NEW YORK TIMES: A Continental flight from Newark to Buffalo crashed into a house about five miles from Buffalo Niagara International Airport on Thursday night, killing 49 people, officials said. The plane carried 44 passengers and a crew of 4, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. All the people aboard the plane and one person in the house were killed in the crash.
David Bissonette, the emergency coordinator for Erie County, speaking at a news conference about 4 a.m., said the plane made “a direct hit” on the house. “It’s remarkable that it only took one house,” he said. “It could have easily taken the whole neighborhood.” He said the only recognizable piece of the plane was the tail.
A woman who lives nearby described the sound before the crash as “a loud roar over my house.” “It was like the whole house shook,” said the woman, Jennifer Clark, who also lives on Railroad Street. “Then there was silence.” MORE
COLD FEET: GOP Senator Pussies Out Of Commerce Secretary Bid
NEW YORK TIMES: Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire abruptly withdrew Thursday as the nominee for commerce secretary, saying he had “irresolvable conflicts” with President Obama over his economic stimulus plan and a concern over what many fellow Republicans believe is the politicization of the 2010 census. “I’m a fiscal conservative, as everybody knows, a fairly strong one,” Mr. Gregg told reporters at a news conference in the Capitol. “And it just became clear to me that it would be very difficult, day in and day out, to serve in this cabinet or any cabinet.” “It was my mistake, obviously, to say yes,” he added. MORE