Green Bay News

BOSTON (AP) – A man who was under 24-hour surveillance by terrorism investigators was shot and killed Tuesday after he lunged with a knife at a police officer and an FBI agent outside a pharmacy, authorities said.

A law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation into what happened said the man had been making threats against law enforcement. The official wasn’t authorized to release details of the investigation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Police Commissioner Williams Evans said members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force approached Usaama Rahim in the city’s Roslindale neighborhood on Tuesday morning to question him about “terrorist-related information” they had received when he went at officers with a large military-style knife.

Evans said officers repeatedly ordered Rahim to drop the knife but he continued to move toward them with it. He said task force members fired their guns, hitting Rahim once in the torso and once in the abdomen. Rahim, 26, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Evans would not disclose why Rahim was under surveillance. But Evans said a “level of alarm” prompted authorities to try to question him.

“Obviously, there was enough information there where we thought it was appropriate to question him about his doings,” Evans said. “He was someone we were watching for quite a time.”

Evans later said authorities knew Rahim “had some extremism as far as his views,” but he would not confirm media reports that Rahim had been radicalized by online propaganda by the Islamic State group.

Evans said the officers didn’t have their guns drawn when they approached Rahim. He said police have video showing Rahim “coming at officers” while they are backing away.

That account differs from one given by Rahim’s brother Ibrahim Rahim, who said in a Facebook posting that his youngest brother was killed while waiting at a bus stop to go to his job.

“He was confronted by three Boston Police officers and subsequently shot in the back three times,” he wrote. “He was on his cell phone with my dear father during the confrontation needing a witness.”

Ibrahim Rahim, a former assistant imam at a Boston mosque, said he was traveling to Boston to bury his brother.

The Suffolk district attorney’s office and the FBI said they will investigate Rahim’s shooting, a routine procedure for shootings involving police.

The Council of American-Islamic Relations will monitor the investigation, spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said.

“We have a number of questions,” Hooper said. “Why exactly was he being followed? What was the probable cause for this particular stop? Were there any video cameras or body cameras of the incident? How do you reconcile the two versions of the story, the family version being that he was on his normal commute to work at a bus stop?”

Boston voter registration records for Usaama Rahim list him as a student. Records indicate that as recently as two years ago he was licensed as a security officer in Miami but don’t specify in what capacity.

The Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center said its security firm hired Rahim as a security guard for a month in mid-2013. Executive director Yusufi Vali said Rahim didn’t regularly pray at the center and didn’t volunteer there or serve in any leadership positions.

On Tuesday afternoon, authorities raided a home in suburban Everett in connection with the case. Everett police confirmed they assisted the FBI in taking a man into custody but said he was taken to Boston, a 10-minute drive away.

Authorities also were searching a home in Warwick, Rhode Island, but wouldn’t confirm that was linked to the Boston shooting.

The officer and the agent involved in the shooting weren’t physically injured but were evaluated at a hospital for what Evans described as “stress.”

Vincent Lisi, special agent in charge of the Boston FBI office, said authorities “don’t think there’s any concern for public safety out there right now.”

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AP writer Philip Marcelo contributed to this report.

FOND DU LAC, Wis. (AP) – Authorities say the man suspected of gunning down a state trooper and another man after robbing a rural Wisconsin bank was not responsible for a second bank robbery that day.

The second robbery happened March 24 near the Fond du Lac shootout that left both Steven Timothy Snyder and Trooper Trevor Casper dead.

A spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Department of Justice told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that authorities don’t believe Snyder was the suspect in the Fond du Lac bank robbery.

That robbery happened about an hour before the fatal shootout between Casper and Snyder some 500 yards away.

Snyder is suspected of robbing a bank in Wausaukee, stealing a car and killing a motorist before his confrontation with Casper.

Snyder was from Koylton Township, Michigan, about 70 miles north of Detroit.

GREEN BAY — While other NFC contenders take on Tebow-sized distractions, monitor the Adrian Peterson saga and watch their players run into trouble off the field, the Packers’ biggest off-field, offseason story was Aaron Rodgers dueling with Alex Trebek on “Jeopardy.”

“Less distractions, you want to minimize that kind of attention because it doesn’t really do any good,” said veteran linebacker and defensive lineman Julius Peppers.

