Three shot at Delaware college cookout
DOVER, Del. — Three men were shot Saturday night at a cookout on the Delaware State University campus, officials said, and authorities were searching for the shooter.
The shooting happened about 8 p.m. at a university-sanctioned fraternity and sorority event, university spokesman Carlos Holmes said.
The victims were taken to Kent General Hospital in Dover with injuries that were not life-threatening, he said.
“We can definitely tell you that the three victims were not DSU students,” Holmes said Sunday. “The event had a lot of guests … a lot of people that came from the surrounding communities and other schools.”
While confirming that the victims were all men, Holmes did not provide their ages, hometowns or any other details, including a possible reason for the shooting or whether any suspects have been identified.
A second shooting occurred early Sunday at University Courtyard apartments, a university-run housing complex just off campus, but no one was injured. Holmes said it was unclear whether the two shootings were related.
Gas line checked before blast, firm says
FRESNO, Calif. — A gas pipeline that exploded at a sheriff’s gun range in Central California had been inspected twice in April for gas leaks, and no leaks were found, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. said Sunday.
The utility said its crews did a ground survey of the pipe April 1 and an aerial survey on Thursday.
Authorities said Friday’s explosion at the Fresno County sheriff’s gun range occurred while a county employee was using a front-loader to build a dirt berm to confine gunfire to the range. The California Public Utilities Commission is investigating the explosion in cooperation with the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, but the utility said it appears a vehicle damaged the 12-inch pipeline.
The blast sent 11 people to the hospital and shut down a nearby highway and rail line. Six people remained in the burn unit at Community Regional Medical Center on Sunday — four in critical condition and two others in stable condition, said Fresno County sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti.
Evacuation ends for LA-area wildfire
CORONA, Calif. — Favorable weather and the efforts of hundreds of firefighters helped beat back flames Sunday that had threatened hundreds of homes near a Southern California dam.
Evacuation orders were lifted just before dawn for about 300 homes in an area along the border of Norco and Corona, about 35 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles.
By midday, officials said they had contained 25 percent of the fire, which had grown to 1.5 square miles.
Cooler overnight temperatures and low winds allowed fire crews to attack the blaze.
The fire is burning in the Prado Dam Flood Control Basin, where vegetation has not burned in decades, according to Capt. Mike Mohler of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. As a result, the area has up to 3 feet of “duff” — needles, leaves and other combustible plant debris.
At the same time, the basin has not held much water because of California’s drought, Mohler said.
Sea lion snatched off California beach
LOS ANGELES — An animal rescue expert said the people who snatched a seal or sea lion pup from a Los Angeles beach early Sunday should not confuse the animal’s cuteness with its potentially vicious bite.
Witnesses to the abduction said four people wrapped the pup in a blanket and left in a car about 3:20 a.m. from Dockweiler State Beach, just west of the city’s international airport, said Los Angeles police officer Rosario Herrera.
The initial police report said the animal was a small seal. But a companion pup that escaped and was later found on the beach is a sea lion, according to Peter Wallerstein, the president of the group Marine Animal Rescue.
The rescued pup weighs about 25 pounds and is probably 10 months old, said Wallerstein, who stays in a trailer at the beach. Sea lions of this size are “really small, really look cute, but they’re dangerous,” he said. “These are wild animals.”
They’re also not fit to be kept as pets.
“The animal needs fluids, needs special treatments,” he said. “You can’t just feed it dog food. It’s not going to work.”
Los Angeles police said an investigation was being conducted by the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
— Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports
Gas line checked before blast, firm says
FRESNO, Calif. -- A gas pipeline that exploded at a sheriff's gun range in Central California had been inspected twice in April for gas leaks, and no leaks were found, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. said Sunday.
The utility said its crews did a ground survey of the pipe April 1 and an aerial survey on Thursday.
Authorities said Friday's explosion at the Fresno County sheriff's gun range occurred while a county employee was using a front-loader to build a dirt berm to confine gunfire to the range. The California Public Utilities Commission is investigating the explosion in cooperation with the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, but the utility said it appears a vehicle damaged the 12-inch pipeline.
The blast sent 11 people to the hospital and shut down a nearby highway and rail line. Six people remained in the burn unit at Community Regional Medical Center on Sunday -- four in critical condition and two others in stable condition, said Fresno County sheriff's spokesman Tony Botti.
A Section on 04/20/2015