(ATLANTA) — Two workers were killed and one was injured in an “incident” at Delta Air Lines’ Atlanta Technical Operations Maintenance facility at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the airline said.
Delta did not elaborate on Tuesday morning’s incident, but the airline said it’s “working with local authorities and conducting a full investigation to determine what happened.”
The incident had no impact on airport operations, according to airport officials.
Delta added it’s “heartbroken” and “grateful for the quick action of first responders and medical teams on site.”
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said, “I offer my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased Delta employees. My thoughts are also with those who were injured, and I hope for their swift and full recovery.”
Police, fire and airport teams are at the scene, the mayor said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Marilyn Heck, Kevin Shalvey, and Kenton Gewecke, ABC News
(KETCHIKAN, Alaska.) — A 42-year-old husband and father has been identified as the man killed in a landslide in Ketchikan, Alaska, on Sunday, officials said.
Sean Griffin, a Ketchikan native and member of the city’s public works team for 17 years, was killed when he responded to help during his scheduled time off, according to the Ketchikan Gateway Borough.
“Sean and another team member were clearing stormwater drains when they were caught in the landslide,” Ketchikan officials said in a statement.
“Sean was a beloved husband, father, son, neighbor, and coworker,” Ketchikan officials said. “He spent his life serving his family and his community. … He started as a solid waste collector, moved up to solid waste facility operator, then to streets maintenance technician, and finally promoted to senior maintenance technician. “
“Sean is remembered for his dedication, positive spirit, and unwavering devotion to his family, his friends, and to the community,” the statement said.
Mandatory evacuations were put in place after the landslide swept through streets on Sunday afternoon, according to Kacie Paxton, a public information officer for the Ketchikan Gateway Borough.
Three people were injured and hospitalized following the landslide, according to Paxton. One of those people was later released, she said.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued an Alaska Disaster Emergency Declaration. A separate Joint Disaster Emergency Declaration was issued by borough Mayor Rodney Dial and city of Ketchikan Mayor Dave Kiffer.
“In my 65 years in Ketchikan, I have never seen a slide of this magnitude,” Kiffer said in a statement. “With the slides we have seen across the region, there is clearly a region-wide issue that we need to try to understand with the support of our state geologist.”
“The loss of life that we have encountered is heartbreaking, and my heart goes out to those who lost their homes,” he added.
Photos released by the borough appeared to show a pile of trees and loose soil up against several hillside homes, at least one of which appeared to have been pushed into another home. Other photos appeared to show roads covered with debris, including trees.
“Our prayers are with the families, the injured, those recovering, and the community,” Sen. Dan Sullivan said on social media, later adding, “My team and I stand ready to help facilitate any federal assistance that may be necessary.”
This landslide comes as Ketchikan saw about 3 inches of rain this month — about half its average rainfall for August.
Ketchikan received over 2.5 inches of rainfall over this weekend, and higher elevations in the Ketchikan Range reported 5 to 9 inches of rain. Too much rain at once after a drier period can cause a landslide.
The rain continued on Monday but is forecast to dry off through Tuesday. More rain is expected Wednesday and Thursday as a new frontal system moves in.
Landslides are common in southeast Alaska. Six people were killed, including an 11-year-old girl, in a major landslide in Wrangell, about 100 miles north of Ketchikan, last November.
ABC News’ Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Extreme heat is gripping the Midwest and the South on Tuesday before moving into the Northeast on Wednesday.
Record-high temperatures were shattered across the Midwest on Monday, including in Waterloo, Iowa, which reached a scorching 98 degrees.
On Tuesday, 14 states from Iowa to New York are on alert for dangerous heat.
In Detroit, public school students are being released three hours early on Tuesday due to the heat.
The heat index — what temperature it feels like with humidity — is forecast to soar Tuesday to 110 degrees in Chicago; 101 degrees in Indianapolis and Nashville, Tennessee; 100 in Louisville, Kentucky; and 98 in Pittsburgh.
On Wednesday, the heat will spread into the Northeast.
Washington, D.C., could reach a record high of 99 degrees with a heat index of 104 degrees. The heat index could reach 105 degrees in Philadelphia and 99 in New York City.
