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A4 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 26 March 2022
Teen falls to death from Florida amusement park ride

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A the state agency, the ride
14-year-old boy fell to his had its initial permit inspec-
death late at night from a tion on Dec. 20, 2021, and
free-fall amusement park no problems were found.
ride that is taller than the The next semi-annual in-
Statue of Liberty along a spection for the ride wasn't
busy street in the heart of due for several more
Orlando's tourist district. months.
Sheriff's officials and emer- "The ride will be closed for
gency crews responded the foreseeable future and
to a call late Thursday at will not re-open until all
the Orlando Free Fall ride, questions are answered as
which opened late last part of the ongoing FDACS
year at Icon Park on the investigation," the report
city's International Drive. said.
The teen was identified Fri- The ride has over-the shoul-
day as Tyre Sampson, who der restraint harnesses, with
was visiting central Florida two hand grips at the chest
from Missouri with a friend's level, that riders pull down
family. Detectives investi- and then they are released
gating the death will look ICON Park attractions, The Wheel, left, Orlando SlingShot, middle, and Orlando FreeFall, right, are automatically at the end of
into whether it was inten- shown in Orlando, Fla., on Thursday, March 24, 2022. the ride. An inspector on Fri-
tional or accidental, said Associated Press day could be seen sitting in
Orange County Sheriff a ride seat with the security
John Mina. Thursday night. The ride Shot, have been closed reported no problems be- harness over his shoulders
"It appears to be just a ter- then began its trek up the indefinitely, Stine said. His forehand. as another inspector took
rible tragedy," Mina said. tower before someone is company operates the two "Everything seemed to be measurements.
"We will see moving for- later seen falling from the rides at Icon Park. OK and normal," Mina said. The ride stands 430-feet
ward what that results in." ride. "We are cooperating with The Florida Department of (131-meters) tall, and is
Sampson was taken to a "We are absolutely sad- all other investigations at Agriculture and Consumer billed as the world's tallest
hospital, where he died, dened and devastated by this time to get to the bot- Services, which oversees free-standing drop tower,
sheriff's officials said. No ad- what happened, and our tom of what happened," amusement ride inspec- according to the park's
ditional details about the hearts go out this young Stine said. tions with the exception of website.
teen or the incident were man's family," John Stine, Stine said there had been the state's largest theme The ride holds 30 passen-
immediately released. sales director with the Sling- no issues reported previ- parks, has launched an gers as it rises in the air, ro-
A video aired by NBC's "To- shot Group which owns the ously with the Free Fall ride, investigation and inspec- tates around the tower and
day" show Friday morning ride, told The Associated which opened last Decem- tors were at the site Friday, then tilts to face the ground
appears to show passen- Press on Friday morning. ber. spokesperson Caroline before free falling at more
gers on the ride discussing The Free Fall ride and an Employees and witnesses Stoneciper said in an email. than 75 mph (120 kph), the
issues with a seat restraint adjacent ride, the Sling interviewed by detectives According to a report from website said.q

New Orleans school board reverses little known ban on jazz

night. "And I also want to board members were try- things that was buried in
acknowledge the tremen- ing to distance students the books," board member
dous contributions of our from a genre with African Carlos Zervigon said Friday.
students and especially of American origins. "Obviously it was ridiculous
our band directors, whose A copy of a news clipping and never really applied.
legacy continues from 1922 from 1922, posted on the But what an opportunity
through present day." newspaper's website, did to be able to go back and
The board's resolution said it not mention race. It quot- reverse it on the 100th an-
wanted "to correct the pre- ed the resolution's sponsor, niversary of its passage and
vious action of the School "Mrs. A. Baumgartner," as acknowledge what our
Board and to encourage saying she had seen "a lot schools played in the for-
jazz music and jazz dance of rough dancing" at after- mation and development
in schools." school events. "This cheek- of music in our classrooms."
Board minutes from March to-cheek dancing is ter- The earlier board's vote
24, 1922, said "it was decid- rible," she said. on March 24, 1922, was
Jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis performs for school children
during a program "Cookin' with Jazz'' with celebrity chef Emeril ed that jazz music and jazz Ken Ducote, executive di- passed without "prior poli-
Lagasse in New Orleans, Aug. 28, 2006. dancing would be abol- rector of the Greater New cy development, analysis,
Associated Press ished in the public schools." Orleans Collaborative of or debate," and the pro-
One member — who Charter Schools, brought posal had not been on the
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — With where it is still played nightly walked out on a special the policy to the board's agenda, the current board
its president saying it had at various venues. meeting called at the end attention after reading noted.
racist origins, the New Or- "I'm very glad that we can of the session because re- about it in Al Kennedy's "We're glad that the pol-
leans school board has rescind this policy. I want porters were not allowed to book "Chord Changes on icy was ignored by our
unanimously reversed a to acknowledge it. It was cover it — abstained from the Chalkboard: How Pub- schools, because our
little known but century-old rooted in racism," Orleans voting on jazz. lic School Teachers Shaped schools played a major role
ban on jazz in schools in a Parish School Board Presi- Officials told The Times Pic- Jazz and the Music of New in the development of jazz,"
city which played a huge dent Olin Parker said dur- ayune / The New Orleans Orleans." said member Katherine
role in developing jazz and ing the meeting Thursday Advocate that the 1922 "It was just one of those Baudouin.q