two-alarm fire that burned a five-story building in downtown San Rafael started in the kitchen of a restaurant located inside the building.

Crews believe a two-alarm fire that burned a five-story building in downtown San Rafael Sunday morning started in the kitchen of a restaurant located inside the building. (KGO-TV)

Bay City News
Updated 24 mins ago
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. -- Firefighters believe a two-alarm fire that burned a five-story building in downtown San Rafael Sunday morning started in the kitchen of a restaurant located inside the building.

The fire was first reported around 10 a.m. at 1132 Fourth St., according to fire Capt. Paul Bernard

Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the kitchen of State Room Brewery, a restaurant and bar located in the building.

The fire appears to be cooking related, Bernard said.

No injuries were reported, according to Bernard.

The building, which is a commercial building with offices and businesses, sustained damage estimated to be worth about $50,000.

The restaurant will likely close for repairs, Bernard said.

The other businesses and offices inside the building did not sustain significant damage.

Man found dead in Halifax Co. , NC road after hit-and-run

(Image courtesy Flickr creative commons)

Sunday, July 17, 2016 11:23AM
HALIFAX COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- North Carolina State Highway Patrol said a man was found dead in the road after an apparent hit-and-run in Halifax County.

Troopers told ABC11 they received a call around 5:45 a.m. Saturday about a man lying on Faulcon Road near Littleton.

According to troopers, it appeared the pedestrian was walking in front of his home when he was hit by a car. The victim was identified as 27-year-old Jameille Harvey.

The driver of the unknown vehicle fled the scene. Harvey was last seen around 3:30 a.m., troopers said.

Authorities were not sure exactly when Harvey was hit.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call State Highway Patrol.

A mother was killed, and her 9-year-old daughter is critically injured after an accident involving a speeding drunk driver in South Ozone Park, Queens

Eyewitness News
Updated 1 hr 16 mins ago
SOUTH OZONE PARK, Queens (WABC) -- A mother was killed, and her 9-year-old daughter is critically injured after an accident in South Ozone Park, Queens on Sunday.

Police believe the driver of a BMW was speeding as it was traveling westbound on 115th Avenue as it struck the Toyota that was traveling northbound on 130th Street. The driver was also believed to be intoxicated, and is currently in police custody.

The mother and her daughter were both ejected from the Toyota.

Five cars total were involved in the accident - three cars were parked, and two were moving.

The father, who was also in the car at the time of the crash, was not seriously injured, and was taken to Jamaica Hospital.

Employers often win reductions in proposed OSHA fines during informal talks with regulators, but settling citations is not as easy as it once was.

Employers see some success in negotiating down OSHA fines
Admission of guilt helps set the right tone
  By Gloria Gonzalez
7/17/2016 12:01 am
    Employers that face significant penalties for federal workplace safety violations often win reductions in proposed fines during informal talks with regulators, but settling citations is not as easy as it once was.

Companies that are cited by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration have 15 business days from receipt to comply, request a conference with OSHA's area director or file a notice to contest the findings before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

OSHA routinely agrees to reduce civil fines during informal settlement talks in exchange for companies agreeing to immediately correct hazards, according to a June report by the Washington-based Center for Progressive Reform, which blamed the practice on budgetary constraints and limits on the agency's authority, such as its inability under federal law to order employers to immediately fix dangerous conditions (see box).

“It's a matter of resources, but it's also a matter of policy,” said Tom McGarity, professor of law at the University of Texas' School of Law in Austin and report co-author. “At the ground level, enforcement doesn't always happen as you might expect.”

In practice, securing a significant fine reduction during the informal conference process has gotten much more difficult since a 2010 OSHA memorandum changed the agency's penalty policies, including requiring the approval of regional administrators for any reduction above 30%, legal experts say.

“When I was head of OSHA, I said 'area directors, you decide what you think is best on settlement … what do you have to do to make sure they have a safe worksite,' ” said Edwin Foulke, an Atlanta-based partner at Fisher & Phillips L.L.P. and a former assistant secretary of labor for Occupational Safety and Health. “Now they are kind of limited in what they can and cannot do.”

OSHA area directors may agree to reduce the fine, but generally will not withdraw all citations or downgrade willful or repeat citations with the highest penalties, he said.

“We used to all experience the walk in, handshake, a little bit of cash and get the egregious citation dismissed,” Matthew Deffebach, a Houston-based partner at Haynes & Boone L.L.P., said during the American Society of Safety Engineers' conference in Atlanta last month. “That doesn't happen anymore.”

Kristine Pounds, manager of safety operations at Atlanta-based Home Depot Inc., has overseen negotiations that significantly reduced OSHA fines and sees her job in the informal process as helping OSHA better understand the company's programs, processes and procedures.

It also helps, she said, for employers to admit when they are wrong.

