Computer failure cripples NYC subway
NEW YORK -- About a third of New York City's subway lines were suspended for more than an hour during Friday's evening commute, and the head of the city's Transit Authority acknowledged that the agency "did not know exactly where our trains were."
A computer system failure was blamed for the suspension, which stranded some passengers underground and sent others searching for alternate ways home.
The stoppage affected the No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 trains that serve swaths of Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn. It also halted the S shuttle train that links Grand Central Terminal and Times Square -- two of the city's busiest stations.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority warned that there would still be "extensive delays" in the system, which serves more than 5 million people per day, even after service began to resume Friday night.
The agency blamed the suspension on a failure in the computer system that powers the signals on those lines.
The president of the New York City Transit Authority, Andy Byford, later told reporters that the signal failure meant "we did not know exactly where our trains were, so for safety reasons, we had to ask all trains ... to stop where they were."
Once the servers were rebooted, he said, the signals gradually came back, along with a "phased restart" of trains.
2 fires knock out power in Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. -- Fires at two transmission substations in Wisconsin's capital on Friday knocked out power to thousands of customers on the hottest day of the year to date, sending dual plumes of thick, black smoke into the air and shutting down government buildings, courtrooms and businesses.
No injuries were reported as a result of the explosion and fire at the Madison Gas and Electric main power center a few blocks from the state Capitol, which was among the buildings that were forced to close. A second fire at a substation near the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a couple of miles to the west, prompted the evacuation of nearby buildings. No injuries were reported as a result of that blast, either.
At its peak, more than 13,000 people were without power. Nearly everyone had power back on by Friday evening.
Gov. Tony Evers declared a state of emergency in Madison and surrounding Dane County. The declaration authorizes the activation of the National Guard if necessary and directs state agencies to provide assistance. The Guard had not been activated as of late Friday.
Man dies after floatplane halts takeoff
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A Maryland man visiting Alaska with his family was killed and one of his three children was critically injured Friday after their floatplane's takeoff was aborted.
Alaska State Troopers identified the deceased man as Joseph Patenella, 57. The critically hurt child was flown to Anchorage for treatment, along with two other family members.
Seven people were aboard the de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver at the mouth of Tutka Bay near Homer. The others who were on the floatplane appeared to have injuries that were not life-threatening, troopers said.
Patenella was traveling with his wife and three children as well as an adult male relative, according to officials at South Peninsula Hospital in Homer.
The mother, the critically injured child and a second child were flown to Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, hospital spokesman Derotha Ferraro said. Their conditions were not immediately available.
"The relative remains in the Homer hospital in stable condition," Ferraro said in a statement.
The third child and the pilot were treated and released, Ferraro said. Troopers say the pilot, Engjell Berisha, was not injured.
Bail denied for ex-Peruvian president
SAN FRANCISCO -- A U.S. judge on Friday denied bail for former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo after prosecutors argued that he was a flight risk and pointed out that officials found a suitcase with $40,000 in cash during his arrest.
"If the defendant were to flee, this would be a diplomatically significant failure of the United States to live up to its obligations to Peru under the [extradition] treaty," Magistrate Judge Thomas S. Hixson said before ordering Toledo, 73, held pending an extradition hearing scheduled for July 26.
U.S. marshals detained Toledo at his Northern California home Tuesday on an extradition request.
The ex-president is wanted in his home country on accusations of taking $20 million in bribes from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht. Toledo denies the charges.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elise LaPunzina told Hixson that the cash and the fact that Toledo has ties to other counties made him a flight risk. She said his wife, former Peruvian first lady Eliane Karp, is from Israel, a country that does not have an extradition agreement with Peru.
Toledo's attorney, Joseph Russoniello, said the cash was his wife's money, and it was being used to pay for the couple's expenses.
A Section on 07/21/2019