UNITED STATES

U.S. Naval officials, on Monday, identified the two crew members who died last week in a Navy jet crash near Mount Rainier in Washington state, as two 31-year-old aviators from California.The fighter jet pilots were identified as Lt. Cmdr. Lyndsay P. Evans, a Naval Flight Officer, and Lt. Serena N. Wileman, a Naval Aviator.Evans and Wileman died when their EA-18G Growler jet from the Electronic Attack Squadron out of Whidbey Island Naval Air Station crashed on a mountainside east of Mount Rainier on Tuesday afternoon.The wreckage of the jet was located resting about 6,000 feet up in a remote, steep and heavily-wooded area, and until Sunday, the status of the crew remained a mystery without a site assessment of the debris area.NAVY JET LOCATED AFTER CRASHING NEAR MOUNT RAINIER IN WASHINGTONArmy Special Forces soldiers trained in mountaineering, high-angle rescue, medical and technical communication skills needed to navigate the difficult terrain assisted with efforts to locate the missing crew members as quickly as possible.Once Evans and Wileman were located on Sunday, efforts switched from search and rescue efforts to recovery operations.Evans, who hailed from Palmdale, California, made history as part of the first-ever all-female team to fly over a Super Bowl on Feb. 12, 2023, celebrating 50 years of women flying in the Navy, Navy spokesperson Steve Fiebing told The Associated Press.NAVY CONFIRMS DEATH OF CREW AFTER JET CRASHES NEAR MOUNT RAINIER IN WASHINGTONWomen first began entering the U.S. Navy flight school in 1973.”I joined the Navy to serve my country,” Evans told the Los Angeles Times in an article about the flyover in 2023. “Serving in the Navy means being part of something bigger than yourself.”Wileman was commissioned into the Navy in 2018 and joined the “Zapper” squadron based out of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in 2021. During her career, she earned the National Defense Service Medal, Navy Unit Commendation Medal and a Combat Action Ribbon.NAVY PARACHUTIST CRASH-LANDS ON MOTHER AND TEENAGER DURING SAN FRANCISCO PERFORMANCE: VIDEOU.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., issued a statement on the deaths of Evans and Wileman.”I am heartbroken to learn about the passing of Lt. Commander Lyndsay Evans and Lt. Serena Wileman,” Murray wrote on X. “I am so proud of both of these women’s trailblazing careers—their service has cleared a path for the women who will come after them.”The Navy said the investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.US NAVY LOOKS TO ROBOTS, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO EXTEND VESSEL HEALTH AND MAINTENANCE The EA-18G is a variant of the F/A-18 family of aircraft, outfitted with a sophisticated electronic warfare suite that is used for tactical jamming and electronic protection, according to the Navy’s website. The jet was built to replace the EA-6B Prowler, and first went into production in October 2004.The jet made its inaugural flight in August 2006, and the first delivery of the aircraft was made on June 3, 2008, to VAQ 129 at NAS Whidbey Island.Each plane comes with a price tag of $67 million.The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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Publish date : 2024-10-23 00:31:25

