Ben Affleck Eddie Murphy, Hailee Steinfeld & Rashida Jones
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A tour guide was the lone death after an elevator malfunction inside a former Colorado gold mine turned popular tourist attraction trapped 23 people as far as 1,000 feet underground, authorities said Friday.
Patrick Weier, 46, was killed during the incident at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek, the Teller County Sheriff’s Office said.
Weier, a mine tour guide, left behind a seven-year-old child.
“He was a good man,” Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell told reporters during a news conference Friday. “My feelings are that he was attempting to make everybody safe. I don’t know what occurred though. . . . But I do know that, for us and what it looks like, he may have been a hero from the beginning.
“Anytime you’re dealing with heavy machinery and 1,000-foot level, up to [the] 500[-foot] level in a mine, there could be accidents. And this was a tragic accident.”
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Several people were rescued after becoming trapped in a former Colorado gold mine on Thursday. (KMGH)
According to officials, the elevator inside the mine experienced a mechanical failure at about 500 feet around noon Thursday.
Details about the deadly incident remain under investigation by several agencies, including OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
“We are immensely grateful for the quick response of all the agencies involved and are holding everyone in our prayers,” said Cripple Creek Mayor Annie Durham.
Eleven people, including two children, who had been riding in the elevator were initially rescued. Four people sustained minor injuries including back pain, neck pain and arm pain, the sheriff said.
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The Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine Tour in Cripple Creek, Colo., is located in a historic mining town just south of Colorado Springs. Guided tours inside the former gold mine are a popular tourist destination in the area. (Getty Images)
Twelve other adults were trapped 1,000 feet below and were rescued roughly six hours later. They had access to water, blankets and used radios to communicate with authorities, who told them there was an elevator issue, Mikesell said. They were also fed pizza, which they requested, Mikesell said.
The family-owned mine will remain closed.
“We would like to send our prayers and condolences to everyone involved. We would also like to thank all of the first responders and emergency personnel who helped us through such a difficult time. The Mollie Kathleen will be closed until further notice,” its website states.
On Thursday, Colorado Gov., Jared Polis said he was “saddened to learn of the loss of a life in this tragic accident and my heart goes out to the family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
Tarps cover the entrance to a mine, where several people were rescued Thursday after getting trapped inside the former Colorado gold mine. (KMGH)
The mine opened in the 1800s and closed in 1961, before re-opening to conduct educational tours for the last several decades.
Its website describes a one-hour tour in which visitors descend 1,000 feet underground into a “safe, clean and dry” environment.
The mine was scheduled to host its last day of the season on Sunday.
Mollie Kathleen Gortner discovered the site of the mine in 1891, when she saw quartz laced with gold, according to the company’s website.
Thursday’s mishap wasn’t the first for the mine. Officials on Friday referred to an unspecified incident in 1986.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Alaska agreed to settle with the Interior Department on Monday over a Biden-era plan aimed at restricting drilling and leasing, a deal that could expand the state’s oil and gas development.
The state and the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority in consolidated cases agreed to drop the suit if Interior offered a written admission that its approval of the Biden-era plan was flawed and violated the 2017 Tax Act.
The 2024 plan included restrictions such as protecting more than 1 million acres of coastal plains. According to the proposed agreement, that move eliminated interest in a Jan. 6, 2025 …
PAGE, ARIZ., – A suspect has been arrested after two people were found shot to death inside a home near the Arizona-Utah border.
What we know:
On July 5 at 11:30 p.m., the Page Police and Fire Communications Center responded to a report that two people had been shot near Elm and El Camino.
Once at the home, officers found a man and a woman with gunshot wounds. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
“The suspect was unknown and not on scene when officers arrived,” police said.
Dig deeper:
Police secured the home and obtained a search warrant. Investigators then began processing the crime scene.
“Evidence collected provided investigators with a person of interest who may have been present when the shootings occurred,” police said. “Investigators located the person of interest and interviewed him but did not initially charge him with any crimes related to the double homicide investigation.”
The next day, the person of interest was arrested and booked into jail. He’s accused of two counts of first-degree murder.
What we don’t know:
No identities were released. Police didn’t release any details on what led up to the shooting.
Local perspective:
Police “do not believe there is any remaining threat to the community, as the alleged suspect and the weapon allegedly used have been seized by law enforcement.”
What you can do:
If anyone has information related to the investigation, they advise contacting Detective Terry TerEick at ttereick@pageaz.gov.
Map of the cross streets where the shooting occurred:
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from the Page Police Department’s Facebook page.
Gavin Newsom is taking a victory lap today on the first anniversary of California’s film and TV tax credits program being jacked up to $750 million, and the potential presidential contender has Disney, a Shrek prequel, and Ben Affleck along for the ride.
Along with an untitled Pixar project, the Argo Oscar winner’s upcoming Gingerbread Men, the Hailee Steinfeld and Rashida Jones-starring animated Hexed from the House of Mouse and DreamWorks’ Eddie Murphy-led Donkey were among 41 films that received $187 million in incentives today.
The Pixar flick was awarded the most in credits with $26.7 million in what has become a very helpful program for animation the past 365 days. Not that ‘toons don’t pay off. The four animated features are estimated to inject $711 million into the Golden State’s economy. That breaks down to about “$145 million in qualified wages, employing over 1,900 cast and crew members” for the home of Hollywood, according to the California Film Commission.
Ben Affleck Eddie Murphy, Hailee Steinfeld & Rashida Jones
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“We received the approval letter informing us that Gingerbread Men was accepted into the California Film and Television Tax Credit Program,” Affleck said of the indie from his and pal Matt Damon‘s Artists Equity.“ Gingerbread Men got $7 million from the state.
“Under the program, we have been able to make the films Argo, Unstoppable, and Accountant 2,” Affleck added. “Our upcoming film, Gingerbread Men, will be filmed in Los Angeles, California – close to our company office and the best and most experienced cast and crew, vendors, and service providers. Let’s continue to keep the California film industry alive with the help of the California Film and Television Tax Credit Program!”
Take a look at the full list of conditionally approved awards here:
Overall, the bean counters in Sacramento anticipate the 41 projects will generate $1.1 billon “in direct production spending in California” and “$145 million in qualified wages, employing over 1,900 cast and crew.”
That figure factors nicely into some very big numbers that Governor Newsom heralded Tuesday.
Specifically, $6.6 billion has been created for the state’s economy over the past year out of 170 credited projects. While that sum sounds (and is) impressive, the figure that may get the town truly jazzed is the “nearly 35,000 cast and crew jobs across California” the Governor’s team says have come out of the last year since the program allotment leapt up.
To that, including the awarded big screeners revealed today, Gov. Newsom sure sounded like he was prepping a stump speech for the Heartland on the California miracle, so to speak.
“California has long set the standard for entertainment production, creating good-paying jobs and showcasing the creativity and innovation that define the Golden State,” the governor asserted. “The first year of the expanded tax credit program is already delivering results — generating billions in economic activity, creating opportunities for businesses and the workforce, and bringing more productions home to California.”
Maybe the biggest praise came from Burbank.
“Governor Newsom, and the legislative leaders who have worked to strengthen opportunities for production here as we continue to invest in California’s world-class creative workforce,” said Alan Bergman, Disney Entertainment Studios chairman Tuesday.
Reading the tea leaves-ish, does that mean we’ll see some Marvel movies coming over from the tax incentive rich UK soon?
Just askin’.
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