BUTLER, Mo. (AP) — Several of the skydivers killed when their plane crashed moments after taking off from a Missouri airfield had jumped before and they belonged to a community with a unique bond, one friend said.

The plane carrying a pilot and 11 passengers crashed in a field and burst into flames Sunday, killing all on board, authorities said.

Some family members of those who died were at the airport to watch the jump and witnessed the crash, said Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson.

Kevin Payne, who had jumped with seven of the skydivers on the plane, said they were all different in almost every way, except that they were all brought together as a “sky family.”

“There is a joy and peace and freedom to what we do. That’s what most people never understand,” Payne, of Parkville, Missouri, wrote in an email. “It’s not about the adrenaline. It’s about really flying together with your family in that brief, exquisite instant that people who live their lives on the ground will never understand.”

While the exact cause of the crash won’t be clear for a year or more until the National Transportation Safety Board publishes its final report, weather did not appear to be a factor.

Skydiving plane went down soon after taking off

Witnesses say the plane was roughly 100 feet (30 meters) from the ground when it made an abrupt left turn before crashing.

It appeared to be losing power, and the pilot may have been trying to reach a highway to land when the plane stalled and went down nose first, said Dennis Jacobs, acting airport manager of Butler Memorial Airport.

The private plane was operated by Skydive Kansas City, he said. The crash site in the small town of Butler is roughly 65 miles (105 kilometers) south of Kansas City.

Plane made multiple flights over the weekend

The Pacific Aerospace 750XL — a single engine turboprop plane — is a popular model in skydiving because it’s designed for the sport and can quickly take parachutists to jumping altitudes while using short runways.

This particular plane, which was built in 2010, had made nine successful flights in the days before the crash, including two on Sunday morning, according to FlightAware, a digital flight tracking company.

Red flags raised about skydiving oversight

Federal investigators have voiced concerns about weak oversight for skydiving operators in past crash investigations, citing the need for stronger aircraft inspections. The NTSB said after a crash killed 11 people in Hawaii that the Federal Aviation Administration’s regulatory system isn’t strong enough to ensure the safety of skydiving flights.

The United States Parachute Association, the sport’s governing body, said in a statement after Sunday’s crash that “a loss of this magnitude is felt profoundly across the entire sport.”

The group said Skydive Kansas City adheres to the safety standards set by the largest skydiving organization in the world, including all maintenance requirements established by the FAA.

The skydiving industry says it has a strong safety record. The association said that last year nearly 3.5 million jumps were completed and that 16 civilians died, the majority from human error.

In 2022, Matt Fitzpatrick – the last British winner – triumphed at six under, the same mark as Jon Rahm the previous year. Wyndham Clark was 10 under at LACC in 2023 and Bryson DeChambeau six under at Pinehurst No 2.

Last year, at a rain-sodden Oakmont, one under was the number that allowed JJ Spaun to beat Bob MacIntyre by two for his first major crown.

Nowadays it seems conditions are the biggest influence on how many shots it takes to make a champion. “Mother Nature always gets a seat at the table, and at Shinnecock, maybe more than anywhere else,” Bodenhammer told Golf Digest.

“If we get wind, the course will resist scoring. If we don’t, it won’t – and we’re OK with that.

“That’s part of the evolution in our thinking, being willing to let conditions play a role instead of trying to control every outcome.”

There is some rain forecast before a predicted dry weekend, which might help the USGA dodge further criticism at a Shinnecock US Open.

It will remain a mighty test for the world’s best. Will the planet’s top player, Scheffler, pick off the major he needs for the career Grand Slam?

Could Fitzpatrick go one better than last week’s runner-up finish in Canada and collect a second US Open? Is Masters champion McIlroy ready to win his second major of the year?

Or is it time for LIV’s Tyrrell Hatton to join the major winning club? The Englishman competes after winning at the formidable Valderrama, the famed Spanish course that provides a similar test of fortitude as we expect Shinnecock to do this week.

Whoever prevails will need to control their ball better than anyone else. Take advantage of the wider fairways and cope with challenging run-off areas, devilish pin positions and drying greens that are still likely to get tougher on an hourly basis.

And that is how it should be at a US Open.

As crime drama set against the backdrop of the 1980s crack epidemic in LA is available on BBC iPlayer

The BBC is currently streaming a compelling crime drama that some have said is better than shows such as Netflix‘s Narcos.

Set during the 1980s crack epidemic, Snowfall chronicles a crime family headed by young dealer Franklin Saint (Damson Idris) as they attempt to make money selling drugs in Los Angeles.

The series examines the impact of crack as it follows various characters on a collision course, featuring Carter Hudson as CIA operative Teddy McDonald. Emily Rios portrays Lucia Villanueva, daughter of a Mexican crime boss, while Mexican wrestler Gustavo is brought to life by Sergio Peris-Mencheta.

The programme proved immensely popular with audiences upon its 2017 debut, and appears poised to attract a new audience now that all six seasons are available on BBC iPlayer, reports the Mirror.

Fans have proclaimed it the “best show ever”, with one writing on review platform Rotten Tomatoes: “Television at its peak.”

