Spirit plane towed after brakes overheat, ignite

 Spirit plane towed after brakes overheat, ignite

Passengers aboard a Spirit Airlines flight from Tampa are safe after one of the plane’s brakes overheated and briefly caught fire upon landing in Atlanta

ByThe Associated Press

July 11, 2022, 12:46 AM

ATLANTA -- Passengers aboard a Spirit Airlines flight from Tampa are safe after one of the plane’s brakes overheated and briefly caught fire upon landing in Atlanta on Sunday, airport officials said.

The brakes in the landing gear of Spirit Airlines flight 383 from Tampa ignited upon landing, officials at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport wrote in a tweet about the incident. Atlanta firefighters put out the fire and the plane was towed to the gate for passengers to disembark, airport officials said.

Spirit Airline said one of the brakes on the plane overheated. No passengers were injured, the airline said.

Video posted on social media showed smoke coming from under the plane at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

“The aircraft was towed to the gate where guests safely deplaned without any injuries. Thank you to the Atlanta first responders for immediately meeting the aircraft. The plane will be temporarily removed from service for maintenance,” a statement from the airline read.

Scottie Nelms, a passenger on the plane and told FOX 5 that the flight was uneventful until after landing and passengers heard a weird noise from the left side of the plane."

Nobody knew what it was until we stopped completely in the middle of the landing strip,” Nelms told FOX 5. “We saw a flame coming from the engine and people and myself started freaking out.”

Clotilda descendants mark anniversary of last slave ship

 Clotilda descendants mark anniversary of last slave ship

Descendants of the last African people abducted into slavery and brought to America's shores gathered to pay tribute to their ancestors

ByThe Associated Press

July 11, 2022, 6:20 AM

FILE - Crew members leave Mobile, Ala., on their way to the wreck of the last U.S. slave ship, the Clotilda, on May 2, 2020. Descendants of the last African people abducted into slavery and brought to American shores gathered on July 9...

The Associated Press

MOBILE, Ala. -- Descendants of the last African people abducted into slavery and brought to America's shores gathered over the weekend on the banks of an Alabama river to pay tribute to their ancestors.

The descendants of the 110 people aboard the Clotilda, the last known slave ship to bring enslaved African people to the United States, held a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the vessel's arrival.

Dressed in white and walking slowly to the beat of an African drum, the descendants made their way to the banks of the Mobile River near Alabama's coast. A wreath of white, yellow and red flowers was carried into the river by a kayaker and released into the waters.

The event marked the anniversary of the ship arriving 162 years ago with 110 enslaved people brought to the country against their will, Darron Patterson, president of the Clotilda Descendants Association, said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.

In 1860, the Clotilda illegally transported 110 people from what is now the west African nation of Benin to Mobile, Alabama. The voyage, which happened decades after the law banning the importation of slaves had taken effect, began as a bet when a wealthy plantation owner wagered he could import a shipload of slaves without being caught.

England beat India by 17 runs in third and final T-20 International in Nottingham; India clinch three-match series 2-1

England beat India by 17 runs in third and final T-20 International in Nottingham; India clinch three-match series 2-1

Jul 11, 2022 ,  8:21AM @BCCI In Cricket, England beat India by 17 runs in the third and final T-20 International of the series at Trent Bridge in Nottingham last night. India has won the 3-match series 2-1. Chasing a victory target of 216 runs, India made 198 for the loss of nine wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. For India, Suryakumar Yadav with 117 runs in 55 balls was the top scorer. Suryakumar Yadav scored a splendid hundred from 48 balls, as he became the fifth batsman from the country to breach the three-figure mark in the shortest format of the game. He also now holds the record of the second-highest individual score by an Indian batsman in T20Is. He also became the second-fastest Indian to reach 100 runs after KL Rahul achieved the milestone in 46 balls against West Indies. For England, Reece Topley scalped three wickets while David Willey and Chris Jordan took two wickets each. Richard Gleeson and Moeen Ali also picked a wicket. Reece Topley was declared Player of the Match. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was declared Player of the series.   Batting first after winning the toss, England scored 215 runs in the stipulated 20 overs with the help of a scintillating 77 run off 39 balls from David Malan. Liam Livingstone also played the role of cameo. For India Spinner Ravi Bishnoi and Hrshal Patel scalped two wickets each while Avesh Khan and Umran Malik also claimed a wicket each.

 Japan's ruling coalition heading for victory in Parliamentary polls

Jul 11, 2022 ,  8:18AM Tweeted by @AIR Prime minister Fumio Kishida’s ruling coalition is heading for a clear victory in elections for Japan’s upper house of Parliament, presenting a historic opportunity to revise the country’s pacifist constitution. State broadcaster NHK’s exit polls last night suggest that the LDP and its coalition partner, Komeito, won 73 of the 125 seats up for grabs. The vote came two days after the country’s longest-serving prime minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated by a lone gunman while giving a campaign speech in the western city of Nara. Analysts had initially expected voter turnout to be a historic low. But projections from NHK suggest that more people voted than in the 2019 election after political parties united in condemning Abe’s shooting as “a challenge to democracy”. The strong outcome gives Prime minister Kishida a chance to revise Article 9, which stipulates that land, sea, and air forces will never be maintained. This was a life-long ambition for former PM Abe.

