Ford recalls 268K cars to fix door latches
DETROIT — Ford is recalling more than 268,000 cars in North America to fix doors that could open unexpectedly or might not close.
The recall covers the 2014-16 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ, and the 2014-15 Ford Fiesta. Cars in Mexico, U.S. territories and 16 states with high temperatures are affected.
Ford says a lever in the door latch can crack and fail. Typically, doors won’t close when it fails, but customers might be able to latch it after repeated attempts. If that happens, the doors could open while the cars are in motion.
Ford says it’s not aware of any crashes or injuries caused by the problem.
Dealers will replace the side door latches. Owners will be notified starting May 4.
Vehicles that are or have been registered in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Washington are affected.
Inmate accused of assaulting federal prison staff
HONOLULU — Three workers at a federal prison in Honolulu suffered injuries after they were assaulted by an inmate, officials said.
The Federal Detention Center said the assault occurred about 7:30 p.m. Monday.
Two prison workers were treated for injuries at a hospital and one was released Tuesday morning, prison officials said in a statement.
A third worker declined medical treatment after suffering minor injuries while trying to stop the assault.
Detention center officials did not say what triggered the assault and did not make public the name of the inmate.
The center’s 445 inmates were kept in their units following the assault, officials said.
The facility, operated by the Federal Bureau of Prison, has limited its operations until further notice, officials said.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation was notified about the attack.
Agency drafts conservation plan to protect seabirds
LIHUE, Kauai — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalized the first draft of a plan to protect threatened and endangered bird species on Kauai.
The Kauai Seabird Habitat Conservation Plan outlines steps being taken to minimize light pollution and other dangers to seabirds on the island.
The Kauai plan focuses on threatened Newell’s shearwater, endangered Hawaiian petrel and the endangered Hawaii distinct population of the band-rumped storm-petrel.
Kauai is considered an important breeding habitat for all of the species.
Light attraction causes young birds to circle lights and eventually fall to the ground while flying from their burrows on land to the sea. Many grounded birds are unable to return to the air and become prey, starve or are hit by vehicles.
Friday night football games on Kauai were banned from 2010-18 because of the effects of stadium lights on the birds. Shielded lights were installed at Vidinha Stadium in Lihue and evening games are now allowed during specific times.
A draft environmental assessment and the habitat conservation plan are available for public review and comment through April 13.