2 N.D. fires traced back to oil well flares Police find several skulls in N.M. search US releases infrastructure AI guidelines N.Y. police tie deaths to gang suspects | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

2 N.D. fires traced back to oil well flares

BISMARCK, N.D. — Natural gas flares at oil wells sparked two North Dakota wildfires earlier this fall, according to reports from the North Dakota Fire Marshal’s Office.

Investigators concluded that flares combined with high winds and extremely dry weather started a wildfire near the town of Keene and another near New Town, the Bismarck Tribune reported Thursday. Officials with ConocoPhillips and Hess Corp., which operate the oil wells, say they are still reviewing the reports.

No one was killed or injured in the two fires that both began Oct. 5, but a combined 14 square miles were burned, damaging land and livestock.

The fires were among several in northwestern North Dakota in October that burned up to 118,000 square miles. Two people died and six were injured in other North Dakota wildfires. Agencies are still investigating what caused the other fires.

Flaring is the act of burning off excess natural gas that comes up along with oil. Oil and gas companies are required to flare natural gas from oil wells that cannot be captured or moved — venting natural gas is illegal and creates more pollution than flaring it.

Police find several skulls in N.M. search

Evidence of as many as 20 human skulls was located in a New Mexico property after a witness to had an “unsettling encounter” with a man he offered a ride.

Lea County Sheriff’s Office said while the witness drove Cecil Villanueva to his destination last week, the man “made alarming statements and discarded objects” that appeared to be human bones from the two bags he had with him. The driver alerted authorities.

“Subsequent searches near a convenience store and Villanueva’s reported location revealed bone fragments later confirmed by a pathologist to be human,” police said in a statement.

Villanueva had been staying at a property “associated with rumors of human remains,” according to police.

Investigators believe the case could be connected to the 2019 disappearance of Jal, N.M., resident Angela McManes, who lived near the site where the remains were discovered. They want to know if there was any connection between Villanueva and the missing woman.

US releases infrastructure AI guidelines

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Thursday released guidelines for using artificial intelligence in the power grid, water system, air travel network and other pieces of critical infrastructure.

Private industry would have to adopt and implement the guidelines announced by the Department of Homeland Security, which were developed in consultation with the department’s advisory Artificial Intelligence Safety and Security Board.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters that “we intend the framework to be, frankly, a living document and to change as developments in the industry change as well.”

The framework recommends that AI developers evaluate potentially dangerous capabilities in their products, ensure their products align with “human-centric values” and protect users’ privacy. The cloud-computing infrastructure would need to vet hardware and software suppliers and protect the physical security of data centers.

Owners and operators of critical infrastructure are advised to have stronger cybersecurity protocols that consider AI-related risks and provide transparency about how AI is used. There are also guidelines for state and local governments.

Asked if the framework could possibly change once President-elect Donald Trump takes the oath of office in January, Mayorkas stressed that he was implementing the policies of President Joe Biden’s administration.

N.Y. police tie deaths to gang suspects

NEW YORK — Four bystanders were shot dead in the last 18 months because of gang rivalries in upper Manhattan, authorities said Thursday as they announced the indictments of dozens of people in a yearslong welter of gunfire, robberies, weapons deals, car crashes and more.

One shooting injured a woman who was eight months pregnant and was sitting in a parked car, police and prosecutors said. Another sent bullets flying into a crowded basketball court, where an onlooker was hit in the chest.

Those victims survived. But four other bystanders, aged 44 to 66, did not.

The violence “impacted the entire neighborhood — a climate of fear among ordinary residents,” said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg at a news conference.

The 30 defendants are charged with various crimes, with some facing murder charges. Some defendants have pleaded not guilty, while others have yet to be arraigned.

Prosecutors say a 2018 killing touched off a chain of retaliatory brutality among three groups, known as the 200/8 Block, the 6 Block crew and the Own Every Dollar crew, also dubbed O.E.D.

In text and social media messages, members threatened rivals and talked up violent plans, according to the indictment.

— Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports