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(KANSAS CITY, Mo.) — A pilot who landed his plane on a Missouri highway early Friday after running out of fuel was arrested for allegedly flying while intoxicated, authorities said.

Troopers responded to reports of a small plane blocking the westbound lanes of I-70 near the Kansas City suburb of Grain Valley around 3 a.m. local time.

“Interstate 70 (westbound lanes) BLOCKED by an AIRCRAFT!” Missouri State Highway Patrol tweeted while warning commuters to expect delays.

The plane managed to avoid hitting any vehicles but had a “minor collision” with a guardrail, Missouri State Highway Patrol said. The pilot, who was the only person on board, suffered minor injuries, it said.

Authorities determined that the plane had run out of fuel when the pilot radioed in and made an emergency landing on the highway.

Interstate 70 (westbound lanes) BLOCKED by an AIRCRAFT!

Initial report is a small plane landed on the highway for an unknown reason. The pilot was the only person onboard w/ minor injuries. NO vehicles were hit!@MoDOT_KC is responding due to lane closure. Expect delays. pic.twitter.com/Q6SIIJhXRk

— MSHP Troop A (@MSHPTrooperA) July 15, 2022

The pilot, identified by authorities as 35-year-old John Seesing was arrested after he was “found to be intoxicated,” Missouri State Highway Patrol said.

Sgt. Andy Bell, a public information officer for Missouri State Highway Patrol, said troopers suspected impairment by a combination of alcohol and drugs.

Missouri State Highway Patrol records show that Seesing, of Prairie Village, Kanas, was arrested on charges including DWI, careless and imprudent driving involving a crash, felony possession of a controlled substance, felony unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.

Seesing was treated at a local hospital for his injuries and underwent blood testing in connection with the charges, Bell said. He has since been released, he said.

It is unclear if Seesing has an attorney.

The single-engine Piper plane was towed from the scene and all lanes on the highway had reopened by 5:30 a.m.

Troopers believe the pilot was flying from Florida to the Kansas City Downtown Airport.

Flight Aware records show the plane left the Kansas City area early Thursday morning before arriving in Daytona Beach, Florida, then started making its way back toward the Kansas City area later that night.

The Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating the incident.

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(AKRON, Ohio) — Tensions between protesters and law enforcement have persisted amid weekslong demonstrations following the fatal police shooting of 25-year-old Jayland Walker.

As protesters seek accountability from police in Walker’s death, local and national advocacy groups have released lists of demands for the mayor and local law enforcement.

“Without a new approach to policing and public safety broadly, policymakers keep taking us through the same cycle of violence; more militarization and surveillance, more prisons, and more Black people murdered by police,” said Sakira Cook, of the social justice organization Color Of Change. “Yet, we are not deterred. Together, alongside our members and partners, we’ll continue to work to end our violent policing system, redefine public safety, and invest in Black communities.”

Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan has offered to sit down and have meetings with the various advocacy groups, according to a statement from the mayor’s office.

Walker was unarmed when he was fatally shot in Akron, Ohio, by police on June 27 after a traffic stop turned into a pursuit. He was running away when eight officers opened fire on him, body-camera footage released by the city showed.

Officials said they attempted to pull over Walker for a traffic violation and an equipment violation with his car. He allegedly refused to stop, which set off a chase that ended in his death.

Officials said a flash of light seen in body camera footage appeared to be the muzzle flash of a gun coming from the driver’s side of Walker’s car.

In a second body camera video, officers are heard radioing that they heard a shot being fired from Walker’s car. The footage shows the officer following Walker’s Buick off Route 8 and continuing the pursuit on side streets.

At one point, Walker slowed down and jumped out of the passenger side door before it came to a full stop. As Walker ran away from police, several officers simultaneously fired several bullets, fatally shooting him.

A gun was later recovered inside the car, but Walker was unarmed when he was shot.

The officers involved in the shooting are on paid administrative leave and have not been named.

The incident is under investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

“When an officer makes the most critical decision in his or her life as a police officer, it doesn’t matter where in the country this happens, when they make that most critical decision to point their firearm at another human being and pull the trigger, they’ve got to be ready to explain why they did what they did,” Police Chief Steve Mylett said in a July 3 press conference, as the department released body camera footage.

A list of demands from Color Of Change and social advocacy group The Freedom BLOC for Akron officials has already received more than 3,000 signatures.

