HOUSE FIRE IN MUSKEGON COUNTY, MICHIGAN SENDS 4 PEOPLE TO THE HOSPITAL. CAUSE AND ORIGIN INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING

HOUSE FIRE IN MUSKEGON COUNTY, MICHIGAN SENDS 4 PEOPLE TO THE HOSPITAL.  CAUSE AND ORIGIN INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING

February 7, 2015

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MICHIGAN

Four people went to local hospitals, two by ambulance, as the result of a house fire Saturday morning, Feb. 7, in the 200 block of Ruddiman Avenue in North Muskegon.

The victims were talking and appeared to be in relatively good condition, firefighters said. Two were transported by Professional Med Team ambulance, and two went to the hospital by personal vehicles.

The fire was reported approximately 8:30 a.m. Firefighters were still on the scene battling hot spots after 10:15 a.m.

North Muskegon Fire Chief Steve Lague said the house suffered fire and smoke damage throughout. The cause of the fire wasn't immediately known.

Units from the North Muskegon fire and police departments, the Muskegon Fire Department and Muskegon Township Fire Department and Pro-Med responded. 

The Muskegon Police Department assisted with traffic control. The Norton Shore Canteen 450 bus was at the scene to provide warmth and refreshments.

"PINEAPPLE EXPRESS" STORM HITS CALIFORNIA AFTER TRIGGERING WASHINGTON MUDSLIDES, FLOODING

Floodwater from the Duckabush River has inundated homes in Brinnon, Washington, and a separate mudslide has partially closed several roads.

"PINEAPPLE EXPRESS" STORM HITS CALIFORNIA AFTER TRIGGERING WASHINGTON MUDSLIDES, FLOODING

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A storm sweeping down the West Coast pelted parts of the San Francisco Bay Area with much-needed rain Friday, triggered flooding that swamped several homes in Washington state, and unleashed hurricane-force winds in Nevada.

Up to 10 inches of rain expected this weekend in parts of the drought-stricken region won't make a significant dent in the California's historic drought, but it's a welcome change after six dry weeks in the Bay Area. For the first time in recorded history, there was no measurable rainfall in downtown San Francisco in January, when winter rains usually come.

It would take 150 percent of the average rainfall for California to recover from the dry period, state water resource officials say. But snow is more important than rain because snowpack supplies about a third of the water needed by residents, agriculture and industry.

About 26 miles west of Seattle, an overflowing river inundated at least a half dozen homes on the Olympic Peninsula. Rescuers went door to door in Brinnon to check homes on a road partially blocked by a mudslide, Jefferson County Emergency Management spokeswoman Keppie Keplinger said.

Three people were rescued from a flooded pickup truck Friday morning, but none was injured, she said.

The threat of landslides will persist into the weekend, and weather officials warn of flooding in several rivers in western Washington. Oregon also saw flooding on roadways.

In the Sierra Nevada spanning California and Nevada, strong winds blinded drivers, causing multiple car crashes. The wind snapped massive trees, closed ski resorts around Lake Tahoe and knocked out power to thousands. A 134 mph gust recorded early Friday near the Mount Rose Ski Resort southeast of Reno led the facility and two others to close.

At least a dozen people were hurt in multiple crashes on Nevada highways. No deaths were reported, but nine people were hospitalized in a crash on a stretch of U.S. Highway 95A that involved at least eight vehicles. Three other people were hospitalized with minor injuries after five cars crashed on U.S. 395 north of Reno near the California line.

NV Energy reported more than 3,000 customers in Carson City and nearly 2,000 in Reno-Sparks were without power at noon Friday as the winter storm blew into the area after a record high of 70 degrees in Reno the day before.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, power lines were snapped by falling trees and the wind ripped through freeway and street signs. More than 60,000 people lost power. By Friday evening, 9,000 customers remained without power, Pacific Gas & Electric said.

North of San Francisco, businesses in Marin, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma counties stacked sandbags to prepare for possible flash flooding from swollen waterways as rain started falling in the North Bay.

Winds of up to 15 mph were recorded east of the city Friday morning, and the blustery weather knocked down trees and caused power outages, the National Weather Service said.

