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☆ Fire Destroys World War II-Era Blimp Hangar in California
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A fire was consuming a wooden blimp hangar on Tuesday in Tustin, Calif., that played a pivotal role during World War II, the authorities said, causing the landmark to crumble in flames throughout the day. Chief Brian Fennessy of the Orange County Fire Authority said at a news conference on Tuesday morning that more than 70 firefighters had responded at about 1 a.m. to try to contain the fire in one of two colossal hangars at the former Marine Corps Air Station Tustin. After their initial efforts failed to extinguish the fire in the north hangar, Chief Fennessy said, the fire authority deployed three helicopters to douse the large domed building from above, a method more typically used to fight large-scale wildfires. But that strategy also failed, prompting officials to settle on allowing the structure to burn rather than put more firefighters at risk, Chief Fennessy said.

Persons: Brian Fennessy, Fennessy Organizations: Orange County Fire Authority, Marine Corps Air Station Tustin Locations: Tustin, Calif, Orange County

What began as a seemingly ordinary Wednesday evening in Lewiston, Maine, turned horrific after a gunman entered a bowling alley and a local bar and began shooting, killing 18 people and injuring at least 13 others. On Friday afternoon the authorities in Maine released the names of the dead from Wednesday’s mass shooting incidents. Seven victims died at the Just-in-Time Recreation bowling alley, and eight at Schemengees Bar & Grille about four miles away. The youngest victim in the Lewiston mass shooting was 14 years old, and the oldest was 76. Joseph Walker, who went by Joey, was tending bar at Schemengees when the shooting began.

Persons: Joseph Walker, Joey, Leroy Walker Sr, “, Mr, Walker Organizations: Schemengees, Maine Medical Center Locations: Lewiston , Maine, Maine, Lewiston, Schemengees, Auburn

On Tuesday morning, few meteorologists were talking about Tropical Storm Otis. At that time, forecast computer models didn’t show much to be concerned about. By Sunday evening, the computer forecast models were still not showing much. This is why meteorologists often preach that a computer model isn’t a forecast — forecasters create forecasts, they like to say. On Monday evening, with Otis still a tropical storm, satellite images revealed a little feature that could mean that the storm was about to intensify very quickly.

Persons: Tropical Storm Otis, Otis, Zach Levitt, Tomer, we’re, Eric Blake, Hurricane Otis Organizations: Tropical Storm, National, U.S, National Hurricane Center, Otis, Hurricane Locations: Mexico, Tomer Burg, Florida, @burgwx, Acapulco

☆ Ukrainian ‘Artifacts’ Seized in Spain May Not Be Treasures, Experts Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the police in Spain, the artifacts possessed an ancient and golden allure. The five individuals were arrested and charged with money laundering, and the national police released images and video of the stolen items, saying that their value was around 60 million euros, or $64 million. But two experts in Greco-Scythian artifacts said in interviews that the items seized are most likely modern imitations of those crafted by ancient Greeks for Scythian nomads who, in the 4th century B.C., traversed what is now Ukraine and southern Russia. Leonid Babenko, an archaeologist at the M.F. Sumtsov Kharkiv Historical Museum in Kharkiv, Ukraine, said in an email that the items were “clumsy fakes” and had most likely been created for private collectors.

Persons: Leonid Babenko Organizations: Sumtsov Kharkiv Historical Museum Locations: Spain, Ukraine, Madrid, Russia, Sumtsov Kharkiv, Kharkiv

☆ No Longer Scotland’s Leader, Sturgeon Focuses on Learning to Drive
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

She resigned her post as Scotland’s leader in February, citing exhaustion and her status as a polarizing figure as her reasons. Then in June, she was arrested by police officers investigating the finances of the Scottish National Party, which she had led as it dominated the country’s politics. The driving-test milestone highlighted the sheltered, chauffeured lifestyle of heads of state who often travel in well-secured vehicles. It also was a reminder of just how hard such tests are in the United Kingdom compared to other countries, including the United States. Rob Harper, the chair of the Association of Approved Driving Instructors, told The Telegraph in 2019: “I think it’s a dangerous maneuver, and so do many of my members.”

