Phoenix Air Collision Leaves 4 Dead

Four people were killed after two planes collided in the air near Deer Valley Airport, in Phoenix, Arizona.

A Cessna and a Piper Archer struck each other in midair and both came crashing down.

The Cessna burst into flames, while the Piper remained mostly intact, but it's two passengers were ejected through the windshield.

Officials are investigating the cause of the collision, and stated that nothing else was in the nearby air at the time.

Houston Hotel Fire Kills 4 Firefighters and Injures 5

Four fire fighters were killed and five injured in a Houston, Texas fire, on Friday.

Just after noon, the Southwest Inn caught fire.

The blaze resulted in five alarms being sent out, with over one hundred fire fighters responding.

According to authorities the roof of the building collapsed, causing the casualties and fatalities.

Officials are investigating the cause of the fire.

Air Ambulance Crash Kills 4 in Ontario

Four people died when an Ornge helicopter crashed near Moosonee, Ontario.

The crash happened early Friday morning, just after midnight.

According to authorities the air ambulance went down about a mile after takeoff.

It was headed to Attawapiskat, to pick up a patient.

All four aboard were members of the crew.

They were identified as: Captain Don Filliter, First Officer Jacques Dupuy, Primary Care Flight Paramedic Dustin Dagenais, and Primary Care Flight Paramedic Chris Snowball.

Officials are investigating the cause of the crash.

Turkish Police Clear Istanbul Protest

Turks clashed with police in Istanbul, on Friday.

It began as a sit in to protest government plans to eliminate Gezi Park, but grew into an anti government rally.

Police fired tear gas and used a water cannon to disperse thousands of people who had gathered.

Twelve people were hurt, five of them seriously, including one person who took a tear gas canister to the head.

As news of the Istanbul protest reached other cities, many of them saw their own smaller protests.

Douglas County Schools to Add Plain Clothes Officers

Douglas County Schools, in Colorado, announced a new security program, on Thursday.

The program will see on duty police officers stationed in schools.

However, one difference will make the program the first of it's kind, in the country.

Officers will sometimes be in uniform, or other times in plain cloths, making it less obvious who is armed.

The district hopes that this will add more security, by not just having an armed officer, but by making it so criminals would have to guess who was armed or not.

Deputies from the county will be joined by officers from Castle Rock, Lone Tree, and Parker.

Beginning in the fall, the program will cost the district about half a million dollars, annually.

Officials with the district hope that their use of solar energy, instead of electric, will make up the financial difference.

Powerhouse Fire Forces Evacuations North of Los Angeles

Another fire started in California, on Thursday.

The Powerhouse Fire, is burning near Santa Clarita's Green Valley neighborhood.

It quickly rushed to over one thousand acres, forcing the evacuations of as many as a thousand people.

Three hundred members of the Los Angeles Fire Department are battling the blaze.

The fire is threatening power and water facilities, which supply Los Angeles.

8 Tornadoes Leave 9 Injured in Arkansas and Oklahoma as Flooding Hits Kansas

Severe warning continued on Thursday, focusing on Arkansas and Oklahoma.

At least six tornadoes struck in Arkansas, leaving nine injured.

Five houses were damaged or destroyed by the twisters.

Oklahoma saw at least two tornadoes touch down, during the stormy day.

Torrential rain led to flash flooding in Kansas, especially around Coffeyville.

Tornado capable weather will continue through Friday and will be back on Sunday.

3 Westerners Killed in Syria, Including an American

Forces fighting for the Syrian regime reported that they killed three westerners, on Thursday.

The regime's fighters said that one of those killed was from the UK, another was from the US, and the third was from an unspecified western country.

They showed the passports of two of them, as well as a Michigan drivers license.

According to the regime, the three were killed while working rebel forces.

Along with the IDs, they had guns, a computer, a hand drawn map of a government facility, and evidence showing that they belonged to the al-Nusra Front.

Al-Nusra is a terrorist group, which is heavily linked to Al Qaeda.

The FBI has confirmed that an American citizen was killed, but did not yet release her identity.

33 Killed in Iraq Bombings

Thirty-three people were killed in multiple bombings, in Iraq, on Thursday.

Most of the blasts were focused in parts of Baghdad, and aimed at security and military forces.

In Mosul, two attacks were made against police checkpoints.

An assassination attempt was made against the provincial governor of Anbar.

The governor was not harmed, but four of his guards were injured, in that attack.

Authorities believe that Sunni groups are behind the continued violence.

I70 in Colorado Closed by Boulders

Interstate 70 was closed for part of Wednesday after a rockslide.

Boulders as big as ten feet across crashed onto both sides of the roadway.

It happened about twenty miles east of Grand Junction.

Due to the location of roads, detours were nearly one hundred miles long.

Workers eventually used explosives to decrease the size of the largest boulders and then hauled them all away.

4 Tornadoes Hit US on Tuesday

Four tornadoes hit in three US states, during Tuesday.

Bennington and Corning, Kansas; Flint, Michigan; and Erie, Pennsylvania each had a visit from a twister.

The Bennington tornado stayed on the ground for over an hour, but caused very little damage.

Corning's tornado was the most costly, with eight buildings damaged or destroyed, as winds raged with speeds up to one hundred and fifty-miles per hour.

A mobile home was destroyed outside of Erie, while a high school in Flint received some slight damage.

No injuries were reported due to any of the tornadoes.

Storms capable of producing more will be around throughout Wednesday.

Suicide Bombers Target Red Cross in Afghanistan

Three suicide bombers attacked the Red Cross headquarters, in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Wednesday's attack was the first ever aimed at the agency, in the country.

Even the Taliban has praised the aid group's contributions, in the past.

One guard was killed and another guard and one red cross worker were injured.

Two of the attackers were killed by guards, before they could blow their vests.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Train Derails and Explodes in Maryland

A freight train collided with a commercial truck and derailed in Rosedale, Maryland, on Tuesday.

The crash was followed by an explosion, shaking the town and damaging nearby buildings.

CSX, which runs the train, told authorities that there were no hazardous chemicals aboard, removing some of the worries that had been in place.

The NTSB is investigating the crash with the truck, which left the truck driver hospitalized.

Authorities are also investigating the cause of the explosion.

Russia to Send Anti Air Missiles to Syria

S300 Anti Aircraft Missile Launchers

On Tuesday, Russia announced that they will be sending S300 anti aircraft missiles to the Syrian government.

A Russian official said that the missiles are being sent to help stabilize the region, and protect the regime for foreign interference.

The Russians also criticized the European Union for ending their arms embargo on the Syrian rebels.

They feel that doing so will only increase the strife in the war torn country, which has seen over eighty thousand die in the more than twenty-six month long war.

Russia also let their disdain, for Senator McCain's visit to the rebel forces, be known.

1 Killed in Tunisian Clashes

One person was killed and at least twenty injured as protesters clashed with police, in Bizerte, Tunisia, on Tuesday.

Most of the protesters were vendors angry over being told to relocate, by the city.

Officials in Bizerte allocated a new area for the main market, to clear space for development, in the downtown.

The vendors refused to move and began lighting the market area on fire.

When police arrived, the protesters threw bottles, rocks, and gasoline bombs at them.

Police responded by throwing tear gas into the crowd, forcing them to disperse.

21 Missing After Ferry Sinks in Malaysia

A ferry capsized on the Bajang River on Borneo, in Malaysia, on Tuesday.

According to witnesses, it struck rocks and flipped over.

Twenty-one people are still missing.

Authorities believe that two hundred and two people were aboard the craft, which is only meant to carry seventy-four.

Rescue workers are continuing their search for the missing passengers.

10 Killed in Iraq Violence

Ten people were killed and thirty-seven injured in violence in Iraq, on Tuesday.

Seven were killed thirty-four injured when a car bomb exploded in a Shiite area of Sadr City.

A market in al-Shaab was hit with another car bomb, killing two and wounding three.

Another man was killed in a drive by shooting, in Mosul, that may have been an assassination as he was a government official.

No one claimed responsibility for the attacks, but they are considered to be the work of Al Qaeda or related terrorist groups.

