A residential structure that was being built illegally on forest land in a suburb of India's financial capital collapsed, killing at least 45, including 11 children and injuring more than 50 others, according to local authorities.

The eight-story building in the Mumbai suburb of Thane caved in last night. Since then, rescue workers using sledgehammers, gasoline-powered saws and hydraulic jacks have been struggling to break through the tower of rubble in their search for survivors.

American Film Critic Rogert Ebert has dies, according to The Chicago Sun-Times, which reported the sad news. Ebert was 70 years old. You can find all of Ebert’s books at this link. Here’s an excerpt from the Sun-Times obituary:

It took four months following the Newtown school shooting, but this afternoon Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy signed sweeping gun restrictions into law.

This new law restricts sales of high-capacity ammunition clips that a crazed gunman used to massacre 26 people in a few minutes during a December attack on that school.

The law requires background checks for all gun purchases, it expands the number of guns covered by the states' assault-weapons ban and it also establishes a $15 million fund to help schools improve security infrastructure.

Red flag warning is in effect until 8 PM EDT this evening for an enhanced threat for the spread of wildfires for the entire tri-state area...

* affected area... New York City... Long Island... the lower Hudson
Valley... southern Connecticut and northeast New Jersey.

* Winds... northwest 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph.

* Relative humidity... as low as 23 percent.

* Timing... the strongest winds and lowest relative humidities
will occur late this afternoon.

* Impacts... rapid wildfire spread if ignition occurs.

Precautionary/preparedness actions...

Happy 500 anniversary for the state of Florida. A hard fought effort to showcase its history is finally receiving it's day in the sunshine. However, two coastal cities are competing for the same bragging rights to the legacy of Juan Ponce de Leon.

On April 2, 1513, Spanish conquistador De Leon became the first European of record to discover this lovely subtropical peninsula, which he then named La Florida.