Tag Archives: Orange

San Joaquin County moves into California’s red tier; El Dorado joins more counties in orange

April 6, 2021 Admin Leave a comment

TEO: HAS COVID CASES LEVEL OFF IN CALIFORNIA, MORE COUNTIES ARE MOVING TO LESS RESTRICTIVE TEARS. SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY MOVING FROM THE MOST RESTRICTED PURPLE TEAR TO THE RED TIER. DINING AND MOVIE THEATERS CAN REOPEN A 25% CAPACITY, OR UP TO 1500 PEOPLE. GYMS CAN OPEN INDOORS AT 10%. CONTRA COSTA COUNTY IS MOVING TO THE ORANGE TIER. THAT IS THE ONLY MOVEMENT IN THE AREA. THERE ARE SEVERAL COUNTIES AND OTHER PARTS OF

San Joaquin County moves into California’s red tier; El Dorado joins more counties in orange

San Joaquin County is moving out of the state’s most restrictive COVID-19 purple tier into red, clearing the way for indoor operations to resume, with modifications, for businesses that include restaurants, gyms, museums, and movie theaters.The move will also expand maximum capacity for things like retail and shopping malls from 25% to 50% and open up food courts.California officials also announced Tuesday that Contra Costa, El Dorado, Humboldt, Imperial, Mendocino, Monterey, Riverside, Napa, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, Siskiyou, Sonoma, Tulare and Ventura counties are moving into the orange, or moderate, tier of COVID-19 restrictions, which will increase the numbers of those allowed indoors at museums, places of worship, gyms and other places. Retail will no longer have capacity restrictions.The new tier assignments take effect on Wednesday. | Related| What’s allowed under California’s tier systemSierra and Alpine counties remain in the state’s lesser yellow tier for minimal COVID-19 restrictions. Merced and Inyo counties are the only counties stuck in the purple tier for widespread COVID-19 cases. Now that 4 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in 400-plus ZIP codes considered most vulnerable, California is making it easier for counties to move through the tiers by altering the case rate range for the tiers.The purple tier threshold will remain at greater than 10 cases per 100,000. The red (substantial) tier case rate range will narrow to 6 to 10 cases per 100,000 and the orange tier case rate range will shift to 2 to 5.9 cases per 100,0000. The yellow tier case rate range will shift to less than 2 cases per 100,000. The latest announcement comes as California on Tuesday announced a target date for fully reopening the economy under a new system as more Californians get COVID-19 vaccines and hospitalization rates continue to decline.The entire state will move into this phase June 15 if two criteria are met: If vaccine supply is sufficient for Californians 16 years and older who want the vaccine, and if hospitalization rates are stable and low.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

The move will also expand maximum capacity for things like retail and shopping malls from 25% to 50% and open up food courts.

California officials also announced Tuesday that Contra Costa, El Dorado, Humboldt, Imperial, Mendocino, Monterey, Riverside, Napa, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, Siskiyou, Sonoma, Tulare and Ventura counties are moving into the orange, or moderate, tier of COVID-19 restrictions, which will increase the numbers of those allowed indoors at museums, places of worship, gyms and other places. Retail will no longer have capacity restrictions.

The new tier assignments take effect on Wednesday.

| Related| What’s allowed under California’s tier system

Sierra and Alpine counties remain in the state’s lesser yellow tier for minimal COVID-19 restrictions.

Merced and Inyo counties are the only counties stuck in the purple tier for widespread COVID-19 cases.

Now that 4 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in 400-plus ZIP codes considered most vulnerable, California is making it easier for counties to move through the tiers by altering the case rate range for the tiers.

The purple tier threshold will remain at greater than 10 cases per 100,000. The red (substantial) tier case rate range will narrow to 6 to 10 cases per 100,000 and the orange tier case rate range will shift to 2 to 5.9 cases per 100,0000. The yellow tier case rate range will shift to less than 2 cases per 100,000.

The latest announcement comes as California on Tuesday announced a target date for fully reopening the economy under a new system as more Californians get COVID-19 vaccines and hospitalization rates continue to decline.

The entire state will move into this phase June 15 if two criteria are met: If vaccine supply is sufficient for Californians 16 years and older who want the vaccine, and if hospitalization rates are stable and low.