US Army: Specialist Christopher R. Drake

Specialist Christopher R. Drake, twenty of Tickfaw, Louisiana, died on May 26.

He was killed when the vehicle he was in was struck by a rocket propelled grenade, in Bagram, Afghanistan.

Drake was assigned to the 1084th Transportation Company, 165th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion, 139th Regional Support Group out of Reserve, Louisiana.

Sangster's Thoughts on McCain Spending Memorial Day With Syria's Rebels

With Monday being Memorial Day, many Americans spent it remembering the sacrifices that US troops have made in the past and continue to do.

However, Senator John McCain spent the day with Syrian rebel forces.

Let us not forget that Al Qaeda is a known part of the rebel forces, and that Al Qaeda was responsible for the September 11, 2001 hijacking attacks.

Al Qadea is also responsible for the deaths of hundreds of US troops since then, as well as troops from allied nations and thousands of civilians, and we are still at war with the terrorist organization.

Instead of honoring American troops, on Memorial Day, McCain instead chose to spend it with Syrian rebels, who are linked to one of the worst enemies that the US has ever had.

Senator McCain, it seems it is time to retire, if that is the regard you have for our troops that you would rather spend it in camps that our enemy has a presence in.

You have made many mistakes in your career as a politician and it is time for them to come to an end.

Mr. McCain you have shown that you no longer have the honor which should be expected of any elected official in the United States of America.

Resigning would at least show a bit of remorse for your actions.

Take the actions required of you and be at least a shadow of the great man you used to be.

EU Ends Weapons Embargo on Syria

The European Union voted to lift the weapons embargo on Syria's rebels, on Monday.

Member states may now sell weapons to the rebel forces.

Austria, Czech Republic, and Sweden all voted against the removal of the embargo.

Some nations worried that Russia will now more openly send even more weapons, to the Syrian government, than they already do.

At the same time, the EU voted to renew all economic sanctions against the Syrian government.

Copahue Volcano Active Again

Officials in Argentina and Chile began evacuations around the Copahue Volcano, on Monday.

The volcano has shown a lot of activity lately, causing authorities to be quite worried.

About twenty-two hundred people live inside the evacuation zone.

Authorities believe that the volcano will have calmed down within the next forty-eight hours, allowing for the evacuation to be lifted.

Copahue lies right along the border between Argentina and Chile.

The volcano last erupted in 1991 and showed a lot of activity in 2001 and last December.

Over 70 Killed in Baghdad Bombings

More than seventy people were killed in a series of thirteen bombings in Baghdad, on Monday.

Markets and shopping areas in Shiite neighborhoods were hit.

Most of the bombings were done by car bomb.

No one has claimed responsibility for any of the attacks.

That Shiite areas were hit definitely suggests that Sunni groups, like Al Qaeda, were involved.

3 Dead From San Antonio Flooding

Three people have died in San Antonio's flooding.

Several straight days of torrential downpours led to record levels of water, all around southern Texas.

The worst of the flooding came on Saturday, when as many as ten inches fell in just a few short hours.

One hundred and thirty people required rescuing from the raging waters.

Damage from the water is in the millions of dollars.

A tornado accompanied the storm, in Live Oak, causing minor damage, but no injuries.

6 Killed 11 Wounded in Chicago Violence

Six people were killed and eleven wounded in gun violence, in Chicago, over the weekend.

So far, during 2013, one hundred and six have been killed and five hundred and thirty-four wounded in shootings, in the Chicago area.

Despite having the strictest gun laws, the city remains the US city with the most gun violence.

Almost all of the gun violence is gang related.

For nearly thirty years, Chicago had a total gun ban, but it was struck down by the Supreme Court, in 2010, as violating the Constitution.

Since then, the city has passed multiple ordinances, which stop just short of coming to a full ban.

The city regularly brags about how many guns it confiscates, weekly displaying the confiscations.

During 2012, Chicago confiscated nearly 7,500 guns.

Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy is asking for stricter laws and stronger punishment, for anyone who violates the gun laws.

Opponents of the laws say that the problem isn't a lack of gun laws, but too many.

