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The Routt County Coroner's Office identified the victims as Aaron Stokes, 47, his son Jakson Stokes, 21, and nephew Colin Stokes, 21, and Austin Huskey, 37, all from Middle Tennessee.

TheFederal Aviation Administration(FAA) reported the plane crashed during the early morning hours of Feb. 13 near Steamboat Springs, a ski town in the state's northern region about 155 miles northwest of Denver.

Maine plane crash:All 6 people killed in Maine private jet crash now identified

Cleanup continued at the industrial site near the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport where a UPS plane crashed into in November on Jan. 13, 2026, in Louisville, Ky. In a February 2011 letter to airlines, Boeing noted failures with parts of the pylon, a structural component that connects the engine, during four incidents on three MD-11 airplanes, which is the same model of the UPS plane that crashed Nov. 4. After takeoff, the pylon and left engine UPS Flight 2976 detached from the wing, resulting in a catastrophic crash that killed 15 people, including the three crew members aboard the plane.

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Cleanup continues at site of deadly UPS Flight 2976 crash in Louisville

Cleanup continued at the industrial site near the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airportwhere a UPS plane crashed into in Novemberon Jan. 13, 2026, in Louisville, Ky. In a February 2011 letter to airlines,Boeingnoted failures with parts of the pylon, a structural component that connects the engine, during four incidents on three MD-11 airplanes, which is the same model of the UPS plane that crashed Nov. 4. After takeoff,the pylon and left engine UPS Flight 2976 detached from the wing, resulting in acatastrophic crash that killed 15 people, including the three crew members aboard the plane.

According to a preliminary FAA report, the single-engine Epic Aircraft E1000 crashed under unknown circumstances near Emerald Mountain. Online flight tracking shows the plane took off from the Kansas City Downtown Airport just after 10 p.m., for Bob Adams Airport before it crashed southeast of the city-owned airport.

The plane, manufactured in 2024, was registered to ALS Aviation LCC in Franklin, Tenn.

Plane crash Steamboat Springs

Aaron Stokeslived in Franklin according to information from his obituary,The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.

Franklin is city in Williamson County, about 20 miles south of downtown Nashville.

According to hisLinkedIn page, he founded Shop Fix Academy, owned and operated five auto repair shops and hosted a radio show "Fixin' Cars with Aaron Stokes" on 99.7 WTN.

In a post on Facebook, Annie Stokes called her brother "a great leader and coach and businessman."

"The loss has deeply impacted his family, the Shop Fix Academy team, and the broader automotive community," the company released in a statement onFacebook. "Stokes helped thousands of auto repair shop owners, and countless other business leaders, achieve meaningful growth in their businesses and leadership... His legacy extends far beyond financial performance."

USA TODAY has reached out to the victims' families.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Huskey Building Supply (@huskeybuildingsupply)

Husky, his company, confirmed was the CEO of Husky Building Supply, also located in Franklin.

In a separate post onInstagram, Huskey Building Supply released this statement: "With heavy hearts, we grieve the unexpected passing of our CEO, Austin Huskey. Austin was a fearless leader, a gracious man, a devoted father and husband, and a faithful follower of Christ."

The National Transportation Safety Boardposted on Xit was investigating the cause of the crash.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:4 killed in Colorado plane crash in Steamboat Springs

NEED TO KNOW

• Authorities responded to a fire on Feb. 14 in Oak Meadow Circle outside of Sandersville in Georgia, the Washington County Sheriff's Office said

• The victims have been identified as Christian Jackson, 7, and his sister Maliyah Russell, 4, officials said.

• An investigation into the blaze remains active, Sheriff Joel Cochran tells PEOPLE
  

Two young siblings died in a fire at their family's Georgia home on Valentine's Day, authorities said.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office said authorities responded to a fire around 4:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, Feb. 14, in Oak Meadow Circle outside of Sandersville, CBS affiliateWMAZ, ABC affiliateWSBandThe Union-Recorderreported.

