18 days ago
For the record:
1:38 p.m. Sept. 19, 2026: An earlier version of this article stated KCAL's helicopter is owned by Angel City Air. It is owned by Helicopters Inc.
Whether it's a brush fire, a mass shooting, a car chase or the aftermath of a major storm, viewers in Los Angeles are used to getting the news from above.
Television news helicopter coverage has become one of the most important elements of any local newscast, with the high-flying helicopters roaring overhead a common fixture of breaking news scenes.
These images are so ubiquitous, it may have been easy to take them for granted, until Tuesday, when an NBC4 helicopter carrying reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw crashed while covering breaking news in Chatsworth. Both died, along with a bystander on the ground.
The tragedy has prompted soul-searching in the world of TV news helicopter pilots and focused attention on safety issues.
#city #whether #angeles
1:38 p.m. Sept. 19, 2026: An earlier version of this article stated KCAL's helicopter is owned by Angel City Air. It is owned by Helicopters Inc.
Whether it's a brush fire, a mass shooting, a car chase or the aftermath of a major storm, viewers in Los Angeles are used to getting the news from above.
Television news helicopter coverage has become one of the most important elements of any local newscast, with the high-flying helicopters roaring overhead a common fixture of breaking news scenes.
These images are so ubiquitous, it may have been easy to take them for granted, until Tuesday, when an NBC4 helicopter carrying reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw crashed while covering breaking news in Chatsworth. Both died, along with a bystander on the ground.
The tragedy has prompted soul-searching in the world of TV news helicopter pilots and focused attention on safety issues.
#city #whether #angeles
1 month ago
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A man killed eight of his relatives, including four children, as they gathered for Sunday dinner at a home in Billings, Montana, just weeks after his parents forced him to move out, a family member told The ****** ociated Press.
Brad Ireland, whose former wife and two children were among the dead, identified the shooter as 44-year-old Alan Smith. Smith's parents, who were also killed, had asked him to move out, but he returned on Sunday and opened fire, Ireland said.
The victims represented four generations of the blended family, ranging from a great-grandmother in her 90s who used a wheelchair to a 7-year-old girl, according to Jennifer Mercer, a neighbor and family friend who set up an online fundraiser to help cover funeral costs and other expenses, and was authorized to release these details.
Police said they responded to the home on Sunday evening and heard gunshots coming from out back, just before the house was completely engulfed in flames. Investigators confirmed Tuesday there were eight victims, including four children, and that the suspect had suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound and later died.
The investigation has been complicated by concerns about the structural integrity of the house after the fire burned it to its foundation, said Jeff Stovall, a spokesperson for the Billings Police Department.
#sunday #children #eight
Brad Ireland, whose former wife and two children were among the dead, identified the shooter as 44-year-old Alan Smith. Smith's parents, who were also killed, had asked him to move out, but he returned on Sunday and opened fire, Ireland said.
The victims represented four generations of the blended family, ranging from a great-grandmother in her 90s who used a wheelchair to a 7-year-old girl, according to Jennifer Mercer, a neighbor and family friend who set up an online fundraiser to help cover funeral costs and other expenses, and was authorized to release these details.
Police said they responded to the home on Sunday evening and heard gunshots coming from out back, just before the house was completely engulfed in flames. Investigators confirmed Tuesday there were eight victims, including four children, and that the suspect had suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound and later died.
The investigation has been complicated by concerns about the structural integrity of the house after the fire burned it to its foundation, said Jeff Stovall, a spokesperson for the Billings Police Department.
#sunday #children #eight
2 months ago
A divided federal appeals court ruled that the Trump-picked US Attorney in Albany is serving unlawfully and can no longer be involved in the investigation of one of the president's top foes.
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, upheld a lower court's ruling from January that said the appointment of John Sarcone, then-Acting US attorney for the Northern District of New York, is not valid and disqualified him from a probe into the state's Attorney General Letitia James.
The decision marks the third time a federal appeals court has rejected as unlawful the Trump administration's process for naming US attorneys without Senate approval.
"We disagree with the court's decision, and intend to take this case to the Supreme Court," the Justice Department wrote in a tweet Friday.
Earlier this week, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals said the US attorney for Nevada, Sigal Chattah, is serving unlawfully. The Justice Department said it would appeal to the Supreme Court. In December the Third Circuit ruled that Alina Habba was not validly appointed US attorney for New Jersey.
#appeals #department
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, upheld a lower court's ruling from January that said the appointment of John Sarcone, then-Acting US attorney for the Northern District of New York, is not valid and disqualified him from a probe into the state's Attorney General Letitia James.
The decision marks the third time a federal appeals court has rejected as unlawful the Trump administration's process for naming US attorneys without Senate approval.
"We disagree with the court's decision, and intend to take this case to the Supreme Court," the Justice Department wrote in a tweet Friday.
Earlier this week, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals said the US attorney for Nevada, Sigal Chattah, is serving unlawfully. The Justice Department said it would appeal to the Supreme Court. In December the Third Circuit ruled that Alina Habba was not validly appointed US attorney for New Jersey.
#appeals #department
