ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BY THE END OF THE YEAR. NOW TO AN EXCLUSIVE
KENS 5 INVESTIGATION SOUTH
SOUTHSIDE S.D. AIRS ADS AIR
MONITORS AT ITS SCHOOLS IT
COMES AFTER KENS 5 AND
NEIGHBORS STARTED ASKING
QUESTIONS ABOUT HAZY SKIES AND
CLOUDS OF DUST NEAR
THE DISTRICT'S MIDDLE SCHOOL.
EYEWITNESS NEWS REPORTER
ARIELLE HADA TAKES A CLOSER
LOOK AT THE SOURCE OF NEIGHBORS
CONCERNS THE SAND MINE COMPANY.
BEHIND ME IS ONLY ABOUT A MILE
AND A HALF FROM THE MIDDLE
SCHOOL AND A PARENT I SPOKE
WITH SAYS SHE'S NOT ONLY
CONCERN ABOUT HER SON BUT
THE HUNDREDS OF OTHER STUDENTS
THAT ATTEND SCHOOL HERE AND
THE POTENTIAL HEALTH HAZARDS
THIS COULD POSE. IT WAS ALWAYS
A PEACEFUL WAY OF LIFE AND NOW
WE HAVE A SAND MINE EVERY DREAM
I'VE EVER HAD. MARIE SMITH SAYS
PEACEFUL NIGHTS BECAME
SLEEPLESS NIGHTS. YOU KNOW
SOMETHING LIKE THIS IN YOUR
BACKYARD AND YOU CAN SEE WHAT
HE'S FIXIN TO DO TO OUR KIDS AT
THE MIDDLE SCHOOL HERITAGE
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL. WITH SCHOOL BACK IN
SESSION SMITH SAYS HER FEARS
INTENSIFIED. HER SON ATTENDS
JULIUS MATHY MIDDLE SCHOOL
LOCATED LESS THAN TWO MILES
FROM MONARCH SILICA A SAND
MINE. THEY HAVE THE MIDDLE
SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM. THEY COME
OUT HERE AND PRACTICE YOU HAVE
THE TRACK YOU HAVE THE BAND YOU
HAVE OUTSIDE RECESS YOU HAVE
KIDS AFTER SCHOOL BEFORE SCHOOL
SITTING AROUND WAITING AROUND
AND YOU GET ALL THIS DUST FROM
THERE SHE DEMANDING ACTION. WE
NEED TO GET THE COMMUNITY TO
RESEARCH THIS SMITH WANTS TO
KNOW WHAT'S IN THE AIR SINCE
MONARCH SILICA OPENED SO BIG
PLUMES OF SAND GOING UP SHE'S
NOT ALONE. SHE HAS BEEN
COMPLAINING THAT WHEN THEY WAKE
UP IN THE MORNING THAT THEY'RE
ABLE TO TASTE THE SAND IN THEIR
MOUTH THEY BREATHING IT IN
THEIR SNEEZING TEXAS
REPRESENTATIVE NEIL PACHECO
FILED A COMPLAINT WITH T.C. QUE
HE FEARS THERE COULD BE SILICA
DUST IN THE AIR FROM SAND
MINING AT MONARCH SILICA. I
HAVE A CONCERN THAT OUR
STUDENTS 20 30 YEARS FROM NOW
CAN START DEVELOPING CANCER AND
NO ONE'S GONNA KNOW WHY SILICA
IS LINKED TO SILICOSIS.
ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN LUNG
ASSOCIATION THE LUNG DISEASES
FOUND IN WORKERS AT SIMILAR
FACILITIES AND THERE'S NO CURE
IN 2018. T.C.. Q INVESTIGATORS
ISSUED A NOTICE OF VIOLATION TO
MONARCH SILICA FOR FAILING TO
REGISTER FOR MINING OPERATIONS.
A SPOKESPERSON WITH T.C. Q
CONFIRMED A SECOND NOTICE OF
VIOLATION AGAINST THE COMPANY
IN JULY FOR FAILING TO CONTROL
DUST EMISSIONS. T.C. Q HAS ALSO
INVESTIGATED COMPLAINTS FILED
AGAINST THE SAND PLANT STRONG
ODORS NOISE AND DUST IS FLYING
EVERYWHERE. A NEIGHBOR WHO
DOESN'T WANT TO BE NAMED HAS
DOCUMENTED HER FRUSTRATION.