San Francisco International Airport saw delays of up to 90 minutes and about 175 flights canceled Friday.

//_________________________________________________//

BRINNON, Wash. (AP) - As much as 7 inches of rain have fallen over 24 hours on the east side of the Olympics where the Duckabush River is flooding the town of Brinnon, the National Weather Service said Friday.

Swift water rescue teams went door to door at homes on Kelly Road, which was partially blocked by a mudslide, Jefferson County Emergency Management spokeswoman Keppie Keplinger said. Three people were rescued Friday morning from a flooded pickup truck, but none was injured, she said.

The area, which is 26 miles west of Seattle on the west side of the Hood Canal, also flooded in December but not as severely.

The Weather Service says 2 to 4 inches of rain have fallen in other parts of western Washington as part of blast of warm, moist area hitting the Northwest and Northern California. Forecasters say the rain will ease later Friday but another pulse is expected Saturday in the series of storms.

The Weather Service is warning or watching for flooding on several rivers in western Washington, including the Elwha, Dungeness, Bogachiel, Nooksack, Skagit and Stillaguamish.

//____________________________________________________//

BRINNON, Wash. - Dozens of homes were engulfed by floodwaters Friday in the small town of Brinnon after extremely heavy rain overnight in rural Jefferson County forced the Duckabush River over its banks near Hood Canal.

A mudslide also damaged homes and three people were rescued after their truck became stranded as they were fleeing the rushing floodwaters.

Evacuations are under way in the area, but so far there are no reports of injuries. A swift water rescue team is in the area. Several vehicles also were stranded in floodwaters from the rain-gorged Duckabush River, including a Jefferson County sheriff's patrol car.

"It's pretty bad," said Assistant Fire Chief Ben Andrews. "There are a lot of homes that have water in them."

A National Weather Service spotter reported that 4.43 inches of rain fell in the area between 4 p.m. Thursday and 7:30 a.m. Friday.

Emergency responders initially rushed to the area near Shorewood Road and Kelly Road in Brinnon, off Duckabush Road, at about 1 a.m. Friday after receiving reports of a mudslide, said a spokeswoman for the Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management. The slide reportedly blocked the road and damaged five or six homes.

Now crews are going to door to door to check on residents stranded by floodwaters from the Duckabush River, which flows from the Olympic Mountains. Many homes are completely surrounded by floodwaters.

Nicole Black, whose home is located just above the flood zone, said the area occasionally experiences minor flooding when it rains heavily, but "this is different."

"This is a lot more than we're used to," she said. "This is beyond our comfort zone." She said the flooding may have been worsened by a mudslide on a bank that was logged about two years ago.

She said crews are going door-to-door with Zodiac boats and a large dump truck to evacuate residents.

"It wasn't very fun," said Elyssa Brown. "This is the second time it's happened."

The last time was in December when the Duckabush also went over its banks.

"It's horrible," said Keri Nelson. "We've already had it happen and we haven't even recovered from the last time."

Marlene Standerfer and her husband are staying put, even though the water is up to their doors, and their house is surrounded by water. They say they're not nervous.

"We've come out a lot of times and sat at the picnic table and watched all the logs come down," said Marlene Standerfer.

The fire crews say the evacuations are advisable, but not mandatory... At least not yet. Even along Kelly Road on the north side of the river, we saw smoke from a chimney -- a family deciding to ride it out despite water around -- and probably inside their home.

Flood Watches and warnings remain in effect for much of Western Washington, including rivers in Grays Harbor, Clallam, Jefferson, Skagit, Whatcom, Mason, Pierce and Snohomish counties.

More heavy rainfall is forecast through the weekend, with significant rainfall in the Mount Rainier area as well.

Several Cascade Mountain rivers also are threatened by potential flooding, including the Nooksack, Skagit, Stillaguamish and Puyallup rivers.

"This is only the beginning of things getting worse," Black said. "If this rain continues like it is projected to everybody here needs to get out and we need to make sure these banks don't fall."

