5 Things You May Have Missed This Weekend
From a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire to an asteroid's near miss with Earth.
— -- Celebrities and A-listers gathered to remember and celebrate the life of comedian Joan Rivers, who passed away this week. Here are five other stories from the weekend you may have missed.
1. Ukraine Cease Fire in Peril
After more than four months of bloodshed, a cease-fire in Ukraine's rebellious east largely held back fighting Saturday, but appeared to be falling apart Sunday as both sides of the conflict claimed the others had violated the agreement, according to The Associated Press.
A statement from Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's appeared to make glancing reference to the cease-fire's tentativeness, saying said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed steps "for giving the cease-fire a stable character" in a telephone conversation Saturday.
But Sunday at least two houses were hit by artillery fire in the village of Spartak, just north of the main rebel-held city of Donetsk and adjacent to the airport, the AP reported.
Witnesses said rebels had fired first, and that apparently provoked a retaliatory attack from Ukrainian government troops.
2. Respiratory Virus Sickening Children in Colorado, Expected to Spread Further
A respiratory illness sweeping through parts of the U.S. has landed in Colorado, sickening hundreds of children, and could spread further across the country, according to doctors.
The disease hasn't been officially identified but officials suspect a rare respiratory virus called human enterovirus 68. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus is related to the rhinovirus, which causes the common cold.
Doctors Probe Polio-Like Illness in California
Life Saving Dog Sniffs Out Girl's Disease
According to Mark Pallansch, director of the Division of Viral Diseases at the CDC, similar cases to the ones in Colorado have been cropping up across the U.S. At least 10 states -- Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Iowa, Colorado, Ohio, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Georgia -- have reported suspected outbreaks of human enterovirus 68 and requested CDC support.
At Children's Hospital Colorado in Denver, officials say that between Aug. 18 and Sept. 4, doctors saw more than 900 pediatric patients with symptoms of the respiratory virus in the emergency room. Of those who came in, 86 were admitted into the hospital and a handful ended up in the intensive care unit.
3. Owner Bruce Levenson Selling Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks owner Bruce Levenson is selling his controlling interest in the team, NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced Sunday.
In July, Levenson self-reported an email he wrote to the team's co-owners and general manager Danny Ferry in August 2012 that he called "inappropriate and offensive." The league commenced an independent investigation after being made aware of the comments.
Levenson writes in a statement that the racially offensive comments came as he pondered ways to bridge Atlanta's racial sports divide and increase fan attendance at Hawks' games.
"In trying to address those issues, I wrote an e-mail two years ago that was inappropriate and offensive," he said. "I trivialized our fans by making clichéd assumptions about their interests (i.e. hip hop vs. country, white vs. black cheerleaders, etc.) and by stereotyping their perceptions of one another (i.e. that white fans might be afraid of our black fans). By focusing on race, I also sent the unintentional and hurtful message that our white fans are more valuable than our black fans."
Levenson notified Silver on Saturday night of his intentions to sell.
Girl group singer Simone Battle was found dead in her West Hollywood home, authorities said.
The Los Angeles County coroner ruled her death a suicide by hanging.
Battle, 25, gained notoriety through performances on the television show "X Factor." Her five-member band — G.R.L., originally a reboot of the Pussycat Dolls — had been signed by mega-hit maker Dr. Luke.
Battle was found at home Friday, according to Los Angeles County Coroner's Department Lt. David Smith.
5. House-Sized Asteroid Sails Past Earth
An asteroid measuring 60 feet in diameter whizzed by Earth today, passing between our planet and the Moon -- just 25,000 miles away.
The asteroid came closest to earth at 2:18 p.m. ET, as it passed over New Zealand.
It was only a close call -- but close enough to remind us how vulnerable we are to asteroids hurtling through space.
The asteroid, which is the size of a house, flew frighteningly close to the orbit of Earth's satellites, which provide vital communications.
Far Out! Company Tracks Space Junk
5 Things We Learned From NASA's Meteor Experts
Asteroid on Course for Close Encounter With Earth
This asteroid, named 2014 RC, came close, but it wasn't be the closest recent flyby. Astroid 2012DA 14 missed Earth by a measly 17,200 miles in February 2013.
Related Stories
ABC News Live