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Medical copter crashes on hospital Smoke rises after a helicopter crash on top of Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Thursday. A medical helicopter crashed on the roof, catching fire moments after the two people on board escaped with minor injuries, authorities said.
AP PHOTO
NEW YORK
Mafia figure surrenders
On the run for nearly four months, a reputed Mafia capo strolled up to the FBI’s New York City office on Thursday and surrendered on charges he ordered a decades-old gangland hit that took an innocent bystander’s life.
Nicholas “Little Nick” Corozzo, who authorities say was a one-time crony of notorious mob boss John Gotti, was ordered held without bail after pleading not guilty to racketeering, extortion and murder charges.
The charges were part of a sprawling federal case against the once-mighty Gambino organized crime family.
So where had the balding 5-foot-5, 68-year-old fugitive who had been featured on “America’s Most Wanted” been?
“I really don’t know,” defense attorney Diarmuid White told reporters outside court.
AUSTIN, Texas
Court says to return kids
The Texas Supreme Court has ruled that children taken from a polygamist sect’s ranch should be returned to their parents, saying child welfare officials overstepped their authority.
The high court on Thursday affirmed a decision last week by an appeals court that said Child Protective Services failed to show an immediate danger to the more than 400 children swept up from the Yearning For Zion Ranch nearly two months ago.
The ruling directs a lower-court judge to reverse her decision putting the children into foster case. The appeals court ordered the judge to return the children to the parents soon but it is unclear exactly when that will happen.
WASHINGTON
Oil markets under probe
Federal regulators are six months into a wide-ranging investigation of U.S. oil markets, with a focus on possible price manipulation.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Thursday said it started the probe in December and took the unusual step of publicizing it “because of today’s unprecedented market conditions.”
The CFTC said it will immediately require monthly reports from institutional investors who manage funds designed to mimic the price of crude oil and other energy futures. The goal, the agency said, is to identify the amount of such index trading and to “ensure that this type of trading activity is not adversely impacting the price discovery process.”
REYKJAVIK, Iceland
Quake shakes Iceland
A strong earthquake shook southern Iceland on Thursday, causing more than a dozen injuries as it rocked buildings in the capital, touched off landslides and forced evacuations in outlying towns, officials and local media said.
Government officials reported that 15 to 20 people from Selfoss, 30 miles southeast of the capital of Reykjavik, were injured in the quake, none of them seriously. They were taken to a local health center for treatment.
The U.S. Geological Survey said Selfoss was near the epicenter of the magnitude 6.1 quake, which hit at 3:46 p.m.