They believe that if the public had freer access to guns then they could defend themselves, and gangs would be more wary.

In support of this, they point to stats from other states that have more gun access, but less gun violence.

Towards this, the Illinois state house is working towards allowing for concealed carry permits.

Lebanese Rocket Launched at Israel

A rocket was fired at Israel out of Marjayoun, Lebanon, on Sunday.

It landed in Israel, a couple miles outside of a northern town, but did not cause any damage.

Israeli officials say they are investigating the incident.

The rocket launch came on the same day that two rockets hit near Hezbollah's headquarters, in Beirut.

Rocket Attack in Lebanon

Hezbollah's headquarters in Beirut was struck by two rockets, on Sunday.

Leaders of the terrorist group had reiterated their plans to support Syria's government, in the Syrian civil war.

The attack furthered showed how the Syrian civil war is spreading into other countries.

Lebanon has seen multiple episodes of violence spilling over into it's cities, especially in Beirut, were many native Syrians have moved to.

7 Injured at Missouri Train Crash

On Saturday morning, two freight trains collided in Missouri.

The collision caused both trains to derail, sending freight cars into bridge supports.

Two cars crashed into each other when they came upon the collapsed bridge.

In total, seven people were injured, two one of the trains, and five in the car accident.

None of the injuries were serious.

Officials are investigating the cause of the train's colliding into each other.

1 Dead and 1 Missing in San Antonio Flooding

Flooding in San Antonio, Texas has killed one and another person is missing.

Over one hundred people have been rescued from the high waters, by firefighters.

During Saturday morning, nearly ten inches of rain fell at San Antonio International Airport.

This followed torrential downpours on Friday.

Austin and much of south Texas is also under flood advisories.

Forecasters expect the rain to continue on into Sunday.

18 Injured in Dagestan Black Widow Attack

Eighteen people were injured when a suicide bomber blew herself up, on Saturday, in Dagestan.

Authorities identified the bomber as Madina Alieva, twenty-five, a widow of two Islamic radicals, who had been killed in clashes with security forces, in 2009 and 2012.

Dagestan is one of the most violent regions in Russia, with Islamists regularly clashing with police and the military.

Women have been known to be active in terrorist acts, in the region, and Russians call them black widows.

Federal Judge Rules Sheriff Joe Violated Rights

Judge G. Murray Snow, of the United States District Court, ruled against one of the toughest sheriff's in the country, on Friday.

Snow decided that Sheriff Joe Arpaio has violated constitutional law, accusing him and his deputies of singling out Latinos.

The judge stated that Arpaio had used racial profiling in his attempts to catch illegal immigrants, in Maricopa County, Arizona.

According to Snow, deputies may not focus on Latinos when looking for illegal immigrants.

Lawyers for Maricopa County, and Sheriff Joe, argued that race was never the focus in illegal immigrant cases and vowed to appeal the decision.

8.2 Quake Shakes Russia

Places as far away as Moscow felt an 8.2 quake in the Sakhalin region of Russia.

While the quake was located closer to Japan, it was felt more thousands of miles away in Eastern Europe, than it was just a couple hundred miles away.

In Moscow, buildings were evacuated, as the shaking was felt; and places further west than Russia reported shaking due to it.

A 6.2 aftershock, followed it a few hours later, and scientists expect more after shocks, as high as 7.0, over the next few days.

Very little damage was reported because of the quake, though it did seem to emit a small electro magnetic pulse, which affected electronics in the area closest to it.

4 Indian Soldiers Killed by Rebels

Four Indian soldiers died, on Friday, fighting rebel forces in Kashmir.

Three of them were killed when their patrol was ambushed, in the village of Buchoo.

Reinforcements came and a fire fight began, during which the fourth was killed.

The Indian military says that they killed or chased off the rebel force, but did not give any numbers.

Taliban Attacks Kabul

Members of the Taliban launched an attack in Kabul, on Friday.

It began with a car bombing and then continued on as an attack against the International Organization for Migration.

The Taliban said they were targeting CIA trainers.
Afghan Security Forces engaged them in an hours long fire fight, but eventually won out.

