Page 4 - aruba-today-20240916

A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 16 SepteMber 2024
Top legal adviser to New York City mayor quits as investigations

swell

By CEDAR ATTANASIO cials who had their phones Chancellor David Banks.
Associated Press seized. In separate investigations,
NEW YORK (AP) — The top The police commissioner, federal authorities have
legal adviser to New York Edward Caban resigned previously seized phones
City Mayor Eric Adams re- citing the “distraction” cre- from Adams, searched
signed abruptly over the ated by news of the the in- the home of one of his top
weekend, the latest sign of vestigations. campaign fundraisers, and
instability in the Democrat’s Federal authorities haven’t searched two homes linked
administration as it deals disclosed the subjects of to his director of Asian af-
with multiple federal inves- the investigations. Besides fairs.
tigations. the police commissioner, Adams has denied any
City Hall announced Lisa phones were taken from knowledge of wrongdoing.
Zornberg’s departure late the head of the public Adams said an interim re-
Saturday night. She had schools system, a top dep- placement for Zornberg
advised Adams and other uty mayor, and two top ad- would be announced in
city officials on legal strat- Lisa Zornberg, New York City Hall’s chief counsel, speaks during visers to Adams on public the coming days.
egy for over a year and of- a mayoral news conference at City Hall, in New York, Nov. 14, safety issues. “We appreciate all the
ten parried legal questions 2023. Investigators seized de- work Lisa has done for our
from the press on his behalf. Associated Press vices from Caban’s twin administration and, more
She was not his personal ing but the best,” Zornberg of New York City’s police brother, James Caban, importantly, the city over
lawyer. wrote in a three-sentence department, who resigned a former NYPD sergeant the past 13 months,” Ad-
“It has been a great honor resignation letter to Adams. Thursday. who runs a nightclub secu- ams said in a statement.
to serve the City. I am ten- The resignation comes af- Zornberg, a former federal rity business. They also con- “These are hard jobs and
dering my resignation, ef- ter the phones of multiple prosecutor in the U.S. at- ducted searches related we don’t expect anyone
fective today, as I have members of Mayor Eric torney’s office now leading to Terence Banks, who is to stay in them forever. We
concluded that I can no Adams’ inner circle were some of the investigations the brother of Adams’ top wish Lisa all the best in her
longer effectively serve in seized by federal investi- into the Adams administra- deputy on public safety, future endeavors.”q
my position. I wish you noth- gators, including the head tion, wasn’t one of the offi- Phil Banks, and Education
Cooler weather in Southern California helps in wildfire battle

By SCOTT SONNER, JAIMIE urday, fire spokeswoman
DING and OLGA R. RODRI- Celeste Prescott said. Some
GUEZ of the 700 crew members
Associated Press should soon be sent off to
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Thou- other fires, she added.
sands of firefighters aided Firefighters were mostly
by cooler weather made mopping up but anticipat-
progress Saturday against ed winds picking up in the
three Southern Califor- afternoon so stood ready
nia wildfires, and officials to attack any spots that
in northern Nevada were flare up.
hopeful that almost all “We’re on the verge of
evacuees from a blaze big success here,” Truckee
there could soon be home. Meadows Fire District Chief
Authorities have started Charles Moore said.
scaling back evacuations The Line Fire in Southern
at the largest blaze. The California
Bridge Fire east of Los An- Authorities say a delivery
geles has burned 81 square driver purposely started
miles (210 square kilome- the Line Fire in Southern
ters), torched at least 33 California on Sept. 5. It has
homes and six cabins and charred 59 square miles
forced the evacuation of (153 square kilometers) in
10,000 people. Two fire- Chairs are stacked among the ruins in the aftermath of the Bridge Fire, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in the San Bernardino moun-
fighters have been injured Wrightwood, Calif. Associated Press tains, where people ski in
in the blaze, state fire offi- the winter and mountain
cials said. rugged areas inaccessible The Southern California miles (23 square kilome- bike in the summer.
Operations section chief to ground crews. have threatened tens of ters) of timber and brush It was 25% contained as
Don Freguila said Saturday “A lot of good work. We’re thousands of homes and along the Sierra Nevada’s of Saturday. Cool weather
that containment was esti- really beating this up and other structures since they eastern slope. Some 20,000 over the next several days
mated at 3% and improv- starting to make some escalated during a triple- people were forced from should help, fire officials
ing, with nearly 2,500 fire- good progress,” Freguila digit heat wave. their homes early this week. said.
fighters working the lines. said. He said a new spot fire The Davis fire in northern Fire officials said there was a It is burning through dense
He said Saturday’s focus broke out Friday night near Nevada 90% chance the last of the vegetation that grew af-
would be on the fire’s west the Mount Baldy ski area The blaze in Nevada near evacuees would be able ter two back-to-back wet
flank and northern edge along the blaze’s southern Lake Tahoe broke out to return to their homes by winters when snowstorms
near Wrightwood, where edge, burning only about last weekend, destroy- the end of Saturday. broke tree branches, leav-
airtankers dropped retar- an acre before crews “but- ing 14 homes and burning Containment of the blaze ing behind a lot of “dead
dant on the flames in steep, toned it up.” through nearly 9 square was estimated at 76% Sat- and down fuel,”q