Despite Mishaps, State Fair Closing Strong

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RAW VIDEO: Riders Stranded at 165 Feet

This raw video shows riders of the Stratosphere at the State Fair of Texas. The ride lost power late Friday night.

Viewer Videos: Big Texas Burns

Big Tex the icon of the State Fair of Texas burned Friday morning and witnesses grabbed their phones to get video of it. (WARNING: Explicit Language)

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Despite two mishaps on Friday, crowds packed the State Fair of Texas during its last weekend.

As the sun set on the last Saturday of the fair, Fort Worth resident Daniel Whittington said it was difficult to navigate through the crowds.

"This is extreme. I have not seen it this busy ever. This is unbelievable. There's points to where you can't even walk, you're just standing still," he said.

But what isn't so crowded is the Stratosphere. The thrill ride malfunctioned Friday night, stranding 24 people 165 feet above ground. State Fair of Texas Chief of Operations Rusty Fitzgerald says crews have been investigating what happened.

"We're taking a look at it. Of course, we're doing our own investigation, seeing exactly what caused that error. We don't let anything run until we know what caused it and make sure it can't happen again," Fitzgerald said.

Visitors didn't seem too concerned about the incident. Thrill seekers filled the fast moving rides throughout the fairgrounds.

"I was a little nervous about it but you know, it's an amusement park. You have a risk every time you go on a ride," said Whittington.

Another mishap on Friday left the park without its larger-than-life mascot, Big Tex. Fair goers mourned the loss of the iconic cowboy, which burned down after an electrical malfunction.

"May he rest in peace. We love him, we love him. He the heart of Texas," said Waxahachie resident Damian Telfor.

Fair Park officials said Big Tex will definitely be back next year -- bigger, better, and hopefully fire-proof.

The last day of the 2012 State Fair of Texas is Sunday, Oct. 21.

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Madonna Cancels Saturday Dallas Show

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Singer Madonna performs at Staples Center on October 10, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/WireImage)

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Concert promoter Live Nation says the Material Girl won't be singing on Saturday.

Madonna has canceled her Saturday night show at the American Airlines Center due to "severe laryngitis," according to the promoter.

All tickets for the Oct. 20 show will be refunded at the point of purchase and tickets bought online will be refunded directly.

Sunday's scheduled show is expected to go on.

There are a very limited number of still available seats for that show.

Madonna says she regrets any inconvenience to her fans.

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Amtrak Train Hits 111 Mph During Test Run

About 75-percent of the route between Chicago and St. Louis will be high-speed ready by 2015, dropping travel times between Chicago and St. Louis to 3 hours and 49 minutes. Anthony Ponce went along for the ride.

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Quinn Touts High Speed Rail

Gov. Pat Quinn says it's important that high speed rail is a part of 21st Century American transportation system.

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An Amtrak train zoomed past drivers on I-55 Friday during a historic run, clocking in at a speed of 111 miles per hour as it traveled on the new high-speed rail.

"What we're celebrating here is the next generation of transportation for the next generation," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood at the record-setting test run on Amtrak's hi-speed rail.

The 15-mile stretch of track between Dwight and Pontiac, Ill., is equipped to handle speeds of 110 miles per hour. The 111 mile per hour speed the train reached during the test run "is the fastest time of a passenger train outside the Northeast in American history," according to Governor Pat Quinn, who received credit for securing the necessary funding for Illinois.

While the high-speed capability is officially here, it's technically still in "test mode."  Amtrak's goal is to have the first section of 110 miles per hour service in place for its riders in time for Thanksgiving.

About 75-percent of the route between Chicago and St. Louis will be equipped by 2015, dropping travel times between Chicago and St. Louis to 3 hours and 49 minutes.

"Four years ago, we were nowhere," LaHood said.  "Illinois and the country was a wasteland when it came to high-speed rail."

Illinois secured over $2 billion for the project. The amount was the third highest amount of federal high-speed rail funding from the President's stimulus package, behind California and the Northeast Corridor, LaHood said.

Ridership between Chicago and St. Louis is already up 11-percent since last year and expects 110 mph speeds to boost it even further, according to Amtrak.

"When the project is complete, we anticipate that the Chicago to St. Louis route will be one of the busiest state-supported routes in the country," said Amtrak Chairman Tom Carper.

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Experimental Aircraft Down in Tarrant County

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A Fort Worth man is in critical but stable condition after his experimental aircraft was downed at Bourland Airfield.

Gary Rozzell with the Department of Public Safety said 60-year-old Willaim Don Hunthrop of Fort Worth was flying an experimental gyroplane.

Rozzell says Hunthrop was doing "touch and goes" for license requirements at Bourland Airfield in Cresson, TX in Tarrant County.

Hunthrop was injured in the incident and airlifted to John Peter Smith Hospital in critical but stable condition.

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Undergarment Thief Becomes Violent: DPD

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Dallas police are warning women about a man who has been breaking into homes near White Rock Lake. Police say he's targeted three homes so far, but Thursday the burglary turned violent.