On Thursday, the record heat will end for the Midwest and the Northeast, but will continue for the South.
Actual temperatures of 101 degrees and 97 degrees are forecast for Nashville and Atlanta, respectively.
There are hundreds of deaths each year in the U.S. due to excessive heat, according to CDC WONDER, an online database, and scientists caution that the actual number of heat-related deaths is likely higher.
Last year marked the most heat-related deaths in the U.S. on record, according to JAMA, a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Medical Association.
(AUSTIN, Texas) — The daughter of a former longtime MLB pitcher has been found after disappearing last week following a visit to a bar with her ex-boyfriend, according to her father.
Brenna Swindell, 29, the daughter of Greg Swindell, was found safe, he shared on social media, but provided no further updates on the circumstances.
“She has been found. That’s all we have for now,” he wrote on X. “Thank you to everyone. And I mean everyone who helped in the process.”
He added in a subsequent post, “Journey home starts soon.”
She had last been seen on Aug. 22 at Poodies Hilltop Bar in Spicewood, Texas, outside Austin, according to the Austin Police Department.
Swindell was at the bar at about 10:20 p.m. with her ex-boyfriend, Morgan Guidry, who had also not been seen since Thursday. Both of their cellphones have been off since Friday, police said.
There was no word from Swindell on whether Guidry was also found.
Swindell was said to be about 5-foot-4 and approximately 120 to 140 pounds, according to Austin police. She has brown hair and hazel eyes and tattoos on both arms.
Police identified a vehicle she might be traveling in — a white 2022 Kia Carnival minivan with Texas license plate VFS 7528 — and said she was “possibly seen” in Colorado Springs or Denver.
Police did not offer further information, but a post on Greg Swindell’s Facebook said that a license plate reader in Colorado flagged the Kia, owned by Brenna Swindell, on Friday night. Greg Swindell posted on his X account that people should be on the lookout for the vehicle in Idaho as well.
“Ms. Swindell has not been in usual contact with her family and friends,” Austin police wrote in a statement. “APD is concerned about her safety and immediate welfare.”
Brenna Swindell also has three children, her mother, Sarah, wrote on her Greg Swindell’s Facebook page.
Greg Swindell played 17 seasons in the majors as a starting pitcher early in his career and later as a relief pitcher. He played for six different teams, including Cleveland, Cincinnati, Houston, Minnesota, Boston and Arizona. He finished his career with a record of 123-122 and a 3.86 ERA and won a World Series title with the Diamondbacks in 2001.
He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1986 MLB draft out of the University of Texas at Austin.
“First of all, I can’t thank you enough for the shares and messages…I have been sifting through them while Greg is in Austin with the police,” Sarah Swindell wrote on his Facebook, adding, “Please continue to pray for the safe return. Thank you all so much again.”
(NEW YORK) — A 39-year-old man has drowned after pushing two children to safety from a river before succumbing to the current himself, officials said.
The incident occurred on Monday afternoon in Bushkill, Pennsylvania, when authorities received a call at approximately 1:45 p.m. to reports of a possible drowning in the Delaware River, according to a statement from the National Park Service.
Rescue team members were on the scene within minutes but were unable to find the currently unnamed 39-year-old New Jersey man until 3:07 p.m. when crews recovered his body about 20 to 30 feet from shore in approximately 7 feet of water, officials said.
“According to witnesses, the man had been swimming in the Delaware River with his family when two children in the party began to struggle in the current,” NPS said in their statement following the accident on Monday. “He was able to get the children to safety before succumbing to the current himself.”
National Park Service rangers and dive team members from Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River and rescue teams from Bushkill, Dingmans and Westfall Fire Departments and Lehman Township EMS all responded to the call for help on Monday from Pike County Dispatch regarding the drowning, authorities said.
This is the second drowning in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area this summer. The first occurred on June 29 when a 24-year-old man drowned in the waters of the Delaware River near Milford Beach within Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, according to authorities.
The investigation into the latest drowning accident remains open.
