We realize it may be a stretch for ordinary people to want to keep up with the comings and goings of the Social Security Administration, but sometimes circumstances permit where someone does want to follow the latest news regarding the agency due to a possible retirement or disability interest. This blog is an ongoing piecemeal of recent stories that have involved Social Security. Some are tidbits and some are important things that should be known in the world of retirement or disability and others are just interesting stories and nothing more.
No One Injured In Office Explosion
A natural gas explosion caused massive damage to a building that houses Social Security in Columbia, Maryland Aug. 25, 2019. Because the explosion occurred on a Sunday and the building was pretty much empty, luckily no injuries were reported. In a report from The Baltimore Sun, the explosion reportedly occurred just before 8 AM at the 40,000-square-foot building, half of which was leased by the Social Security Administration. Other tenants include retail spaces, which were not open at the time of the explosion. A gas leak was the reported cause of the explosion and luckily rescue crews were alerted to the leak before the explosion so the area could be evacuated.
According to the Baltimore Sun:
Firefighters were dispatched to the shopping center for a fire alarm triggered at one of the businesses. They found the pavement swelling in the parking lot about 10 feet from the business facades on the center’s Stanford Boulevard side.
Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said in a statement that firefighters responded to “multiple reports” of hissing sounds coming from a large crack in the parking lot around 7:30 a.m. — about a half-hour before the explosion.
The gas from that crater seeped into the building, causing the explosion—although businesses on both sides of the complex suffered significant damage, Fire Battalion Chief Stephen Hardesty said. By that time, fire and rescue personnel had created a safety perimeter where nearby residents had been moved. Rescue crew members had just completed an air monitoring test to make sure everyone was out of the range of the gas, Hardesty explained.
Threat Against Social Security Results In Arrest
A report from ABC 15 Arizona identified a 50-year-old man was arrested after allegedly threatening to shoot up a North Phoenix Social Security office last month.
George Elden Robinson was arrested with threatening and intimidating along with aggravated assault after Social Security denied Robinson’s claim that Social Security owed him $50,000.
According to the report:
After being told he would not get the money, Robinson reportedly slammed his backpack on the desk. He then allegedly threatened a worker saying, “I’ll be back with an AK-47 and blow you all away, and you’ll be the first one.” He then left the building. Court records show that earlier that day, Robinson had been placed on probation for drug charges.
On July 24, Robinson returned to a Social Security office near 7th Avenue and Van Buren Street where federal agents and police officers apprehended him.
