Harrison Ford survives a plane crash. An airliner skids on an ice-covered New York runway. And an arrest warrant is issued for the man accused of slashing the U.S. ambassador to South Korea.
It’s Friday, and here are the 5 Things to Know for Your New Day:
HARRISON FORD
Plane crash: Harrison Ford may have no trouble piloting the Millennium Falcon through the cosmos in the “Star Wars” movies, but a World War II-era plane gave him all he could handle yesterday in California. The 72-year-old actor was hospitalized after the plane he was piloting crashed during a forced landing on a golf course near Santa Monica Airport. He reportedly suffered moderate trauma but is expected to make a full recovery. His son tweeted that Ford was “battered, but ok.”
WINTER WOES
Plane skids; drivers stranded: Winter may be on the wane, but it’s making sure its presence is still felt. In New York, the 127 passengers and five crew members on a Delta flight got the scare of their lives yesterday when the plane slid off an icy runway and skidded for about 20 seconds before stopping on a small embankment mere feet from frigid waters. Twenty-four people suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Meanwhile in Kentucky, hundreds of drivers were stranded for hours on end on Interstate 65 near Paducah after a massive storm. Traffic started to move later in the day as crews finally got some emergency lanes cleared on the sides of roads.
AMBASSADOR ATTACKED
Arrest warrant: Police in South Korea issued an arrest warrant for the 55-year-old man accused in the knife attack on Mark Lippert, the U.S. ambassador to South Korea. The man, who may be charged with attempted murder, has a history of unpredictable behavior. Police said he has visited North Korea many times, so they are investigating any links between his visits and the communist nation. North Korea, predictably, praised the attack, calling it a “knife attack of justice.
ISIS
LGBT attacks: Everyday seems to bring a new ISIS atrocity. The latest seems to be documented in photos recently released by the terrorist group that appear to show a man, accused of being gay, being thrown off a building to his death. There are at least half a dozen documented cases of men being similarly killed by ISIS. Many members of the LGBT community in Syria have fled the country and its persecution – from both the Assad regime and ISIS – but for those that remain, the situation has become even more dire.
SPACE EXPLORATION
Hi Ceres: NASA’s Dawn spacecraft will complete its eight-year, 310-million-mile journey to the dwarf planet Ceres today. Dawn should start orbiting Ceres a little after 7 a.m. ET this morning, but NASA says it may take an hour or two to confirm that. Ceres, which was discovered in 1801, was the first object found in our solar system’s main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Dawn will stay in orbit around Ceres for years, even after its primary mission ends in June 2016.
Those are your five biggies for the day. Here are a few others that are brewing and have the Internet buzzing:
Ride a roller coaster: It may be winter, but its never too early to start thinking about roller coasters. Check out this test run for Fury 325, a new coaster debuting this spring at Carowinds, a theme park on the North Carolina-South Carolina border.
Talented cat: This fancy feline would do very well in any ropes course.
Hard to kill: Good luck flushing THIS spider down the toilet.
Simply beautiful: A man grabs a guitar and sings songs to his mom, who has Alzheimer’s.
Rock on: Watch this 15-year-old girl rip through Dragon Force’s “Through the Fire and Flames” on her guitar.