February 23, 2017

A grand opening for the newest Trump International Hotel is taking place today in Vancouver. Protests were scheduled for this morning and this afternoon, and Vancouver police warned “traffic disruptions are anticipated today in the area of the 1100 block of W. Georgia Street.”

The Trump hotel is in very close proximity to the Shangri-La Hotel Vancouver and the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. The latter two are part of Travel Leaders Group’s Select Hotels and Resorts.

According to the Vancouver Sun:

U.S. president Donald Trump’s son Eric and Donald Jr. were greeted by protesters this morning as they arrived in Vancouver to officially open the 69-storey Trump International Hotel and Tower on West Georgia Street.

Dozens of police and security guards surround the Trump Tower, while the Trumps are travelling with a U.S. Secret Service detail.

According to CBC:

Over 100 people have gathered outside the Trump Tower on West Georgia Street in Vancouver to protest the grand opening of the luxury hotel Tuesday morning.

The sons of U.S. President Donald Trump — Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump — were on hand for the official ribbon cutting set.

A separate “resist4peace” rally and march is scheduled to begin at Jack Poole Plaza at 4 p.m.

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February 26, 2017

New Orleans: Alleged Drunk Driver Plows into Mardi Gras Parade Crowd Injuring at Least 21

Earlier this evening, a pickup truck plowed into a crowd at the Krewe of Endymion Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans near the intersection of Orleans and Carrollton. At least 21 were injured including five seriously, although official say none of the injuries are life-threatening. The suspect was “likely highly intoxicated.”

According to CNN:

One man is in custody after an accident at a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans injured at least 21 people, five seriously, officials said. Police Chief Michael Harrison said it appeared the suspect, who was driving a pickup truck that hit two cars before running into the crowd, was likely highly intoxicated. None of the injuries was life-threatening, officials said.

The source said, “It appears to be a drunk driver,” and added there were no preliminary indications that it was a terrorism-related incident.

The incident occurred near the intersection of Orleans and Carrollton Avenues where the Krewe of Endymion parade was underway. Video from CNN affiliate WDSU showed a gray pickup truck that had run into a dump truck near the intersection.

Witnesses told the station that the pickup came down one of the streets and struck several cars before hitting people in the crowd watching the parade.

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February 23, 2017

A Flybe Airlines Bombardier Q400 aircraft (Flight 1284 from Edinburgh) crash landed at Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport. No injuries were reported.

According to The Independent in the UK:

A Flybe passenger plane crash landed at Amsterdam’s Schipol airport after part of the aircraft’s undercarriage “collapsed” as it touched down in bad weather.

Footage filmed by passengers showed the Bombardier Q400’s right wing dipping sharply as it came into land in high winds.

Flight 1284 from Edinburgh to Amsterdam had already been affected by the poor weather created by Storm Doris and had suffered a delay of 90 minutes to its scheduled take off time.

The aircraft came to a halt on the side of the runway after the incident and emergency services attended. No one was injured.

A spokesperson for the airline told The Independent: “”Flybe can confirm that there has been an incident involving one of our aircraft, flight no BE1284.

“The aircraft departed from Edinburgh at 1410 local time bound for Amsterdam. The incident occurred at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport at approximately 1659 local time.

“We can confirm that there are no injuries and all passengers have been bussed to the airport terminal. Our primary concern is for the welfare of the passengers and crew.”

It came just hours after Flybe flight 783 from Glasgow to Birmingham made an emergency landing after the pilot was forced to shut down one of its engines mid-air due to a technical fault.

The airline said the plane suffered “a technical fault that resulted in the captain electing to shut down the number one engine as a safety precaution.”

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February 23, 2017

On Wednesday evening, Delta flight 1583 from San Francisco to JFK was met by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents who checked the IDs of all passenger onboard.

According to the Gothamist:

The incident, which took place on Delta Flight 1583 from San Francisco, was atypical for both domestic flights—on which no identification is needed to exit the airport—and international flights, where identification is checked during a customs screening after deplaning.

Delta spokeswoman Elizabeth Wolf did not immediately comment on the incident.

According to a CBP spokesman, the agency “was contacted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) yesterday, February 22, 2017, to assist in locating an individual possibly aboard Delta flight 1583 from San Francisco International Airport to JFK. This individual was ordered removed by an immigration judge.”

“To assist our law enforcement partners, two CBP officers requested identification from those on the flight in order to help identify the individual,” he added. “The individual was determined not to be on the flight.”

Earlier this week, the Department of Homeland Security issued guidelines for CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to implement President Donald Trump’s immigration policy. The guidelines basically eliminate the concept of deportation priorities, leaving it up to ICE offices to decide who among the millions in the United States without a visa to go after.

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February 21, 2017

Alert – New York: JFK Airport Security Breached on Monday

Yesterday at New York JFK Airport, as many as 11 people were able to pass through an unattended TSA

checkpoint at 6 a.m. Local authorities are at odds over what occurred. New York Daily News reports that the

breach happened at the JetBlue terminal (Terminal 5).

According to CNN:

A security incident at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Monday has

federal and local authorities at odds over what happened. The Port Authority says that

11 people went through an unattended TSA PreCheck security checkpoint at the airport

around 6 a.m. Monday.

The TSA alerted Port Authority about the lapse roughly two hours later, according to Joe

Pentangelo, the senior police public information officer at the Port Authority of New

York and New Jersey. By that time though, they could not find the 11 people as the

“travelers in question boarded various flights,” Pentangelo said in a statement.

