Taxi driver had episode, NYC police say
NEW YORK -- A taxi driver whose car hit six pedestrians when he jumped a curb in a Manhattan shopping district on Christmas Day was having a medical episode at the time, New York City police said Thursday.
A police spokesperson would not elaborate on the type of medical episode but said no criminality is suspected at this time. The 58-year-old was taken to a hospital in stable condition for further evaluation.
Also hospitalized after the yellow taxi drove onto the sidewalk across the street from Macy's flagship store in Herald Square were a 9-year-old boy with a laceration to his right thigh, a 49-year-old woman with a leg injury and a 41-year-old woman. All were in stable condition, police said.
Three other pedestrians, women aged 19, 37 and 49, declined medical treatment.
Oregon cat dies of bird flu contamination
PORTLAND, Ore. -- An Oregon house cat died after eating pet food that tested positive for bird flu, Oregon authorities said, prompting a recall of raw frozen pet food that was sold nationwide.
Northwest Naturals, a pet food company based in Portland, Ore., said Tuesday it had voluntarily recalled one batch of its two-pound Feline Turkey Recipe raw frozen pet food after it tested positive for the virus.
"We are confident that this cat contracted H5N1 by eating the Northwest Naturals raw and frozen pet food," said Oregon Department of Agriculture State Veterinarian Dr. Ryan Scholz in a Tuesday news release. "It was not exposed to the virus in its environment, and results from the genome sequencing confirmed that the virus recovered from the raw pet food and infected cat were exact matches to each other."
The recalled product is packaged in two-pound plastic bags with "best if used by" dates of May 21, 2026, and June 23, 2026.
No human cases of bird flu have been linked to the incident, but those who were in contact with the cat are being monitored for flu symptoms, Oregon authorities said.
More than 60 people in eight states have been infected with mostly mild illnesses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So far, the CDC has confirmed one human case of bird flu in Oregon.
Storms cancel, delay flights in Texas
DALLAS -- Some flights were delayed or canceled Thursday in Texas after a line of thunderstorms started moving across parts of the state in a system the National Weather Service predicted could bring high winds, hail and possible tornadoes.
More than 100 flights were delayed and dozens more canceled Thursday at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. Delays and thunderstorm-related cancellations also were reported at Dallas' Love Field and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, according to FlightAware.
A tornado watch remained in effect through Thursday night for several counties in southeast Texas, including the Houston area.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott activated state emergency response resources because of the increased severe weather threat.
The greatest weather risk was forecast for a stretch of Texas east of Dallas, between Houston and portions of southern Arkansas and western and northern Louisiana, said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center.
"There does look like the possibility of one or a few tornadoes with this risk, but the main risk will be with high winds and hail," Hurley said.
He said the storms will likely push into southern Arkansas and western and northern Louisiana after nightfall, posing a potentially dangerous situation for holiday travelers.
3 people hurt in Phoenix airport dispute
PHOENIX -- A shooting at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix left two people injured by gunfire and another person stabbed in an incident related to a family dispute, police say.
Phoenix police said the shooting happened at about 9:45 p.m. Wednesday at an airport restaurant located outside the security checkpoints in Terminal 4. A woman and two adult males were shot, leaving the female with injuries police described as life-threatening, they said.
The woman remained in critical condition Thursday, while three other people who were brought to the hospital were treated and released. Police said after consulting with county prosecutors that no arrests were made. They emphasized the investigation of the airport shooting was ongoing.
The group of people all knew each other and had a physical fight that led one of them to pull out a gun and fire the weapon, police said.
"I do believe that this was a family dispute that escalated," Phoenix police Sgt. Mayra Reeson told reporters.
Although police said previously that three people were shot in the incident, they later said two people were shot and that it was unknown whether another injured person was shot or cut.
After the gunfire, a man and a girl were detained in an airport parking garage nearby. Police haven't revealed why the group was at the airport, and whether they were traveling or were there for some other reason.
-- Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports