Helicopter crashes north of Phoenix,no survivors

PHOENIX — Authorities say a helicopter has crashed north of Phoenix.<br /><br /><img abp="1" height="480" src="http://wfxt.images.worldnow.com/images/943765_G.jpg" width="640" /><br /><br />Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office Dwight D’Evelyn said the crash occurred Saturday just before noon near Mayer. He said preliminary reports show that there are no survivors.<br /><br /><div><div>D’Evelyn says the helicopter was privately owned.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was not known how many were on board.</div><div><br /></div><div><img abp="1" height="480" src="http://media.komonews.com/images/100215_phoenix_crash.jpg" width="640" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Witnesses told authorities that they saw flames and black smoke at the time of the crash.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mayer Fire Department Battalion Fire Chief Michael McGhee told KNXV-TV that the UH1 model helicopter crashed nose first along Interstate 17 near Mile Post 268.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mayer is about 70 miles north of Phoenix and is located near Black Canyon City and Cordes Lakes.</div><div><br /></div><div>No further details were available.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><img abp="1" height="480" src="http://wfxt.images.worldnow.com/images/943766_G.jpg" width="640" /></div>

Helicopter crashes north of Phoenix,no survivors

PHOENIX — Authorities say a helicopter has crashed north of Phoenix. Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office Dwight D’Evelyn said the crash occurred...

Insulation fire reported at Arizona nuclear plant.

<a href="http://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/reactor/palo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/reactor/palo.jpg" /></a>PHOENIX — The Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station declared an unusual event when oil-soaked insulation behind a water pump caught fire, officials said Tuesday.<br /><br /><br />The Monday night fire did not interrupt power production at the three-reactor plant located 50 miles west of downtown Phoenix, and Arizona Public Service Co. said the plant continued to run normally Tuesday.<br /><br />An unusual event is the lowest of four emergency levels for nuclear power plants.<br /><br />APS told the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission that there was no release of radioactive material and no threat to public health or safety.<br /><br />APS spokesman said the cause of the fire is under investigation, but NRC spokesman Victor Dricks said it appeared that insulation that covers very hot metal surfaces had become soaked by bearing lubrication over time.<br /><br />APS' notice to the NRC said the fire occurred in the insulation behind a pump that feeds water that becomes steam as part of the power generation process and that a small leak of oil vapor was found in a high-pressure seal.<br /><br />Palo Verde firefighters responded when a security guard spotted smoke in a turbine building of Unit 2. The fire was declared out 45 minutes later.<br /><br />APS and another Arizona utility, the Salt River Project, own the plant along with Public Service Co. of New Mexico, El Paso (Texas) Electric Co, Southern California Public Power Authority, Southern California Edison Co. and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.<br /><br />Dricks said NRC inspectors went to the plant after the unusual event was declared and verified that APS was handling the incident correctly.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZMMGjLsml7zwqy6CKg75nTpb3FHb_aJ802T2uj4JCbD615Ff76qrgbRifb-FUYwdvUqrH8hJeD3kZWzwD1Hnc0uPKXo4ty3xWI6i4qQTVnkYmB3fu6ED5Wb6QZmET0yo3kgxqJbVkCfg/s1600/pict46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZMMGjLsml7zwqy6CKg75nTpb3FHb_aJ802T2uj4JCbD615Ff76qrgbRifb-FUYwdvUqrH8hJeD3kZWzwD1Hnc0uPKXo4ty3xWI6i4qQTVnkYmB3fu6ED5Wb6QZmET0yo3kgxqJbVkCfg/s1600/pict46.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The unusual event was the second at Palo Verde in two months, but Dricks said that wasn't troublesome because the incidents were unrelated.<br /><br />The last unusual event was on July 2 when Unit 1 reactor temporarily reduced its power production after there was a minor explosion in a cabinet that holds electrical switching gear.

Insulation fire reported at Arizona nuclear plant.

PHOENIX — The Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station declared an unusual event when oil-soaked insulation behind a water pump caught fire, of...