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LA County to Move Into Orange Tier – NBC Los Angeles

April 5, 2021 Admin Leave a comment

Los Angels County will ease its coronavirus restrictions Monday, joining Orange County in enacting looser regulations now that both are in the orange tier of the state’s monitoring system.

The restrictions are set to be relaxed just after midnight. Here’s what it means.

Movie theaters, restaurants, churches, museums, zoos and aquariums can go from 25% to 50% of capacity.
Gym capacity will be increased from 10% to 25%.
Card rooms and family entertainment centers can resume indoor operations at 25% of capacity.

The county will still enforce certain rules that are more strict than what the state allows. Most notably, bars that don’t serve food — which are being permitted to reopen outdoors only — will only be able to operate from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., with a required 8-foot distance between outdoor tables.

And although state guidelines allow a lifting of all capacity restrictions on retail establishments in the orange tier, Los Angeles County will impose a 75% limit for grocery stores and other retail operations, while strongly recommending they remain at 50% of capacity until April 15 to allow time for more workers to get vaccinated.

The county’s metrics continued to trend in the right direction Sunday, as 535 new cases of COVID-19 and just three additional deaths were reported, although health officials said the lower number of deaths may reflect reporting delays over the weekend.

The number of coronavirus patients in county hospitals ticked up from 590 on Saturday to 591, according to state figures. The number of those patients in intensive care dropped from 158 to 151.

Plan Your Vaccine: How and where to get vaccinated.

Sunday’s numbers brought the county’s totals to 1,222,114 cases and 23,275 fatalities since the pandemic began, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

Although most orange-tier rules won’t take effect until Monday, rules for theme parks and outdoor live event venues — such as Dodger Stadium — went into effect Thursday. Those rules allowed theme parks to open at 25% of capacity, and outdoor venues to open at 33% of capacity.

Breweries and wineries will be able to offer indoor service at 25% of capacity as of Monday. Breweries, wineries, bars and restaurants will all be allowed to turn on their television sets outdoors, but live entertainment remains prohibited.

California COVID-19 Vaccinations

The map tracks the number of doses administered by a recipient’s county of residence according to the The California Department of Public Health.

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4 killed, including child, in mass shooting at Orange office complex

April 1, 2021 Admin Leave a comment

Four people, including a child, were killed Wednesday evening and a fifth person was injured in a mass shooting at an Orange office complex.

It marks the third mass shooting in the United States in two weeks, coming after incidents at three Atlanta spas that killed eight people, including six Asian women, and at a Boulder, Colo. supermarket that killed 10.

Few details were immediately available about the victims or a potential motive for the shooting.

Lt. Jennifer Amat, a spokeswoman for the Orange Police Department, said officers received a call about 5:30 p.m. of shots fired and responded to a business at 202 W. Lincoln Avenue in Orange. The address is a beige, two-story office complex that contains a number of small businesses.

The officers encountered gunfire when they arrived and opened fire, Amat said. The shooter was taken to a hospital with a gunshot wound and was listed in critical condition Wednesday night. It was unclear if the wound was self-inflicted or if he was struck by police gunfire, Amat said.

There is no current threat to the public, she added. A firearm was recovered at the scene.

The other wounded person, a woman, was listed in critical condition Wednesday night.

Amat said the city hasn’t “had a situation like this since the 1997 Caltrans shooting.” In that incident, a former state employee opened fire with an assault rifle at a state maintenance yard, killed four people before dying in a shootout with the police.

Orange, Amat said, “is usually quiet.”

A row of large apartment complexes sit across Lincoln Avenue.

Nathan Zachary, 18, and his father had been cooking fried chicken for dinner when, while scrolling through Instagram, he saw news of the shooting. The two went outside to see what was going on.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Zachary said, describing the neighborhood as “a safe, really safe area.”

He and his father stood curbside in flannel pajamas, trying to track the movement of the many police officers milling about the scene.

“Hard to sleep,” Zachary said, “unless you know what’s going on.”

Camilo Akly, 28, couldn’t pick up his younger brother, who was hanging out with a buddy in a home facing the crime scene.