In an email to PEOPLE on Monday, Feb. 16, Washington County Sheriff Joel Cochran identified the victims as 7-year-old Christian Jackson and his 4-year-old sister Maliyah Russell. He confirmed that the case remains active.

"The Georgia Fire Marshals Office has been called to aid the Sheriffs Office in the investigation," Cochran also wrote in a SaturdayFacebook post. "Please join me in praying for this family, our first responders, and our community this morning and in the days ahead."

Little People's Paradise Daycare Centeralso confirmed the Christian and Maliyah's deaths in a separate post on social media Saturday.

Courtesy of Sheriff Joel Cochran

"It is with heavy hearts that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of two of our precious students, Christian Jackson and Maliyah Russell," the daycare said.

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"Our entire daycare family is grieving alongside their loved ones during this unimaginable time. Christian and Maliyah brought so much light, laughter, and joy into our classrooms," the center added. "Their smiles, sweet spirits, and beautiful energy will forever be a part of our center and will always be remembered and cherished."

"We ask that you keep their families, friends, classmates, and our staff in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate this profound loss together. We are providing love, support, and age-appropriate guidance to our children and team as we process this with compassion and care," the Little People's Paradise Daycare Center concluded.

TheWashington County Public School Districtalso offered a statement on Saturday about the tragedy, sharing that Christian was a second-grader at Ridge Road Primary School in Sandersville.

"Christian was known at RRPS for being extremely smart with a smile that always lit up the room," wrote schools superintendent Timothy May. "Our hearts are heavy for family, friends, teachers, classmates and our WACO Community."

Tyra Stephens, a friend and cousin of Christian and Maliyah's mother, toldWMAZthat she is in shock over their deaths.

"Feels like I'm inTheTwilight Zone,"she added. "I don't think it's really hit me 100% that I'm not gonna see Chris and Leah. It just doesn't feel real."

Read the original article onPeople

A federal judge Monday ruled that the Trump administration wrongly removed slavery memorial panels that were placed at a historical Philadelphia site in 2002. The decision came after the Black activists who pushed the city to place the panels again organized in support of their presence last month.

The National Park Service removed several panels from the President's House in Philadelphia, citinga March 2025 executive orderby President Donald Trump to prohibit exhibitions or programs at federal sites based on race. President's House features exhibits about George Washington and among the 34 historical panels, 13 were created after a group of activists lobbied the city and the park service to include information about the nine men, women and children who were enslaved by Washington there.

U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe granted a preliminary injunction on Monday requiring the return of the panels, pending further litigation.

"We battled for eight solid years the grand opening of the first slavery memorial of its kind on federal property in the history of the United States of America," attorney and activist Michael Coard told NBC News before the judge's ruling. "What started me to do this was anger and rage and outrage."

The movement began in 2002 when the park service and the city of Philadelphia announced the Liberty Bell would move from a pavilionfacing Independence Hallto 6th Street and Market Street, the same location of George Washington's executive residence where he enslaved at leastnine people, including children.

Coard hosted a radio show on WHAT, during which he told listeners that the site was planned without a clear acknowledgment about the enslavement that took place there. It spurred the Avenging The Ancestors Coalition, which protested and raised funds — along with the city government — to pay for panels at the site.

The memorial opened Dec. 15, 2010.

Coard said his organization anticipated what was in store after the executive orders Trump signed upon returning to office last year. The panels were unceremoniously taken down a few weeks ago on Jan. 22.

"The common denominator of the 13 was that they highlighted the horror of slavery," Coard said of the panels. "Not just what we all know — a loss of freedom — but the beatings, the whippings, the rapes, the sodomy."

A spokesperson for the Interior Department, which oversees the park service, said "all federal agencies are to review interpretive materials to ensure accuracy, honesty, and alignment with shared national values." White House spokesman Davis Ingle said Trump "is ensuring that we are honoring the fullness of the American story instead of distorting it in the name of left-wing ideology."