Suns' Beasley arrested; suspected marijuana found

Police said Beasley was arrested early Tuesday morning following a traffic stop.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Phoenix Suns basketball player Michael Beasley is shown in this Aug. 6 booking photo released by the Scottsdale, Ariz., Police Department." class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/3b/baaccc25ed92648a374a92f8cd534/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phoenix Suns basketball player Michael Beasley is shown in this Aug. 6 booking photo released by the Scottsdale, Ariz., police.</td></tr></tbody></table>SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Forward Michael Beasley, who vowed when he joined the Phoenix Suns a year ago that his marijuana problems were in the past, has been arrested by Scottsdale police after they found what they believe to be marijuana in his car.<br /><br />Beasley was arrested early Tuesday following a traffic stop, according to Officer David Pubins.<br /><br />An officer found three cigarettes suspected to contain marijuana in Beasley's Mercedes after smelling marijuana during the stop, Pubins said.<br /><br />Beasley was released after being cited for investigation of one felony count each of marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.<br /><br />According to Pubins, court proceedings in the case will begin once results of lab tests are available.<br /><br />Beasley, the No. 2 overall pick in the draft by Miami out of Kansas State in 2008, signed a three-year, $18 million contract with the Suns a year ago. But he went on to have a disappointing, inconsistent season, averaging career lows of 10.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 75 games as Phoenix compiled the worst record in the Western Conference and second-worst in franchise history. He shot 40.5 percent from the field, also a career worst.<br /><br />Marijuana problems followed Beasley to Arizona.<br /><br />In June 2011, Beasley was ticketed for possessing marijuana and speeding in a Minneapolis suburb. He also has acknowledged that while playing for Miami, he twice violated the NBA's drug policy and entered a treatment facility in 2009.<br /><br />At a news conference following his signing with the Suns, Beasley pointedly said he was through with marijuana.<br /><br />"I realize 10 minutes of feeling good is not really worth putting my life and my career and my legacy in jeopardy," he said then, "so I'm confident to say that that part of my career, that part of my life, is over and won't be coming back."<br /><div><br /></div>

Suns' Beasley arrested; suspected marijuana found

Police said Beasley was arrested early Tuesday morning following a traffic stop. Phoenix Suns basketball player Michael Beasley is shown in ...

19 firefighters killed battling Arizona wildfire

<blockquote class="tr_bq"><h4>BREAKING NEWS: 19 firefighters killed battling Arizona wildfire.</h4>Nineteen firefighters are unaccounted for after they lost contact with teams battling a fast-moving wildfire menacing a small town in central Arizona.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Arizona fire: Homes burn in the Yarnell Hill Fire near Yarnell, Ariz." class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/f1/c17b66aa4a22c483443e6367352e/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homes burn in a fire on Sunday, June 30, near Yarnell, Ariz.</td></tr></tbody></table>YARNELL, Ariz. — A fire information officer says 19 firefighters are unaccounted for while battling the Yarnell Hill Fire in a central Arizona community.<br /><br />Mike Reichling told the <a href="http://bit.ly/158NjWp" target="_blank">Arizona Republic</a> that 20 firefighters were involved in a "serious incident."<br /><br />The newspaper reports that one of the firefighters has been located.<br /><br />The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office has notified residents in the Peeples Valley area and in the town of Yarnell to evacuate.<br /><br />Roxie Glover, spokeswoman at Wickenburg Community Hospital, told The Associated Press that the hospital has been told to expect residents with injuries and firefighters.<br /><br />Earlier Sunday, the fast-moving fire prompted evacuations of 50 homes in the Buckhorn, Model Creek and Double A Bar Ranch areas about 85 miles northwest of Phoenix.<br /><br />In the afternoon, the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office expanded the evacuations to include residents in the Peeples Valley area and in the town of Yarnell.<br /><br />The wildfire also forced the closure of parts of state Route 89, the Arizona Department of Transportation announced. The department did not have an estimate of how long the closure would last but advised drivers to use U.S. 93 or Interstate 17 as alternate routes.<br /><br />The Red Cross has opened a shelter at Yavapai College in Prescott, the sheriff's office said.<br /><br />The Yarnell Hill Fire now covers nearly 2,000 acres, according to the newspaper.<br /><br />The fire started Friday but picked up momentum Sunday as the area experienced high temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions.<br /><br />About two hundred firefighters are now working at the fire, but an additional 130 firefighters and more water- and retardant-dropping helicopters and aircraft are on their way.<br /><br />In another Arizona fire, a 2-acre blaze that started at a motorcycle salvage yard and spread to a trailer park has destroyed five mobile homes in the Gila County community of Rye, located more than 130 miles east of Yarnell.<br /><br />Gila County Health and Emergency Services Director Michael O'Driscoll said no one was injured in Rye.<br /><br />The fire was ignited Saturday night at All Bikes Sales located off Highway 87. It spread to neighboring federal Forest Service land but was fully contained within 12 hours of its start.<br /><br />The cause of the fire is under investigation.<br /><br />Seven adults and two children were staying at a shelter set up for people who were evacuated, the Red Cross said.<br /><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Low visibility, heat and high winds have made fighting the Yarnell Fire challenging." height="480" id="slideID12" src="http://i.azcentral.com/commphotos/view/700126.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px;" title="" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Low visibility, heat and high winds have made fighting the Yarnell Fire challenging.</td></tr></tbody></table></div>