So on Wednesday evening, after walking several blocks to reach his sibling, then seeing “one by one by one of the police cars pulling up, then hearing the helicopter, then watching firefighters rushing in,” he paused to try and make sense of the situation.

“You think that nothing could be going on during your evening, and all of a sudden, it changes really fast,” he said. “So much to be careful of these days.”

Other neighbors spilled onto the sidewalk, filming the commotion with their cellphones and posting the footage on Facebook, speculating about the shooter’s motives, and huddling near news cameras to hear the latest updates.

Rep. Katie Porter wrote on Twitter: “I’m deeply saddened by reports of a mass shooting in Orange County, and I’m continuing to keep victims and their loved ones in my thoughts as we continue to learn more.”

Porter’s district includes parts of Orange.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic coincided with a decline in mass shootings, which dropped to the lowest levels in nearly a decade, a recent series of mass shootings has left many Americans reeling and seeking answers from lawmakers.

Robert Aaron Long, 21, faces murder charges after he allegedly attacked three spas in the Atlanta area on March 16. Six of the victims were women of Asian descent, spurring concerns that Long was motivated by anti-Asian hatred. The womens’ deaths came amid a spikes of anti-Asian hate crimes and other incidents of harassment, which have been rising in the last year.

In the Boulder shooting, Ahmad Ali Aliwi Alissa, 21, was taken into custody and faces 10 counts of murder. The victims included a 51-year-old police officer, who was one of the first to respond to the scene. The nine other victims ranged in age from 20 to 65.

This is a breaking story; it will be updated.

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4 killed, including child, in mass shooting at Orange office complex

April 1, 2021 Admin Leave a comment

Four people, including a child, were killed Wednesday evening and a fifth person was injured in a mass shooting at an Orange office complex.

Few details were immediately available about the motive for this shooting or details about the victims.

The officers encountered gunfire when they arrived and opened fire, striking the shooter, who was taken to a hospital in an unknown condition, Amat said. There is no current threat to the public, she added.

The condition of the wounded person wasn’t known.

Orange, Amat, “is usually quiet.”

The shooting occurred at two-story office complex that is home to a number of small businesses. A row of large apartment complexes sit across Lincoln Avenue.

Nathan Zachary, 18, and his father had been cooking fried chicken for dinner when, while scrolling through Instagram, he saw news of the shooting. The two went outside to see what was going on.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Zachary said, describing the neighborhood as “a safe, really safe area.”

He and his father stood curbside in flannel pajamas, trying to track the movement of the many police officers milling about the scene.

“Hard to sleep,” Zachary said, “unless you know what’s going on.”

Other neighbors spilled onto the sidewalk, filming the commotion with their phones and posting the footage on Facebook, speculating about the shooter’s motives, and huddling near news cameras to hear the latest update.

Porter’s district includes parts of Orange.

This is a breaking story; it will be updated.

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L.A. and Orange counties on the brink of entering orange tier

March 30, 2021 Admin Leave a comment

Los Angeles and Orange counties have passed a new marker on what they hope is a return to normalcy from the coronavirus, clearing the way for them to further relax restrictions on businesses and activities.

Effective Wednesday, both counties will officially move into California’s orange tier — the third step in the state’s reopening process, according to state data released Tuesday.

It was a significant move for the heavily populated regions, neither of which has yet managed to get the number of new infections low enough to progress this far through the four-category, color-coded blueprint that the state unveiled seven months ago.

County officials said the incremental victory was a hard fought gain in the battle against COVID-19 — and a testament to how both individual actions and the collective vigilance of residents and businesses helped turn the tide of the pandemic following a brutal fall and winter wave.

“We are committed, along with everyone, to move forward, and we are excited about this opportunity to stay on a recovery journey,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said last week when asked about the possible progression.

But that optimism comes with caution. Coronavirus cases, though low in California, are on the rise elsewhere in the country — a reminder of the continued danger and the risk of potentially moving too quickly back toward pre-pandemic norms.

“I think the reason we’re seeing this plateauing and a bit of a little increase that we hope doesn’t turn into a surge is because we are really doing things prematurely right now with regard to opening up,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, said during a briefing Monday.

California counties that reach the orange tier can allow bars to reopen outdoors with some modifications. Bars will no longer be required to also serve food.

