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Red Dye Leaks Into Creek From Winston-Salem Plant

Red dye was spotted in Peters Creek near Northwest Boulevard in Winston-Salem. Credit: Screenshot from Mapquest

The spill occurred at Hanes Dye & Finishing Co. on Northwest Boulevard late Tuesday morning.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports firefighters were able to contain much of the dye in the building, but some ended up in Peters Creek. There was no immediate word on how many gallons of dye escaped, but city officials called it a major spill.

City employees working nearby noticed the creek was red and spotted some dead fish.

Dan Johnson with Hanes says the dye is biodegradable. But Marla Sink with the Department of Environmental Quality says more than 100 fish were killed, indicating there was something hazardous in the dye. Residents were warned to avoid the creek until at least Wednesday afternoon.

Hanes has hired an environmental company to clean the up spill.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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