In brief: Balcony collapse that killed six students blamed on rotted beams

Berkeley, Calif. – The balcony collapse that killed six college students appears to have been caused by rotted wooden beams, Berkeley’s mayor said Wednesday as the victims’ heartbroken loved ones began arriving in the U.S. from Ireland.

Mayor Tom Bates said investigators believe the wood was not caulked and sealed properly at the time of construction and was damaged by moisture as a result.

The crowded fifth-floor balcony broke off an apartment building during a 21st-birthday party early Tuesday held by visiting Irish college students, dumping 13 people 50 feet onto the pavement. In addition to the six killed, seven were seriously hurt.

Building inspectors determined Wednesday that another balcony at the Library Gardens apartment complex was “structurally unsafe and presented a collapse hazard.” They ordered it demolished. Two other balconies were red-tagged, or declared off-limits, at the apartments, which were completed in 2007 and are popular among visiting students and those at the nearby University of California, Berkeley.

Near miss on Chicago runway spurs probe

Chicago – Two passenger jets began to take off at the same time on intersecting runways at Chicago’s Midway International Airport, prompting a controller to shout over the radio for one of the pilots to halt to avoid a collision, aviation officials said Wednesday.

The Federal Aviation Administration was investigating Tuesday night’s near miss in which each plane stopped about 2,000 feet from the runway intersection.

Southwest Airlines Flight 3828 to Tulsa, Oklahoma, had been cleared for takeoff and was speeding down the runway. At the same time, an air traffic controller saw Delta Air Lines Flight 1328 to Atlanta beginning to take off on the intersecting runway without proper clearance, the FAA said.

“1328, stop, stop stop!” the controller shouted, according to audio posted on the website LiveATC.net.

“1328 stopping,” the pilot answered in a calm voice, before the controller directed both planes to different taxiways.

Group says IRS cuts hinder enforcement

Washington – Budget cuts to the IRS are hampering the agency’s efforts to uncover tax cheats, an agency watchdog said Wednesday, and more trims are on the way under legislation approved by a GOP-controlled House panel.

IRS budget cuts are hurting tax collections because there are fewer agents chasing delinquent taxpayers, according to a report released Wednesday by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. The IRS budget has been cut by $1.2 billion since 2010.

The House Appropriations Committee approved IRS cuts of $900 million more on Wednesday on a party-line vote. A huge $153 billion measure funding the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education won initial approval as well.

Enforcement revenue collected by the officers dropped from a high of $3.3 billion in 2012 to $3 billion last year, even as the economy improved.

During that time, the number of revenue officers has been cut by nearly a third, to less than 3,000.

The IRS’ overloaded phone system also hung up on more than 8 million taxpayers this filing season and forced millions more to wait on hold for 30 minutes or longer to get help on their returns.

Tiger from zoo shot after fatal mauling

Tbilisi, Georgia – A rare white tiger that escaped from the Tbilisi zoo during recent floods viciously mauled two men, killing one, local media reported Wednesday.

The tiger was found and shot dead, the InterpressNews site reported, citing the Interior Ministry. The animal reportedly attacked the men as they approached it hiding in a warehouse.

Dozens of animals – including lions, tigers, bears, a crocodile and a hippopotamus – fled the zoo as it was flooded by the overflowing Vere River amid heavy rainfall over the weekend. Many of the animals deemed dangerous were shot to death by city authorities.

The zoo reportedly lost as many as 300 animals during the flood. Many of them drowned.