Capacity restrictions can also be lifted in stores, although social distancing and other pandemic safety modifications still apply; houses of worship, museums, zoos and aquariums can raise their indoor capacity from 25% to 50%; restaurants and movie theaters can raise indoor capacity from 25% or 100 people (whichever is fewer) to 50% capacity or 200 people; and indoor gyms and yoga studios increase from 10% to 25%.

Bowling alleys can reopen with modifications at 25% capacity. Card rooms and satellite wagering sites can also reopen indoors at 25% capacity.

Offices in nonessential industries can also reopen, though the state says workers should still be encouraged to work remotely.

Starting Thursday, amusement parks can also reopen at up to 25% capacity in the orange tier.

Effective that same day, California is also allowing limited fan attendance for outdoor sports and live performances, with the cap set at 33% capacity for counties in the orange tier.

The state’s regulations set the floor for the rules that must be in place. However, local health officials can apply stricter standards, if they feel doing so is warranted.

California’s tiered system categorizes counties based on on three criteria: coronavirus case rates, adjusted based on the number of tests performed; the rate of positive test results; and a health-equity metric intended to ensure that the positive test rate in poorer communities is not significantly higher than the county’s overall figure.

The four designated tiers range from purple, in which coronavirus transmission is considered widespread, and indoor operations are suspended or severely limited across a wide array of business sectors; to red, with fewer restrictions; to orange, with even fewer; and finally, yellow, in which most businesses can open indoors with modifications.

Reaching the orange tier requires a county to have an adjusted rate of 3.9 or fewer new coronavirus cases per 100,000 people each day and a test positivity rate of under 5%, among other metrics.

Counties must meet the required case and testing levels for two consecutive weeks to advance to a less restrictive tier and stay in a tier at least three weeks before advancing again.

The continued advancement of counties though California’s tier framework comes as federal officials are growing increasingly alarmed at the nationwide trajectory of the pandemic.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters Monday that she’s been gripped by a feeling of “impending doom.”

“We have so much to look forward to, so much promise and potential of where we are and so much reason for hope,” she said. “But right now, I’m scared.”

Later that same day, President Biden implored Americans to maintain precautions, warning that, “We’re in a life-and-death race with a virus that is spreading quickly.”

Dr. Eric Toner, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said “there’s no question that we’re going into a fourth surge” as “the data has indicated rising cases in most states now for a couple weeks.”

Given the current state of the pandemic, Toner said Monday it’s especially important to keep restrictions on indoor activities.

“We shouldn’t be allowing restaurants and bars and movie theaters and places like that to resume anything that resembles normal operations,” he said. “We need to keep the density of those indoor spaces down.”

Officials have pointed out that, unlike some other states, California has kept a number of coronavirus-related rules — such as a mask mandate — in place. Businesses also are still largely required to modify their operations, such as by reducing capacity, stepping up cleaning and disinfection protocols and reconfiguring seating/queueing areas to ensure physical distancing.

“When you say, ‘Pull off your mask, let’s just go back or revert to normal,’ then that puts the virus back in control, as opposed to the work that all of you are doing to keep this virus at bay,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said during a press conference in Orange County last week. “I want to keep that progress. We’re not going to run that 90-yard dash.”

Times staff writer Chris Megerian contributed to this report.

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Orange County announces door-to-door vaccination effort

March 23, 2021 Admin Leave a comment

Orange County’s firefighters will pair with crews from the state to get vaccines in the arms of the county’s most vulnerable.The crews, around 150 people in total, will head out to the Pine Hills and Lockhart areas of Orange County to see if homebound individuals would like to get a COVID-19 shot. The teams are prepared to register and vaccinate on the spot.Because the state is supplying the doses, homebound residents have to be 50 years old or older.Monday marked the first day vaccine recipients could be 40 or older at the Orange County Convention Center.The change made by Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings has not been well-received by Gov. Ron DeSantis.”Some of those counties like Orange County, they’re actually a little bit below the state average for senior coverage,” DeSantis said.Demings noted in response that the early vaccine site locations were chosen without his input.”If our numbers are below what it is in other counties it’s because of the decisions that were made somewhere else other than here,” Demings responded.He said despite Desantis’ repeated disapproval, he’s seen no backlash and does not expect to.”At the end of the day, I do believe that the governor’s goal is to increase the number of people who are vaccinated within the state of Florida. My goal is to ensure that happens within Orange County,” Demings said.For the canvassing effort, Demings says those involved will be wearing specific shirts and be carrying photo identification showing they are members of the state emergency response team.For now, the program will only be in Lockhart and in Pine Hills.Demings says the next stop for the team will be to Rosemont.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. —

Orange County’s firefighters will pair with crews from the state to get vaccines in the arms of the county’s most vulnerable.

