Roundup: Bomb threat on LAX-bound Delta flight; Colorado fire 30% contained; whale-watch by kayak

Good morning! And happy birthday, Elvis, who would be 74 today (had he not died in a rather unfortunate way in 1977). We mentioned Graceland goings-on in Wednesday’s morning post, and a reader kindly let us know that the day will also be celebrated in the King’s birthplace of Tupelo, Miss.

For a healthy helping of headlines from the travel wires, keep reading:

Airline news | A Delta flight was soon to land at LAX when a flight attendant screamed for help. He had been pushed down by a man headed toward the rear exit door, which he then tried to open. A group of passengers — including Chris Llewellyn, guitarist in rapper Asher Roth’s band — jumped on the man, the plane landed safely, and the troublemaker, who also, by the way, made a bomb threat during the debacle, was carted away by authorities. Read “Passengers pounce on man who made threats aboard L.A.-bound flight.”

Colorado | Firefighters battled a blaze in Boulder County, Colo., Wednesday night. The fire has destroyed four structures thus far and prompted the evacuations from 900 homes, reported the Associated Press. As of this morning, some evacuation orders have been lifted in connection with the “mosaic-shaped” fire near Denver, which is said to be 30% contained, according to the Denver Post.

New Zealand | On South Island, a sheet of collapsed ice from the main face of Fox Glacier has killed two hikers, according to the Associated Press.

Whale-watching | The gray whales are cruising southbound on the Pacific toward Baja California, and lucky for us, Southern California is right on their way (they started in Alaska). January is usually a good time to begin whale-watching in the region, and you have your choice of various boat tours. But one of the more tranquil alternatives out there is La Jolla Kayak, which offers whale-watching kayaking tours, leaving twice daily through Feb. 15. Learn more about them in the L.A. Times Outposts blog.

- Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

Photo: Lawrence Johnson is escorted off of Delta Airlines Flight #110. Credit: Brian Cohen, Asher Roth drummer

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This entry was posted on Thursday, January 8, 2009 at 8:49 am by Susan Derby and is filed under Africa & Middle East. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.