In brief: Family death a mystery
SPRINGVILLE, Utah – A preliminary autopsy has ruled out any violent assault in the deaths of five Utah family members including three children, police said Sunday.
There was no evidence of stabbing or gunshot wounds or other visible injuries to the five found dead Saturday night in their home in Springville, about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City, investigators said.
The five were identified Sunday as Benjamin Strack, 37, his wife, Kristi, 36, and three of their children, Benson, 14, Emery, 12, and Zion, 11.
Police Lt. Dave Caron said the cause of death has not been determined, and will not be until an analysis of blood samples is concluded. The medical examiner’s office provided no time frame for the release of results of laboratory testing.
The bodies were found shortly before 8 p.m. in the parents’ bedroom by an older son, who went to the duplex after he did not hear from the family as expected, according to investigators. His name was not released.
Crash victims identified
LANCASTER, N.Y. – Authorities have identified the pilot and child who were killed in a collision involving two small planes at an event to introduce children to aviation in western New York.
Officials tell the Buffalo News that 78-year-old Anthony Mercurio and 14-year-old James Metz died in the Saturday morning collision about 6 miles from Buffalo-Lancaster Regional Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the midair crash involved a Cessna 172 and a SeaRey amateur-built aircraft.
Drought hurting harvest
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – With harvest time across California, many of the state’s once-robust crops – from the grapes that make world-famous wines to popular almonds – are anticipated to be smaller than usual this year due to the state’s historic drought.
The water shortage has also led to shrinking orange and pistachio crops as well, the Sacramento Bee reported Sunday. Farmers in rural California are expected to feel the effect as an estimated 420,000 acres of farmland, or about 5 percent of the total, has gone unplanted this year, according to the newspaper.
Also, economists at the University of California, Davis said agriculture, once a $44 billion annual business in California, will suffer a financial hit of $2.2 billion due to revenue losses and higher water costs.
Another important crop affected by the drought is rice, which is served in restaurants across the country and exported to Asia. About 140,000 acres, roughly one-fourth of California’s rice fields, went fallow this year, according to the California Rice Commission.