The crews, around 150 people in total, will head out to the Pine Hills and Lockhart areas of Orange County to see if homebound individuals would like to get a COVID-19 shot.

The teams are prepared to register and vaccinate on the spot.

Because the state is supplying the doses, homebound residents have to be 50 years old or older.

Monday marked the first day vaccine recipients could be 40 or older at the Orange County Convention Center.

The change made by Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings has not been well-received by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

“Some of those counties like Orange County, they’re actually a little bit below the state average for senior coverage,” DeSantis said.

Demings noted in response that the early vaccine site locations were chosen without his input.

“If our numbers are below what it is in other counties it’s because of the decisions that were made somewhere else other than here,” Demings responded.

He said despite Desantis’ repeated disapproval, he’s seen no backlash and does not expect to.

“At the end of the day, I do believe that the governor’s goal is to increase the number of people who are vaccinated within the state of Florida. My goal is to ensure that happens within Orange County,” Demings said.

For the canvassing effort, Demings says those involved will be wearing specific shirts and be carrying photo identification showing they are members of the state emergency response team.

For now, the program will only be in Lockhart and in Pine Hills.

Demings says the next stop for the team will be to Rosemont.

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Health

SF, Santa Clara Counties Expected to Move to Orange COVID-19 Reopening Tier – NBC Bay Area

March 22, 2021 Admin Leave a comment

San Francisco and Santa Clara counties will soon be the next California counties moving into the orange reopening tier, further easing restrictions for more businesses.

The orange tier changes are expected to take effect as early as Wednesday.

“San Francisco’s health indicators continue to improve with COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations dropping steadily,” San Francisco’s COVID Command Center said in a statement.

COVID Command Center officials warned residents that while the decline in coronavirus cases is encouraging, variants remain a concern.

“San Francisco is continuing to take health precautions as it reopens. We are aligning with the State’s guidelines as much as possible but will add specific safeguards to minimize the risk of the virus spreading. Our approach continues to focus on expanding outdoor activities as much as possible as a safer environment than indoors,” officials said in a statement.

Meanwhile, A Santa Clara County spokesperson told NBC Bay Area Sunday that their county posted orange tier numbers last week and if the numbers stay in that range through Tuesday, the county would then move into the orange tier on Wednesday.

In the orange tier, offices can reopen for in-person work schedules of up to 25% capacity and maintaining 25% capacity in conference and meeting rooms.

Other new rules include museums, zoos, and aquariums opening up to 50% capacity indoors, movie theaters can reopen at lesser of 50% or 200 people capacity and shopping centers may expand to 50% capacity.

When the move happens, San Francisco and Santa Clara will join San Mateo as the second and third Bay Area counties to move into the orange tier.

All other Bay Area counties are currently in the red tier.

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Santa Barbara County could be moving into the orange Covid tier within weeks

March 21, 2021 Admin Leave a comment

This week, Santa Barbara County Public Health leaders announced Santa Barbara County may be moving into the orange tier within weeks. The county just turned the corner in the red tier last week.

To get into the orange tier requires around two to five COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in the county, or four million vaccinations given in the state of California.

Dr. Henning Ansorg, Santa Barbara County Public Health Officer, said Friday: “[It] is possible that two [to] three weeks from now, we have met those thresholds and then the door is open to go to orange hopefully.”

Santa Barbara County Public Health officials say the federal government is sending more vaccines to local pharmacies which will increase accessibility to vaccines.

“The federal government is also sending doses that don’t go through the state system to pharmacies like CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid. [These pharmacies] also offer vaccinations and I would encourage people to call them or go on their website and check that out because there are more vaccination opportunities that become more and more available,” Dr. Ansorg explained.

