AA Flight Attendants Sign Off on Potential Merger

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In a letter to American employees, CEO Tom Horton said the Fort Worth-based airline is continuing to evaluate whether a merger would be in the bankrupt company's best interests.

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The flight attendants' union at American Airlines signed off late Thursday on a merger plan with US Airways.

Laura Glading, president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, said she signed a memorandum of understanding, which details seniority and other issues -- essentially how employees at both airlines would work together in the event of a merger.

"I hope it clears the path for a quick and efficient merger," she said.

She said she could not discuss specifics.

Meanwhile, earlier Thursday, American Airlines announced it will decide whether it also supports the merger in "a matter of weeks," CEO Tom Horton said.

In a letter to American employees, Horton said the Fort Worth-based airline is continuing to evaluate whether a merger would be in the bankrupt company's best interests.

"While I cannot give you a precise date, I can tell you that we expect to bring this to conclusion in a matter of weeks," Horton wrote.

If the two companies do combine, it would create the world's largest airline.

The flight attendants' move follows a similar action by pilots on Saturday.

The Allied Pilots Association also signed off on its own plan to combine workforces.

The Board of Directors of American Airlines' parent company, AMR Corp., is scheduled to meet Jan. 9, but it appeared a merger plan would not be ready to consider by then.

Managers of US Airways have said if they are successful in gaining control of the new carrier, they would keep its headquarters in Fort Worth and keep the American name. The US Airways brand would go away.

Analysts have said a merger is the best way for American to compete against rivals United and Delta.

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Vehicle Tries to Run Over Two DPD Officers

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Dallas police are questioning two people after someone tried to run over two officers.

A witness flagged down officers in the 1500 block of South Buckner Boulevard and told them about a possible robbery in progress.

The officers saw one of the people exit and approach a vehicle and told them to show their hands. The person in the vehicle then tried to run over the officers, police said.

Two officers shot at the vehicle, which sped away, police said.

The vehicle was located a short distance away. Officers were investigating a truck with a bullet hole that had crashed into a fence a block away from the crime scene.

Police said one suspect was in custody. A second person who was found near the vehicle was also being questioned in the case, police said.

No one was injured.

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Hurst Officer Fired After "Embarrassing" Video

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Teen Files Complaint in Hurst Officer Video

The family of Andrew Rodriguez filed a complaint against the Hurst police officer they say used excessive force violating the teen's civil rights in a video posted on YouTube.

Mother Wants Hurst Police Officer's Badge

The mother of 17-year-old seen in a YouTube video being kneed in the back and cursed at by a Hurst police officer says she wants the officer fired and charged with aggravated asault.

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Hurst police officer Disraeli Arnold has been fired after being recorded on video threatening a teen and using profane language.

Arnold was recorded in November running to assist an officer subduing a teenager and ultimately kneeing the teen in the back of the head while yelling and threatening him.

The teen's mother, Kelly Pope, didn't object to her son being arrested, just the force used to take the teen into custody.

"He [her son] knows that he handled it badly at first, that he should have been a little more cooperative. But, you know, the second officer -- there was no reason for it," Pope said in November. "He (Arnold) comes up at a jolting sprint, kneed him in the back of the head and, as you can see on the video, he says, 'If you move I'm going to [expletive] kill you.'"

While the teen was in custody and being escorted to a police car, Arnold then paraded in front of the teen's friend, who was recording the arrest, and said, "You got it on tape? Arnold, 654!"

Using the video as evidence, the teen's mother filed a complaint with the Hurst Police Department that led to an internal affairs investigation. The mother said she hoped the officer would either turn in his badge or be fired.

Dashcam video released several days later showed the teen, prior to Arnold arriving at the scene, arguing with Officer Miguel Jimenez and resisting arrest -- a offense for which he was charged.

On Thursday, Hurst police said Arnold was "indefinitely suspended for violations of Hurst Police Department General Orders and Civil Service rules relating to his actions on Nov. 20, 2012" and "an internal affairs investigation was conducted for violations ... to include the unnecessary use of force, being disrespectful to a citizen, and the use of indecent, profane, or harsh language in the performance of official duties."

Despite Pope's claim of excessive force, the internal affairs investigation determined the amount of force used by Arnold was reasonable since he believed Jimenez was struggling to subdue the teen.

The investigation did find, however, that Arnold was disrespectful to a citizen and "used indecent, profane, and harsh language in the performance of his official duties, and conducted himself in a manner which brought discredit to himself and the Hurst Police Department."

