Here is a news article: By Jonathan Beale

 Defence correspondent, BBC News

 Fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a United Airlines flight RAF Typhoon fighter jets have been scrambled twice this month amid fears of possible terror threats in UK airspace, the BBC has learned. One week ago - on 22 March - the RAF was alerted to a conversation overheard on the airwaves, believed to have come from a plane travelling through UK airspace. It included the words "ransom" and "hostage". Soon afterward a Delta Airlines plane - on its way from the US to Frankfurt - made what is described as an "unusual request" to descend just as it was flying south of Reading. Within minutes, two Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire. The fighters circled over Kent as the civilian flight, which had raised concerns, cleared UK airspace. It was, thankfully, a false alarm. It is the latest incident to trigger counter-terrorism measures - first introduced after the attacks on 11 September 2001. Difficult decision On average the alarm is raised every month - perhaps no surprise given that there are three million flights through UK airspace every year. Whenever an alert is issued, Downing Street is immediately informed. One of a small group of senior ministers is kept abreast of developments. In this case, he or she would have been woken up in the middle of the night. Ultimately the minister would make the difficult decision to intervene or, if all else fails, to shoot an aircraft down. Tornado F3 fighters intercepted a Russian Blackjack bomber So far it has not come to that, but the procedures are in place. Typhoon jets were also launched from RAF Coningsby on 2 March, in another incident which has already been reported. They went to "assist" an American Airlines flight travelling from Dallas/Fort Worth to London. It followed reports that a passenger had tried to enter the flight deck. In this case, a female passenger had become distressed during the flight, but the flight crew had managed to calm her down. But the speed of the interception by the RAF Typhoons gives a sense of how seriously these incidents are taken. We are not allowed to report precisely how soon the fighters were at the scene, but again it took a matter of minutes to intercept the American Airlines flight. Cuts 'inevitable' Counter-terrorism operations are not the only thing keeping the RAF busy. Fighter crews have been scrambled more than 10 times in the past year to intercept Russian aircraft approaching UK airspace. Most recently two Tornado F3 fighters were launched from RAF Leuchars in Fife in the early hours of 10 March to intercept a "zombie" - or unknown aircraft. Within minutes the lead Tornado identified and photographed two Russian Tu-160 "Blackjack" strategic bombers. The RAF say such incidents are relatively frequent as the Russians carry out routine patrols over the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, though no Russian planes have ever entered UK airspace. It is perhaps no coincidence the RAF has made public these recent incidents. They are a reminder of the work the air force carries out to defend the homeland at a time when serious questions are being asked about the overall cost of the UK's defence budget. There will be a Strategic Defence Review after the general election that will decide the future shape of the armed forces. Cuts are inevitable. The RAF, like the Royal Navy and the Army are engaged in their own PR battle to ensure they will not end up bearing the brunt of the costs.

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 StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version ||||| RAF jets have been scrambled twice this month in response to terrorist alerts on passenger airliners flying over Britain, defence sources have revealed.

 Eurofighter Typhoons took off from the quick reaction alert base at Coningsby in Lincolnshire – one of two such bases in the UK – minutes after warnings of suspected attempts to hijack American airliners.

 Procedures were triggered that could ultimately lead to a decision to destroy the aircraft, to avoid mass casualties. That decision would be taken "at the highest levels of government", officials say. Though a decision would be taken by the prime minister, if he could not be contacted or was incapacitated, it would be taken by two other designated members of the cabinet, believed to be the home secretary and the transport secretary.

 Last Monday British air traffic control picked up the words "hostage" and "ransom" from a United Airlines plane bound for Frankfurt in Germany. The plane suddenly dropped height south of Reading in Berkshire and a request for the airliner's auxiliary power unit to be activated – a very unusual occurrence – was heard.

 The Typhoons from Coningsby approached the airliner over Manston airfield in Thanet, east Kent, a matter of minutes – the exact time is classified – after the alert was first sounded, according to officials familiar with the incident.

 In the other incident earlier this month, on 2 March, the crew of an American Airlines plane put out an alert, picked up by the air defence control and reporting centre at Boulmer in Northumberland, warning that somebody was trying to get into the cockpit.

 Pilots of the Typhoons at Coningsby and RAF Tornado F3 fighters at Leuchars in Fife – the UK's other quick reaction alert base – were immediately briefed and ordered to intercept the airliner. The Tornados were soon stood down but the Typhoons flew on until they were close enough to identify the airliner, whose exact position had been unclear. Armed police from Scotland Yard's counterterrorism command were alerted, as was No 10.

 The airliner's crew soon radioed that the incident was not a credible attempt to hijack the plane and the passenger was under control and under guard.

 Both incidents were false alarms. However, they show how emergency procedures, set up after the 9/11 attacks on the US, and refined in 2007, are activated.

 Alerts are picked up by radar stations at Boulmer and Scampton in Lincolnshire. They are then passed to the RAF's national air and space operations centre in High Wycombe. From there, 10 Downing Street is alerted, where officials are ready to warn the prime minister that he may have order an RAF pilot to shoot down a civilian airliner. It is potentially one of the most difficult decisions of a prime minister's tenure, perhaps second only to ordering the commander of a Trident submarine to launch a nuclear missile.

 There is a terrorism alert involving civil airliners in British airspace about once a month – out of some three million which cross it every year – officials say. Under interrogation at Guantánamo Bay and secret prisons, terrorist suspects have claimed al-Qaida planned to attack Canary Wharf in London's docklands and other UK targets.

 Government officials are wary of discussing details of the emergency procedures, saying that the exact time it has taken an RAF jet to reach airliners and what maneouvres the pilot takes up are classified. |||||
A summary of this is?

– Britain's Royal Air Force has scrambled fighter jets twice this month after receiving warnings of possible attempts to hijack American passenger jets, defense sources say. Both incidents proved to be false alarms but they have put fresh focus on Britain's post 9/11 counterterrorism procedures for commercial aircraft, the BBC reports. The Guardian notes that PM Gordon Brown was alerted, and could have faced the decision of whether to shoot an airliner down to avoid a potential attack. In the most recent incident, fighter jets were scrambled after air traffic controllers overheard the words "hostage" and "ransom" in a conversation on a flight from the US, followed by a highly unusual request to carry out a sudden descent to test auxiliary power units. The jets followed the aircraft through UK airspace and into Belgium, where it landed. Defense officials said the matter was resolved but declined to provide further details.


