Prior to Feb. 3, East Palestine, Ohio, was a small, unassuming village in the northeast corner of Columbiana County, Ohio, close to the Pennsylvania border. The middle-class suburban community is considered safe and affordable, with a median home sales price of $140,000.
But all that changed when the village became a national spotlight following the derailment of a Norfolk Southern Railway freight train carrying hazardous chemicals. Since then, there have been televised and published reports of animals and fish dying, people becoming ill, plus the constant fear of contaminated ground water.
In the most recent developments, the State of Ohio has filed a civil lawsuit against Norfolk Southern in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Attorney General Dave Yost outlined the 58-count complaint, saying that Norfolk Southern violated state, federal, and Ohio common laws as well as the state’s Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act ….