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(LOS ANGELES) — Thousands of Los Angeles public school employees are poised to go on a three-day strike next week amid stalled union negotiations.

SEIU Local 99 — which represents approximately 30,000 cafeteria workers, bus drivers, custodians, special education assistants and other employees in the Los Angeles Unified School District — announced on Wednesday it will lead a three-day strike from March 21 through March 23 to “protest the school district’s unfair practices.”

United Teachers Los Angeles, which represents more than 30,000 teachers at LAUSD, has also announced it will honor the strike and not cross the picket lines — which could mean no classroom instruction, school officials said.

Workers have been in contract negotiations with LAUSD for nearly a year, according to SEIU Local 99, which has been seeking wage increases, increased staffing for student services and more full-time work. Last month, 96% of its members voted to authorize a strike over the district’s alleged harassment and threats against those engaging in union activities, it said.

“As LAUSD parents and workers, SEIU Local 99 members know a strike will be a sacrifice but the school district has pushed workers to take this action,” Max Arias, SEIU Local 99’s executive director, said in a statement. “Families have been sacrificing for far too long on poverty wages. Students have been sacrificing for too long in school environments that are not clean, safe or supportive for all. Too many workers have been subjected to harassment simply for demanding change.”

The average yearly salary of LAUSD school workers is $25,000, with most working part-time hours, “making it difficult to retain and recruit sufficient staff for student services,” according to the union.

The district — the second-largest in the country — said it has offered the union a 5% wage increase and 4% one-time bonus for the current school year, as well as a 5% wage increase and a 5% one-time bonus for 2023-2024, for all bargaining unit members, as well as pay increases for some workers. The district said it has also “proposed class size reductions in all schools with further reductions and increased staffing in our highest needs schools.”

LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho charged in a statement Wednesday that the union is “simply refusing to negotiate.”

“With a historic offer on the table that was created in direct response to SEIU’s demands, and with additional resources still to be negotiated, it is deeply surprising and disappointing that there is an unwillingness to do so,” Carvalho said in a statement.

Carvalho also apologized to families and students and said they are “doing everything possible to avoid a strike.”

The next negotiation session is Friday, the district said.

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(NEW YORK) — Meteorologists are predicting flood threats for a large portion of the U.S. this spring.

About 44% of the U.S. is at risk for flooding, Ed Clark, director of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Water Center, told reporters on Thursday.

There is a risk of flooding in most of the eastern half of the U.S. including most of the Mississippi River Basin, NOAA said. In the West, the historic snowpack along the Sierra Nevada mountain range, combined with elevated soil moisture, is heightening the potential for spring floods across much of California’s coast.

The snow melt will bring much-needed water to California and the Great Basin. The reservoirs that depend on the Colorado River, such as Lake Powell and Lake Mead, are currently at record low water levels following years of drought.

Climate change is driving both wet and dry extremes, NOAA administrator Rick Spinrad said.

Moderate to exceptional drought coverage across the U.S. is at its lowest since August 2020 and is likely to continue improving, or end entirely, across much of California and the Great Basin due to the heavy influx of moisture in recent months.

Extreme to exceptional drought across parts of the southern High Plains will likely to persist through the spring season, with droughts also expected to develop into parts of New Mexico. Across parts of the Northwest U.S. and northern Rockies, drought conditions are also expected to continue. Droughts may develop in Washington state.

The spring wet season is expected to improve drought conditions across parts of the northern and central Plains, while current drought conditions in Florida are expected to improve or be alleviated during the next three months.

Above-average temperatures are likely for much of the southern and eastern half of the U.S. this spring, forecasts show.

For April through June, the greatest chance for above-average temperatures exists from the southern High Plains and northward along the East Coast.

Above-average temperatures are also likely for Hawaii and northern parts of Alaska.

Below-average temperatures are predicted for the central Great Basin and the northern Plains.

NOAA forecasters predict above-average precipitation this spring across the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and into parts of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Below-average precipitation is most likely for the Southwest and parts of the Pacific Northwest.

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(JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla.) — A second person has been arrested and charged in the murder of Jared Bridegan, a former Microsoft executive who was shot and killed in the middle of a Jacksonville Beach street last year in what authorities described as a targeted ambush.