Summarize this article:

Caroline Miller is the editor in chief of Newser. She can be reached at cmiller@newser.com.

 No one likes to get a mammogram. Still, it’s hard to find a woman anywhere who was pleased to hear the new ruling that women in their 40s don’t need to endure the annual indignity of baring their breasts to the radiologist after all. That’s because it’s hard to find a woman anywhere who believes that the federal panel changed its recommendation for her benefit.It’s not that the decision doesn’t make sense: It costs a lot to screen women for breast cancer in their 40s, and very few actually have it—something like 1.4%. At the same time, it produces almost 10% false positives, which cost a lot more to follow up with further imaging and biopsies.But that’s not the way it’s been presented. It’s been rolled out with a lot of rhetoric about saving women the “anxiety” of false positives, about the “risk” of false-positives outweighing the risk of breast cancer. As if these two so-called risks were in some way comparable.C’mon. We’re not that dumb. As an NPR reporter I heard put it to a doctor trying to justify it, it’s patronizing to tell women this is all about saving them from the discomfort of unnecessary biopsies.What it’s about is efficiency. As the Cancer Society’s chief medical officer put it somewhat baldly, the task force concluded that screening 1,300 women in their 50s to save one life is worth it, but that screening 1,900 women in their 40s to save one life is not. But worth it—or not worth it—to whom?To the nation’s medical system, not to the woman in her 40s with breast cancer—and they’re all over cable TV talking about it.That’s just the kind of cost-benefit calculation that’s going to be used in cutting those “unnecessary tests and procedures” everyone in Washington has been talking about, to find the money to cover 40 million uninsured people.Would it be fair to drop broad coverage of an inefficient test that might save a few Americans to extend basic care to 40 million uninsured? Probably would be. Beats the rationing we have now, which is, essentially, all the tests for the haves, and none for the have-nots.But it comes just a bit more than a week after the Democrats—in a cost-benefit calculation of their own—essentially voted to give away even private insurance coverage for abortion in order to get health reform passed. Sorry, women, your turn to sacrifice.At least we didn’t read that that was for our own good—though I do recall an argument from some group on the right that abortion should be banned to protect women from the bad feelings they might experience after undergoing one. Sheesh. ||||| Washington (CNN) -- A federal advisory board's recommendation that women in their 40s should avoid routine mammograms is not government policy and has caused "a great deal of confusion," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Wednesday.

 "My message to women is simple. Mammograms have always been an important life-saving tool in the fight against breast cancer, and they still are today," Sebelius said in a statement.

 "Keep doing what you have been doing for years: talk to your doctor about your individual history, ask questions and make the decision that is right for you."

 With her statement, Sebelius waded into the controversy over Monday's announcement by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force that women in their 40s should not get routine mammograms for early detection of breast cancer.

 Sebelius' statement is aimed at "making it clear these recommendations are not ours," a White House source said.

 The report "shouldn't be dismissed," Sebelius said on CNN's "The Situation Room." But she added, "There are other groups who have disagreed with this information." The task force is "making recommendations, not coverage decisions, not payment decisions."

 Government health programs such as Medicaid will continue to cover routine mammograms, she said.

 "We will continue to recommend it, and the health plans have indicated that they will do the same," Sebelius said. "If the health care provider recommends a mammogram for a patient, they intend to cover that payment."

 Though the Preventive Services Task Force is independent, the Department of Health and Human Services' Web site calls the panel's recommendations the "gold standard," and insurance companies look to the panel for guidance on which preventive care practices they should cover.

 With the Obama administration fighting to push a sweeping overhaul of U.S. health insurance through Congress, Republicans quickly jumped at the chance to attack the mammography report.

 "This is how rationing begins," said Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee. "This is the little toe in the edge of the water. And this is where you start getting a bureaucrat between you and your physician."

 The White House disputes that, saying the recommendations "cannot be used to deny treatment" on their own. Sebelius said the task force won't make coverage decisions.

 "Mammograms have been a huge step forward for millions of American women, but we still have about 21 million women and girls in America who don't have a doctor, who don't receive any kind of mammogram screening on any kind of basis regardless of their age," she said. "The health reform debate is about closing that gap."

 Criticism of the recommendation has come from quarters other than opponents of the Democratic health care bills. The American Cancer Society said it disagrees with the findings of the task force and continues to recommend annual screening, including mammograms, for all women beginning 40 and over.

 "With its new recommendations, the [task force] is essentially telling women that mammography at age 40 to 49 saves lives, just not enough of them," said Dr. Otis Brawley, the group's chief medical officer.

 And Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, D-Florida, who was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer at 41, called the panel's recommendations "really disturbing" and "absolutely irresponsible."

 "It's a very patronizing attitude that these scientists have taken," she said. "It's pretty outrageous to suggest that women couldn't handle more information."

 Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Health, has announced that he will lead hearings into the advisory board's recommendations.

 Wasserman-Schultz said those hearings "will help us reach the appropriate policy conclusion, which I believe is that these recommendations should be set aside."

 Breast cancer is the most common cancer for U.S. women, with nearly 200,000 women expected to be diagnosed with the invasive form of the disease this year, according to the American Cancer Society.

 For women 50 to 74, it recommended routine mammography screenings every two years. Risks and benefits for women age 75 and older are unknown, it said.

 While roughly 15 percent of women in their 40s detect breast cancer through mammography, data show that many other women experience false positives, anxiety, and unnecessary biopsies as a result of the test, according to the task force.

 The Preventive Services Task Force reviews medical data and bases recommendations on effectiveness and risks involved. It is composed of 16 health care experts, none of whom are oncologists, though a team of cancer experts presented its findings to the group.

