by Compiled by Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports 3 dead, 1 hurt in Tesla Cybertruck crash Three people were killed and another person was hospitalized Wednesday after a Tesla Cybertruck crashed in Piedmont, Calif., according to authorities. Piedmont Police Chief Jeremy Bowers said dispatchers got an iPhone alert around 3:08 a.m. from a passenger in the Cybertruck. The vehicle was engulfed in flames by the time police officers arrived at the intersection, according to Bowers. "This is just a tragic loss of life," Bowers said. "We don't know the cause of the collision and during the holiday season, our hearts go out to the families that are going to have to deal with this tragedy." There were four people inside the Tesla during the crash; another driver got out of his vehicle and managed to pull one of the people out of the Tesla, Bowers said. Three people were killed and another was hospitalized in stable condition, authorities said. The identities of the three killed haven't been released to the public. Piedmont Police Captain Chris Monahan said the Tesla "jumped the curb, struck a cement wall, and then wedged in between the wall and a tree." HIV-positive organ donation rule OK'd People with HIV who need a kidney or liver transplant will be able to receive an organ from a donor with HIV under a new rule announced Tuesday by U.S. health officials. Previously, such transplants could be done only as part of research studies. The new rule, which took effect Wednesday, is expected to shorten the wait for organs for all, regardless of HIV status, by increasing the pool of available organs. "This rule removes unnecessary barriers to kidney and liver transplants, expanding the organ donor pool and improving outcomes for transplant recipients with HIV," said U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra in a statement. The safety of the practice is supported by research, including a study published last month in the New England Journal of Medicine. That study followed 198 organ recipients for up to four years, comparing those who received kidneys from HIV-positive donors to those whose kidneys came from donors without HIV. Both groups had similar high rates of overall survival and low rates of organ rejection. All told, 500 transplants of kidneys and livers from HIV-positive donors have been done in the U.S. NYC pastor, committee under inquiry NEW YORK -- Federal authorities, as part of a corruption investigation, are examining a New York City pastor and a political action committee he formed to support Mayor Eric Adams' agenda, according to people with knowledge of the inquiry. The precise scope of the investigation is unclear, but federal prosecutors in Brooklyn and the FBI are focused at least in part on the conduct of the Rev. Alfred Cockfield II and the finances of his political action committee, Striving for a Better New York, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Two weeks ago, the people said, FBI agents searched the Far Rockaway home of Cockfield, who formed the committee three years ago to support Adams' agenda. Cockfield did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for Adams' criminal defense lawyer also declined to comment. One person with knowledge of the federal investigation involving Cockfield's committee said the inquiry was also linked to Weihong Hu, a hotel developer with close ties to Adams and Cockfield. The pastor has worked as a consultant for Hu, according to a report in nonprofit news organization The City. Hu did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Hu, Cockfield and his committee have not been accused of wrongdoing, and it is unclear whether the investigation will result in any charges. Spokespeople for the FBI and for the office of the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, declined to comment. Potential auroras to be seen across US NEW YORK -- This Thanksgiving, solar storms may produce faint auroras across the northern rim of the United States. Pale auroras may be seen across many northern states Thursday and Friday, but they may be brief and and seeing them will depend on how intense the solar storms get, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration meteorologist Mike Bettwy said in an email. Much of the following states are best positioned for potential auroras: Washington, Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Maine. Northern parts of Idaho, Wyoming, New York, Vermont and New Hampshire may also see auroras. Space weather experts say auroras could be visible from 9 p.m. Thursday to midnight Friday, though it's difficult to pin down an exact window. The sun is at the maximum phase of its 11-year cycle, making solar surges and northern lights more frequent. The active period is expected to last for at least another year, according to NASA and NOAA. Experts don't expect major communication disruptions from this week's solar storm. Advertisement Copyright © 2024, Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC. All rights reserved. This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC. Material from the Associated Press is Copyright © 2024, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. 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