19 firefighters killed battling Arizona wildfire

BREAKING NEWS: 19 firefighters killed battling Arizona wildfire. Nineteen firefighters are unaccounted for after they lost contact with team...

F-16 fighter jet crashes in Arizona;pilots OK

Two F-16 fighter jet pilots are safe after ejecting from their plane before it crashed near Luke Air Force Base outside Phoenix on Wednesday.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAboReC-AiqdPwoBIA_OVTXOj6xGooSEl9YqILNiLAW2xooyKWbUpJXRDNLdbzVqya077Qdqagki8gHDuT7GRpp-NSZH4jLSe4KoayzZ2_JLY9OZFjkOVJCkBi33jaYpVy5-DUOjBYUsE/s690/US+F-16+Fighting+Falcon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAboReC-AiqdPwoBIA_OVTXOj6xGooSEl9YqILNiLAW2xooyKWbUpJXRDNLdbzVqya077Qdqagki8gHDuT7GRpp-NSZH4jLSe4KoayzZ2_JLY9OZFjkOVJCkBi33jaYpVy5-DUOjBYUsE/s690/US+F-16+Fighting+Falcon.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />GLENDALE, Ariz. — An F-16 fighter jet crashed near Luke Air Force Base in suburban Phoenix on Wednesday evening, but both pilots ejected safely, authorities said.<br /><br />The jet went down just before 7 p.m. in a desert area about 3 miles west of the airfield, said officials at the base.<br /><br />Both pilots suffered minor injuries, Sgt. Linda Rainey said. Their names weren't immediately released.<br /><br />Glendale Fire Department officials said the two pilots were seen walking around after the crash and were taken to Luke Air Force Base Hospital for further evaluation.<br /><br />There was no immediate word on what might have caused the crash, Rainey said.<br /><br />Witnesses said they heard the jet's engine sputtering and popping just before the plane went down. Video from a TV helicopter showed plumes of smoke rising from the crash scene.<br /><br />Luke Air Force Base, about 15 miles west of Phoenix, is the world's largest F-16 training base.<br /><br />In March 1999, the Air Force temporarily suspended all F-16 fighter flights at Luke after one of the jets crashed in the desert. At the time, it was the fifth such accident at Luke since October 1998.<br /><div><br /></div>

F-16 fighter jet crashes in Arizona;pilots OK

Two F-16 fighter jet pilots are safe after ejecting from their plane before it crashed near Luke Air Force Base outside Phoenix on Wednesday...

Rancher Nigel Turner blocks Grand Canyon road.

