US Army: Private First Class James Groth

Private First Class James Groth, twenty-two of Ethal, Washington, died on Friday, February 21.

He was killed in a training accident at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Groth was assigned to Bravo Battery, 3rd Battalion, 18th Fire Bridage, 321st Field Artillery Regiment out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

His decorations include: Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon.

El Chapo, Mexico's Most Wanted Drug Lord, Arrested in Mazatlan

El Chapo, Mexico's most wanted drug lord, was arrested in Mazatlan, on Saturday.

According to the Mexican government, the operation was assisted by US agencies.

Twelve others were arrested, forty-three vehicles were confiscated, as were a cache of weapons which included a rocket launcher.

The operation is being considered a complete success, as no shots were even fired during it.

Mexico is also saying that this success shows that their strategy is working and proves that they had not signed an agreement with the cartels.

Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman had ran the Sinaloa Cartel, considered the most powerful in the world.

Expectations are now that the cartel will be forced to break into smaller groups, as their cohesiveness will be lost.

Some fear that this will lead to an increase in violence as the cartels fight over the territory.

Venezuela Orders Soldiers to End Protests

On Saturday, President Nicolas Maduro ordered Venezuelan soldiers to put down protests against his rule in the state of Tachira.

Hundreds of thousands have joined protests across the country.

Violence has occurred when Maduro supporters and protesters have clashed.

Maduro is using the clashes as an excuse to force an end to the protests, which he blames on foreign agents, specifically the US.

Opposition leaders state that the sending of troops is but one more showing of Maduro's repression of any dissenting voices.

Protests are also beginning to spread world wide, as Venezuelans living abroad massed in various cities to show their support for the main protests in their home country.

Ukraine's Parliament Votes Yanukovych Out of Power as Tymoshenko is Freed

Lviv police stand on stage in Kiev

Protesting crowds turned to cheering in Kiev and other cities in Ukraine as the country's parliament voted President Viktor Yanukovych out of power.

Hours before, Yanukovych fled Kiev, to Kharkiv, as police from Lviv marched into Kiev towards the presidential palace.

The Lviv police, one of three regions which had declared autonomy from Yanukovych's government, were cheered by the protesters who had spent months clashing with Kiev's police force.

Brand new Interior Minister, Ostap Kryvdyk, declared that all of Ukraine's police were with the people and ordered all riot police to stand down.

Parliament also voted to set new elections for May 25. Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who had been imprisoned by Yanukovych for two and a half years, has announced she will be running for president, in the election.

Once safe Kharkiv, Yanukovych denounced his removal, calling it a "Nazi coup", and asked for volunteer militias to form and protect the country and his government. Most of the leaders of his party, especially those who held positions in his government, have announced their resignations and fled Kiev as well, some even seeking refuge in Russia.

Now worries are that the eastern part of Ukraine may unite behind Yanukovych and refuse to recognize another government. This could lead to either a continued conflict or possibly the split of the country.

Russia joined Yaukovych in calling his removal a coup. However, EU delegates, who had been mediating the peace talks, stated that no coup had taken place.

Falling Glass Closes Part of 16th Street in Denver

Denver police closed part of 16th Street after a window fell from a building.

The window fell from the nineteenth story of a building, Friday morning, between Broadway and Lincoln.

No one was hit by the window, however one person was treated for cuts due to broken glass.

An investigation is underway to determine what caused the window to fall.

The section of 16th remained closed while the glass was cleaned up.

Ukraine's Parliament Seizes Some Power From Yanukovych in Hopes of Peace

Friday saw some sudden changes in Ukraine towards peace, after seventy-seven were killed and over six hundred injured in violent fighting in Kiev over the week. However it is unclear if they will last.

Parliament reduced the powers of President Viktor Yanukovych, moving the country back to it's 2004 constitution. They voted to release former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, a political rival of Yanukovych, from prison.

It was also voted that Interior Minister Vitali Zakharchenko should be fired, for his role in encouraging the violence from police officers. Many would like to see him brought up on criminal charges for his actions.

Under agreements between the opposition and the president, elections will now take place "no later than December" instead of the scheduled March 2015. This is not enough for some protesters, many of who want Yanukovych out immediately. The deals were negotiated by representatives of the EU, causing Russia to complain that the peace process is being controlled by the west.

Meanwhile, in western Ukraine, the regional governments of Ivano-Frankivsk and Khmelnitsky joined Lviv in rejecting Yanukovych's government's authority over them. The three regions have disbanded or taken over all police and security forces, within their borders.

Libya Medical Plane Crash Leaves 11 Dead in Tunisia

Eleven people died after their plane crashed in Tunisia, early Friday morning.

The Antonov 26 was an official medical flight out of Libya.

It had been taking passengers from Tripoli to Tunis.

Officials say that the pilot reported an engine fire shortly before contact was lost.

Al Shabaab Attacks Somalia's Presidential Palace

Members of Al Shabaab attacked the presidential palace in Mogadishu, Somalia.

Friday's attack began with a car bombing at the entrance of the compound, which gave access to nine gunmen.

They rushed into the compound killing as they went, until security forces, including members of the UN peace keeping force, were able to shoot them down.

As many as thirty-one people died in the attack, however President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was unharmed.

Entire Iowa Town Evacuated by Fertilizer Plant Fire

A fertilizer plant fire outside of Northwood, Iowa has forced the evacuation of the entire town.

The fire began Thursday morning, burning through materials that contain such chemicals as sulfuric acid.

Over two thousand residents were forced to evacuate as a precaution due to the toxic fumes.

Four people were hospitalized after breathing in the smoke.

Firefighters are attempting to knock out the blaze, but conditions are extremely dangerous due to the volatile nature of the burning fertilizer.

At this time, it is unclear what started the fire, but an investigation is planned, once it is safe.

Fighting in Kiev Leaves Nearly 100 Dead

A declared truce failed to stop violence, on Thursday, in Kiev. Nearly one hundred people were killed and more than five hundred injured as police and protesters fought.

The casualties came from both sides. Witnesses, including members of the international media, state that at least sixteen of the dead protesters were shot by snipers. Thursday also marked the first time the opposition responded with guns of their own.

Sixty-seven police were captured by protesters and Interior Minister Vitaly Zakharchenko vowed to rescue them and ordered the issuing of "combat weapons" to police. At this point, the military has taken no involvement in the crisis, though Colonel Genera Volodymyr Zamana, the head of Ukraine's military, was replaced and forced to retire, on Wednesday.

In Lviv, a western region of Ukraine, the regional assembly declared itself no longer under the government of President Viktor Yanukovych. It is yet unclear how the national government will react to Lviv's announcement.

The foreign ministers of France, Germany, and Poland met with opposition leaders and President Yanukovych attempting to bring some sort of reconciliation. However, the EU is backing the protesters and has put sanctions in place against the government. The US government has blocked travel visas for members of the Ukrainian government and is considering sanctions.

Russia accuses the opposition of trying to stage a bloody cue. They also condemn the EU and US decisions as attempts to influence the situation from the outside.

Protests began in November, when the president backed away from a deal to join the EU, and instead turned to Russia. Things had seemed to be calming down, with both sides make gestures of conciliation. Then on Tuesday, the violence began again and became the worst seen.