NASA, SpaceX prepare to launch capsule to bring home Starliner astronauts

NASA, SpaceX prepare to launch capsule to bring home Starliner astronauts
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(NEW YORK) — NASA and SpaceX are set to launch a critical mission Saturday to bring home the two astronauts who flew Boeing’s Starliner to the International Space Station.

The SpaceX Crew-9 Dragon will take off with two empty seats and extra spacesuits for Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams, who have been in space since June. Wilmore and Williams performed the first crewed test flight of the Starliner and were supposed to be on the ISS for about a week.

NASA and Boeing officials decided to send Starliner back to Earth last month after several mechanical issues, keeping Wilmore and Williams onboard the ISS until February 2025.

The unmanned Starliner landed safely at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico in the early hours of Sept. 7.

The Dragon spacecraft was originally scheduled to travel to the ISS with four astronauts for a routine science mission. Astronauts Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov will crew the spacecraft to the ISS.

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11-year-old among 3 arrested in string of armed robberies: Seattle police
11-year-old among 3 arrested in string of armed robberies: Seattle police
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(SEATTLE) — An 11-year-old is among three suspects who’ve been arrested in connection with a string of armed robberies at convenience stores and gas stations in the Seattle area, police said.

The 11-year-old, a 21-year-old and a 19-year-old are accused of four robberies committed within two hours early Friday morning and a fifth robbery Friday night, Seattle police said.

The suspects, who wore face masks and were armed with guns, demanded merchandise and cash before fleeing in stolen cars, police said.

No one was hurt, police said.

After the fifth robbery on Friday night, the suspects led several law enforcement agencies on a car chase that spanned multiple jurisdictions, police said.

The suspects eventually stopped the car and fled on foot, and were then taken into custody without incident, police said Saturday.

The adults were booked into King County Jail and the 11-year-old was taken to the Judge Patricia H. Clark Children & Family Justice Center, police said.

No guns have been recovered, police said.

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3-year-old girl dies in hot car in California, mom arrested
3-year-old girl dies in hot car in California, mom arrested
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(LOS ANGELES) — A mother is facing charges after her 3-year-old daughter died from being left in a hot car as extreme heat grips Southern California, authorities said.

Around 4:20 p.m. Friday, police and fire crews responded to reports of a 3-year-old girl and her mother, Sandra Hernandez, who were both unconscious, Anaheim police said.

A family member had found the mother and daughter locked in a Ford Expedition, and it was unclear how long they’d been inside the parked car, police said.

The 3-year-old was later pronounced dead at the hospital, police said. Her “preliminary cause of death [was] suspected to be complications from heat stroke, though the official autopsy report is still pending,” police said in a statement on Monday.

The temperature reached a scorching 113 degrees in Anaheim on Friday. The temperature was about 104 degrees when the mother and daughter were discovered, police said.

Hernandez, 41, was interviewed at the hospital, and after she was medically cleared, she was arrested on charges of involuntary manslaughter and felony child neglect, police said.

Several empty bottles of alcohol were found inside the car, police said.

The investigation is ongoing, police added.

At least 31 children have died in hot cars in the U.S. so far this year, according to national nonprofit KidsAndCars.org.

At least 1,116 children have died in hot cars since 1990, the organization said.

Click here for what you need to know to prevent hot car deaths.

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New Mexico flash flooding prompts ‘particularly dangerous situation’ warning
New Mexico flash flooding prompts ‘particularly dangerous situation’ warning
Sarayut Thaneerat via Getty Images

(ROSWELL, NM) — Roswell, New Mexico, experienced an overnight “Flash Flood Emergency” on Saturday, the National Weather Service reported — the highest tier of flash flood warning.

Between 4 and 9 inches of rain fell in parts of the state, prompting the NWS to declare a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” alert — a warning issued when a Flash Flood Emergency occurs in an area of significant population.

The NWS issued a flood warning for east central, northeast, and southeast New Mexico through to the early hours of Monday. A flash flood watch remains in effect for eastern New Mexico through Sunday night.

Additional rain is expected through Sunday, falling on ground already saturated by Saturday’s downpours and thus raising the risk of further flash flooding.

Roswell was inundated with an all-time record daily rainfall of 5.78 inches — higher than the previous record of 5.65 inches set on Nov. 1, 1901.

Emergency services reported that numerous rescues were ongoing throughout the Roswell area, with water entering homes and cutting off numerous roads.

The Chaves County Sheriff’s Office shared an emergency alert on its Facebook page warning of “an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation.”

The Sheriff’s Office later shared videos of people being brought to safety through floodwaters and of roads being cut off by rising water.

The Spring River in the Cahoon area rose rapidly, stranding several vehicles under bridges along the river.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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