The woman's family said her dogs woke her up barking at around 8 a.m., and when she saw a strange man standing over her, he punched her in the face. The woman's family tells NBC 5 the man got into the house through a window. Police said she was not sexually assaulted.

Police said all of the burglaries have happened close to each other in their Central Patrol Division. All of the cases happened in daylight hours, the man's descriptions are similar, and he took undergarments in two of the burglaries.

On October 18, 2012, at approximately 8 a.m., a Latin male suspect, about 28 years old, short hair, medium build entered a residence through a small window. The suspect proceeded to enter another room where he encountered the female complainant and assaulted her. The suspect then fled the location with some of the complainant's under garments. The suspect was wearing a gray shirt and blue jeans.

On October 16, 2012, at approximately 4:30 p.m., reporting officers responded to an alarm call. The complainant reported that an unknown suspect entered the residence through a rear door and took jewelry and ladies under garments. Prior to the burglary offense, a witness observed a light skinned Latin male with short spiked hair at the complainant's front door. The Latin male was observed leaving the location in a mid 90's, black Infiniti, 4-door vehicle.

On September 13, 2012, at approximately 1:50 p.m., the complainant left her residence however returned approximately 10 minutes later and found that her garage door was open. The complainant entered the residence and while she was in the kitchen, she observed a suspect peeking around the corner, from the garage. As the complainant picked up the phone to call police, the suspect jumped the back fence and fled the location. The suspect was described as a Latin male suspect, 28-30 years old, 5'11", 190 pounds, clean shaven and was wearing black gloves, gray sweatshirt and blue jeans. No property was taken.

The Dallas Police stress "If you see something, say something" and call 9-1-1 to report any criminal or suspicious activity.

Police urge residents to keep their doors and windows locked at all times and get to know your neighbors so you know who belongs and who doesn't.

Neighbors in the area say that's not that easy. "We have a neighborhood Crime Watch, we have police officers going up and down the streets all the time, but it's difficult with all the construction going on and the new building that's going on you don't know who belongs here and who doesn't," said Ceciliee Wallace.

"It definitely scared me," says Ridgedale Avenue homeowner Courtney Bartee.  "Especially to be home here different hours during the day.  It definitely makes me more aware of my surroundings."

Police say if you are away, consider leaving a light, radio, or TV on a timer that goes on and off while you are away from home.Anyone with information about the burglaries is asked to call the Central Patrol Investigative Unit at 214-671-4414.

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President Suggests Opponent Has “Romnesia”

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President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign rally at George Mason University October 19, 2012, in Fairfax. Obama and his opponent, Republican presidential nominee and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney are battling for Virginia's 13 electoral votes, which Obama won in 2008. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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There's a new buzzword in President Barack Obama's re-election campaign: "Romnesia."

Thousands of supporters who went to the second rally at George Mason University in just two weeks roared as the president introduced the new term, one he says describes Republican candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's shifting position on certain issues.

"He's changing up so much, backtracking, sidestepping," Obama said. "We've got to name this condition he's going through. I think it's called Romnesia."

Obama then used his new word in a series of sentences.

"If you say you are for equal pay for equal work but you keep refusing to say if you'll sign a bill that protects equal pay for equal work, you might have Romnesia," he said.

The President wrapped up his riff saying, "If you come down with a case of Romnesia, here's the good news: Obamacare covers pre-existing conditions.

"We've got a cure," he shouted. "We can make you well Virginia!"

But the Romney campaign had some choice words of its own, calling the president's speech a "comedy routine" intended to distract from the nation's economic woes.

"When you have no record to run on, you try to distract, divert and to attack the other side," said Del. Barbara Comstock, a Romney campaign co-chair. "And that's clearly what the campaign has done all summer and now through the fall you've seen that again. We're focused on talking directly to the American people."

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U.S Attorney Talks About Terror Plot

The U.S District Attorney Loretta Lynch gave the first interview on recent plot to bomb the Federal Reserve. Jonathan Dienst reports.

U.S Attorney: Terror Suspect One of...

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Fed Reserve Targeted in Van Bomb Plot

A suspected terrorist parked a van packed with what he thought was a 1,000-pound bomb next to the Federal Reserve building in Lower Manhattan and tried to detonate it Wednesday morning before he was arrested in a terror sting operation, authorities said. News 4's Jonathan Dienst reports.

Terror Plot Suspect's Queens Neighbors Shocked

The terror plot suspect Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis had been living in Queens for the past two months as a transfer student. Neighbors are now reacting to the news. Gus Rosendale reports.

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The student from Bangladesh who allegedly plotted to set off a truck bomb outside the New York Federal Reserve Bank is one of the most dangerous terrorists the United States has faced since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the U.S attorney handling the case said Friday.

"He came here wanting to carry out a terrorist attack and he came here already radicalized," U.S Attorney Loretta Lynch told NBC 4 New York in an interview.  She added that Mohammed Nafis is likely more dangerous than the group of terrorists in the 2009 suicide bomb plot who targeted New York City's subway system.

