Panthers, the leaves are changing colors, the temperatures are dropping, and fall is upon us. So after you get done digging out your sweaters, check out these KICs. This week we have Ukraine fighting back, a fire damaging a business in South Fulton, a fire in Ingles in Fayetteville, railroad workers avoiding a strike, and Germany taking control of Russian oil.

September 12 – Ukraine fights back 

On September 12, it was reported that Ukraine commenced a counter-push against Russian-occupied territory to surprising success. In some areas, the Ukrainians have pushed retreating Russian troops back into Russia.

The Ukrainian offensive is being coordinated in the northern part of the country while most of Russia’s fighting forces are currently in the south. The Ukrainian offensive targeted lightly manned military posts. In total Ukraine has reclaimed 1,000 square miles around the cities of Izyum and Kupiansk.

The counter-push has left strategists wondering how long Ukraine’s success will last, as it is only a matter of time until Russian forces attempt to take back their posts. It is a much needed success story for Ukraine as the war continues to drag on. 

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September 13 – Fire damages South Fulton business 

In the early morning on Tuesday there was a massive fire in South Fulton County that included many explosions in a business warehouse. As told by officers, the building caught on fire at around 2 a.m. 

The fire was hard to put out due to multiple explosions being set. Multiple firefighters came out to help. The South Fulton Fire Department reported that the explosion may have started due to propane or oxygen that operates with propane. 

After putting out the fire successfully, firefighters and policemen stayed there for a few more hours to begin the investigation. The officers have confirmed that there were no casualties or injuries in this incident. 

September 14 – Fire erupts inside Fayetteville grocery store 

Firefighters were called to a local Ingles grocery store off of Hwy 92 after reports of a fire breaking out inside. They have not disclosed what areas of the store have been affected. Officials are working to determine whether or not the fire was started intentionally. 

Police were first called around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, and it is still unclear if the store was open to customers at the time of the incident. No officers or firefighters were injured at the scene, and officials are still scrambling to find the cause.

The fire was put out successfully, and rather quickly, thanks to the first responders at the site,  but the extent of the damage is still unclear. The store will remain closed until further notice.

September 15 – Railroad workers reach deal to avoid strike

Railroad workers and union workers reached an agreement early this morning, avoiding a national rail strike. The strike would have caused a major shut down of segments of the U.S. transportation. 

Negotiators from the railroads unions met on Wednesday in Labor Secretary Marty Walsh’s office to come to an agreement before the Friday strike deadline. If the deadline had passed, and the workers gone on strike, more than 7,000 trains would have been stopped.

The agreement will improve workers’ pay and working conditions, and will help with their healthcare. Their wage increase is 24% throughout 2020 to 2024 and will benefit around 60,000 employees. Other railroads had said that they, too, would go on strike, and would cancel long distance trains, including freighters. However, this morning these companies said they were working on getting the trains up and running again after the agreement.

September 16 – Germany gains control of Russian oil

The German government has gained control of three Russian-owned oil refineries to secure supplies of fuel. This fuel would be used in Berlin, the capital city of Germany. The Schwedt refineries are important for Germany’s needs, processing about 220,000 barrels of oil a day.

The German Economy Ministry announced on Friday that they had gained control of Russian-owned fuel temporarily. This decision was to counter the threat to the security of energy supply in the country. 

The European Union had decided that they would ban 90% of all Russian oil imports to cut off a vital supply of Russian funding for the war in Ukraine. Germany’s Federal Network Agency will regulate oil in three sections of the country.