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from thunderstorms. An Air Force command said to keep at least 5 miles away while a National Guard guideline was at least 25 miles, Guthrie said.
• The North Carolina Air National Guard said in a statement it would study the accident investigation's findings to prevent future tragedies.
• The four who died were Lt. Col. Paul K. Mikeal, 42, of Mooresville; Maj. Joseph M. McCormick, 36, of Belmont; Maj. Ryan S. David, 35, of Boone, and Senior Master Sgt. Robert S. Cannon, 50, of Charlotte. Mikeal and McCormick were both pilots, David was a navigator, Cannon was a flight engineer.
• They were members of the Air National Guard's 145th Air Wing, which was pressed into service to fight wildfires that burned thousands of acres and destroyed hundreds of homes in Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota. Their aircraft was flying out of Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., at the time of the crash.
• The plane was assigned to a wildfire that scorched 14 square miles near Edgemont, S.D., before it was contained with the help of rain. The burned lands were primarily National Forest grasslands and timber, although some ranchers were affected.
• The Charlotte-based unit sent three C-130s and 36 men on the firefighting assignment but cut the mission short after the crash.
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Actor helps tribes trying to buy sacred SD land
KRISTI EATON,Associated Press
• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- Native American tribes have received some celebrity support in their effort to raise $9 million by the end of the month to buy land in South Dakota that they consider sacred.
• Ezra Miller, who stars in the recently released film "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," and hip-hop producer Sol Guy appear in a short documentary-style film with Standing Rock Sioux tribal member Chase Iron Eyes as part of an effort to raise the final $2 million needed for the land deal.
• Tribes of the Great Sioux Nation hope to buy nearly 2,000 acres in the Black Hills that they call Pe' Sla. The property is important to their creation story, and tribal members have long held ceremonies there. When the land was put up for sale, tribal members worried it would be developed because of its proximity to Mount Rushmore.
• The 1,942 acres of pristine prairie grass is the only sacred site on private land currently outside Sioux control.
• "I came out here with the intention of being an observer ... I felt kind of removed (Continued on page 22)
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