Last week, more than 200 activists, residents and supporters protested the panels' recent removal.

The rally attracted people across political ideologies and ethnicities, said Gerry James, 36, who traveled to the event from Frankfort, Kentucky. James is the deputy director of the Sierra Club's Outdoors for All campaign, which is working with Avenging The Ancestors Coalition.

He said his parents often took him and his siblings to libraries and cultural tours to learn more about Black history, aside from the limited information that was present in his textbooks.

"It's just a lot of support for this issue of preserving Black history and preserving Black history as American history," James said.

Supporters pushed back against the administration's moves toward downplaying "our complex national history," specifically when it comes to Black American history.

Mijuel Johnson, a steering committee member of the coalition who also spoke at the rally, said the panels "are not just panels" but serve as a national memorial: "The very fact that this is a memorial to the enslaved people of the United States," and one of the first of its kind on federal property in the United States, he said, "is significant."

Coard's group — headed by University of Pennsylvania law professor Cara McClellan and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund — joined the city'slawsuitagainst the park service's acting director and the Interior Department.

"One, we're demanding restoration — put the 34 interpretive panels back where they were," Coard said before the ruling. "Two, we're demanding enhancement, which means to expand this President's House slave memorial site. And number three, we're seeking replication. We know that Black people have contributed mightily in every state in the country and maybe even every city in the country, so we want something like this on any federal property throughout the United States where Black folks were enslaved."

He and other activists are optimistic about the future of the site.

"We are passionate about this," Coard said, "and we're going to win this fight."

The cormorant, a shiny black waterbird, had a triple fishing hook stuck in its beak when it made its presence known at the glass door of the Klinikum Links der Weser hospital in the northern city of Bremen on Sunday.

In a joint effort, medical staff and firefighters removed the fishhook and treated the wound, the Bremen firefighter department said in a statement. The bird was later released back into nature on the grounds of the hospital park.

"When an injured cormorant does approach humans, it is usually an animal in extreme distress that has lost its natural shyness," the statement said.

A cormorant is a large bird with a long neck, wedge-shaped head and a distinctive sharp beak with a hooked tip. A fishhook in the bird's beak would be extremely dangerous for the animal. Infections, pain and even starvation are possible, the firefighter department said.

Dr. Aasim Yusuf made the remarks in a video message posted on X a day after a panel ofeye specialists examined Khan at Adiala prison, in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, following an order from Pakistan's Supreme Court.

Yusuf said prison doctors briefed him by phone Sunday about an "improvement" in Khan's eye condition and the treatment he has received since late January whenKhan underwent a procedure at a hospitalin Islamabad after complaining of partial vision loss.

Yusuf said he would have been "extremely happy" if he could verify the reported improvement.

"Unfortunately, because I have not seen him myself and have not been able to participate in his care or speak with him, I am unable to either confirm or deny the veracity of what we have been told," he said.

He also called for any further treatment to be carried out at a hospital in Islamabad.

Cabinet minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry wrote on X on Monday that a detailed medical examination of Khan was conducted inside the Adiala prison and the doctors found that the eyesight of Khan had improved and "no major complications have emerged."

Concern about Khan's eyesight surfaced when the government said he had undergone a brief eye procedure. It prompted the Supreme Court to direct Khan's lawyer, Salman Safdar, to meet him in prison.

Safdar later told the court that Khan had lost about 85% of vision in his right eye, alarming supporters in his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, who have staged protests in Islamabad and other cities demanding Khan's transfer to a hospital. Some PTI lawmakers and allies have also held a sit-in outside parliament since last week.

Khan, 73, has been held at prison since 2023following a conviction in a graft case.He was removed from office in April 2022through a parliamentary no-confidence vote.