Mario Fernandez Saldana, the husband of Bridegan’s ex-wife, was arrested Wednesday in central Florida without incident, authorities announced at a press conference. He has since been indicted by a grand jury on multiple charges, including first-degree murder, a capital felony.

State Attorney Melissa Nelson declined to reveal the motive behind Fernandez Saldana’s alleged involvement, saying she was limited in what she could share due to the ongoing investigation. She did confirm that he was the former landlord of Henry Tenon, the man arrested in January for allegedly pulling the trigger.

Nelson said that relationship was the “single link” tying Tenon to Bridegan.

Fernandez Saldana was also charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, solicitation to commit a capital felony and child abuse. He will be extradited to Duval County.

Authorities pledged to continue investigating the murder but did not say if there are additional suspects.

Bridegan, 33, was driving with his then-2-year-old daughter in Jacksonville Beach on Feb. 16, 2022, when he came upon a tire blocking his path, police said. When he stepped out of the car he was “gunned down in cold blood,” Jacksonville Beach Police Chief Gene Paul Smith said.

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(DINWIDDIE COUNTY, Va.) — Irvo Otieno, a 28-year-old man who died in police custody earlier this month, was held down by seven Virginia sheriff’s deputies for 12 minutes, according to Ann Cabell Baskervill, the Commonwealth Attorney for Dinwiddie County, who described the “cruel” incident Thursday during a court hearing.

Cabell Baskervill described the incident as “a demonstration of power that is unlawful” and “it killed him.”

“There was no legitimate purpose for putting him down on the ground other than revenge, frustration or demonstration of power,” Cabell Baskervill said. “What it seems is [it’s] this demonstration of power that killed him.”

Cabell Baskervill said the preliminary cause of death was asphyxiation by smothering, his death was not reported for 3 1/2 hours and at no point during that incident was 911 alerted. Between Otieno’s death and the call made to state police about the incident, Otieno’s body was moved, handcuffs were removed and washed and a funeral home had been called instead of the medical examiner’s office, the commonwealth’s attorney said in court.

All seven sheriff’s deputies, from Henrico County, Virginia, have been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the death of Otieno.

Cabell Baskervill said that the brutal incident began in the Henrico County Jail, where Otieno, during his four-day stay, was punched by officers in his side and torso. She alleged at one point he was pepper-sprayed while he sat in his cell alone.

Otieno was then handcuffed and his legs were restrained with leg irons, which was the case until his death, according to Cabell Baskervill. From Henrico County Jail, he was transported to Central State Hospital, a state-run inpatient psychiatric facility located in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, on March 6. The officers allegedly used lights and sirens to transport him even though there was no apparent emergency relating to his transport.

Otieno arrived at the Central State Hospital at 3:58 p.m. to be admitted as a patient. During the admission, “State Police investigators were told he had become combative during the admission process,” according to a statement released by Cabell Baskervill.

Cabell Baskervill alleged that none of the seven deputies “made truthful statements to the State Police either that night or yesterday upon arrest.”

The incorrect timeline given to police by the deputies can be disproven based on timestamps and video evidence that has yet to be released or shown in court, Cabell Baskervill said.

Cabell Baskervill pushed back against officers’ claims that Otieno was combative, saying video footage shows that Otieno “was not agitated and combative,” saying he was fidgety, stressed and anxious, which is justified due to the treatment he had been receiving.

Otieno was thrown to the ground and held down for 12 minutes, at least eight of which he was held face down, she said.

All seven deputies were in the room at the time of his death, according to Cabell Baskervill.

There is no body-worn camera or car camera footage of the incident, however, several videos do exist from Central State Hospital and Henrico County Jail.

The seven arrested deputies were identified as Randy Joseph Boyer, 57; Dwayne Alan Bramble, 37; Jermaine Lavar Branch, 45; Bradley Thomas Disse, 43; Tabitha Renee Levere, 50; Brandon Edwards Rodgers, 48; and Kaiyell Dajour Sanders, 30.

Two deputies, Branch and Disse, were released on bond while the five others are being held without bond.

Lawyers for Disse said that the officer was asked by a supervisor to drive to Central State Hospital because of issues they were having with the inmate and because they were told he could not be controlled with just three officers.