"You can't help but be embarrassed -- not only for the officers that work in our department, but for anybody in the law enforcement profession," Hurst Assistant Chief Steve Niekamp said in November. "You just expect when an officer shows up, they're going to be in charge. You don't want the foul language, anything that looks like it might be overreaction. You just want to be professional, calm and in control of the scene."

Prior to the department's latest ruling, Arnold had been placed on administrative leave.

Arnold had been with the department for four years and, according to a performance assessment and disciplinary file released by Hurst police after the incident, he met or exceeded police standards in nearly every assessment. The document also noted in May, 2010, that "Officer Arnold's enthusiasm may make him overzealous at times, which can cloud his judgment when it comes to policy, procedure and tactics. Sometimes he needs to step back and see the big picture and risks involved."

Arnold has 10 days to appeal the termination.

NBC 5's Scott Gordon contributed to this report.

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Southwest Airlines Is Not Giving Away Free Tickets

Omar Villafranca, NBC 5 News

Southwest Airlines says links appearing on social media that promise free tickets are not legitimate.

Free SWA Ticket Scheme Reappears

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Have you seen a link on Facebook or Twitter that says you can earn two free Southwest Airlines tickets?

Well, don't click on it.

Southwest Airlines said it's working with its legal department to have the links and ads removed from various social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Southwest spokesperson Brooks Thomas said the Dallas-based carrier is not offering two free tickets.

"If it's not in an email officially from us, if it doesn't have Southwest.com in it or if it doesn't take you to a southwest.com or blog.southwest.com property, then it's usually erroneous and a big red flag not to click on it," Thomas said.

The scheme isn't new. It also popped up on social media in late 2011.

Southwest Airlines said if you have already clicked on the link, it's a good time to reset your password.

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River Otter Makes Rare Appearance in San Francisco

Jouko van der Kruijssen

A river otter dubbed Sutro Sam is living in a pool in the ruins of the historic Sutro Baths in San Francisco.

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San Francisco's first river otter in decades has appeared in the ruins of historic baths near the city's coast, stumping and delighting locals — and happily devouring the goldfish they dump there.

The otter has been dubbed Sutro Sam by scientists, for his residency in a spring-fed freshwater pool among the ruins of the historic swimming complex known as the Sutro Baths.

Sam favors a pool full of oversized goldfish among the ruins, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Scientists say he appears to have swum across the Golden Gate from Marin County, just across the strait to the city's north, but they are not sure.

So many otters have popped up in Marin that some wildlife-conscious resident has erected an "Otter Crossing" sign in the town of Larkspur, the newspaper reported.

Sutro Sam is not afraid of people and is well-fed and healthy, the scientists say. The pool he's found at Sutro is perfect for an otter — it's next to the ocean but is fed with fresh water from underground, the newspaper reported.

He's eating carp-sized goldfish, dumped there by residents, "like potato chips," according to Megan Isadore of the River Otter Ecology Project.

Sam has been in the waters near Sutro since September, the newspaper reported. Scientists will conduct tests on the jelly found in his intestines, which may help to digest fish bones. In the meantime, otter-watchers are asked to keep their dogs away from Sam's pool — so the dogs don't get bitten.

To donate to the Sam-testing efforts, visit riverotterecology.org.

See more Sam photos here.

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Firefighters Save Worker at Storybook Ranch

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McKinney firefighters pulled a man out of his burning apartment, atop a non-profit children's charity, in Collin County Thursday night.

The fire started at Storybook Ranch on Custer Road at about 9 p.m.

The ranch foreman, Michael Javier, was trapped in his second floor apartment for more than 10 minutes before firefighters pulled him out of a window.

Javier saw the flames spreading though the Wild Bill and Calamity Jane's events and entertainment facility below his apartment, but the fire blocked his escape route. Javier tried to break a window, but couldn't.

"There's only one way up, and one way down from that upstairs apartment," said Javier. " It was consumed by fire that had started at the other end of the building.  By the time I smelled the smoke, and was able to make it to the door, the flames and the smoke drove me back into my apartment."

He called 911 and signaled his location to firefighters with a flashlight. Crews broke through the window with an ax and pulled Javier to safety.

"I would like to find the two gentlemen, because they literally saved my life," said Javier.

Javier escaped without injury, but lost everything he owned in the fire.

"Everything that I owned in the world was in my home, and it's all material stuff and eventually it can be replaced, but I'm thankful that I got out," said Javier.