(NEW YORK) — A female student at Texas’ Rice University was shot and killed on Monday by a man authorities said she had been in a “dating relationship” with.
University police responded to a request for a welfare check around 4:30 p.m. local time and found the student, who was identified as Andrea Rodriguez Avila, deceased in her room. Police also discovered an “unidentified male with a self-inflicted … gunshot wound, who was not a member of the Rice community,” school president Reginald DesRoches told the media.
Chief of Police for Rice, Clemente Rodriguez, confirmed police found a note “written by the suspect” at the scene, leading to their belief that the male shot Avila.
“In general terms, it was a lot about their relationship, and then obviously they were having a troubled relationship at this time,” he said of the note, adding that officials believe it was a “dating relationship.”
DesRoches said the “Rice campus is safe, and there is no immediate threat” to the community.
“And tonight, we will wrap our arms around our students,” he added.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office released this Ring camera still of Stanley Kotowski in the clothes he was last seen wearing before going missing. (Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office)
(NEW YORK) — Authorities in South Carolina said they believe they have found the body of an endangered Massachusetts man who went missing over a week ago while vacationing with his family on Hilton Head Island.
Stanley Kotowski, 60, had not been seen since leaving his family’s vacation rental in Sea Pines the morning of Aug. 16, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office incident report.
The body of a man believed to be Kotowski was found under a home in Sea Pines on Monday, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said.
Authorities responded to the home around 11:30 a.m. ET Monday “in connection to suspicious activity,” and the body was recovered about four hours later, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The Beaufort County Coroner’s Office will conduct an autopsy on Tuesday to determine the manner of death and positively identify the body, the sheriff’s office said.
“We appreciate the assistance provided by other agencies, Sea Pines Security, and the community in the search for Mr. Kotowski,” the sheriff’s office said.
Kotowski was reported missing by his family about two hours after he was last seen, according to Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Master Sergeant Daniel Allen. He was listed as endangered due to his mental state, the length of time he has been missing and because he was last seen on a Ring camera without any shoes on, Allen said.
According to the incident report, Jackie Kotowski told deputies that her husband “believes Sea Pines is a ‘set up’ and has a conspiracy that the people here are out to get him.” She also reported that he had made “several statements of people at this place ‘watching him,'” the incident report stated.
He had been struggling with anxiety before he went missing, his family told ABC Savannah, Georgia, affiliate WJCL-TV following his disappearance.
“He had really bad insomnia for about a month. This is like a brand-new thing,” his wife, Jackie Kotowski, told WJCL. “He doesn’t have dementia. His anxiety just kept getting worse and worse and worse and he started to get a little paranoid, and he thought someone was chasing him.”
He had not taken any personal items, such as his phone or wallet, when he left the rental, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
The Crew of the next SpaceX private astronaut flight called Polaris Dawn, (Left to Right) Anna Menon, who works to develop astronaut operations for SpaceX, Scott Poteet, who served as the mission director of the Inspiration4 mission SpaceX, Jared Isaacman, who is financing the mission and Sarah Gillis, lead space operations engineer, SpaceX. Photo by Jonathan Newton/The Washington
(MERRITT ISLAND, Fla.) — Embarking on a new chapter of private space exploration, the Polaris Dawn mission is poised to make history this week by launching four private citizens into ultrahigh orbit and attempting the first civilian spacewalk.
Led by billionaire Jared Isaacman and in collaboration with SpaceX, the crew aims to reach as far as 870 miles above Earth, the highest altitude of any human spaceflight mission in more than a half-century since the Apollo program.
SpaceX announced Monday that the Falcon 9 rocket that will carry the Polaris Dawn crew to orbit could launch as early as Wednesday at 3:38 a.m. ET from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch was delayed 24 hours from the planned pre-dawn Tuesday blast-off.
The delay is due to a ground-side helium leak on the Quick Disconnect umbilical, SpaceX said.
Umbilical systems employ fluid connectors known as quick disconnects to transfer fluids into a vehicle, according to NASA.
“Falcon and Dragon remain healthy and the crew continues to be ready for their multi-day mission to low-Earth orbit,” the company added.