Don’t call them boring … or do, the players won’t probably won’t say anything publicly inflammatory in response. Green Bay is one of the NFL’s best teams in terms of staying out of the offseason headlines for the wrong reasons. Even defensive lineman Letroy Guion’s arrest for marijuana and firearm possession saw the charges against him dropped. The team never wavered in their commitment to Guion and football fans largely moved on.

“You have to give the scouts and [general manager] Ted [Thompson] and those guys a lot of credit,” said defensive lineman BJ Raji. “Typically guys don’t change all that much. They’re doing the research, they’re doing the homework as far as background, character, I think our front office get a lot of credit there.”

There’s some value in not having major offseason issues: like Peppers said, fewer distractions. Players also don’t create conflict with their words. Take the team’s quarterback competition: elsewhere, players might declare themselves the best of the bunch, but at Lambeau, it’s nothing but polite between possible backups Scott Tolzien and Brett Hundley.

“We’re well schooled,” said Tolzien with a small laugh. “But I think you get older and more mature.”

Tolzien says it’s not an act, he says he’s working hard to help Hundley and, in turn, make himself better. Hundley says he has several role models for off-the-field matters, including how to talk to the always-interested media.

“Aaron’s a great with the media, so are all the quarterbacks here,” said Hundley. “You do watch, everything they do. Whether they realize or we realize it, we watch them.”

Overall, this is a team that’s happy being a bit boring, so long as it allows them to focus on what’s most important. Players aren’t aching for the spotlight — except the one that comes with Super Bowls — especially in non-football matters.

“I’m sorry, I don’t want to talk to you guys in the offseason,” said defensive back Micah Hyde. “When I’m out doing my own thing on vacation, I don’t want you guys bothering me, just like I don’t want to bother you guys when you’re on vacation.”

SHAWANO – A tribute rolled through the streets of Shawano on Tuesday.

Highway workers from more than a dozen departments honored one of their own.

30-year old Derek Stempa died one week ago. He was hit by a van while working as a flag person directing traffic through a construction site.

Family and friends of Stempa rolled the flag-covered coffin outside the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Shawano for a final time.

“Yeah, it’s a tough day. The whole week has been really tough, difficult time for the highway worker. And for everybody that knew Derek, it’s been difficult,” said Adam Bieber, Shawano County Sheriff.

Stempa leaves behind a wife, and two small children. He worked for the Shawano County Highway Department for almost six years, and served in the Army National Guard. The Shawano American Legion provided the rifle salute.  And Taps.

“Hopefully this funeral will be a turning point, and we rally around Heather’s family, and their two children. Hopefully we just gather around them, and support them. And we don’t forget him,” said Bieber.

Instead of the traditional black hearse, the Shawano County Highway Department gave Stempa one last trip around town in the back of an orange pickup truck.

Co-workers guided Stempa’s plow, number 985, along part of the same route Stempa would drive in the snow.

“There’s a lot of highway men, highway workers here, paying their respects to Derek. It is a dangerous job, that they do every day to try to make our roads safer. And they’re here to pay their respects,” said Bieber.

In all, workers from 16 highway departments joined the procession.

“The whole community is out here. It’s been a community thing. The Stempa family is a staple here in Shawano. They’re a loved family. And Derek will be greatly missed. There’s a lot of people that are supporting and celebrating Derek’s life,” said Bieber.

As of yet, no charges have been filed against the Hurley man driving the van that struck Stempa.

OSHKOSH – Oshkosh police confirms two people are dead following a plane crash near Wittman Regional Airport Tuesday afternoon.

The tower operator says it happened at the end of the runway on the east side of the airport as the plane was landing around 3:20 p.m. The plane ended up on Oshkosh Trucking property near the airport.

Police say there were only two people on the plane.

Officials are keeping people away from the scene.

We are following this story, and will bring you any updates as they become available.

 

 

 

AMERY, Wis. (AP) – Authorities have seized nearly 1,200 birds as they break up an alleged cockfighting ring in western Wisconsin.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is helping authorities remove the birds from four properties in Polk and St. Croix counties.

Authorities executed search warrants to seize the birds Tuesday morning. The ASPCA says cockfighting paraphernalia was discovered on the properties, including a fighting pit and gaffs – long, dagger-like attachments used to maximize injury to birds.

Investigators found roosters, hens and chicks living in cages or makeshift enclosures, some without food or water. The ASPCA says some birds appeared to be injured from fighting, while others had their combs and wattles removed.

