CONCEPTION

U.S. federal lawmakers have changed 19th-century maritime liability rules for accident victims and their families in response to the 2019 boat fire off the coast of Southern California that killed 34 people.

The captain of a dive boat that burned and sank off California three years ago with 34 people trapped below deck has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter.

Captain Jerry Boylan pleaded not guilty on Thursday, for the second time, to one count of misconduct or neglect of ship officer – otherwise known as "seaman’s manslaughter."

All 33 passengers and a crew member died in the 2019 fire. Captain Jerry Boylan and four other crew members escaped.

A federal judge has thrown out an indictment charging a boat captain with manslaughter in the deaths of 34 scuba divers three years ago off the California coast.

The Coast Guard has announced new safety rules following the deadly blaze that killed dozens of people on a scuba diving boat off the California coast more than two years ago.

Family members of the 34 people killed in a fire aboard a scuba diving boat off the California coast two years ago have sued the U.S. Coast Guard for lax enforcement of safety regulations.

Family members of the 34 people killed in a fire aboard a scuba diving boat off the California coast two years ago have sued the U.S. Coast Guard for lax enforcement of safety regulations that they say doomed the passengers. A lawyer who filed the wrongful death lawsuit late Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles said the Coast Guard has repeatedly certified passenger boats that are fire traps. “Had the Coast Guard properly inspected Conception, it never would have been certified, never set sail, and these 34 victims would not have lost their lives,” attorney Jeffrey Goodman said in a statement.

The conception of the Chicago River as something unnatural or unclean is something that nonprofit Urban Rivers hopes to challenge with a project called the Wild Mile: an ambitious plan to construct a mile-long river-level walkway on the North Branch of the river, from Halsted Street to North Avenue.

Experts at Michigan Medicine have used modeling to predict an upcoming baby boom.

The owner of the boat that burned and sank off the California coast, killing 34 people, has sold his two remaining vessels. The Los Angeles Times says Glen Fritzler of Truth Aquatics Inc. sold the dive boats to Channel Islands Expeditions. (Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP, File)LOS ANGELES – The owner of a scuba diving boat that burned and sank off the California coast, killing 34 people, has sold off his two remaining vessels. Federal safety investigators blamed Truth Aquatics for a lack of oversight. Fritzler and Truth Aquatics haven't been charged with a crime.

The captain of a scuba diving boat that burned and sank off the California coast, killing 34 people below deck, has pleaded not guilty to federal manslaughter charges. Jerry Boylan surrendered Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, and was arraigned in Los Angeles federal court on 34 counts of seaman's manslaughter. (Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP, File)LOS ANGELES – The captain of a scuba diving boat that burned and sank off the California coast, killing 34 people, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to manslaughter charges. Jerry Boylan was arraigned in federal court in Los Angeles on 34 counts of seaman’s manslaughter. Truth Aquatics has sued in federal court under a provision in maritime law to avoid payouts to the families of the victims.

He was one of 34 victims who were killed aboard the Conception — 33 passengers and a new deckhand — trapped below deck on a scuba diving boat that caught fire and sank off the Southern California coast. In fact, Coast Guard records show the Conception had passed its two most recent safety inspections. "To me, they’re the real heroes.”As they wait for the recommendations to go through Capitol Hill, the families are also fighting civilly. The families of 32 victims have filed claims against the boat owners, Glen and Dana Fritzler, and Truth Aquatics. The couple planned to eventually move to Northern California, where they met and married in the late 1990s.

The captain of a scuba diving boat that caught fire and sank off the coast of California last year, killing 34 people who were trapped below deck, was indicted Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, on federal manslaughter charges for one of the deadliest maritime disasters in recent U.S. history. Boylan and four other crew members, who had all been sleeping, escaped from the flaming boat after he made a breathless mayday call. The families of 32 victims have filed claims against boat owners Glen and Dana Fritzler and the company. The fire happened on the final night of a three-day Labor Day weekend scuba diving excursion near Santa Cruz Island off Santa Barbara. The family had been scuba diving together for at least a decade.

