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Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church remembers staff member killed in Maine plane crash: ‘Beautiful spirit’
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A staff member of Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church who “possessed a beautiful spirit” was among the six people killed in a private jet crash in Maine earlier this week, according to the church.
The Houston, Texas-based church told The Christian Post that Shawna Collins “was traveling for personal business outside of Lakewood” at the time of the accident Sunday night. The Paris-bound Bombardier Challenger 600 jet had stopped to refuel during light snow, mild winds and near-zero temperatures as a massive winter storm began to reach Bangor, Maine. It then flipped and caught fire during departure.
“We can confirm with great sadness that a beloved member of our church staff and treasured friend, Shawna Collins, was on the plane that crashed in Maine on Sunday evening,” Lakewood Church told The Christian Post.
“She was a light that brightened our days, and she possessed a beautiful spirit that lifted everyone she met. We loved Shawna dearly, and we will miss her more than words can express. We pray for her entire family and offer them our love and support during this difficult time,” it added.
FOURTH MAINE PLANE CRASH VICTIM IDENTIFIED AS HAWAIIAN CHEF
Jacob Hosmer, Shawna Collins and Tara Arnold were three victims identified in a plane crash in Maine. (Jacob Hosmer/Facebook; Shawna Collins/Instagram; Kurt Arnold/Facebook)
The jet was registered to a partner of personal injury law firm Arnold and Itkin Trial Lawyers in Houston. Tara Arnold, an attorney at the firm and wife of founding partner Kurt Arnold, and Hawaii-based chef Nick Mastrascusa were also killed in the crash, according to reports.
Mastrascusa reportedly worked for Beyond, a luxury travel company founded by the Arnolds. Beyond’s website also lists Shawna Collins as being its “luxury event designer and experience curator.”
The director of Bangor International Airport said Wednesday that the federal investigation into the crash has been hampered by extreme weather, including deep snow that has blanketed the scene and covered the burned wreckage.
WELL-KNOWN TEXAS ATTORNEY’S WIFE AMONG VICTIMS OF DEADLY PRIVATE JET CRASH IN MAINE
Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are seen investigating a plane crash at Bangor International Airport Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026 in Bangor, Maine. (Linda Coan O’Kresik/The Bangor Daily News via AP)
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration joined state and local authorities at the scene and recovered the cockpit voice and data recorders for analysis. The state medical examiner’s office also was there to remove the bodies of the victims and formally identify them. The airport will remain closed until at least 9 a.m. Thursday, director Jose Saavedra said, according to The Associated Press.
Prior to the jet’s departure, another plane had just aborted takeoff, radioing to the tower that they chose not to fly because visibility wasn’t great and they would need more de-icing, the AP also reported.
The snow would eventually accumulate to about 9.5 inches, but it was only beginning at the time of the crash.
A GoFundMe page identified Nick Mastrascusa as one of the victims of a plane crash in Maine over the weekend. (GoFundMe)
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The Bombardier Challenger 600 had gone through a standard de-icing process before proceeding to the runway, Saavedra said.
Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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The corporation that owns the Langham Huntington Pasadena has settled a civil lawsuit claiming the luxury hotel hiked room rates while more than 200,000 residents evacuated their homes during the pair of deadly and destructive wildfires that devastated the Los Angeles area in January of 2025. The lawsuit, filed by the Los Angeles County District […]
Southern California is bracing for a hot and muggy week ahead, with heat watches in place and a chance of thunderstorms across the mountains and desert regions.
Temperatures are expected to increase each day into midweek, prompting officials to extend a heat advisory until 10 a.m. Tuesday, when it will transition to an extreme heat watch for even warmer conditions through Thursday evening.
Temperatures are expected to peak on Wednesday, with many locations topping 100 degrees and some reaching 110, according to the National Weather Service.
“Monsoonal moisture moving over the area will add to the discomfort, also bringing the potential for showers and thunderstorms each day,” the Weather Service said.
Those thunderstorms are most likely to occur over the mountain and desert areas as subtropical moisture is drawn into the region by a strong ridge of high pressure.
Temperatures along the coast may even reach the 90s by midweek, with very warm temperatures continuing through the night.
“Given the extreme heat and humidity, it’s highly recommended to complete outdoor activities as early as possible,” the Weather Service said.
The high pressure is expected to slowly weaken Thursday, bringing afternoon highs to within a few degrees of normal in most areas by Friday.
Two rare corpse flowers have begun to bloom simultaneously at the Huntington Library in San Marino, the nonprofit organization announced Sunday evening.
Odorysseus, the taller of the two flowers, bloomed first. A second, smaller corpse flower named Odora appears to be following close behind.
The Huntington Library is inviting visitors to take in the flowers’ unique aroma, which is often compared to rotting flesh.
“And so it begins,” the Huntington Library wrote on social media.
Odora is shaped a bit differently than Odorysseus because its spadix is inverted due to a developmental irregularity. This is not expected to affect the blooming of the flower.
“Plot twist!” the Huntington Library wrote on Instagram. “Odora wants to steal the spotlight. Odora’s spathe has started opening, too. Tiny but mighty, we’re in for quite the show with a double bloom.”
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File: The Corpse Flower, as seen in 2024 at The Huntington in San Marino, California. (Photo by Linnea Stephan)
The Huntington is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Monday, and is closed on Tuesdays. Reservations are required Friday through Sunday, on holidays, and during peak seasons. “Twilight stroll” hours are available on the Huntington’s website.
The public can also watch a live stream of the bloom on the organization’s YouTube channel.
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