“THIS IS A TOTAL GEM!!!” remarked another, while a different viewer described it as “awesome” and a “must watch”.

“I am HOOKED!” declared someone else. “Do not miss this under-rated series, it just keeps on getting better and better.”

“It obligates you to binge it,” shared one fan, with another labelling it “heart-pounding and emotional”.

Another commented: “Each episode has you on the edge of your seat, it will keep you glued to your seat! Phenomenal acting and storyline.”

“Definitely better than Narcos,” maintained one viewer, while another deemed it “exhilarating”. “Gripping and fascinating,” remarked one viewer, noting it would leave audiences “on the edge of their seats”.

“Snowfall will hook you from the start and not let go,” enthused one fan on IMDb.com: “It really is one of the better series of the last few years, it’s extremely gritty and realistic.

“The cast is made up of mostly previous unknown actors and I think that actually adds to the grittiness of the show… I guarantee that you’ll become addicted once you start watching this and you’ll want to binge the entire series as fast as you can. It just pulls you into their world and doesn’t let go.”

Snowfall ran for six series from 2017 to 2023, with reports suggesting a spin-off was in early stages of development. The spin-off series, titled The Drop: A Snowfall Saga, is expected to launch later this year.

Snowfall is available on BBC iPlayer.

Varley was found guilty of murder, two counts of assault by penetration, five counts of cruelty to a child, grievous bodily harm, sexual assault of a child, 13 counts of taking indecent photos or videos of a child, one of distributing an indecent photo of a child, to his co-accused, and one of making an indecent photo.

Developer Oaktree Living has applied to build the properties on land east of Holdforth Crescent, between South Church Road (A689) and the Weardale Railway Line.

The proposal states it would provide “100 per cent affordable housing”, although planning documents show only two of the proposed homes would meet the council’s affordable housing policy requirements.

The latest application follows the refusal of an earlier scheme by Durham County Council’s planning committee in November 2023.

(Image: The Northern Echo)

At the time, councillors criticised the development’s design and the level of affordable housing provision.

Following that decision, the developer entered into pre-application discussions with council officers to address the concerns and submit a revised proposal.

The new plans include significant engineering works to raise land levels across the eastern part of the site to accommodate the development.

However, planning officers have recommended that councillors refuse the application when they meet on Thursday (June 18). 

A report to the committee said four objections had been received from members of the public, raising concerns about visual impact, residential amenity, highway safety, ecology, flooding and the availability of local facilities and services.

The proposal for the new homes is set to be refused by councillors. (Image: Google)

Despite consultations with relevant bodies, officers concluded the proposal failed to demonstrate it would be an appropriate form of development.

The report states the scheme would represent “poor design that would harm the character and appearance of the surrounding area and would not adequately manage surface water on the site.”

Officers also said insufficient information had been provided to show the development would achieve the required 10 per cent biodiversity net gain or avoid adverse impacts on protected species.

Concerns were also raised over the lack of evidence demonstrating how the proposed housing mix would meet identified local needs and whether an appropriate range of affordable homes would be delivered.

Planning officers have recommended refusal on four grounds relating to design, flood risk, biodiversity and affordable housing provision.

Cambridgeshire County Council is aware of the flattened cycle wands

Cycle wands along a busy Cambridge road, which provide a barrier between vehicles and bicycles, have been damaged. Several cycle wands have been flattened on East Road in Cambridge.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire County Council confirmed they are aware of the flattened cycle wands. One of the council’s officers will visit the area to review the damage and replace the wands.

Pictures show the damage caused to the wands as a result of being flattened. It is unclear how this damage was caused.

A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of the cycle wands on East Road which have been flattened. One of our officers will visit the area to review the damage and replace the wands as required.”

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The cycle wands were installed temporarily as a trial but are set to remain in place until works start to reconfigure the road during the Grafton Centre redevelopment.

“Children will be given back their childhoods,” said the UK government on Monday, as it announced a social media ban for under-16s – a landmark policy backed by 90% of parents, according to a recent public consultation.

Amid growing concern that childhood is being hijacked by algorithms and that social media is exposing children to harmful content, the UK government said it was “marking a line in the sand and setting a new normal for future generations”. 

The ban, due to come into force next spring, will include platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X, but excludes messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal.

It comes after a report by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges which warned that children were being “continuously exposed to hateful, addictive and grossly distressing content” online. The academy said concern over social media and smartphone use now ranked alongside smoking and not wearing seatbelts as a unifying issue for the medical profession.

The UK government’s announcement was welcomed by the Smartphone Free Childhood Movement, which was co-founded by former Positive News editor Daisy Greenwell and her husband Joe Ryrie.

“For years, parents have been fighting a losing battle against some of the most powerful companies in the world as smartphones and social media have become an ever bigger part of childhood. Today feels like a turning point,” said Ryrie.

This moment belongs to the hundreds of thousands of parents who refused to stay quiet over the past two years

“This social media ban won’t solve every problem overnight, but it is a major step forward because millions of children will now get a few more years to grow up before entering online environments that were never designed with their wellbeing in mind.

