firefighters

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Transgendered Widow Battles for Benefits

Angry parents say son was upset he was 'tricked'

(Newser) - Nikki Araguz lost her firefighter husband, Thomas, in the line of duty two weeks ago, and now she could lose his benefits—because she was born male. The Texas widow faces a lawsuit from her husband's parents, who charge that her transgender status makes her ineligible to receive benefits, and...

NFL Retiree Takes Up Firefighting
NFL Retiree Takes Up Firefighting

NFL Retiree Takes Up Firefighting

Ex-Ravens long snapper Joe Maese fulfills lifelong dream

(Newser) - Plenty of little boys want to be football players when they grow up, and many dream of becoming firefighters. Joe Maese has gotten to do both. "Even when I played in the NFL, I eventually couldn't see myself doing anything different than I do now," the former Raven...

Cat Saves Family, Goes Missing

Illinois tabby alerted owners, dog to fire in their home

(Newser) - A cat who alerted her sleeping family to a fire spreading through their house, allowing them to escape unharmed, has disappeared from their suburban Chicago home. Baby roused Josh Ornberg and girlfriend Letitia Kovalovsky, who are expecting twins, and their dog early this morning. Because the 13-year-old tabby usually "...

Broken Pipe Floods Major LA Street

Flooding carries away cars, damages homes and businesses

(Newser) - More than 125 firefighters rushed to a major Los Angeles boulevard deluged by a broken water main in the wee hours, the LA Times and AP report. A 64-inch pipe, part of the city's original 94-year-old water system, erupted this morning, sweeping cars down streets and damaging businesses and homes....

Lab Tests Substance in LA Wildfire Probe

Station fire, 42% contained, chars 148K acres

(Newser) - Investigators of a deadly Los Angeles wildfire are having a substance from the scene tested to confirm whether the blaze was man-made. “There was material that didn't belong there," a source tells the Los Angeles Times. "It was clear evidence that the fire was intentionally set....

Firefighters Play ER Docs to Uninsured

Medical calls have more than doubled since 1980

(Newser) - Operating in a poor area where many lack health insurance, a DC firehouse battles far more than just flames: Some 80% of its calls are for medical emergencies. Because it is believed to respond fastest, Washington’s fire department zooms to almost all the city’s emergency calls alongside EMS,...

LA Fire Began as Arson: Feds

With blaze having killed 2 firefighters, sheriff begins homicide investigation

(Newser) - The wildfire that has burned 144,000 acres north of Los Angeles was set by arsonists, the US Forest Service said this afternoon. With the blaze having killed two firefighters, authorities are now treating the matter as homicide, KTLA-TV reports, and the LA County Sheriff’s Department has begun an...

LA Fire Now 22% Contained
 LA Fire Now 22% Contained 

LA Fire Now 22% Contained

(Newser) - The Station fire raging near Los Angeles is 22% contained tonight, authorities tell the Times—though they caution that if the weather turns uncooperative again the blaze could worsen. Some evacuation orders were lifted. The Mount Wilson observatory and a nest of communication towers nearby were still threatened, however, and...

Calif. Firefighters See First Sign of Progress

Humidity, cooling temperatures aid struggle against Station fire

(Newser) - Finally, some good news on the massive California wildfire: A break in the weather is helping considerably, the Los Angeles Times reports. Officially, the blaze is still only 5% contained, but that number is expected to rise substantially when re-evaluated later today. "We made progress last night, not just...

2 Firefighters Killed in Calif. Blaze

Pair drives off road as flames consume national forest

(Newser) - Two California firefighters drove off a treacherous road to their death as they helped battle a 43,000-acre inferno in the Angeles National Forest, reports the Los Angeles Times. More than 2,800 firefighters, 12 helicopters and eight air tankers have converged on the area where the blaze now threatens...

'Treacherous' Calif. Blaze Threatens Town

Official cites 'perfect storm of fuels, weather, and topography'

(Newser) - A growing California wildfire that has already scorched 35,000 acres and burned three people is bearing down on a small mountain community, the Los Angeles Times reports. Driven toward Acton, Calif., by wind and triple-digit heat, the blaze is "treacherous," said one fire chief. Firefighters plan “...

Firefighters Battle Blazes Near Athens

(Newser) - Fire crews outside Athens are scrambling to exploit a lull in high winds as they fight massive wildfires that broke out Friday and have razed about 58 square miles north of the Greek capital. The flames are still spreading, and a dozen nuns had to be rescued from a convent...

Wildfire Scorches Santa Cruz
 Wildfire Scorches Santa Cruz 

Wildfire Scorches Santa Cruz

(Newser) - The first major California wildfire of the season has consumed over 5,000 acres in Santa Cruz County and won't be fully contained for a week, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Over a thousand firefighters are battling the blaze in rugged terrain that hadn't had a major fire in...

Sotomayor's Rope-A-Dope Strategy Looks Familiar
Sotomayor's Rope-A-Dope Strategy Looks Familiar
ANALYSIS

Sotomayor's Rope-A-Dope Strategy Looks Familiar

Nominee gives little insight into her true feelings on controversial issues

(Newser) - As Sonia Sotomayor’s question-and-answer session with the Senate Judiciary Committee continues today, the Supreme Court nominee is deploying a familiar strategy, Andrew Cohen writes for CBS News. It's the Rope-a-Dope, much like the one used by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, John Roberts, and Samuel Alito in their confirmation hearings. Simply...

Tossed Ruling No Rebuke to Sotomayor: Dems

Firefighter decision shows judicial 'modesty'

(Newser) - Democrats are struggling to paint the Supreme Court’s rejection today of an opinion by nominee Sonia Sotomayor as proof that she is, in fact, not an “activist judge,” Roll Call reports. The high court decided to reverse Sotomayor’s 2nd Circuit ruling against white New Haven firefighters...

High Court Rules for White Firefighters

5-4 decision reverses appeals panel that included Sotomayor

(Newser) - The Supreme Court has ruled that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge. In a 5-4 ruling along ideological lines, the court said that New Haven was wrong...

Thousands of Calif. Fire Evacuees to Head Home

(Newser) - Thanks to cooler, more humid weather and a drop-off in damaging winds, thousands of Santa Barbara wildfire evacuees are being allowed back home, the Los Angeles Times reports. Firefighters fought back the fire significantly last night, containing the 8,700-acre Jesusita blaze in Santa Barbara by 30%. Most of the...

Outlook Grim for Calif. Fire as Winds Continue

(Newser) - Poor firefighting conditions today—following a windy night—have allowed the Santa Barbara, Calif., wildfire to grow, and it has now consumed 3,500 acres and 75 homes, KNBC-TV reports. The fire, which has forced 30,000 people to flee their homes, is just 10% contained. Winds today are expected...

Morning Winds Stoke Raging Calif. Wildfires

Firefighters unable to get blaze under control as 30,000 evacuate

(Newser) - Early-morning winds kicked up the uncontrolled Jesusita fire in the hills of Santa Barbara, causing the evacuation of thousands more residents, reports the Los Angeles Times. The fire has now burned more than 2,800 acres, destroyed dozens of homes, and forced 30,000 people to evacuate. Gov. Schwarzenegger has...

13K Flee as Calif. Fire Rages
 13K Flee as Calif. Fire Rages 

13K Flee as Calif. Fire Rages

(Newser) - 13,575 people have fled their homes as a wildfire that has consumed 1,300 acres rages in Santa Barbara, Calif., the Los Angeles Times reports. Another 13,000 are on alert, Bloomberg adds. Officials are unsure how many homes have been destroyed, but it’s in the “dozens....

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