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An upcoming controversial NCAA women’s volleyball match will move its location over 200 miles from Reno, Nevada to the Bay Area in California. San Jose State’s upcoming game against the University of Nevada has been at the center of a national debate on transgender inclusion in women’s sports. And now, a match that was previously going to be played on Nevada’s home campus will be played at San Jose’s Yosh Uchida Hall. “The Mountain West Conference women’s volleyball match between Nevada and San José State University scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 26, has been moved from Reno, Nevada, to San José, California. The decision to move the location of the match has been made in the best interest of both programs and the well-being of the student-athletes, coaches, athletic staff and spectators. The decision has been made with the approval of the Mountain West Conference,” read a joint statement that was obtained by Fox News Digital from both San Jose State and Nevada’s spokespeople.There is no guarantee that this match will even be played. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMNevada players have expressed their desire not to play the match, both privately to their athletic director and publicly to the press. San Jose State has a player that has been identified as a transgender, and another player engaged in a lawsuit against the NCAA over never being informed that her teammate was a biological male. But the program has not forfeited the match officially, citing state law. Four other opposing programs forfeited their matches against the Spartans amid the ongoing controversy. Southern Utah, Boise State, Wyoming and Utah State all officially forfeited their scheduled games against San Jose State. Meanwhile, security concerns and threats against San Jose State players have made traveling for matches a high-risk endeavor for the lady Spartans. San Jose State previously confirmed to Fox News Digital that police protection was assigned to the team, shortly after getting the first news of an opponent forfeiting, when Southern Utah announced it would not play its match against the Spartans in September.San Jose State player Brooke Slusser has joined a lawsuit headed by OutKick host and former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines against the NCAA due to its policies on gender identity. Slusser joined this lawsuit because she claims that she has had to share a court, locker room and even a room on overnight trips with her teammate Blaire Fleming without having ever been told that Fleming was a biological male. Slusser previously told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that this has resulted in threats against her.”One of my teammates got a DM, basically saying that she, and then my team, needed to keep my distance from me on gameday against Colorado State, because it wasn’t going to be a good situation for me to be in and that my team needed to keep their distance,” Slusser told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. “They needed to keep their distance from me during the game, because something was going to happen to me.”This was the first physical threat when we could easily see that they wanted to physically harm one of us.”INSIDE SAN JOSE STATE’S POLICE BATTLE TO PROTECT WOMEN’S ATHLETES THREATENED BY A TRANSGENDER CULTURE WARThis resulted in a heavy police presence during the Spartan’s game at Colorado State on Oct. 3, as San Jose State has confirmed to Fox News Digital it has had to coordinate police protection for its players with other universities during away games. During a game against Air Force Academy this past weekend, security at Cadet East Gym at the Air Force campus in Colorado was so alert, that it even resulted in controversial footage of an alleged interaction between a fan and a security guard. A fan who attended the game alleged that the Air Force security made anyone who wore shirts in protest against transgender inclusion in women’s sports cover the messaging if they wanted to get inside to watch the match. Other witnesses have told Fox News Digital that they saw similar instances happen. “Air Force Athletics takes necessary measures to provide a safe environment at all home athletic events for players, coaches, staff and fans,” an Air Force spokesperson told Fox News Digital. San Jose State was scheduled to travel all the way to Reno later this week to play the Wolf Pack, with no guarantee that any Nevada players would take the court. Nevada has told Fox News Digital that its players will not be disciplined for refusing to compete in the upcoming match.But Nevada has said it can’t forfeit their upcoming match because of state law, the program previously told Fox News Digital. “The university made the decision not to declare a forfeiture and move forward with hosting the match as scheduled based on several factors. As a public university, the university is legally prohibited by Section 24 of the Nevada Constitution and other laws and regulations to declare a forfeit for reasons related to gender identity or expression,” a Nevada spokesperson said. The Nevada state constitution was revised in 2022 when Nevada voted to adopt the Equal Rights Amendment, which added gender identity to the list of protections. Nevada state Sen. Pat Spearman, a Democrat from North Las Vegas who co-sponsored the bill to get it on the ballot, said the law has helped transgender people maintain their identity.So, forfeiting a game against San Jose State would have violated Nevada’s state law. The other four programs that have already officially forfeited their matches over transgender player are based in states where there are no such laws. In fact, Idaho, where Boise State is based, actually has a state law to prevent transgender inclusion in women’s sports.Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.



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Publish date : 2024-10-22 23:30:05