Vaccines have a shelf life, so people if do not show up to their appointments, pharmacies can offer the extra doses to members of the community.

CVS says in a statement to KSBY:

We follow all CDC and manufacturer guidelines with regard to the proper storage and administration of each COVID-19 vaccine to help ensure that vaccine is not wasted. Our online scheduling tool also helps to ensure that appointments are matched to the available vaccine supply. In the event of unused doses in our pharmacies, our pharmacy teams will evaluate how to most efficiently vaccinate eligible individuals with remaining doses. This includes outreaching to eligible patients in their communities, as our pharmacies maintain patient profiles with information that can help identify who is eligible to be vaccinated.

CVS

Santa Barbara County says to avoid another COVID-surge, people should stay safe especially during Spring Break and upcoming holidays.

San Luis Obispo County is also heading toward the orange tier. The latest statistics show the county’s positivity rate already meets the requirements, however, officials have not stated when the move to orange may happen.

The orange tier allows for more re-openings for businesses and recreation.

Click here to see what can open in the orange tier.

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Sports

Rams trading defensive end Michael Brockers to Lions – Orange County Register

March 17, 2021 Admin Leave a comment

A trade sending Rams defensive end Michael Brockers to the Detroit Lions was in the works Tuesday night.

Brockers, 30, a 2012 first-round draft choice who was the dean of the Rams’ defense, had five sacks in 2020, his most since 2013.

He was one of the Rams’ team captains and a vocal leader of the NFL’s top-ranked defense.

But the Rams nearly lost him a year ago when he agreed to join the Baltimore Ravens as a free agent, only to have that deal fall through before a contract was signed because the COVID-19 pandemic prevented Brockers’ injured ankle from being examined by a Ravens team doctor.

This time, Brockers’ departure is likely to go through.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that the Rams asked Brockers to adjust his contract to help the team get under the salary cap – something they did Tuesday by restructuring the contracts of several other veterans – but the two sides couldn’t agree.

Terms weren’t immediately known for the trade, first reported by the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. But it’s likely to help the Rams get further under the cap.

Brockers was due to cost them $9.8 million against the cap in the second season of a three-year, $24 million deal.

Another Rams defensive end, Morgan Fox, is a free agent. Besides NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald, other defensive linemen on the roster include Sebastian Joseph-Day, A’Shawn Robinson and Greg Gaines.

Trades and free agent signings can be formally announced starting Wednesday, the start of the league league, including the other trade agreed to by the Rams and Lions earlier this winter, the one bringing quarterback Matthew Stafford to Los Angeles and sending quarterback Jared Goff and three draft choices to Detroit.

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Business

New MBTA Orange Line train derails in work zone at Wellington Station

March 16, 2021 Admin Leave a comment

New MBTA Orange Line train derails in work zone at Wellington Station

One of the MBTA’s new Orange Line trains derailed Tuesday morning in a work zone at Wellington Station in Medford.According to officials, the train was going at a slow rate of speed and was crossing over to the southbound track at 11:40 a.m. when it derailed.About 100 passengers were on board at the time. The MBTA said there were no injuries. While crews worked to return the train to the rails, inspect the tracks and check equipment, shuttle buses were called in to replace the train service between Oak Grove and Community College, officials said. That was later reduced to the stretch between Oak Grove and Sullivan Square.Several units from the Medford Fire Department also responded to the scene. Wellington was where the MBTA tested the newest Orange Line trains, some of which have entered service.

MEDFORD, Mass. —

One of the MBTA’s new Orange Line trains derailed Tuesday morning in a work zone at Wellington Station in Medford.

According to officials, the train was going at a slow rate of speed and was crossing over to the southbound track at 11:40 a.m. when it derailed.

About 100 passengers were on board at the time. The MBTA said there were no injuries.

While crews worked to return the train to the rails, inspect the tracks and check equipment, shuttle buses were called in to replace the train service between Oak Grove and Community College, officials said. That was later reduced to the stretch between Oak Grove and Sullivan Square.

Several units from the Medford Fire Department also responded to the scene.

Wellington was where the MBTA tested the newest Orange Line trains, some of which have entered service.

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HeadlinesCurator

Tag Archives: Orange

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New MBTA Orange Line train derails in work zone at Wellington Station

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