Love letters spark apartment fire

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — It seems this love was too hot to handle.

Police in Lincoln say a 19-year-old woman sparked an apartment fire Monday by burning love letters from her ex in her bedroom.

Police say the woman used a butane torch to burn the letters and left some of them of the floor. She then went to another room to take a nap. Police say she awoke a short time later to find the carpet on fire.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire within minutes. Officials say the fire caused an estimated $4,000 in damage to the building. No one was injured.

The woman was cited for negligent burning.

74-year-old among shooters

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A 74-year-old woman and a 15-year-old boy are among three people who allegedly took turns shooting a man to death inside a New Jersey laundromat.

Mercer County prosecutors say 74-year-old Eudean McMillan, 37-year-old Darryl Parker and the 15-year-old have been charged in the slaying of 21-year-old Geovahnie FanFan in Trenton on Monday.

Authorities say the confrontation began after a group of people attacked Parker near the laundromat.

They say surveillance footage shows McMillan, known as “Mama Dean,” leaving the laundromat before the beating. She then returned with a handgun she used to shoot at attackers.

Parker and the 15-year-old then allegedly took turns firing at FanFan before all three fled the scene.

A 16-year-old boy was also injured.

It’s unknown if any of the suspects has retained an attorney.

2024 moon landing in doubt

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A top NASA manager cast doubt Wednesday on the space agency’s ability to land astronauts on the moon by 2024.

Kenneth Bowersox, acting associate administrator for human exploration and operations, told a congressional subcommittee that NASA is doing its best to meet the White House-imposed deadline. But he noted: “I wouldn’t bet my oldest child’s upcoming birthday present or anything like that.”

Bowersox — a former space shuttle and space station commander — said it’s good for NASA to have “that aggressive goal.” Many things need to come together, like funding and technical challenges, he said, for 2024 to stand a chance.

“What’s important is that we launch when we’re ready, that we have a successful mission when it launches, and I’m not going to sit here and tell you that just arbitrarily we’re going to make it,” he said in response to questioning by U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Florida. “There’s a lot of risk in making the date, but we want to try to do it.”

The Trump administration urged NASA in March to accelerate its latest moon-landing plans by four years to 2024. The request came a few months ahead of the 50th anniversary of the first lunar footsteps by Apollo 11’s Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.