Tour Bus Crash At Grand Teton National Park Injures 8

A bus carrying 26 Asian tourists flipped over on its side along a busy highway in Grand Teton National Park, with eight people being injured and hospitalized, officials said.

The other 19 people on the bus â€" that carried 26 tourists and one driver â€" were taken to a hospital but released after the crash Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

A bus crash in Grand Teton National Park left 3 injured. (Photo: Wikipedia)

Two of the victims were airlifted to a medical center in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and were listed in fair condition Friday, a hospital spokesman said. Six were admitted to a hospital in Jackson, Wyoming where they were said to be in good or fair condition, a spokeswoman said.

Park spokeswoman Jackie Skaggs said that most of the passengers aboard the bus were from China. She didn’t know what other countries the passengers hailed from but said all were from Asia.

No other vehicles were involved in the bus crash, which took place on U.S. 89 north of Colter Bay Village on Jackson Lake. Authorities believe the 33-foot-long bus went off the pavement and the driver overcorrected, causing the bus to flip on its side, Skaggs said. She didn’t know how far the bus skidded once it flipped on its side.

The accident closed U.S. 89 for about five hours. The highway runs north-south through he park and connects Grand Teton National Park with Yellowstone National Park to the north. The bus was heading for Yellowstone when it crashed. The highway reopened at 9:20 p.m. Skaggs said.

The bus driver is among the 8 injured taken to the Jackson hospital. It is not immediately known if he has been discharged. His name hasn’t been released.

The driver stayed with the vehicle until all passengers had been attended to and was then taken to the hospital by a park ranger, Skaggs said. No charges have been filed.

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The Father of Fracking – an Innovator and a Contradiction

Every schoolchild has heard of Thomas Alva Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, and George Washington Carver. These three are among the most well-known inventors to Americans. However, there is one inventor who does not receive the credit he deserves for creating something truly revolutionary.

Meet the Father of Fracking â€" George Mitchell

George Mitchell is dead now, having died in 2013, but his legacy continues to revolutionize America’s practices and policies. Who is George Mitchell, you ask? What did he invent that matters to us?

Image from Openclipart.org

George Mitchell is the embodiment of the American Dream. His father was a poor Greek immigrant who operated a shoeshine shop in Galveston, Texas. George worked his way through Texas A&M University and ended up graduating at the top of his class in petroleum engineering. He eventually became a businessperson and philanthropist, giving generously to the city of Galveston and to various university research departments. He left a fortune of more than $2 billion when he died.

What is Fracking?

Undoubtedly you have heard of fracking. Energy officials, businesspeople, and environmentalists know all about fracking. It is the process of extracting natural gas from the shale rock layers deep beneath the Earth’s surface. Shale formations across the country hold enough natural gas to revolutionize our country’s energy situation. Though fracking produces hundreds of thousands of barrels of natural gas per day, it uses great quantities of water and chemicals, and may come with a hefty price tag of environmental, safety, and health hazards.

George Mitchell and Fracking

George Mitchell is thought of as the father of natural gas shale drilling, as he was the first to use hydraulic fracking to bring natural gas out of the Barnett shale field in Texas. Of course, inventors rarely invent something completely new and Mr. Mitchell is no exception. Inventors often build on the ideas and achievements of others through hard work, persistence, and a little extra ingenuity.

Fracking was first tried in the late 1940s and was researched by the Department of Energy in the 1970s. However, before Mr. Mitchell, it had not been used commercially to obtain natural gas from shale reserves. Mitchell, an expert geologist and his company Mitchell Energy drew wells for years without much success. With the gritty determination of an oil wildcatter and the gambler’s love of risk, he persevered in the face of defeat. Eventually, one of his wells proved that fracking could work and be financially viable. He became a rich and powerful Texas oilman, and the father of fracking. But, George was so much more than the stereotypical oilman.

George Mitchell â€" Innovator, Environmentalist and Believer in Regulation?

Humble and extremely generous, the man behind fracking, one of the most environmentally contentious topics of our time, may not have sided with environmentalists. He was also a member of the 1% who may have sided with liberals who believe in government regulation.

Mitchells’ charitable organization, The Cynthia & George Mitchell Foundation is devoted to supporting clean energy in Texas and has given to programs to study the scientific merit of sustainability. He was also the developer of The Woodlands, a planned community created in the 1970s. Its original plan called for protecting the environment and preserving trees.

In what may have been his last interview, in July of 2012, he told Christopher Helman of Forbes, “The administration is trying to tighten up controls. I think it’s a good idea. They should have very strict controls.” He was speaking about government controls on fracking.

