1. Illinois Gas Explosion

2. Crews assessed damage from a natural gas explosion that killed one person and injured several others in the central Illinois community of Canton on Wednesday. The explosion Wednesday evening occurred near the downtown square and damaged several buildings. It shattered windows several blocks away and forced the evacuation of residents from nearby apartment buildings. Authorities said the cause of the explosion, which occurred at the Opera House Professional Center, hasn't been determined. Authorities said 11 victims were taken to the hospital in Canton. One of the victims later died. The worker has not been identified.

3. In Other News
Information has just been released that a passenger plane narrowly avoided colliding with a drone while flying near London's tallest skyscraper. The plane was descending toward Heathrow Airport in July when the drone was spotted from the cockpit window. The pilot said the risk of collision was "high" in the report released last Friday. The authors of the report also classified the incident as a "very near-miss.” The drone operator could not be traced. In a separate incident, also in July, a drone came within five meters (16 feet) of an A319 passenger plane taking off from Britain's Liverpool Airport. The incident is one of dozens of near-misses reported to the UK Airport Board each month.
Bob Dylan will not travel to Sweden to receive his Nobel Prize for Literature in person, the Swedish Academy announced in a statement Wednesday. In a letter to the organization, which awards the Nobel prizes, Dylan explained he is unable to attend the ceremony in Stockholm next month due to "pre-existing commitments.” Dylan, the Swedish Academy said, "feels very honored" by the award and wishes he could be there in person to receive it. The organization added that there have been other Nobel laureates in the past who were unable to attend the ceremony -- and the prize is still awarded. The only requirement is that Dylan present a Nobel Lecture within six months. Dylan -- first songwriter to win a Nobel Prize -- is being acknowledged by the Swedish Academy "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition."