In brief: Several killed in small plane crash

RENO, Nev. – A small, single-engine plane crashed shortly after takeoff from the airport on Lake Tahoe’s south shore, and authorities said several people were killed.

The single-engine plane burst into flames upon impact late Saturday night in a wooded area near South Lake Tahoe, Calif., said El Dorado County sheriff’s Lt. Pete Van Arnum. The crash started a one-acre fire that took more than 90 minutes to put out, he said.

The aircraft is registered to Francisco J. Delamora, of Fresno, Calif.

Delamora is owner of Jdm Transport Inc., a trucking company based in Fresno, said Jose Lopez, a company dispatcher. Delamora took a “personal trip” to Lake Tahoe for the day Saturday with his wife, Lorena, a 7-year-old daughter and two friends, and had planned to return the same day, Lopez said.

“We’re waiting to hear from the FAA,” Lopez said. He declined to comment further.

Much of the wreckage was destroyed by the fire, making identification of the plane and victims difficult, Arnum said. Authorities wouldn’t release any information about the victims until positive identifications have been made, he said.

Witnesses said the plane had apparent engine problems and dipped downward while attempting a turn just north of Lake Tahoe Airport.

Grizzly’s victim was photographer

A man killed by a grizzly bear in Alaska’s Denali National Park last week was identified Sunday as a 49-year-old San Diego photographer who had been taking pictures of the animal for at least seven to eight minutes before the attack, park officials said.

Richard White was between 50 and 100 yards away from the bear that ultimately mauled him Friday, according to images found on his camera, park spokeswoman Maureen McLaughlin said. He is the first person to die in a bear attack in the history of the park, which covers 4.7 million acres.

Typhoon strikes Japanese islands

TOKYO – More than 75,000 households lacked power on Monday after a powerful typhoon lashed the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, injuring four people but doing less damage than feared before moving off to sea.

Weather officials had warned that Typhoon Bolaven would be the strongest to hit the region in several years, but its gusts weren’t as powerful as predicted.

Disaster authorities reported no major damage as of early Monday aside from the blackouts.

Thousands remained without power on Okinawa and the nearby Amami islands as heavy rain and winds continued today. Many schools and government offices were closed because of the blackouts. Much of the public transportation system – including buses, shipping and airlines – had also not been restored, officials said.

The center of the slow-moving storm, the 15th of the season, passed over the island late Sunday and was moving northwest into the East China Sea on Monday. It could affect coastal areas of South Korea by Tuesday, weather officials said.

Florida ex-governor endorses Obama

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said he’s backing President Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential race.

The former Republican made the announcement in an op-ed piece published in Sunday’s Tampa Bay Times. The endorsement came as Republicans are gathering in the Tampa Bay area for the GOP convention.

Crist left the Republican Party during his unsuccessful bid for a U.S. Senate seat in 2010 and is currently registered as having no party affiliation. He was elected governor of Florida as a Republican in 2006.

In the piece, Crist wrote he’s “confident that President Barack Obama is the right leader for our state and the nation.”