Shaw, who was promoted to the top job in the spring of 2022 after decades at Norfolk Southern.

The judge ruled that East Palestine residents deserve timely compensation for the 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment, according to court filings.

It's not clear whether the judge will rule on their motion before Thursday's deadline for people who live within 20 miles (32 kilometers) of the derailment to file a claim.

The creeks around East Palestine, Ohio, were so badly contaminated by last year's disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment that some workers became sick during the cleanup.

People who live near East Palestine, Ohio, can now get $25,000 apiece for any injuries they sustained after last year's Norfolk Southern freight train derailment on top of whatever money they get for property damage as part of the $600 million class-action settlement.

The EPA's Inspector General is investigating why the agency didn't get its specialized plane loaded with advanced sensors into the air over East Palestine until four days after the disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment last year.

The train crash spilled an assortment of hazardous chemicals from tank cars that ruptured, and days after the derailment, officials decided to blow open five tank cars and burn the vinyl chloride inside because they worried the cars might explode.

Area residents, rail industry representatives and local and state officials packed East Palestine High School's auditorium Tuesday to hear the NTSB's investigation findings and recommendations to prevent similar disasters.

The NTSB is holding its final meeting on the East Palestine train derailment Tuesday morning. The board will vote on the probable causes of the derailment and recommendations to prevent future accidents.

Train crews have long carried lists of their cargo in the cabs of their locomotives, but in the middle of the chaos after a derailment those engineers and conductors, who might have moved their locomotives miles down the track, can't always be found right away.