Toledo: Don’t Drink the Water

Residents of Toledo and environs, all 500,000 of them, have been warned not to drink or or wash with their tap water. The region’s water treatment plant found microcystin, a toxin that can cause nausea and liver damage. Boiling the water only concentrates the toxin. The source of the poison is a blue-green algae bloom on the west side of Lake Erie, thought to be caused by excessive phosphorous from agricultural runoff.

More:

“Water crisis grips hundreds of thousands in Toledo area, state of emergency declared,” Tom Henry, Toledo Blade

“A toxic algae scare has left 500,000 people in Ohio without drinking water,” Brad Plumer , Vox

“7 Things You Need To Know About The Toxin That’s Poisoned Ohio’s Drinking Water,” Emily Atkin, Think Progress

“Cyanobacteria and Cyanotoxins: Information for Drinking Water Systems, EPA Office of Water

Gun Enthusiast & Football Fan Persecuted by FBI

Toledo businessman and convicted killer Richard Schmidt amassed an arsenal of 18 guns and assault rifles, 40,000 rounds of ammunition, and body armor despite his record as a violent felon. A White Supremacist, his activities only endangered the lives of people in ethnic minorities, so naturally he was ignored.

But then he went too far. Mr. Schmidt had the temerity to counterfeit NFL team jerseys, diverting dozens of dollars from the coffers of America’s professional football monopoly and the bank accounts of billionaire team owners. After getting a tip, FBI squads swiftly descended on his  store and home. Some red lines simply cannot be crossed. The NRA is one thing, the NFL quite another.

Ohio Victory for Not-Joe the Non-Plumber

Joe the Plumber has won the Republican nomination for Ohio’s 9th District  Congressional race, narrowly defeating an opponent with a more impressive resume by outspending him 6-to-1. Loser Steve Kraus is an auctioneer, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and the Christian Coalition, a college graduate, an engineer, and a real estate agent.

You may remember Joe the Plumber. His name isn’t really Joe and he isn’t really a plumber, but he became famous in 2008 for asking presidential candidate Barack Obama questions and pretending to be in a tax bracket much higher than his own. Since then, Samuel Joseph “Joe” Wurzelbacher campaigned for failed presidential candidate John McCain and failed as both author and Internet foreign correspondent.