NATION BRIEFING Arizona chief hires former prosecutor to review use of force
Downed power lines sparked California fires
SAN FRANCISCO – A dozen wildfires that burned thousands of homes in California’s wine country and killed at least 15 people last October were started by Pacific Gas & Electric power lines, state fire officials said.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection found falling trees and tree limbs hitting power lines were the most common cause, but one fire erupted after PG&E tried to re-energize a downed line, investigators found.
The dozen blazes were part of the deadliest series of wildfires in California history, which killed 44 people, destroyed 8,800 structures and forced more than 100,000 people to evacuate.
Nearly $1.5 billion was spent fighting fires and on recovery north of San Francisco in October, including debris removal and infrastructure repair
Magnitude 4.4 earthquake shakes Oklahoma
CHEROKEE, Okla. – The U.S. Geological Survey says a 4.4 magnitude earthquake shook parts of northern Oklahoma and neighboring Kansas.
Geologists say the earthquake was recorded at 8:59 a.m. Saturday about 100 miles northwest of Oklahoma City at a depth of five miles.
News outlets in Wichita, Kansas, which is about 75 miles northeast of the earthquake’s epicenter, reported feeling the quake. No injuries or damage was reported.
Thousands of recent earthquakes in Oklahoma have been linked to the underground injection of wastewater from oil and natural gas production.
MESA, Ariz. – The beating of a 33-year-old man and the rough treatment of a teenager prompted the chief of a suburban Arizona police department to enlist a former prosecutor Friday to investigate the encounters.
Mesa Police Chief Ramon Batista said the body camera footage of the two incidents last month left him “angry and deeply disappointed.”
He hired former Maricopa County attorney Richard M. Romley to ensure transparency and accountability in the probe.
The police department in nearby Scottsdale will investigate and make recommendations to prosecutors about possible charges.
On Friday night, about two dozen people marched in the streets near police headquarters in Mesa to protest the officers’ actions.