Persons: Sturgeon, Rob Harper, ” Organizations: Scottish National Party, Association Locations: United Kingdom, United States, U.S, Britain

The group chat had been filled with balloon and champagne emojis for days. The clouds have essentially ruined many New Yorkers’ plans. Perhaps Ms. Neilsa, a model in Bushwick, captured the vibe perfectly: “I’m not going to lie, this sucks,” she said. A weekend in August lost to an annoying drizzle, but no problem. Then another weekend lost in September — then again, and again, and again, until finally, it was hard to be outside and soaked this last Saturday and not think that some mysterious force was bent on drenching the city as soon as each workweek ended.

Persons: Candace Neilsa, —, Neilsa, I’m, ” Organizations: New, Yorkers Locations: New York City, Bushwick

☆ Baltimore Police Search for Suspect in Killing of Tech C.E.O.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The founder and chief executive of a Baltimore tech start-up who was acclaimed as a rising entrepreneur in the city was found dead on Monday, the police said, prompting a manhunt on Tuesday for a suspect considered to be armed and dangerous. The authorities said that they had received a missing-person call shortly beforehand. On Tuesday, the police said they had identified Jason Dean Billingsley, 32, of Baltimore, a sex offender who was released from prison last fall, as the suspect in Ms. LaPere’s killing, and potentially in other cases. The department did not say how it had determined Mr. Billingsley to be the suspect and did not immediately return calls seeking comment on Tuesday night. Richard Worley, the acting police commissioner for the department, warned residents at a news conference on Tuesday that Mr. Billingsley “will kill, and he will rape.

Persons: Pava LaPere, Jason Dean Billingsley, LaPere’s, Billingsley, Richard Worley Organizations: EcoMap Technologies, West Franklin Street, Baltimore Police Department Locations: Baltimore, West

A woman and a 14-year-old girl were found dead inside a Brooklyn apartment on Monday, the authorities said, prompting an investigation into the killings that are the latest to unsettle New York City. The woman, 37, was found dead in the living room with multiple stab wounds, including on her face, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the case. The teenager was found beside the woman, and a dead dog was found beside them with a bag over its head, the official said. The killings occurred in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn, according to a spokesman for the New York Police Department.

Organizations: unsettle New, New York Police Department Locations: Brooklyn, unsettle New York City, East Flatbush

☆ A Luxury Cruise Ship Is Stuck Off Greenland’s Coast
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A luxury cruise ship carrying 206 passengers and crew members has been stuck in the cold northern waters of Greenland since Monday after it ran aground. The ship — named the Ocean Explorer and operated by Aurora Expeditions, a cruise company based in Australia — had been traveling toward Alpefjord, which is in a remote corner of Greenland. Its destination was the Northeast Greenland National Park, which is the northernmost national park in the world and is home to icebergs, glaciers and high mountains. The Joint Arctic Command, which is part of Denmark’s defense forces, said on Facebook on Tuesday that there were no injuries on board the Ocean Explorer and that there is no threat to the environment. On Wednesday, a fishing research vessel owned by the government of Greenland tried unsuccessfully to pull the Ocean Explorer at high tide.

Persons: —, Australia — Organizations: Ocean, Aurora Expeditions, Northeast, Arctic Command, Facebook Locations: Greenland, Australia, Alpefjord, Northeast Greenland, Denmark

☆ ‘Zip Tie Guy’ and His Mother Get Prison Terms in Jan. 6 Riot
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A Tennessee man and his mother were sentenced to prison on Friday for seeking to intimidate lawmakers by marching with matching tactical vests and carrying zip tie-style handcuffs during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, federal prosecutors said. The man, Eric Munchel, 32, of Nashville, who became known on social media as “Zip Tie Guy,” was sentenced to nearly five years in prison, the Justice Department said. His mother, Lisa Marie Eisenhart, 59, of Woodstock, Ga., was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, the department said. They were fined $2,000 each, and their prison terms will be followed by two and a half years of supervised release. The two were found guilty in April of conspiracy to commit obstruction, obstruction of an official proceeding, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, according to court documents.

Persons: Eric Munchel, ”, Lisa Marie Eisenhart Organizations: U.S . Capitol, Justice Department Locations: Tennessee, Nashville, Woodstock, Ga

☆ Court Grants Temporary Stay on Texas’ Buoy Barrier in Rio Grande
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A U.S. appeals court issued an order on Thursday temporarily ensuring that a barrier of floating buoys in the Rio Grande that was placed by Texas to discourage illegal crossings could stay in place while the court considered a full decision. The order, from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, came a day after a federal judge had ordered Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas to remove the barrier because it was an impediment to navigation on the river and a “threat to human life.” The U.S. Justice Department filed a suit in July that argued that the barrier violated a federal law that prohibits structures in navigable waterways without federal approval. Lawyers for Mr. Abbott and the state of Texas argued in court documents filed on Thursday that “a border-security disaster” had prompted the state to place the roughly 1,000-foot barrier in front of the U.S. banks of the river to prevent illegal crossings and that “no evidence showed the buoys ‘obstruct’ any navigable capacity of the river.”The state’s lawyers also said in their motion that a temporary stay was necessary because “Texas has clear constitutional authority to defend its territory against the invasion” of migrants and smuggled drugs.

