QUOTE OF THE DAY
“One year ago, the peace of our community was shattered.We are still seeking justice.”
Aurora, Colo., Mayor Steve Hogan, on the movie theater shooting that left 12 dead and 70 wounded Article, this page
Authorities probe death at Six Flags
ARLINGTON, Texas - Investigators will try to determine whether a woman who died while riding a roller coaster Friday at the Six Flags Over Texas amusement park in north Texas fell from the ride after some witnesses said she wasn’t properly secured.
“We are committed to determining the cause of this tragic accident and will utilize every resource throughout this process,” park spokesman Sharon Parker said in a statement Saturday.
Carmen Brown told The Dallas Morning News that she was waiting in line for the Texas Giant and witnessed the woman being strapped in.
“She goes up like this. Then when it drops to come down, that’s when it [the safety bar] released and she just tumbled,” Brown, of Arlington, told the newspaper. “They didn’t secure her right. One of the employees from the park - one of the ladies - she asked her to click her more than once, and they were like, ‘As long you heard it click, you’re OK.’ Everybody else is like, ‘Click, click, click.’”
When the car that the woman had been riding in returned to the loading zone, two people got out and were visibly upset, Rockwell resident John Putman told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
“They were screaming, ‘My mom! My mom! Let us out, we need to go get her!” Putman told the newspaper.
Man faces charges after 4 held captive
HOUSTON - A 31-year-old man was charged Saturday in connection with the discovery of four malnourished men being held against their will in a dungeonlike Houston home.
Walter Renard Jones faces two counts of injury to the elderly. He is being held without bail in the Harris County jail and is set to appear in court Monday.
Houston Police Department spokesman Jodi Silva said it’s possible additional charges will be filed as the investigation continues.
Police said Friday that the men told investigators they were forced to live in the garage - which had one chair, no bed and a possibly malfunctioning air conditioner - so their captor could cash their public-assistance checks.
“We’re still in the beginning in the investigation,” Silva said. “We still need to determine things like where the money was going.”
Court records did not list an attorney for Jones. Records showed he previously had been charged with theft, marijuana possession and failing to register as a sex offender.
Homicide Sgt. Steve Murdock said Saturday in a Police Department statement that the men said Jones “used force and coercion to keep them there for the purpose of monetary gain.”
Asiana victims’ kin hire N.Y. law firm
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Families of three Chinese teens killed in the Asiana Flight 214 crash landing at San Francisco International Airport have hired lawyers.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported Saturday that the Chinese families retained a New York firm to represent them. One of the victims, 16-year-old Ye Meng Yuan, survived the July 6 crash only to be fatally struck by a San Francisco Fire Department rescue truck.
Lawyer Anthony Tarricone said Yuan was the family’s only child. The family is “devastated and heartbroken” relatives said.
Storms raise worry over California fires
IDYLLWILD, Calif. - The threat of weekend thunderstorms could bring much-needed moisture to a huge wildfire in the Southern California mountains near Palm Springs.
Unfortunately, it could also bring wind, lightning and other volatile conditions that could make a tough firefight even worse.
Cooler temperatures overnight into Saturday helped firefighters make progress on the fire’s northern and southern flanks, as personnel worked to spare nearby desert communities from damage.
Thunderstorms present a major threat to progress. Combined with hot air on the ground, the unstable air could create a strong updraft that draws smoke high into the atmosphere, fire spokesman Capt. Mike Lindbery said.
If the smoke column rises too high, moisture at the top could freeze and the weight of the ice could cause the column to collapse, creating a powerful downdraft in all directions.
“We’re very concerned, because this is the condition in the past that has definitely caused big firestorms and the death of citizens and firefighters,” Lindbery said.
Front Section, Pages 4 on 07/21/2013