Two people were arrested in Polk County. No immediate arrests were made in St. Croix County.

Former Green Bay Packers #1 pick Terrell Buckley, Southern California Heisman Trophy Winner Matt Leinart and former New Mexico star Brian Urlacher are among the players making their first appearance on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot.

The National Football Foundation released on Tuesday the players and coaches being considered for selection to the Hall of Fame this year. The new Hall of Fame class will be announced Jan. 8 in Arizona, where the College Football Playoff championship game will be held.

Leinart won the Heisman and led the Trojans to the national championship in 2004. Heisman winners Eric Crouch (2001) and Rashaan Salaam (1994) are also among the 76 players FBS up for election.

Urlacher was the Mountain West player of the year in 1999 before having a standout career with the Chicago Bears.

Other notable first-timers on the ballot include: Kansas State’s Michael Bishop, Florida State star Derrick Brooks, Penn State’s Kerry Collins, Purdue’s Rod Woodson, Texas A&M’s Day Nguyen, Michigan State’s Morten Andersen and Washington State’s Mike Utley.

Buckley was the Packers #1 pick in 1992. He played just three seasons in Green Bay but had a 14-year career with stops in Miami, Denver, New England, New York Jets and New York Giants. He had 50 career pro interceptions, and won a Super Bowl with the Patriots.

At Florida State, he was an All-American and still holds school records for most interceptions in a season (12) and career (21). He had his jersey No. 27 retired in 2011 and is one of nine players in FSU history to earn that distinction.

Buckley is currently the cornerbacks coach the University of Louisville.

Utley was a star offensive tackle at Washington State before being drafted by the Detroit Lions. He was left paralyzed by a spine injury he suffered in a game against the Rams in 1991.

Some prominent holdovers on the hall of fame ballot include:  Eric Dickerson from SMU; Randall Cunningham from UNLV; Troy Davis from Iowa State; Raghib Ismail from Notre Dame; and the late Jerome Brown from Miami.

The FBS coaches up for selection to the Hall of Fame are: Jim Carlen (West Virginia, Texas Tech and South Carolina); Pete Cawthon (Austin College, Texas Tech), Danny Ford (Clemson and Arkansas), Billy Jack Murphy (Memphis); and Darryl Rogers (Fresno State, San Jose State, Michigan State and Arizona State).

NEW YORK (AP) – NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made it official Tuesday: He will hear Tom Brady’s appeal of his four-game suspension.

The league suspended the Patriots quarterback for his role in the use of deflated footballs by New England in its AFC championship game victory over Indianapolis in January. The players’ union urged Goodell to recuse himself from hearing the appeal because he can’t be impartial and could be called as a witness.

But Goodell cited his “responsibility” under the labor agreement to “serve as hearing officer in any appeal involving conduct detrimental to the integrity of the game.”

Goodell wrote to Brady on Tuesday, saying “My mind is open.”

The appeal will be heard June 23.

GREEN BAY – Jerry Parins Cruise for Cancer raised $140,000 for local cancer support organizations, making it a single-year record.

Checks were presented to eight local organizations Tuesday at Lambeau Field.

The funds were raised during the 2014 Cruise for Cancer and other related events.

Parins is the Packers’ former director of security and was diagnosed with cancer in 2003. He started the Cruise for Cancer to help those in need.

“I’m so proud of what we’ve done over the last 12 years to help cancer patients. I hate to say what I went through and now what my wife Sandy has gone through, but we just feel like there’s a reason for what we’re doing,” Parins said.

The 2015 ride is Saturday. It leaves from Peshtigo at noon and the arrival time at Lambeau Field is expected at 2:00 p.m.

 

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Hey Siri, turn off the kitchen light.

The first “smart” home gadgets that can be controlled by Apple’s voice-activated digital assistant are going on sale this week, just days after rival tech giant Google announced it’s building its own software for Internet-connected home appliances and other gadgets.

The new products could be an important step forward for the emerging industry of “smart” or “connected” homes, where appliances, thermostats and even door locks contain computer chips that communicate wirelessly. While a number of companies are working on similar products, analysts say Apple could persuade more consumers to try them by making it easy to control different products from a familiar device, such as the iPhone.

Apple announced its “HomeKit” software project a year ago, but isn’t making the new products. Instead, other companies have been working to make devices that meet Apple’s criteria for compatibility and security. Two manufacturers are now selling products and three more are accepting online “pre-orders” or plan to begin selling in coming weeks.