Persons: Greg Abbott, ”, Abbott Organizations: U.S ., Appeals, Fifth Circuit, U.S . Justice Department Locations: Rio, Texas, U.S

Thousands of attendees of the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert faced the prospect of more rain on Sunday after a stretch of heavy precipitation that has tested the resolve of its free-spirited participants as most have been stuck at the site and forced to conserve food and water. The police on Sunday were investigating the death of one person at the event, although it was unclear what the cause was. The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the family of the victim had been notified, but that no further information was available. Burning Man, a weeklong festival that has been around since the 1980s, is a self-described “community and global cultural movement” that is premised on countercultural principles, such as radical self-expression. It features art installations and culminates with the burning of a giant sculpture of a man, giving it its name.

Organizations: Sunday, Sheriff’s, Black Rock City Locations: Pershing, Black Rock, Nevada, ”

☆ Judge Temporarily Blocks Texas Law That Would Restrict Drag Shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked a new Texas law that would restrict drag shows, a victory for L.G.B.T.Q. groups that have criticized the measure as an attack against drag performers and organizers. If a permanent injunction is granted, the ruling would most likely be appealed by the state. 12, which was set to go into effect on Friday, seeks to “regulate sexually oriented performances,” which has been widely understood to mean drag shows, and to restrict those performances in front of minors. Republicans in the Texas Legislature who support the law said it would protect children from seeing drag shows.

Persons: Judge David Hittner Organizations: U.S, Southern, Southern District of Texas, Republicans, Texas Legislature, Broadway Locations: Texas, Southern District

☆ Trader Joe’s Recalls Tamales After Potential Milk Contamination
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Trader Joe'sTrader Joe’s said that no illnesses had been reported in connection with the latest recall and that all potentially affected products had been removed from sale. Customers have been warned in recent weeks that other products might have been contaminated with rocks, insects and metal. In July, Trader Joe’s said that it had removed cookies because they may have contained rocks and its Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup because it may have contained insects. On Aug. 17, Trader Joe’s said that its multigrain crackers with sunflower and flax seeds were recalled because of potential metal contamination. Its popularity has even spawned Trader Joe’s food review Instagram accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers.

Persons: Joe’s

☆ Ruffian, Ill-Fated Hall of Fame Race Horse, Is Reburied in Kentucky
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The remains of Ruffian, the Hall of Fame racehorse whose triumphant run in the 1970s was tragically cut short by an injury in a notorious race that led to her being euthanized, were reburied on Thursday in Kentucky, the filly’s birthplace. Ruffian is considered perhaps the greatest female thoroughbred in history and went undefeated in 10 starts, setting stakes or track records in most of them. She had been buried at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., since her ill-fated race on July 6, 1975, when the 3-year-old filly raced Foolish Pleasure, the winner of that year’s Kentucky Derby. Ruffian shattered her right front ankle in the race, and she was later put down by injection and buried in Belmont’s infield, 70 yards beyond the finish line. The race and Ruffian’s injury captured national attention, and her burial site had for decades been a place to honor one of the most celebrated racing horses in history.

Persons: Ruffian Organizations: of Fame, Kentucky Derby Locations: Ruffian, Kentucky, Belmont, Elmont

☆ Terry Funk, Hardcore Hall of Fame Wrestler, Dies at 79
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Terry Funk, the Hall of Fame professional wrestler whose hardcore fighting style in the ring inspired decades of bloody brawls and entertaining matches, has died. His death was confirmed on Wednesday by World Wrestling Entertainment, the company for which Mr. Funk’s career exploded. No cause of death was given, and relatives could not be immediately reached for comment on Wednesday evening. Mr. Funk’s wrestling career, which began in the mid-1960s and lasted four decades, took him around the country and world, from playing in front of sold-out crowds for W.W.E. That extreme quality to his matches made Mr. Funk among the most celebrated wrestlers of his generation in a sport built on performer-athletes playing exaggerated or downright invented versions of themselves.

