SpaceX launches new crew to space station to rescue stranded astronauts

Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Two days after a scrubbed launch, a replacement space station crew was cleared for blastoff Friday.

The crew’s mission is to help get stranded astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams finally home after nearly 10 months in space.

NASA said it wants overlap between the two crews so Wilmore and Williams can fill in the new crew on happenings aboard the International Space Station.

The duo will then be brought back by astronauts who flew on a rescue mission on SpaceX last September alongside two empty seats reserved for them.

Takeoff Friday occurred for the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket just after 7 p.m. ET.

Concerns over a critical hydraulic system arose less than four hours before the Falcon rocket’s planned Wednesday evening liftoff from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

The four astronauts awaited a final decision that night, with SpaceX ultimately canceling the flight and rescheduling for Friday.

Person of interest identified amid search for missing college student who vanished on spring break trip: reports

Sudiksha Konanki, 20, was reported missing while on spring break in the Dominican Republic. (WUSA via CNN)

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Authorities say they are continuing their search for a 20-year-old college student from Virgina who went missing last week in Punta Cana during a spring break trip.

Officials said Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student, was last seen on March 6 at a beach near a resort where she was staying with several friends.

The Associated Press reports that her parents, Subbarayudu and Sreedevi Konanki, have urged authorities to widen their investigation into her disappearance.

The Konanki family shared that her belongings, including a phone and wallet, were left with her friends, but she’s known to always carry her phone.

On Wednesday, multiple outlets reported that the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia named 24-year-old Joshua Riibe as a person of interest in Sudiksha Konanki’s disappearance, with the case remaining a missing person investigation.

According to Fox News, authorities have interviewed Riibe at length, but they noted the 24-year-old has not been accused of any crime at this time in the case.

Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman previously told WUSA that the people she was with were being interviewed as his department continues to coordinate with federal organizations, including the FBI.

“We’re going on the presumption that she’s still alive and want to make sure we’re exhausting every possible lead that we can,” Chapman was quoted.

Virginia authorities urged anyone with further information on the case to contact the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office at 703-777-1021.

18-year-old accused of killing person during basketball game

Floirida authorities said they arrested 18-year-old Anthony Cabrera Morales on Wednesday without incident. (Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office)

Tampa, Fla.

Authorities in Florida say a man has been arrested for shooting two people during a basketball game.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to reports of shots fired Tuesday just before 7:30 p.m. at Plantation Park.

Deputies said they found two victims at the park when they arrived.

One of the men shot was later identified as 19-year-old Brian Jones. He was taken to an area hospital but did not survive.

The second shooting victim was not immediately identified, but they were taken to a hospital with stable vital signs.

Detectives said a fight had broken out that evening during a basketball game, leading to the shooting.

“A basketball game should never lead to a senseless act of violence such as this,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said.

Deputies identified 18-year-old Cabrera Morales as the shooter and arrested him on Wednesday.

Morales is facing charges that include attempted murder in the first degree and murder in the second degree.

“This arrest cannot undo the tragic loss of life, but I’m proud of our detective’s hard work in finding and arresting this individual quickly,” Chronister said.

Detectives said the investigation of the shooting remains ongoing.

More than 150 people sickened with norovirus while on cruise, CDC says

FILE — People sickened with norovirus while on a cruise. (MariuszBlach/Getty Images via Canva)

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

A norovirus outbreak has been reported on a Holland America Line cruise ship.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 148 passengers and 10 crew members have fallen ill with norovirus on the ship.

The Holland America Eurodam ship left Port Everglades on Feb. 19 and is due back in Florida on March 1.

The agency reported that the outbreak was first reported on Feb. 24, with those affected by the illness experiencing vomiting and diarrhea.

Officials said in response to the outbreak that the cruise line was isolating sick passengers, adding sanitization procedures and consulting with health officials while monitoring the spread of the illness.

The CDC said cruise ships are required to report these types of cases.

Couple forced to sit next to corpse on plane for hours after passenger dies mid-flight, reports say

FILE — The couple said the situation occurred while they were on a Qatar Airways flight. (Thinkstock Images via Canva)

A couple was reportedly forced to sit next to a dead woman’s body for hours on a recent flight from Australia.

Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were interviewed by the Australian news program “A Current Affair" about what happened.

They said the situation occurred while they were on a Qatar Airways flight last week.

According to the couple, hours into the flight a woman collapsed and died after she came out of the bathroom.

“Unfortunately, the lady couldn’t be saved, which was pretty heartbreaking to watch,” the news program quoted Ring. “They tried to wheel her up towards business class, but she was quite a large lady and they couldn’t get her through the aisle.”

The Colins said that’s when the flight crew decided to put the woman’s body in their row for the remaining four hours of the flight.

The couple claimed that the crew did not offer them a different seat and called the incident traumatic.

NBC News shared a statement from Qatar Airways with the airline apologizing to the passengers.

“First and foremost our thoughts are with the family of the passenger who sadly passed away on board our flight,” the statement read. “We apologize for any inconvenience or distress this incident may have caused, and are in the process of contacting passengers in line with our policies and procedures.”

The couple said they were heading to Venice, Italy, and continued to try and enjoy their trip despite the ordeal.