life and death

life and death


Technician says Florida thrill ride operator ignored his safety concerns before teen’s fatal fall

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A maintenance technician alleged on Wednesday that he raised safety issues with the operators of a central Florida amusement ride before a 14-year-old boy fell to his death, but his concerns were never addressed. Austin Campbell-Alexander said in the state whistleblower lawsuit that the Orlando Free Fall ride at Icon Park […]

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Court puts a temporary hold on releasing records related to the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico court granted a temporary restraining order Monday against the release of certain records related to the investigation into the recent deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa. The order is in response to a request by Julia Peters, a representative for the couple’s estate. […]

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Gene Hackman’s estate asks court to block release of death investigation records

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A representative for the estate of actor Gene Hackman is seeking to block the public release of autopsy and investigative reports, especially photographs and police body-camera video, related to the recent deaths of Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa after their partially mummified bodies were discovered at their New Mexico home […]

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15 prison staffers placed on leave after the death of a man incarcerated in New York

NEW YORK (AP) — Fifteen prison staffers have been placed on leave following the death of a man incarcerated in New York state, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday The Democrat said the state department of corrections staffers were taken off the job at her direction as state police have launched a probe into the death […]

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South Carolina death row inmate maintains his innocence and won’t ask for clemency

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — After the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the final appeal of a South Carolina inmate, he decided not to ask the governor for clemency, saying he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life in prison for a murder he has always insisted he did not commit. Marion Bowman Jr., 44, […]

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Tennessee is refusing to release its new execution manual. Here is why it matters

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Just days after Tennessee announced it had a new manual for executing death row inmates, the state’s top prison officials said they aren’t going to release the document to the public. The Tennessee Department of Correction last week told The Associated Press to file a public records request to obtain a […]

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Tennessee has a new execution method, 2.5 years after last scheduled execution abruptly halted

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — More than 2 years after Tennessee abruptly halted the execution of inmate Oscar Smith — admitting that correction officials were not following their own execution protocols — the state has announced a new method that could allow it to resume executions halted since May 2022. But that won’t happen right away. […]

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Father organizes protests outside Bluewater Health after daughter’s death

— Monday through Saturday, a growing number of people have joined ongoing protests outside Bluewater Health, calling for accountability from the Sarnia hospital for allegedly failing to properly treat 24-year-old Kayla Fillion during a mental health crisis. Three days after her death on November 9, her father Matthew Jacklin started organizing the protests.  In an […]

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Takeaways from the AP’s investigation into Osprey safety issues

After being grounded for months following a crash last November that killed eight service members in Japan, the V-22 Osprey — a complicated aircraft that flies fast like a plane but converts to land like a helicopter — is back in the air. But there are still questions as to whether it should be. Since […]

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The Osprey’s safety issues spiked over five years and caused deaths. Pilots still want to fly it

CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AP) — Over a New Mexico training range named the Hornet, two Osprey aircraft speed 100 feet off the ground, banking hard over valleys and hills as they close in on a dusty landing zone. A flight engineer in the back braces a .50-caliber machine gun over the edge of […]

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South Carolina to take a break from executions for the holidays

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Supreme Court has decided the state should take a break from executions for the holidays. Justices issued an order on Thursday saying they would wait to sign the next death warrant until at least Jan. 3. South Carolina restarted its death chamber this year after an unintended 13-year […]

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