SOUTH CAROLINA'S INSURANCE PAYS VICTIM $285,000 IN WRONGFUL TROOPER TRAFFIC STOP SHOOTING, WHEN THE TRIGGER HAPPY TROOPER SHOT THE VICTIM AS HE REACHED BACK INTO HIS TRUCK TO GET HIS LICENSE

 

SOUTH CAROLINA'S INSURANCE PAYS VICTIM $285,000 IN WRONGFUL TROOPER TRAFFIC STOP SHOOTING, WHEN THE TRIGGER HAPPY TROOPER SHOT THE VICTIM AS HE REACHED BACK INTO HIS TRUCK TO GET HIS LICENSE

February 3, 2015

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - 

South Carolina's insurance is paying $285,000 to an unarmed man who was shot during a traffic stop by a state trooper now facing a criminal charge.

The state Insurance Reserve Fund says the settlement was reached in October, just a month after the shooting.

Authorities released a video of trooper Sean Groubert shooting Levar Jones just moments after he got out of his truck at a Columbia gas station. Groubert says he was pulling Jones over for a seatbelt violation. The video shows the shooting happened as Levar reached back into his truck to get his license.

Groubert was fired and is awaiting trial on a charge of aggravated assault and battery.

Jones is recovering from the shooting.

//________________________________________________//

Trooper charged for shooting unarmed man  

South Carolina police release a video of a trooper shooting a man in a traffic stop.

Police say the man was unarmed, and the trooper is charged with felony assault

"Why did you shoot me?" the man asks the trooper

"Well, you dove head-first back into your car," the trooper responds

One moment, a man reaches into his vehicle after a South Carolina trooper asked for his driver's license. 

Seconds later, the trooper shoots him, and the man asks why. Days afterward, prosecutors aren't satisfied with the answer.

Authorities released dash-camera video Wednesday showing what they say is Sean Groubert, a decorated South Carolina Highway Patrol trooper, shooting Levar Jones, who was unarmed, in the parking lot of a gas station just outside Columbia on September 4.

Jones, 35, survived the shooting. But Groubert, who has since been fired for the incident, has been charged with aggravated assault and battery, a felony that could get him up to 20 years in prison if convicted, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said Wednesday.

"The force administered in this case was unwarranted, inconsistent with how our troopers are trained, and clearly in violation of department policies," South Carolina Public Safety Director Leroy Smith said last week in announcing Groubert's firing.

Cop shoots him as he reaches for wallet 02:19

This wasn't the first time Groubert had fired his weapon. He was lauded the previous time: His department gave him a medal of valor for an incident in which he and another trooper shot and injured a man who had shot at them in 2012, SCPSD spokeswoman Sherri Iacobelli said.

'Why did you shoot me?'

In this year's incident, police said Groubert, 31, stopped Jones in the parking lot of a Circle K station in daylight, for what police say was an alleged seat belt violation, around 5 p.m. 

Video that authorities say was recorded from Groubert's police car shows the trooper driving up to a vehicle just as its driver -- who authorities say is Jones -- steps out of the vehicle. 

When Groubert asks for Jones' license, Jones pivots toward the vehicle he just exited -- the driver's door is still open -- and leans inside as if to retrieve something, the video shows.

About two seconds later, the trooper that police identify as Groubert comes into view with a gun drawn and yells "Get out of the car! Get out of the car!" The gun is fired -- at least four shots are heard -- and Jones steps away from the vehicle, raising his hands in the air and eventually moving off camera.

"I just got my license! You said get my license!" says someone off camera, apparently Jones.

After being told to put his hands behind his back, Jones asks: "What did I do, sir?"

"Are you hit?" asks another off-camera voice, apparently Groubert's.

"I think so," comes the response. "I can't feel my leg. I don't know what happened."

The conversation continues:

"Why did you shoot me?"

"Well, you dove head-first back into your car. Then you (unintelligible), I'm telling you get out of your car."

Ohio man shot by police in Walmart store

Shot in the hip

Jones was shot in the hip, CNN affiliate WACH reported. He was taken to a hospital and later released, authorities said.

Jones was found not to be armed, Smith said.

"I believe this case was an isolated incident in which Mr. Groubert reacted to a perceived threat where there was none," Smith said last week.

