Winlock, Washington Lewis County sheriff's deputies responded to a call from a homeowner who found old explosives while clearing out a barn. The homeowner told authorities that the explosives must have been there before he owned the property and estimated that the explosives have been in the part for several decades.

Deputies called the Washington State Patrol Bomb Squad, which determined that the explosives, identified as dynamite (shown below) were several extremely deteriorated and volatile. It was determined that the safest way to dispose of the explosives was to conduct a controlled burn of the barn. The barn, along with the explosives inside, was successfully destroyed in a controlled burn.

Washington, D.C. The Government Accountability Office issued a report on the effectiveness of DoD's systems to manage nearly $70 billion of conventional ammunition. The GAO found that the automated information systems used by the Services to manage their inventory do not share a common data format which makes it difficult to allocate and redistribute ammunition stocks. As part of the management process, the Services are required to compile annual reports to compare ammunition inventory levels against stated requirements. The annual reports divide the inventory into requirement-related, retention, and potential reutilization and disposal stocks. The annual reporting process is utilized to identify potential opportunities for redistributing potential reutilization and disposal stocks.

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Eastern Siberia Seven people died and four are missing after a series of explosions occurred at a munitions depot. The blasts were sparked when a forest fire spread to the facility due to strong winds. The explosions forced the Trans-Siberian railway to temporarily suspend services. Local residents around the munitions storage depot have been evacuated.

Moscow, Russia The Church of St Cosmas and St Damian was evacuated after an unexploded WWII Era German bomb was discovered in the basement. The church, located approximately 400-meters from the Kremlin, has an interesting and rich history. Originally built in 1462 out of wood, the structure was destroyed in a fire in 1564 and rebuilt multiple times since then.

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The International Dialogue on Underwater Munitions (IDUM) will be at St. Mary's University in Halifax, 28 -29 May 2014. There is still time to register as a delegate or your company to participate in our Technology Demonstrations at Canadian Forces Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic (FDU). Underwater Technology Demonstrations are scheduled by FDU Atlantic, Private Sector companies (unmanned vehicles) and United States Mammal (Dolphins) Team from San Diego California that detects underwater munitions. Oil and gas exploration and development, regulatory committees, environmental, technology and science companies and organizations are welcome to attend with delegates from more than 40 countries. Help develop international policy and responses for sea dumped munitions in your region. There is still time to sponsor, get a booth or showcase your technologies and services to policy makers, buyers and end users.

Register at: www.underwatermunitions.org More info: chair@idum.org (1-902-574-7420).

Battle Creek, Michigan State Police Bomb Squad personnel responded to the home of Beau Angell after receiving a call from him that he had found a military munition. Angell, the owner of Angell All Metal and Scrap Removal, told authorities that he obtained the shell 3-days prior while clearing debris from an old pole barn on a nearby residential property.

Apparently, the scrap metal recycler considered keeping the shell and even dismantled a portion of it in his home. According to published reports, Angell showed the munition to his relatives after Easter dinner (after all, what goes better with ham) when his father-in-law became very concerned. Angell returned to his house with the shell and called the police.

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Solvang, California Hundreds were evacuated from homes and businesses in Solvang after an unexploded projectile was found among a pile of trash. EOD from Vandenberg Air Force Base responded to render the item safe.

According to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's office, between 500 and 700 buildings had to be evacuated. The UXO, show below, was identified as a fuzed 105mm round which had been fired, as evident from the etchings on the rotating band.

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Bangkok, Thailand EOD specialists from the Royal Thai Air Force are instructing scrap metal and junk shop owners to be aware of potential dangers including UXO when accepting items. The training is a response to an recent explosion at a shop where a WWII bomb was found on a construction site and brought to a scrap metal warehouse.

Migrant workers used a blowtorch to open the bomb in an effort to evaluate the value of the metal. The device detonated, killing eight people, including one child, and injuring 19 others. Several homes in the area were destroyed as well.

The EOD instructors urged workers to contact police if they are unsure about the safety of an item. Scrap metal shop owners are also encouraged to install cameras in parking lots to help police identify individuals who may try to bring in illegal items.

Kahului, Hawaii A Maui mall and the surrounding areas were closed when a 26-year-old man decided to place a hand grenade and mortar round in his vehicle to drive it to the Wailuku Police Station for disposal.

The man, who pulled over to alert police after having second thoughts about the safety of the UXO items, has been charged with second-degree reckless endangering.

An EOD team was notified and responded to remove the items for proper disposal. A 600-foot perimeter, was established and no incidents or injuries were reported.

O'Hare International Airport, Chicago Two travelers reported as minors got in hot water with law enforcement when they attempted to check in luggage containing military artillery shells. The two were reportedly traveling back from a field trip to London.

After finding the munitions in the baggage, the TSA officials contacted the FBI and the Chicago police department. The teens told law enforcement that they found the shells at a old artillery range while traveling. The rounds were identified as French 77MM artillery shells.

The two were allowed to continue with their travels and have not been charged at this time.