Crash of small plane in N.J. kills 3, injures 22 on ground
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- A small plane that took off in fog and rain crashed in a Newark neighborhood Friday, hurling flaming debris across a city block. All three people aboard were killed and 22 on the ground were injured."Everything was on fire. All the cars on the block were on fire," said Rhonda Savage, 38, who lives in the neighborhood.
The pilot, his wife and teenage daughter were killed, said Pamela E. Goldstein, a spokeswoman for the mayor. The victims' names were not released.
82-year-old Florida man kills great-grandson during tiff
ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. (AP) -- An 82-year-old man shot his great-grandson to death during an argument on Thanksgiving, police said Friday.
Ernest Rodbro was charged with murder in the killing of Brian Adam King, 19, who had lived with his great-grandparents for several years.
Investigators would not disclose details of the argument between Rodbro and King. Pasco County deputies had been called to the home less than two hours before the killing but were told nothing was wrong, spokesman Kevin Doll said.
Woman killed on Vegas Strip as she's chased by boyfriend
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- A man who had been arguing with his girlfriend chased her onto the Strip, where she was hit by a car and killed, police said.
Steven Jensen of Las Vegas was charged with murder after the incident Thursday. Police quoted witnesses as saying he had been threatening the woman as she ran into traffic.
The victim's name was not released.
3-hour chase ends in death of driver in S. California
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- A man who led authorities on a three-hour, televised chase through Southern California was fatally shot Friday by a law officer. The chase shut down a freeway and created gridlock near malls on the busiest shopping day of the year.
The man, whose name was not released, died at Scripps Mercy Hospital within 40 minutes of the shooting on I-805, said hospital spokeswoman Kristina Murden.
Airline to probe allegation that pilot left to fetch meal
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- Northwest Airlines will investigate passengers' complaints that a pilot kept them waiting 90 minutes while he fetched a special meal.
Peggy Thomas of Ann Arbor said she was aboard a flight from Las Vegas, awaiting takeoff Tuesday morning, when the co-pilot told passengers there would be a delay.
"He said the pilot is hungry, hadn't eaten and will only eat certain food. They were supposed to bring his food, but when it wasn't brought, he left, and he had no idea when he would be back," she said.
Assessor agrees to end bias in tax exemption cases
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) -- A county tax assessor has agreed to stop refusing to give property tax reductions to residents who can't speak English very well.
Madison County Tax Assessor Wayland Cooley was sued in 1996 by a Dominican couple and a Korean woman who said they were forced to overpay about $400 each year because Cooley wouldn't give them homestead exemptions and other waivers.
Cooley, 83, had said immigrants should learn to speak English.
As part of a settlement approved Tuesday by a judge, Cooley agreed to give standard tax exemptions to property owners who don't speak English, as long as they bring along interpreters when they apply.
1,500 pounds of cocaine seized from ships in Miami
MIAMI (AP) -- Customs inspectors found almost 1,500 pounds of cocaine stashed in two small cargo ships that docked on the Miami River this week after voyages from Haiti, officials said Friday.
One ship, the Sylvania Express II, arrived Wednesday, and 832 pounds of the drug were found in the mast during a routine customs inspection, spokeswoman Norma Morfa said.
The other ship, the Biak, arrived Tuesday. Federal drug agents and sheriff's deputies found 656 pounds of cocaine in a hidden compartment in a cargo hold, Morfa said.
Flooding, slides in Oregon strand holiday motorists
TILLAMOOK, Ore. (AP) -- Heavy rains, overflowing rivers and mudslides forced evacuations and closed highways Friday around Oregon, stranding many Thanksgiving holiday travelers.
The northern Oregon coast bore the brunt of the storm, with Lincoln County and Tillamook virtually cut off from the rest of the state after several highways were closed.
"I don't know who invited La Nina to Thanksgiving dinner," said Ron Scheele of the Oregon Department of Transportation. "We didn't think she was on the guest list."
Over the past week, almost 10 inches of rain has fallen in Tillamook, which is about 60 miles west of Portland.
Hundreds of turkeys die in Minnesota traffic crash
HAWICK, Minn. (AP) -- Hundreds of turkeys that had escaped the Thanksgiving oven died early Friday in a traffic crash.
Around 3:40 a.m., a semi-trailer truck loaded with 1,200 live turkeys left Highway 23 in west-central Minnesota and rolled over. The driver, 28-year-old Jesse Cobb, suffered cuts and broken bones.
Cobb had just picked up the turkeys from a farm and was on his way to the Jennie-O Foods plant in Willmar when the accident happened, spokesman Jerry Struxness said.
Live, dead and dying turkeys were strewn along the highway and ditch. Jennie-O, one of the nation's largest turkey processors, sent crews to help with cleanup. Live turkeys were transferred to another truck.
Flier denies charges he interfered with plane crew
BOSTON (AP) -- A man whose alleged belligerence forced a London-bound plane to stop in Boston to drop him off pleaded not guilty Friday to charges that he interfered with the flight crew and assaulted a flight attendant.
Hussam Jaber, 33, of Murfreesboro, Tenn., was arrested Wednesday at Logan International Airport after American Airlines Flight 78, which originated in Dallas, made an unscheduled landing around 10 p.m. to drop him off.
His attorney, Michael Cerulli, did not deny Jaber was drinking but said that because his client was served six drinks by flight attendants, the crew shared some responsibility for the bad behavior.