Bumped switch studied in copter crash
A federal official said that the pilot who survived a deadly helicopter crash in New York City's East River has told investigators he believed a passenger's bag might have hit an emergency fuel shutoff switch in the moments before the chopper went down.
Sunday's crash killed all five passengers on a helicopter that had been chartered for a photo shoot. Pilot Richard Vance was able to free himself and was rescued. As the aircraft foundered, Vance made a mayday call and added: "East River -- engine failure."
The official was briefed on the investigation but was not authorized to speak publicly about it and spoke Monday on condition of anonymity.
The official also says the National Transportation Safety Board is looking closely at why an emergency flotation device on the helicopter apparently did not deploy properly. The floats are supposed allow a helicopter to stay upright, rather than overturning and submerging.
Caught in kiss, Iowa lawmaker resigns
DES MOINES, Iowa -- The majority leader of the Iowa Senate resigned Monday after a website published video showing the married lawmaker kissing a statehouse lobbyist.
Sen. Bill Dix, 55, submitted a one-sentence resignation letter several hours after the website Iowa Starting Line published its report about the Shell Rock Republican.
Dix did not comment on the circumstances surrounding his resignation as majority leader and as state senator, though Republican Senate President Jack Whitver alluded to the website's allegations in a statement.
"I believe he made the right decision for himself and for his district, but most importantly, I believe he made the decision in the best interest of his family," said Whitver about Dix.
Republicans in the GOP-controlled chamber plan to elect a new majority leader on Wednesday.
Iowa Starting Line posted video and photos on Monday showing Dix and a woman sitting together at a Des Moines bar. The video shows the two kiss. The website said the incident was recorded March 1.
The woman was identified as a lobbyist for Iowa League of Cities, an organization that seeks to sway legislation at the state Capitol. She did not respond to a request for comment.
Acting director leaving NASA next month
Robert M. Lightfoot Jr., NASA's acting administrator for more than year, notified space agency employees Monday that he is retiring as of April 30.
Lightfoot said he was leaving "with bittersweet feelings," but did not say why he was retiring.
Lightfoot's departure could leave a vacuum at the top of NASA just as a revived National Space Council looks to revamp U.S. space policy.
The council, led by Vice President Mike Pence, is to coordinate what various agencies, military and civilian, are doing in space. The Trump administration's latest budget proposal for NASA would end direct U.S. financing of the International Space Station by 2025 and spur the development of commercial alternatives.
Lightfoot, who was NASA's associate administrator, took over as acting administrator when Charles F. Bolden Jr. stepped down at the end of President Barack Obama's term.
In September, President Donald Trump nominated Rep. Jim Bridenstine, R-Okla., to be the next administrator. But the Senate has yet to vote to confirm Bridenstine. All 49 Democrats in the Senate appear unified in opposition, in part because Bridenstine gave a speech disparaging climate change several years ago.
The space agency's No. 2 position, deputy administrator, is vacant and NASA is also lacking a chief of staff.
4,000 Mississippi troops off to Mideast
TUPELO, Miss. -- More than 4,000 Mississippi National Guard soldiers are leaving this month as part of a year-long deployment to the Middle East.
The 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team, headquartered in Tupelo, is leaving for a three-month training deployment in Fort Bliss, Texas, followed by nine months overseas. The guard unit is supposed to deter and react to threats in the Middle East.
The brigade is based in Tupelo, with units in McComb, Senatobia, Starkville, Amory, Monticello and Meridian, as well as in Kansas City, Kan. This will be the brigade's third deployment to the Middle East since 2001.
A Section on 03/13/2018