Eleven veterans have died at a soldiers’ home in Holyoke, Mass., where a COVID-19 outbreak is now threatening even more residents and staff. At least five of the people who died have tested positive for COVID-19; other tests are still pending in the case, which Gov. Charlie Baker calls “a shuddering loss for us all.”
An additional 11 veterans and five staff members have also tested positive, raising the facility’s overall total to more than 20 confirmed cases. More tests are under way to determine the scope of exposure to the coronavirus.
The Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke’s superintendent, Bennett Walsh, was placed on administrative leave Monday, according to member station WBUR.
The station also reports that Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse says the veterans’ facility did not initially tell city and state officials that residents had died last week. On Tuesday, Morse said it wasn’t until over the weekend, when he began to get anonymous tips, that the gravity of the situation became clear.
Gutfeld on the media and the virus – YouTube
Gutfeld on the media and the virus
Louisiana pastor who defied coronavirus order arrested on misdemeanor charges | Fox News
The pastor of Lousiana megachurch was arrested on misdemeanor charges for holding Sunday services for hundreds of followers in the face of a state-wide coronavirus large gathering ban.
The criminal action against Pastor Tony Spell comes a day after Rev. Rodney Howard-Browne, the pastor of another megachurch, River at Tampa Bay Church in Florida, was arrested and charged with violating a local coronavirus stay-at-home order when he held services over the weekend that drew large crowds.
Spell’s service Sunday drew an estimated 500 people of all ages to Life Tabernacle Church in Central.
On Tuesday Central police charged Spell with six counts of violating the Louisiana governor’s ban on large gatherings that was enacted to contain the sometimes-deadly coronavirus.
Source: Louisiana pastor who defied coronavirus order arrested on misdemeanor charges | Fox News
Democrat Blames America For Airline Crash
When I first saw this tweet, I thought it must be an exaggeration of what the Congresswoman said. It’s not. https://t.co/ow8eSyV2Sr
— Brit Hume (@brithume) January 10, 2020
An officer was shot to death outside a police station in Mississippi, just months before he was set to retire – CNN
Aircraft carrier sent to Middle East after indications Iran planned attack on US forces – ABC News
U.S. sending aircraft carrier and bombers to Middle East in response to clear indications Iran planned an attack on U.S. forces in the region.
Source: Aircraft carrier sent to Middle East after indications Iran planned attack on US forces – ABC News
Royal baby: Meghan gives birth to boy, Harry announces – BBC News
The Duchess of Sussex has given birth to a boy, the Duke of Sussex has announced.
Prince Harry said they were both “absolutely thrilled” and thanked the public for their support during the pregnancy.
The duke added they were still thinking about names.
Source: Royal baby: Meghan gives birth to boy, Harry announces – BBC News
‘Avengers: Endgame’ Races Toward ‘Avatar’s’ All-Time Box Office Record – Variety
Can “Avengers: Endgame” beat “Avatar’s” box office record?
With a late April release date, “Avengers: Endgame” won’t enjoy that same kind of staying power. It’s worth noting that “Avengers: Endgame” and “Avengers: Infinity War” are the only two films to cross $2 billion that weren’t released in December. Marvel’s latest juggernaut will certainly have a long life in theaters, but over the next few months, it will also have to compete with a number of blockbuster-hopefuls including “Detective Pikachu,” “Godzilla: King of Monsters,” “Aladdin,” “The Lion King,” and “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.”
Source: ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Races Toward ‘Avatar’s’ All-Time Box Office Record – Variety
HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP CRASH: 2 killed, 1 critically injured in rollover crash
Two people were killed and a third was critically injured in a crash Sunday night in Hempfield Township, Pennsylvania State Police said.
Source: HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP CRASH: 2 killed, 1 critically injured in rollover crash
2019 Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon results
The gold medal winner of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon men’s division was Boniface Kongin of Kenya, with a time of 2:10:34.
“I feel so happy and to make it more happier I did it in Pittsburgh,” Kongin said. “I felt the crowd kept me moving on such a difficult course. I am just super happy and this gave me the moral boost I needed.”
The gold medal winner of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon women’s division was Bizuwork Getahun Kasaye of Ethiopia, with a time of 2:36:29.
Source: 2019 Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon results
At least 40 dead after Aeroflot plane’s emergency landing, fire at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport
At least 41 people were killed Sunday after a Russian airliner made a hard emergency landing and caught fire at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport, officials said.
Source: At least 40 dead after Aeroflot plane’s emergency landing, fire at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport
SpaceX launches space station resupply mission, lands rocket on drone ship – Spaceflight Now
Less than nine minutes later, the rocket’s first stage booster fell from the sky and executed a pinpoint propulsive landing just offshore, setting the stage for another resupply mission for NASA using the same rocket this summer using the same vehicle.
The 213-foot-tall (65-meter) rocket lifted off with a flash from its nine Merlin 1D main engines at 2:48:58 a.m. EDT (0648:58 GMT), roughly the moment Cape Canaveral rotated under space station’s orbital plane.
