Page 28 - bon-dia-aruba-20211206

A28 u.s. news
Dialuna 6 December 2021

Northam to remove Lee statue pedestal, transfer land to city

of other Confederate statuary along In September, Northam said the
Richmond’s historic Monument Av- pedestal would remain in place so
enue. The statue, which had drawn its future could be determined by a
criticism as a symbol of racial injus- community-driven effort to reimag-
tice, was hauled away in September ine Monument Avenue, an initiative
to cheers from onlookers. being led by an arts museum and cur-
rently in a very early stage.
Northam ordered its removal in the
summer of 2020 amid the nationwide “This land is in the middle of Rich-
protest movement that erupted after mond, and Richmonders will de-
the murder of George Floyd by a po- termine the future of this space,”
lice officer in Minneapolis. Bu t liti- Northam said in a statement Sunday.
gation tied up his plans until this year. “The Commonwealth will remove
the pedestal and we anticipate a safe
“In 2020, we can no longer honor a removal and a successful conclusion
system that was based on the buying to this project.”
and selling of enslaved people,” he
said when announcing his decision to The governor’s administration
remove the statue. searched unsuccessfully in Sep-
tember for a time capsule that was
(AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph The day it was hauled away, he said, thought to be tucked underneath the
Northam announced Sunday that “It was important to us that we do it marked “a new day, a new era in Vir- pedestal and even installed a new one.
his administration will remove now and before we leave office,” said ginia.” If the 1887 time capsule is recovered
an enormous pedestal that until Alena Yarmosky, Northam’s spokes- during the disassembly process, the
earlier this year held a statue o f woman. In September, when The Washington state will take it into possession, the
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee Post pressed a Youngkin campaign news release said, and attempt to pre-
in Richmond. The deeding of the land, which was spokesman for the then-candidate’s serve its contents.
given to the commonwealth in the position on the removal, the spokes-
The announcement marks a reversal 19th century, was a request from the person said Youngkin agreed with The pedestal parts will be stored until
in course from September, when the city so that the parcel could come the decision. Youngkin has said the next steps are determined, according
statue was removed but the Demo- under local control, Yarmosky said. statue belongs in a museum or on a to the news release.
cratic governor said the 40-foot-tall State ownership has created logisti- battlefield, as an opportunity to teach
(12-meter-tall) pedestal, currently cal headaches with maintenance and about history, and he has criticized The pedestal has been covered in
covered in graffiti, would stay. security, she said. the “graffiti and violence” that went graffiti, some of it profane and much
along with many protests over Con- of it denouncing the police. It has
His administration also announced Preliminary work on the pedestal re- federate monuments. drawn some acclaim as a work of pro-
plans to transfer ownership of the moval was expected to begin Mon- test art, and some community mem-
grassy island in the middle of a traf- day, with the project expected to be The Lee statue was one of five enor- bers have advocated that it should
fic circle where the statue was lo- “substantially complete” by Dec. 31, mous Confederate tributes along remain. After Floyd’s death, the traf-
cated to the city of Richmond. The according to a news release. Richmond’s Monument Avenue and fic circle became a gathering spot for
move comes about a month before the only one that belonged to the activists, who informally renamed it
Northam leaves office and Republi- The Lee statue, a one-of-a-kind state. The four city-owned statues in honor of Marcus-David Peters, a y
can Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin, who bronze equestrian piece installed in were also removed following Floyd’s oung Black man who was killed by a
has expressed less enthusiasm about 1890, was perched in the middle of killing after they became focal points police officer during a mental health
the statue’s removal, is sworn in. the traffic circle, part of a collection in protests. crisis after he threatened the officer.

Honolulu utility shuts well to prevent fuel contamination

(AP) — Amid a continu- commander of U.S. forces into the well and fix it. wells in the meantime and
ing crisis over fuel con- in the Indo-Pacific region. will only run its Halawa well “We cannot wait any longer,”
taminating the Navy’s They also threaten to jeopar- In the meantime, military of- to test the water for contami- Lau said as he choked up dur-
tap water at Pearl Harbor, dize one of Honolulu’s most ficials say they will help af- nation, Lau said. ing a news conference. “The
Honolulu’s water utility important aquifers and water fected families move into ho- water resource is precious.
said Friday it shut off one sources. tels or new homes. To protect Oahu’s water, Lau It’s irreplaceable. There is no
of its wells so it doesn’t urged the Navy to remove substitute for pure water, and
taint its own supply with Nearly 1,000 military house- Ernie Lau, the Board of Wa- the risk posed by the Red Hill our lives depend upon it.”
petroleum from an under- holds have complained about ter Supply’s chief engineer, Fuel Storage Facility. It con-
ground aquifer it shares their tap water smelling like said he’s worried the util- sists of 20 aging tanks, each He noted Honolulu relies on
with the military. fuel, or of physical ailments ity could pull contaminated as tall as a 25-story building, groundwater for all of its wa-
like stomach cramps and water through the porous that were built in the early ter needs.
The Honolulu Board of Wa- vomiting. The Navy water lava rock that forms the aqui- 1940s.
ter Supply said it acted short- system serves 93,000 people. fer, and deliver it to its cus-
ly after the Navy on Thurs- tomers. Because the Navy
day disclosed that a water The Navy said Thursday shut down its well, there’s
sample from one of its wells it would flush clean water a chance water would travel
had shown the presence of through its distribution sys- to the utility’s Halawa well
petroleum. The well is near tem to clear residual petro- from the area of the Navy’s
a giant World War II-era un- leum products from the wa- well more quickly if the util-
derground fuel tank complex ter. The process, followed ity continued to pump.
that has been the source of by testing to make sure the
multiple fuel leaks over the water meets Environmental The utility’s Halawa well
years. Protection Agency drinking produces 10 million gallons
standards, could take four to (37.8 million liters) a day
The tap water problems have 10 days. under normal conditions,
afflicted one of the military’s supplying 20% of the wa-
most important bases, home The Navy said it will inves- ter serving urban Honolulu.
to submarines, ships and the tigate how contaminants got The utility will draw on other