No radioactive threat, just a big mess

Downtown’s Manchester Grand Hyatt hotel has just gotten rid of 70 radioactive “self-luminous exit signs,” according to an inventory sent to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

“Exit signs that glow in the dark often contain a radioactive gas called tritium,” says the commission’s website. “They serve an important safety function by marking exits to be used during power outages and emergencies. The signs pose little or no threat to public health and safety or security.”

On the other hand, notes the commission, “a damaged sign could contaminate the immediate area and require expensive cleanup,” hence the requirement to send the used hot items to a designated disposal site.

Republican District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis has picked up $10,000 from a local lawyer for one of her favorite charities. According to an April 26 disclosure report, the law firm of King Amanpour & Associates gave the behest to the San Diego County Safe Communities Fund, set up by Dumanis last year to bankroll crime-fighting projects good for her image.

“We commend San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis for her visionary prevention approach to keeping our neighborhoods safe and improving the quality of life for residents across the San Diego region,” San Diego Foundation president Kathlyn Mead said in a December 2015 news release announcing the fund’s formation.