THIS IS WHERE PEOPLE LIVE. THIS
IS AN INFRINGEMENT ON PEOPLE'S
HEALTH AND WELFARE. CLOUDS OF
DUST CAN BE SEEN DURING THE DAY
AND AT NIGHT UNDER THE BRIGHT
LIGHTS AT ONE POINT A TRUCK
CAME OUT TO WATER THE AREA TO
HELP SUPPRESS THE DUST. AND
THEN THERE'S THE TRAFFIC AND
SEE HOW FAST THEY RUN THROUGH
HERE. GASOLINE SOMETIMES
APPEARS THAT DOO DOO DOO DOO
DOO WHERE THERE HIT THE BRAKES
TO SLOW DOWN BUT ONCE THEY GET
A FLAT AREA THEY'RE GONE. SMITH
TWELVE YEAR OLD SON TOOK HIS
HEALTH CONCERNS TO THE SCHOOL
BOARD WHERE HE SAYS HE PLEADED
FOR AIR MONITORS. I WANT TO
KNOW THAT I AM SAFE AROUND HERE
AND THAT I'M NOT GOING TO GET
ANY CANCER OR ANYTHING FROM
THE DUST. KEN 5 REACHED OUT TO
SOUTH SIDE IS DEEP THE DISTRICT
RELEASED THE FOLLOWING
STATEMENT. OUR STUDENTS HEALTH
AND SAFETY IS ALWAYS OUR
PRIORITY AND WE CONTINUE
MONITORING THE SITUATION
RELATED TO ANY HEALTH RISKS IN
OUR DISTRICT PEOPLE WHO CALL
THIS PLACE HOME THOSE HAVE NO
OTHER PLACE TO GO. SAY THEY
FEAR THE UNKNOWN POTENTIAL
HEALTH HAZARDS TREMENDOUSLY
WORRIED ABOUT MY HEALTH
THE V.A. CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHY I
HAVE THESE THIS YEAR ROTATION
STUFF IN MY LUNGS SOMETIMES IT
GETS SO BAD THAT I CAN EVEN
TALK. PHILIP RAMIREZ SAYS WHEN
HE MOVED INTO HIS HOME MORE
THAN TWO DECADES AGO THERE WERE
NO SAND MINES. BUT THAT'S
CHANGED. THERE'S MORNINGS THAT
WE GET UP AND CARS ARE JUST
COMPLETELY COVERED FROM TOP TO
BOTTOM WITH A REAL FINE MIST OF
SAND. WE REACHED OUT TO MONARCH
SILICA. THEY RELEASED A
STATEMENT READING IN PART. WE
ALWAYS STRIVE TO FOLLOW LOCAL
STATE AND FEDERAL LAWS TO MAKE
SURE WE ARE IN COMPLIANCE AT
ALL TIMES WE HAD BEEN VISITED
NUMEROUS TIMES OVER THE LAST
FEW MONTHS BY MULTIPLE
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND HAVE
RECEIVED NO CITATIONS ACCORDING
TO T.C.. Q INVESTIGATORS ARE
CURRENTLY LOOKING INTO A
COMPLAINT AGAINST THE COMPANY
REGARDING FLOODING ON A PRIVATE
PROPERTY. CURRENTLY THERE ARE
20 STAND LINE PROCESSING PLANTS
IN BEAR COUNTY TWELVE IN SAN
ANTONIO SMITH SAYS THE SOLUTION
IS SIMPLE TO RAISE AWARENESS
ABOUT POTENTIAL HEALTH RISKS.
YOUR MOM LIVES ALMOST OVER MY
CHARGE NOT THE NEAREST T.C. Q
AIR MONITOR IS LOCATED THIRTY
SIX MILES AWAY. ACCORDING TO
THE T.C. Q WEBSITE AT EQUAL
HURDLE KENS 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS
SOUTHSIDE ISP