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The Tampa Bay Rays’ home field for the 2025 season remains uncertain after Hurricane Milton devastated Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. Major League Baseball hopes the franchise can find a way to keep the team’s temporary home near its fan base if damage at “The Trop” cannot be repaired in time, Commissioner Rob Manfred said on “The Varsity” podcast Sunday. “We’re hopeful that we can figure out something in [the Tampa Bay area] for them and that the repairs can be done in a way that allows them to resume playing,” Manfred explained on the podcast. “The easiest thing is always to stay in the market where the clubs are anchored if we can manage it.”CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMThe suggested alternate home fields for the Rays have been spring training sites of the Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers, which are all within a reasonable distance from Tropicana Field. The Rays’ spring training complex in Port Charlotte is further away than those sites. Another option is Disney’s massive ESPN Wide World of Sports complex near Orlando. RAYS REACT TO HURRICANE MILTON DECIMATING THEIR HOME TROPICANA FIELD ROOFThe problem with the spring training sites is they host minor league teams after the MLB clubs head north for the regular season. An adjustment of schedules would be necessary depending on what the Rays end up doing for the 2025 campaign.The fiberglass dome at Tropicana Field was ripped to shreds by the hurricane’s winds, which immediately created doubt about the Rays playing home games there by the time the season begins next year. The City of St. Petersburg hired the firm Hennessy/AECOM to conduct an analysis of Tropicana Field’s damage, and city spokeswoman Alizza Punzalan-Randle told ESPN another company had been hired to remove the remaining roofing of Tropicana Field. “We will have more information on next steps once the analyses have been completed and the remaining roof has been removed,” she said. Tropicana Field has been home to the Rays since its inaugural season in 1998. The ballpark, which was constructed in 1990, was expected to handle winds up to 115 mph, according to the Rays. The damage comes just months after a $1.3 billion project to build a new ballpark was approved by the City of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County, which is slated to be open by the start of the 2028 season. 



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Publish date : 2024-10-22 22:21:46

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A former guard at a notoriously harsh and violent Bosnian prison camp, now living in Massachusetts, was found guilty of concealing his persecution of ethnic Serbs during the 1990s Bosnian War, then lying to get refugee status, and ultimately, his U.S. citizenship.The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said 52-year-old Kemal Mrndzic was convicted of engaging in a scheme to conceal his involvement at the notorious Čelebići prison camp in Bosnia in 1992; making a false statement to Homeland Security agents about his role at the camp; possessing a fraudulently obtained naturalization certificate and Social Security card; and using a fraudulently obtained passport and certificate of naturalization. The jury acquitted him of two counts of making false statements to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents.Mrndzic was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2023.GRAND JURY INDICTS EX-BOSNIAN PRISON CAMP GUARD FOR LYING ABOUT REFUGEE STATUS”The heartbreaking testimony of the Čelebići survivors reminded us that the physical pain and mental anguish inflicted by Kemal Mrndzic and his fellow guards at that notorious camp still haunts them 30 years later,” acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy said. “Mrndzic concealed his crimes for decades, but gravely underestimated the bravery of these victims and law enforcement’s dedication to finding and prosecuting those who engage in wartime persecution.”Mrndzic was a guard supervisor at the Čelebići prison camp during the Bosnian War which spanned from 1992 to 1995.Five camp survivors testified during the two-week trial about the horrific conditions at the camp.The survivors spoke about being detained in an unlit and airless tunnel for months, and nearly being suffocated after being sealed in manholes for hours at a time. They also testified about daily and nightly beatings administered by camp guards, who used a bat, wooden poles and other objects to assault the prisoners.FORMER BOSNIA WARTIME PRISON GUARD WHO SETTLED IN US FACES FEDERAL CHARGESThe DOJ also said survivors testified about murders, the burning of a detainee’s tongue getting burned with a heated knife blade, the wrapping of a prisoner with a long fuse cord before it was lit on fire, and sexual abuse, among other harrowing acts.One of the survivors recounted how a 70-year-old prisoner was beaten to death by prison guards who pinned a military badge on his forehead as he was dying.An investigation conducted by a United Nations tribunal into the crimes committed at the prison camp led to the conviction of two top commanders at the camp and a guard for numerous crimes, including murder and torture.Mrndzic was questioned by investigators about the case in 1996, though he was not charged.FORMER BOSNIAN SERB MILITARY COMMANDER SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON FOR CRIMES AGAINST CIVILIANS DURING WARAfterward, he fled Bosnia by crossing into Croatia, and applied as a refugee to the U.S., using a fabricated story, the DOJ said. In his application and interview, Mrndzic lied about fleeing his home after being captured, interrogated and abused by Serb forces, fearing future persecution if he returned home.He was ultimately admitted to the U.S. as a refugee in 1999, and became a U.S. citizen in 2009, and was living north of Boston in the town of Swampscott.”A jury found Mrndzic guilty of lying about his past to come to the U.S. under false pretenses, concealing his work as a guard at the notorious Čelebići prison camp, a prison with well-documented cases of violence, abuse and even murder of prisoners during the Bosnian War,” Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England said.Although he has been convicted, Mrndzic has not yet been sentenced. He faces up to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release, plus a fine of $250,000, for fraudulently obtaining a passport and naturalization certificate.For each of the three remaining charges, he faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine up to $250,000.