Khan alleges his ouster resulted from a U.S.-backed conspiracy involving political rivals and the military — claims denied by Washington, Pakistan's military and political opponents, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who replaced Khan.

Despite his legal challenges, Khan remains a central political figure with a strong support base.

EU Iran Talks

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and said he would also meet with Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi of Oman, which is hosting the U.S.-Iran talks in Geneva on Tuesday.

"I am in Geneva with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal," Araghchi wrote on X. "What is not on the table: submission before threats."

As U.S. President Donald Trump ordered an additional aircraft carrier to the region, Iran on Monday launched a second naval drill in weeks, state TV reported. It said the drill would test Iran's intelligence and operational capabilities in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

Iran's drills take place against the US military buildup

Just before the talks, Iran announced its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard started the drill early Monday morning in the waterways that arecrucial international trade routesthrough which20% of the world's oil passes.

Separately, EOS Risk Group said sailors passing through the region received by radio a warning that the northern lane of the Strait of Hormuz, in Iranian territorial waters, likely would see a live-fire drill Tuesday. Iranian state TV did not mention the live fire drill.

This is the second time in recent weeks sailors have received warning about an Iranian live fire drill. During the previous exercise, announced at the end of January, the U.S. military's Central Command issued a strongly worded warning to Iran and the Revolutionary Guard. While acknowledging Iran's "right to operate professionally in international airspace and waters," it warned against interfering or threatening American warships or passing commercial vessels.

On Feb. 4,tensions between the Iranian and U.S. naviesrose further after a U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that was approachingthe aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincolnin the Arabian Sea. Iran also harassed a U.S.-flagged and U.S.-crewed merchant vessel that was sailing in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. military reported.

Iran open to compromise in exchange for sanctions relief

On Sunday, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi signaled that Tehran could be open to compromise on the nuclear issue, but is looking for an easing of international sanctions led by the United States.

"The ball is in America's court. They have to prove they want to have a deal with us," Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC. "If we see a sincerity on their part, I am sure that we will be on a road to have an agreement."

"We are ready to discuss this and other issues related to our program provided that they are also ready to talk about the sanctions," he added.

Oman hosted a first round ofindirect talksbetween the U.S. and Iran on Feb. 6.

Similar talks last year between the U.S. and Iran about Iran's nuclear program broke down after Israel launched what became a12-day war on Iran, that included theU.S. bombing Iranian nuclear sites.

TheU.S. is also hosting talksbetween envoys from Russia and Ukrainein Geneva on Tuesday and Wednesday, days ahead of the fourth anniversary of theall-out Russian invasion of its neighbor.

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US keeps military pressure high

Trump initially threatened to take military action overIran's bloody crackdown on nationwide protestslast month, but then shifted to a pressure campaign in recent weeks to try to get Tehran to makea deal over its nuclear program.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, visiting Budapest, reiterated on Monday that the U.S. hopes to achieve a deal with Iran, despite the difficulties. "I'm not going to prejudge these talks," Rubio said. "The president always prefers peaceful outcomes and negotiated outcomes to things."

Trump said Friday the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, was being sent from the Caribbean to the Mideast to joinother military assetsthe U.S. has built up in the region. He also said a change in power in Iran "would be the best thing that could happen."

Iran has said if the U.S. attacks, it will respond with an attack of its own.

The Trump administration has maintained that Iran can have no uranium enrichment under any deal. Tehran says it won't agree to that.

Iran has insisted its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. However, its officialsincreasingly threaten to pursue a nuclear weapon. Before the June war, Iran had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels.

The direct meeting with Grossi is a significant step after Iransuspended all cooperation with the IAEAfollowing the June war with Israel. The two also met briefly on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in September. The IAEA saidit has been unable to verify the statusof Iran's near weapons-grade uranium stockpile since the war. Iran has allowed IAEA some access to sites that were not damaged, but has not allowed inspectors to visit other sites.

Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% could allow Iran to build as many as 10 nuclear bombs, should it decide to weaponize its program,Grossi previously told The Associated Press.He added that it doesn't mean that Iran has such a weapon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rushed to Washington last week to urge Trump to ensure that any deal to include steps to neutralizeIran's ballistic missile programand end its funding for proxy groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Liechtenstein reported from Vienna. Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Matthew Lee in Budapest, Hungary contributed to this report.

The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage fromthe Carnegie Corporation of New YorkandOutrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Additional AP coverage of the nuclear landscape:https://apnews.com/projects/the-new-nuclear-landscape/

NASCAR Daytona 500 Auto Racing

NASCAR's most popular driver,Elliottneeded a moment to collect his thoughts outside the No. 9 Chevrolet. Fireworks exploded behind Elliott for race winner Tyler Reddick. Elliott could only think of how close that celebration — and the victorious pool hall siren in Dawsonville, Georgia, being sounded— was to being for him.

"We were leading the Daytona 500 off (turn) four coming to the checkered flag," Elliott said, "and didn't win."

About the only Daytona 500 victory that could have beenmore popular than an Elliottwinning the race would have been a checkered flag for team owner Michael Jordan. Jordan co-owns 23XI Racing and certainly his team's victory infused NASCAR with splashy headlines and needed buzz coming out of the sport's version of the Super Bowl when Reddick emerged from the wreck Sunday to top Elliott.

"He had a great shot at it coming off four," Hendrick Motorsports teammateWilliam Byronsaid. "It's a bummer for sure."

The Daytona 500 feels like one big bummer for Elliott.

Elliott, the 2020 NASCAR champion, won a qualifying race for the third time in his career leading into the race. He has started from the pole twice in his career.

Again, early Daytona success meant nothing on race day: Elliott finished fourth and fell to 0 for 11 at the Daytona 500.

"I'm not the type of person that ever lets myself get there in the first place," Elliott said. "I knew it wasn't over. That's part of this style of racing."

Elliott joins a long list of hard-luck losers at Daytona, including Fireball Roberts (1961), Donnie Allison (1979) and Mark Martin (2007). In 1990, Dale Earnhardt cut a tire less than mile from the finish line, allowing Derrike Cope to steal one.

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Elliott had control on the final lap after leader Carson Hocevar was spun off the track and it appeared he would finally win his first Daytona 500. Elliott instead was clipped by Riley Herbst, and the nose of the Chevy tagged the wall. Elliott, who finished as runner-up in 2021, crashed and Reddick sailed past to take Jordan to the Daytona International Speedway victory lane.

"I just felt like Tyler was coming so quick," Elliott said. "I kind of blocked one direction. He went the other way."

Jeff Gordon, the three-time Daytona 500 champion who now serves as an executive at Hendrick, stood atop the pit box and seemingly tried to push Elliott to victory lane. He rocked back in his seat and threw his hands on his headset once the crash erupted and marred Elliott's race.

Elliott, the 30-year-oldson of Hall of Fame driverand two-time Daytona 500 champion Bill Elliott, found little consolation in having a great shot at the end at winning.

"You can run it through your mind 1,000 times, do you do something different," Elliott said. "I feel like if I had thrown a double block on (Reddick), probably would have just crashed us at that point in time. I felt like you had to pick your battles. I thought maybe if somebody would pick me up on the top, you might have one more run to the line but unfortunately ended up getting turned around."

Elliott, who has 21 career Cup wins, has yet to win NASCAR's biggest prize. Even though Elliott doesn't have a win in the Daytona 500, he has shown promise. He has finished inside the top 20 seven of the last eight years, including a second place showing in 2021.

The losing streak goes on — even as confidence remains high he'll join his dad one day in the select group of Daytona 500 champions.

"I think you have to trust in that a little bit; keep your head down, stay working, and if there's a day and a time for us, then there is," Elliott said. "We'll enjoy that moment if it ever comes."

AP auto racing:https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing