Bridgeton, North Carolina A road construction crew uncovered a Civil War era cannon ball during the widening project of Route 17 near Antioch Road. The construction company reportedly moved the nearly 50-pound cannonball to a secured fenced-in area before calling the police.

The police responded with support from the Craven County Emergency Management Division. The Marine EOD unit out of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point was called for technical support. EOD responded and identified that the fuze of the cannonball was still intact.

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Santa Fe, New Mexico After a 76-year old artist passed away from natural causes, his family made a startling discovery while cleaning out his house - a paper bag filled with explosives. The artist reportedly purchased the explosives over 20 years ago for cutting and shaping metal into sculptors. The family member immediately called the police after recognizing what was in the bag.

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Honolulu, Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie declared an "emergency proclamation" to allow the USACE to remove UXO from state lands without the need to follow strict state laws. The decision ended a long battle between the State Regulators and the USACE over prerequisites required to support UXO removal actions. For example, the declaration eliminates the need for an Environmental Assessment in support of munitions disposal operations.

The reasons provided by the Governor's office regarding the decision included the protection of human health and the potential for loss of federal funds to address UXO in Hawaii if the USACE was not allowed to execute its work. The decision reportedly has outraged various environmental groups who feel that the Governor has over-stepped his authorities. In response, the Governor's office has issued a lengthy FAQ section to its website addressing the potential concerns that have been raised over the decision.

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London, United Kingdom Plans to build a new airport located on an artificial island in the Thames estuary along the North Kent Coast are being threatened by a 67-year old munitions cache aboard a sunken WWII era American Liberty ship.

The SS Richard Montgomery packed with approximately 7,000 tons of munitions ran aground on a sandbar on August 20, 1944. Shortly after the grounding, intensive efforts were commenced to unload the vessel in an attempt to save the cargo and re-float the ship. However, the salvage effort was abandoned after a few weeks with a portion of its cargo intact when the hull cracked and vessel completely flooded.

After the initial salvage effort was abandoned, an exclusion zone was setup with the area marked with warning signs and buoys. For over 67 years, the shipwreck with its masts clearly visible above the water during all states of tide has been sitting close to the Medway Approach Channel.

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Geraldton, Australia Quarry workers were shocked when they uncovered a cache of disposed WWII era bombs while digging. The workers called the police who responded with technical support from an Australian Defence Force EOD team. EOD identified the bombs as practice sand-filled WWI era munitions. The bombs were removed from the quarry and disposed of by EOD.

Phoenix, Arizona Transportation Security Agency (TSA) officials at Sky Harbor Airport were caught by surprise when the explosive material slated for airport screeners testing was stolen. The explosives, reported as a 1-pound of material, were stored in a soft-sided cooler in a low-security area outside of the check point area when they were reportedly stolen. The police began an investigation and searched high and low for the explosives with no luck.

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