There are two additional launch opportunities within the four-hour window on Wednesday at 5:23 a.m. and 7:09 a.m. ET. If needed, backup opportunities are available on Thursday, Aug. 29 at the same times, according to SpaceX.
Isaacman, the CEO of the payment-processing company Shift4, will be joined by former Air Force pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet and two SpaceX engineers, Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis.
During the historic mission, which is set to span five days under normal conditions, two of the crew members will exit the spacecraft in the first commercial spacewalk at an altitude of 435 miles above Earth.
During a press briefing last week, Isaacman shared details on the ambitious mission, which will see all four crew members exposed to the vacuum of space due to the absence of an airlock on the SpaceX Dragon capsule.
The spacewalk will also serve as a critical test for SpaceX’s new Extravehicular Activity spacesuits, an evolution of the intravehicular activity suit.
This new design includes a heads-up display, helmet camera and enhanced joint mobility. It also features thermal insulation, solar protection and a suspension system that allows you to pressurize the suit, put on a harness and actually go through operations as if you are weightless.
The Dragon spacecraft has undergone significant modifications, including upgrades to the life support systems to supply more oxygen during spacewalks, according to the Polaris Program. Environmental sensing has been improved, and a new nitrogen repressurization system has been installed.
The Polaris Dawn mission will be Isaacman’s second journey to space.
In 2021, he funded his first mission to orbit Earth. The project was billed as a childhood cancer fundraiser, garnering $250 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and marked the first all-civilian mission to orbit.
Looking to the future, Isaacman believes the SpaceX vehicles could unlock a new frontier in commercial space travel.
“It could very well be the 737 for human space flight someday,” he said of the company’s Starship vehicle. “But it’ll certainly be the vehicle that will return humans to the moon and then on to Mars and beyond.”
Jennifer Solomon leads Parenting with Pride, a network of parents aiming to advocate for LGBTQ students in Florida. (Jennifer Solomon)
(NEW YORK) — When Florida parent Rose Taylor discovered that her son’s new teacher would not use his preferred pronouns, it shattered Taylor’s perception of safety in her local North Florida school.
Taylor, who asked to be named using a pseudonym for privacy reasons, says her son declared that he was a boy at the age of 4, and his teachers and fellow students welcomed his name and pronoun changes.
The next year, however, his new teacher wouldn’t call him by the proper pronouns. Taylor’s son told his mother that the teacher could call him a girl, “but no one else could.”
The comment sounded off alarm bells for Taylor: “Adults don’t get special rules for you, especially that go against your personal rules.”
She continued, “This is going to open him up to bullying. This is going to teach him that rules don’t apply to certain adults in authority, which could open him up to any sort of sexual assault, grooming or anything like that.”
Joining a group like Equality Florida’s Parenting with Pride has helped parents like Taylor face such obstacles amid the backdrop of rising anti-LGBTQ legislation and rhetoric.
According to the ACLU, Florida had 14 bills introduced this year that would impact the LGBTQ community — including restrictions on changes to ID cards, the required use of preferred names or pronouns, and more.
In recent years, education has been the target of this kind of legislation, with the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law and the Stop “WOKE” Act restricting what material and content schools can share about gender and sexual orientation.
Supporters say these laws allow parents to decide what their children learn or discuss about certain topics, and should be discussed at home instead of at school. A spokesperson for Gov. Ron DeSantis argued in a post on X that “there is no reason for instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity to be part of K-12 public education. Full stop.”
Many of these bills failed or died in the legislature. One of those bills was from State Sen. Bran Martin, who proposed legislation that would have banned Pride flags from flying at government buildings or public schools and colleges. In an interview with ABC News, Martin called sexual orientation and gender “adult issues” and argued that these laws are intended to “protect children.”
“No one’s attacking kids for their sexual orientation or their gender identity,” Martin said.
Instead, he noted that some constituents and legislators do not believe young kids should be having conversations related to gender or sexual orientation in the classroom.
“There’s so many, so many good books that kids can learn to deal with self-esteem and how to deal with their friends and how to be successful, or how to deal with unique experiences in their life,” Martin said. “We don’t have to have our shelves full of kids’ books dealing with sexual identity when there’s so much other information to learn that can be taught.”