“I've had a lot of success not going in adversarially, but going in as a partner,” she said.

It is critically important for employers to maintain a cordial relationship during the informal process, with an eye toward potential litigation, Mr. Deffebach said.

“Sometimes there's that real desire to go in there, pounding on the table, telling OSHA they've got it wrong and being adversarial at that informal process,” he said. “If your relationship has been one that's been copacetic with the agency … their attitude is much better and it helps us in the litigation.”

For employers with multiple sites, it is critical to reinforce to employees how important it is to immediately forward citations to the health and safety team, Ms. Pounds said.

She also has compliance officers send her the citations rather than each facility.

That helped in a recent case where the citation was sent to the store instead of her, allowing her to get the case reopened despite missing the deadline to contest it, Ms. Pounds said.

OSHA's changing penalty structure will likely come into play in decisions on whether to contest fines and citations when it takes effect Aug. 1, because the maximum fines will increase roughly 78%, which could encourage more employers to fight back.

“You're going to have a lot more people contesting — there's no doubt about that,” Mr. Foulke said. “I don't think that necessarily helps safety. Lots of citations, higher penalties — that doesn't get you to zero.”

In addition, significant enforcement cases with a penalty of more than $100,000 are assigned to a mandatory settlement conference, per commission rules. But given that one willful or repeat citation has a maximum fine of $124,471, the commission is reviewing it and stakeholders predict the penalty threshold will be raised.

“Quite practically speaking, (OSHA doesn't) have the resources to litigate all these cases,” said Margaret Seminario, director of safety and health at the AFL-CIO in Washington.

Even with its budgetary and legal limitations, OSHA can still ensure penalties have the desired deterrent effect by taking reductions off the table when noncompliance economically benefits the employer.

“There are certain times the cases shouldn't be settled, for instance, when they are incredibly egregious or someone's died on the job,” said Katherine Tracy, Center for Progressive Reform policy analyst and report co-author. “That just stands out to me as particularly troubling.”

A Kinder Morgan employee died Friday in a crane accident at the Kinder Morgan Nassau Terminal in Fernandina Beach, FL when the cab separated and fell to the ground

Employee dies in Fernandina Beach crane accident


by: Kristen Dressel Updated: Jul 15, 2016 - 11:41 PM

NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. —

A Kinder Morgan employee died Friday in a crane accident at the Kinder Morgan Nassau Terminal in Fernandina Beach, according to police.

The Fernandina Beach Police Department said the employee was in a crane making repairs to it when the cab separated and fell to the ground, police said.

The employee, Timothy Dubberly, 58, died in the fall. Dubberly was an electrician with the company.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been notified, and Kinder Morgan is investigating the incident.

A statement was released by the company:


"It is with great sadness that we must report the Kinder Morgan family suffered a fatality this morning involving a company employee at the Kinder Morgan Nassau Terminal at Fernandina Beach, Florida.

Following notifications of next of kin, the employee has been identified as Timothy Dubberly, 58, an electrician at the facility. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and family. The company is providing grief counselors for employees at the terminal and also seeing to the needs of Mr. Dubberly’s family.

Following the incident, regulatory notifications were made, and the company has initiated an investigation." 




===============================


Fernandina Beach port employee killed in Friday accident


By Dan Scanlan Fri, Jul 15, 2016 @ 12:38 pm | updated Fri, Jul 15, 2016 @ 2:09 pm 

Mary Hurst/file photo
This Times-Union file photo shows a view of the Port of Fernandina. An employee was killed in an industrial accident involving a crane at the port on Friday.





A 58-year-old employee was killed in an industrial accident involving a crane at the Port of Fernandina on Friday morning, according to Fire Chief Harvey Silcox.

The maintenance man was working on the crane at the Kinder Morgan Nassau Terminal on North 3rd Street when the accident occurred, Silcox said.

“It appears maybe a cable broke and caused the operations cab to fall,” he said.

The man fell about 100 feet and was dead when rescue workers got to him at about 9:30 a.m., Silcox said.

Port officials identified the man as employee Timothy Dubberly, 58, and said he was doing electrical work on the crane in a statement about the accident.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and family,” the statement read. “The company is providing grief counselors for employees at the terminal and also seeing to the needs of Mr. Dubberly’s family.

The port is operated by Nassau Terminals, LLC, a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan, under a long-term contract with the Ocean Highway and Port Authority. Port officials said the company has initiated an investigation, while the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration staff will be investigating as well, according to our news partner, First Coast News.

Employee of KONE Elevators and Escalators of Cincinnati was killed performing maintenance at the University of Cincinnati

(Photo: Provided/The University of Cincinnati)

Man killed working on UC elevator ID'd
Cameron Knight, cknight@enquirer.com 12:24 p.m. EDT July 16, 2016

 A contract worker was killed while performing maintenance on an elevator Friday in the Medical Sciences building at the University of Cincinnati, university officials said.