The Falcon 9 tilted toward the northeast to align with the space station’s flight path, riding 1.7 million pounds of thrust as roared into a starry sky. Less than two-and-a-half minutes later, the rocket’s first stage booster shut down and separated to begin a descent back to Earth, targeting SpaceX’s drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You” parked around 14 miles (22 kilometers) east of Cape Canaveral in the Atlantic Ocean.
The first stage lit three of its engines to begin a boost-back burn to reverse course and head back toward Florida’s Space Coast, while the Falcon 9’s upper stage continued with the primary objective of Saturday’s mission — the delivery into orbit of a Dragon cargo craft packed with 5,472 pounds (2,482 kilograms) of supplies, provisions and experiments for the station and its six-person crew.
The interaction exhaust plumes from the Falcon 9’s first and second stage Merlin engines produced a spectacular lighting effect, giving the appearance of a cosmic nebula high above the Florida spaceport.
Source: SpaceX launches space station resupply mission, lands rocket on drone ship – Spaceflight Now
Kentucky Derby 2019 winner: Country House wins after Maximum Security is disqualified – Los Angeles Times
Rachel Held Evans, the hugely popular evangelical writer, is dead at 37.
Evans was a forceful and winsome public voice for progressive evangelicalism.
Rachel Held Evans, an influential progressive Christian writer and speaker who cheerfully challenged American evangelical culture, died on Saturday at a hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. Evans, 37, entered the hospital in mid-April with the flu, and then had a severe allergic reaction to antibiotics, as she wrote on Twitter several weeks ago. According to her husband, Dan Evans, she then developed sustained seizures. Doctors put her in a medically induced coma, but some seizures returned when her medical team attempted to wean her from the medications that were maintaining her coma. Her condition worsened on Thursday morning, and her medical team discovered severe swelling of her brain. She died early on Saturday morning.
Source: Rachel Held Evans, the hugely popular evangelical writer, is dead at 37.
Illinois marijuana legalization bill would allow possession up to 30 grams, 5 plants grown at home – Chicago Tribune
Here’s where the jobs are — in one chart
CNBC studied the net changes by industry for April jobs based on the data from the Labor Department.
The business and professional services sector alone added 76,000 jobs, with strong hiring in computer systems design, temporary help services, and building and dwelling services like pest extermination, landscaping and housekeeping. The sector also includes lawyers, accountants and consultants.
Wisconsin restaurant bans kids from dining without their parents | Daily Mail Online
Tom’s Drive In in Appleton, Wisconsin, made the decision after groups of youngsters repeatedly treated staff poorly and disrespected the restaurant by vandalizing booths and leaving mess.
Tom’s Drive In in Appleton, Wisconsin, made the decision after groups of youngsters repeatedly treated staff poorly and disrespected the restaurant by vandalizing booths and leaving large messes.
While many say the reaction was justified, others have complained that they are punishing the masses for the bad actions of a few.
The restaurant has a sign on its front door which reads: ‘Due to mistreatment of Tom’s Drive In’s property, guests and staff, you are no longer allowed inside of the building without parental supervision.
Source: Wisconsin restaurant bans kids from dining without their parents | Daily Mail Online
Taliban rejects calls for Ramadan truce in Afghanistan – BBC News
A traditional council, or loya jirga, made the proposal as it meets to discuss peace in Kabul.
The grand assembly is meeting in Kabul this week to discuss peace and called for an immediate ceasefire between the government and militants.
President Ashraf Ghani agreed to a truce provided it was not “one-sided”.
But the Taliban rejected the call and accused members of being government allies.
In 2018 the Taliban agreed a three-day ceasefire coinciding with Eid at the end of the holy month of Ramadan – their first since the 2001 US-led invasion.
Speaking at the meeting of the loya jirga – a grand tribal council attended by 3,200 religious leaders, politicians and representatives from across the country – Mr Ghani said: “Let us prove that only Western countries cannot solve this conflict. There is also human civilisation here.”
Source: Taliban rejects calls for Ramadan truce in Afghanistan – BBC News
John Wilkes Booth ‘got away with killing Abraham Lincoln by evading capture, living under aliases’ | Daily Mail Online
CVS closing 46 stores: See the list of CVS Pharmacy locations closing
CVS Health is closing 46 of its stores, saying the locations were “underperforming” as the drugstore chain continues to shift more of its retail presence toward health care services.
The move cost CVS about $135 million as a “store rationalization charge” in its first-quarter earnings report.
The cuts represent fewer than 1% of the about 9,600 CVS Pharmacy stores nationwide.
The closures, which happened over the last two months, include a 64,000-square-foot location in Springfield, Missouri, once described as the largest CVS in the world.
They also included four stores in Chicago, two in San Francisco and two in Minneapolis. (Scroll down to see the list.)
More: Payless, CVS and Victoria’s Secret are just some of the brands closing stores in 2019
Source: CVS closing 46 stores: See the list of CVS Pharmacy locations closing
Oliver North out as NRA president after leadership dispute
North, whose one-year term ends Monday, did not show up for the meeting, and his spot on the stage was left empty, his nameplate still in its place. His statement was largely met with silence. Wayne LaPierre, whom North had tried to push out, later received two standing ovations.