Florida parent Jennifer Solomon told ABC News her youngest son didn’t know anything about politics or the different gender identities when he began showing signs that his gender expression might not align with what is typical for boys his age — such as wanting to wear dresses.
She created local LGBTQ advocacy group PFLAG Miami when she discovered there were few local resources for parents with children like her son, and she needed guidance and support.
“I realized that I had a story to tell, that I had this incredible child that I was given to raise, and he changes hearts and minds everywhere he goes,” she said.
She thought middle school might be a “nightmare” for her child due to her fears about bullying and his safety — “I was wrong,” she said.
“He is student council president. He is on the cheerleading team. He just made the competitive dance team,” Solomon said. “He has shown me and shown others that you can live as who you are, and others will accept you if we get the politicians and the lawmakers to kind of move out of the way and let our kids just be who they are. “
Now, as the Parents and Families Support Manager for Equality Florida, Solomon hopes Parenting for Pride can help parents address efforts to restrict representation in classroom content or restrict how students can express themselves in schools.
Parenting for Pride — which just held its first summit with more than 200 participants — offers workshops, panels and trainings on online safety, health and wellness, Title IX, and more.
Hillsboro County parent Ellen Lyons attended the summit on behalf of her school’s Parent-Teacher Association to learn how to better make all families feel “welcome and included.”
“Students generally have been concerned about the impact of legislation on the books that they can read, on the way they can address one another, of the way that teachers can address them,” said Lyons. “And so one of the things that PTA wants to do is have all of the knowledge about what the current state of affairs is, so that we can give people accurate information and help people advocate for their students.”
Parenting with Pride has created a network of more than 2,000 families — an effort local activists are encouraging amid the growing anti-LGBTQ sentiment.
“We are parents, and we are demanding our parental rights, because it’s not just parental rights for some, but parental rights for all,” said Solomon. “Enough attacking my child. I’m willing now to be in a space of advocacy that I never thought I would be in.”
(PORTLAND, Ore.) — An aerial hoop artist is recovering after she fell during a Cirque du Soleil show in Oregon, according to the production.
The dramatic incident, which was captured on video, occurred at a performance of the show “KOOZA” on Saturday at the Portland Exposition Center in Portland.
The performer was seen hanging on a hoop suspended from the ceiling as it spun in circles before she fell mid-act. The audience could be heard gasping after she fell onto the ground.
The artist is “recovering and being cared for by our medical and coaching team,” “KOOZA” said in a statement on Facebook on Monday, adding that they “appreciate your concern and well wishes for our aerial hoop artist.”
“Safety is of our utmost concern, and they will be cared for until they can return to the show,” the statement continued. “We do hope you enjoyed the rest of KOOZA.”
The name of the performer was not released by the show.
Brian Goldstein, who was sitting close to the front of the audience with his two children during Saturday’s production, told ABC News the fall occurred within a half hour of the show starting.
“To see something like this is very surprising and very shocking,” he said. “It was very scary for my daughter.”
His son, Benjamin, captured the fall on video. Benjamin told ABC News he thought it was part of the show, “but then when the actors were looking surprised, I was like, oh no, this isn’t part of the show at all.”
Brian Goldstein said they were impressed with how the team responded to the incident and how the performer “maintained her composure.”
“She gave a thumbs up as she was being carried off stage, which was a great sign,” he said.
Brian Goldstein said that after a roughly 20-minute pause in the performance, a person involved with the show addressed the audience and said the artists were willing to continue, and they went on to finish the show.
“I have to give those performers kudos — to continue on and complete the show after something like that, it’s got to be difficult,” he said. “They did a phenomenal job.”
To the aerial hoop artist, he said: “We hope she knows that all of her fans are looking forward to her speedy recovery.”
According to the description on Cirque du Soleil’s website, “KOOZA” combines “acrobatic performance and the art of clowning, while exploring fear, identity, recognition and power.”
The show is scheduled to run at the Portland Expo Center through Oct. 6.
