Health worker blasts quarantine process
NEWARK, N.J. – The health-care worker who was quarantined at a New Jersey hospital because she had contact with Ebola patients in West Africa is sharply criticizing the way her case has been handled.
Kaci Hickox, the first traveler quarantined under Ebola watches in New Jersey and New York, gave a first-person account to The Dallas Morning News, which was posted on the paper’s website Saturday.
Hickox said she was stopped at Newark Liberty International and questioned over several hours after touching down Friday. None of those who questioned her would explain what was going on or what would happen to her, she said.
Hickox is a nurse who had been working with Doctors Without Borders in Sierra Leone. Officials said she was taken to a hospital after developing a fever, but Hickox said she was merely flushed because she was upset by the process. She tested negative for Ebola in a preliminary evaluation.
Washington teacher tried to stop shooter
TULALIP, Wash. – A newly hired teacher confronted a gunman and was being hailed as a hero on Saturday after a deadly shooting rampage in the cafeteria of a Washington state high school.
First-year social studies teacher intervened in the attack on Friday at Marysville-Pilchuck High School, teachers union president Randy Davis said.
The teacher intercepted the gunman as he paused, possibly trying to reload, student Erick Cervantes told KIRO-TV.
The attacker killed one girl on Friday and seriously wounded four others – including two of his cousins – before he died of what police said was a self-inflicted wound.
It wasn’t clear if the shooter committed suicide or if he accidentally shot himself in the struggle with the teacher.
Hawaiian lava flow prompts warning
HONOLULU – Hawaii authorities on Saturday told residents near an active lava flow to prepare for a possible evacuation in the next three to five days.
Officials are going door-to-door to keep residents informed of the lava’s movement, Hawaii County Civil Defense said in a statement.
The lava crossed a country road on the edge of Pahoa town at 3:50 a.m., the agency said. It was moving northeast toward the Pahoa cemetery and the town’s main road at about 10 yards per hour.
Kilauea volcano on the Big Island has been erupting continuously since 1983. Most lava from this eruption has flowed south. But the lava has flowed to the northeast over the past two years.
Ukraine pauses before decisive vote
MARIUPOL, Ukraine – Ukraine braced for decisive parliamentary elections Saturday against the backdrop of unrest in eastern regions roiled by conflict between government troops and pro-Russian separatist forces.
Campaigning material was being taken down across the country in line with election laws ahead of a vote today that pollsters say will be dominated by President Petro Poroshenko’s party.
Parliament is seen changing composition completely with the former ruling party of ex-President Viktor Yanukovych – who was ousted by a street revolt in February – set to disappear from the legislature.
Speaking in a televised address Saturday, Poroshenko said the election would lead to a “full reset of power” and enable the formation of a reform-minded legislature.
Parties expected to enter into parliament all broadly share a pro-Western line and are united in their calls to tackle rampant corruption and undertake root-and-branch economic reforms.
Associated Press
