uPLANTATION, Fla. (AP) — A vacant pizza restaurant exploded Saturday in a thundering roar at a South Florida shopping plaza, injuring more than 20 people as large chunks of concrete flew through the air.
The blast flung debris widely along a busy road in Plantation, west of Fort Lauderdale. The restaurant was destroyed, and nearby businesses and cars were damaged. Though firefighters found ruptured gas lines afterward, authorities said it was too early to determine a cause.
“We thought it was thunder at first, and then we felt the building shake and things started falling. I looked outside and it was almost like the world was ending,” said Alex Carver, a worker at a deli across the street from the explosion. “It was nuts, man. It was crazy.”
The explosion hurled large pieces of concrete up to 50 yards (45 meters) away and sent pieces of metal scattering as far as 100 yards (90 meters) across the street. Carver said two of his co-workers’ cars were destroyed.
At least 21 people were injured though none of the injuries was life-threatening, Police Sgt. Jessica Ryan said.
The explosion demolished the building, leaving behind only part of its metal frame. The restaurant, called PizzaFire, had been out of business for several months. The blast also blew out the windows of a popular fitness club next door at the shopping plaza in Broward County.
uProminent Detroit priest removed from pulpit: DETROIT (AP) — The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit said Sunday that it removed a prominent priest from public ministry after reviewing what it described as a “credible allegation” that he had sexually abused a child decades ago.
The Rev. Eduard Perrone was suspended from ministry Friday, a month after The Associated Press began asking the pastor himself, the archdiocese and law enforcement authorities about a former altar boy’s allegations that Perrone had groped him.
Archdiocese officials told Perrone’s congregation at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish during services Sunday that members of the local archdiocese review board found a “semblance of truth” to the accusations, but that they are maintaining a presumption of innocence.
uThousands of motorcyclists ride in honor of 7 bikers killed: LACONIA, N.H. (AP) — Thousands of motorcyclists, waved on by bystanders with American flags, rode through New Hampshire on Saturday to the site where seven bikers were killed in a collision with a truck last month.
More than 3,000 bikers, some from as far away as California and Florida, participated in the 90-mile (145-kilometer) tribute trip from Laconia to the somber crash site in Randolph, where a memorial of flags and a color guard stood. A memorial service was held in a field just beyond the crash site.
Those killed were: Michael Ferazzi, 62, of Contoocook, New Hampshire; Albert Mazza Jr., 59, of Lee, New Hampshire; Desma Oakes, 42, of Concord, New Hampshire; Aaron Perry, 45, of Farmington, New Hampshire; Daniel Pereira, 58, of Riverside, Rhode Island; and Jo-Ann and Edward Corr, both 58, of Lakeville, Massachusetts.
uJimmy and Rosalynn Carter celebrate 73 years of marriage: ATLANTA (AP) — Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, are marking their 73rd wedding anniversary, approaching George and Barbara Bush as the longest-married presidential couple in U.S. history.
The Carters married July 7, 1946, in a Methodist church in their hometown of Plains, Georgia, when he was 21 and she was 18.
The Bushes wed Jan. 6, 1945. They had been married 73 years and 111 days when Barbara Bush died in April 2018.
WAGA-TV reports that on Valentine’s Day this year, the Carters were caught on the “Kiss Cam” at the Atlanta Hawks game. The Carters have three sons, one daughter, eight grandsons, three granddaughters and two great-grandsons.
Carter, a Democrat, was president 1977-81. He is 94.
George H.W. Bush, a Republican, was president 1989-93. He was 94.
u18-year-old pilot dies after plane crashes in Mississippi: OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — An 18-year-old pilot of a single-engine plane died after crashing on a golf course while practicing takeoffs and landings at a small airport owned by the University of Mississippi.
University spokesman Rod Guajardo said Sunday that Lake Little of Starkville died late Saturday of injuries from the crash that happened hours earlier on the Ole Miss Golf Course near the University-Oxford Airport.
Little was the daughter of Starkville Alderman David Little and wife Pattie, and was a 2019 graduate of Starkville Academy. The Starkville Daily News reported that Lake Little was set to compete this month in Mississippi’s Miss Hospitality pageant. The winner of the pageant spends a year promoting tourism.
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said on Twitter: “Such sad news about Lake Little. A beautiful light has passed from this world far too soon.”
uJudge OKs state’s motion to dismiss fetal manslaughter case: BESSEMER, Ala. (AP) — The manslaughter charge against an Alabama woman who lost her fetus when she was shot during a fight was dropped Saturday.
Circuit Judge David Carpenter granted the state’s motion to dismiss the case against Marshae Jones, 28.
Jones was five months pregnant when 23-year-old Ebony Jemison shot her in the stomach during a December argument over the fetus’ father, authorities said.
Jemison was initially charged with manslaughter, but a Jefferson County grand jury declined to indict her after police said an investigation determined Jones started the fight, and Jemison ultimately fired in self-defense. Jones was indicted by the same grand jury and arrested, sparking outrage around the nation.
Jefferson County Bessemer Cutoff District Attorney Lynneice O. Washington said earlier in the week that she would not prosecute Jones.
Mount Rushmore Memorial to begin major construction projects: RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — One of the country’s most popular tourist attractions is getting to the core of a multi-million dollar upgrade.
The Rapid City Journal reports that major construction projects at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota are scheduled to begin next week. The National Park Service says work will continue through much of 2020.
Mount Rushmore spokeswoman Maureen McGee-Ballinger says the upgrades are designed to make it easier to traverse the park and provide clearer views of Gutzon Borglum’s sculpture, which features the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.
Many parts of the park will be closed during construction, including a visitor’s center and amphitheater. McGee-Ballinger says visitors will still have good views of the sculpture and the finished product is “going to be beautiful.”