 Fed: Sharply higher rates may be needed to quell inflation

Federal Reserve officials were concerned at their meeting last month that consumers were starting to anticipate higher inflation, and they signaled that much higher interest rates could be needed to restrain it

ByChristopher Rugaber Ap Economics Writer

July 07, 2022, 1:23 AM

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell testifies before the House Financial Services Committee on Thursday, June 23, 2022 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- Federal Reserve officials were concerned at their meeting last month that consumers were increasingly anticipating higher inflation, and they signaled that much higher interest rates could be needed to restrain it.

The policymakers also acknowledged, in minutes from their June 14-15 meeting released Wednesday, that their rate hikes could weaken the economy. But they suggested that such steps were necessary to slow price increases back to the Fed's 2% annual target.

The officials agreed that the central bank needed to raise its benchmark interest rate to “restrictive” levels that would slow the economy’s growth and “recognized that an even more restrictive stance could be appropriate” if inflation persisted. After last month's meeting, the Fed raised its key rate by three-quarters of a point to a range of 1.5% to 1.75% — the biggest single increase in nearly three decades — and signaled that further large hikes would likely be needed.

The Fed has been ramping up its drive to tighten credit and slow growth with inflation having reached a four-decade high of 8.6%, spreading to more areas of the economy. Americans are also starting to expect high inflation to last longer than they had before — a sentiment that could embed an inflationary psychology and make it harder to slow price increases.

And with midterm elections nearing, high inflation has surged to the top of Americans’ concerns, posing a threat to President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress.

 Investigator: DNA could identify 2 Tulsa massacre victims

Investigators seeking to identify victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre have found enough usable DNA for testing on two of the 14 sets of remains removed from a local cemetery a year ago

ByKen Miller Associated Press

June 23, 2022, 1:09 AM

3:31

On Location: June 22, 2022

Catch up on the developing stories making headlines.

Investigators seeking to identify victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre have found enough usable DNA for testing on two of the 14 sets of remains removed from a local cemetery a year ago, a forensic scientist said Wednesday.

Danny Hellwig with Intermountain Forensics in Salt Lake City, which is examining the remains, told The Associated Press that it's a promising step toward identifying the people whose remains were removed from Oaklawn Cemetery.

“We have two (sets) that we’re very excited about,” Hellwig said. “It doesn’t guarantee us a result, but it gives us hope” for learning the names.

The key, Hellwig said, is having descendants of those individuals provide DNA to a database so a match can be made when DNA sequencing is complete.

The sequencing is expected to begin in July or August, Hellwig said. A match to a family member could be made within days if the descendant is in Intermountain Forensics' DNA database.

4 inmates who escaped federal prison camp back in custody

 4 inmates who escaped federal prison camp back in custody

The U.S. Marshals Service and Federal Bureau of Prisons say all four inmates who escaped a minimum-security prison satellite camp in Virginia over the weekend are now back in custody

ByThe Associated Press

June 23, 2022, 12:52 AM

3:31

On Location: June 22, 2022

Catch up on the developing stories making headlines.

HOPEWELL, Va. -- All four inmates who escaped a minimum-security prison satellite camp in Virginia over the weekend are now back in custody, the U.S. Marshals Service and Federal Bureau of Prisons announced Wednesday.

The inmates were discovered missing from the satellite camp of the Federal Correctional Complex Petersburg in Hopewell, Virginia, around 1:45 a.m. Saturday, the bureau said in a news release Saturday.

Tavaraes Lajuane Graham, Corey Branch, Lamonte Rashawn Willis and Kareem Allen Shaw left the minimum security camp around 10 p.m. Friday and it was a couple of hours before their absence was detected, Senior Inspector Kevin Connolly of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force said.

Graham returned to the camp and surrendered early Sunday and Branch and Shaw surrendered Tuesday, officials said. Willis surrendered at Petersburg’s medium security facility on Wednesday, officials said.

Bureau officials did not release any details about the escape but said Saturday that an internal investigation has been initiated. According to the bureau's website, its minimum-security satellite camps have dormitory housing and limited or no perimeter fencing. They provide inmate labor to the main institution and to off-site work programs.

The U.S. Marshals Service and the bureau continue to investigate and will relay findings to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Richmond, Connolly said in a statement.

Graham, 44, was sentenced in the Eastern District of North Carolina to 10 years for possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and 28 grams or more of cocaine base, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Branch, 41, was sentenced in the Eastern District of Virginia to more than 13 years for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and felon in possession of a firearm.