It calls for the abolition of the use of tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets, the release of all protesters from jail with charges dropped and records expunged, as well as an order for police to stop arresting protesters.

The demands also include funding an unarmed traffic enforcement unit for routine traffic stops, as well as a unit to respond to mental health calls and anti-violence community programs.

Demonstrators also demand the city create a citizen-led commission to reallocate money from the police department to other community programs that invest in housing, public transportation, health care and more.

The Department of Justice Community Relations Service has offered to be mediators in these conversations between officials and the organizations, and “we believe this is the best path forward for our community,” a spokesperson from the mayor’s office told ABC News.

Akron officials have implemented a curfew to quell protests, saying that the nationwide outrage about Walker’s death has put the city on edge.

Two relatives of police shooting victims – Jacob Blake Sr., the father of Jacob Blake, and Bianca Austin, an aunt of Breonna Taylor – were arrested on rioting charges while protesting the police shooting in the city.

According to local reports from WKYC, demonstrators claimed to have been tear-gassed while protesting.

The Akron Police Department did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment on the allegations.

Ohio officials called for protesters to pause demonstrations on July 8, after two people were killed in unrelated gun violence in other parts of Akron.

“This has been a very difficult week for Akron, almost two weeks for Akron. The heat is very very high, tensions are running high in this city,” Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett said at a press briefing that night. “We’re asking for people to stand down for at least 48 hours, let the temperature come down.”

Both the family and police have called for peaceful demonstrations after officials said some protests turned violent. Some officers also claim to have received threats due to their involvement in the department.

“So long as the participants are non-violent, we are going to give them space,” said Lt. Michael Miller in a July 11 press conference.

Following that press conference, the legal team representing Walker’s family held a press conference in response.

“We don’t stand for any violence towards anyone, whether it be a police officer or a citizen but here’s the fact of the matter: the police are in control here, aren’t they?,” attorney Bobby DiCello said. “When the community is hurting, they need to let that hurt out and not take it personally.”

The city officially declared July 13 a day of mourning in Walker’s name in a new resolution to quell the tension.

In it, officials call for peaceful protesting and healing throughout the community. “The City urges that the friends and family of Jayland Walker, and the entire Akron community, be surrounded with love and peace, and that the City would begin to heal,” the city said.

ABC News’ Amanda Su contributed to this report.

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(LAFAYETTE, Ind.) — An Indiana police department is praising a “heroic” 25-year-old Good Samaritan who rescued five children from a massive house fire.

Nicholas Bostic saved an 18-year-old who was home with her siblings, ages 2, 6 and 13, Lafayette Police Lt. Randy Sherer said. Bostic also rescued a friend of the 13-year-old who was there spending the night, Sherer said. The siblings’ parents weren’t home, Sherer said.

The blaze broke out around 12:30 a.m. Monday, Sherer said. Bostic was driving by when he spotted the house fully engulfed in flames and pulled over, he told ABC News, beating first responders to the scene.

Bostic didn’t have his phone to call 911, so he ran to the back of the house to see if he could spot anyone, he said.

Bostic went inside and raced upstairs, where he found the 18-year-old, 2-year-old and two 13-year-olds, and he led them down the stairs and outside, Bostic said.

“I asked them if anybody was left in there — and that’s when they told me that the 6-year-old was,” Bostic said.

Bostic said he ran back inside to look for the 6-year-old girl, but the thick smoke made it hard to see and the overwhelming heat scared him.

That’s when he heard the little girl whimper, which he said gave him the courage to keep going. All the while, he was terrified the house would explode.

“The last thing I could do was waste a second panicking,” he said.

Once Bostic found the 6-year-old, he punched through a window so they could escape, he said.
Bostic was hospitalized for severe smoke inhalation and a serious cut to his arm, police said. He has since been released.

All of the children are doing well, Sherer said.

Sherer called Bostic’s actions “heroic. The city in a statement said Bostic has “impressed many with his courage, tenacity, and steadfast calmness.”

Bostic said he’s spoken with the children’s parents.

“The dad said he’d love to take me out for a dinner,” he said. “They have wide-open arms welcoming me as a part of their family.”

“I’m glad I was there at the right time, the right place,” Bostic added.

And Bostic, still recovering, said he wouldn’t hesitate to race into another house fire.

“If opportunity came again and I had to do it, I would do it,” he said. “I knew what I was risking. I knew the next second it could be my life. But every second counted.”

