K2 Radio News: Flash Briefing For October 16th, 2017 – Morning

KIRKUK, IRAQ (AP) - TURKEY HAS ANNOUNCED THAT IT IS CLOSING ITS AIRSPACE TO FLIGHTS TO AND FROM IRAQ'S SEMI-AUTONOMOUS KURDISH REGION. TURKISH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER BEKIR BOZDAG TOLD REPORTERS FOLLOWING A WEEKLY CABINET MEETING MONDAY THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS ALSO DECIDED TO START PROCEDURES TO HAND OVER THE CONTROL OF A BORDER GATE INTO THE KURDISH REGION TO THE IRAQI CENTRAL GOVERNMENT IN BAGHDAD.

MOGADISHU, SOMALIA (AP) - A FORMER LEADER OF THE AL-SHABAB EXTREMIST GROUP WHO SURRENDERED TO SOMALIA'S GOVERNMENT EARLIER THIS YEAR HAS CONDEMNED SATURDAY'S BOMBING THAT KILLED MORE THAN 300 PEOPLE. SHEIKH MUKHTAR ROBOW CALLED THE DEADLIEST-EVER ATTACK IN SOMALIA AN "IRRELIGIOUS" AND "HEARTLESS" ACT. THE TRUCK BOMB TARGETED A CROWDED STREET IN MOGADISHU. SOMALIA'S GOVERNMENT HAS BLAMED AL-SHABAB, WHICH HAS YET TO COMMENT ON THE ATTACK.

NEW YORK (AP) - THE WEINSTEIN CO., MIRED IN A SEX SCANDAL, MAY BE PUTTING ITSELF UP FOR SALE. THE COMPANY SAID MONDAY THAT IT WILL RECEIVE AN IMMEDIATE CASH INFUSION FROM COLONY CAPITAL AND IS IN NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE POTENTIAL SALE OF ALL OR A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE COMPANY RESPONSIBLE FOR PRODUCING FILMS SUCH AS "DJANGO UNCHAINED," "THE HATEFUL EIGHT" AND "LION."

NEW YORK (AP) - THE U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE SAYS THE CRIMES OF A NEW JERSEY MAN CONVICTED OF PLANTING TWO BOMBS ON NEW YORK CITY STREETS HAVE BEEN MET WITH "SWIFT AND RESOLUTE JUSTICE." ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY JOON H. KIM ISSUED A STATEMENT MONDAY SHORTLY AFTER A JURY ANNOUNCED IT HAD FOUND 29-YEAR-OLD AHMAD KHAN RAHIMI GUILTY OF ALL CHARGES RELATED TO THE ATTACKS ON SEPT. 17, 2016. THE AFGHANISTAN-BORN RAHIMI FACES A MAXIMUM PUNISHMENT OF LIFE IN PRISON.

SANTA ROSA, CALIF. (AP) - CALIFORNIA OFFICIALS SAY A FIREFIGHTING TRUCK DRIVER HAS DIED AFTER THE WATER TRANSPORT TRUCK HE WAS DRIVING ROLLED OVER NEAR ONE OF THE WILDFIRES THAT HAS DEVASTATED AREAS IN AND NEAR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA'S WINE COUNTRY. CALIFORNIA'S DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY AND FIRE PROTECTION SAYS THE TRUCKER WHO WAS CONTRACTED TO TRANSPORT WATER WAS THE FIRST FIREFIGHTING WORKER TO DIE BECAUSE OF THE WILDFIRES THAT HAVE KILLED 40 OTHERS AND DESTROYED THOUSANDS OF HOMES. THE TRUCKER DIED EARLY MONDAY.

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A MAN WHO ALLEGEDLY FIRED A PISTOL DURING A FIGHT, SENDING A BULLET WITHIN ROUGHLY THREE FEET OF A SLEEPING BABY, WAS ARRESTED LATE THURSDAY ON THREE CRIMINAL CHARGES.

