Documents: Firefighters could be fired for Bryant photos
Court documents say two Los Angeles County firefighters could be fired and a third suspended after first responders took and shared graphic photos from the site of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his teenage daughter and seven others.
US officials: Pilot error caused Kobe Bryant chopper crash
Officials believe Zobayan may have also felt โcontinuation bias,โ an unconscious tendency among pilots to stick with the original plan despite changing conditions. The crash led to widespread public mourning for the retired basketball star and several lawsuits, and prompted state and federal legislation. But NTSB investigator-in-charge Bill English said the system, which was not on the helicopter, would probably not have prevented the crash. Federal lawmakers have sponsored the Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act to mandate the warning systems on all helicopters carrying six or more passengers. Island Express Helicopters Inc. denied responsibility and said the crash was โan act of Godโ that it could not control.
With COVID-19 surging, swimmers return to racing in the US
Irvine is hosting about 240 swimmers โ a mix of national team members, collegians and high schoolers โ competing outdoors under strict safety guidelines at a time when COVID-19 is surging again in many parts of the country. Ryan Lochte, seeking to make his fifth Olympic team at age 36, is competing at the U.S. Open site in Sarasota, Florida. Swimmers enter the complex through a designated spot and follow a progression from the warm-up pool, competition pool, warm-down pool and exit. The number of swimmers who can be in the same lane training at the same time is limited to a maximum of four. Multiple sessions are being staged to keep the number of swimmers at the complex at one time lower.
Evacuation orders lifted for many Californians who fled fire
On Wednesday, evacuation orders were lifted for all residents in the city of Irvine about 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of Los Angeles, which saw more than a quarter of its 280,000 people forced from their homes. Evacuation orders also were lifted for the nearby Blue Ridge Fire, where thousands of people in Yorba Linda and neighboring communities had been under orders to flee. The Southern California Edison utility reported to state officials that it was investigating whether its equipment might have sparked the blaze. In Northern California, power had been restored to nearly all residents, according to PG&E. On Wednesday, authorities in Northern California said a man injured last month in a blaze in Butte County died of his injuries.
Utility: Winds too weak to cut power before California fire
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)LOS ANGELES โ Facing extreme wildfire conditions this week that included hurricane-level winds, the main utility in Northern California cut power to nearly 1 million people while its counterpart in Southern California pulled the plug on just 30 customers to prevent power lines and other electrical equipment from sparking a blaze. Red flag warnings of extreme fire danger expired and easing winds allowed PG&E to begin restoring power after the largest of five safety shutoffs this year. At its peak, PG&E cut power to about 345,000 customers โ nearly 1 million people โ in 34 counties. As of Tuesday night, only about 2,000 of Edison's 5 million customers were without power, according to an outage website. โObviously, you can say in retrospect that it would have been better if SCE cut power where the line was.
Utility says its equipment may have sparked California blaze
In a report to the state Public Utilities Commission, Southern California Edison said it was investigating whether its electrical equipment caused the blaze. However, the utility had reduced that to under 16,500 as winds eased temporarily Monday night. Fire officials said PG&E transmission lines sparked that fire, which destroyed hundreds of homes and caused nearly 100,000 people to flee. While the biggest fires in California have been fully or significantly contained, more than 5,000 firefighters remain committed to 20 blazes, state fire officials said. Associated Press writer Amy Taxin in Orange County, California contributed to this report.
Texas joins Trump administration's lawsuit against Google, arguing the tech company has a monopoly
Texas joined the Trump administrationโs lawsuit against Google, accusing the tech giant of monopolizing the search engine market and controlling how online ads are bought and sold, according to the suit filed Tuesday morning. Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement that the multi-billion dollar company engaged in anticompetitive and exclusionary practices that eliminate competition for internet searches and search advertising. โGoogleโs anticompetitive business strategies have disrupted the competitive process, reduced consumer choice, and stifled innovation,โ Paxton said. The investigation was the first major U.S. antitrust action against Google in about a decade. Paxton said the federal government repeatedly failed to take action against Google and Silicon Valley.