SHARK! THE HERALD ANGELS SING
EXPLOSIVE TRACES FOUND ON VICTIMS OF EGYPTAIR FLIGHT
Traces of explosives have been found on some of the victims of the EgyptAir plane that crashed into the Mediterranean earlier this year, sparking a criminal investigation into the incident, Egypt’s Civil Aviation Ministry announced Thursday.
The crash of Flight 804 from Paris to Cairo killed all 66 people aboard on May 19. Investigators have said alarms heard on the plane’s recorders suggested sensors detected smoke in a lavatory on the Airbus A320 and problems with the cockpit windows. France opened a criminal investigation in June. — Bart Jansen
TRAVEL HAVOC LIKELY AS WINTER STORM MOVES EAST
Parts of Oregon could get a foot more of snow Thursday, as a winter storm that already hammered Portland creeps across northern states this weekend from the Rocky Mountains to the upper Great Lakes region, threatening blizzard conditions in Denver and Chicago.
Thousands of vehicles ground to a halt in Portland on Wednesday, as they inched across the city's snow-covered streets peppered with accidents. Vehicles littered Interstate 5.
As the storm moves east, travel disruptions are expected at airports and on roads across 1,200 miles of the central United States. Through Saturday, the heaviest snow will range from the Rocky Mountains across the northern Plains states and the upper Midwest, forecasters said.
— Bart Jansen
COP’S LAWYER: CASTILE ‘STONED’ BEFORE SHOOTING
The attorneys for the Minnesota police officer who fatally shot Philando Castile called on a judge Thursday to dismiss manslaughter and other charges against their client, arguing Castile was “stoned” and his actions contributed to his death.
The push for dismissal of charges against St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez comes as the Justice Department prepared Thursday to formally announce plans to conduct a comprehensive review of the police department in suburban St. Paul, which has faced nationwide scrutiny following the controversial incident in July.
Yanez was charged last month with second-degree manslaughter and two counts of dangerous discharge of a firearm for the fatal shooting of Castile following a traffic stop.