Javier has been the ranch foreman for about three years and lived above the Wild Bill and Calamity Jane's Events and Entertainment Facility.

Storybook Ranch is non-profit children's charity holds community events and horse camps for special needs and underprivileged kids.

Right now, the ranch is assessing just how much damage has been done. 

"We'll be okay," said program director John Schaar. "We'll  rebuild. We have already had a lot of support from the community.  Our local Home Depot has already been out.  They are bringing out some temporary fence and some temporary needs for us, and some people are already helping."

There's a message on the ranch's website: 

"We will continue to update our beloved guests and friends of the ranch about the damage and our rebuilding efforts. We know that with support from our community and friends, much like the legend of the Phoenix, we will begin again out of the ashes. "

Investigators are looking into the cause of the fire.

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The "Worst Day" Of Obama's Presidency

Official White House Photo

The caption of this White House image by Pete Souza reads: "The President reacts as John Brennan briefs him on the details of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. The President later said during a TV interview that this was the worst day of his Presidency." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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Official White House photographer Pete Souza released this week his favorite images from 2012, some depicting the happier times of President Barack Obama's year, others the worst.

A Dec. 14 photo showing the president bowing his head and closing his eyes depicts what Obama has described as the worst day of his presidency. It was the moment he learned of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn.

"Our hearts are broken today," he said in an address to the country following the shooting that left 26 people dead including 20 children.

"We have been through this too many times. Whether it's an elementary school in Newtown or a shopping mall in Oregon or a temple in Wisconsin or a movie theater in Aurora or a street corner in Chicago, these neighborhoods are our neighborhoods, and these children are our children."

Other moments in Souza's collection showed the lighter sides of Obama's tenure.

The images capture Obama jumping into the surf in Hawaii while on vacation and having frozen yogurt spilled on him while working a rope line.

Michelle Obama is shown in other images participating in potato sack race with Jimmy Fallon, getting ready to deliver a commencement address at Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium and viewing her hometown of Chicago with the president from the edge of Lake Michigan.

See the full collection here.

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Roberts to Swear in Obama, Sotomayor to Swear in Biden

AP

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will be officially sworn in on a Sunday.

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With the new Congress sworn in, Washington is now turning its attention to the next leaders to take the oath of office: President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

"I will be honored to again stand on the inaugural platform and take part in this important American tradition," Obama said.

Obama will be sworn in publicly for his second term by Chief Justice John Roberts on Jan. 21, Martin Luther King Day, at the U.S. Capitol, but he will be administered the actual oath a day earlier, as per the Constitution.

Vice President Joe Biden will be sworn in — as per his personal selection — by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, whom he called "a friend" by whom it would be "an incredible honor" to be given the oath.

Sotomayor will become the first Hispanic judge, and only the fourth woman, ever to have administered an oath of office.

The unusual practice of having separate official and ceremonial swearing-in ceremonies is taking place this year because Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, falls on a Sunday, when courts and other public institutions are closed.

As in years past, the Obama and Biden families called on Americans to participate in a National Day of Service Saturday, Jan. 19, in the run-up to the inauguration — this year in honor of Martin Luther King, given the ceremony's coinciding this year with the holiday that honors his birth.

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Intruder Touches Girls in Cockrell Hill: Father

Mark Schnyder, NBC 5

Cockrell Hill police investigate at the apartment along the 500 block of Andrews Avenue.

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The father of two girls says a man broke into the family's Cockrell Hill apartment early Friday morning and touched his daughters.

The father told police and reporters that his daughters were watching TV in the front room, where they had been sleeping on a mattress, when a man entered the residence through a back window at about 5:15 a.m. Friday.

The girls said the man told them he was a friend of the family and offered to take them to the store to get candy. At some point the man began touching the girls over the clothing, and one of the girls called out to her father.

As the father came into the room, the man exited the front door.  The father chased after the man but was unable to catch him. The father said it was dark and all happened very fast and that he didn't get a very good look at the man, though he did provide police with a partial description.

Police said the girls, ages 9 and 5, were taken to an area hospital for an evaluation.  Neither were injured. Police said the man was inside the home for about 10 minutes before he was chased out.

Cockrell Hill police are investigating and continue searching the area near the family's apartment along the 500 block of Andrews Avenue.  Police recovered a grey and black hoodie the man was wearing.

NBC 5's Mark Schnyder contributed to this report.  

It was initially believed that the girls were sleeping at the the time the man entered the apartment, that was not the case. We regret the error.

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