Brazil helicopter crashes near Sugarloaf Mountain

Published May 08, 2013

Associated Press

SAO PAULO –  Brazilian police say a helicopter carrying five tourists crashed as it approached a landing pad near Rio de Janeiro's iconic Sugarloaf Mountain, and a news website says the pilot and five passengers escaped injury.

The city police department says Wednesday's accident was apparently caused by a strong gust of wind. It hasn't released further details.

The G1 news website says that besides the pilot, three Brazilian tourists and two "foreigners who live in the United States" were on the helicopter. It says that by the time rescue teams arrived, all six had left the wooded area where the helicopter went down.

A photo posted by G1 shows a relatively undamaged helicopter.

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Space Mountain closed as Disney reviews safety

Published April 15, 2013

Associated Press

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  Disneyland has temporarily shut down the popular ride because of safety concerns.AP

ANAHEIM, Calif. –  Three rides at Disneyland, including the famous Space Mountain roller coaster, were temporarily closed over the weekend as the company reviewed its employee safety protocols after citations from state regulators.

The citations were received Friday from the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, according to Disneyland Resorts spokeswoman Suzi Brown.

The closures Saturday of Space Mountain, the Matterhorn Bobsleds and Soarin' Over California were voluntary and were made out of an abundance of caution, Brown said Sunday.

"We constantly strive to maintain a safe work environment for our cast members and contractors — and we are reviewing certain protocols," she said.

The citations were related to an incident in November when a contracted worker was injured while performing maintenance on the exterior of the Space Mountain attraction.

Disneyland failed to adequately correct "known fall hazards" that existed on the exterior of Space Mountain, according to a description of the citation on the Cal/OSHA website.

"Furthermore, Disneyland Resort failed to have approved anchorages or approved tie-backs for contract employees to attach to when performing scheduled exterior building maintenance," the description reads.

The Matterhorn reopened Sunday. Brown said Sunday it is unclear how long the other two rides will remain closed.

Space Mountain and the Matterhorn Bobsleds are at Disneyland. Soarin' Over California, a simulated hang-glider flight, is at Disney California Adventure.

Officials with Cal/OSHA did not immediately reply Sunday to a request for comment.

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Mountain West Conference Tournament Recaps

Las Vegas, NV –  Anthony Bennett poured in a game-high 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and also pulled down seven rebounds to lead UNLV to a 72-56 win over Air Force in a quarterfinal matchup of the Mountain West Conference Tournament.

Bryce Dejean-Jones scored 12 points and Anthony Marshall added 11 for the third-seeded Rebels (24-8), who will face Colorado State on Friday.

Kyle Green and Marek Olesinski finished with 13 points apiece for the Falcons (17-13), who lost leading scorer and first team All-MWC selection Michael Lyons to an apparent knee injury just minutes into the game.

The senior guard banged knees with Dejean-Jones and remained on the floor for several minutes before he was helped to the locker room.

Lyons was averaging 18.3 points per game entering the contest.

Air Force pulled within 9-7 five minutes in following Taylor Broekhuis' jumper, but UNLV used a 17-3 run to go up 26-10 with 6:22 left in the first half and took a 33-20 lead into the break.

The Falcons couldn't get closer than nine points down in the second half as the Rebels cruised to their sixth win in seven games.

Final Score: Colorado State 67, Fresno State 61

Las Vegas, NV (Sports Network) - Wes Eikmeier scored 18 points and Greg Smith added 11 as Colorado State downed Fresno State, 67-61, in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Conference Tournament on Wednesday.

Gerson Santo had 10 points and Colton Iverson, who battled foul trouble all game, finished with seven points and five rebounds over 23 minutes for the second-seeded Rams (25-7), who will face third-seeded UNLV in the semifinals on Friday. Colorado State split the season series with the Rebels.

It is the second straight season, and fifth time overall, CSU has reached the semifinals of the MWC Tournament.

Tyler Johnson scored 14 points, while Jerry Brown and Marvelle Harris added 12 points apiece for the seventh-seeded Bulldogs (11-19), who competed in the MWC Tournament for the first time.

Fresno State led 29-26 after a back-and-forth first half, but Colorado State opened the second half with a 9-4 run.

Daniel Bejarno canned back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Rams a 49-42 lead with 9:19 to go.

Fresno State scored seven straight points to make it 55-53 with 2:42 to go, but a pair of Eikmeier free throws made it a four-point game.

After the Bulldogs pulled within two, Jon Octeus split a pair of free throws for a 58-55 lead. Eikmeier then delivered the dagger to Fresno State with a trey from the right wing with 1:03 left.

Harris' three-point play made it 62-60 with 29 seconds left, but the Rams outscored Fresno State 5-1 over the final 24 seconds.

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