In court, a lawyer for Branch alleged the officer “did not administer any blows to the deceased, or violence towards him, other than simply trying to restrain him.”

Branch’s lawyer, Cary Bowen, told ABC News by phone that Cabell Baskervill was trying to fashion the case as something that is “malicious.”

“There was no weapon used. There was no pummeling or anything like that. I think everybody agrees,” Bowen said. “And the way she was casting it was that they ended up suffocating. He couldn’t breathe. And she’s acting like the guy didn’t resist and he wasn’t manic or bipolar or whatever. Just a nice guy who they’re picking on.”

The seven deputies have been placed on administrative leave, pending the outcome of the cases filed against them.

The Henrico County Sheriff’s Office is also conducting an independent review of the incident and said it is fully cooperating another investigation by Virginia State Police.

“Public safety is what we stand for as a Sheriff’s Office. We will continue to maintain the highest professional standards in how we serve and protect those in our custody, the community at-large and our staff,” Henrico County Sheriff Alisa Gregory said in a statement.

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(FORT HOOD, Texas) — The Army is investigating the death of 21-year-old Pvt. Ana Basalduaruiz, a combat engineer at Fort Hood, Texas, who had served with the division for the last 15 months.

Basalduaruiz, who was found dead last month, told her mother she was being sexually harassed by a superior and her family offered to pick her up from the base, her family told ABC News.

The Army Criminal Investigation Division and the chain of command are actively investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding Basalduaruiz’s death, Fort Hood told ABC News.

Army Spc. Vanessa Guillén was murdered at the same base after reportedly being sexually harassed by another soldier. The soldier killed himself while being pursued by police. A report released nearly a year after her death confirmed that Guillén had been sexually harassed by a superior.

An autopsy will be conducted on Basalduaruiz’s body Thursday, according to her aunt, Itzi Ortega.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Pvt. Ana Basalduaruiz, and we extend our sympathies to her father, mother, and her sister,” said Lt. Col. Patrick Sullivan, commander, 91st Engineer Battalion. “Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time. She was an exceptional teammate that will truly be missed.”

Basalduaruiz’s family was told they will not hear anything else until the investigation into her death is completed.

According to the Department of Defense’s fiscal year 2021 report on sexual assault and harassment in the military, 29% of women and 7% of men experienced sexual harassment. The 29% for women is an increase from the last report on fiscal year 2018 — when 24% of women stated they suffered sexual harassment. The increase was driven by the experiences of enlisted women and those under the age of 25, according to the report.

Basalduaruiz joined the military in 2020 but did not start training until August 2022 because of the pandemic, her aunt said.

Guillén’s sister, Mayra Guillén, reacted to Basalduaruiz’s death on Twitter.

“I’m aware of the death of Ana Basaldua in Ft Hood, TX. May she Rest In Peace. She was only 21 years old … I will be speaking to the family soon, I find it very sensitive to speak on something I’m not fully aware off yet and this is also very triggering for me … I need to gather my thoughts and then I’ll be able to share them,” she said in a Tweet. 

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(TOPOCK, Ariz.) — Eight freight rail tankers derailed near Topock, Arizona, on Wednesday evening, according to BNSF Railway.

Despite initial reports from the Mojave County Sheriff’s Office that the train was carrying hazardous materials, BNSF confirmed that the train was actually carrying corn syrup. According to BNSF, “there were no injuries as a result of the derailment and preliminarily reports indicate there are no hazardous materials involved.”

The initial alarm about the derailment prompted concern on social media and in some local areas, with train derailments in the national spotlight following a hazardous derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in early February.

Chris Higa, 25, drove roughly 30 minutes from his home in Bullhead City, Arizona, to visit the site of the derailed train after hearing about the derailment on a police scanner.

“Being in my own town, it was definitely one of those like ‘Wow, is this actually happening?’” he said.

However, his reaction, once he arrived at the site of derailment, changed from concern to shock and awe.

“Kicking on that light bar, my vehicle, I could see the part of the train, and it was like, wow, there’s an actual train in the middle of the desert,” he said.

Higa said he could not smell or see anything that indicated a release of hazardous materials; rather, he just saw a portion of the sprawling train in the desert, the rumbling from its diesel engine and an increasing law enforcement response.