HomeKit-certified products hitting the market Tuesday include wireless hubs from two companies, Insteon and Lutron Electronics. The hubs, about the size of a small home router or cable TV box, act as the central controller for lights and other gadgets. The hubs in turn can be managed with a smartphone app.

Lutron Electronics, for example, is selling a $230 starter kit that includes its “Caseta Wireless Smart Bridge” hub and two dimmer units – either wall switches or plug-in units for lamps – controlled by the hub. Insteon says its hub will work with compatible lights, power switches and thermostats. Three other companies say they expect to start selling HomeKit thermostats, power plugs and climate sensors in coming weeks.

You can already buy similar products from these companies, which have their own smartphone apps to control them. The tie-in with Apple means a user can control those apps with Siri, the voice-activated digital assistant on Apple’s iPhones and iPads. Users must link with an Apple TV box to control from outside the home.

Apple also says products using HomeKit software must meet standards for compatibility, so they work with HomeKit products made by other manufacturers, and for encryption, which keeps hackers from taking over a system or stealing user information.

While Apple wants Siri to play a leading role in “smart” homes, its biggest rivals want in, too. Google announced last week that it’s creating software called Brillo as a common platform for Internet-connected gadgets in the home or in commercial settings. Microsoft and Samsung are also promoting software to control home systems.

OCEANSIDE, CA (KFMB-TV) – “This is the least I can do,” said the new world record holder for abdominal planks, George Hood.

At age 57, Hood is in the best shape of his life. The Carlsbad resident used his strength to raise money to benefit the Semper Fi fund for injuries marines.

Hood is not a newbie when it comes to setting world records. The former Marine officer and now retired DEA agent holds seven world titles.

“They’re my heroes, they really are, every one of them,” Hood said.

His efficient crew placed ice chips under his elbows and kept him hydrated during the event.

“This is the least I can do, the discomfort I feel pales in comparison to that which they’ve experienced trust me when I tell you that,” said Hood.

Hood held his plank for an astounding five hours and 15 minutes, that’s 45 minutes longer than the previous record.

 

 

A June 2, 2015 procession of vehicles from 16 area counties honored Shawano County highway worker Derek Stempa, who was killed in a crash while working along Highway 47 May 26.

It won’t cost you anything to enjoy the great outdoors this weekend.

June 6-7 is Free Fun Weekend statewide. That means no license is needed to fish in Wisconsin waters, there is no admission fee to state parks and forests, and state trails – including those open to ATVs and UTVs – are free.

• Learn more about Free Fun Weekend

Brown County is also joining in the act, making county trails free to use. While there is never any charge to walk on the trails, the Fox River Trail, Mountain-Bay Trail, Reforestation Camp and Neshota trails are open for the following uses:

• Fox River Trail – Bicyclists, Rollerbladers, Skateboarders, Horseback Riders
• Mountain Bay Trail – Bicyclists
• Reforestation Camp – Mountain Bike and Horse Trails
• Neshota Park – Horse Trails

Trail fees are normally charged for users over age 15.

• Learn more about Brown County trails

An Illinois man suspected of being the ringleader in a Brown County heroin operation pleaded guilty to four charges today.

Jafari Mahonie originally faced 10 felony heroin-delivery charges.

He pleaded no contest to two additional charges. Those include manufacturing and delivering heroin more than 10 grams but less than 50 grams.

He is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 17. He faces more than 100 years in prison.

FOX 11’s Gabrielle Mays was in court for the hearing and will have a full report tonight on FOX 11 News at Five.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Declaring it’s never too late to make things right, President Barack Obama posthumously bestowed the Medal of Honor on two World War I veterans whose heroic acts nearly 100 years ago went unrecognized in an age of discrimination.

In a tearful, joyful East Room ceremony recalling the battlefield triumphs as well as the prejudices of 20th century America, Sgt. William Shemin and Pvt. Henry Johnson were recognized with the nation’s highest military decoration for saving their comrades on French front lines. Shemin was Jewish and Johnson was black.

“It has taken a long time for Henry Johnson and William Shemin to receive the recognition they deserve, and there are surely others whose heroism is still unacknowledged and uncelebrated,” Obama said.

“The least we can do is to say we know who you are, we know what you did for us, we are forever grateful,” he said.