<b>Old West skirmish: Rancher blocks Grand Canyon road.</b><br /><br />Nigel Turner, owner of the Grand Canyon Ranch Resort, said dust from a dirt road used to reach a viewing platform over the canyon is disrupting his business.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" Rancher blocks Grand Canyon road: The Skywalk viewing platform in Arizona. " class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/b0/ac37e574fefff4566dcf2386d5b90/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=" Rancher blocks Grand Canyon road: The Skywalk viewing platform in Arizona. (Reuters Photo: Robert Galbraith, File)" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reuters Photo: Robert Galbraith, File. The Skywalk viewing platform extends over the Grand Canyon on the Hualapai Indian Reservation in Arizona. </td></tr></tbody></table>PHOENIX —<img alt="Reuters" class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/99/6a6e1e9d2013e8fe84e6814a7d491/_h17_w0_m6_otrue_lfalse.gif" title="Reuters" /> A dude rancher who grew up watching John Wayne movies in England is starring in his own Old West standoff with an Arizona sheriff and an Indian tribe over access to a major Grand Canyon tourist attraction.<br /><br />Nigel Turner, owner of the Grand Canyon Ranch Resort, this week put up a makeshift gate to block a dirt road used by upward of 1,000 tourists a day to visit the Skywalk, a viewing platform that juts out over the canyon's West Rim. The site is operated by the local Hualapai Tribe.<br /><br />After running an air tours business based in Los Angeles, Turner, 57, bought the ranch over a decade ago. The resort offers trail rides, a bison safari, a cowboy show and lodging. In a settlement with the federal government and Mohave County in 2007, he granted an easement to allow the building of an improved bypass road to the Skywalk, one mile of which would cross his property.<br /><br />Diamond Bar Road, which runs through the ranch, is the route currently used. The agreement was to run for four years. Turner was paid $750,000 for the accommodation.<br /><br />According to a lawsuit filed by the rancher in May, the government has failed to abide by the terms of the settlement. Only a 4.5 mile portion of the new road has been built, and Turner argued that continued construction would kick up dust, endangering helicopter flights to his resort.<br /><div><div>Over Memorial Day weekend, exasperated by delays he says have invalidated the agreement, Turner set up a checkpoint and toll booth on his slice of Diamond Bar, staffed by guards armed with pistols. Tourists were charged $20 each as an "attraction entry fee." The charge was fair, he said, because "for years and years ... people just stopped there taking pictures of cowboys and bison (and got) the show for nothing." The agreement has expired in any case, he argues.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Hualapai slammed the fee as an illegal toll to fleece tourists.</div><div><br /></div><div>"This is about somebody who decided to block the road that has been a public road for years, that has been traveled on by thousands of tourists," said tribal spokesman Dave Cieslak. "(Turner) has opted to take advantage of families who are coming up to enjoy their vacations."</div><div><br /></div><div>The site drew protesters from the tribe last week with placards reading "Don't Pay the Fee, Shuttle-4-Free," and "Do Not Pay, It's Illegal." They continued demonstrating Friday in an area a few miles away, said Cieslak.</div><div><br /></div><div>'HIGHWAY ROBBERY'</div><div><br /></div><div>Nico Avila, a Los Angeles graphic designer, said he was stopped May 25 by three guards, one on horseback, who sought to charge him $100 as he tried to drive to the Skywalk with his mother, wife and two children.</div><div><br /></div><div>"I told them, ‘This seems like a highway robbery,'" said Avila. He bargained the guards, who he says wore bandannas on their faces and were armed, down to $60. He felt he had been bullied at gunpoint.</div><div><br /></div><div>The dispute escalated this week when a construction team started work on a temporary road to bypass the toll booth and keep traffic flowing to the Skywalk. Turner took a further step and blockaded Diamond Bar.</div><div><br /></div><div>He was arrested Tuesday by Mohave County sheriff's deputies on suspicion of misdemeanor threats and intimidation after he told construction workers he had a gun, the sheriff's office said. Turner, who was freed on bond, denies carrying a gun and said he was on private land at the time.</div><div><br /></div><div>He says he will reopen Diamond Bar Road if the tribe stops work on the permanent alternate route, which he says is kicking up dust and putting off tourists from around the world, some 400 of whom visit his ranch each day in the summer.</div><div><br /></div><div>"These people have booked holidays a year out ... and they started building a road in the high season," he said. "Would you want to stay at a beautiful ranch in the middle of nowhere if there's explosions going on 200 feet away, or bulldozers?"</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6PwF5z-WOvcbrC1YyLOqZMu2W3lQ319Q8DN6U56O_sHjjHz_U4q9d8GxhBE2ITqpuuq0JSZiscmXMf3Xoe1lkzDsIS85K2t4GQBgc-1Npv23dkarlfPrpnReTW-tQvIqTdZaILXNqEWg/s1600/index.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6PwF5z-WOvcbrC1YyLOqZMu2W3lQ319Q8DN6U56O_sHjjHz_U4q9d8GxhBE2ITqpuuq0JSZiscmXMf3Xoe1lkzDsIS85K2t4GQBgc-1Npv23dkarlfPrpnReTW-tQvIqTdZaILXNqEWg/s1600/index.png" /></a></div><div><br /></div>

Rancher Nigel Turner blocks Grand Canyon road.

Old West skirmish: Rancher blocks Grand Canyon road. Nigel Turner, owner of the Grand Canyon Ranch Resort, said dust from a dirt road used t...

