Fence to keep out illegal aliens to be made in China?
The steel for the proposed wall to be erected along the US-Mexico border may have a "Made in China" sticker, according to former California Congressional candidate Andy Ramirez.
In an immigration news podcast on PHXNews, Mr. Ramirez said that the steel being used by the Army Corps of Engineers to construct the wall is being imported from China, which causes him great concern, as he believes this work should be given to American companies.
"In essence what we have is a national security item utilizing materials purchased from a national interest nation," Mr. Ramirez said, "and that should be absolutely alarming to everybody listening at home."
However, despite Mr. Ramirez' indignation, the fence may not even be constructed in its entirety. Sections of walls and fences along the border are under construction along the Arizona-Mexico border, but the "Sensenbrenner Bill," the legislation to build the full, 2,000-mile long fence -- estimated to cost at least 70 million per mile -- remains stalled in the senate.
Click here to listen to the podcast.
Stainless steel thieves at large
Near Tipton, California, thieves attempted to steal $14,000 worth of stainless steel from California Dairies Inc., using a stolen vehicle as their getaway car.
The incident was reported to local deputies early Monday by someone who had seen the suspects. According to the reporting party, the suspects tried to assault him by throwing stainless steel items from their moving vehicle at him.
Before police arrived, the suspects were able to flee the scene after crashing the 1991 GMC truck, which had been reported stolen.
County Sheriff's detectives were able to recover the stainless steel, but the suspects still haven't been located.
Homestead Works: The Disneyland of Pittsburgh?
Jim Kapusta, journeyman at the Carrie Furnaces of US Steel's former Homestead Works, believes that the site, now open as a museum, is a must-see for anyone vacationing in Pittsburgh (What? Pittsburgh has tourists?)
"Pittsburgh as a steel area is gone now," said Mr. Kapusta. "To keep the thoughts and heritage going, we need something like this. It's almost like going to the Carnegie museum."
The idea that the rusty, graffiti-covered mill site, now owned by Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area, could become a tourist trap may seem far-fetched, but over 2,000 people toured the facility last year, and there are even names on the waiting list.
Augie Carlino, president of the Steel Industry Heritage Corp. says that the site could one day reel in as many visitors as Gettysburg National Park or the Grand Canyon.
The long-term plan for the mill site includes a monorail winding around the factory buildings, open-air cafes, and even fireworks and carefully-controlled flaming gas plumes! For now, visitors can just walk beneath and around the old furnaces and cast site.
"Industrial tourism" may not appeal to everybody, but there does seem to be an appetite for it - in Germany, a former steel mill has been turned into a popular amusement park with a "rock climbing" area made of iron ore storage bins and scuba diving in a seven-story water tank.
Steel needed to rebuild SF freeway ramp
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is currently shopping for steel to rebuild the Interstate 580 ramp connecting San Fransisco to the Bay Area, which collapsed last weekend after a gas truck exploded on the overpass.
The state is negotiating with purveyors that will build the steel girders destroyed in the blaze and then lay new rebar and concrete.
The Governor announced Wednesday that the lower deck may be open in as soon as ten days. However, Schwarzenegger said it could be months before the ruined upper deck re-opens. Estimated costs associated with the crash, which include $2.5 million for free public transit Monday, are at $16.8 million and rising.
Meanwhile, authorities are still trying to piece together how the structural failure happened and how to prevent this situation in the future.
"When steel gets that warm, it loses its strength and cannot carry its load any more," said UC Berkeley's Astaneh-Asl, who studied the collapse. "It's not to say the steel melted. Some portions may have melted, but the steel got soft, like rubber."
Click here to see an image of the collapsed freeway overpass.