Obama applauded the tireless efforts of their advocates, who led Congress to pass an exemption from Medal of Honor rules specifying that heroic actions have to have taken place within five years to be considered.

Shemin’s daughters were full of emotion as Obama handed them the star-shaped medal hanging from a blue silk ribbon that they felt was long denied their father because of anti-Semitism. Ina Bass, 83, thrust the audience a thumbs up and planted a kiss on the president’s cheek, while 86-year-old Elsie Shemin-Roth smiled through her tears.

Veterans of Johnson’s New York National Guard regiment, the 369th known as “Harlem Hellfighters,” watched stoically as Obama described how he died destitute in his early 30s after his injuries left him crippled and unable to work.

“America can’t change what happened to Henry Johnson,” Obama said. “We can’t change what happened to too many soldiers like him, who went uncelebrated because our nation judged them by the color of their skin and not the content of their character. But we can do our best to make it right.”

President Barack Obama posthumously bestows the Medal Of Honor for Army Pvt. Henry Johnson to New York National Guard Command Sgt. Maj. Louis Wilson during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 2, 2015. Two World War I Army heroes, one black, one Jewish, are finally getting the Medal of Honor they may have been denied because of discrimination, nearly 100 years after bravely rescuing comrades on the battlefields of France. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Obama described how Johnson and a fellow soldier came under attack by at least a dozen German soldiers while on night sentry duty on May 15, 1918. Both were injured, but Johnson single-handedly beat back the invading party and rescued his unconscious brother in arms, armed with just his Bolo knife after his rifle jammed.

Obama said Johnson became famous — feted at a victory parade down Fifth Avenue, his picture printed on recruitment posters and President Teddy Roosevelt writing that he was one of the bravest men in the war. The French, who commanded his unit because U.S. armed forces were segregated at the time, gave him the country’s highest award for valor. A statue of Johnson is displayed in his hometown of Albany, N.Y.

“But his own nation didn’t award him anything, not even the Purple Heart, though he had been wounded 21 times. Nothing for his bravery, though he had saved a fellow soldier at great risk to himself,” Obama said before presenting the award to New York National Guard Command Sgt. Maj. Louis Wilson.

Obama said it similarly took too long for America to properly honor Shemin, who was 19 when his platoon was involved in a bloody fight on the western front beginning on Aug. 7, 1918. Obama said over the course of three days, Shemin repeatedly raced through heavy machine gun fire to rescue fallen comrades. “Eventually, the platoon’s leadership broke down. Too many officers had become casualties. So William stepped up and took command,” Obama said.

A German bullet pierced his helmet and lodged behind his left ear. Shemin was hospitalized for three months and was left partly deaf. Shrapnel wounds eventually left him barely able to walk, although he earned a degree from Syracuse University and ran a nursery business in the Bronx before his death in 1973.

“Sergeant Shemin served at a time when the contributions in heroism of Jewish Americans in uniform were too often overlooked,” Obama said. “But William Shemin saved American lives. He represented our nation with honor. And so it is my privilege on behalf of the American people to make this right.”

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS has failed to implement dozens of security upgrades to combat cyberattacks, leaving the agency’s computer systems vulnerable to hackers, a government watchdog told Congress Tuesday.

The agency’s inspector general outlined the security weaknesses a week after the IRS announced that criminals had stolen the personal information of 104,000 taxpayers from an IRS website. The IRS believes the information was stolen as part of an elaborate scheme to claim fraudulent tax refunds.

“The IRS faces the daunting task of protecting its data and IT environment from the ever-changing and rapidly-evolving hacker world,” said J. Russell George, the Treasury inspector general for tax administration. “This incident provides a stark reminder that even security controls that may have been adequate in the past can be overcome by hackers, who are anonymous, persistent, and have access to vast amounts of personal data and knowledge.”

Each year, George’s office audits the IRS’s security systems and recommends improvements. As of March, 44 of those upgrades had not been completed, George said. Ten of the recommendations were made more than three years ago.

George could not say whether the security upgrades would have prevented the recent breach. However, he added: “It would have been much more difficult had they implemented all of the recommendations that we made.”

George and IRS Commissioner John Koskinen testified at a hearing Tuesday by the Senate Finance Committee.

Koskinen said budget cuts have hampered the IRS’s ability to upgrade its computer systems. The IRS said funding for cybersecurity has fallen from $187 million in 2011 to $149 million in 2015, a drop of more than 20 percent.

