Category: Regional & State News

6 People Dead After Plane Crashes and Catches Fire in Southern California, Officials Say

MURRIETA, Calif.—Six people died after a plane crashed over a Southern California field on Saturday morning before bursting into flames. The plane was engulfed in fire along with about one acre of vegetation when deputies arrived. The plane crashed near an airport in the city of Murrieta, California, in southwest Riverside County, located between Los…


Laguna Beach Animal Shelter Receives $30,000 Donation From Deceased Animal Lover

The Laguna Beach Animal Shelter has received a nearly $30,000 donation from the now-finalized estate of a former resident, according to city officials. Edward Burkart, who was also an aerospace computer engineer before retiring, bequeathed the amount to the facility before his death in 2015 at the age of 86, officials said. The donation will…


Inmate Suspected of Homicide Escapes From a Pennsylvania Jail Using Bed Sheets

WARREN, Pa.—Authorities were searching Saturday for an inmate described by police as “very dangerous” who escaped from a jail in northwestern Pennsylvania using bed sheets, officials said. Michael Burham was last seen wearing a blue denim coat from the jail, white and orange pants, and orange shoes, Warren police said Friday. Mr. Burham was being…


Florida Judge to Murder Suspect on Run for 40 Years: ‘You Knew You Were Running From Something’

TAMPA, Fla.—A judge in Florida has ordered a 65-year-old California fugitive held without bond in connection with the death of a woman nearly 40 years ago. Donald Santini was arrested by U.S. marshals in California last month, and extradited to Florida. He had used at least 13 aliases over the years. Mr. Santini was the…


Crack in North Carolina Roller Coaster May Have Formed 6–10 Days Before Closure, Commissioner Says

RALEIGH, N.C.—An ongoing investigation by North Carolina’s Department of Labor found that a large crack in the support column of a towering roller coaster had been visible for at least a week before the amusement park shut it down for repairs. “It looks like maybe six to 10 days prior, some pictures had been taken…


1 in 3 Seattle Residents Relocate out of the City Due to Crime and Cost

One in three Seattle residents are relocating out of the city due to public safety concerns over daily crimes and high cost of living prices, according to a Seattle Times/Suffolk University poll published in June. About 33% of Seattle residents surveyed said they were seriously considering moving out of the city. Sixty-seven percent said they…


Union Workers Make Safety Complaints at GM’s Electric Vehicle Plant

Union workers at a General Motors electric vehicle plant have been complaining of safety issues. Workers at a GM Ultium electric vehicle plant confronted caught a defective battery on fire late last month, reported the Financial Times. According to the fire department in Lordstown, Ohio, the factory workers were able to put it out, with two people…


DNA Testing Leads to Former US Army Soldier in 1978 Killing of Woman in Germany

DNA testing has led to the arrest of a Nebraska man who was repeatedly questioned over decades in the 1978 stabbing death of a woman while he was stationed with the U.S. Army in Germany, authorities said. Tommy Molina, 69, was arrested in the western Nebraska city of Gering on June 21, the U.S. Marshals…


Leslie Van Houten, Follower of Cult Leader Charles Manson, Is One Big Step Closer to Freedom

LOS ANGELES—California’s governor announced Friday that he won’t ask the state Supreme Court to block parole for Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten, paving the way for her release after serving 53 years in prison for two infamous murders. In a brief statement, the governor’s office said it was unlikely that the state’s high court…


Olympic Gold-Medalist, Former South Carolina Assistant Nikki Mccray-Penson Dies at 51

Two-time Olympic gold-medalist and former Tennessee star Nikki McCray-Penson has died. She was 51. McCray-Penson was an assistant women’s basketball coach at Rutgers last season and the school on Friday confirmed her death. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013. She joined coach Dawn Staley as an assistant at South Carolina from 2008–17. She…