AUG. TORNADO SENDS DOZENS TO HOSPITALS
OKLA.» A rare late TULSA, summer tornado smashed into a shopping district early Sunday just hours after it was packed with people, sending more than two dozen people to hospitals including two with life-threatening injuries, many of them from restaurants that were preparing to close or were still open.
No deaths were reported from the tornado that struck shortly after 1 a.m. in the midtown area of Tulsa, according to city of Tulsa spokeswoman Kim Meloy.
National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Teague said the tornado was rated an EF2, with wind speeds of 111-135 mph and that two smaller, “probably” EF0 tornadoes with winds of 65-85 mph were seen shortly afterward on radar near Inola and Claremore, about 25 miles east and northeast of Tulsa.
Joining Arab states, Israel says it plans to ban Al-Jazeera.
Israel said Sunday it plans to ban Qatar’s flagship Al-Jazeera network from operating in the country over allegations it incites violence, joining Arab nations that have shut down the broadcaster amid a separate political dispute. The news organization, in turn, said it will take legal action.
Communications Minister Ayoob Kara said he plans to revoke the press credentials of Al-Jazeera journalists, effectively preventing them from working in Israel.
Kara said he has asked cable and satellite networks to block Al Jazeera transmissions and is seeking legislation to ban them altogether.
Manufacturer says corrosion caused ride to break apart.
Excessive corrosion on a support beam caused a “catastrophic failure” of a thrill ride at the Ohio State Fair that killed an 18-yearold man and injured seven others, the ride’s Dutch manufacturer said in a statement posted Sunday on Facebook.
The statement said KMG officials traveled to the accident scene in Columbus to review video footage of the July 26 accident and conduct metallurgical tests of the beam.
“It was determined that excessive corrosion on the interior of the gondola support beam dangerously reduced the beam’s wall thickness over the years,” the statement said. “This finally led to a catastrophic failure of the ride during operation.”
The company said the spinning and swinging ride called the Fire Ball was 18 years old.
Tyler Jarrell died of blunt force trauma injuries after being tossed 50 feet into the air when the ride broke apart. He was about to begin his senior year in high school and had enlisted in the Marine Corps the week before he was killed.
“Dark Tower” tops slow weekend.
After a decade of development and several postponements, the longawaited Stephen King adaptation “The Dark Tower” debuted with an estimated $19.5 million in North American ticket sales, narrowly edging out the two-week leader “Dunkirk.”
The modest result for “The Dark Tower,” starring Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, was in line with expectations heading into the weekend but well shy of initial hopes for a possible franchise-starter.