The NTSB also faulted the Coast Guard for not enforcing that requirement and recommended it develop a program to ensure boats with overnight passengers actually have the watchman. Last year’s tragedy during a Labor Day weekend scuba diving excursion near Santa Cruz Island off Santa Barbara prompted criminal and safety investigations. Before the disaster, Boylan and Truth Aquatics enjoyed a good reputation with customers and the Santa Barbara boating community. Attorneys for Boylan and Truth Aquatics did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The families of 32 victims have filed claims against the boat owners, Glen and Dana Fritzler, and Truth Aquatics.

(Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP, File)LOS ANGELES – Crew members of a Southern California dive boat told investigators they were not trained on emergency procedures before a fire broke out last year and killed 34 people, according to federal documents released Wednesday. The boat was carrying 33 passengers on a Labor Day weekend scuba diving expedition last year and was anchored near an island off the Southern California coast. The other five crew members, including Capt. Other crew members also said they were not familiar with safety procedures. The NTSB said all six crew members were asleep when the fire broke out, a violation of Coast Guard regulations that require a roving watch.

The family of the lone crew member to die in a boat fire that killed all 33 passengers off the Southern California coast last year sued the vessel's owners Monday in federal court. Alexandra "Allie" Kurtz, 26, an Illinois native living in California, was a new crew member at the time of the fire. The only survivors of the Conception were the captain and four other crew members, who were all asleep above deck. A preliminary NTSB report found that all six crew members were asleep when the fire broke out. One crew member, who broke his leg trying to escape, has also sued the boat owners along with the wife and teenage children of a man who died below deck.

A group of California congressional members have proposed tighter safety standards for small boats after a diving charter vessel burned and sank in September, killing 34 people. However, a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board said passengers who were asleep in bunks were trapped by flames that kept them from escaping or crew members on deck from reaching them. "The Conception boat fire was a tragedy that could have been prevented had stronger safety measures been in place," Feinstein said in a statement. After the blaze, the U.S. Coast Guard issued a safety bulletin that suggested boaters limit charging of such batteries. Authorities also have indicated that all crew members on the boat were asleep when the pre-dawn blaze erupted.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The owners of a dive boat that caught fire and sank off the California coast on Labor Day, killing 34 people, said on Tuesday they had suspended operations indefinitely during an investigation of one of the states worst maritime disasters. FILE PHOTO: Rescue personnel return to shore with the victims of a pre-dawn fire that sank a commercial diving boat off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, U.S., September 2, 2019. REUTERS/Kyle Grillot/File PhotoThe 75-foot Conception, owned by dive tour company Truth Aquatics, burst into flames on Sept. 2, killing 33 passengers and a crew member who had been sleeping below decks. The company owns and operates two other dive boats, one which is similar in design to the Conception. Federal authorities conducting a criminal investigation have searched offices and the two other boats belonging to Truth Aquatics.

The ATF's national response team has "deactivated" from the Navy base where the Conception, a 75-foot dive boat, was taken after it sank on Labor Day following a fire. The Conception was pulled from the water two weeks ago and taken to Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme. The National Transportation Safety Board is also looking into the fire and its investigation is still in the fact-finding phase, spokesman Eric Weiss told CNN. Douglas Schwartz, an attorney for Conception owner Glen Fritzler, told CNN: "As we await the official findings, the preliminary insight is unfortunate. The boat had burned down to the water line, Santa Barbara County fire spokesman Mike Eliason said in the days after the tragedy.

The boat, named Conception, was anchored just off Santa Cruz Island when it caught fire and sank early on Sept. 2. That means an inability to determine the fire's exact cause may not affect the criminal case. Failing to determine what sparked the blaze could make it difficult to prove if a boat owner was negligent. "If the best experts in the world can't determine the cause or origin of the fire, then how's the owner supposed to know?" Truth Aquatics preemptively filed a federal lawsuit under a pre-Civil War maritime law that shields boat owners from monetary damages in a disaster at sea.