 CNN's Danielle Dellorto and Gloria Borger contributed to this report. |||||

– The recommendation from the US Preventative Services Task Force that women in their 40s should not get mammograms is not government policy, said the secretary of Health and Human Services. Kathleen Sebelius tried to tamp down some of the controversy that has followed the panel’s decision, asserting that government insurance policies “remain unchanged. I would be very surprised if any private insurance company changed its mammography coverage decisions as a result of this action," she said. "My message to women is simple. Mammograms have always been an important life-saving tool in the fight against breast cancer, and they still are today," Sebelius said. Her attempt to distance the administration from the task force comes amid criticism from the American Cancer Society and even opponents of Democratic health care reform, notes CNN. "This is how rationing begins," said one Republican congresswoman.


President Barack Obama delivers remarks on the economy and creating jobs, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, in this January 8, 2010 file photo.

 WASHINGTON |

 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States does not plan to send U.S. troops into Yemen or Somalia as those countries struggle to contain Islamic militants, President Barack Obama said in remarks published on Sunday.

 "I have no intention of sending U.S. boots on the ground in these regions," Obama told People magazine, referring to Yemen and Somalia.

 "I have every intention of working with our international partners in lawless areas around the globe to make sure that we're keeping the American people safe," Obama added, according to a transcript provided by the magazine.

 Obama has said Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, based in Yemen, appears to have trained, equipped and directed the Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a U.S. airliner bound for Detroit on December 25, using explosives sewn into his underwear.

 Al Shabaab, an al Qaeda-inspired insurgency, has seized large areas of south and central Somalia, the Horn of Africa nation situated across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen, which is located at the southern tip of the Arabian peninsula.

 "We've known throughout this year that al Qaeda in Yemen has become a more serious problem. And, as a consequence, we have partnered with the Yemeni government to go after those terrorist training camps and cells there in a much more deliberate and sustained fashion," Obama said.

 "The same is true in Somalia, another country where there are large chunks that are not fully under government control and al Qaeda is trying to take advantage of them," he added.

 The United States already has large contingents of ground forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 U.S. officials have said they are looking at ways to expand military and intelligence cooperation with Yemen, the poorest Arab state, to root out al Qaeda leadership in the country.

 Islamic militants bombed the USS Cole warship in the Yemeni port of Aden in 2000, killing 17 U.S. sailors.

 General David Petraeus, who as head of U.S. Central Command oversees an area stretching from the Horn of Africa to Central Asia, met Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on January 2 in Sanaa. Their talks focused on strengthening security, military and economic cooperation.

 'A GOOD RESPONSE'

 "Yemen does not want to have American ground troops there. And that's a good response for us to hear, certainly," Petraeus said in an interview aired on Sunday on CNN.

 "Of course, we would always want a host nation to deal with a problem itself. We want to help. We're providing assistance," Petraeus added.

 The United States intends to increase its security assistance funding to Yemen from $70 million last year to at least $150 million this year, Petraeus told CNN. ||||| Christiane Amanpour's interview with Gen. David Petraeus airs Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on CNN.

 Tampa, Florida (CNN) -- The U.S. military does not intend to put ground troops in Yemen, a country where al Qaeda operatives have become an increasing threat, Gen. David Petraeus told CNN in an interview to be aired Sunday.

 However, the United States plans to more than double its security assistance funding to Yemen, from $70 million to more than $150 million, Petraeus, head of U.S. Central Command, told CNN's Christiane Amanpour at CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa.

 Petraeus, who recently returned from his visit to the Arab nation, said Yemen's foreign minister was "quite clear that Yemen does not want to have American ground troops there. And that's a good -- good response for us to hear, certainly."

 Asked on whether there were plans to send troops there, he replied, "No, of course, we would always want a host nation to deal with a problem itself. We want to help. We're providing assistance."

 The United States also will provide additional economic aid to Yemen, the heel of the Arabian Peninsula that has also become known for its large ungoverned spaces that provide an oasis to terrorist groups. In addition to U.S. funds, Saudi Arabia reportedly has allocated $2 billion and the United Arab Emirates about $600 million or $700 million, all to help the Yemen government fight terror and promote development within its borders, according to Petraeus.

 After the botched Christmas Day attack on a U.S.-bound airliner, Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility, saying the attack was in retaliation for U.S. cruise missile strikes on its camps.

 U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have acknowledged providing intelligence on al Qaeda targets to Yemeni authorities, but won't say whether U.S. aircraft or ordnance played any role in the strikes.

 "Again, we haven't discussed the assistance that we have provided in Yemen, and I'm afraid I won't here today," he said.

 The general said the United States has been concerned about al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula for several years, saying, "Without question, it has ramped up over the course of the last year or more in particular, with training camps and so forth there."

 Still, in comments made off camera, Petraeus said the group "isn't industrial strength."

 Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh has told the United States that Yemen rather handle al Qaeda on its own, and the United States plans to honor that, Petraeus said.

 "It threatened the embassies of various countries that are important to Yemen and, in fact, assassinated some government officials," Petraeus said, referring to the al Qaeda branch in Yemen. "So there is an enormous incentive here for President Saleh and the government of Yemen, indeed, to confront al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and the growth that we have seen in its training camp structure and the other infrastructure that they've been able to establish in recent years."

 Petraeus said al Qaeda's growth in Yemen became increasingly worrisome for him two years ago. Washington began to view the ancestral home of al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden as a possible haven for the group as early as 2001.

 As al Qaeda was pushed out of Saudi Arabia -- and under pressure in Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan -- they took refuge in Yemen, he said.

 Last Sunday, the United States decided to briefly close its embassy in Yemen after intelligence suggested that four al Qaeda operatives may be planning an attack on the compound. The embassy reopened Tuesday. Britain, too, closed its embassy Sunday, citing security concerns, while other foreign embassies beefed up security or closed to the public.

 Yet, Petraeus said Yemen is not the most important locale in the U.S. war on terror. "That would likely still be the western Pakistan-Afghanistan border area," he said.

 "We have not devoted the kind of resources to it that is necessary. I know what it takes. We built an intelligence structure, we built an entire organization overall in Iraq to conduct counterinsurgency operations. And it requires a significant commitment.

 "We are now making that kind of commitment to Afghanistan, but we had not before."

 The general added that strides have been made in the fight against terrorists.