As is the case with many individuals, especially those who gain great fame or wealth, they are a stew of contradictions. Mitchell was a believer in population control, yet had ten children. He believed and his foundation supports environmental concerns, yet he never invested in renewable energy. He was passionate about both fracking and sustainability, two seemingly incompatible ideas.

George Mitchell, an unknown inventor to most people, is responsible for what may be the most important innovation in world energy in the 20th and 21st centuries. Fracking is reshaping energy policies, attitudes, and battles. Like many inventors, his determination, grit, and belief in himself, gave the world something innovative and new. It is up to us to make the best of that innovation. Featured image from openclipart.org

Featured image from openclipart.org

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Movie Theater Shooting Suspect Released From Jail On Bond

A retired Florida police captain charged in a movie theater shooting that killed one person, was released from jail on $150,000 bond Friday over the objections of the victim’s wife.

Curtis Reeves Jr. is accused of killing a fellow movie-goer who was texting during a movie. A trial date has not been set yet for Reeves, 71, who’s been in custody since January on second-degree murder charges in the death of Chad Oulson per NBC News.

Curtis Reeves, accused of shooting a fellow movie-goer, was released on bail Friday. (Photo: @CNNBRK Twitter)

After lawyers for Oulson’s widow argued that Reeves could be a threat to society, the circuit court still complied with the ruling and allowed Reeves bail, but confined him to his home.

A witness recounted Wednesday at a bail hearing for Reeves hearing him say, “I can’t believe what I’ve done,” after he killed Oulson.

Reeves repeated the statement after his victim started making “gurgling sounds” that signaled he was in bad shape, said Alan Hamilton, a Sumter County cop who was off-duty during the Jan 13. Screening of “Lone Survivor” in Wesley Chapel, Fla.

Hamilton also recalls seeing Reeves blow up at his wife when she criticized him for grabbing his gun.

“She postured and said, ‘That was no cause to shoot anyone,’ and he leaned back around and stuck his finger out as to scold her and said, ‘You shut your [expletive] mouth and don’t say another word,” Hamilton testified.

Hamilton also said that Reeves told him, “I just got hit by something and look at my eye,” but he didn’t see any visible injuries.

Reeves pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder at the hearing to determine if he could be released on bond, which ended up happening two days later. His attorneys argue he acted in self-defense and is no danger.

Movie Theater Shooting Suspect Released From Jail On Bond

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Texas Shooting Suspect Wheeled Out of Courtroom

Ronald Lee Haskell, the shooting suspect who is said to have killed six of his former relatives in Houston, Texas had to be wheeled away after collapsing in court Friday as he faced charges that he broke into the family’s home seeking his ex-wife and ended up killing two adults and four of their children execution-style.

Authorities said Haskell’s spree of violence took place in three states before ending the rampage in the Houston suburb of Spring per the LA Times.

Shooting suspect Ronald Lee Haskell. (Photo: Harris County Sheriff’s Department)

Haskell, 33, appeared in court briefly and was taken away in a wheelchair and returned to Harris County Jail, where he is being held without bond, spokeswoman Tramesha Randall told The Times.

Haskell faces one count of capital murder/multiple murders, and prosecutors will present the case to a grand jury, Jeff McShan said, a spokesman for the Harris County district attorney’s office. The office has not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty.

A court-appointed defense attorney argues that Haskell had a history of mental issues and was not fully aware of his actions, McShan said.

Haskell is accused of breaking into the home of Stephen Stay, 39, and Katie Stay, 33, and their five children Wednesday evening, authorities said.

He was reportedly searching for his former wife, Melannie, who was not at the house. One of the children, Cassidy 15, tried to keep her former uncle out of the house, but he eventually broke down the door, holding the children at gunpoint until their parents returned home, police said. He tied up the children and shot the family members in the back of the head, execution style, police said.

Cassidy is being honored as a heroine for playing dead and calling 911 after Haskell left the house. She remains in critical condition with a fractured skull but is expected to make a full recovery, her family said.

Texas Shooting Suspect Wheeled Out of Courtroom

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Top 12 NFL Draft Busts of the Modern Era

Top 12 NFL Draft Busts of the Modern Era

#2 Ryan Leaf, San Diego Chargers

Runner-up on the list of Top NFL Draft Busts of the Modern Era, Ryan Leaf, quarterback, San Diego Chargers. Photo Credit â€" Wikipedia Commons.

Top 12 NFL Draft Busts of the Modern Era.

Ahead of the 1998 draft, the Colts were faced with the decision of choosing between two remarkable college athletes in Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf. Both at the time were regarded as supremely gifted individuals that could turn around a franchise. Leaf was considered to have the “stronger arm and greater potential” while Peyton was regarded as the safer selection of the two, citing his maturity. At the time, both were thought to be locks to succeed in the NFL, it was more a matter of preference and system fit between the presume surefire quarterbacks.