Persons: Terry Funk, Funk Organizations: of Fame, World Wrestling Entertainment, Japan

☆ Drowning Death of Obama Family Chef Is Ruled an Accident
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The personal chef to the Obama family died of accidental drowning last month in a Martha’s Vineyard lake, the chief medical examiner of Massachusetts has ruled, officials said on Tuesday. The chef, Tafari Campbell, 45, of Dumfries, Va., had been visiting the island in late July and was paddleboarding near the former first family’s summer home when he was seen struggling in the water, the Massachusetts State Police said last month. The chief medical examiner’s office has determined that Mr. Campbell's death on July 23 was an accident, Timothy McGuirk, a spokesman for the state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, said on Tuesday night. Former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama were not home at the time of the accident, the state police said. Another paddleboarder was on the pond with him at the time and saw him go underwater, the police said.

Persons: Obama, Tafari Campbell, Campbell's, Timothy McGuirk, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, paddleboarder Organizations: Massachusetts State Police, of Public Safety Locations: Massachusetts, Dumfries, Va, Edgartown

☆ ‘Don’t Kiss or Snuggle Your Turtle,’ C.D.C. Warns Amid Salmonella Outbreak
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In recent years, health officials have warned those who have bearded dragons, hedgehogs, ducks and chickens as pets to do their part in preventing the spread of salmonella infections. Now, an outbreak of salmonella cases across 11 states has been linked to small turtles, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue safety instructions for people who have the reptiles as pets. A simple piece of advice from health officials: “Don’t kiss or snuggle your turtle.”Twenty-six people have been sickened in the salmonella outbreak and at least nine people have been hospitalized in recent months, the C.D.C. No deaths have been reported, the agency said. Although all turtles can carry salmonella germs that can make people sick, turtles with shells less than four inches long have been a known source of illness, the C.D.C.

Persons: “ Organizations: for Disease Control, Food and Drug Administration

☆ Acclaimed New York City Restaurant Closes Amid Dispute Between Chef and Owner
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, a highly acclaimed restaurant with three Michelin stars, has closed amid a legal dispute between its chef and owner, leaving a culinary void for customers of fine dining in New York City, where the restaurant had been a top-dollar fixture of flavorful creativity for more than a decade. The restaurant, which served an extensive tasting menu inspired by Japanese seafood and French cooking techniques, closed in July after its chef, César Ramirez, was fired by the owner, Moneer Issa, according to court records. In July, Mr. Ramirez filed a lawsuit in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn against Mr. Issa and the restaurant’s holding company, Manhattan Fare Corp, claiming that he had been “arbitrarily terminated” and was owed tens of millions of dollars for defamation, unpaid wages and other damages. In an affidavit filed in August, Mr. Issa said that he had fired Mr. Ramirez because he had stolen company property that was worth more than $100,000, including dishware, oven parts and wine cases.

Persons: César Ramirez, Moneer Issa, Ramirez, Issa, Mr Organizations: Brooklyn, Michelin, Court, Mr, Manhattan Fare Corp Locations: New York City, Brooklyn

☆ Wildfire Prompts Evacuations in Washington State Communities
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A growing wildfire has prompted evacuations in two eastern Washington State communities as helicopter crews raced to rescue residents “trapped by the fires,” which had rapidly burned more than 3,000 acres in a few hours on Friday, the authorities said. The wildfire, which began around noon and has been named the Gray Fire, caused evacuations in the communities of Medical Lake and Four Lakes, which together have over 5,000 residents. Mayor Terri Cooper of Medical Lake warned residents on Facebook on Friday afternoon that they needed to “get out now” and that transportation to shelters was available. Joe Smillie, a spokesman for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, said by phone on Friday that several structures had been destroyed in Medical Lake by the wildfire, which remained zero percent contained on Friday night and was being pushed by wind gusts of around 35 miles per hour.

Persons: Terri Cooper, Joe Smillie Organizations: Facebook, Washington State Department of Natural Resources Locations: Washington State, Medical, Four, Medical Lake

A gathering of thousands of people in Manhattan’s Union Square Park on Friday quickly became an unruly scene, with dozens of police officers called to quell the chaos. Many in the crowd were looking to get free video game consoles that would be handed out by a popular social media streamer. However, by Friday evening, the police had arrested dozens of people, including the live-streamer who organized the event, Kai Carlo Cenat III, who was charged with inciting a riot. Kai Carlo Cenat III and a fellow streamer, Fanum, recently told their millions of followers that they would give away PlayStation 5 consoles at Union Square Park on Friday at 4 p.m. But the crowd soon grew “exponentially” and began to spill onto the nearby streets, blocking pedestrians and cars.