“I didn’t notice anything out of the blue, there was no smell. It was just that humid air,” he said. “There was no discoloration in the air, anything of any chemicals, no glowing of anything.”

Earlier that evening, the area was under a tornado warning, with flooding impacting the area as well. Higa said he witnessed some storm runoff potentially impacting the train tracks and BNSF confirmed that the track is blocked, with no estimated time for when it might be reopened.

Amtrak announced that at least one scheduled trip in the nearby area was canceled due to a “disabled freight train blocking the route ahead.”

The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office said that the National Transportation Safety Board has been notified of the incident and will investigate the derailment.

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(BOSTON) — Two young skiers were rescued Tuesday night after getting lost while skiing outside the Wachusett Mountain ski area boundaries, according to the Princeton Fire Department.

Princeton Fire Chief John Bennett told ABC News’ Boston affiliate station WCVB-TV that the two skiers — both 15-year-old boys — waited three hours in chest-deep snow before calling authorities.

With their phone’s battery level at 9%, the skiers were able to call 911, and dispatchers were able to identify the location of the cellphone signal, which identified that they were two miles “from any civilization,” according to the Princeton Fire Department in a statement released Wednesday.

Sharing their body heat to survive, the two skiers were able to wait while crews “battled the elements, darkness and dangerous snow pack,” the Princeton Fire Department said.

“I was worried. I was worried,” Princeton fire chief John Bennett told WCVB. “I was looking at it on my way here responding, and that’s in the middle of nowhere. It’s on old fire roads on the back side of the mountain. So they had gotten a long way from the ski area.”

The Princeton area reported nearly 30 inches of snow from the March nor’easter, according to WCVB, although higher elevations likely received additional snowfall from the storm.

The mountain the boys were rescued on is part of the Wachusett Mountain State Reservation in Massachusetts about 50 miles west of Boston. It features approximately 3,000 acres of hiking amid a 2,000-foot mountain summit that can experience sudden and severe weather conditions, especially in the winter, according to WCVB.

An ambulance was standing by for when the boys returned but it was deemed that neither needed medical treatment following the incident and both teenagers were released back into the care of their families, WCVB said.

“This could have ended tragically,” the fire department said. “But these boys are very lucky.”

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(ORLANDO, Fla.) — The mother of a Missouri teenager who fell to his death last year while on the world’s tallest tower drop ride has reached a settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit with the Florida amusement park and ride’s operator, her attorney announced Wednesday.

Fourteen-year-old Tyre Sampson died after slipping out of his seat while on the Orlando FreeFall ride at ICON Park on March 24, 2022, falling more than 100 feet to his death, according to the lawsuit. The eighth grader was a star football player who was visiting the theme park with his team during spring break.

Last year, Orlando Eagle Drop Slingshot, the ride’s operator, decided to take down the 430-foot-tall attraction in the wake of Sampson’s death.

“It’s a bittersweet moment,” Nekia Dodd, the mother of Sampson, said during a press conference on Wednesday near ICON Park as the Orlando FreeFall ride continues to be dismantled.

“The ride is coming down, and I’m thankful for that. But my son’s not coming back,” Dodd said.

Wednesday marked the first time Dodd saw the ride where her son died.

“My son took his last breath on this ride. So it’s hard. It’s heartbreaking,” she said.

Her attorney, Michael Haggard, announced during the press briefing that a settlement has been reached between Dodd, ICON Park and Orlando Eagle Drop Slingshot. They declined to discuss the terms of the settlement, though Dodd said she would like to use it to “keep my son’s legacy alive” by giving back to community sports and schools.

Additional steps to hold other companies accountable continue, according to Haggard, who claimed that the ride’s manufacturer — Funtime Handels of Austria — has tried to “evade responsibility.”

In a statement to ABC News on Wednesday, ICON Park deferred questions about the lawsuit to Sampson’s family.

“While the FreeFall ride is not owned and was not controlled or operated by ICON Park, because it is a tenant on the property, we agree with the owner’s decision to dismantle the ride and our hearts are with the family as they witness this important milestone,” the statement said.

