Alaska
Dozens of aftershocks expected after 7.0 quake
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Dozens of noticeable aftershocks above magnitude 4.0 are expected in the remote Aleutian Island region off Alaska in the days and weeks following a major 7.0 earthquake.
Alaska state seismologist Michael West says a dozen measurable aftershocks have already hit the region since Friday’s quake, including one reaching 6.1 in strength.
None of the aftershocks are expected to cause a notable tsunami, since the initial quake did not cause one.
West says the Aleutian Island area is a major earthquake center, where temblors above magnitude 5.0 are felt every month.
New York
4 kids dead after house fire
ELMIRA, N.Y. – A fire tore through a home, spewing flames from the windows and killing four children, neighbors said.
The four victims had been pulled from the burning upstate New York home by firefighters and medics but died later.
The blaze swept through the two-story home, on a tidy block in the riverside city of Elmira, south of New York’s Finger Lakes near the Pennsylvania border, on Friday night. Fire officials said the building was engulfed in flames when they arrived.
Police didn’t immediately release the names and ages of the victims but confirmed on Saturday that children were among them.
Neighbor Glen Bolt told the Elmira Star-Gazette that he ran across the street when he saw flames pouring out of the home’s windows and front door. He said the children in the home ranged in age from around 5 to 15.
Nevada
Burning Man crowd tops 61,000
RENO, Nev. – A federal official says more than 61,000 people have turned out so far for the weekend Burning Man outdoor art and music festival in the Black Rock Desert of northern Nevada.
U.S. Bureau of Land Management spokesman Mark Turney said Saturday that gate management was tightened Friday when organizers got close to a permitted capacity of 68,000.
Turney says the crowd ebbs and flows at the festival taking place about 100 miles north of Reno.
He says organizers reported one person was flown to a hospital by medical helicopter this week after being struck by a vehicle.
No other serious incidents have been reported.
California
Smoke from Sierra fire reaches Yosemite Valley
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. – Dense smoke from a wildfire burning in and around Yosemite National Park on Saturday hampered both suppression efforts and the prized views sought by holiday weekend tourists.
For the first time since the blaze broke out in a neighboring forest two weeks ago, smoke obscured Yosemite Valley, home to the park’s most popular landmarks, spokeswoman Kari Cobb said.
All the campgrounds in the Valley still were full as of Saturday morning, despite the thick blanket and burning smell that permeated the area, she said.
Meanwhile, firefighting aircraft remained grounded because of low visibility caused by the smoke, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Mark Healey said. The blaze had scorched 343 square miles of brush, oaks and pines and 11 homes, as of Saturday.
Washington, D.C.
Naval Academy sex assault hearing postponed
WASHINGTON – A military hearing on sexual assault accusations against three U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen has been postponed because the alleged victim says she is too fatigued to testify.
The woman said she was tired at the start of the Saturday morning hearing at the Washington Navy Yard. The hearing will resume Sunday to give the woman a chance to recuperate from a week of difficult cross-examination.
The woman, who is now a senior at the academy, also has noted her fatigue on the past two days.
The hearing is being held to determine whether the three former football players will face a court-martial.
The woman allegedly was sexually assaulted at an April 2012 party after a night of heavy drinking. She says she doesn’t remember having sex with the men.
Associated Press