In a court hearing Wednesday night, a judge ordered Groubert held with bond set at $75,000, WACH reported.

CNN's attempts to reach Groubert's and Jones' lawyers weren't immediately successful.

In explaining Groubert's firing Friday, Smith said the department's policy on using force says that officers can use "only the level of force necessary to accomplish lawful objectives."

"That protocol was not followed in this case. Further, this incident occurred in broad daylight. Mr. Groubert had a clear and unobstructed view of Mr. Jones," Smith said.

The shooting, Smith said, "deviates from SCDPS standards and cannot be tolerated."

Medal of valor

Groubert, who joined the Highway Patrol in 2005, earned kudos for the other time he'd fired his gun in the line of duty.

Police said Groubert stopped a car that had passed him at a high rate of speed in Richland County in August 2012. The driver eventually took off without permission, and Groubert pursued him, police said.

Another trooper joined the pursuit, and the driver stopped at a bank, exited his vehicle and fired shots at both troopers in the parking lot, police said.

Groubert and the other trooper returned fire, injuring the suspect, the SCDPS said. At some point, it appeared that the suspect intended to go inside the bank, Iacobelli said.

That suspect was charged with attempted murder and convicted in 2013, according to the SCDPS.

The SCDPS gave Groubert a medal of valor in 2013 for his handling of the incident, Iacobelli said.

Reef Subsea File for Bankruptcy

Reef Subsea File for Bankruptcy

Published in Oil Industry News on Saturday, 7 February 2015



The parent company of Stockton-based cabling specialists Reef Subsea has filed for bankruptcy, raising questions over the future of around 80 North East jobs.

Reef Subsea AS, the Norwegian parent company of Thornaby-based Reef Subsea UK Ltd (RSUK), revealed it had filed for bankruptcy this week.

But RSUK, which posted a pre-tax loss of £15.9m in 2013, maintained it is a separate legal entity and remains under the control of its own directors.
A spokesperson said: “For the avoidance of doubt, Reef Subsea UK Limited is not in administration.”

Last year Reef Subsea AS restructured to form three independent business – X-Subsea, Reef Power & Umbilical and Technocean Subsea.

Reef’s chairman Mel Fitzgerald has been reported in the Norwegian press, as saying recent market deterioration caused by low oil prices had scuppered the turnaround efforts.

Speaking to the Norwegian newspaper, Dagens Næringsliv, Mr Fitzgerald, said: “We have worked intensively in recent years to restructure the company and reduce costs and competition.

“The recent deterioration in the market has made that we have not succeeded. We have tried to find solutions together with the central shareholders, but unfortunately we have not managed to get agreement that restructures the company.”

In its 2013 accounts RSUK said it was looking forward to becoming a “major player and market force” in 2016 and 2017, despite pre-tax losses of £15.9m.
Only weeks ago the Teesside firm announced it had completed work on the Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm – its largest contract to date.
In its 2013 accounts, Reef Subsea UK said the contract had been made difficult initially by poor conditions, a feature which had contributed to the significant losses.

Commenting on news of Reef Subsea AS’ bankruptcy, Neil Gordon, chief executive of industry body Subsea UK, said: “This hugely disappointing news will regrettably not be the only casualty in the oil and gas industry in the coming months when we expect to see more job losses and companies battling to survive.

“Those companies which are highly leveraged, which have capital intensive strategies, high-cost vessels and will be most affected if projects continue to be postponed or cancelled and they are unable to quickly re-shape and reposition themselves to adapt to the current market challenges.

“However, the fundamentals in subsea globally remain relatively strong and there will be opportunities for those companies who have a spread of international business and can demonstrate innovation and new technology which add value and increase efficiency. The UK subsea industry is globally renowned for its expertise, technology and entrepreneurialism and it will need to use these to adapt and innovate in the next year or two.”
Reef’s Stockton operation was launched in 2012 with the backing of its Norwegian group.

The business started with 40 staff and has since grown to around 80.
Last year the Reef Subsea AS group was bought by Norwegian private equity firm HitecVision in a £15.2m deal.
Source: www.thejournal.co.uk