Operator error is suspected as the primary cause in Sampson’s death, according to a forensic engineer’s field investigation report released in April. The report showed that the individual operator of the FreeFall ride, who was not identified, “made manual adjustments to the ride resulting in it being unsafe.”

According to the report, manual manipulations were made to the seat Sampson was sitting in to allow the harness restraint opening to be loosened, apparently to accommodate the more than 300-pound teenager. The investigation found Sampson’s harness restraint opening was “almost double that of a normal restraint opening range.”

The Tyre Sampson Act, a Florida bill that aims to protect future amusement park riders with increased safety regulations, advanced after its first hearing on Monday.

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(ATLANTA) — Two years after the death of eight people at three Atlanta-based Asian-owned or operated spas, Asian Americans are uniting in cities across the nation to demand action against racist hate, violence and to pay tribute to the lives lost.

Co-organized by Stand with Asian Americans in partnership with various other Asian American equity organizations, the rallies don’t plan to only mourn the losses of the 2021 Atlanta shootings, but will mourn the lives lost in other killings, such as the Half Moon Bay and Monterey Park shootings that happened earlier this year.

“This violence is only kind of the latest manifestation of violence against our community,” said Charles Jung, the executive director of APAs vs. Hate and a civil rights attorney. “This event is important to remember because this is about fighting the prejudice in our community while we also heal and build for the future.”

Jung is the coordinator for the March 16 commemoration across the five cities.

On March 16, the “Always With Us: Asian Americans Rise Against Hate” synchronized events will occur in Atlanta, Denver, Detroit, New York and San Francisco.

There will be special appearances at the events ranging from 2022 TIME Woman of the Year Amanda Nguyen to Brandon Tsay, the man who stopped the gunman in Monterey Park. Other appearances will include Asian American leaders, activists, community members and elected officials.

Robert Peterson, son of Atlanta Spa shooting victim Yong Ae Yue, told ABC News that Thursday’s rallies serve as a way for the public to not only support Asian Americans, but hear the stories of those whose lives have been lost due to hate crimes.

“I know the feeling of hearing these events and saying that it’s sad. But it’s important for me to put a face to those stories,” Peterson said emotionally. “This is my mother. This is not just a regular event. This is not another mass shooting, but this was my mother.”

While the events all strive to promote unity across the nation, each city plans to emphasize issues that are going on locally, such as San Francisco’s focus on low-wage workers and New York City’s emphasis on Asian women.

“The idea of it being national, but at the same time, reflective of the constituents and the population and the community and the issues that they’re facing vocally was important to highlight for each one of the cities,” said Wendy Nguyen, co-founder of Stand with Asian Americans.

This will be the second year that the organizations have created synchronized rallies nationwide that are open to the public in person and through livestream, regardless of race.

“I want and hope that we as a community can galvanize the next generation of Asian American activism… so that we can build this cross coalition, so that we can elevate all communities, not just the Asian community.”

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(SAN ANTONIO) — Seven people were sent to the hospital after a tree branch fell on them at a zoo in Texas, according to the San Antonio Fire Department.

The tree branch “unexpectedly” broke and fell on guests Monday afternoon at the San Antonio Zoo, the zoo confirmed.

According to the fire department, one of the injured guests was seen as “level 1 priority care,” while the other injured guests were sent to the hospital out of precaution.

The zoo’s security and emergency services staff responded quickly and began treating the injured guests, according to the zoo.

San Antonio Police and fire officials responded to the scene within minutes, zoo officials said.

The conditions of the injured guests are unknown at this time.

Earlier this year, several incidents including a damaged animal enclosure, missing monkeys and an “unusual” death occurred at the Dallas Zoo.

Additionally, Dallas Zoo officials said a clouded leopard named Nova escaped from its enclosure after its fence was “intentionally cut” on Jan. 13.

Zoo officials also discovered an endangered vulture dead inside its habitat on Jan. 21, saying that its death did not occur naturally and was “unusual.”

Two of the Dallas Zoo’s emperor tamarin monkeys were discovered missing from their habitat, which had been “intentionally compromised,” according to the zoo.

Last month, the Dallas Police Department arrested Davion Irvin — a man they were looking to speak with regarding the missing tamarin monkeys — in connection with the theft of the two animals and charged him with six counts of animal cruelty.

ABC News’ Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.

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