"Nothing was going to stop him," Lynch said. "This defendant was thinking ahead about how if he survives he can carry out bigger and better plots in the future."

Speaking publicly for the first time, Lynch said federal authorities were a bit lucky that Nafis unknowingly contacted an informant about building a terror cell to carry out bombings in New York. She said Nafis was plotting and reaching out to others weeks before the FBI knew he was in the country.

"This defendant came here to build his terror network," she said. "It was only through some luck that he did make a connection through law enforcement and that we were then able to pretend to join his group."

Nafis was arrested Wednesday morning after allegedly parking a van he thought was loaded with more than 1,000 pounds of explosives. But the device was inert because the FBI had secretly provided nonworking components. Officials say the public was not in any immediate danger as Nafis was being closely monitored.

Lynch said the investigation continues into whether Nafis had al-Qaida contacts overseas. She said he did try to recruit others here in the United States but was not immediately successful. And she pointed out he thought he had the FBI undercover agent as a terrorist accomplice.  

FBI, NYPD and Homeland Security officials have said Nafis was radicalized by watching online jihadist videos and reading al-Qaida's "Inspire" magazine.

"He was not someone who learned sitting at the feet of bin Laden but he was inspired by him," Lynch said.  

Investigators said he was capable of building a bomb and had been mapping targets for weeks.

His attorney has declined to comment.

Lynch said: "It's not the government that is targeting these young people. It is al-Qaida that is targeting these people. And we've got to break that hold."

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Riders Stranded on Stratosphere for 2 Hours

NBC 5 News

This raw video shows the lowering to the ground of the 24 riders who were stranded on the Stratosphere at the State Fair of Texas when the ride lost power late Friday night.

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Stratosphere Stalls With 24 Riders

One of the State Fair of Texas' tallest rides stranded two dozen riders in the air after it lost power.

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It just wasn't the State Fair of Texas' day.

About 11 hours after fair icon Big Tex went up in flames, one of the fair's tallest rides malfunctioned, stranding two dozen riders in the air for just more than two hours on Friday.

Riders in the Stratosphere's hanging seats were stuck dangling about 165 feet in air when the ride lost power at about 9:11 p.m.

Carol Stradtman, one of the stranded riders, told NBC 5 by phone that all of the lights went off and the ride just stopped.

"It's extremely scary," she said.

The 24 riders were all on the ground by 11:20 p.m. Dallas Fire-Rescue said all of the occupants were safely removed from the ride after it was manually lowered.

Dallas police said fair officials provided the riders with blankets and refreshments once they were on the ground and that the fire department was on hand to provide any needed medical attention.

State Fair of Texas representatives said the Stratosphere would remain closed for the remainder of the fair's run.

This year's fair ends Sunday.

Power was restored to the ride by 10:50 p.m., but there appeared to be some issue that prevented the ride from immediately lowering its passengers.

Stradtman told NBC 5 that someone had climbed the center of the tower at about 9:40 p.m. and appeared to manually try to bring them down. She said a friend who was not on the ride said there was some kind of mechanical difficulty.

No injuries were reported, Dallas police said. Two Dallas Fire-Rescue technical rescue trucks were at the fair to help.

The Stratosphere, a 200-foot tall tower, turns and swings riders out over the fair.

Friday's woes are not the first for the Stratosphere.

The Dutch-made ride stalled at the Minnesota State Fair twice in as many days in August, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported, as well as during the ride's debut in Wisconsin.

NBC 5's Ray Villeda and Ellen Goldberg contributed to this report.

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North Texans Walk For A Cure

Andres Guiterrez, NBC 5 News

North Texans took part in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's "Light the Night" walk.

North Texans Walk For A Cure

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Red, white and gold balloons illuminated the dark North Texas skies as part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's "Light the Night" walk in Plano.

Each balloon serves as a beacon of awareness.

"Individuals come and they walk either in remembrance of someone who they've lost to blood cancer or in honor of someone who is battling blood cancer," said Kacy Hensley, the director of Light the Night.

Among the hundreds of supporters who walked, there are the survivors like three-year old Cutler Fricke.

Fricke was six-months-old he was diagnosed with leukemia forcing him to spend the rest of his first year of life undergoing treatment.

"It's very difficult being a six month old; he can't talk or tell you when something is hurting," Melanie Fricke, his mother, said.

The Fricke family has participated in the Light the Night walk for the past three years.

Others were participating in memory of their loved ones.

Tom Yolke had been married to his wife, Sherry, for 48 years. She died last year following a nine-year battle with leukemia.  

"When you come out here, there are so many people that are in the same boat as you are -- that are also hurting that are also missing someone and they want to help too," Yoke said.

This year, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has raised more than a quarter of a million dollars and more than 2,000 people have signed up to walk.

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society will hold two more walks: Sunday, Oct. 21 in Fort Worth at the West 7th street development and an Oct. 28 walk at the Main Street Garden Park in Dallas. Both events begin at 7 p.m.

NBC 5 is a proud sponsor of the "Light the Night" walks.

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