It was a stunning conclusion to a battle between two conservative and Second Amendment titans — North, the retired Marine lieutenant colonel with a ramrod demeanor who was at the center of the Iran-Contra scandal of the 1980s, and LaPierre, who has been battle-tested in the decades since he took up the mantle of gun rights. He has fought back challenges that have arisen over the decades, seemingly emerging unscathed each time. In this latest effort, he pushed back against North, telling members of the NRA’s board of directors that North had threatened to release “damaging” information about him to them and saying it amounted to an “extortion” attemp
Source: Oliver North out as NRA president after leadership dispute
Soldier Survives Fall Into Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano After Climbing Metal Barrier : NPR
A soldier visiting the active volcano on the Big Island hopped a guardrail and fell in when the ground collapsed. Airlifted out of the crater, he is in stable condition.
Source: Soldier Survives Fall Into Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano After Climbing Metal Barrier : NPR
WVU STUDENT THREATS: A WVU student was arrested after threatening a “shooting spree” | WPXI
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University officials said a student was arrested and charged after threatening to go on a “shooting spree”.
In a statement, the school said University Police acted on a tip and arrested 21-year-old freshman student Cheickna Kagnassy from Columbia, Maryland at Vandalia Hall Wednesday night. University Police Deputy Chief Phil Scott said someone called officers after hearing Kagnassy speak about carrying out the “shooting spree” and then killing himself.
According to the statement, Scott said no weapons were found where Kagnassy lived.
Source: WVU STUDENT THREATS: A WVU student was arrested after threatening a “shooting spree” | WPXI
TURNPIKE HEROIN BUST: Woman charged in $2 million heroin bust on Pa. Turnpike | WPXI
SOMERSET COUNTY, Pa. – A woman is facing charges after being caught on the Pennsylvania Turnpike with $2 million worth of heroin hidden in her SUV.
Ana Rodriguez Gonzalez was arrested along a stretch of the road in Somerset County. She is in the Somerset County jail.
The bust is the largest by the State Police TACET Team.
Source: TURNPIKE HEROIN BUST: Woman charged in $2 million heroin bust on Pa. Turnpike | WPXI
Expert reveals why the idea of alien life no longer seems like science fiction | Daily Mail Online
According to a researcher from the University of Melbourne, the idea of alien life is not as far-fetched as it used to seem, thanks to remarkable discoveries over the past two decades.
While life is a special kind of complex chemistry, the elements involved are nothing special: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and so on are among the most abundant elements in the universe. Complex organic chemistry is surprisingly common.
Amino acids, just like those that make up every protein in our bodies, have been found in the tails of comets. There are other organic compounds in Martian soil.
And 6,500 light years away a giant cloud of space alcohol floats among the stars.
Habitable planets seem to be common too. The first planet beyond our Solar System was discovered in 1995. Since then astronomers have catalogued thousands.
Based on this catalogue, astronomers from the University of California, Berkeley worked out there could be as many as 40 billion Earth-sized exoplanets in the so-called ‘habitable zone’ around their star, where temperatures are mild enough for liquid water to exist on the surface.
Source: Expert reveals why the idea of alien life no longer seems like science fiction | Daily Mail Online
Star Wars actor Peter Mayhew dies | Nine News Australia – YouTube
Star Wars Fans around the world are mourning the death of actor Peter Mayhem, who played Han Solo’s sidekick Chewbacca in the iconic films.
PITTSBURGH CHILD WANDER: 3-year-old found wandering alone on Pittsburgh street | WPXI
PITTSBURGH – A 3-year-old boy was found wandering alone early Thursday morning on a street in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood, authorities said.
Police were called shortly after 2 a.m. to the area of Mathews Avenue and Bausman Street.
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The boy was not hurt.
Further information was not immediately available.
Source: PITTSBURGH CHILD WANDER: 3-year-old found wandering alone on Pittsburgh street | WPXI
Clark County judges in Indianapolis for educational conference shot outside White Castle | whas11.com
U.S. Steel announcing $1 billion investment in steelmaking technology at Mon Valley Works
The investment is expected to be more than $1 billion “to construct a new sustainable endless casting & rolling facility” at the Edgar Thomson Plant in Braddock and cogeneration facility at the Clairton Plant.
Source: U.S. Steel announcing $1 billion investment in steelmaking technology at Mon Valley Works
Trucking company shuts down, had ties to closed auto plant
A trucking company in Ohio that had been a mover of parts for the auto industry has abruptly closed.
Youngstown-based Falcon Transport Co. told its 550 workers over the weekend that it was immediately shutting down all operations.
The announcement comes about two months after General Motors stopped production at its assembly plant near Youngstown. Falcon Transport had close ties with the plant’s operation.Falcon Transport hasn’t given a reason for its decision to close. It had been a family-run business until it was bought by a private equity firm in 2017.
Employees say they received a text on Saturday night telling them to stop the work they were doing for the company.
Source: Trucking company shuts down, had ties to closed auto plant