24-YEAR-OLD BRAYDON LAVOY STRINGHAM WAS BOOKED INTO JAIL ON RECOMMENDED CHARGES OF RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT, CHILD ENDANGERMENT AND BATTERY.

CHARGING PAPERS SAY CASPER POLICE OFFICERS RESPONDED TO AN ADDRESS ON SOUTH WASHINGTON STREET FOR A REPORT OF A WEAPONS OFFENSE AT ABOUT 11:30 P.M. THURSDAY. THE MAN WHO REPORTED THE INCIDENT SAID A GUN HAD BEEN FIRED AND A MAN HAD THREATENED TO KILL ANOTHER MAN.

THE VICTIM, 20-YEAR-OLD TRENTON SUMMERS, WAS INTERVIEWED AT THE CASPER POLICE DEPARTMENT. HE TOLD INVESTIGATORS HE WAS WITH HIS BROTHER -- STRINGHAM -- AT THE HOME ON SOUTH WASHINGTON STREET, DRINKING WHISKY AND PLAYING VIDEO GAMES.

ACCORDING TO COURT DOCUMENTS, SUMMERS SAID HE STARTED "MESSING WITH" STRINGHAM. THE TWO BEGAN "ROUGH HOUSING," AND A FIGHT ENSUED.

STRINGHAM AND SUMMERS ENDED UP GOING TO THE GROUND, WHERE STRINGHAM PUNCHED SUMMERS IN THE FACE, ACCORDING TO SUMMERS. THE TWO STOOD BACK UP AND, WHILE SUMMERS WENT OUTSIDE TO HAVE A CIGARETTE, STRINGHAM GOT UP AND SAID, "I'M GONNA KILL YOU," BEFORE GOING TO GET THE GUN.

WHEN SUMMERS WENT BACK INSIDE THE HOME, STRINGHAM WAS POINTING THE PISTOL AT HIM. SUMMERS TOLD POLICE HE WENT INTO "SURVIVAL MODE" AND RAN TOWARDS STRINGHAM, PUSHING HIS ARMS UP SO THE PISTOL WASN'T POINTED AT HIM. SUMMERS SAID HE HEARD THE GUNSHOT, THEN LEFT.

INVESTIGATORS DETERMINED THE BULLET WENT THROUGH A TELEVISION IN THE LIVING ROOM AND CONTINUED THROUGH THE WALL BEHIND THE TV INTO A BEDROOM, WHERE A NINE-MONTH-OLD WAS SLEEPING IN A CRIB. THE BULLET REPORTEDLY PASSED ABOUT THREE FEET AWAY FROM THE CRIB, FINALLY BEING STOPPED INSIDE THE EXTERIOR WALL BY THE EXTERIOR ALUMINUM SIDING.

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LARAMIE, WYO. (AP) - A NATIONAL ANIMAL WELFARE ORGANIZATION HAS RECOGNIZED UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING RESEARCHERS FOR FINDING NON-INVASIVE WAYS TO STUDY SAGE GROUSE.

THE ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITUTE SELECTED THE UW RESEARCH TEAM AS ONE OF THE WINNERS OF THE INSTITUTE'S CHRISTINE STEVENS WILDLIFE AWARD THIS YEAR.

ESTABLISHED IN 2006, THE CHRISTINE STEVENS WILDLIFE AWARD PROVIDES GRANTS OF UP TO $10,000 TO HELP FUND STUDIES ON INNOVATIVE AND HUMANE STRATEGIES FOR RESOLVING WILDLIFE CONFLICTS AND STUDYING WILDLIFE.

UW'S RESEARCH PROJECT IS HEADED BY BETH FITZPATRICK, A PH.D. STUDENT IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ECOSYSTEM SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT.

FITZPATRICK SAYS THE UW PROJECT WILL GUIDE RESEARCHERS, BIOLOGISTS AND POLICYMAKERS ON HOW TO REDUCE INVASIVE SAMPLING TECHNIQUES AND USE.