Climber forces Liberty Island evacuation
NEW YORK -- A woman protesting U.S. immigration policy climbed the Statue of Liberty's base and forced the monument's evacuation on the Fourth of July.
About 100 feet aboveground, the climber engaged in a roughly four-hour standoff with police before two New York Police Department officers climbed up to the base and got her to climb down to the observation deck where they took her into custody.
The woman, Therese Okoumou, told police she was protesting the separation of children from parents who cross the U.S.-Mexico border without authorization, according to a federal official who wasn't authorized to discuss details and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Okoumou had participated earlier in displaying a banner calling for abolishing the federal government's chief immigration enforcement agency, said Jay Walker, a member of Rise and Resist, which organized the demonstration.
Man who fired on officers fatally shot
SOUTH ELGIN, Ill. -- Police fatally shot a suburban Chicago man early Wednesday after he opened fire on officers, wounding three, during an overnight standoff.
South Elgin police Sgt. Mike Doty said 52-year-old Frank Dripps fired a shotgun at officers as they responded to a call of shots fired at a condominium building about 40 miles northwest of Chicago late Tuesday. Doty said three officers were hit by gunfire, describing their injuries as not life-threatening. He said officers didn't return fire.
About a dozen area police departments and two SWAT teams responded to the scene and set up a perimeter around the building, while nearby residents were evacuated from their homes, Doty said.
Dripps had a rifle with a scope in addition to the shotgun, and he raised the weapons to his shoulder "off and on" during the four-hour standoff. He fired again around 2:30 a.m. and was shot by an officer, Doty said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Dripps and his wife began renting the condo in the building a few months ago, the son of the condo's owner said. Matthew Horne told The Courier that Dripps asked residents of the building to take care of his wife before the standoff began.
TSA notes busy day for holiday travel
The Transportation Security Administration that Friday was the second-busiest day in the agency's history.
Airlines, tour groups and others have been predicting that record numbers of people would fly this year as part of the Independence Day holiday, and the TSA confirmed that 2.67 million air travelers passed through airport checkpoints on Friday, the highest number since more than 2.7 million passengers were screened on the Sunday after Thanksgiving in 2004. The agency also said that the week of June 24-30 was the busiest on record.
The record comes as the TSA has fully implemented a policy requiring passengers to remove all electronic devices bigger than a cellphone from their carry-on bags and -- at least at some airports -- their bags of Cheetos and other snacks.
Falling branch kills 2 fireworks viewers
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. -- Two people died and several others were injured after a large branch fell on spectators during a fireworks display in western Illinois, authorities said.
Rock Island County Sheriff Gerald Bustos said Wednesday that the branch fell from an oak that's believed to be about 100 years old. It fell about 25 feet during Tuesday night's "Red, White and Boom" event outside the courthouse in Rock Island.
Dozens were sitting near the tree watching the fireworks when the branch fell, crushing some of the spectators. Some of those who weren't hurt tried to lift the branch to free the people trapped beneath.
Bustos said Daniel Mendoza Sr., 61, of Rock Island was pronounced dead at the scene. Lawrence R. Anderson, 72, of Moline died at a hospital.
Six other people were taken to a hospital, including a 21-year-old pregnant woman from East Moline who was near term. Bustos said the woman gave birth, and she and her baby are reported to be in good health.
A Section on 07/05/2018