Nation & World Watch
vRiverside, Calif.: Plane hits homes, killing 3
Three people died and two were injured, one critically, when a small plane carrying them home from a cheerleading competition slammed into two Southern California homes and sparked a raging fire, authorities and witnesses said. The twin-engine plane with five occupants had just taken off from Riverside Municipal Airport at 4:40 p.m. Monday intending to return to San Jose after the weekend Disneyland event when it crashed about a mile away in the residential neighborhood, Riverside Fire Chief Michael Moore said.
One of the survivors was hospitalized with critical burns, and the other was in stable condition, police Officer Ryan Railsback said Tuesday. He said both were adult women recovering after undergoing surgery.
One of the houses was empty at the time, and a man escaped the neighboring home without suffering injuries.
vRaleigh, N.C.: Efforts stall to repeal ‘bathroom bill’
A new proposal to repeal North Carolina’s “bathroom bill” appears stuck as Republican lawmakers and the new Democratic governor disagree about empowering local governments to expand LGBT rights. The impasse worries state boosters because time is running out before the NCAA decides whether to prevent North Carolina sites from hosting championship events through 2022. The law, which requires transgender people to use restrooms in public buildings that correspond to the sex on their birth certificates, has cost North Carolina some conventions, concerts and business expansions.
vGrovetown, Ga.: Teen mistaken for burglar, killed
Authorities say a man fatally shot a suspected intruder without realizing that his 14-year-old daughter had let the teenager into the home in east Georgia.
Columbia County sheriff’s Maj. Steve Morris said Grovetown homeowner Derrick Fulton killed 17-year-old Jordan Middleton while investigating noises he heard downstairs about 3 a.m. Saturday.
Investigators say Fulton’s daughter had let Middleton into the home. No charges were immediately filed.
vUnited Nations: Russia, China veto Syria sanctions
Russia and China have vetoed a Western-backed U.N. resolution that would have imposed sanctions on 21 Syrian individuals, organizations and companies allegedly involved in chemical weapons attacks in the war-ravaged country.
The defeated Security Council resolution would also have banned all countries from supplying Syria’s government with helicopters, which investigators have determined were used in chemical attacks.
In addition to China and Russia, Bolivia also voted “no.”
Three countries abstained: Egypt, Ethiopia and Kazakhstan.
vFrance: Cop accidentally fires at Hollande speech
A police sharpshooter accidentally fired his weapon during a speech by French President Francois Hollande, and two people were slightly injured, the top official of France’s Charente region said Tuesday. Pierre N’Gahane said the incident occurred while Hollande was inaugurating a new fast train line in the western town of Villognon.
The regional prefect said the gendarme, or military police officer, was located on a high spot, “his regular position,” when his weapon was fired.
N’Gahane said a judicial probe has been launched under the supervision of the local prosecutor. An administrative inquiry will also be carried out, and the gendarme will have to give an account of what happened, he said.