US Army: Master Sergeant George A. Bannar Jr

Master Sergeant George A. Bannar Jr., thirty-seven of Orange, Virginia, died on August 20.

He was killed during combat, in Wardak Province, Afghanistan.

It was his fifth deployment to Afghanistan.

Bannar was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Among his completed courses were: Airborne School, Warrior Leaders Course, Jumpmaster School, Air Assault School, Advanced Leaders Course; Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape Course; Senior Leaders Course, Advanced Special Operations Techniques Course, Military Free Fall School, Military Free Fall Jumpmaster School, Advanced Military Free Fall Parachutist School, Basic Instructor Course, Small Group Instructor Training Course, Special Forces Qualification Course.

His decorations include: Bronze Star with Valor Device, Meritorious Service Medal, Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal with Valor Device, five Army Commendation Medals, Army Achievement Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation, five Good Conduct Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three Campaign Stars, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, three Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbons, Army Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Expert Field Medical Badge, Air Assault Badge, Canadian Parachutist Badge, Royal Netherlands Army Parachutist Badge, Venezuelan Parachutist Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Military Free Fall Jumpmaster Badge, Combat Medical Badge, Combat Infantryman Badge, Special Forces Tab.

51 Major Fires Burning in the US

Fifty-one major fires are currently burning in ten US states.

The ten states are Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Over nineteen thousand firefighters are busy battling the blazes.

Focus is currently centering on Montana where twenty-one of those fires are located and the governor has declared a state of emergency.

Dozens more smaller fires are burning in several other states.

So far this year more than thirty-two thousand fires have burnt fifty-three hundred square miles.

This has caused budgetary strains on the US Forest Service and other firefighting agencies.

The Forest Service has already spent nine hundred and sixty-seven million dollars fighting fires.

They have been forced to start moving money meant for other areas towards the firefighting funds.

20 Injured in Kansas School Bus Crash

Twenty people were injured when a school bus over turned in Kansas, on Wednesday.

The bus driver lost control, while on a curved ramp, and the bus slid down the embankment and over turned.

Thirty students and adults were aboard the bus, when the accident occurred.

None of the injuries were serious, with most being scrapes.

An investigation is underway to determine why the driver lost control.

The ramp from Kansas Highway 7 to Kansas Highway 32 was closed from the time of the accident until Wednesday evening.

Ammonia Leak and Explosion in Mexico Claims 7 Lives

Seven people are dead after an ammonia pipeline was struck open and exploded.

Another forty-three were injured, either in the blast or from inhaling the ammonia.

According to authorities, a construction crew accidentally struck the pipeline carrying the ammonia to a petrochemical plant.

Twelve hundred residents were evacuated from the surrounding area.

Pemex, which runs the pipeline, is unclear when the area will be completely cleaned up.

6.2 Quake Causes Minor Damage in Mexico

A 6.2 earthquake shook up Mexico, Wednesday morning.

It was centered about sixty miles east of Acapulco.

No injuries were reported, however minor damage did occur.

Bricks feel from buildings, cracks appeared in sidewalks and walls, and items fell from shelves.

The quake was felt in Mexico City, where people rushed out of buildings.

Rebels Say Syria Killed 1600 With Chemical Weapons

Syrian rebel forces once again are accusing the regime of launching a chemical weapons attack.

This time, they say that as many as thirteen hundred people were killed by some sort of gas.

So far at least six hundred bodies have been recovered from the affected areas of Damascus.

Doctors say that the symptoms described appear similar to sarin nerve gas.

The government denied the accusations say they were attempts to discredit president Assad.

Russia was quick to back up it's ally, saying that such a claim was preposterous.

Meanwhile, western nations have called for a UN investigation.

Bus Crash in Malaysia Kills 37

Thirty-seven people were killed in a bus crash in Malaysia.

Another sixteen are injured, with several in critical condition.

The bus left the road and fell more than two hundred feet.

It had been headed to Betong, a resort town where tourists come to use the casinos.

Authorities are investigating in an attempt to discover what caused the driver to swerve off the road.

US Army: First Lieutenant Timothy G. Santos Jr

First Lieutenant Timothy G. Santos Jr., twenty-nine of Helena, Alabama, died on August 18.

He became ill with an unrecognized disease on March 24, while serving in Kuwait, and was moved to Fort Bliss, Texas for treatment.

Santos was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment, 1st Armored Division out of Fort Bliss, Texas.

Explosion at New Jersey Naval Station Injures 8

Eight people were injured when an explosion tore through a building on Naval Weapons Station Earle, in New Jersey.

One of them is in serious condition.

Routine maintenance was being done on a boat, Tuesday morning, when it exploded.

The boat and the building were ripped apart.

An investigation is underway to determine what caused the explosion.

Egypt Plans Trial for Muslim Brotherhood Leaders

Egyptian police have arrested the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie was arrested on Tuesday, and plans for his trial are already being made.

He and five other leaders of the brotherhood will be tried for various charges, including inciting murder and rebellion.

Police have more than one thousand members of the brotherhood in custody, and sent the remaining leadership into hiding.

The government is also moving to ban religious centered political parties.

Such a ban would make the brotherhood illegal, as it once was.