Port Authority police identified three of the passengers who went through the

unattended checkpoint through video and sought to identify the remaining eight.

Meanwhile, the TSA called the incident a “possible security incident” and said it had

affected just three passengers.

Out of the 11 people walking through the unattended checkpoint, three of them set off

the metal detector, reported CNN’s affiliates WCBS and WABC.

The TSA said in a statement: “Early reports indicate 3 passengers did not receive

required secondary screening after alarming the walk through metal detector. All

personal carry-on bags received required screening. A K9 team was present at the

checkpoint at the time of the incident.”

A TSA official said it had been determined that the measures taken concerning the three

passengers were “all that was necessary.”

“TSA works with a network of security layers both seen and unseen. We are confident

this incident presents minimal risk to the aviation transportation system,” the agency

stated on Monday.

The TSA said it would “take appropriate action” once a review was complete.

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February 20, 2017

Alert – United Airlines Flight 306 (ORD to RSW) Blows Tires on Takeoff, No Injuries

The tires from a United Airlines 737 aircraft blew out as it was taking off today. UAL 306 was taking off from

Chicago O’Hare for Fort Myers. All 150 passengers and 6 crew members are safe.

According to WGN (Chicago):

A United Airlines flight bound for Fort Meyers, FL blew two tires during takeoff at

O’Hare Airport Monday afternoon.

According to United Airlines, it’s too early to tell if anything on the tarmac caused the

issues with United flight 306, but all 150 passengers and 6 crew were taken off of the

plane safely. Video shows both passengers and crew deplaning on the runway in O’Hare.

Passengers are being put on another flight and will continue on their way shortly, the

airline said.

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February 20, 2017

Alert – South Africa: Two Passenger Trains Collide in Pretoria; More than 100 Injured

Two passenger trains have crashed head–on in Pretoria, South Africa, injuring over 100 with 20 believed to be seriously hurt.

According to The Sun:

MORE than 100 people have been injured after two trains collided in a “head-on” crash in Pretoria, South Africa.

Speaking to local press, Tshwane emergency services spokesperson Johan Pieterse said they were still dealing with the crash, but there were around 100 and 150 injured people.

20 are believed to be in a serious condition after the incident at the Lynn Ross station in Rosslyn, Pretoria. He said: “Twenty people are in a serious condition. No one is in critical condition‚ and there are no deaths.”

At the scene, Care Ambulance Service spokesperson Xander Loubser told Times Live the crash was caused by two colliding coaches.

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February 19, 2017

Saturday morning, a passenger aboard Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas was airlifted off the ship to Norfolk, Virginia, after experiencing diabetic shock. The U.S. Coast Guard transported a 75 year old female to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.

According to ABC News:

A 75-year-old woman experiencing diabetic shock was airlifted by the U.S. Coast Guard Saturday morning from a cruise ship located approximately 100 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

The Coast Guard said its 5th District Command Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, was notified at about 9:55 a.m. that a passenger in distress was on board the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Anthem of the Seas.

“An HC-130 Hercules aircraft crew and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, launched to assist,” the Coast Guard said in a statement. “Upon arrival, the Jayhawk helicopter crew hoisted the woman to the helicopter and transported her to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, arriving at about 1:50 p.m.”

The unidentified woman’s rescue was captured in the following video, which was released by the Coast Guard.

Coast Guard Lt. Courtney Wolf, the command duty officer for the case, said, “Cases like this highlight the importance of cooperation between the Coast Guard, cruise ship personnel and local hospital staff. Today’s hoist went seamlessly due to the coordination between all involved parties, and as a result we were able to transport this individual quickly and safely.”

Diabetic shock — or diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) — is a diabetes complication that can lead to unconsciousness, during which the individual has dangerously high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) or dangerously low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).

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February 19, 2017

A train derailment occurred as a passenger train departed Leuven station for Brussels, leaving at least one person dead and another estimated 20 injured, although BBC reports that the number of casualties is not clear.

According to BBC:

At least one person has been killed and about 20 injured when a train carriage fell on to its side following a derailment close to the Belgian capital Brussels, railway officials say.

The accident happened as the train was departing Leuven station at a slow speed heading towards the capital.

Emergency services are at the scene. The number of casualties is unclear.

Photos on the internet showed one damaged carriage on its side next to a downwards slope.

Services between Leuven and Brussels have been suspended, officials say.

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February 15, 2017

Alert – American Airlines Flight 5320 (CLT to GPT) Hits Deer on Takeoff, No Injuries

A commuter flight for American Airlines, Flight 5320, struck a deer on the runway during takeoff at Charlotte

Douglas International Airport. The Gulfport-bound plan immediately returned for landing. None of the 44

passengers were injured.

According to WRAL (Raleigh, NC):

No injuries were reported Wednesday afternoon when an American Airlines flight from

Charlotte to Mississippi struck a deer while attempting to take off.

Flight 5320, bound for Gulfport, hit the deer on takeoff from Charlotte Douglas

International Airport and then immediately returned for a landing, according to WCNC.

Officials say the plane was leaking fuel after the collision. Forty-four passengers were on

the plane during the incident, and all were safely removed from the plane, according to

American Airlines.

The airline said the passengers were taken back to the terminal and will be put on a new

plane.

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