Free Republic

Two Chicago men face felony charges after they were caught trying to steal fire hydrants Saturday morning in the Gresham neighborhood, prosecutors said today. Ned D. Carradine, 50, and Russell L. Mack, 51, each face criminal damage to government property and theft of government property charges in connection to the incident, which took place in the 8500 block of South Loomis Boulevard, according to Cook County court records.

ROCKWALL COUNTY - A North Texas homeowner wants you to learn from his family's tragedy. The fire hydrants in his neighborhood are turned off. But he didn't know that until June 24th, the night his house caught fire. "My grandfather died last year. My wife's grandfather died last year. All our pictures were the biggest thing that we lost," said Eric Aderholt. It didn't have to happen. When the fire began, firefighters from around Rockwall County responded quickly. But when they went to hook hose to hydrant, there was no water. "No one ever told us that they were turned...

A stepped-up inspection of D.C. fire hydrants is finding that nearly 10 percent don't work, fire union officials said yesterday. Firefighters doing the testing said they think that more than 900 hydrants across the city are not in working order, posing a significant public safety risk. The D.C. Water and Sewer Authority has greatly underestimated the severity of the problem, union leaders and other D.C. officials said. "Clearly, WASA has a much larger problem than what they realized," said Dan Dugan, president of the D.C. Firefighters Association. The fire department's most recent round of tests began after a fire April...

The $580,000 project compliments a recently-completed sewer and paving project. BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct. 26, 2005 — Residents of Al Ameen, a southeastern Baghdad neighborhood, will soon reap the benefits of their first-ever water network, courtesy of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team with construction management by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The $580,000 project is 95 percent done, and is scheduled for completion by Nov. 7. “This project will provide potable water and fire hydrants to an area that has never had a water network.” Mike Mitchell, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers “This project will provide potable water and fire...