Here are some of the stories we’ve been following this week.

Martha’s Vineyard. Under CC0 Creative Commons.

  • In 2013, 47 people died in Quebec following a train derailment. Jurors are now deliberating criminal negligent charges for the train engineer and others involved in the crash.
  • Now that more states and cities have enacted higher minimum wages, economists are starting to compile data on how the new wages affect local economies.
  • It was stated this week that a faulty wheel on a train car caused the 2015 oil train crash that spilled more than 96,000 gallons of crude oil.
  • The Kansas Department of Health and Environment stated it did not find any evidence of contamination in the water supply of a city that was having problems keeping proper chlorine levels.
  • Residents in one Delaware city are testing their drinking wells after a local poultry plant did not properly treat its wastewater.
  • Property values on Martha’s Vineyard totaled more than $20 billion, with the town of Edgartown on top at $8.25 billion in total assessed value.
  • Mass appraisal methods were upheld by the Wisconsin Supreme Court as an acceptable method of assessing the value of apartments in Milwaukee.
  • It’s been 1,000 days of drinking bottled water for residents living near the Duke Energy coal ash pits.
  • The money manager for Norway’s sovereign wealth fund recommends the fund begin considering private equity investments.