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Publish date : 2024-10-22 21:20:52

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Legendary guitarist Jake E. Lee is sharing more details surrounding the incident that landed him in the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds last week. On Tuesday, the former guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne revealed that he had been involved in a “verbal confrontation” with “thieves” ahead of the shooting that took place in Las Vegas, Nevada. “Thank you again for all your concern. A quick update: back home recuperating. A big thanks to those at Sunrise Hospital for taking such good care of me,” Lee wrote on Facebook. “And some brief details about that night. Walking home from our walk Coco and I crossed paths with a couple of thieves. Dressed darkly, hoodies pulled down their faces and masks covering their mouths. Standing in a neighbor’s driveway checking out his motorcycle.”JAKE E LEE, FORMER GUITARIST FOR OZZY OSBOURNE, SHOT MULTIPLE TIMES IN LAS VEGAS”There was a verbal confrontation which ended with an agreement that I would walk one way and they would walk the opposite,” he added. “That didn’t work out. I’ll probably talk in more detail about it later but right now I can only comfortably do a little at a time. Let me look for another cute pic of Coco!”APP USERS CLICK HERE TO VIEW FACEBOOK POSTOn Oct. 15, Lee’s rep shared a statement with Fox News Digital and said, “As confirmed by management, legendary rock guitarist Jake E. Lee (Ozzy Osbourne, Badlands, Red Dragon Cartel) was shot multiple times early this morning in a Las Vegas, NV street shooting.””Lee is fully conscious and doing well in an intensive care unit at a Las Vegas hospital,” the statement continued. “He is expected to fully recover.”LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS”Las Vegas authorities believe the shooting was completely random and occurred while Lee took his dog out for a walk in the early morning hours. As the incident is under police investigation, no further comments will be forthcoming. Lee and his family appreciate respecting their privacy at this time.”A representative for the Las Vegas Police Department confirmed the shooting when reached by Fox News Digital.”On October 15, 2024, at approximately 2:42 a.m., LVMPD officers responded to a shooting incident in the 11000 block of Alora Street,” the statement read. “Officers arrived and located a male victim suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. The male was transported to the hospital. No arrests have been made at this time. This is an ongoing investigation.”JAKE E LEE, FORMER GUITARIST FOR OZZY OSBOURNE, ‘BROKE A RIB AND DAMAGED A LUNG’ AFTER BEING SHOT AT 3 TIMESOn Friday, Lee shared a health update on Facebook, saying that he feels “very lucky” to be recovering from the ordeal. “To clarify, I was shot three times,” Lee wrote on Facebook. “I was on my way back home from walking my dog Coco… Don’t want to go into details now, I’m tired, but I feel relatively very lucky.”Lee explained that police found “15 shell casings at the scene which means he emptied his clip on me.””I could only dodge so many so one bullet went through my forearm, one through my foot, and one in the back which broke a rib and damaged a lung.”He added, “Priority now is to keep draining my lung till it’s done crying. Then we can pull that tube out and concentrate on the more minor injuries.”CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTERLee played alongside Osbourne as the lead guitarist from 1982 to 1985 and was featured on “Bark at the Moon” and “The Ultimate Sin” albums before being replaced by Zakk Wylde. Around 2010, Osbourne’s wife, Sharon Osbourne, had reportedly contacted Lee about a possible reunion.Lee was also a member of the heavy metal band Badlands and formed the band Red Dragon Cartel in 2013.Fox News Digital’s Larry Fink and Stephanie Giang-Paunon contributed to this report. 



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Publish date : 2024-10-22 20:17:55

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