"Alaska trooper’s firing over sex ruled unjust" Associated Press May 09, 2014
ANCHORAGE — The Alaska Supreme Court ruled that a state trooper who had consensual sex with a domestic violence victim hours after helping arrest her husband should not have been fired.
The 3-2 court opinion issued last Friday upheld results of arbitration in 2010 between the troopers’ union and the Department of Public Safety, which the state subsequently appealed to the high court, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
‘‘Engaging in sexual conduct with a victim shortly after responding to her call for help, even if consensual, is inappropriate behavior for a state trooper,’’ the justices wrote.
The justices in the majority said if they were deciding the case, they would have likely decided the state has just cause to fire the trooper. However, there is no policy in Alaska to fire someone for off-duty sex with a crime victim.
The trooper, who wasn’t named to protect the identity of the domestic violence victim, later lost his police certification in another manner and is no longer with the agency.
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"1 killed in Arizona skydiving accident" Associated Press April 04, 2014
ELOY, Ariz. — An attempt to set a world skydiving record by having 222 people free-fall from an airplane in formation turned tragic Thursday when one of the jumpers died during the daring effort.
Skydive Arizona blamed the accident on a malfunctioning parachute that was released too low to the ground to allow a reserve parachute to fully open....
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Related: Strange Skydiving Accident in Arizona
Strange stuff in North Carolina:
"Marine Who Fell From Osprey Aircraft in N. Carolina Found Dead
A Marine who fell out of an aircraft on a training exercise in North Carolina has been found dead under its flight path, officials said Wednesday.
Mystery surrounds how the Marine was able to fall out of the cargo door of the Osprey tilt-rota aircraft while it was mid-flight on Monday. Others on board the aircraft failed to immediately realize he was missing, presenting another puzzle for investigators.
It's no mystery to me.
"We did not learn of his fall immediately and we are not sure why," 1st Lt. Hector Alejandro, spokesman for the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, told NBC News on Wednesday. "It's going to be investigated. It is unfortunate the length of time it took, and honestly we don't know how long that was."
The Marine - who was from the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing based at Cherry Point, N.C. - fell from the aircraft at 6.30 a.m. ET Monday near the small town of White Lake, in Bladen County.
Ten helicopters backed up by 100 marines searched for the marine, whose body was found on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. Officials waited until they had informed his next of kin later that day before announcing the discovery.
The Osprey had been performing "touch and go" maneuvers, where a pilot lands and immediately takes off without coming to a stop, at a nearby airport before the incident, Bladen County Emergency Management Director Bradley Kinlaw told NBC News affiliate WECT.
The cargo door of an Osprey - which can take off like a helicopter and fly like a plane - remains open during this exercise but marines are always tethered in accordance with standard operational procedure.
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Back to Arizona:
"Hundreds of firefighters working to stop blaze in canyon as it burns north toward Flagstaff" Associated Press May 23, 2014
KACHINA VILLAGE, Ariz. — Hundreds of firefighters worked Thursday to protect communities on the edge of Flagstaff from a wildfire that is chewing up a scenic Arizona canyon with towering flames and burning entire trees down to nothing but ash.
The Slide Fire started Tuesday and had burned more than 11½ square miles in and around Oak Creek Canyon, a scenic recreation area along a highway between Sedona and Flagstaff.
There have been no reports of injuries or structures burned, although the fire grew tenfold from Wednesday and from 7½ square miles earlier Thursday.
Fire incident commander Tony Sciacca said Thursday night that crews have made good progress and some containment was expected to be announced by Friday morning.
The fire still was 3 to 3½ miles away from the residential areas of Forest Highlands and Katina Village, where 3,200 residents remained under pre-evacuation warnings.
Officials were mindful of the fire’s dangers, as they looked at giant flames shooting up the walls of the canyon and saw how hot the fire was burning in the tinder-dry drought conditions.
‘‘The fuels are just so dry, entire trees are turning to ash,’’ said Dick Fleishman, a spokesman for fire managers.
A primary focus of firefighting efforts will be to pinch off the fire where it has reached the top of the canyon’s northeast corner to keep it from burning northward toward residential areas, he said.
Firefighters are also taking extra steps to make sure they don’t lose communication with crews in the steep canyons.
The weather may help even as winds picked up Thursday afternoon with the prospect of higher humidity and a chance of rain by Friday, Fleishman said. However, he warned that thunderstorms could bring rain and moisture to dampen the blaze, but also lightning strikes that could start more fires and powerful downdrafts that could push the blaze erratically in all directions.
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"Forest Service expands firefighting tanker fleet" Associated Press May 21, 2014
DENVER — As the Obama administration pushes Congress to ensure that enough money is available to fight destructive wildfires, the US Forest Service announced Tuesday that it is adding four aircraft to its firefighting fleet ahead of what’s expected to be another hot, dry summer in the West.
In a statement, the service said it will have a second DC-10 and three smaller planes in service in the coming weeks to support over 10,000 firefighters ‘‘in the face of what is shaping up to be a catastrophic fire season in the southwest.’’
The Forest Service expects to exceed this year’s budget in July, two months before this fiscal year ends. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack discussed 2015 budget proposals by the administration Tuesday in Colorado, where deadly fires in 2012 and 2013 destroyed hundreds of homes.
The 2015 budget request for firefighting is $2.2 billion, up from $2.1 billion in 2014. It also would set up an additional $954 million disaster funding pool, to avoid dipping into fire-prevention programs. Borrowing from other programs would only occur if the $954 million in disaster spending is exhausted.
With its announcement Tuesday, the Forest Service brought its fleet to 21 large air tankers and more than 100 helicopters. About a decade ago the Forest Service had more than 40 of the big tankers at its disposal. According to federal analysts, the fleet hit a low of eight aircraft at one point last year, depleted by age and worries over the ability of the planes to stay in the sky.
In other words, it was neglected all these years in favor of wars and Wall Street.
Colorado’s senators welcomed Tuesday’s Forest Service announcement.
‘‘I am proud the US Forest Service has heeded my calls to aggressively augment its air tanker fleet, but we need to stay vigilant,’’ Senator Mark Udall said.
Senator Michael Bennet said the new tankers ‘‘will be crucial to fighting wildfires and protecting our communities, critical infrastructure, and natural resources.’’
During his stop in Denver, the agriculture secretary also announced prevention measures that include designations to help 94 national forest areas in 35 states address insects and diseases that turn trees into tinder.
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NEXT DAY UPDATE: Cooler, calmer weather aids Ariz. firefighters
Touri$m seems to be the big concern, although I did notice the fire was human-caused.