5 sets of skeletal remains found in Arizona desert

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxuVoi6cJOvqz9J9JXj8s5xa4S_-MQlLcaz-qTRqbIiCSL3nj5t91aS3Rynu4E5Rpo6SOf82GgRdKWhuNN2jrOVuryZu6JGthnszPTpdtSkzSQoI4exh-spMPjqwBRLcanSPY5AtFpNFI/s1600/63911.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxuVoi6cJOvqz9J9JXj8s5xa4S_-MQlLcaz-qTRqbIiCSL3nj5t91aS3Rynu4E5Rpo6SOf82GgRdKWhuNN2jrOVuryZu6JGthnszPTpdtSkzSQoI4exh-spMPjqwBRLcanSPY5AtFpNFI/s1600/63911.jpeg" width="320" /></a>Authorities investigating the gruesome discovery aren't sure yet if someone attempted to bury the bodies or if foul play was involved.<br /><br />PHOENIX — Five sets of skeletal human remains were discovered hidden in unusual circumstances in Arizona's remote desert in an area used as a smuggling corridor with Mexico, and investigating authorities said on Friday they have not ruled out foul play.<br /><br />The Pima County Medical Examiner said U.S. Border Patrol agents discovered the remains, partially covered by rocks, on Tuesday near the town of Sells on the Tohono O'Odham Reservation, about 130 miles south of Phoenix.<br /><br />"It's not a typical migrant death site. Usually that's people laying under a tree because it got too hot, and they're on the surface of the ground and nobody tried to bury them," Chief Medical Examiner Gregory Hess told Reuters.<br /><br />"The remains were partially covered with rocks and we're not sure if that's an attempt to hide [them] or if somebody just buried them there for some other reason ... or whether or not that indicates foul play or what's going on,"<br /><br />The Tohono O'Odham Police Department, which is the leading the investigation, did not immediately return a call seeking comment. The Tucson sector Border Patrol confirmed the discovery but declined further comment.<br /><br />Arizona straddles a well trafficked corridor for human and drug smugglers from Mexico. While border crossers' deaths are common, mostly caused by heat exposure in the summer months, the circumstances in which these remains were found were not typical of border crosser fatalities, Hess said.<br /><br />He said he had not yet determined the gender or age of the remains or cause of death, but added that autopsies would be carried out next week.<br /><div><br /></div>

5 sets of skeletal remains found in Arizona desert

Authorities investigating the gruesome discovery aren't sure yet if someone attempted to bury the bodies or if foul play was involved. P...

Update:2 planes collide north of Phoenix; 4 killed

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxuVoi6cJOvqz9J9JXj8s5xa4S_-MQlLcaz-qTRqbIiCSL3nj5t91aS3Rynu4E5Rpo6SOf82GgRdKWhuNN2jrOVuryZu6JGthnszPTpdtSkzSQoI4exh-spMPjqwBRLcanSPY5AtFpNFI/s1600/63911.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxuVoi6cJOvqz9J9JXj8s5xa4S_-MQlLcaz-qTRqbIiCSL3nj5t91aS3Rynu4E5Rpo6SOf82GgRdKWhuNN2jrOVuryZu6JGthnszPTpdtSkzSQoI4exh-spMPjqwBRLcanSPY5AtFpNFI/s1600/63911.jpeg" width="320" /></a>A fire official says two small planes collided and crashed in the desert north of Phoenix. Four people have been killed.<br /><br />Authorities say two small planes collided and then crashed in the desert north ofPhoenix on Friday, killing all four people aboard the two aircraft.<br /><br />Phoenix and Daisy Mountain Fire Department officials said the collision and crash involved two single-engine planes with two people in each aircraft.<br /><br />An initial report said three people were killed and two people were injured. Fire officials with the Peoria Fire Department and Daisy Mountain Fire Department later announced four people had died and there were no survivors.<br /><br />Television news footage showed only charred wreckage left from one of the planes, while the other was fairly intact.<br /><br />A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman says the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA will investigate <object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0" height="270" id="flashObj" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="flashVars" value="videoId=2423983251001&playerID=1659202266001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAABvZFMzE~,IXjx0MpOF0p74gQ0oxWK0L1cZBcoHPoi&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" /><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com" /><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=2423983251001&playerID=1659202266001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAABvZFMzE~,IXjx0MpOF0p74gQ0oxWK0L1cZBcoHPoi&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="480" height="270" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object>

Update:2 planes collide north of Phoenix; 4 killed

A fire official says two small planes collided and crashed in the desert north of Phoenix. Four people have been killed. Authorities say two...

