Officials identify four firefighter killed in West fertilizer plant explosion

The names of four volunteer firefighters, who were killed in a massive explosion at West fertilizer plant in Texas, were released at a news conference outside city hall in West. The dead were among 14 people, nearly all of them emergency responders, died when the blast flattened the fertilizer plant and destroyed as many as 75 homes and buildings on Wednesday night (April 17, 2013). Among the firefighter killed were brothers Doug and Robert Snokhous, who lived half a mile from each other and worked together at an ironworks in nearby Waco. They are survived by their wives, children and grandchildren. Another man was killed in the blast was Jerry Chapman while officials identified a fourth firefighter, Kevin Sanders.

Booming baritone George Beverly Shea dies at the age of 104

George Beverly Shea, a member of the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame, died in Asheville at the age of 104 after a brief illness on Tuesday (April 16, 2013). He is survived by his wife, Karlene, and his children from his first marriage, Ronald and Elaine. Born in Winchester, the Canadian emigrant, whose booming baritone voice echoed through squares, stadiums and souls during his decades-long career, joined evangelist Billy Graham’s crusade team in 1947. However, George Beverly Shea was well-known as a gospel soloist before he met Graham in the early 1940s. He then became one of America's most-recognized gospel soloists, himself summing up his career with his inspirational "The Wonder of It All" and his trademark rendition of "How Great Thou Art.”

Photo: Opera.
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Vietnam unveils giant steel Dragon Bridge that breathes huge balls of fire

Giant steel Dragon Bridge, the world's largest dragon bridge, has been unveiled on the 38th anniversary of of the end of the Vietnam War in the Vietnamese city of Da Nang. The six-lane bridge, which literally shoots fire from its mouth, was opened by Vietnam's deputy prime minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc. The 1,864-foot-long bridge is designed with steel arches that serve as the body of the dragon and features more than 2,500 energy-efficient Philips LED lights. The whole construction extends to 666m in length and weighs 8,164-tonnes. The Dragon Bridge is modelled on the dragon of the Lý Dynasty, a symbolic creature that is part of Vietnam folklore. The structure cost a reported $85 million since it began construction in April 2009. Let's share this post on Twitter if you find the story interesting.

A Foreign Service Officer killed in a suicide bomb attack in Zabul, Afghanistan

Anne Smedinghoff, a 25-year-old Foreign Service Officer, was killed in a car bomb blast in Qalat, Zabul on Saturday (April 6, 2013). She is the first U.S. diplomat to die on the job since last year’s attack in Benghazi, Libya that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens. According to Davis, Anne Smedinghoff is among five Americans killed in the suicide bomb attack in southern Afghanistan. The other victims included three U.S. troops and a civilian working for the Defense Department. Four State Department officials were among the 10 injured in the attack. Anne Smedinghoff joined the Foreign Service after graduating from Johns Hopkins University in 2009 with a degree in international studies. She then volunteered to serve in Afghanistan and arrived last July. Anne Smedinghoff was described as a positive, hard-working and dependable young woman.

Israeli troops shoot and kill a Palestinian boy in the occupied West Bank

Samir Awad, a 17-year-old boy was killed by Israeli soldiers in a confrontation near a West Bank separation barrier on Tuesday (April 2, 2013). The high school student was to Ramallah hospital in critical condition and died shortly afterward. He was shot in the back, head and leg. Samir Awad was the second Palestinian killed in four days by Israeli troops in the West Bank, where few clashes have ended with fatalities in recent years. Samir’s classmates said that they were leaving school on the last day of their mid-year exams when clashes broke out between demonstrators and Israeli soldiers. Samir Awad was alleged to approach a fence in the barrier and try to breach it. The troops warned him to stop and when he did not, they opened fire. Please share this story on Twitter so people will know about the crime of Israeli troops.

Teachers suspended after leaving a 4-year-old boy outside in the cold

Three teachers at the Y Learning Center were suspended after they left a 4-year-old boy outside in the cold as punishment on Monday (April 1, 2013). The teachers were said to take the kid and his clothes outside the center, having him stand on his snowsuit after they had trouble getting him to put on his outdoor apparel. A parent spotted the boy without his coat and called police when the boy allegedly said that he was being punished. The child was then brought inside and properly dressed by another staff member. The Y Learning Center is now reviewing policies with its staff while letters also went out Monday to parents to explain what had happened.
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Police searching a man after he is thrown from his plane

Police in Collegedale and the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office were searching the ground for a man after he was thrown from an experimental aircraft on Friday (March 29, 2013). The unidentified man was being trained by an instructor in his Zodiac 601 plane at about 2,500 feet when the canopy came off. His seat belt was not fastened and he fell from the aircraft over the East Brainerd and Apison areas of the county. Meanwhile, the instructor landed the plane and was not physically hurt. According to Collegedale Municipal Airport employee Lowell Sterchi, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration have been notified. If you know anything about the man or the instructor, please share your information with me on Twitter or just drop a comment here.