Abducted girl sought after suspect dies
VALLEJO, Calif. — Crews searched along a Northern California creek Saturday for a teenage girl who was last seen being abducted by an armed man in Vallejo.
The Solano County sheriff’s office said 65 people from several law enforcement agencies and search-and-rescue groups were looking for Pearl Pinson, 15, in the Willow Creek area of Sonoma Coast State Park.
The search for the high school freshman was called off at the end of the day, and authorities have no further plans to look for Pinson in that area, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Sheriff’s spokesman Christine Castillo did not elaborate on what led investigators to the rural area.
The search for the girl has been complicated by the death Thursday of the man suspected of abducting her as she walked to school Wednesday.
Police said they fatally shot Fernando Castro, 19, in Southern California in an exchange of gunfire that broke out after they spotted his car and he attempted to flee.
On Wednesday, a witness reported seeing Castro armed with a gun and pulling Pinson across a freeway overpass in Vallejo, where they both lived. Authorities said the two knew each other.
Firm doubles cost to swap Flint’s pipes
FLINT, Mich. — An engineering company said the cost of replacing water pipes in Flint will be at least twice the amount from previous estimates, the Detroit Free Press reported Saturday.
Rowe Professional Services told the state of Michigan that in a pilot project completed this month, during which 30 service pipes were replaced, the average cost per waterline was $7,500, according to a report obtained by the newspaper. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality previously estimated it would cost $4,000 per line.
The company’s report said costs could be higher if average permit fees of $2,400 per site are factored in.
Flint has received $2 million from the state to replace about 500 lines after lead pipes contaminated the city’s water. At Rowe’s estimated price, excluding permit fees, replacing 500 lines would cost $3.75 million.
The state has authorized about $70 million in funds to address the crisis, and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is seeking $165 million more through the budget process.
Ohio zoo kills gorilla to save 4-year-old
CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Zoo’s director said Saturday that zoo security officers killed a 17-year-old gorilla that had grabbed a boy who had fallen into the moat in the animal’s exhibit.
Zoo Director Thane Maynard said the 4-year-old boy was expected to recover after the gorilla picked him up and dragged him for about 10 minutes. The child was taken to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
Police initially reported that the gorilla had been tranquilized, but Maynard said the decision was made to fatally shoot the animal to save the boy’s life. A hospital spokesman said he had no information to release. Authorities haven’t released the child’s name.
The accident was reported about 4 p.m. Saturday. The area around the gorilla exhibit was closed off Saturday afternoon.
NASA’s orbiter room inflates on 2nd try
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA successfully inflated an experimental room at the International Space Station on Saturday.
Astronaut Jeffrey Williams spent seven hours Saturday opening and closing an air valve to expand the compartment. Enough air finally seeped inside so the puffy white pod could stretch to its full 13 feet in length and 10½ feet in diameter. Internal air tanks provided the final pressurization to complete the job.
Williams and his five crewmates will have to wait a week before venturing inside. NASA wants to make certain that the chamber is airtight before opening the door.
It was NASA’s second try at inflating the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module. The compartment barely expanded during Thursday’s inflation attempt. Experts believe the soft-sided compartment was packed up tight for so long before last month’s launch that the fabric layers had trouble unfolding.
Robert Bigelow, founder of the company that created the compartment, sees inflatables as the future of spaceflight, including on trips to the moon or Mars. Because expandable spacecraft can be compressed for launch, rockets could carry more cargo, and travelers could enjoy more room.