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Helicopter crashes in Arizona mountains, killing 4 people aboard

A private helicopter crashed Friday in a mountainous area of Arizona, killing all four people aboard, officials said.

Those killed were the 59-year-old pilot, two 21-year-old women and a 22-year-old woman, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office said in a post on the social platform X. Their names have not been released.

The crash took place around 11 a.m. near Telegraph Canyon, about 64 miles (103 kilometers) east of Phoenix, the sheriff’s office said. It may have been caused when the helicopter hit a “recreational slackline” that was more than half a mile (more than a kilometer) long and strung across the mountains, the office said.

“An eyewitness who called 911 reported seeing the helicopter strike a portion of the line before falling to the bottom of the canyon,” the sheriff’s office said.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

The helicopter had taken off from an airport in the town of Queen Creek, about 29 miles (47 kilometers) west of the canyon. It took crews several hours to travel by foot to the remote area where the helicopter crashed.

Flights were temporarily restricted over the area due to safety reasons, according to the sheriff’s office.

“Our prayers are with the victims and their families,” the sheriff’s office said.

Massachusetts court hears arguments in lawsuit alleging Meta designed apps to be addictive to kids

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts' highest court heard oral arguments Friday in the state's lawsuit arguing that Meta designed features on Facebook and Instagram to make them addictive to young users. The lawsuit, filed in 2023 by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, alleges that Meta did this to make a profit and that its actions affected hundreds of thousands of teenagers in Massachusetts who use the social media platforms. “We are making claims based only on the tools that Meta has developed because its own research shows they encourage addiction to the platform in a variety of ways,” said State Solicitor David Kravitz, adding that the state's claim has nothing to do the company's algorithms or failure to moderate content. Meta said Friday that it strongly disagrees with the allegations and is “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.” Its attorney, Mark Mosier, argued in court that the lawsuit “would impose liabilities for performing traditional publishing functions” and that its actions are protected by the First Amendment.
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