In brief: Chicago flights halted by bad weather threat
CHICAGO – The mere threat of stormy weather led airlines to take the unusual step of canceling more than 800 Chicago flights Thursday, a decision that could easily occur again as the nation’s air-traffic control system continues its fragile recovery from a fire at an Aurora facility that directs flights in seven states.
“This would have been a very low-impact day without the fire at the center,” said Gino Izzi, meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “A few flights might be coming in late.”
Nonetheless, delays and cancellations at O’Hare International and Midway airports were likely to spill into today and create a catch-up scenario for the airlines through at least the first part of the weekend, airline officials warned.
The Sept. 26 fire in the Chicago Center in Aurora was set by 36-year-old government contract employee Brian Howard, of Naperville, Illinois, according to federal charges. The alleged act of sabotage knocked the Aurora center offline and led to thousands of flight cancellations and delays. Federal aviation officials have said they are aiming to reopen the center by Oct. 13.
Southern California air is getting healthier
LOS ANGELES – Southern California’s air is getting healthier, and with that the chances of getting cancer from inhaling toxins has fallen significantly.
The risk of cancer from airborne pollutants has dropped by more than 50 percent on average since 2005, according to a study released Thursday by the region’s air quality regulators.
Concerted efforts to reduce emissions from diesel trucks and other vehicles account for much of the drop.
Red Cross worker killed by shelling in Ukraine
DONETSK, Ukraine – A Red Cross worker was killed by shelling in the rebel-held city of Donetsk, the aid group said Thursday.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said Laurent DuPasquier, a 38-year-old Swiss national, died when a shell landed near the group’s office in the eastern Ukrainian city.
15 people dead in blast at factory in Bulgaria
SOFIA, Bulgaria – Fifteen people were confirmed dead Thursday in a blast at an explosives decommissioning factory in northwestern Bulgaria.
Civil Defense chief Nikolai Nikolov said that 13 men and two women perished in the wake of the blast that left craters. Three others were taken to hospital with injuries.
The explosion occurred near the village of Gorni Lom, some 75 miles north of the capital, Sofia, late Wednesday.
At the time of the blast, 12 workers and three people from the plant management were at the site decommissioning Greek land mines.
Inmate died of thirst; criminal probe opens
RALEIGH, N.C. – The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into the death of a North Carolina inmate with mental illness who died of thirst after being held in solitary confinement for 35 days.
A federal grand jury in Raleigh issued two subpoenas Wednesday seeking records from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety concerning inmate Michael Anthony Kerr. AP reported last week that an autopsy determined Kerr died of dehydration on March 12 and was receiving no treatment for his schizophrenia.
Records show the 54-year-old inmate was twice cited with violations by prison staff for flooding his cell in the weeks before his death. A written policy at the North Carolina Department of Public Safety allows prison staff to respond to the “misuse of plumbing facilities” by turning off the water to an inmate’s sink and toilet.
In a statement to AP issued earlier this week, state commissioner of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice David Guice said the water to Kerr’s cell “had not been turned off in the days immediately preceding his death.”