Authorities looking into the deadly avalanche in California's Sierra Nevada will investigate whether criminal negligence played a role in the tragedy. A sheriff's office leading one of several investigations said Friday that it couldn't share more details, saying it is an open investigation. A California state agency that regulates workplace safety also is investigating Tuesday's avalanche that killed eight. One other person remains missing and is presumed dead. Among the questions being considered is why the tour company that organized the backcountry ski trip moved forward in the face of a powerful storm. Crews are hoping to make progress Friday in their efforts to recover the victims.
Hundreds of Europeans touring the American West and adventurers from around the U.S. are still being drawn to Death Valley National Park, even though the desolate region known as one of the Earth's hottest places is being punished by a dangerous heat wave blamed for a motorcyclist's death over the weekend. Much of the country is sweltering in heat wave that has seen dozens of locations in the West and Pacific Northwest tie or break previous heat records. Record daily high temperatures in Oregon are suspected in four deaths reported in the Portland area.
