In brief: State’s air tanker fleet grounded after crash

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. – California’s fleet of 22 air tankers was grounded Wednesday after one of the planes crashed while battling a wildfire in Yosemite National Park, killing the pilot.

A National Park Service helicopter and air tankers from the U.S. Forest Service were filling the gap and assisting firefighters tackling the blaze that prompted the evacuation of 60 homes in the community of Foresta, park spokeswoman Kari Cobb said.

The crash occurred Tuesday as four California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection aircraft, including three tankers, fought the blaze as it climbed a steep canyon wall north of the Merced River, Tolmachoff said.

The body of pilot Geoffrey “Craig” Hunt was recovered Wednesday.

Swarming bees kill man, injure another

DOUGLAS, Ariz. – One landscaper is dead and another critically injured after the men were stung by swarming bees in southern Arizona.

Douglas Fire Department officials said the incident occurred Wednesday as the landscapers were working on a home.

One man later died at a hospital.

A hive was found inside the home’s attic and a beekeeper later exterminated it after parts of the roof of the home were torn off. Authorities say there were thousands of bees in the swarm that attacked the two men.

Monument designation set for San Gabriels

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is planning to designate 346,000 acres within the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles as a national monument, a step supporters say will ensure better stewardship in one of the nation’s most heavily visited forests but that worries some local officials because of potential restrictions.

A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of Friday’s announcement, said Obama’s order will ensure the land is permanently protected.

The San Gabriel Mountains are a popular recreation area, and more than 15 million people live within a 90-minute drive. The White House says the designation builds on more than a decade of support for additional protections from various business and environmental groups, as well as members of Congress.

Pot pop goes boom at cannabis store

BELLINGHAM – Bottles of legal marijuana-infused soda delivered to a Bellingham pot shop started exploding on the store shelf.

The manager of Top Shelf Cannabis, Zach Henifin, told KOMO News that “it sounded like a shotgun going off.”

No one was injured at the store.

The sparkling pomegranate soda was made by Mirth Provisions and delivered Sept. 28. Employees found a sticky mess the next day and heard and saw bottles randomly explode.

Mirth Provisions founder Adam Stites said there was too much yeast in the soda and fermentation caused excess carbon dioxide to build up, causing the explosions.

Council members vote themselves big raise

BOSTON – Boston City Council members approved giving themselves a nearly 23 percent pay raise Wednesday, despite threats of a possible veto by Mayor Martin Walsh.

Council members voted 9-4 to raise their annual pay from $87,500 to $107,500, effective January 2016.

The mayor has 15 days to take action on the pay raise. The council could override his veto with a two-thirds majority.

The new salary would boost Boston council pay beyond those earned in a number of U.S. cities with populations between 625,000 and 650,000 residents, including Nashville, Tennessee, $15,000; Baltimore, $61,383 and Denver, $78,173.