Persons: Kai Carlo Cenat III

☆ Family Died in Rockies After Trying to Live ‘Off the Grid,’ Official Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The coroner’s findings came more than a week after the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office said that the bodies of the campers had been found near Gold Creek Campground, a discovery that drew national attention as officials sought to identify the victims and determine why they had apparently attempted to camp through a brutal winter. Michael Barnes, the Gunnison County coroner, said on Tuesday that the family members were all from Colorado Springs and had lived “off the grid,” survived on canned food and sheltered in a tent before a harsh winter or malnourishment most likely led to their deaths. The sisters had been “discouraged with the state of the world” in recent years and had set out last July to permanently live near Gold Creek Campground in western Colorado, Mr. Barnes said. “She went for good intentions,” Ms. Jara said in an interview on Tuesday night. “She thought she was protecting her son and our sister, Christine, because she didn’t want them to get wrapped up in what the world was coming to in her eyes.”Rebecca Vance’s fears intensified during the pandemic, Ms. Jara said, noting that her sister had not believed in conspiracy theories but had simply been fearful of the world and had trusted that a better life awaited them in nature.

Persons: Michael Barnes, ”, Barnes, “, ” Ms, Jara, Christine, Rebecca Vance’s Organizations: Gunnison County Sheriff’s Locations: Gunnison County, Gold, Colorado Springs, Colorado

☆ Alabama Woman Admits She Lied About Abduction and Report of Wandering Child
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

An Alabama woman whose brief disappearance this month drew national attention and prompted sprawling search efforts across the state said through a lawyer on Monday that she had faked the entire ordeal — including her abduction and her claim of seeing a toddler on the side of a road. The woman, Carlee Russell, 25, said through her lawyer, Emory Anthony, that she had not been kidnapped on July 13 in Hoover, Ala., and that she had not seen a baby on the side of an interstate that night — a detail that she had shared with a 911 dispatcher before being reported missing. “We ask for your prayers for Carlee as she addresses her issues and attempts to move forward understanding that she made a mistake in this matter,” Mr. Anthony said in a letter that was read by the chief of the Hoover Police Department at a news conference on Monday. “Carlee again asks for your forgiveness.”Mr. Anthony said in the letter that Ms. Russell had not received any help with her hoax and that she had not been at a hotel with anyone from the time she disappeared.

Persons: Carlee Russell, Emory Anthony, Mr, Anthony, “ Carlee, ” Mr, Russell Organizations: Alabama, Hoover Police Department Locations: Hoover, Ala

☆ ‘Conan,’ ‘Goodfellas’ and MTV: How Tony Bennett Revived His Career
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the 1970s, Tony Bennett’s career and life were in disarray. He was performing mostly in Las Vegas, a declining city that glued him to a bygone era. His music was out of vogue — his last Top 40 single had been in 1965. The rebirth of Mr. Bennett, who died on Friday, ensured that he would remain one of the most revered singers of American popular music for generations to come. Mr. Bennett managed a career resurgence in the late 1980s and ’90s without changing much about his music.

Persons: Tony Bennett’s, Bennett Organizations: Internal Revenue Service, American, MTV Locations: Las Vegas

☆ Alabama Woman Missing After Stopping to Help a Child on a Highway
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A 25-year-old woman in Alabama was last heard from on Thursday night after telling a 911 dispatcher that she saw a toddler walking along the side of an interstate and would pull over to help, prompting a sprawling search for her as investigators raced to find clues about her disappearance. The woman, Carlee Russell, told the dispatcher about the child around 9:34 p.m., called a family member to report the same details and then pulled over on I-459 South near mile marker 11 to check on the toddler, the Hoover Police Department said. The family member “lost contact” with Ms. Russell, but the line remained opened, the police said. The Hoover Police Department said it had not received any calls of someone missing a child. Ms. Russell had left work around 8:20 p.m. at a business in a shopping area called the Summit in Birmingham, officials said.

Persons: Carlee Russell, “, Russell Organizations: Hoover Police Department Locations: Alabama, Hoover, Birmingham

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