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(OAKHURST, Calif.) — The Washburn Fire in central California has now scorched 4,700 acres across Yosemite National Park to Sierra National Forest as of Friday morning, officials said, growing over 300 acres overnight.

According to park officials, the fire is 27% contained, with more than 1,500 firefighters assigned to it.

The persisting fire began near the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias and now is claiming parts of Sierra National Forest, park officials said.

Since its first few days, when the fire measured 1,591 acres with 0% containment and 360 firefighters assigned to the fire, the threat to the area’s famous sequoia trees remains a major concern.

As climate change effects worsen, such fires become an increasing threat to the durable, celebrated sequoia trees, and measures continue to be taken to protect the area.

Some of the tree trunks were wrapped in fire-resistant foil, a technique used in September to protect trees in Sequoia National Park’s Giant Forest from fire.

A sprinkler system has also been set up within the grove to keep the sequoias’ trunks moist, officials said.

The continued spread has led to further road closures, including Forest Routes 5S43, 5S06 (Mt. Raymond Rd.), 5S22 and 5S37.

The closures are intended to assist firefighters in getting resources to and from the fire and to keep the public out of harm’s way, officials said.

The cause of the fire is still said to be under investigation. However, at a public meeting on Monday night, Yosemite’s park superintendent said it appears to have been started by people.

The fire is expected to take weeks for the fire to be fully extinguished, as it is happening in “difficult terrain” due to heavy fuel lingering nearby after a significant tree mortality event from 2013 to 2015, according to Yosemite Fire and Aviation Management.

The fuel, consisting of both standing trees and those that have fallen to the ground, is presenting safety hazards to firefighters, officials said.

Further closures due to the fire include the Highway 41 entrance to Yosemite National Park, meaning that visitors will need to use Highway 120 or 140 to access the Yosemite Valley.

However, the remainder of the park remains open, despite heavy smoke on Sunday that affected air quality in the area and obstructed the park’s views.

The Tenaya Lodge, just south of Yosemite, remains open.

The community of Wawona and the Wawona Campground continue to be under a mandatory evacuation order, according to officials.

An evacuation shelter is available at the Mariposa New Life Church, located at 5089 Cole Road.

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(FAIRFAX, Va.) — Students in Virginia are calling on school administrators to combine genders in their Family Life Education, or sex education, courses.

Members of the Pride Liberation Project, a student-led LGBTQIA+ advocacy group in Fairfax County, protested on Thursday ahead of the Fairfax County School Board’s meeting.

The group’s leader, Rivka Vizcardo-Lichter, told ABC affiliate WLJA that the recent Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade galvanized students to protest.

Vizcardo-Lichter said a decision to create co-ed sex education courses would be a “step forward” for advancing the inclusivity of transgender and non-binary people in schools and in recognizing that “queer people need to learn about their sexual health in a safe way.”

“We’re not asking anyone to take on any crazy reforms,” Vizcardo-Lichter added.

Fairfax County schools currently hold sex education classes that separate students into two genders during the fourth through eighth grades.

The Family Life Education Curriculum Advisory Committee issued a number of recommendations in May, including a mix in genders in sex education classes during grades four through eighth.

“The main criticism is that it makes students uncomfortable. We have to ask ourselves, ‘Why are students uncomfortable learning about their bodies?’ People who are afraid of FLE [family life education] have the option to opt their children out,” Willow Woycke, president of the Transgender Education Association, said at a May school board meeting in favor of the recommendations.

Nearby schools have implemented mostly gender-combined sex education, including Virginia’s Arlington County and Alexandria City, as well as Maryland’s Prince George’s County. Some Metro D.C. districts have also adopted the practice of combining genders in such courses.

Several other districts in the region continue to separate genders in sex education classes.

It’s not yet clear if the Fairfax County School Board will make a decision on changes to sex education classes.

“All advisory groups outline recommendations at the end of each school year,” Julie Moult, a spokesperson for the FCSB, told ABC News. “Some are acted on and some are not. The board may choose to review this recommendation at some point this coming school year.”

Kathleen Mallard, a Fairfax County resident, told ABC affiliate WLJA that a move to combine genders for students in grades four through eight would be wrong.

“Some of the discussions are about activities I think almost are sexualizing our children to some extent, up to the point of almost grooming them,” said Mallard. “I think this is not a good idea to have them both all in the same class, boys and girls.”

No changes came at Thursday’s board meeting but newly appointed superintendent Michelle Reid did acknowledge that new members would be appointed to the advisory committee.

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