Explosion injures 2 at pumpkin flinging contest

Explosion injures 2 at pumpkin flinging contest

BRIDGEVILLE, Del.

A 39-year-old woman suffered critical injuries Sunday after an apparatus used to launch pumpkins into the air exploded at a large outdoor competition, Delaware State Police said.

A 56-year-old man was also hurt with non-life threatening injuries. Both had been struck by debris from the explosion.

The incident occurred at the Punkin Chunkin Contest in Bridgeville, which is about 30 miles south of Dover. The competition involves dozens of contestants launching pumpkins from homemade contraptions, many of which are air-powered with long cannons and hauled on the back of trucks.

Stinky LA dump could be ordered to trim hours

LOS ANGELES

The largest dump in Los Angeles County is under fire from several agencies for a stench that some residents say is unbearable.

About a dozen witnesses testified Saturday at a South Coast Air Quality Management District hearing to consider a nuisance-abatement order against the owner of Sunshine Canyon Landfill, the Los Angeles Daily News reported.

Residents who live near the Sylmar dump in the San Fernando Valley have complained of headaches, nosebleeds and respiratory problems and say they shut their windows and don’t spend time outdoors.

“It’s horrible. We’ve become prisoners in our own house,” said Ellie Kotoyan, who testified that her 16-year-old son lost five weeks of school the past two years because of headaches she blamed on the dump.

Seeking to find Old Faithful’s plumbing

BILLINGS, Mont.

Scientists from the U.S. and Denmark are seeking to map out the plumbing system hidden inside the earth’s crust that’s responsible for the famous Old Faithful geyser and other hydrothermal features at Yellowstone National Park.

Throughout November, the research team will conduct flights over the park using a giant, hoop-shaped electromagnetic system suspended from a helicopter. The device acts like an X-ray to determine where and how hot water flows beneath the surface.

The team also hopes to gain insights into the infrequent but sometimes massive hydrothermal explosions that occur in the park, said lead scientist Carol Finn with the U.S. Geological Survey.

Prince Charles, Camilla visit UAE mosque on tour

ABU DHABI,

United Arab Emirates

Britain’s Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, arrived Sunday in the United Arab Emirates as part of their three-nation tour of the Gulf, visiting a landmark mosque in the country’s capital.

The royal couple toured the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, with Camilla wearing a blue scarf over her hair in a sign of respect.

They walked over the mosque’s gleaming white marble floor as Emirati officials accompanied them.

They gazed upon the 99 names of God in Arabic adorning the mosque’s inner wall, and later met with religious leaders of various faiths.

The oil-rich UAE, a country of seven sheikhdoms that is home to Dubai, was overseen by the British when it was known as the Trucial States. The UAE became a unified, independent nation in 1971.

The two had just arrived from neighboring Oman, where they began their weeklong trip.

Associated Press