Woman calls 911 from back of an ambulance

DigTriad SACRAMENTO, Calif. — When you see a police car, an ambulance or a fire engine rolling down the road, somebody, somewhere needs help; it's usually a life or death situation. Or is it? 911 tapes obtained by News10 show massive abuse of the emergency system. In one tape, a man says, "I'm not reporting anything. I'm just trying to find out how do you use the cell phone in California if you're...
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Firefighters, farmers mapping farm hazards

By M.L. Johnson, The Associated Press The Journal Sentinel MILWAUKEE — Without even thinking, Joe Ortner rattles off a list of items on his family's dairy farm that could kill you: 1,000 gallons of diesel, 500 gallons of gas, cleaning chemicals in the milking parlor, oil and lubricant for repair work and a 6-foot-deep manure pond in which you could drown. He pauses and adds three bulls to the...
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It's going to get real uncomfortable for West, Texas

The news agency Reuters recently published an investigative piece that looked at the extent West Fertilizer Company notified state and local officials about the chemicals it stored on site and the extent that anyone took notice. The report examined if the company complied with the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act, which requires companies to notify responders and other of...
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Mississippi Lavishes $1.3 Billion in Subsidies on Nissan as Workers Get the Shaft


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Student Justice Alliance members rally outside the State Capitol in Jackson, Miss., during a Good Jobs First press conference on May 17.   (Photo courtesy of Do Better Nissan) Thirteen years after Japan-based automaker Nissan chose the small, impoverished community of Canton, Miss., as the site of a new auto-assembly plant, a just-released study shows that the company is failing to deliver on its ...
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City to move forward with rapid medic deployment pilot program

By Tiffany Rider Long Beach Business Journal LONG BEACH, Calif. — The Long Beach Fire Department can expect to begin receiving training on a new paramedic model known as rapid medic deployment (RMD) soon, according to Fire Chief Michael DuRee. Based on an 8-5 vote on May 15 by the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Commission, the proposed policy #407 that outlines requiremen...
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NY firefighters stumble upon meth lab

By Sistina Giordano The Post-Standard Cortland, NY — Three people were charged after Cortland firefighters discovered they were making meth inside an apartment that caught fire, police said. Around 7 p.m. Wednesday the Cortland Fire Department responded to 34 Union St. after reports came in of a possible house fire, Cortland police said. Smoke was coming from a second-floor window when firefi...
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Plane lands at London airport with smoke pouring from engine

Associated Press
The Associated Press LONDON —  A British Airways jet made an emergency landing at London's Heathrow Airport Friday after developing a technical problem after takeoff. TV footage showed smoke streaming from one of the engines. Airport officials briefly closed both runways at Europe's busiest airport, causing delays. They later resumed operation, but passengers were advised to check their flight sta...
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Massive fuel-depot fire breaks out in Brazil

Associated Press
The Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO — A massive fire broke out Thursday at a fuel depot on the northern outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, sending bright orange flames leaping high into the air and thick black smoking rolling upward and enveloping the area. Firefighters said in an emailed statement that no injuries had been reported yet. They evacuated a two-block area around the blaze. There was no wor...
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Parking deck collapses at Md. mall; 1 killed

Associated Press
The Associated Press BETHESDA, Md. — A parking garage partially collapsed Thursday outside a shopping mall in suburban Maryland, and officials said one construction worker died after being trapped under a concrete slab. Montgomery County rescuers worked to stabilize the structure for more than four hours to free a second worker. Officials said it appears a 50,000-pound section of the parking deck ...
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Rescuers save 3 after Wash. bridge collapses into river

Associated Press
By Manuel Valdes and Mike Baker The Associated Press MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — The Interstate 5 bridge collapse into the Skagit River was caused by an oversize truck hitting the span, the Washington State Patrol chief said. "For reasons unknown at this point in time the semi struck the overhead of the bridge causing the collapse," Batiste told an overnight news conference. The truck made it off t...
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Ballpark Workers Ask Giants Fans Not To Cross Picket Lines


Eric Surkamp of the San Francisco Giants throws a pitch during a winning game last season. The Giants have become one of the most valued teams in baseball.   (SD Dirk / Flickr / Creative Commons ) Baseball may be America’s pastime, but concessions workers in the San Francisco Giants' ballpark say it’s past time for a new contract. After negotiations last week, officials with Unite Here Local 2 , w...
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Fire spreads to more suburbs in Stockholm riots

Associated Press
The Associated Press STOCKHOLM — Groups of youths have burnt down a restaurant, torched more than 30 cars and injured three police in a fourth night of riots in suburbs of the Swedish capital that started following a fatal police shooting. Police spokesman Kjell Lindgren says at least 30 cars were set ablaze across western and southern Stockholm early Thursday. Firefighters said they have "never b...
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Authorities recover body of man believed to have jumped off Maine bridge

LexisNexis
By Mario Moretto Bangor Daily News VERONA ISLAND, Maine — Police have recovered and identified the body of a Holden man believed to have committed suicide Monday by jumping off the Penobscot Narrows Bridge. A multi-agency search team was assembled early in the morning after a passing motorist reported an abandoned pickup truck on the bridge at 3:20 a.m. Police found a wallet and cellphone in ...
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Teens get practical fire-safety tips

By  Lori Kurtzman The Columbus Dispatch GAHANNA, Ohio — They laughed as they crawled on the floor, hoods over their heads, clawing for an exit. They had just 60 seconds to escape. “You can’t breathe,” Mifflin Township Fire Lt. Mark Hendricks told them. “The carpet’s hot. It’s melting. What are you going to do?” “Cry?” one student said. More laughter. But there was a sobering undercurrent to t...
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The Axe Falls on 50 Chicago Public Schools


Community members reasoned, raged and begged for mercy at a school board meeting about the fate of 54 Chicago public schools. ( Chicago Teachers Union )   At times, the meeting of the Board of Education of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) on Wednesday took on the air of a mass mock trial; at others, it seemed like a public execution. On the dock were 53 elementary schools and one high school charged w...
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