US Army: Staff Sergeant Richard L. Vazquez

Staff Sergeant Richard L. Vazquez, twenty-eight of Seguin, Texas, died on November 13.

He was killed by an improvised explosive device in Panjwai, Afghanistan.

Vazquez was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) out of Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

Among his completed courses were: US Army Basic Airborne Course, US Army Air Assault, Combat Lifesaver Course, Warrior Leader Course; Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape Course; Special Forces Qualifications Course, Senior Mountaineer Course, Master Mountaineer Course, Sensitive Site Exploitation Operator Advanced Course.

His decorations include: Purple Heart, three Army Commendation Medals, two Army Achievement Medals, Meritorious Unit Citation, two Army Good Conduct Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with one Campaign Star, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Proffessional Development Ribbon with numeral two, Army Service Ribbon, two Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Master Driver Badge, Air Assault Badge, Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, Special Forces Tab.

Fighting in Libya Kills 31

Thirty-one people were killed after clashes broke out between unidentified gunmen and the Misrata militia, in Tripoli, Libya.

Two hundred and thirty-five more people were injured in the fighting.

Friday began with a mass demonstration, which demanded all militias leave Tripoli, especially the Misrata.

Hours later hundreds of gunmen attacked the Misrata compound.

The fighting lasted several hours, with the Misrata still holed up as night fell.

Expectations are that the fighting will likely resume on Saturday.

Pipeline Explosion Forces Evacuation of Texas Town

A ten inch petroleum pipeline exploded near Milford, Texas, on Thursday morning.

The explosion forced the evacuation of the entire town.

Crews worked to shut down the line, but the fire was still burning Thursday night.

Workers were also keeping an eye on an adjacent fourteen inch line.

Officials believe that they should have everything under control, sometime Friday, and be able to lift the evacuation.

Florida Sinkhole Destroys 2 Houses

A sinkhole opened up in Dunedin, Florida, on Thursday.

Two houses were destroyed and a third slightly damaged.

The neighboring houses were evacuated as a precaution.

No one was injured in the incident.

Florida, especially around the area of Tampa, is made up of porous ground, which makes sinkholes common.

4500 Confirmed Dead in Philippines After Haiyan

Nearly forty-five hundred people have now been confirmed dead in the Philippines.

Over one hundred thousand people have been left homeless in the aftermath of typhoon Haiyan.

Death tolls may climb further yet, as more victims are found, and as diseases being to be an issue.

Aid is slowly reaching the affected people, especially now that the USS George Washington aircraft carrier has arrived.

Preview: Maleficent

Disney released the first teaser trailer for Maleficent, on Wednesday.

The trailer shows that the movie will very likely be quite dark.

Though that is not surprising as this movie is the story of Sleeping Beauty, from the side of the evil queen, Maleficent.

Amanda Jolie is portraying Maleficent, while Ellie Fanning plays Aurora/Sleeping Beauty.

In the trailer, Aurora says that she knows Maleficent has been watching over her for a long time and wishes to meet her.

Maleficent will go back into the past and show how the queen became evil.

It hits theaters on May 30, 2014.

Ash Tree Quarantine Ordered in Colorado

In an effort to stop the spread of emerald ash borers, the Colorado Department of Agriculture has ordered a quarantine.

The quarantine bans the movement and sale of ash trees in part or in whole.

That includes: chips an mulch, either composted or not; logs and green lumber; trees in nurserys; and firewood of any hardwood species.

Boulder County, Erie, and several other areas around Boulder County are included within in the boundaries of the quarantine.

Anyone found violating the quarantine faces a minimum thousand dollar fine and possible jail time.

For more information on the quarantine and on the beetles themselves visit the Department of Agriculture.

4 Marines Killed in California

Four Marines were killed at Camp Pendleton, in California.

Wednesday's accident occurred during range maintenance.

Little information about the incident has been released, nor has the identities of the Marines been told.

A full investigation, of the accident, is taking place.

3 Wounded in Pittsburgh High School Shooting

Three people were wounded in a shooting outside of a Pittsburgh high school.

The shooting took place Wednesday afternoon at Brashear High School.

Five people were taken into custody, over the shooting.

Police say that they believe a drug related fight broke out.

They also said that the three wounded students are not cooperating with the investigation.

Bombings and Shootings in Iraq Kill 25

Twenty-five people were killed by bombings and shootings in Iraq, on Wednesday.

In Fallujah, the mayor was gunned down in an assassination. One of his body guards was in critical condition, after the shooting.

Later in the day a bomb destroyed two houses, belonging to police officers. As a crowd grew, a second explosion ripped through the massed people, killing four and wounding fourteen.

A single bomb struck Ashura pilgrims gathering in Baquba, killing ten and wounding several dozen.

Six separate incidents, in Baghdad, left ten dead and seventeen wounded. Pilgrims and security forces were the targets in those attacks.

No one has claimed responsibility for any of the attacks, but suspicion is on Al Qaeda.