In brief: Arizona sued over handling of wildfire that killed 19 Hotshots

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Dozens of property owners in central Arizona are suing the state, saying it failed miserably in its management of a wildfire that killed 19 Hotshots.

The lawsuit seeks damages for emotional distress, property loss and loss of income. The more than 160 plaintiffs also are seeking protections for firefighters such as the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots who were overrun by flames while battling the Yarnell Hill Fire on June 30, 2013.

The lightning-sparked wildfire destroyed 127 homes in and around Yarnell before it was contained on July 10.

“There was ample time, and they had the resources to put the fire out when it started, and they didn’t,” said Craig Knapp, attorney for property owners.

Two killed, 7 hurt in Miami shooting

MIAMI – Two people were killed and seven others were wounded in a shooting early Tuesday in the Miami neighborhood of Liberty City that has been plagued by violence, police said.

One victim was pronounced dead at the scene and the others who were shot or injured were taken to a nearby trauma center, where the second victim died.

At the crime scene, the sidewalk was littered with dozens of spent shell casings and people said they were afraid to talk about the shooting.

Researcher faces fraud charges

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Federal prosecutors have taken the rare step of filing charges against a scientist after he admitted falsifying data that led to millions in grants and hopes of a breakthrough in AIDS vaccine research.

Investigators say former Iowa State University laboratory manager Dong-Pyou Han, 57, has confessed to spiking samples of rabbit blood with human antibodies to make an experimental HIV vaccine appear to have great promise. After years of work and millions in National Institutes of Health grants, another laboratory uncovered irregularities that suggested the results were bogus.

Civil Rights Act 50; Kings honored

WASHINGTON – Congressional leaders commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act on Tuesday by posthumously bestowing the Congressional Gold Medal upon Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King, for their efforts in passing the landmark legislation.

The Kings’ children accepted the honor in the Capitol Rotunda.