ATLANTA // The death of a longtime Atlanta Braves season-ticket holder raises questions about the planned height of guard rails at their new stadium scheduled to open in 2017.
The Braves say they had safety in mind when making plans for SunTrust Park even before Gregory K. Murrey’s death on Saturday night, though team officials on Monday would not release plans for the heights of the railings at the new stadium.
The stadium rails at Turner Field meet industry standard height requirements, but the team could exceed those heights at their new facility.
The International Building Code, the accepted industry standard, has a minimum height requirement of 42 inches for guard rails that act as protective barriers in open-sided areas such as walkways or smoking platforms. Railings in front of seated areas must be 26 inches.
Braves president John Schuerholz didn’t address specifics on Sunday about guard rails at the new stadium, though he did say that while Murrey’s death was tragic it wouldn’t influence construction plans.
“We’re not going to tie that into how you design a facility,” Schuerholz said. “It was a sad, tragic event. We obviously abide by industry regulations and we’ll continue to do that. That’s what we’ll do.
“We made our plans long before this event occurred. Every facility that’s getting built, there’s a great deal of communication with architects and engineers and the league in terms of abiding by league standards for the industry. We certainly will do that.”
There is a precedent for a team raising the height of its stadium rails following a fan death.
At the Texas Rangers’ facility in Arlington, Texas, higher railings were installed in 2012, one year after Shannon Stone, a firefighter attending a game with his 6-year-old son, fell about 20 feet after reaching out for a foul ball tossed into the stands. The Rangers raised those railings from 33 inches to 42 inches, at a cost of $1.1 million.
Murrey’s death was the third in eight years at Turner Field. In 2013, a fan’s death was ruled a suicide. In 2008, police cited alcohol as a factor after a man died.
Murrey, 60, of Alpharetta, Georgia, was pronounced dead at Grady Memorial Hospital following his fall in the seventh inning of the Braves-Yankees game.
Murrey’s family on Monday asked for privacy as it grieves.
“He dearly loved his family, Atlanta, and the Atlanta Braves,” the family said in a statement. Murrey held season tickets for 23 years. “The night Greg passed away, he was doing one of his favorite things – watching the Braves.”
The minimum height standards for guard rails have raised questions on whether they are sufficient, especially for taller fans. A 26-inch rail at the bottom of a section of upper-level seats would not reach the waistline of a fan over 6 feet tall.
It seems highly unlikely similar changes would be considered for Turner Field, which has only one more year as the home of the Braves. But there would be ample time to adjust plans, if necessary, for the new park.
Beth Marshall, Braves senior director of public relations, said Monday team officials would have no further comment “in light of the active investigation” into Murrey’s death.
Schuerholz said Sunday his focus was on Murrey’s family and players’ families and friends who were seated in the lower-level seats where he fell to his death. Schuerholz said the safety of fans is always a priority.
“Obviously that’s not something we’re thinking about now but it’s something we’re always thinking about,” he said. “It’s something every major league team thinks about at all times. ... Not to dismiss the importance of all those (stadium) issues, but there will be another time and another moment to focus on this.”
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ELIO
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Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
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- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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RIDE%20ON
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How to turn your property into a holiday home
- Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
- Research equivalent Airbnb homes in your location to ensure competitiveness.
- Post on all relevant platforms to reach the widest audience; whether you let personally or via an agency know your potential guest profile – aiming for the wrong demographic may leave your property empty.
- Factor in costs when working out if holiday letting is beneficial. The annual DCTM fee runs from Dh370 for a one-bedroom flat to Dh1,200. Tourism tax is Dh10-15 per bedroom, per night.
- Check your management company has a physical office, a valid DTCM licence and is licencing your property and paying tourism taxes. For transparency, regularly view your booking calendar.
DIVINE%20INTERVENTOIN
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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