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Chemical weapons destroyed in Utah Desert

The U.S. Army has destroyed about 90 percent of its aging chemical weapons, from the desert chemical depot.

Wednesday just after 2 p.m. the last of the hard weapons were burned in a 1,500 degree furnace. A tray of 23 projectiles came out of the furnace at 2:11 p.m.

At its peak, the desert chemical depot held some 13,600 tons of chemical agents, making it the world's largest.

The entire project will be complete by the weekend when the depot will incinerate bulk supplies of Lewisite, a powerful skin, eye and lung irritant.

The U.S. is part of an international treaty to rid the world of chemical weapons, a campaign taking place with spotty success around the globe. The goal was supposed to be accomplished by April 29, but will take years longer. 

At 14-years-old, Kerry began working as a reporter for KVEL “The Hot One” in Vernal, Utah. Her radio news interests led her to Logan where she became news director for KBLQ while attending Utah State University. She graduated USU with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and spent the next few years working for Utah Public Radio. Leaving UPR in 1993 she spent the next 14 years as the full time mother of four boys before returning in 2007. Kerry and her husband Boyd reside in Nibley.