PASSAIC, NEW JERSEY —
A 28-year old man was killed and six others were injured after lightning struck a tree and a limb fell into a backyard during a Mother's Day barbecue on Paulison Avenue.
Lightning hit the tree at 4:58 p.m. causing a tree limb to fall in the backyard of 375 Paulison Avenue where a family was having barbecue, Lt. Jonathon Schaer said.
"It's an act of God, as unfortunate as it is," Schaer said.
The 28-year-old man died from his injuries at the hospital where he had been transported in critical condition . Schaer said his name is being withheld pending family notification.
Rain and isolated thunder storms with estimated wind gusts between 50 to 60 miles per hour came through the area around 4:30 p.m. and lasted about an hour.
"The main impact with the storms that came was the strong wind gusts," National Weather Service Meteorologist Brian Ciemnecki said.
The storms developed in Upstate New York and came down across the region.
"It was a sunny day," Ciemnecki said. "It probably caught a lot of people off-guard."
Six people were taken to St. Joseph Hospital from the barbecue in Passaic. Five have minor injuries and one is in critical condition.
The National Weather Service also received numerous reports of damage in the area from trees.
In Rutherford, three trees came down with the storm hitting trees and downed electric poles, Rutherford Sgt. Jeff Wilkinson said.
Trees fell on Maple Street, Raymond and Wilson Avenues around 4:45 p.m. There were no injuries reported to on Maple Street and Raymond where trees fell on houses. There minimal damage was caused to the houses that are still habitable.
Significant damage was caused to electric poles on Wilson Avenue. There is limited power in the area and at least a dozen houses so far reporting outages, according to Wilkinson.
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PASSAIC, New Jersey (WABC) -- A man has died after being struck in the head by a falling tree in New Jersey.
A lightning bolt hit the tree just before 5 p.m. Sunday during the passing storm. The 28-year-old was outside during a Mother's Day backyard barbecue on 375 Paulison Avenue in Passaic.
Multiple other people were injured.
Cause of apartment fire in Springfield released, damage in the thousands
Updated: May 14, 2017 6:37 AM EST
By Jessica Michalski
SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -
A fire at an apartment on Sumner Ave. in Springfield has left thousands of dollars in damages.
Dennis Leger, Aid to the Springfield Fire Commissioner, reports that crews were called to the scene around midnight.
When firefighters arrived they found fire to 34 Sumner Ave. they found fire in apt. 407.
After putting out the flames "quickly," the Springfield Fire Department was able to determine why the fire started.
"Cause was stove top cooking," explained Leger.
He estimated damage to be under $30,000.
Luckily no one was hurt in the incident.
One person is confirmed dead in a glider accident at the Blair Airport just before 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Nebraska.
Representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) arrived at the scene at approximately 6:30 p.m. The agencies will be investigating the cause of the crash and reporting their findings in an accident report.
The victim, a 59-year-old male, is from Glenwood, Iowa. The man's name has not yet been released to the public.
"As far as the mechanics of the crash, it was in the process of taking off at the time," Lt. Aaron Barrow of the Blair Police Department said. "It's still in the process of being investigated."
Both Blair police and the Washington County Sheriff's Office both responded to the call. Bob Craig, the Omaha Soaring Club's president, confirmed that the deceased was a member of the club.
"I wasn't there, but it was a takeoff accident," Craig said. "His canopy opened up, and in the process of reaching for the canopy to shut it, he lost control of the plane, essentially. He was on tow, just got off the ground, and lost control of the plane, which came back down and hit hard. That's what happened."
Debris litters the field and runway of the Blair Airport after a glider crash that left one man dead. Joe Burns
The victim was the sole occupant of the glider, which Barrow said is in numerous pieces near the accident's location. Police vehicles parked in a row to block the view of the crash site. It is unclear whether the wind was a factor in the crash.
County Attorney Scott Vander Schaaf has ordered an autopsy to be performed on the deceased to determine the exact cause of death. It was reported that he was already dead at the police's initial arrival.
Barrow said there is not a clear time-frame of when the FAA and NTSB will report their findings.
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BLAIR, Neb. —
At least one person has died after a glider crashed at the Blair Airport Saturday. Authorities said the victim is a 59-year-old man from Iowa, who was a member of an area glider club. They have not released his name.
The aircraft experienced
an inflight open canopy and subsequent impact with airport turf terrain
during takeoff tow from Blair Municipal Airport (KBTA), Blair, Nebraska. One witness said it appeared windy conditions may have contributed to the crash.
Authorities have not released any additional information. The investigation is ongoing.
Stay with KETV.com and the KETV mobile app for the latest on this developing story.
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Date: 13-MAY-2017
Time: -15:30
Type: Glider
Owner/operator:
Registration:
C/n / msn:
Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities: 0
Airplane damage: Substantial
Location: Blair Municipal Airport (KBTA), Blair, NE - 
United States of America
Phase: Take off
Nature: Unknown
Departure airport: Blair Muni (KBTA)
Destination airport: Blair Muni (KBTA)
Narrative:
The aircraft experienced an inflight open canopy and subsequent impact with airport turf terrain during takeoff tow from Blair Municipal Airport (KBTA), Blair, Nebraska. The glider sustained substantial damage and the sole pilot onboard received fatal injuries.