TOP STORIESYoung and Driven to Save the PlanetToday, whats expected to be one of the largest environmental protests ever is unfolding around the warming planet. The demonstrations, headed by organizers including 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, are the start of a weeklong campaign surrounding the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York. Sept. 20, 1919: A parade for President Woodrow Wilson in downtown Los Angeles. (Los Angeles Times)CALIFORNIA The dive boat Conception wasnt built to charge dozens of phones, cameras and other devices. Eight Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies formerly assigned to the East Los Angeles station are suing the county, alleging they were pressured to quit their jobs or leave the station by members of a clique of deputies called the Banditos.

(CNN) - A crew member who survived the deadly Conception diving boat fire off the coast of California is suing the vessel's owners, saying the staff had not been properly trained. The suit also names Truth Aquatics owner Glen Fritzler and Worldwide Diving Adventures as defendants, the document shows. The vessel was owned by Truth Aquatics and had been chartered by Worldwide Diving Adventures. Truth Aquatics did not respond to a request for comment Thursday. A statement from Worldwide Diving Adventures posted on the company's website said they are also grieving and will not answer any questions.

The investigation into the California boat fire continues as the boat is recovered. SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The US Coast Guard released a safety bulletin asking the owners and operators of commercial boats to think about limiting the unsupervised charging of cellphones and other electronics that use lithium-ion batteries. National Transportation Safety Board Chariman Robert Sumwalt said Thursday the boat was required to have a roving watch person, but crew members were asleep. The Coast Guard said its safety bulletin contained regulations that would serve as a reminder for the owners and operators of commercial vessels, related to fighting fires, saving lives and providing for escape in case of emergencies. The safety bulletin also recommended boat operators review the crew's emergency duties, ensure logs on emergency drills and equipment maintenance are up to date and make sure emergency escapes are clearly identified.

The 75-foot commercial diving boat, called the Conception, caught fire Labor Day off the coast of Santa Cruz Island in Southern California. (CNN) - The last missing victim of the Conception dive boat fire in California was located Wednesday, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office said. "The Conception Incident Unified Command is relieved to report that search and recovery efforts today were successful in locating the last missing victim," a tweet from the sheriff's office said. The 75-foot dive boat sank off the Southern California coast on Labor Day following a fire that claimed the lives of 34 people on board. Investigators have not determined the cause of the fire aboard the dive boat, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation said this week, noting the boat has not even been brought to the surface.

The 75-foot commercial diving boat, called the Conception, caught fire Labor Day off the coast of Santa Cruz Island in Southern California. The Conception sank off the Southern California coast on Labor Day following a fire that claimed the lives of 34 passengers. "Reports that the remaining body not recovered is for certain in the boat are inaccurate," Raney said. We need to get divers back in the water to search parts of the boat that were unstable during prior searches." The escape hatch in the lower bunk level on the Vision -- the similar boat -- was small and difficult to see, access and maneuver, she said.

(CNN) - The Coast Guard Investigative Service served search warrants on Truth Aquatics, the owner of the diving boat that was swallowed up by flames off the California coast on Labor Day, Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. Eric Raney told CNN. "The Coast Guard was assisted by ATF which is investigating the fire and the FBI which has expertise in criminal investigations." Thirty-three bodies have been recovered and one remains missing, the sheriff's office said. The escape hatch in the lower bunk level on the Vision-- the similar boat -- was small, difficult to see, access and maneuver, she said. The Labor Day disaster may well spark changes in regulations of commercial dive boats and related vessels, said retired US Coast Guard Capt.

Of the 39 people aboard the 75-foot dive boat Conception, only five crew members, including the captain, were found alive. Preliminary indications are that "the cause of death was smoke inhalation" and "that the victims died prior to being burned," Brown told reporters. There are no plans for autopsies because of the belief that smoke inhalation killed the victims, Brown said. "At that point, due to heat, flames and smoke, the crew had to jump from the boat," Homendy said. Officials interviewed the owner operator of the dive boat, Homendy said, without giving any details.

Of the 39 people aboard the 75-foot dive boat Conception, only five crew members, including the captain, were found alive. The crew members tried to get down the ladder, but it was engulfed in flames. Crew members then went to the double doors of the galley to try to get to the passengers, but it too was engulfed in flames, NTSB investigators were told. They then tried and failed to get in through a window in the front of the vessel, Homendy said. Alcohol testing was done on four out of five surviving crew members, Neubauer said.