Overall, the agency’s funding has been cut by more than $1 billion since 2010, to $10.9 billion this year.

? “We can’t on one hand reprimand the IRS for not better protecting taxpayer’s sensitive information, while on the other, we slash their budget,” said Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del.

Republicans were less sympathetic to claims of inadequate funding.

“Any questions regarding funding levels for the agency should wait until we have a complete understanding about what occurred,” said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, chairman of the Finance Committee.

Despite the cuts, the IRS has stepped up efforts to combat criminals who use identity theft to claim fraudulent tax refunds, Koskinen said.

This year, the agency’s computer filters stopped almost 3 million suspicious returns before they were processed, Koskinen said. That’s an increase of 700,000 from last year.

The taxpayer information was stolen from an IRS website called “Get Transcript,” where taxpayers can get tax returns and other tax filings from previous years.

The breach doesn’t appear to be a traditional hack. The thieves already had detailed knowledge about each taxpayer, including their Social Security number, date of birth, tax filing status and street address. They presumably stole the information elsewhere, the IRS said.

The thieves used the information to access the IRS website. Koskinen said old tax returns could help criminals prepare more authentic-looking tax returns in the future, which they could use to claim fraudulent refunds.

IRS investigators believe the thieves were based in Russia, two officials who were briefed on the matter told The Associated Press. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about an ongoing criminal investigation.

On Tuesday, George said the criminals were based in Russia and other countries, which he would not name.

The revelation highlights the global reach of many cyber criminals. It could also complicate efforts to prosecute the offenders.

Koskinen said an increasing number of cyberattacks are coming from Eastern Europe and Asia. However, he said, foreign governments are often slow to help the IRS.

“As a general matter we don’t get a lot of cooperation,” Koskinen said.

 

JIANLI, China (AP) – As the Eastern Star cruise ship listed heavily amid pounding rain on the Yangtze River, tour guide Zhang Hui told a colleague, “Looks like we are in trouble.”

The vessel capsized in the storm Monday night with 458 people aboard, touching off a frantic rescue effort. At least 15 people were brought to safety, including three pulled from the overturned hull Tuesday, and five people were confirmed dead, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

The vessel was carrying mostly elderly tourists from Nanjing to the southwestern city of Chongqing when it overturned in China’s Hubei Province.

Divers rescued a 65-year-old woman and, later, two men who had been trapped, state broadcaster CCTV reported. It said more people had been found and were being rescued, but did not say whether they were still inside the overturned hull.

CCTV video showed rescuers in orange life vests climbing on the hull, with one of them lying down tapping a hammer and listening for a response, then gesturing downward.

Map locates the Yangtze River route between Nanjing and Chongqing

“We will do everything we can to rescue everyone trapped in there, no matter they’re still alive or not, and we will treat them as our own families,” Hubei military region commander Chen Shoumin said at a news conference shown live on CCTV.

The survivors included the ship’s captain and chief engineer, both of whom were taken into police custody, CCTV said. Relatives who gathered in Shanghai, where many of the tourists started their journey by bus, questioned whether the captain did enough to ensure the passengers’ safety and demanded answers from local officials in unruly scenes that drew a heavy police response.

Xinhua quoted the captain and the chief engineer as saying the four-level Eastern Star sank quickly after being caught in what they described as a cyclone. The Communist Party-run People’s Daily said the ship sank within two minutes.

Zhang, the tour guide, said in an interview with Xinhua from his hospital bed that he grabbed a life jacket with seconds to spare as the ship listed in the storm, sending bottles rolling off tables and suddenly turned all the way over.

The 43-year-old Zhang said he drifted in the Yangtze all night despite not being able to swim, reaching shore as dawn approached.

“The raindrops hitting my face felt like hailstones,” he said. “‘Just hang in there a little longer,’ I told myself,” he added.

Some survivors swam ashore, but others were rescued after search teams climbed on the upside-down hull and heard people yelling for help from within more than 12 hours after the ship overturned.

A crane is positioned near a capsized ship on the Yangtze River in Jianli in central China’s Hubei province Tuesday June 2, 2015. Divers on Tuesday pulled three people alive from inside an overturned cruise ship and searched for other survivors, state media said, giving some small hope to an apparently massive tragedy with well over 400 people still missing on the Yangtze River. (Chinatopix Via AP)

Thirteen navy divers were on the scene and 170 more were joining them, Chen said.

The 65-year-old woman was rescued by divers who took an extra breathing apparatus up into the bowels of the ship and spent about five minutes teaching her how to use it before bringing her out to safety, Chen said.

“That old woman had a very strong will and learned very fast, and after 20 minutes she surfaced to the water and was rescued,” he added.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang traveled to the accident site about 180 kilometers (110 miles) west of the Hubei provincial capital of Wuhan.

At a late-night meeting, Li demanded an “overnight battle,” urging divers to keep combing ship compartments for more miracles, Xinhua reported.

The overturned ship had drifted about 3 kilometers (almost 2 miles) downstream before coming to rest close to shore, where fast currents made the rescue difficult.

The fact that the capsized ship drifted downstream was a good sign for rescuers because it meant there was enough air inside to give it buoyancy, and could mean there were enough air pockets for survivors, said Chi-Mo Park, a professor of naval architecture and ocean engineering at South Korea’s Ulsan University.

“It all depends how much space there is inside the vessel,” Park said.

Rescue workers stand on the capsized ship, center, on the Yangtze River in central China’s Hubei province Tuesday, June 2, 2015. The small cruise ship sank overnight in China’s Yangtze River during a storm, leaving nearly 450 people missing, state media said Tuesday. (Chinatopix via AP)

CCTV said the vessel had been carrying 406 Chinese passengers, five travel agency employees and a crew of 47. The broadcaster said most of the passengers were 50 to 80 years old.

Many of the passengers took a bus from Shanghai to Nanjing for the departure to Chongqing. Their relatives gathered in Shanghai at a travel agency that had booked many of the trips, and later went to a government office to demand more information about the accident before police broke up the gatherings.

Huang Yan, 49, an accountant in Shanghai, wept as she told a reporter that she believes that her husband, 49, and his father, who is in his 70s, were aboard. But she said she couldn’t be sure because she hadn’t seen a passenger manifest yet.

“Why did the captain leave the ship while the passengers were still missing?” Huang shouted. “We want the government to release the name list to see who was on the boat.”

A group of about a dozen retirees from a Shanghai bus company were on the trip, said a woman who identified herself only by her surname, Chen. Among them, she said, were her older sister and brother-in-law, both 60, and their 6-year-old granddaughter.

“This group has traveled together a lot, but only on short trips. This is the first time they traveled for a long trip,” Chen said.

The ship sank in the Damazhou waterway section, where the river is 15 meters (50 feet) deep. The Yangtze is the world’s third-longest river and sometimes floods during the summer monsoon season.

More than 50 boats and 3,000 people were involved in the search.

The Eastern Star was 251 feet (76.5 meters) long and 36 feet (11 meters) wide, and could carry a maximum of 534 people, CCTV reported. It is owned by the Chongqing Eastern Shipping Corp., which focuses on tourism routes in the popular Three Gorges river canyon region. The company could not be reached for comment.

CCTV reported that 6 inches (150 millimeters) of rain had fallen in the region in the past 24 hours. Local media reported winds reached 80 mph (130 kph) during the accident.

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Associated Press writers Jack Chang and Ian Mader and news assistant Yu Bing in Beijing, news assistant Fu Ting in Shanghai, and writer Tong-hyung Kim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Disney is launching a line of toys that combines high-tech wearable gadgets and old-school superhero role-playing to keep kids moving while engrossing them in sub-plots from “The Avengers,” ”Star Wars” and “Frozen.”

It’s Disney’s most ambitious game concept meshing real objects and virtual worlds since August 2013, when the family entertainment giant released its Disney Infinity video game that featured figurines and digital characters from “Pirates of the Caribbean,” ”Toy Story” and other franchises.

The new line, called “Disney’s Playmation,” hits stores in October with the release of a forearm attachment called a “repulsor” that puts kids in the role of Marvel superhero Iron Man.

The Associated Press was given an early look at the product line being unveiled Tuesday in Los Angeles.

The onboard voice of J.A.R.V.I.S. — Iron Man’s computing system — guides children aged 6 and older through the first series of 25 missions, where they must use their imaginations to navigate different terrains, then use the repulsor to fire missiles, shoot beams and raise shields. Kids must physically jump or hide to dodge incoming attacks in order to progress and earn points.

Two sensor-laden base stations called “power activators” serve as stands for figurines, which pop off when they’ve sustained enough damage. The first so-called “smart figures” are miniature versions of Captain America and villain Iron Skull.