“This moment belongs to the hundreds of thousands of parents who refused to stay quiet over the past two years. Together they’ve proved that ordinary people really can shape public policy – and that childhood doesn’t have to be defined by the commercial interests of a few technology companies in Silicon Valley.”

The UK joins Australia, which became the first country to ban under-16s from social media last December. While many parents have been supportive of the ban, some tech-savvy teens have found ways to get around it. 

Not everyone is convinced by such bans. Chris Sherwood of the UK’s National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, said they “punish teenagers for tech platforms’ failures”. And critics argue that age bans could push children into less regulated online spaces, while doing too little to address the addictive design of the platforms themselves.

This social media ban won’t solve every problem overnight, but it is a major step forward

Nevertheless, momentum is building, with Denmark and New Zealand among the countries considering similar legislation. Meanwhile, In France, lawmakers have approved a bill that would ban under-15s from social media. 

“The emotions of our children and teenagers are not for sale or to be manipulated, either by American platforms or Chinese algorithms,” said French president, Emmanuel Macron.

The UK ban comes amid a wider reckoning for social media platforms, which faced what some called a “big tobacco moment” in March, when a Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube liable for designing addictive products that harmed a young user.

UK technology secretary Liz Kendall said: “Tech companies have had countless opportunities to keep children safe, yet they have failed to act. That is why we are taking power away from the tech giants and putting it back in parents’ hands.”

Main image: Shutterstock / PeopleImages

It is the first time since the 1950s that there has not been a fire crew based in the district

A South Belfast fire station has been forced to close while work is carried out to deal with a rat infestation.

Cadogan Fire Station on Lisburn Road was not in use last week due to a rat problem that had developed there, with work underway to remove the pest from the property.

The extent of the rat infestation is not yet known, a video, seen by Belfast Live, shows a large rat crawling out from underneath a door leading into the fire station.

It is understood that the firefighters who were normally based there had been moved to other fire stations which raised concerns about a possible impact on covering the local area.

It is the first time since the 1950s that there has not been a fire crew based on the Lisburn Road.

Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) Spokesperson said: “NIFRS can confirm that rodents were sighted at a Fire Station in Belfast and appropriate pest control measures are being taken.

“Operational response across Belfast has been unaffected.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Welsh Water has apologised for the impact discharges have had on the local environment

An investigation has been launched after sewage has been repeatedly pumped into a Welsh river, with “unacceptable” consequences. Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said repeated discharges from the Marlas Sewage Pumping Station (SPS), which is operated by Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, are polluting the River Kenfig.

There have been reports of unpleasant odours, discoloured waterways and damage to fish and other wildlife in the area of the river, which runs through the Kenfig National Nature Reserve, an important conservation area.

Plaid Cymru Senedd member Sera Evans, who represents the Afan Ogwr Rhondda constituency, said there was an “overwhelming stench of sewage” after a recent visit to the river. She called on Welsh Water to “act urgently” over the ongoing pollution.

Welsh Water said it is working on a river recovery plan for the Kenfig and apologised for the impact discharges have had on the local environment.

NRW said problems stem from a nine-kilometre pipeline carrying sewage to the Afan Wastewater Treatment Works. Marlas SPS has a water quality discharge permit, which allows the discharge of storm sewage or discharge of sewage in an emergency from the pumping station, both within specific criteria.

However, the pipeline has suffered a number of bursts since August 2023, which have been monitored by the regulator. Stay in the know by making sure you’re receiving our daily newsletter

NRW said the situation escalated in February, “with a continuous discharge” from the Marlas SPS. Welsh Water has now completed a temporary overland rising main that is expected to significantly reduce the risk of further pollution.

NRW said the water company is expected to undertake remedial work to clean up affected stretches of the River Kenfig along with a plan for longer term enhancement of the river and its biodiversity.

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In its latest update, NRW said: “The scale of environmental impact on the River Kenfig is unacceptable, and we understand the concern and frustration this has caused for local communities, as well as the damage to wildlife and the wider environment, including Kenfig National Nature Reserve.

“The ongoing discharge has had a significant impact on the River Kenfig downstream, including visible pollution and odour.

“We are taking this matter extremely seriously and are continuing to respond, monitor and investigate the ongoing incidents linked to Marlas SPS. We have undertaken regular site visits to the affected area.

“DCWW, as the operator, is responsible for complying with the conditions of its environmental permit and managing and mitigating impacts of the on-going discharge.

“As the regulator, we are undertaking detailed formal investigations and assessing the environmental impact. We will take the appropriate action in line with our Enforcement and Sanctions Policy.

“During our formal investigations we are unable to provide detailed information as disclosure of investigative details at this stage could risk prejudicing any enforcement outcome.”

A Welsh Water spokesperson said: “We are currently working on a project to replace 6km and renew 3km of sewer main in the Kenfig and Port Talbot area, at a cost of more than £13m, following the escalated deterioration of the current main.

“To minimise the impact this had on the environment, we installed a full wastewater treatment process at Marlas Sewage Pumping Station.