The 75-foot commercial diving boat, called the Conception, caught fire Labor Day off the coast of Santa Cruz Island in Southern California. SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The 34 people feared dead in a California dive boat fire likely got trapped when the roaring blaze blocked their escape routes and confined them to the lower sleeping deck, authorities said. Passengers were not locked in the sleeping deck, but they were unable to flee the burning boat, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said. The boat was about 20 miles off the mainland coast, near Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands National Park. Rapid DNA technology to be used to ID victimsAuthorities will use rapid DNA technology to identify those whose bodies were burned beyond recognition, Brown said.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The captain of the sister ship to the one that caught fire off the coast of Santa Barbara, killing at least 25, is sticking up for its crew. Ian Higgins is the captain of the Vision, a sister ship nearly identical to the Conception, which caught fire near Santa Cruz island Monday morning. "That vessel is inspected by the Coast Guard annually and also every five years for a more complete inspection," said Higgins, who works for Truth Aquatics. RELATED: 20 bodies recovered from boat fire off coast of Southern California, officials sayRecords show the Conception had no issues after a Coast Guard inspection in February. He said passengers are given safety briefings the morning after they get on the ship.

Only five people -- all crew members -- were found alive and the bodies of 20 people have been recovered off the coast of Santa Cruz Island. Kristy Finstad was leading a dive trip on the vessel, Brett Harmeling wrote in a Facebook post. Finstad is the owner of Worldwide Diving Adventures, a local company that chartered the Conception dive boat from Truth Aquatics, business records show. Cherie McDonough flew to California from Cincinnati, Ohio, after she heard about the fire on the Conception diving boat. "She loved it here, and she loved the boat.

Metro Detroit weather: Storms possibleThe warmest day of the week lies ahead, and it could all come to a very stormy end. UAW selects GM to begin contract negotiationsUnited Autoworkers President Gary Jones announced Tuesday that the UAW has decided to proceed on bargaining with GM. Man in custody after face-off with police in RosevilleAn investigation underway Tuesday morning in Roseville after reports of gunfire overnight. Police responded to a disturbance call at a home on Masonic Street between Gratiot Avenue and Kelly Road. Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

Metro Detroit weather: Storms possibleThe warmest day of the week lies ahead, and it could all come to a very stormy end. UAW selects GM to begin contract negotiationsUnited Autoworkers President Gary Jones announced Tuesday that the UAW has decided to proceed on bargaining with GM. Man in custody after face-off with police in RosevilleAn investigation underway Tuesday morning in Roseville after reports of gunfire overnight. Police responded to a disturbance call at a home on Masonic Street between Gratiot Avenue and Kelly Road. Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

A California dive-boat fire that killed dozens of people was a 'worst-case' scenario, according to Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown. At least 25 bodies have been found, according to Coast Guard officials who spoke to the Los Angeles Times. A search and rescue effort for survivors will become a recovery mission Tuesday morning, Eliason told reporters Monday. A mayday call revealed one side of the harrowing discussion between a Coast Guard dispatcher and the Conception's captain. ... Roger, is the vessel fully engulfed right now ... Roger, and there's no escape hatch for any of the people on board?"

The 75-foot commercial diving boat, called the Conception, caught fire Labor Day off the coast of Santa Cruz Island in Southern California. Bob looked over the side and saw five people in their underwear, he told CNN affiliate KEYT-TV. Then he saw another boat in the distance, fully engulfed in flames. The 75-foot commercial diving boat, called the Conception, caught fire Labor Day off the coast of Santa Cruz Island in Southern California. Shirley said some of the rescued crew members told them about the moments on the boat before the fire.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it has launched several boats to help over two dozenLOS ANGELES - As many as 34 people are feared dead, according to the Coast Guard, after a dive boat caught fire before dawn Monday off the Southern California coast. Matthew Kroll told The Associated Press the Coast Guard was searching for others who may have been able to escape the fire by jumping from the boat. Two of the crew suffered minor injuries, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Mark Barney. The fire broke out before dawn aboard the dive boat Conception on the final day of a Labor Day weekend cruise to the Channel Islands. "At 3:15 this morning the Coast Guard overheard a mayday call.