Grieving family members visit site of DC plane crash
John McDonnell/ for The Washington Post via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — Family members of the victims of the plane crash in Washington, D.C., visited the crash site on Sunday morning.
Dozens of the victims’ loved ones could be seen gathered by the Potomac River to commemorate the 67 people killed in the deadly midair collision last week.
An American Airlines regional jet collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
There were no survivors.
Among those lost in the crash were a civil rights attorney, a biology professor, several champion figure skaters and many others.
National Transportation Safety Board investigator J. Todd Inman was asked Saturday during a press briefing about his interactions with the victims’ families and others who have been directly impacted by the incident.
“They’re all just hurt and they want answers, and we want to give them answers,” he said. “It’s horrible. No one has to suffer this.”
The Army Corps of Engineers is expected to begin removing the jet and helicopter wreckage from the Potomac River on Monday.
(AQUEBOGUE, N.Y.) — A commercial poultry farm on Long Island, New York, is being forced to kill thousands of ducks after health officials detected cases of bird flu.
The owner of Crescent Duck Farm in Aquebogue — about 66 miles west of New York City — reportedly first saw signs that his flock was ill last week, according to the Suffolk County Department of Health. Tests confirmed the detection of bird flu on Jan. 17.
The farm, which is the last commercial duck farm on Long Island, was forced to cease operations and begin the process of euthanizing its entire flock of more than 100,000 ducks, according to ABC-owned station WABC. The process will reportedly take a little over a week.
“Unfortunately, when you have a situation like this where you have a flock that’s infected, the remedy is to put the entire flock down,” Suffolk County Health Commissioner Dr. Gregson Pigott told WABC.
As of Friday, no farm workers were reported ill and health officials have begun interviewing potentially exposed workers as well as providing testing and preventive medications to high-risk individuals, according to the release from the health department. Pigott told WABC the medications include Tamiflu and Tamivir.
The health department said it is also providing education to the farm owner on preventative measures such as proper hand hygiene and the use of appropriate personal protective equipment.
“The risk to public health is minimal as the virus at this point is not transmissible among humans,” Pigott said in a statement. “A full investigation is underway because there is some potential for transmission of the H5N1 bird flu from the infected birds to individual farm workers who had high-risk exposures.”
SCDH did not immediately reply to ABC News’ request for comment. ABC News left a message requesting comment with Crescent Duck Farm.
Bird flu, or avian influenza, has been causing outbreaks in poultry and dairy cows in the U.S. with recent human cases among poultry and dairy workers.
Human cases have been diagnosed across the country since April 2024, with 67 confirmed in 10 states so far, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Thursday, no human cases have been reported in New York.
Most human cases have been mild with patients fully recovering. So far, just one death has been recorded in Louisiana in a patient over age 65 who had underlying medical conditions.
The CDC and other public health officials say there is currently no evidence of human-to-human transmission and the risk to the general public is low.
(LITTLE ROCK, Ark.) — Shots rang out at the Park Plaza Mall in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Black Friday, leaving two people injured, police said in an update Friday evening.
The Little Rock Police Department had initially reported three injuries.
The shooting occurred at 1:44 p.m., according to police.
Two people were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, including one with gunshot wounds, police said.
“Initially reported as a potential active aggressor situation, officers quickly determined it was an isolated incident upon arrival,” the Little Rock Police Department said in an update Friday evening.
Police said the incident appears to have stemmed from a “disturbance” between two individuals, which escalated into gunfire.
Shots rang out at the Park Plaza Mall in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Black Friday, leaving two people injured, police said in an update Friday evening.
The Little Rock Police Department had initially reported three injuries.
The shooting occurred at 1:44 p.m., according to police.
Two people were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, including one with gunshot wounds, police said.
“Initially reported as a potential active aggressor situation, officers quickly determined it was an isolated incident upon arrival,” the Little Rock Police Department said in an update Friday evening.
Police said the incident appears to have stemmed from a “disturbance” between two individuals, which escalated into gunfire.
(DALLAS) — Bishop T.D. Jakes is stable after suffering a medical emergency during a sermon on Sunday, according to the megachurch Potter’s House of Dallas, where he serves as pastor.
Video of the incident shows the renowned Christian pastor lowering his microphone and shaking in his seat before people around him rushed to his aid.
In a statement, the church said Jakes “experienced a slight health incident and received immediate medical attention following his powerful hour long message.”
“Bishop Jakes is stable and under the care of medical professionals,” the church said. “The entire Potter’s House family is grateful for the outpouring of love, prayers, and support from the community.”
Jakes founded the 30,000-member megachurch in southern Dallas, Texas, in 1996.