Arizona:2 small planes crash north of Phoenix; 3 killed

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-kqzqQvbSR16hLibYNwNFjoLXzg6PXQKduwOJCX-c8E1mEqfxjmd_5QJPGUXLEom0bq1EmWwBk2gLxnAM3Ss0LtRu9BMUIG44r3W-_7O3Qn0LgFARS5KAJvYpE7B7B5wAFQTpl56q_2Xu/s1600/publimetro.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-kqzqQvbSR16hLibYNwNFjoLXzg6PXQKduwOJCX-c8E1mEqfxjmd_5QJPGUXLEom0bq1EmWwBk2gLxnAM3Ss0LtRu9BMUIG44r3W-_7O3Qn0LgFARS5KAJvYpE7B7B5wAFQTpl56q_2Xu/s1600/publimetro.gif" /></a>A fire official says two small planes have collided and crashed in the desert north of Phoenix. Three people have been killed.<br /><br />PHOENIX — Two small planes collided and then crashed in the desert north of Phoenix on Friday, killing three people and injuring two, authorities said.<br /><br />The collision and crash involved two single-engine planes, said Capt. Dave Wilson of the Daisy Mountain Fire Department.<br />Television news footage showed only charred wreckage left from one of the planes, while the other was fairly intact.<br /><br />A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said another pilot reported seeing two planes collide about 15 miles west-northwest of the Deer Valley Airport in north Phoenix.<br /><br />The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA will investigate, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said.<br /><br /><b>Arizona fire official: 3 killed when small planes collided, then crash in desert near Phoenix</b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOoROBlVQxIT2l0wYYzqD07otQf2kI-L652WQKrkfundmolnjIgWglNykmvMnVmC6YeY3_jJxYQhP133VkHstmwtwRL7EBpY8RMW5UeW1U_YKp2zXyIvkbAUSq1kkTvRhsxQyoG6Lr-v/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOoROBlVQxIT2l0wYYzqD07otQf2kI-L652WQKrkfundmolnjIgWglNykmvMnVmC6YeY3_jJxYQhP133VkHstmwtwRL7EBpY8RMW5UeW1U_YKp2zXyIvkbAUSq1kkTvRhsxQyoG6Lr-v/s1600/%2540publimetro.png" /></a></div><b><br /></b>

Arizona:2 small planes crash north of Phoenix; 3 killed

A fire official says two small planes have collided and crashed in the desert north of Phoenix. Three people have been killed. PHOENIX — Two...

Police: Ariz. man killed wife over HIV fear

<div class="abs">Police said Eugene Maraventano admitted to stabbing his wife because he thought he had given her the AIDS virus, and then killed his 27-year-old son because he didn't know how the son would cope without his parents. </div><section><img alt=" HIV fear killings: Eugene Maraventano, 63, is charged with killing his wife and adult son. " class="image" data-src="{"default":"http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/ca/5b544ef0faa9595c27dbc416bbd91f_h366_w650_m6_lfalse.jpg"}" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/ca/5b544ef0faa9595c27dbc416bbd91f_h366_w650_m6_lfalse.jpg" title=" HIV fear killings: Eugene Maraventano, 63, is charged with killing his wife and adult son. (AP Photo: Maricopa County Sheriff)" width="570" /><br />GOODYEAR, Ariz. — A man charged with fatally stabbing his wife and adult son in their suburban Phoenix home told investigators he carried out the killings out of a fear he had given his wife HIV from prostitutes he used to frequent and out of concern about what would become of his jobless son afterward.<br />Investigators said in court records that Eugene Maraventano, 64, believed his wife, Janet Maraventano, 63, was ill and feared she might test positive for cancer or a disease he had given her from prostitutes he slept with when he worked for a rail line in New York.<br />Eugene Maraventano, who planned to kill himself after killing his wife, wondered what would become of his son, Bryan Maraventano, 27, after his suicide, explaining that his son played video games all day and had no girlfriend or job, according to a court record filed by police. Bryan Maraventano lived with his parents.<br />Eugene Maraventano made several unsuccessful suicide attempts after the killings and called authorities Saturday to say he had carried out the stabbing deaths a few days earlier, police said.<br />"I killed my wife and I killed my son," the police document quotes Maraventano as telling a dispatcher.<br />Maraventano acknowledged to getting a 14-inch knife from the kitchen of his two-story stucco home in Goodyear, going into the upstairs master bedroom where he stabbed his sleeping wife twice and then attacking his son after he answered a knock his bedroom door, according to the police record. The knife was found on the night stand in the master bedroom.<br />Maraventano was treated at a hospital for injuries he suffered during his suicide attempts and is now in jail on a $2 million bond.<br />It's unclear whether Maraventano has an attorney or whether Janet Maraventano had any ailments that her husband said he was worried about.<br />Maraventano told investigators that he and his wife hadn't been fighting the night of the killing.</section>

Police: Ariz. man killed wife over HIV fear

Police said Eugene Maraventano admitted to stabbing his wife because he thought he had given her the AIDS virus, and then killed his 27-year...

