NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

INCIDENTS

Independence NHP

Man Fatally Assaulted In Park

A contract security guard in front of Independence Hall reported hearing a female screaming on Chestnut Street around 2:30 a.m. on January 14th. Responding rangers found a man in his early 20s lying on the sidewalk in front of the Second Bank of the United States, evidently the victim of an assault. He had no pulse and was unresponsive; the rangers immediately began CPR and called for EMS and police assistance. An AED was employed, but indicated that a shock was not advised. The man was taken to Jefferson Hospital, where he remained on life support until members of his family could arrive. He was removed from life support that evening and succumbed to his injuries. Witnesses said that the man and two women with him were attempting to hale a taxi after leaving a local bar, and that the man, who was reportedly intoxicated, became agitated at a taxi driver who declined to stop for them and began shouting obscenities at the driver. A car right behind the taxi then pulled up next to him and four men jumped out and assaulted the man. They then fled down Chestnut Street. None of the assailants were known to the two women who were accompanying the victim. The suspects have not yet been identified, but footage from park surveillance cameras is being reviewed. Investigators are hopeful that the suspects will be identified after the footage is released to local media outlets. The National Park Service is assisting Philadelphia PD with the investigation. The victim has been identified as Kevin Kless, 23, a resident of Philadelphia. [Patrick Suddath, Chief Ranger]

Grand Teton NP

Worker Dies From Injuries Sustained In Construction Accident

Rangers and EMS providers responded late on the morning of January 9th to a report of a worksite injury that had just occurred at a construction project in the park. B.P., a 33-year-old resident of eastern Colorado, had fallen approximately 15 feet and sustained serious injuries while working on a new housing unit near the park's headquarters complex. B.P. was treated at the scene and then taken by park ambulance to St. John's Medical Center in Jackson. From there, he was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, where he died two days later. B.P., the plant manager for a housing assembly company out of Fort Morgan, Colorado, fell while installing a second floor door on one of the new units being constructed in the employee housing area at Moose. An investigation into his death is underway. [Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Officer]

Gila Cliff Dwellings

Park Reopens Following Road And VC Repairs

The park reopened on January 10th following a closure of two-and-a-half months due to reconstruction of a highway bridge on the road to the cliff dwellings. The multi-agency Gila Visitor Center has also reopened. It was closed due to ceiling repairs required due to asbestos removal and water damage. [Steve Riley, Superintendent]

OTHER NEWS

The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS. To see the full text, including images, NPS employees should go to the InsideNPS home page ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index). Non-NPS employees can see most of them on the NPS Digest page ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/):

Petersburg NB - Among the many reenactment units commemorating the ongoing sesquicentennial of the Civil War are several that are reminding park visitors of the approximately 180,000 African-Americans who fought in the United States Colored Troops, particularly the 54th Massachusetts and the 23rd USCT.

Workforce Management - A memorandum entitled “Semi-Annual Consolidated Call for NPS Service-level and Departmental Honor Award Nominations” was issued in December. The text is included, with a link for specifics on individual awards. Nominations are due by February 29th.

Legislative and Congressional Affairs - This week's update on past and upcoming hearings, newly introduced bills, and the status of legislation of interest to the National Park Service. This report covers activities during the week ending on January 13th.

C&O Canal NHP - William I. Spinrad Jr., land resources officer for Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHP, retired on December 31st after more than 34 years of service with the Department of the Interior.

Chief Information Officer - Allen Sparks has been selected as the division chief for the Operations Services Division at the National Information Services Center.

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The Morning Report is a publication of the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, produced with the support of the Office of the Assistant Director for Information Resources and the Office of the Chief Information Officer. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).

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