What is happening?

On the evening of Aug. 29, several people smelled what they thought must be a natural-gas leak at the corner of First Avenue and Division Street in downtown Odessa. As calls went out to various Odessa governmental and emergency responders, as well as Avista, the natural-gas supplier for Odessa, the only immediate agency response came from Odessa Police Chief Les Jimerson. He came with lights flashing, cleared and blocked off the immediate area and then waited. And waited. And waited. Three hours or so later, an Avista truck appeared. And by that time, the gas, wherever it had come from, had di...