The Colts holding the number one pick elected to go with Tennessee Quarterback, Peyton Manning, with Ryan Leaf falling to the San Diego Chargers. Leaf’s pro career wouldn’t have many high notes as he struggled mightily in his first pro season, eventually being benched for good. He missed his entire second year due to injury and his third season would be marred by poor play and character criticisms that eventually landed Leaf on the chopping block. Leaf spent the next two years trying to resurrect with three different teams before finally retiring at the age of 26 (wikipedia).

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First Snapshots Of Photosynthesis in Action Captured by Researchers

A team of researchers were able to observe the first snapshots of photosynthesis in action as it split water into protons, electrons, and oxygen. The groundbreaking study published in Nature was carried out by an international team led by Arizona State University (ASU) scientists.

The first images of photosynthesis were captured by researchers at ASU. (Photo: Flickr)

Photosynthesis is the process that maintains Earth’s oxygen atmosphere and ensures air is made of things we need to breathe it and survive.

‘This study is the first step towards our ultimate goal of unraveling the secrets of water splitting and obtaining molecular movies of biomolecules,’ said Professor Petra Fromme, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at ASU and leader of the research team.
By observing the first stage of the process in action, the researchers say they’ve gotten a better understanding of how plants turn carbon dioxide into oxygen, and what may ultimately be an important step to a future where artificial plants are created that are more efficient than their organic siblings.

Early Earth contained no oxygen and was only converted to the oxygen-rich atmosphere we have today 2.5 billion years ago by the “invention” of the water splitting process that occurs in photosynthesis.

This water splitting process â€" known as photosystem II (PSII) â€" produces the oxygen we breathe and what ultimately keeps us alive.

The development of an ‘artificial leaf’ is one of the main goals for the ASU Center for Bio-Inspired Solar Fuel Production, which was the main supporter of this study.

Director of the center, Professor Devens Gust, explained that they are attempting to find a way to turn water into oxygen gas, hydrogen ions and electrons similar to how plants do.

‘Photosynthetic organisms already know how to do this, and we need to know the details of how photosynthesis carries out the process using abundant manganese and calcium,’ he said.

‘Once the mechanism of photosynthetic water oxidation is understood, chemists can begin to design artificial photosynthetic catalysts that will allow them to produce useful fuels using sunlight.’

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Micheal Penn of New Castle Hid Heroin in Baby’s Diaper

A father being arrested Tuesday on an outstanding shoplifting warrant was spotted stuffing something into his 8-month-old son’s diaper when officers stopped him Tuesday while he was out walking with his three young children, New Castle police said Wednesday.

Micheal Penn
(Photo: New Castle Police)

The officers took the father, identified as 25-year-old Michael N. Penn, into custody along with the children before discovering that what Penn was shoving in the infant’s diaper was actually 16 baggies of heroin, said Senior Lt. Adam Brams.

Penn, of the first block of Birkshire Road in the Oakmont Park community, was charged with shoplifting, three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, resisting arrest, heroin possession, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The incident began when New Castle City detectives investigated a shoplifting complaint Sunday afternoon at a Verizon store in New Castle.

Detectives viewed the store’s surveillance video and were able to identify Penn as the man who stole a Samsung tablet and another item from the store last month, Brams said.

Officers searching for Penn found him out walking with his children Tuesday and stopped to pick him up on the shoplifting warrant.

At the time, he was holding his 8-month-old son and 5-year-old daughter, while his 7-year-old son was riding a bicycle next to him, according to court records.

Officers, who saw Penn shoving something down his infant son’s pants, asked Penn to put down the two children.

Penn turned away from the officers and “began to cover his right hand and shove an unknown item into his youngest child’s front pants area,” police said in court records.

Officers were forced to grab Penn’s arms and pull them around his back to arrest him.

After Penn was in custody, officers noticed an unknown object popping out the front of the baby’s pants.

That’s where officers found a bundle of 16 baggies of heroin bound together, Brams said.

As the child was being checked out, Penn said “he was sorry and that he was scared,” which was why he tried to hide the drugs on the child, according to court records.

The total weight of the heroin was .24 grams, police said.

Upon further examination of the evidence collected, officers found an additional bag containing a Xanax pill, for which Penn did not have a prescription, police said.

The three children were turned over to their grandmother, and Family Services was notified, Brams said.

Penn was later released on $4,500 unsecured bail pending a court hearing.

Contact Terri Sanginiti at (302) 324-2771 or tsanginiti@delawareonline.com.

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