The University of Cincinnati police were called to the building at approximately 4:30 p.m. and found the worker dead, UC's public information officer Michele Ralston said.

Ralston said investigators believe the death is accidental. She said it was unclear if the worker was performing specialized or routine maintenance.

The deceased was identified Saturday as 42-year-old Chris Lane, according to a UC news release.

Lane, according to the release, was a 20-year employee of KONE Elevators and Escalators of Cincinnati. He was conducting repair work in the medical science building.

The Hamilton County Coroner's Office was at the building around 6 p.m. The University of Cincinnati Police Department is leading the investigation into what caused the incident.

The Medical Sciences building sits on Eden Avenue near Albert Sabin Way and contains classrooms, offices and some laboratories.

The building is open for regular business and school activities, Ralston said, but the elevators will out of service through the weekend.

3 people, including a child, were killed after their vehicle hit a cow and then a semi-truck in central New Mexico

3 dead after fatal crash on central New Mexico freeway


The Associated Press
Created: 07/17/2016 1:16 PM


VAUGHN, N.M. (AP) - Authorities say a family from Denver, including a child, is dead after their vehicle hit a cow and then a semi-truck in central New Mexico.

State Police say the deadly crash occurred around 3 a.m. Saturday on U.S. 54 north of Vaughn.

According to investigators, a Saturn struck a cow in a southbound lane.

The impact sent the car into the northbound lane, where it collided head-on with a semi-tractor trailer.

Police say flames erupted in both vehicles.

The semi-truck driver escaped and tried to free the other driver.

Authorities say the driver and two occupants suffered fatal injuries.

They have been identified as 26-year-old Guerrero Jimenez, 75-year-old Ofahalea Sanchez and 3-year-old Angela Jimenez.

Investigators do not believe alcohol was a factor in the crash.

2 dead, 5 injured after pick-up truck hits head-on 3 motorcycles in Fox Lake, Illinois and bursts into flames

A pick-up truck burst into flames when it crashed into three motorcycles Saturday in Fox Lake. (WLS)

By Michelle Gallardo
Saturday, July 16, 2016 10:16PM
FOX LAKE, Ill. (WLS) -- Two men were killed Saturday when a pick-up truck crashed into three motorcycles in north suburban Fox Lake, officials said.

The pick-up truck driver and one of the motorcyclists were killed. Five others were injured.

The three motorcycles were traveling in a group of five. The other two motorcyclists were able to get out of the way.
The crash occurred at about 3 p.m. near State Park and Grass Lake roads, near Route 12.

The five motorcycles were traveling northbound when the southbound-traveling truck barreled into three of the motorcycles, investigators said.

"It appears that the truck crossed into the other lanes of traffic," said Fox Lake Police Chief Russell Laine.

The pick-up truck burst into flames. One of the motorcyclists had his leg amputated in the crash. He was airlifted to a nearby hospital, but died.

3-Alarm Grease Fire at Seasons 52 Restaurant Causes $35,000 Damage, Partial Evacuation of Tysons Corner Center in Virginia

Grease Fire at Seasons 52 Restaurant Causes Partial Evacuation of Tysons Corner Center
July 16, 2016Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department

On July 15, at approximately 6:04 p.m., units responded to 7863 Tysons Corner Center in the McLean area for reports of smoke coming from Tysons Corner Center.

Upon arrival, units observed smoke showing from the roof the three-story wing of the mall. Firefighters conducted an aggressive attack and the fire was brought under control. 

Due to the extent of the fire and extreme heat, three-alarms were sounded bringing over 80 firefighters to the scene. The Arlington County Fire and Rescue Department, City of Fairfax Fire Department, and Fairfax County Police Department provided mutual aid. 

There were no firefighter or civilian injuries. The effected wing of the mall was evacuated. Property loss is estimated at $35,000.

The fire was determined to be accidental. Investigation revealed the fire originated in the hood system located above a solid fuel (wood) cooking appliance. 

The operating appliance caused the grease within the hood system to reach its ignition temperature. The fire was contained to the exhaust duct.

===========================



FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA -- Fairfax County Fire & Rescue battled a three-alarm fire Friday night at Tysons Corner Center shopping mall that started at a ground-floor restaurant, according to the fire department.

The shopping center is open Saturday and Seasons 52, a restaurant where the fire started, will remain closed, according to a message from the mall on its Web site.

Messages and photos about smoke and fire at the popular mall began showing up on Twitter at about 6 p.m. Friday.

The fire was under control by 7:30 p.m. Friday, Fairfax County Fire & Rescue said in a message posted to social media. The fire took place at Tysons 1, located at 1961 Chain Bridge Road (see map below).