Arizona woman reviled for son's murder may go free

Debra Milke was one of the most reviled mothers around, convicted in the murder of her 4-year-old son. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBox0pamJWhBXIhMRyINSOvpFdDxZ9LT4dbIfqLld_MlWv5hef-1Gs1AuaFsooi8__AKYqCJh5tjfbOg1SPO_ZX55BrVQm8Zr5Aogf3RZlnrVFDamAVtjanMqGrih2XeE32iWGRDkNPU_I/s1600/Debra+Milke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBox0pamJWhBXIhMRyINSOvpFdDxZ9LT4dbIfqLld_MlWv5hef-1Gs1AuaFsooi8__AKYqCJh5tjfbOg1SPO_ZX55BrVQm8Zr5Aogf3RZlnrVFDamAVtjanMqGrih2XeE32iWGRDkNPU_I/s1600/Debra+Milke.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />But now the Arizona woman, who has maintained her innocence from death row, could walk free after an appeals court threw out her conviction.<br /><br />PHOENIX  — Debra Milke was once one of the most reviled mothers around, convicted of dressing her 4-year-old son in his favorite outfit and sending him off to visit a mall Santa Claus with two men who shot the boy execution-style in the Arizona desert.<br />Milke said she had nothing to do with Christopher's death, but a detective testified at her 1990 trial that she had confessed to him — and him alone — in a closed interrogation room. Prosecutors said she killed her son to collect on a $50,000 insurance policy.<br />Now, Milke could walk free, leaving death row behind after a federal appeals court threw out her conviction Thursday because prosecutors had not turned over evidence of the detective's history of misconduct, including lying under oath in other cases.<br />The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel concluded that prosecutors' failure to turn over the evidence deprived Milke's attorneys of the chance to question Phoenix Police Detective Armando Saldate Jr.'s credibility before jurors.<br />And because it was the only direct evidence tying her to the killing, that fact could have swayed the jury, the panel ruled.<br />"No civilized system of justice should have to depend on such flimsy evidence, quite possibly tainted by dishonesty or overzealousness, to decide whether to take someone's life or liberty," according to the opinion by Chief Judge Alex Kozinski.<br />The ruling has raised questions about other cases in which the now-retired Saldate gave testimony.<br />The court noted four cases where judges threw out confessions or indictments because Saldate lied under oath and four instances where cases were tossed or confessions excluded because Saldate violated the suspect's constitutional rights.<br />He was also suspended for accepting sexual favors from a female motorist he stopped and then lying about the encounter, it said.<br />Saldate, who was elected to a county constable post after retiring but has now left that post, could not be reached for comment Friday.<br /><br />Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne said he intends to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court and will argue it himself if they accept the case, saying the decision was the first to raise the issue after decades of court hearings.<br />"This is an outrageous crime," Horne said. "Ms. Milke was convicted of arranging for the death of her own child to improve her social life, and I hope to be able to convince the U.S. Supreme court to reverse this 9th Circuit decision."<br />Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, who will be charged with deciding whether to retry Milke if the ruling stands, said Friday that he will have to review the available evidence and Saldate's credibility himself before deciding how to proceed.<br />He said there may be more evidence that wasn't used at the 1990 trial. "I want to know what the hell happened, after reading the opinion," Montgomery said. "I want to be able to review the available information and understand for myself."<br />But Montgomery said changes in the way rogue officers are monitored had changed greatly since 1990. Now, officers with credibility problems are tracked in a database so that those issues are caught early and disclosed to defense lawyers when necessary.<br />"The basic concerns that are raised in the 9th Circuit opinion, I do not believe that is anywhere near a systemic issue today," Montgomery said. "This is an instance where I need to make sure what we do is what's right rather than what's expedient."<br />Milke's appellate lawyers, Mike Kimerer and Lori Voepel, said the appeals court's decision sends a clear message to police and prosecutors who don't reveal evidence that could help people accused of crimes defend themselves.<br />"It's one of the most scathing opinions I've ever seen the 9th Circuit write, in terms of talking about the credibility of a police officer or a law enforcement official," Kimerer said. "It almost sets the standard in terms of what we need to expect from law enforcement."<br />For Milke, who has always maintained her innocence, the ruling after 23 years on death row came as a shock, Voepel said.<br />"I said, 'Debra, we have good news. We won,'" Voepel said, recalling a phone call Thursday. "And she said, 'you're kidding, you're kidding," and I tried to explain it to her and she said just give me a minute here to feel this. She's elated, to say the least."<br />Milke, 48, is one of three women on death row in the state.<br />The two men convicted in the Milke case, Roger Scott and former Milke roommate James Styers, are also on death row. Scott confessed during a police interrogation and led detectives to the boy's body. Neither Scott nor Styers testified against Milke.<br />The county attorney at the time, Rick Romley, was not so happy. "If she walks, it's a travesty of justice," Romley told KPHO-TV.<br />Christopher Milke's father, Arizona Mark Milke, was just as adamant.<br />"And they let her walk, the most guilty of the three, uh-uh," he told KPNX-TV in Phoenix. "I know she's guilty, I don't think nothing, I know. I've always known. I'm just ready to get back in that saddle, and ride back into court and let's do it again."