Infrared and other sensors inside the armband and base stations help determine whether shots hit the target and if players dodged or hid successfully. If players fail to dodge well, a buzz inside the armband represents getting hit. For now, up to two players can go on missions together or play against each other. Adding further players to the system is being planned for the future.

The suggested retail price for the initial package is $120. Another package going on sale in November features Hulk hands — where the action focuses on air-punching and throwing imaginary objects. “Star Wars” themed packages will roll out in 2016, after “Star Wars: Episode 7 – The Force Awakens” debuts in December. “Frozen” packages will go on sale in 2017.

Walt Disney Co. worked on the game over several years and tapped staff from numerous divisions, including storytellers from Marvel Studios, theme park Imagineers, video game programmers from Disney Interactive and elsewhere. Toymaker Hasbro Inc. manufactured the physical pieces.

The challenge in creating a new toy concept was to engage kids who expect toys to have an online component, while nevertheless keeping them active and not just staring at a computer or tablet screen, said Kareem Daniel, senior vice president of strategy and business development for Disney’s consumer products division.

“The way that kids are playing is evolving,” he said. “We wanted to make active physical play more exciting.”

Jim Silver, the CEO and editor of toy review website TTPM.com who also got an early look, said the product was a “breakthrough” because of the way it integrated technology and classic play patterns. He said there was nothing like it, noting that wearables typically have focused just on fitness.

“Kids are aspirational, they want to become the heroes,” he said. “Parents will love that it’s classic play.”

“Connectivity is really something that even little kids now expect,” said Marc Rosenberg, a toy consultant and CEO of SkyBluePinkConcepts LLC, who had the new product line described to him by a reporter. He also said there weren’t many wearable products for kids, though he cited the Nex band, a young-adult-focused wearable meant to have modular add-on elements that link wearers with games and social networks.

“The surface is just being scratched for wearables,” he said.

Silver said the price of the initial package, even with add-on figurines for $15, was reasonable given the amount of play and that further missions could be downloaded in the future. “Parents don’t mind spending $100 or $200 if they see it’s going to be played with over and over and it’s the type of play they want.”

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Despite a fatal lion attack the previous day, business ran pretty much as usual on Tuesday at the Lion Park north of Johannesburg, and visitors were driving through with all their windows rolled up.

An American woman — still unidentified — was killed by a lioness Monday when the animal attacked her through a car window. The car’s windows were open, contrary to park rules, park management said.

Scott Simpson, assistant operations manager at the Lion Park, said Tuesday that it is “operating as usual” except the area where the attack occurred has been closed off. At the entrance, tour guides and private operators shepherded dozens of visitors into the park, driving minibus taxis and safari vans covered in wire mesh.

He said the park was investigating the attack.

The driver of the car, believed to be a local tour operator, remained hospitalized for injuries suffered when he tried to get the lion off his passenger.

The attacking lioness will not be euthanized, but will be moved to another property owned by the park away from tourists, said Simpson.

Tumelo Tshoeu, who lives in South Africa’s capital Pretoria, surprised his girlfriend with a trip to the park for her birthday.

“I didn’t want to come,” said Idah Mabula, saying she was fearful after hearing about the fatal attack, but felt at ease once she was on the tour.

“As long as you follow the instructions, I think you’ll be OK,” said Tshoeu.

Signs tell visitors to keep their windows up. Associated Press journalists visiting the park on Tuesday noted that everyone was obeying the rule.

But sometimes there are visitors who don’t play it safe, Simpson said.

“They think it’s Disneyland and that you can go play with the animal,” he said.

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Associated Press reporter Nqobile Ntshangase contributed to this report.

 

MADISON (AP) – Republican leaders in the Legislature are meeting privately with individual lawmakers, trying to broker deals that will lead to the budget-writing committee finishing its work on the two-year spending plan.

Both Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos were in meetings all day Tuesday to work on budget deals. Fitzgerald spokeswoman Myranda Tanck says it is unlikely that the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee will meet again this week.

Tanck says talks are ongoing to work out issues related to financing of the Milwaukee Bucks arena and transportation funding.

Gov. Scott Walker has said he won’t announce whether he’s running for president until after the budget is signed. Walker was in Atlanta on Monday and in Florida on Tuesday for Gov. Rick Scott’s economic growth summit.