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  • Firefighter hurt in Sterling home explosion released from hospital – WTOP News

    Firefighter hurt in Sterling home explosion released from hospital – WTOP News

    One of the firefighters who was injured in the home explosion that killed a volunteer firefighter in Sterling, Virginia, has been released from the hospital.

    A home explosion Friday night in Sterling, Virginia, killed a volunteer firefighter and injured 10 others. (Courtesy Loudoun Fire Rescue)

    One of the firefighters who was injured in the Friday night home explosion that killed a volunteer firefighter in Sterling, Virginia, has been released from the hospital, according to Loudoun County Fire and Rescue. Three firefighters remain hospitalized in stable condition.

    Police tape remained around where a house once stood in the residential neighborhood on Silver Ridge Drive Monday morning.

    The fire department and fire marshal, in addition to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, continue to investigate the cause of the explosion.

    Firefighters found a leaking 500-gallon underground propane tank when they were summoned to the location Friday for a reported gas leak, the department said in a Saturday news release. The explosion happened “a short time later,” the department said.

    Two people who lived in the home, as well as some pets, were evacuated before the explosion, according to Loudoun Fire.

    Trevor Brown, 45, of the Sterling Volunteer Fire Department was killed in the explosion. He had been affiliated with the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System since 2016.

    On its Facebook page, Loudoun County Fire and Rescue posted a link to the Loudoun First Responders Foundation for donations for the firefighters: “To designate your donation specifically to the family of Firefighter Trevor Brown, please add ‘Brown Family’ in memo line, if not specified, your donations will benefit injured firefighters.”

    Funeral plans for Brown are being finalized by the Sterling fire department, Loudoun officials said on Sunday.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    Neal Augenstein

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  • Push to add horseshoe crab to endangered species list as biomedical companies harvest their blood – WTOP News

    Push to add horseshoe crab to endangered species list as biomedical companies harvest their blood – WTOP News

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been petitioned to add the American horseshoe crab as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act.

    Horseshoe crab populations have crashed and their habitat is disappearing. Advocates say Endangered Species Act protections are urgently needed.(Courtesy Gregory Breese/USFWS)

    When you walk down the beach and see the brown, armored shell of a horseshoe crab, with its 10 eyes and spiked tail, it’s like looking at a living fossil. Now 23 conservation groups are concerned the ancient creatures are disappearing from Atlantic shores.

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been petitioned to add the American horseshoe crab as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act.

    Despite their intimidating appearance, horseshoe crabs are harmless to humans. Each spring, along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, horseshoe crabs lay their eggs to spawn.

    Nearly twice as old as dinosaurs, American horseshoe crabs are thought to have lived 450 million years. However, in the past three decades, horseshoe crab populations have declined by two-thirds.

    Horseshoe crabs are harvested for use as bait by commercial whelk and eel fisheries.

    In addition, biomedical companies harvest horseshoe crabs and drain their blue blood, which is used to detect toxins in drugs and medical devices. Sensitive tests, using crab blood, are thought to be the gold standard in determining whether something is sterile.

    According to the conservancy groups, horseshoe crab blood harvests have doubled since 2017.

    “We’re wiping out one of the world’s oldest and toughest creatures,” said Will Harlan, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Horseshoe crabs have saved countless human lives, and now we should return the favor.”

    Synthetic alternatives to horseshoe crab blood tests are already being used in Europe, but U.S. drug companies have been slow to adopt the alternatives, according to the petitioning groups.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    Neal Augenstein

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  • Urine test could provide early detection of cancer in dogs – WTOP News

    Urine test could provide early detection of cancer in dogs – WTOP News

    One in four dogs will be diagnosed with cancer. Virginia Tech researchers have developed a noninvasive, rapid test using a dog’s urine, that allows for potential early detection of cancer.

    For a dog owner, learning that a pet has cancer can be devastating, and is more common than many would think.

    “One in four dogs will be diagnosed with cancer,” said John Robertson, research professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics at Virginia Tech. “By the time they’re middle-aged, 50% of dogs will die of cancer after the age of 10 years.”

    Robertson is part of a research team that has developed a new noninvasive rapid test using a dog’s urine that allows for potential early detection of cancer

    “Usually, when a dog gets diagnosed with cancer, it’s usually quite advanced, with visible signs — we’re trying to detect cancer before these physical symptoms appear,” said fellow researcher Ryan Senger, associate professor in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering.

    “Cancer is going to change overall metabolism inside the body, and it’s going to change the way the kidneys function,” which can be observed in the urine screening process, Senger said.

    The researchers sampled urine and found through the display of molecules that cancerous subjects had a unique “fingerprint” that could be used to indicate the presence of cancer.

    “We would like to be able to have dogs screened earlier, before cancer develops, throughout their lifetime, perhaps a once-a-year urine specimen,” said Robertson. “That tells us what the molecular fingerprint of the urine is, so if it changes and falls into that realm of fingerprints that define cancer, we’d be able to pay more attention to figure out what’s going on with the dog.”

    Robertson said there are 12 breeds of purebred dogs that have a much higher incidence of cancer. “We’re going to focus to be able to institute early, regular screening that’s going to help pick up earlier when they’re developing cancer, in the hopes that we can get better outcomes.”

    Unlike medical care, which is often paid for by insurance, “veterinary care is typically subsidized by the owner,” said Robertson. “So, we intend to make our tests readily available at a price point that everyone can afford to regularly have their dog examined and screened.”

    Robertson said the urine screening is currently being researched, to determine whether it could be applied to humans.

    The team’s findings were published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.



    Neal Augenstein

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  • ‘Stop the Arena’ group buses to Richmond to lobby against Potomac Yard project – WTOP News

    ‘Stop the Arena’ group buses to Richmond to lobby against Potomac Yard project – WTOP News


    “We’re trying to represent the thousands of Alexandria residents who are opposed to this project,” said Andrew MacDonald, the former vice mayor of Alexandria.

    ‘Stop the Arena’ protestors head to Richmond to speak with government officials about stopping the creation of a new sports arena and entertainment district in Potomac Yards.(WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

    A busload of Alexandria residents determined to prevent a massive arena and entertainment complex from being built in the Potomac Yard neighborhood left before sunrise Thursday to lobby in Richmond.

    The group departed from the parking lot in front of the Target on Richmond Highway, a few hundred yards from where Monumental Sports & Entertainment, the state of Virginia and the city of Alexandria plan to build the new arena, which would become the new home to the Washington Wizards and Capitals.

    “We’re trying to convince the general assembly to not approve funding for this, the sports arena,” said Andrew MacDonald, the former vice mayor of Alexandria, and a longtime resident. “We’re trying to represent the thousands of Alexandria residents who are opposed to this project.”

    The Coalition to Stop the Arena at Potomac Yard organized the event, which includes a noon rally outside the general assembly in Richmond.

    “The concerns are many,” MacDonald said. “There’s traffic impacts and the financial impacts — we don’t feel this is a good economic development plan for either Alexandria or Virginia.”

    MacDonald said the public has been cut out from the decision-making process. He also said that the city does not need an influx of new visitors.

    “Alexandria already has that. We’re a historic town, so people already come here for that,” MacDonald explained.

    Thursday afternoon the advocates plan to meet privately with members of the general assembly, before returning to Alexandria in the evening.

    “I think it’s pretty clear. This arena is better off in D.C. where they have good transportation, good Metro, good roads,” he said.

    “We’re all neighbors,” MacDonald added. “I don’t think we need this sort of development to make Alexandria more attractive.”

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.





    Neal Augenstein

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