In brief: Three rescued, two missing in crash

SAN DIEGO – Three of the five people aboard a U.S. Navy helicopter that crashed in the Red Sea have been rescued and efforts to find the other two are continuing, the Navy said Sunday.

The three who were rescued are in stable condition, the Navy said.

The MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter, assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 6 from North Island Naval Air Station in Coronado, Calif., was operating from the guided-missile destroyer William Lawrence when it crashed.

The crash was not due to hostile action, the Navy’s 5th Fleet said.

The Nimitz strike group was ordered into the Red Sea amid tension between the U.S. and Syria over the use of chemical weapons during the Syrian civil war.

U.S. gas price falls, averages $3.52

CAMARILLO, Calif. – The average price of regular gasoline in the U.S. has dropped 6 cents a gallon during the past two weeks.

Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said Sunday that a gallon of regular now costs $3.52 on average.

Of the cities surveyed in the Lower 48 states, San Francisco has the highest price at $4.01 a gallon. Charleston, S.C., has the lowest at $3.14 a gallon.

Florida worker saved from tar tank

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A worker at a Florida asphalt plant has been rescued after getting stuck in a tank of tar.

The Florida Times-Union reported the 45-year-old man was using a steel cutter inside the tank Friday afternoon at Atlantic Coast Asphalt in Jacksonville.

The man was fine inside the tank as long as he was moving around. But Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department spokesman Tom Francis said the worker’s movements slowed and his lower legs got stuck in the tar.

Rescue crews used peanut oil to loosen the tar from his legs. The man was hooked up to a breathing apparatus to protect him from the heat and fumes inside the tank.

The worker’s name has not been released. Francis said he was never in life-threatening condition.

Air Force launches missile’s test flight

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – The U.S. Air Force has launched an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile from the California coast in a test flight.

The Minuteman 3 blasted off around 3 a.m. Sunday from an underground silo at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles. It was supposed to travel 4,200 miles to a predetermined target in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.

A statement by the Air Force Global Strike Command did not include results of the test.

Boston police’s Davis steps down

BOSTON – Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis, who led his department’s response to the Boston Marathon bombing, is stepping down, a department spokeswoman said Sunday.

Davis gave his resignation to Mayor Thomas Menino and will hold a news conference today to discuss his future plans, police spokeswoman Cheryl Fiandaca said.

Davis was thrust into the national spotlight on April 15 when twin explosions near the marathon finish line killed three people and wounded more than 260.