 "I think there's been progress overall over the course of the last year against al Qaeda," Petraeus said. "I think that in general its capability has diminished, but that's only, again, a relative judgment ... Al Qaeda does still have an ability there to carry out periodic horrific attacks, and so we must maintain the pressure on Al Qaeda wherever it is found." |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– The US has "no intention" of dispatching troops to Yemen or Somalia but will more than double the funding it allots for security aid in Yemen, according to the president and rthe head of Central Command. It's "quite clear that Yemen does not want to have American ground troops there," Gen. David Petraeus told Christiane Amanpour of CNN in an interview that aired today. "And that's a good—good response for us to hear, certainly." President Obama went further, describing Somalia as " another country where there are large chunks that are not fully under government control and al-Qaeda is trying to take advantage of them ." In an interview with People, which made a transcript available but has not reported the interview on its website, he said the US has " partnered with the Yemeni government to go after those terrorist training camps and cells there in a much more deliberate and sustained fashion. "


Biofilm on the dome of the Jefferson Memorial National Park Service photo

 August 10, 2016

 Contact: Mike Litterst, 202-245-4676

 "The increased presence of biofilm presents a new challenge in the care of memorials throughout the National Mall, particularly at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial," said Gay Vietzke, superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks. "We are continuing to study biofilm and research treatment methods, and look forward to restoring the dome to its original luster while ensuring its long-term preservation."

 The blackening effects of biofilm are not a problem unique to the Jefferson Memorial. It can be found throughout Washington, from the Lincoln Memorial to tombstones at Congressional Cemetery, and around the world, from Hadrian's Villa in Italy to Angkor Wat in Cambodia and even on monuments in Egypt. It was successfully treated at the D.C. War Memorial in 2011.

 While the study of the relationship of biofilms on buildings and the effects of cleaning them is still young, one of the common factors in the existence of many biofilms is the presence of nutrients and a place to grow, like stone. At the Jefferson Memorial, perhaps the most significant factor in its development is the erosion of the marble through natural weathering. The marble blocks that make up the Jefferson Memorial were smooth when they were originally hoisted into position, but over the years, rain has slowly eroded the marble, turning its once smooth surfaces into pitted surfaces –the perfect environment for a biofilm.

 The black biofilm on the Jefferson Memorial first became noticeable in 2006 and has become increasingly more pronounced in recent years. A multi-disciplinary team of conservators, architects, and molecular biologists has been studying the growth on the Jefferson Memorial since 2014 as they prepare to test potential treatment options.

 "Treatment of biofilm is difficult, as there is no known permanent method for removing it, and we have to ensure that any treatment must not do further damage to the soft marble of the memorial nor encourage further growth," said Catherine Dewey, chief of resource management for National Mall and Memorial Parks. "We are testing a variety of treatment techniques to find the option that is least damaging to the stone, safe for the environment and visitors, and cost effective."

 National Park Service officials recently began testing ten different chemical biocides in small patches affected by biofilm at the base of the Jefferson Memorial and will monitor how effective each one is in the coming days and weeks. They will also experiment with more non-traditional treatment options, including ozonated water and irradiation with lasers.

 There is no timeline for treatment of the dome and National Park Service officials stress that it's a deliberative process to ensure that whatever treatment is selected will do no further harm to the Jefferson Memorial. The treatment method ultimately chosen will help define the cost to restore the dome, which in turn drive the timeline for when the work will be scheduled.

 NPS

 About National Mall and Memorial Parks

 The National Park Service's National Mall and Memorial Parks preserves, protects, and interprets the symbolic and monumental civic spaces and commemorative works in the center of the Nation's Capital that honor American ideals and values, distinguished public figures, and military and civilian sacrifices and contributions. On the National Mall these sites include the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, World War II Memorial, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. National Mall and Memorial Parks also serves as a public park and open space for active civic and cultural engagement, recreation, and public enjoyment.

 WASHINGTON - The dome of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial is one of the iconic landmarks on the Washington, D.C. skyline. In recent years, however, the gleaming white rotunda has become increasingly darkened, but not by dirt or mold, as the casual eye might suspect. The culprit is a colony of microscopic organisms, called biofilm, which adheres to stone surfaces and is proving a challenge as the National Park Service investigates how to treat it. ||||| National Park Service officials are preparing to work on removing the black scum coating areas of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington. (Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post)

 It’s black! It’s creepy! And it’s crawling over the Jefferson Memorial!

 It’s biofilm — a microbial invasion of uncertain origin that has begrimed the stone surface of one of the nation’s most hallowed monuments.

 Part algae, part bacteria, part fungi, the biofilm won’t eat your flesh, like the gooey Blob in the 1958 horror film, as a National Park Service spokesman remarked.

 But it’s not clear if it’s munching on the stone.

 And it can’t be killed.

 A variety of samples are being tested to see which will work best and prove to be the least harmful as National Park Service officials get ready to work on removing the black scum coating areas of Jefferson Memorial in Washington. (Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post)

 It has given the elegant white memorial on Washington’s Tidal Basin a dingy look, and, Blob-like, it is growing.

 It is especially pronounced on the memorial’s dome, around its base, and on the triangular pediment that portrays Jefferson and four colleagues who helped draft the Declaration of Independence.

 Concerned citizens have offered to try to clean it off.

 And the Park Service is experimenting with several cleaning solutions to see what works best without harming the Vermont marble.

 No damaging scrub brushes can be used, although some of the cleaning products leave a temporary orange tint. Officials have also discussed cleaning with lasers.

 The film is also on the memorial amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery, the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, the Park Service said.

 [Nearing 100, Lincoln Memorial to get a facelift]

 A variety of samples are being tested to see which will work best and prove to be the least harmful as National Park Service officials get ready to work on removing the black scum coating areas of Jefferson Memorial in Washington. (Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post)

 It was on the D.C. War Memorial on the Mall, the District’s tribute to its World War I dead, before that monument was refurbished in 2011. And it may be coming back there, too.

 [Refurbished DC War Memorial, a tribute to city’s WWI dead, reopens]

 It’s somewhat akin to other biofilms, like dental plaque, the Park Service said.

 But what, exactly, is it?

