At least 20 die in West Virginia floods
CHARLESTON, WVa. — A deluge of 9 inches of rain damaged or destroyed more than 100 homes in West Virginia, knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses, West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said Friday. At least 20 people were killed.
About 500 people were stranded overnight in a shopping center when a bridge washed out, and dozens of other people had to be plucked off rooftops or rescued from their car as waters quickly rose during the storm.
The deaths included an 8-year-old boy and a 4-yearold boy who were swept away in rushing creek waters in different counties, authorities said. Greenbrier County Sheriff Jan Cahill described “complete chaos” in his county, one of the hardest hit.
Officials said 200 National Guardsmen were assisting in eight counties, helping local rescue crews with swift water rescues, search and extraction efforts and health and welfare checks. The governor declared a state of emergency in 44 of 54 counties and authorized up to 500 soldiers to assist.
2nd Navy officer fired over Iran capture
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy has fired a second commander in connection with the 10 U.S. sailors who wandered into Iranian territorial waters in the Persian Gulf in January and were captured and held by Iran for about 15 hours.
Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan, commander of Naval Forces Central Command, has relieved Capt. Kyle Moses of his duties as head of the command’s Task Force 56. Moses has been reassigned.
A U.S. official said additional punishments against seven other sailors are under review and decisions will be announced next week. The seven include the squadron commander, who already was fired and reassigned, and his executive officer, as well as three of the sailors who were detained.
Donegan said he initially took administrative action against Moses on the basis of the preliminary results of the investigation into the capture by Iran. He said that after going over the results of the final investigation, he decided that more action was necessary.
Obama creates gay-rights monument
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama created the first national monument to gay rights on Friday, designating the site of the Stonewall riots in Manhattan where the modern gay-rights movement took root nearly five decades ago.
The Stonewall National Monument will be anchored by Christopher Park, a small greenspace just across from the Stonewall Inn tavern, and covers a 7.7-acre swath of Greenwhich Village where the uprising took place after police raided the gay bar in 1969.
Obama said the monument would “tell the story of our struggle for LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] rights” and of a civil-rights movement that became a part of America.
“I believe our national parks should reflect the full story of our country: the richness and diversity and uniquely American spirit that has always defined us,” Obama said. “That we are stronger together, that out of many, we are one.”
The declaration also comes as advocates celebrate the one-year anniversary this Sunday of the Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage nationwide.
Two bodies found after fast-moving fire
LAKE ISABELLA, Calif. — A deadly wildfire that roared through dry brush and trees in the mountains of central California gave residents little time to flee as flames burned dozens of homes to the ground, propane tanks exploded and smoke obscured the path to safety.
Two bodies were found Friday near Lake Isabella, a popular recreation area east of Bakersfield that was ravaged by wind-whipped flames, said Phil Neufeld, a spokesman for the Kern County Fire Department.
At least 80 houses were destroyed in the southern Sierra Nevada as the fire burned out of control across 29 square miles, leveling neighborhoods and forcing thousands of people to flee from fast-moving flames.
Neighborhoods of mobile homes were charred to their foundations.
Scorching heat and tinder-dry conditions across the West have contributed to wildfires in the past week that have destroyed properties and sent residents to seek shelter and hope for the best.