Author: rpnadmin

MELBOURNE, Australia — A spearfisher was mauled on the Great Barrier Reef on Sunday in Australia’s second fatal shark attack in just over a week, police said. The 39-year-old man was with three friends diving from a boat at Kennedy Shoal off the Queensland state coast south of Cairns when he was attacked, Police Inspector Elaine Burns said. “The man had been spearfishing when he was attacked and died from a critical head injury,” Burns told reporters. The victim, a Cairns resident, was brought by boat around noon to the tourist town of Hull Heads where paramedics were waiting. He…

HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s iconic bun festival drew throngs of revelers to the densely populated city’s outlying island, Cheung Chau, to celebrate a century-old tradition that is rooted in prayers for peace and blessings. Residents and tourists braved the heat to watch children in costumes take part in a parade, called “Piu Sik,” which translates as “floating colors.” Children dressed as legendary deities, historic characters or local politicians were carried on stands above the crowds, moving through the island’s narrow lanes. The festival highlight is the “bun-scrambling” competition around midnight, where participants climb a tower covered with plastic buns.…

A bystander who was struck by gunfire after a man fired on a checkpoint outside the White House and was fatally shot by U.S. Secret Service officers remained in serious but stable condition Sunday. The Secret Service said the bystander, who has not been identified, suffered a gunshot wound described as not life-threatening. It was not clear how he was shot. Authorities have released few additional details about the early Saturday evening shooting. The District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department said the suspect, identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best, started shooting toward a White House security checkpoint when Secret Service officers…

CENTERVILLE, Mass. — On the day of the Pearl Harbor attack, the country’s oldest living survivor of the Japanese bombing was far below deck helping repair one the boilers of the USS St. Louis. Freeman Johnson, who turned 106 in March, never witnessed the surprise attack. He never heard his shipmates firing antiaircraft guns at the attacking planes – shooting down a torpedo plane. By the time he was topside, the St. Louis, a light cruiser, had evaded midget submarines and safely set out to sea. “While all the rigamarole was going on topside, I was inside a steam drum.…

NEW YORK — Breta Meria Conole was in a state psychiatric hospital for more than two decades. But the reason why is a family mystery. Debby Hannigan, her great grandniece, tried for years to access Conole’s medical records, because she thought they might hold clues to mental health issues in her family, including her oldest daughter’s depression. Hannigan twice wrote to the state of New York for the records. The second time she included a supporting note from her daughter’s therapist, who said the details would help “to know their family medical history better.” Both times she was turned away.…

Authorities braced for the possibility that a damaged chemical tank in Southern California could leak or explode as an evacuation order continued into the Memorial Day weekend for 50,000 residents with no timeline on when they can return. The pressurized tank overheated Thursday and began venting vapors at a company site in Garden Grove, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) south of downtown Los Angeles, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. No injuries have been reported. Air monitoring tests have so far found that air pollution around the evacuation zone is so far within normal limits, and specialized equipment has…

The economy, inflation and how those forces could impact the lives of Americans were front and center over the past week. Trips to the grocery store or gas station are more painful than they were last year, and that is impacting the decisions of both households and businesses. Here’s a snapshot of prominent economic data and news that occurred over the past week and what it potentially means for you. Average US long-term mortgage rate rises to highest level in almost 9 months The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate climbed this week to its highest level in nearly nine months,…

From the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York to … community access TV in Michigan? One night after Stephen Colbert recorded his final episode of “The Late Show” on CBS, he made a surprise appearance hosting the “Only in Monroe” community access show broadcast in southeast Michigan along the shores of Lake Erie. Michigan native Jack White, who grew up in Detroit about 40 miles northeast of Monroe, joined Colbert as his “volunteer music director.” “Looking forward to hearing some of your music, time permitting,” Colbert joked with White, as laughter could be heard from a handful of people off…

Evacuation centers remained open in Southern California on Saturday as authorities worked to cool an overheated chemical storage tank and keep it from exploding less than a mile from Disneyland’s two theme parks. No injuries were reported after the pressurized tank overheated Thursday and began venting vapors in Garden Grove, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. Evacuation orders were issued for 40,000 people, and several shelters were opened by Friday night, including at three high schools. The main concern was that the tank could fail and crack, releasing the chemical onto the ground, or it could explode, said Orange…

Investigators were combing through a New York City shipyard on Saturday trying to find the cause of a fire and an explosion that killed one person and injured more than 30 firefighters and other first responders. Authorities provided no major updates to the incidents that occurred Friday afternoon in the Mariners Harbor neighborhood on the north shore of Staten Island. Besides investigators, some firefighters were at the site as a precaution Saturday, officials said. Firefighters were called to the shipyard about 3:30 p.m. Friday on reports that there was a fire, heavy smoke and two workers trapped in a basement…