About a dozen people were injured or wounded, two police officers were killed, and all of the attacking militants were killed or taken prisoner after being wounded.

Parking Garage Collapse Kills 1 in Maryland

A parking garage partially collapsed, on Thursday, in Bethesda, Maryland.

The garage was closed and under construction, as the mall it's for goes through major renovations.

One construction worker was killed and another was trapped for several hours, but eventually was freed and taken to the hospital.

Officials said that a fifty thousand pound slab of concrete had fallen.

21 Killed in 2 Separate Attacks in Niger

Twenty-one people were killed and twenty-nine injured in two separate attacks, in Niger, on Thursday.

According to the authorities, the two explosions happened at the exact time, over one hundred miles apart. Both were suicide car bombs aimed at high security areas.

In Agadez, the bomber was able to force his vehicle past security at a military base and detonated near a crowd of soldiers. Twenty died and sixteen were injured in that attack.

The other attack came at a uranium mine near Arlit, killing one and injuring thirteen. Authorities are not sure how the bomber was able to make it past the security there.

Groups linked to Al Qaeda have claimed both attacks.

Car Bomb Kills 12 in Pakistan

Twelve were killed and seventeen injured when car bomb exploded in Quetta City, Pakistan, on Thursday.

Most of those killed and wounded were government security officers.

They had been traveling in a small bus when a car they drove by was detonated by remote control.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Royal Army: Drummer Lee Rigby

Drummer Lee Rigby, twenty-five of Middleton, England, died on May 22.

He was murdered in a terrorist action, in Woolwich, England.

Rigby served with distinction as a machine gunner in Germany, Cyprus, and Afghanistan.

 In 2011, he joined the Regimental Recruiting Team of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers as a side drummer.

His officers remember him as one of the unit's favorites, due to his personality.

Longmont Officer Fired Upon, Shooter in Critical Condition

Early Wednesday morning, a Longmont, Colorado police officer pulled a car over for not driving with it's headlights on.

As the other vehicle came to a stop, in a parking lot, the driver got out and opened fire on the officer's car.

The officer managed to dive into the back of his car and avoid being struck by the bullets.

When the shooter's AR15 ran out of rounds, the officer returned fire, wounding the man.

Twenty-eight year old Jonathon Shank is in the hospital, in critical condition.

At this time, no motive is known.

Longmont and Boulder police are combining efforts in the investigation.

16 Injured in Russian Tornado

Sixteen people were injured when a tornado struck in central Russia, on Wednesday.

More than two hundred buildings were damaged in Efremov, including seven schools.

Trees, power poles, and cars were thrown around by the twister.

The Russian government tried to put the incident off to just being strong winds, until pictures of the funnel started hitting social media sites.

Tornadoes are extremely rare in Russia and nothing there is designed for dealing with them.

9 Colombian Soldiers Killed in Ambush

Nine Colombian soldiers were killed, on Wednesday, when their unit was ambushed with an improvised explosive device.

The ELN is being blamed for the attack.

It is the worst loss of Colombian soldiers since February.

ELN is the second biggest rebel group in Colombia.

They have been stepping up their attacks as the government and FARC, the largest rebel group, work towards peace talks.

Man Murdered in Terror Stabbing in London

On Wednesday afternoon, a man walking down the sidewalk in Woolwich, England was struck by a vehicle.

Two men got out of the vehicle, one with a kitchen knife and the other with a meat cleaver, and attacked the man further, stabbing him until he was dead. According to some witnesses they beheaded him before police arrived.

Refusing to put their weapons down, they were shot and wounded by police. Both men have been taken, under guard, to the hospital.

Due to things said by the two men, in which they identified themselves as jihadists, authorities believe that the attack was an act of terror.

According to some sources, the murdered man was a soldier out of the nearby military barracks.

Remembering: SpaceX's Falcon 9 Launch

On May 22, 2012 SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket made it's successful launch.

It carried the Dragon Capsule up into space.

By Friday, it became the first commercial space craft to dock with the International Space Station.

SpaceX and other companies will be replacing the now retired NASA space shuttles, with their own reusable space craft.