 “We don’t even know the who, what, when, where, why,” said Judy Jacob, senior conservator with the Park Service’s Historic Architecture, Conservation, and Engineering Center in New York.

 “We’re just starting to understand what it is, and its relationship to stone,” she said in an interview Monday.

 “We can remove a good amount of it,” she said. “But it doesn’t mean we kill it. We can’t do that. . . . And it doesn’t mean that it won’t come back.”

 The film is actually a “multicultural” community of organisms living in the relatively harsh environment of the sun-blasted stone, said Federica Villa, a Milan-based microbiologist who has been studying the memorial’s surface.

 The black pigment is produced by the organisms to protect themselves from solar radiation, she said in an interview Tuesday.

 But does the biofilm damage stone?

 “We don’t know,” Villa said from Montana State University’s Center for Biofilm Engineering. “If you read the scientific literature, most of the scientists correlate the presence of a biofilm with deterioration.”

 But she said her experiments have shown that biofilm may have a protective impact on stone.

 “To be honest, we have a lot of work to do,” she said.

 The memorial was dedicated in 1943. The biofilm became noticeable less than a decade ago, the Park Service said.

 The reason may be that air pollution, which can inhibit the growth of such organisms, has decreased, the Park Service said.

 Or it may have something to do with the microclimate near the memorial.

 There’s a small weather station on top of the memorial, and data is collected monthly, said Catherine Dewey, chief of resource management for the National Mall and Memorial Parks.

 “Because we have this huge body of water,” she said, referring to the Tidal Basin, “is that tiny little bit of extra humidity . . . a factor?”

 “We have some photographs from . . . 2009 where there’s very, very little growth,” she said. “In 2012, you see a little bit more. In 2014, it’s even worse. It’s grown immensely over the last few years.”

 One day last week, Dewey tested cleaning fluids on small strips at the base of the memorial’s east side.

 “It’s particularly bad on this memorial, for whatever reason,” she said as she sponged on the cleaning fluids.

 “It’s really deep into the stone, so it will take some time,” she said. “What we’re finding is it may not be clean immediately. But give it six months, and it will be much lighter.”

 Some repair work is planned for the memorial in 2018, and the grit on the dome could be addressed then, she said.

 The 32,000-ton memorial, which honors the nation’s third president and main author of the Declaration of Independence, rests on 634 pilings and caissons sunk down to bedrock on the south side of the basin.

 During the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, it is a prime backdrop for photographers.

 Six years ago, a $12.4 million repair project shored up its poorly supported seawall, which had been sinking into the basin.

 And in 2014, a large chunk of limestone fell from the ceiling. The ceiling was stabilized, and netting was installed in case anything else came loose, Park Service spokesman Mike Litterst said. A full repair has not yet been done.

 [Jefferson Memorial seawall sinking into the Tidal Basin]

 The memorial turns 75 in two years. |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– It sounds like the stuff of horror films: a creeping black slime that can't be killed. But experts say a real-life microbial invasion is coating some of the nation's most important monuments in black. The National Park Service earlier this month reported the "biofilm" has befouled the Jefferson Memorial, particularly its "gleaming white rotunda," and appears on the Washington and Lincoln Memorials and on tombstones in the Congressional Cemetery. But the mysterious substance—"part algae, part bacteria, part fungi," the Washington Post reports—isn’t unique to the Washington, DC, area. Biofilm has slimed sites around the globe, from Egypt to Italy to the Angkor Wat temples in Cambodia, per the NPS. Scientists are only now "starting to understand what it is, and its relationship to stone," a senior conservator with the NPS tells the Post. The NPS reports it has uncovered a "common factor" related to the establishment of various biofilms: the somewhat vague "presence of nutrients and a place to grow, like stone." It suspects that in the case of the Jefferson Memorial, the dimples and holes that have formed in the eroding marble may create an environment ripe for biofilm. That soft marble poses an additional challenge, notes the NPS, as any treatment needs to be tested to make sure it won't actually inflict harm on the stone. While there's no known permanent removal method, the NPS is evaluating 10 chemicals as potential cleaners and intends to also review options like ozonated water and lasers. The Jefferson Memorial's biofilm first became readily visible in 2006, and there's currently no timeline for treatment.


Article:
A paramedic checks Antony Britton after he is pulled unconscious from the "grave" in his failed Buried Alive escape act

 Escapologist Antony Britton says he’s lucky to be alive after losing consciousness during a daring escape bid.

 The Linthwaite-based daredevil had hoped to go one better than Harry Houdini by escaping unaided after being handcuffed and buried in a standard-sized grave under six feet of soil.

 But Antony had to be hauled out unconscious by crew members after he failed to break through to the surface almost nine minutes into the escape bid.

 He was taken to a waiting ambulance where he was given oxygen before coming round. His escapade bid – in front of an anxious audience at Slaithwaite Spa – resulted in a cracked rib and several minor scratches, but Antony says it could have been his last-ever show.

 Antony Britton's hand is visible as team members pull him free in the Buried Alive escape bid at Slaithwaite Spa

 “I almost died,” he said. “I was just seconds away from death. It was scary. The pressure of the soil was crushing around me. Even when I found an air pocket, when I exhaled the soil around me was crushing me even more. I could feel myself losing consciousness and there was nothing I could do about it. I was pretty much dying.

 “But everyone was on the ball and the crew was well-drilled. They knew pretty much where I would be under the soil and after the digger had moved in behind me, the team were hand-balling the soil until they could reach me.”

 WATCH: Buried Alive stunt goes wrong: 1949 video shows Manchester escapologist dug up by rescuers

 Alan Alan had to be pulled from the ground

 Antony said his biggest disappointment was to discover that he was just two feet from the surface when he had to be rescued.

 “I gave it my all, but it just wasn’t my day,” he said. “But I’m in the best company going.”

 Antony is only the third person in 100-years to attempt the Buried Alive escape. Legendary escapologist Harry Houdini attempted the feat in 1915 while British master of the craft Alan Alan tried it in 1949. Both failed and had to be dug out by their crews.

 Antony Britton in the ambulance after sustaining a cracked rib in his Buried Alive escape bid

 “I couldn’t be more proud than to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those guys on this challenge,” added Antony.