Arizona woman reviled for son's murder may go free

Debra Milke was one of the most reviled mothers around, convicted in the murder of her 4-year-old son. But now the Arizona woman, who has ma...

Family of slain Border Patrol agent sues officials

Brian Terry died after a firefight near the Arizona-Mexico border in the gun operation known as 'Fast and Furious.' <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFacODcK0H9TWBF8QaIIlfJj-gL0PqbA5Zw4IN6rFzxkDfJofn-z29PrCZ5uR-1_XWUUhsxkjj8Y-X1uovXD_sjJT3Uy3NmPDBMvUcPqiBrlZwOIWaqBGOro_1E2RTwOFX1oTj4VHQb4Tg/s1600/%2540Publimetro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFacODcK0H9TWBF8QaIIlfJj-gL0PqbA5Zw4IN6rFzxkDfJofn-z29PrCZ5uR-1_XWUUhsxkjj8Y-X1uovXD_sjJT3Uy3NmPDBMvUcPqiBrlZwOIWaqBGOro_1E2RTwOFX1oTj4VHQb4Tg/s1600/%2540Publimetro.jpg" /></a></div><br />PHOENIX(12/14/12) — The family of a slain Border Patrol agent has sued federal officials over the botched "Fast and Furious" gun operation.<br />Agent Brian Terry was mortally wounded on Dec. 14, 2010, in a firefight north of the Arizona-Mexico border between U.S. agents and five men who had sneaked into the country to rob marijuana smugglers.<br />Federal authorities conducting "Fast and Furious" have faced tough criticism for allowing suspected straw gun buyers for a smuggling ring to walk away from gun shops in Arizona with weapons, rather than arrest them and seize weapons.<br />The lawsuit filed Thursday and made publicly available on Friday came from Terry's parents against six managers and investigators for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.<br />The family also sued a federal prosecutor who had previously handled the case but is no longer on it, and the owner of the gun store where two rifles found in the firefight's aftermath were bought.<br />The family alleges that the ATF officials and federal prosecutor created a risk to law enforcement officers such as Terry and that the firearms agents should have known their actions would lead to injuries and deaths to civilians and police officers in America and Mexico.<br />The family also alleged that firearms agents and the prosecutor sought to cover up the link between Terry's death and the botched gun smuggling investigation.<br />The "Fast and Furious" operation was launched in 2009 to catch trafficking kingpins, but agents lost track of about 1,400 of the more than 2,000 weapons involved.<br />Authorities say the ring was believed to have supplied the Sinaloa cartel with guns. Mexico's drug cartels often seek out guns in the U.S. because gun laws in Mexico are more restrictive than in the U.S.<br />Some guns purchased by the ring were later found at crime scenes in Mexico and the United States.<br />The probe's failures were revealed — and later examined in congressional inquiries.<br />So far, 15 of the 20 people charged in the gun smuggling case have pleaded guilty to charges.<br />Authorities have a separate case pending in federal court in Tucson against five men charged with murder in Terry's death.<br />So far, one man has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. Of the five men accused in Terry's killing, two are in custody, and three others remain fugitives.

Family of slain Border Patrol agent sues officials

Brian Terry died after a firefight near the Arizona-Mexico border in the gun operation known as 'Fast and Furious.' PHOENIX(12/14/12...