Commercial companies are able to make the supply runs for around a third of the cost that NASA was making them.

Yankees and Manchester City Form MLS Team

With their powers combined the New York Yankees and Manchester City will be forming Major League Soccer's twentieth team.

The baseball giant and the soccer club agreed to terms that will see them work together in forming the latest MLS team.

Manchester City will maintain majority ownership of the joint venture.

Plans are for the new team to be centered in Queens.

Until a stadium can be built, they will borrow a nearby field, for their games.

The MLS expects the team to join next season.

Colorado Sheriff to Put Armed Officers in Schools

Elbert County Sheriff Shayne Heap has been one of the leading opponents of Colorado's new gun laws.

Last week, he joined fifty-three other sheriffs in suing Colorado over those laws.

Now he has announced that he will place armed officers inside of the schools in his county.

He believes that by doing so it will increase safety, at the schools, and act as a deterrent against anyone who would want to harm students.

It also takes the pressure of schools which can't afford to pay for armed guards, as the money will be coming out of the sheriff department's budget.

Death Toll in Moore Lowered to 24

Moore, Oklahoma will take what good news it can get.

The town is still searching for survivors after a deadly tornado tore through the town, Monday afternoon.

Five schools, a hospital, and hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed, while the tornado was on the ground for forty minutes.

It left a path of destruction eleven miles long and up to a mile wide.

Good news came Tuesday morning that last night's death toll had been too high, and it was officially lowered.

Twenty-four people were killed, including nine children, and two hundred and thirty-seven were injured by the twister.

Seven of the deaths were children at Plaza Towers Elementary School, one of two schools demolished in the storm.

President Obama has declared the area to be a national disaster area and promised federal aid.

10 Injured as Protesting Miners Clash With South African Police

Ten people were hospitalized after police and protesting miners clashed, in South Africa.

Police were dispatched to protect mining equipment from the protesters.

When the police arrived, protesters began throwing rocks and other objects at the officers.

As officers were struck the order was given and the police fired a volley of rubber bullets into the protesters.

Five miners and five officers were sent to the hospital for treatment.

This latest protest has been called by the National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa, which is demanding a twenty percent raise for it's two hundred and thirty thousand members.

Syria Fires into Israel at Israeli Troops

Syrian government forces fired into Israel, on Tuesday. An Israeli Defense Forces vehicle was struck by the fire, and Israeli troops shot back at the incoming fire. A spokesperson for Israel said that none of their troops were injured in the exchange.

This isn't the first time that such an incident has occurred, however it was the first time Syria acknowledged that it happened. Not only did they acknowledge it, but they bragged of destroying the vehicle.

The regime also accused Israel of aiding the Syrian rebels. Israel has been giving medical aid to wounded fighters, and then shipping them back to the border.

Tensions have continued to increase, between the two countries, since Israel launched air strikes against missiles that were being transported by the regime to Hezbollah troops. Israel has warned that they will continue to strike against any weapon shipments to the terrorist group.

US Army: Sergeant Eugene M. Aguon

Sergeant Eugene M. Aguon, twenty-three of Mangilao, Guam, died on May 16.

He was killed when the vehicle he was in was hit by a suicide bomber, in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Aguon was assigned to the 1st Battalion 294th Infantry Regiment, 29th Brigade Combat Team out of Fort Muna, Guam.

US Army: Specialist Dwayne W. Flores

Specialist Dwayne W. Flores, twenty-two of Sinajana, Guam, died on May 16.

He was killed when the vehicle he was in was hit by a suicide bomber, in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Flores was assigned to the 1st Battalion 294th Infantry Regiment, 29th Brigade Combat Team out of Fort Muna, Guam.

US Army: Private First Class Cody J. Towse

Private First Class Cody J. Towse, twenty-one of Elk Ridge, Utah, died on May 14.

He and three others were killed when the vehicle they were traveling in was struck by a roadside bomb, in Sanjaray, Afghanistan.

It was his first tour of duty.

Towse was a Combat Medic assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division out of Fort Bliss, Texas.


Among his completed courses were: Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training.