 The dramatic scenes unfolded at Antony’s fourth Escape for Life event on Saturday. The escape bid was the highlight of an event which also featured magicians, bands and circus acts and held to raise funds for charity Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, which is changing its name to Bloodwise this month.

 Antony, who heads not-for-profit company Escape for Life, had been due to undertake the escape bid outside the Traveller’s Rest in Meltham in March, but called off the event due to unexpected snowfall.

 Saturday’s event was also in the balance following rain earlier in the week, but after consulting experts Antony was given the all-clear.

 However, he won’t be attempting the Buried Alive escape bid again. Antony, whose previous fundraising events have included escaping a burning steel cage and wriggling out of a strait jacket suspended from a burning rope, said: “I’ll take three or four weeks to recuperate and see what we do next.” ||||| Antony Britton had hoped to better Harry Houdini by escaping unaided from a grave with his hands cuffed at event in West Yorkshire

 An escape artist almost suffocated when he was buried alive under six feet of soil and tried to free himself during the climax of a festival in West Yorkshire.

 Antony Britton had hoped to better the legendary Harry Houdini by escaping unaided from a grave with his hands cuffed. But his team were forced to dig him out and pull him to the surface unconscious after he failed to emerge within nine minutes.

 Some in the audience at Slaithwaite Spa, near Huddersfield, were in tears as helpers cleared soil from Britton’s mouth and throat before paramedics administered oxygen.

 He came around after several minutes, and later said he would think very carefully before making another attempt the challenge, despite nearly reaching the surface.

 Britton, who is recovering from a cracked rib, scratching and bruises, told the Guardian: “All I remember is, literally your life goes before your eyes. Really. And then I just passed out.

 “It was really weird because I’m not saying I heard noises but my family was talking to me. Just before I passed out I could see both my grandfathers talking to me as if I was a kid. It’s quite emotional when I think back what I went through. It fills me up.

 “Then I just passed out and the next thing I know they dug me up and dragged me out.”

 The stunt was the climax of the Buried Alive festival, hosted by Escape For Life, a non-profit started by Britton and his friends to raise money for charity with affordable events for the public.

 Britton attempted to perform the classic version of the escape, in which the escape artist is handcuffed and buried beneath six feet of soil without a casket. His job was to free himself from the cuffs and scrabble out through tons of heavy dirt. However, things quickly began to go wrong.

 “The soil was landing on top of me and around the side of me. It was compacting and crushing me. Every single time another bucket came it was getting worse.

 “I managed to get an air hole. I remember exhaling and because I collapsed my lungs the soil compacted into that space which meant that when I went to inhale I couldn’t.

 “It was not a problem, but I remember then getting my right arm stuck in the soil and I started passing out. At that point all sorts went through my head and I just remember thinking it’s up to the ground crew to do their job.”

 Assistants on the ground used a mechanical digger and their bare hands to disentomb Britton after they were no longer able to hear him breathing. “The digger driver was absolutely so skilful, I couldn’t have got anybody better in the digger,” Britton said. “When he got the blade in he could have quite easily cut me in two with the pressure.”

 Britton is believed to be only the third person in 100 years to attempt the escape. In 1915, Houdini made it as far as breaking the surface with his hand before assistants were forced to dig him up. Twenty-five years later, in 1940, a British escapologist, Alan Alan, attempted the challenge, and he too had to be rescued.

 In 1992 a 32-year-old American magician, Joe Burrus, died in his attempt at a variation of the stunt. He was crushed to death when the perspex casket he was interred in was unable to hold the weight of soil and concrete that he had told helpers to pour on top. |||||Summary:

– Antony Britton's plan: to pull a Harry Houdini and claw his way to the surface after being handcuffed and buried underneath 6 feet of soil. But his charity stunt in West Yorkshire on Saturday took an almost deadly turn when the escape artist was smothered by the dirt and passed out, the Guardian reports. "The soil was … compacting and crushing me," he tells the paper. "I remember then getting my right arm stuck in the soil and I started passing out. At that point … I just remember thinking it's up to the ground crew to do their job." He adds, per the Huddersfield Daily Examiner: "I could feel myself losing consciousness and there was nothing I could do about it. I was pretty much dying." But rescuers came through, nine minutes into Britton's attempt, and cleared dirt from his throat and administered oxygen while spectators watched in tears, notes the Guardian. Britton's minor injuries: some scrapes, bruises, and a cracked rib. The escape, which he was doing to raise money for leukemia and lymphoma research, is only believed to have been attempted (and failed) twice before in the last century, including once by Houdini himself. Even though Britton tells the Examiner he's disappointed he passed out just 2 feet from the surface, he says he won't be trying this trick again. (Then there's the case of Florida's "prison Houdini.")


Summarize this article:

Published on Aug 31, 2017

 Alex Wubbels, a nurse at University Hospital in Salt Lake City, was arrested after explaining to police that she couldn't draw a blood sample from an unconscious person. A Salt Lake City police detective asked for a blood sample. After explaining to the detective that the police needed a warrant, consent from the unconscious patient or that the patient needed to be under arrest before the blood sample could be drawn, she was arrested. ||||| Hours after Salt Lake City’s mayor and police chief apologized for an officer handcuffing a hospital nurse who refused to take blood from an unconscious patient, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced Friday he wanted a criminal investigation into the episode.

 “On the face of the evidence, there is concern that is raised about this officer’s conduct,” Gill said in a Friday interview. “But the whole point of an investigation is to gather the information about this situation.”

 Gill said he discussed the situation with Mayor Jackie Biskupski and Chief Mike Brown on Friday morning, and they agreed it would be appropriate to conduct an investigation in the name of ”transparency and institutional accountability.”

 City officials said late Friday the Unified Police Department would conduct the criminal probe. Meanwhile, an internal affairs investigation by Salt Lake City police into the officer, Detective Jeff Payne, also is ongoing. Payne was placed on administrative leave Friday afternoon, as was a second unnamed officer connected to the confrontation.

 Earlier in the day, Brown and Biskupski called the University Hospital nurse, Alex Wubbels, to apologize. They then held a news conference, saying they were alarmed by what they saw on police body camera footage of the arrest, which took place July 26, and said changes to police blood draw policies and officer training had been made.

