International
Swedish shelter fire injures 15 to 20
A fire at an immigration shelter in Vanersborg, Sweden injured 15 to 20 people on the night of Saturday, Feb. 25. Two of the people were injured after jumping out the windows of the building to avoid the flames.
The cause of the blaze is undetermined, but authorities are investigating.
The building used to be a hospital. The size and capacity of the building attracted immigrants and created a site for businesses to start.
Immigration has been a cause of tension in Sweden in recent years. An employee at another immigration center was murdered in January 2016. Sweden has taken in more immigrants per capita than any other European country, causing anti-immigrant sentiment in the country.
President Donald Trump made comments recently that immigrants were the cause of the increase in violence in the country.
Reports show that Muslims are more likely to be attacked than attack in Sweden. Crimes against Muslims have spiked by 90 percent between 2012 and 2015.
National
FBI joins Jewish cemetery investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigations has joined in on the investigation into the vandalization of a Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia that occurred on Saturday, Feb. 25. They are helping to determine if the act is a hate crime.
Philadelphia police say 75 to 100 headstones were knocked over at the Mount Carmel Cemetery, although visitors say it was more. They have not made any arrests or suggested a motive for the vandalism.
A similar incident occurred at a Jewish cemetery in St. Louis less than a week earlier. Dozens of Jewish community centers have received bomb threats across the country.
“I’m a child of a Holocaust survivor, so I grew up with stories of destruction of Jewish cemeteries,” said Philadelphia resident Rebecka Hess to CNN. “I always thought we were done with that.”
The cemetery dates back to the late 19th century.
Local
Couple rescued in Mt. Rose blizzard
Washoe County Search and Rescue teams rescued a couple in their 60s on Mt. Rose during a blizzard on Sunday, Feb. 26. The couple realized they were lost while snowshoeing and called 911.
The dispatch services were able to track their location by the couple’s cell phone. Special vehicle and dog rescue teams responded to the Incline Creek drainage area where they found the couple two hours after the call. The team walked them to the roadside within an hour.
“What this couple did that was right,” said Washoe County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Harmon to the Reno Gazette-Journal. “After they called Search and Rescue on their cell phone, they pretty much stayed put. When you’re out there, seconds seem like hours. But every step you take away from your location, it widens the search area.”
Harmon also said people shouldn’t be embarrassed about calling Search and Rescue teams if they are lost. There is no cost to the people rescued.
The couple is in good condition as of Monday morning, according to Harmon.