The fire started in a restaurant on the ground floor and spread to the roof, according to the fire department. There were no reported injuries, the department noted. The AMC movie wing of Tysons Corner Center was evacuated, according to the fire department.




"There was a kitchen fire in one of our restaurants (Seasons 52) that has been contained by the Fairfax County fire department," Tysons Corner Center spokesperson Bob Maurer said. "The food court, movie theaters and surrounding areas were evacuated to ensure the safety of all patrons. The rest of the mall is open. We will provide further details as they come available."

The AMC wing of Tysons Corner Center was evacuated, according to the fire department.

Several photos and video posted to social media showed smoke billowing from the shopping center.

Three people died, another seriously injured after a Piper PA-28 plane crashed and burned in Schoharie County, NY

JULY 16, 2016

ESPERANCE, N.Y. -- Three people are dead after a small plane crashed in Schoharie County. That's according to the Schoharie County Sheriff's Office.

The Federal Aviation Administration said four people were on board that plane. Sheriff Tony Desmond said one person was airlifted to an area hospital with serious injuries. The three deceased were taken to Albany Medical Center for autopsies.

Authorities said the plane took off from Hogan Airport in Esperance around 7 last night, when it crashed about 1,000 feet from the airport. They are still working to determine what caused the plane to go down.

"It sounded like the engines lost power and that the plane started to decrease in the air," said Esperance Fire Chief Matthew Deffer. "And it went down into the trees and that's when we received the call."

The plane was destroyed by fire. Crews said it could take days to clear the debris from the wooded area.






Date:

	16-JUL-2016
Time:	18:45
Type:	Piper PA-28
Owner/operator:
Registration:
C/n / msn:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 4
Other fatalities:	0
Airplane damage:	Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:	Near Hogan Airport (NY05), Esperance, NY -   United States of America
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Unknown
Departure airport:	Hogan (NY05)
Destination airport:	Connecticut

Narrative:
The aircraft failed to gain adequacy lift to sustain flight during a takeoff attempt at Hogan Airport (NY05), Esperance, New York. The airplane impacted densely wooded terrain and was partially consumed by the post-'impact fire. Three of the four occupants onboard the aircraft received fatal injuries. One occupant onboard the airplane was seriously injured,
Sources:
http://www.roanoke.com/news/nation/wire/faa-small-plane-with-people-on-board-has-crashed-in/article_47173127-ac47-5479-a599-ca71471f064d.html?mode=jqm
http://www.twcnews.com/nys/capital-region/news/2016/07/16/small-plane-crashes-in-montgomery-county-albany.html
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/df60300cbf55402d9a74d93498a68945/officials-3-killed-small-plane-crash-upstate-ny
http://www.wbng.com/news/local/Plane-Crash-387127281.html

2 women dead in Lake Lanier boat accident; 2 men are still unaccounted for

4:42 p.m. Saturday, July 16, 2016
Officials are searching Lake Lanier after a boat overturned Friday. (Credit: Channel 2 Action News)

Story Highlights
Officials are still searching for two missing men after the boat overturned Friday.


Officials have identified two bodies that were recovered after a boat overturned Friday on Lake Lanier, officials said.

The bodies of Melissa Renee McMahan, 45, of Mount Washington, Ky., and Tammy Reece, 44, of Columbia, Ky., were located after an overnight search, officials with the Department of Natural Resources said Saturday.

Two men are still missing, DNR officials said. They have been identified as Arthur Gene McMahan Jr., 46, of Mount Washington, Ky. and Anthony Reece Jr., 44, of Columbia, Ky.


Search teams found the women’s bodies using special tracking equipment that works with limited traffic on the water.

Because of high boat traffic during the day Saturday, officials will not resume using sonar to search for the missing men until the early evening. However, searching the lake surface will continue all day Saturday, DNR spokesman Maj. Stephen Adams said.

The 38-to-40-foot cigarette-type boat was traveling southbound near Cocktail Cove when it overturned just before 4 p.m., officials said. A collision with another boat is not suspected.

Officials with the DNR, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team, and the Hall County Fire Department are conducting the search.

The annual Pirates of Lanier Charity Poker Run event at Lake Lanier posted Friday on Facebook about the accident.

The Lanier Partners would like to send our deepest thoughts and prayers to the families of those involved in an accident on Lake Lanier today.
The accident involved part of our poker run family and we are with heavy hearts tonight.
Our Poker Run which is scheduled for tomorrow will change in format.

We will depart from Buford Dam for a Memorial Run for the members of our Poker Run family that we lost today at 11:30am.
As announced at the Captains Safety Meeting and Briefing this evening, we have determined that every class tomorrow will go no faster than 60mph. We ask you all to stay safe, stay smart, and let's do what we do best - raise money for Georgia's children in need and put on a safe Poker Run like we always do.