 The mayor said Thursday was the first time she had seen the officer body camera footage documenting the encounter between Payne and Wubbels. The chief said it was the first time he had seen the video in full. The footage became public Thursday during a news conference held by Wubbels’ attorney, Karra Porter, who said no claim or lawsuit has been filed.

 “I am sad at the rift this has caused between law enforcement and the nurses we work so closely with,” Brown said. ”I want to be clear, we take this very seriously.”

 “What I saw is completely unacceptable to the values of my administration and of the values of the Salt Lake City Police Department,” added Biskupski. “I extend a personal apology to Ms. Wubbels for what she has been through for simply doing her job.”

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 City offices, including the police department, were bombarded with social media backlash and phone calls as the video skipped around the country Thursday and Friday. And several city and state officials weighed in on Payne’s conduct, including Gov. Gary Herbert, who tweeted Friday morning that Wubbels’ arrest was ”disturbing” and that the city’s police should ”rectify the situation.”

 The footage of Alex Wubbels' arrest is disturbing. We trust that the @slcpd will quickly respond and rectify the situation. — Gov. Gary Herbert (@GovHerbert) September 1, 2017

 Payne arrived at the hospital July 26, seeking a blood sample from a burned and unconscious patient, 43-year-old William Gray, who had been involved in a fiery collision the same day in northern Utah. Gray was driving a semi north on U.S. 89/91 near Sardine Canyon when a man fleeing from the Utah Highway Patrol crashed a pickup truck into him head-on, according to Logan Police, who investigated the crash. That man, Marcos Torres, 26, died at the scene.

 Logan police Capt. Tyson Budge said an investigator on the crash called Salt Lake City police and requested the department get a blood draw on Gray. Budge said such a request is routine, especially involving serious injury or fatal accidents, despite the fact that Gray was not a suspect in the crash. ”It’s being thorough, and documenting everything in a serious crash,” Budge said.

 The video footage shows Wubbels explaining that blood cannot be taken from an unconscious patient unless the patient is under arrest, unless there is a warrant allowing the draw or unless the patient consents. Payne acknowledges in the footage that none of those requirements is in place, but he insists that he has the authority to obtain the draw, according to the footage.

 After Wubbels consults with several hospital officials about the policy, Payne tells her she is under arrest and grabs her, pulling her arms back and handcuffing her, then putting her in a patrol car. Wubbels screams, ”Stop! Stop! I did nothing wrong!”

 In Payne’s report of the episode, he writes that Lt. James Tracy had ordered him to over the phone to arrest Wubbels if she refused to allow him to get a blood sample.

 But after Tracy arrived, he learned that the hospital automatically draws and tests blood, and that accident investigators often get a warrant to access the hospital record of the blood draw, Tracy wrote in his own report.

 Tracy wrote that it was ultimately determined “that we would release the nurse and write our reports and detectives could decide if charges were appropriate or not for this case.” Police spokeswoman Christina Judd declined to say if the second officer put on leave was Tracy.

 Another officer, Denton Harper, who was dispatched to the hospital to assist Payne, wrote in his report that he asked Payne “why he didn’t look into drafting a search warrant for the patient’s blood. Payne told me Logan Police Department said they didn’t have enough probable cause to do so.”

 Gill said he reached out to the police chief and the mayor late Friday morning expressing his concern and requesting a criminal investigation into the episode. The district attorney said he asked Brown to find an outside agency to look into the case, and by the end of the day, Unified had agreed to look into it.

 Gill said once the investigation is handed over to his office, prosecutors can decide if any laws were broken and if there is “somebody who should be held accountable.” He added that he was grateful that the mayor and chief were “committed to transparency” and were in support of further investigation.

 The district attorney wouldn’t specify whether the investigation will be centered on the officer’s actions or something else, saying it would be unfair to make that call without having all the evidence in front of him.

 Judd said the agency had initiated an internal affairs investigation within hours of the July 26 encounter. Payne was initially taken off the blood-draw team, and allowed to stay on desk duty as a detective. But, by Friday, as a criminal investigation got underway, he was placed on administrative leave.

 The internal affairs investigators would gather the footage, and conduct interviews with all parties involved, then present the information and a recommendation to Chief Brown. Such a probe could result in Payne’s firing.

 Payne could not be reached for comment Friday.

 1 of 10 View Caption (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City's Police Chief Mike Brown and Mayor Jackie Biskupski hold a pr... (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The statement to be given by Salt Lake City's Police Chief Mike Brown is acci... (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City's Police Chief Mike Brown and Mayor Jackie Biskupski hold a pr... (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City's Police Chief Mike Brown and Mayor Jackie Biskupski hold a pr... (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City's Police Chief Mike Brown and Mayor Jackie Biskupski hold a pr... (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City's Police Chief Mike Brown and Mayor Jackie Biskupski hold a pr... (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City's Police Chief Mike Brown and Mayor Jackie Biskupski hold a pr... (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City's Police Chief Mike Brown and Mayor Jackie Biskupski hold a pr... (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City's Police Chief Mike Brown and Mayor Jackie Biskupski hold a pr... (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City's Police Chief Mike Brown and Mayor Jackie Biskupski conclude ... (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City's Police Chief Mike Brown and Mayor Jackie Biskupski hold a press conference at the City and County building on Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, to apologize for an officer handcuffing a hospital nurse for refusing a blood draw from an unconscious patient. (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The statement to be given by Salt Lake City's Police Chief Mike Brown is accidentally left open prior to his press conference alongside Mayor Jackie Biskupski at the City and County building on Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, to apologize for an officer handcuffing a hospital nurse for refusing a blood draw from an unconscious patient. (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City's Police Chief Mike Brown and Mayor Jackie Biskupski hold a press conference at the City and County building on Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, to apologize for an officer handcuffing a hospital nurse for refusing a blood draw from an unconscious patient. (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City's Police Chief Mike Brown and Mayor Jackie Biskupski hold a press conference at the City and County building on Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, to apologize for an officer handcuffing a hospital nurse for refusing a blood draw from an unconscious patient. (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City's Police Chief Mike Brown and Mayor Jackie Biskupski hold a press conference at the City and County building on Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, to apologize for an officer handcuffing a hospital nurse for refusing a blood draw from an unconscious patient. (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City's Police Chief Mike Brown and Mayor Jackie Biskupski hold a press conference at the City and County building on Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, to apologize for an officer handcuffing a hospital nurse for refusing a blood draw from an unconscious patient. (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City's Police Chief Mike Brown and Mayor Jackie Biskupski hold a press conference at the City and County building on Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, to apologize for an officer handcuffing a hospital nurse for refusing a blood draw from an unconscious patient. (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City's Police Chief Mike Brown and Mayor Jackie Biskupski hold a press conference at the City and County building on Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, to apologize for an officer handcuffing a hospital nurse for refusing a blood draw from an unconscious patient. (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City's Police Chief Mike Brown and Mayor Jackie Biskupski hold a press conference at the City and County building on Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, to apologize for an officer handcuffing a hospital nurse for refusing a blood draw from an unconscious patient. (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City's Police Chief Mike Brown and Mayor Jackie Biskupski conclude a press conference at the City and County building on Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, to apologize for an officer handcuffing a hospital nurse for refusing a blood draw from an unconscious patient. <

