The Associated Press

Happening Today: Parkland, Leicester, Pyeongchang, Weinstein Co.

What to Know

  • Sheriff Scott Israel announced he will fully cooperate with an investigation into how deputies responded to the Parkland school shooting
  • Police say four people have died in an explosion that collapsed a building in the English city of Leicester
  • The Weinstein Co.'s board of directors says it is expected to file for bankruptcy protection after last-ditch talks to sell assets collapsed

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4 Dead, 4 in Hospital After Explosion in English City, Authorities Say

Police say four people have died in an explosion that collapsed a building in the English city of Leicester. Officials said another four people are hospitalized and more people may be missing. A search and rescue operation is continuing. Superintendent Shane O'Neill of Leicestershire Police says the building where the incident happened consisted of a shop and a two-story apartment above it. The building collapsed after the explosion and was engulfed in flames. Police declared a major incident and evacuated neighbors as a precaution. The cause has not yet been established. Police say it does not appear to be related to terrorism. Leicester is 110 miles north of London.

Sheriff Responds to Florida Governor's Call for Investigation

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel announced he will fully cooperate with an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement into how his deputies responded to the Parkland school shooting that left 17 people dead. In an exclusive interview with NBC 6, Israel also said he will not step down as sheriff, despite a call by 73 Republican Florida lawmakers demanding that he be removed from office. The lawmakers made their demand in a letter to Gov. Rick Scott. “Leaders are responsible for the agency, but leaders are not responsible for a person,” said Israel. “I gave him a gun. I gave him a badge. I gave him the training. If he didn’t have the heart to go in, that’s not my responsibility.” In the interview, Israel chose not to focus on reports claiming that three other Broward County Sheriff’s deputies, in addition to the school’s resource officer, did not go inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when shots rang out. Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran shared a letter with 73 house republican signatures, calling for Gov. Rick Scott to remove Israel from office.

Goodbye: Pyeongchang Breathes, Bids Olympics Farewell

From volunteers to support staff to the joint Korea women's hockey team, people from many cultures bid farewell to each other and to the 2018 Winter Olympics as a swath of the eastern Korean Peninsula readied itself for something novel: relative normalcy. Seven years after a successful Olympic bid that changed its people and its landscape forever, Pyeongchang exhaled. "Farewell! Bye bye! Gamsahamnida!" volunteers using the Korean word for "thank you" shouted to departing buses in Gangneung, the coastal city near Pyeongchang where many events were held. Workers yanked down paper signs by the hundreds and busloads of Olympians, journalists and support workers rolled toward train stations and highways Monday in the aftermath of a Winter Games that was as political as it was athletic. International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach echoed that sentiment in the closing ceremony Sunday night, saying that the centerpiece political event of the games — a joint Koreas team marching together and, in some cases, competing together was a beacon for a troubled world.

Weinstein Co. Expected to File Bankruptcy After Talks Fail

The Weinstein Co.'s board of directors says the company is expected to file for bankruptcy protection after last-ditch talks to sell its assets collapsed. Now-disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein co-founded the company in 2005. He was fired last October after being accused of sexual assault and harassment by dozens of women. Weinstein Co. has been searching for a financial savior ever since. Weinstein has denied all allegations. The Los Angeles Times reports the board said it has no choice but to pursue bankruptcy. The decision came after the board was unable to revive a deal to sell the struggling studio for about $500 million to an investor group. As part of the pact, the bidders had promised to raise at least $40 million for a fund to compensate Weinstein's accusers.

Oprah Winfrey Praises Florida School Shooting Survivors

Oprah Winfrey has nothing but praise for the Florida school shooting survivors who have channeled angst into activism, calling them "warriors of the light" and comparing them to civil rights pioneers. In an interview with The Associated Press, Winfrey drew parallels between the teens and the Freedom Riders of the 1960s, who rode buses into southern states in protest of racial segregation. Winfrey called the Parkland students' protests for gun control "a proud moment.” "It's an evolving moment for our country. The same thing happened, as you know, back in the '50s and '60s for the civil rights movement," Winfrey said. Winfrey spoke while promoting the upcoming film "A Wrinkle in Time," directed by Ava DuVernay and featuring her, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling. The film is adapted from Madeleine L'Engle's science-fiction fantasy novel. The former talk show host last week matched a $500,000 donation by George and Amal Clooney to the students' planned marches, including one on March 24 in Washington, D.C. The Valentine’s Day mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 people dead has sparked calls for walkouts, sit-ins and other actions on school campuses across the U.S.

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