International
Plane crash kills Brazilian soccer team
On Monday, Nov. 28, a plane transporting the Chapecoense soccer team crashed into the side of an Andes mountain, killing all 71 people onboard. Thirty-eight members of the team and staff were killed.
The Chapecoense team was on its way to the Copa Sudamericana final.
Three players survived the crash but have not returned home due to injuries sustained. Eleven other players were not on the plane.
Officials believe the pilot forgot to refuel the plane before takeoff and ran out of gas above the mountain range.
The bodies of the players were transported back to their stadium by military soldiers on Saturday, Dec. 3, in front of 20,000 mourning fans. Thousands more gathered on the streets outside the stadium as the coffins arrived.
“I’m feeling lots of emotion,” supporter Sandra Gonzalez told CNN. “They were our idols; I can’t understand what’s happened. I only feel pain.”
National
Warehouse fire death toll continues to rise
A large warehouse fire killed at least 36 in Oakland, California, on Saturday, Dec. 3. Officials believe the death toll will rise after the entire building is searched.
The warehouse, named “Ghost Ship,” was home to artist studios and living spaces. The place went up in flames during a dance party Friday night. According to witnesses, the warehouse was filled with wood and other flammables, as reported by The Associated Press. There were only two exits to the building.
The warehouse was under investigation for code violations and illegal living spaces.
Officials have identified only 11 of the 36 bodies they found in the remains of the warehouse but withheld the names of a minor and a sheriff deputy’s son for privacy reasons. Only 70 percent of the warehouse has been searched.
Parties like the one held Friday night were common at the warehouse. Residents held them and charged people entrance to make money.
The cause of the fire is unknown. It is the deadliest fire in U.S. history in more than a decade.
Local
Presidential debate costs UNLV millions
The last presidential debate was held at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, on Oct. 19. With the debate long over, the university is still trying to pay off the costs.
UNLV’s president, Len Jessup, went in front of the Nevada System of Higher Education Friday, Dec. 2, to explain the rise of cost from $4 million to $8 million.
According to NSHE, the Board of Regents never approved the costs of the presidential debate and was under the impression it would not cost UNLV anything, as reported by the Reno Gazette-Journal.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority approved $4 million for UNLV to host the debate, covering the costs when combined with the money fundraised by UNLV.
According to Jessup, the security cost was higher than originally anticipated, and the university did not raise enough money because the controversial nature of the two candidates kept donors away, as reported by the RGJ.
Madeline Purdue can be reached at mpurdue@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @madelinepurdue.