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 Judd said that soon after the blood-draw episode, the assistant chief quickly apologized to hospital administration for the encounter and arrest. The department examined its policy for blood draws, which was tweaked, and committed to additional training for its officers who conduct draws. The department has continued to meet with university medical officials in recent weeks, she said, to ensure adequate procedures are in place so ”it doesn’t happen again.”

 The updated policy, provided by the department, states that a blood draw requires consent by the subject, or a search warrant — noting that ”implied consent” by the subject of the draw is no longer allowed. The updated policy also notes that ”blood draws are subject to established search and seizure laws.”

 Payne is one of about 10 officers who are certified to take blood from people who have been involved in serious crashes or other accidents, or are suspected of driving under the influence, Judd said. They carry their own blood-draw kits, she said, and are often called upon by other police departments, such as Logan, to take blood at Salt Lake City hospitals.

 Judd said there was some confusion about the video, with many people assuming “that the officer was demanding that the nurse draw the blood.” But Judd said Payne was in fact ”demanding to find out where Gray was” being treated in the burn unit of the hospital, so Payne could draw the blood himself. (Gray remained in serious condition at the hospital this week, officials there said.)

 Several Salt Lake City Council members and state officials, including Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, who heads the Senate’s judiciary committee, weighed in on the encounter Friday, with Weiler saying he would “stand against any form of unnecessary police brutality or inappropriate behavior.”

 Councilman Derek Kitchen posted on Facebook that the bodycam footage “is one of the most disturbing things I’ve seen in awhile.“

 Many others around the country apparently agreed.

 The video caused an uproar on social media, and multiple national and international news outlets picked up the story Friday. Thousands of people angrily commented on the police department’s Facebook page, many demanding Payne’s firing or suspension. Other Utah police agencies were also being mistakenly bombarded by angry social media commenters, including the Unified Police Department and South Salt Lake police.

 A change.org petition called ”Justice for Alex Wubbels” had about 85,000 supporters by Friday evening, while various YouTube videos documenting the encounter had been viewed millions of times. And the local organization Utah Against Police Brutality announced it was holding a protest rally at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Salt Lake City Public Safety Building

 National nursing associations weighed in, too.

 “It is outrageous and unacceptable that a nurse should be treated in this way for following her professional duty to advocate on behalf of the patient as well as following the policies of her employer and the law,” American Nurses Association President Pam Cipriano said in a statement.

 Jean Ross, co-president of National Nurses United, the largest union and professional association of registered nurses, said there was ”no excuse” for Payne’s actions, which she added would send a ”chilling message about the safety of nurses and the rights of patients.”

 Hospital administrators sent an open letter to faculty and staff Friday morning. It said when law enforcement officers request blood samples, they should immediately be directed to a supervisor. It said that since the incident, hospital staff has worked with Salt Lake City police to ”create a clear policy” that allows for better communication and protects nurses and patients.

 “During a stressful situation Nurse Wubbels chose to focus first and foremost on the care and well-being of her patient,” the letter said. ”She followed hospital procedures and protocols in this matter and was acting in her patient’s best interest.”

 Wubbels, in a statement, said she accepted the apologies of the chief and mayor.

 “The outpouring of support has been beyond what I could have imagined,” she said. “Since the incident, the city has taken this matter seriously, and I believe that positive change will occur.” |||||

– "On the face of the evidence, there is concern that is raised about this officer’s conduct," says Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. Many of the people who have racked up nearly 3 million views of the video that shows Detective Jeff Payne arresting University of Utah Hospital nurse Alex Wubbels would likely agree. Gill on Friday called for a criminal investigation into the encounter, in which Payne handcuffed a screaming Wubbels after she refused to permit a blood draw from an unconscious patient—as she was right to do, according to law, because Payne had neither a warrant nor the consent of the patient, who was not under arrest. The Salt Lake Tribune reports Payne was put on administrative leave Friday afternoon, along with a second unnamed officer connected to the July 26 incident. More: Mayor Jackie Biskupski and Chief Mike Brown both called Wubbels to apologize. Per the city, the Unified Police Department will begin a criminal probe into the matter, and an internal affairs investigation will be conduced as well. The Tribune also offers more background on the patient in question: William Gray, a 43-year-old who was driving a semi when a 26-year-old who was trying to evade the Utah Highway Patrol crashed into Gray head-on. That driver was killed, and a police official explains it's typical to get blood draws of those involved in fatal crashes, even if they aren't suspected of wrongdoing. The AP cites Payne's police report, in which he wrote he was trying to avoid a "scene" by taking Wubbels outside and that this his boss told him to arrest her if she didn't cooperate with the draw. Wubbels' attorney says the nurse was left in a hot police car for 20 minutes before the detective realized the hospital had already drawn the patient's blood as part of treatment. The Tribune notes that while the video may suggest Payne was demanding Wubbels draw Gray's blood, Payne is actually one of a handful of officers certified to draw blood in accident cases, and was looking to draw the blood himself.