Disasters

Windom man, former snowmobile racer, loses legs in farm accident 
Travis Muller, 30, had both legs amputated after a grain bin accident in southwestern Minnesota. He is currently sedated in the hospital and a family-run GoFundMe has raised over $30,000 for his medical costs.
FDNY deaths from 9/11-related illnesses now equal the number killed on Sept. 11
Two recent deaths brought the total to 343, matching the death toll from Sept. 11, the FDNY said. Some 11,000 former and current FDNY employees suffer from 9/11-related illnesses, 3,500 with cancer.
Thousands of federal firefighters face a looming pay cut. How much is up to Congress
The bipartisan infrastructure law granted federal firefighters a big pay bump. Amid a looming government shutdown, that wage increase will expire, leaving first responders unsure about their income.
'Not sure where the airplane is,' pilot told 911 dispatcher after F-35 ejection
4-minute recording captures bizarre circumstances for the resident explaining that a pilot parachuted into his backyard, the pilot who doesn't know what became of his jet, and a puzzled dispatcher.
In Morocco's Atlas Mountains, survivors of the quake take stock of all they've lost
Survivors of the Sept. 8 earthquake return to devastated villages. "This was our paradise," says a 74-year-old woman. "Everyone in this village is like family to me, and our family is now shattered."
Survivors of Libya's deadly floods describe catastrophic scenes and tragic losses
"They have seen death, not just in their families but within themselves as well," a Libyan doctor tells NPR. "Their souls are crushed, their hope is lost. How can you come back from such a thing?"
Kilian the sniffer dog searches for survivors after the Morocco quake
The golden retriever, part of a Swedish rescue team, helped find 18 people alive under the rubble in Turkey earlier this year. He searched this week for the last missing person in a Moroccan village.
Husband of U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola dies in an airplane crash in Alaska
Eugene Peltola Jr. was the pilot and plane’s sole occupant. The Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub appears to have crashed under unknown circumstances upon takeoff after he dropped off a hunter and equipment.
Crews battle large fire at former Hastings Creamery
Crews from more than a half-dozen fire departments spent hours battling a large fire that started late Wednesday at the former Hastings Creamery in Hastings, Minn. — just weeks after the century-old business closed.