Sources:
http://www.enterprisepub.com/news/local_news/one-dead-in-glider-crash-at-blair-airport/article_6fbce3dc-383d-11e7-92fe-a74a19a365eb.html
http://www.ketv.com
http://aviationsafety.com
Frisco, Texas
A construction employee was taken to the hospital with serious injuries Friday evening after an accident on the job.
The man was working at an apartment complex under construction near the intersection of John Hickman Parkway and Frisco Green Avenue in Frisco when it happened.
The man climbed up some scaffolding and fell about 40 feet to the ground, said Frisco fire officials.
He was transported by an ambulance to Medical Center Plano in "serious condition," officials said.
His current condition is unknown.
Frisco Police also responded to the incident to assist the fire department.
"Frisco Fire/EMS are on scene of a reported long fall at a construction site near John Hickman Pkwy. and Frisco Green Ave. Frisco Medic 3 is ground transporting a patient to Medical Center of Plano, trauma alert. Serious and potentially critical injuries reported."
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A construction worker was rushed to the hospital on Friday night due to a major accident on site. The employee was part of the construction team building the new apartment complex in Frisco, near the intersection of John Hickman Parkway and Frisco Green Avenue.
He was climbing the scaffolding when something caused him to fall 40 feet. The man sustained very serious injuries and police and emergency medical services rushed to transport the worker to the Medical Center Plano.
Officials say the man is in “serious condition.”
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Embrey at The Gate: How this developer landed the first piece of a $1B Frisco project
Oct 11, 2016, 2:37pm CDT
Candace Carlisle Senior Reporter Dallas Business Journal
The Dubai-based developers behind The Gate, a $1 billion, 41-acre mixed-use development near the Dallas Cowboys' new headquarters in Frisco, had been searching for partners to help build the palatial project for months.
Now, Invest Group Overseas has found the first of its development partners in San Antonio-based Embrey Partners Ltd., which has a number of projects in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Embrey Partners finalized its agreement to build a multimillion-dollar, three- to five-story upscale apartment community — called the Domain at The Gate — totaling 350 units at the Dallas North Tollway and John Hickman Parkway in Frisco, which is north of the Dallas Cowboys new headquarters and practice facility.
Upon signing the agreement on Sept. 30, Embrey Partners has begun construction on the site, said John Kirk, executive vice president of Embrey Partners.
"We are underway with the project and excited to be in Frisco's $5 Billion Mile off the Tollway," Kirk told the Dallas Business Journal."There was a lot of buzz and a lot of competition for the site.
"We were able to forge a relationship with the land owner and they have been great to work with," he added. "This will be phenomenal when all is said and done. We are excited to be the first project within The Gate."
At completion, The Gate will include two additional phases of apartments, a two-tower luxury condo tower, 40 two-story townhomes, office buildings and a luxury hotel at the marquee corner of the Dallas North Tollway and John Hickman Parkway.
The mixed-use development will have an ornate gate-like entrance that will help identify The Gate to residents and visitors. The developers are in the midst of reviewing proposals by hotel operators for the 140- to 150-key hotel with a Turkish bath and fully outfitted spa.
Frisco's much-touted $5 Billion Mile includes $6.3 billion of real estate investment along the Dallas North Tollway from Warren Parkway to Lebanon Road. The epicenter of the mile sits at the Dallas Cowboys' world headquarters and practice facility, which was developed in partnership with Frisco Independent School District.
For Invest Group Overseas, the development group couldn't have made a better choice, said Dr. Anas Kozbari, the Dubai-based firm's CEO and managing partner.
"We are fully confident of Embrey Partners' credentials and capability to deliver excellent work," Kozbari said, in a statement. "IGO is renowned for pioneering landmarks wherever we have ventured, and together with Embrey, The Gate will certainly mark another corporate milestone for us.
"We see The Gate development as a destination that will pull huge traffic from all over the Dallas Metroplex," he added.
The Domain at The Gate will help set the tone for the entire mixed-use development, Kirk said. The designs of the apartment portion of the project have yet to be finalized, but the exterior will have a European-style natural stone and stucco.
"It's a beautiful combination of old world European architecture with a contemporary style that brings together crisp and clean luxury with lush spaces, natural materials and higher-end finishes," he said.
Dallas-based Humphreys & Partners is the project architect for The Domain at The Gate.
The apartment community will have expansive courtyards, an 11,000-square-foot clubhouse, two-floor fitness facility, golf simulator, dog park and bike garage.
Construction on the apartment community, which includes one- and two-bedroom units, is slated for completion in mid-2018.
Gensler is the master architect for Invest Group Overseas larger vision of the project. For a preview of The Gate, see the attached slideshow.