Willis, 30, was sentenced in the Eastern District of Virginia to 18 years for possessing and concealing a stolen firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Shaw, 46, was sentenced in the Western District of Virginia to more than 16 years for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a measurable quantity of heroin.

Jury: Construction company retaliated against immigrant

 Jury: Construction company retaliated against immigrant

A federal jury has awarded $650,000 in damages to a Massachusetts construction worker who said his employer retaliated against him after he was injured on the job by sparking an immigration investigation that led to his arrest

ByThe Associated Press

June 23, 2022, 1:12 AM

BOSTON -- A federal jury has awarded $650,000 in damages to a Massachusetts construction worker who said his employer retaliated against him after he was injured on the job by sparking an immigration investigation that led to his arrest.

The jury on Tuesday ordered Tara Construction to pay $50,000 in compensatory damages for emotional distress and the company and its owner to pay a total of $600,000 in punitive damages to José Martin Paz Flores, who is referred to as Paz in court documents.

The U.S. Department of Labor sued on behalf of Paz in March 2019, alleging the company and owner Pedro Pirez retaliated against him in violation of federal law.

Even though Paz was allegedly in the U.S. illegally, federal labor law prohibits retaliation against employees for exercising their workplace rights, regardless of immigration status, the agency said.

Paz, a drywall taper, broke his leg when he fell off a ladder in March 2017, according to court records.

Pirez contacted Boston police, who with the help of federal immigration officials, initiated an investigation into Paz. About two months after the injury, Pirez asked Paz to come to his office to pick up some money, where he was arrested, according to court records.

Pirez was concerned because there was some confusion over Paz's name and didn't envision the arrest, his lawyer said Wednesday, noting that his client is also a Latino immigrant who “cares deeply for people in Mr. Paz’s situation.”

“He needed to know Paz’s real name because the hospital was pressing for information, and he never foresaw what would ensue,” Daniel Dwyer said in a statement. “Later, ICE discovered information on its own that led to its decision to arrest.”

Pirez feels he was “misjudged” by the jury and is considering an appeal, Dwyer said.

 Police: 2 killed, 4 wounded in shooting at Indiana nightclub

Police say two people were killed and four others were wounded in a shooting at an Indiana nightclub

Video byJessie DiMartino

ByThe Associated Press

June 13, 2022, 12:50 AM

11:16

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GARY, Ind. -- Two people were killed and four others were wounded in a shooting at an Indiana nightclub early Sunday, police said.

Officers responding to reports of shots fired around 2 a.m. in Gary, southeast of Chicago, said they found two people who had been shot and were unresponsive. A 34-year-old man was near the entrance to Playo's NightClub and a 26-year-old woman was found inside, police said. Both were declared dead after being taken to a local hospital.

Four other people were also wounded, including one who was in critical condition, police said.

Authorities did not release the victims' names or information about what may have led up to the shooting. They said multiple law enforcement agencies responded due to a large crowd that needed to be evacuated and the large number of victims.

Tundra wildfire creeps closer toward Alaska Native community

A tundra wildfire has moved closer to an Alaska Native community in southwest Alaska, but mandatory evacuations have not been ordered

ByMark Thiessen Associated Press

June 13, 2022, 1:42 AM

A tundra wildfire continued to creep closer to an Alaska Native community in southwest Alaska, but mandatory evacuations have not been ordered, fire officials said Sunday.

The East Fork fire was within 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometers) of St. Mary’s, a statement from Alaska Wildland Fire Information said.

Even though it had moved 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) closer to the Yup’ik community since Saturday, fire managers said the progress has slowed somewhat because of favorable weather conditions. The temperatures were slightly cooler with rising humidity, which could help moderate fire conditions. However, winds are expected to remain steady out of the north, helping move the fire toward populated areas.

The fire is burning in dry grass and shrubs like alder and willow in the mostly treeless tundra in southwest Alaska. The fire was started by lightning May 31.

Firefighters are working to strengthen primary and secondary fire lines protecting St. Mary’s and the nearby communities of Pitkas Point and Mountain Village and properties, including cabins, between them. No structures have been lost in the fire.

The fire is also 10 miles (16 kilometers) from another community, Pilot Station. Firefighters were expected to evaluate options of opening a preexisting fire line around that community.

Another fire northwest of the East Fork fire is growing, but it still about 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Mountain Village.

There are 204 personnel working the East Fork fire, which has grown to 190 square miles (492 square kilometers). Additional personnel are expected to arrive Monday, when even more favorable weather conditions are also expected, including increased cloud cover, higher humidity and cooler temperatures. Officials also said the front may switch the wind direction to the southwest, which would help push the fire away from villages.

Even though there are no mandatory evacuations, the combined 700 residents of St. Mary’s and Pitkas Point, located about 10 miles (16 kilometers) south, have been on alert since Friday to prepare for possible evacuation.

Nearly 150 residents from the affected communities have already temporarily relocated to the southwest Alaska hub community of Bethel.

St. Mary’s is located about 450 miles (724 kilometers) west of Anchorage.