QUOTE OF THE DAY “This day of action can remind you that everybody can serve everywhere and our diversity is our greatest strength.” Former President Bill Clinton during a community service project in Phoenix, noting the land was used by a diverse group of
veterans, American Indians, food providers, students and refugees Article, this page
Bus crash near D.C. kills 1, hurts 16
WASHINGTON - A shuttle bus struck a guardrail and overturned Sunday along busy Interstate 95 south of the nation’s capital, leaving one person dead and sending 16 others to the hospital, the Virginia State Police said.
The bus was headed south on I-95 when witnesses reported seeing a speeding white sedan swerve into the bus’s lane. State police initially said the bus swerved to avoid the car and then overturned, but later said the two vehicles collided, causing the bus driver to lose control, drive off the road and overturn.
The driver of the white sedan did not stop but was arrested later Sunday and charged with one felony count of hit-and-run, the state police said. State police identified him as 31-year-old Raphael Manuel Barrientos of Dumfries, Va. A woman who answered at a telephone listing for his home declined to comment.
The crash occurred in northern Virginia’s Fairfax County, and police were called at 3:28 a.m. Sunday, said state police spokesman Corinne Geller.
Geller said the man who died was one of two people flown from the crash to a northern Virginia hospital. He was identified as David Alberto Sanchez, 24, of Woodbridge, Va.
The state police said one other person was being treated for life-threatening injuries Sunday. The driver and a passenger were being treated for serious but non life-threatening injuries. The other 13 passengers suffered minor injuries.
Michigan won’t recognize gay unions
DETROIT - The Michigan governor’s office said state agencies won’t immediately recognize hundreds of same-sex marriages that were performed in the hours before an appeals court put on hold a judge’s ruling that tossed out a state ban on gay marriage.
Spokesman Sara Wurfel said Sunday that Gov. Rick Snyder considers the issue moot until the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati decides whether to extend the hold on the ruling. That’s expected no sooner than Wednesday.
The appeals court Saturday issued the temporary stay of a Detroit federal judge’s Friday ruling throwing out Michigan’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriages.
About 300 couples wed Saturday in four Michigan counties before the appeals court’s action.
Phoenix fire kills 1, injures 4 in family
PHOENIX - A 14-year-old girl is dead and her mother and three siblings are in critical condition after a Sunday morning apartment fire in west Phoenix.
Firefighters responded at 12:45 a.m. to a report of a blaze in a second-floor unit of an apartment building, Fire Department Capt. Jonathan Jacobs said. They battled heavy smoke to put out the fire and find the victims.
Phoenix officer James Holmes said a firefighter kicked open a bedroom door and found the family.
“What he found was five family members - a 33-year old mother and her four children - inside of that bedroom. All of them were unconscious,” Holmes said.
Holmes said the mother and a 10-year-old are hospitalized in critical condition, and a 3-year-old and a 3-month old are extremely critical but stable.
The fire might have been intentionally set and could be related to a case of domestic violence, Holmes said. A person of interest has been detained, he said.
Californian, 16, hit by train still in hospital
MARYSVILLE, Calif. - A California teenage girl remained in critical condition Sunday after being struck by a freight train while walking to a school dance with her boyfriend, who was killed in the accident.
Gary Zavoral, a spokesman for Sutter Roseville Medical Center, confirmed 16-year-old Mickayla Friend’s condition.
The accident Friday evening occurred near the high school in Marysville.
Investigators told KCRA-TV that the teens were walking south on the tracks - the same direction as the Union Pacific train.
The teens were on their way to a Sadie Hawkins Day dance.
Witnesses said they heard the train engineer blow the horn, but the two teens didn’t move out of the way in time.
The boy died at the scene, and Friend was airlifted to the hospital.
Marysville Police Chief David Baker said investigators are looking into whether the pair was distracted by listening to headphones or something else.
Front Section, Pages 4 on 03/24/2014