April 26 top stories
Hello, it is April 26. Here are today’s top stories.
New HIV cases linked to New Mexico unlicensed spa
The CDC said in a report Thursday, three women were likely infected with HIV while receiving so-called vampire facials at a New Mexico spa, marking the first known HIV cases transmitted via cosmetic injections.
The first HIV case linked to the VIP Spa in Albuquerque was discovered in 2018 and prompted the New Mexico Department of Health to offer free testing to anyone who got injections at the facility. The department said at the time that the spa was shut down after its investigators identified practices that could potentially spread blood-borne infections.
The most recent case was a former client of the spa who tested positive for HIV last year – which led it to reopen the prior investigation.
The CDC said the spa did not have appropriate licenses to operate and was not using proper safety measures. CDC and health department investigators ultimately determined that 59 spa clients may have been exposed to HIV. Of those, 20 had received vampire facials. The rest of the clients had gotten other injection services like botox.
The spa’s owner pleaded guilty in 2022 to five felony counts of practicing medicine without a license. The owner was sentenced to 3 ½ years in prison.
Frank Tyson’s final words ‘I can’t breathe’ captured on bodycam footage
Multiple sources reported that the city of Canton in Ohio released 911 calls and police body camera footage Wednesday night showing Frank Tyson’s, 53, arrest and struggle with two police officers last week.
Police said he crashed his car into a utility pole, abandoned the vehicle and ran into the building. The bodycam video shows police, directed to the building by witnesses, going into the bar area and taking Tyson to the floor as he screamed that police officers were trying to kill him.
Police got him onto the floor; one officer applied his knee to Tyson’s back for about a minute as another police officer handcuffed him. Tyson said several times that “I can’t breathe.” And then less than a minute after the officers handcuffed him, he went silent.
The police officers left Tyson on the floor face down for nearly 8 minutes before the officer who handcuffed Tyson realized he couldn’t feel a pulse. He took the handcuffs off and another officer applied chest compressions for several minutes.
Doses of Narcan were also administered before medics arrived. Tyson was pronounced dead at a hospital less than an hour later.
Officers have been placed on administrative leave. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation has taken over the investigation. Tyson’s body was sent to the coroner’s office for an autopsy and no cause of death has been released yet.
Campus protests updates
Protest encampments are in place on more than 40 college campuses across the U.S. and in Canada, including UCLA, Northwestern, George Washington University, Harvard, Brown, UT Austin, the University of Michigan and MIT. Campus protests are also continuing to grow.
The University of Southern California announced yesterday that it was canceling its main graduation commencement ceremony on May 10, citing safety concerns.
In addition to a cease-fire in Gaza, protestors on college campuses across the country are calling on their schools to divest from all financial support of Israel. Columbia University student and protest leader, who is Palestinian, said “They should stop investing in this genocide.”
Divestment usually refers to selling shares in companies doing business with a given country. Divestment has long been a goal of a movement that seeks to limit what it considers hostile operations by Israel and an end to expanding illegal settlements.
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San Francisco sues Oakland over plans to rename airport
The city of San Francisco is suing the nearby city of Oakland over the latter’s plan to modify its airport name to include “San Francisco”, arguing that the proposed name infringes on its trademark and would cause confusion and chaos for travelers.
The Port of Oakland Board of Commissioners preliminarily approved a plan to rename Metropolitan Oakland International Airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.
The lawsuit alleges that the proposed name would infringe on San Francisco International Airport’s (SFO) trademark.
San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said in a statement: “we had hoped Oakland would come to its senses, but their refusal to collaborate on an acceptable alternative name leaves us no choice but to file a lawsuit to protect SFO’s trademark. This new name will damage the travel industry for the entire region.”
In a statement to ABC News, the Port of Oakland denied that the proposed renaming infringes on SFO’s trademark.
See Alex’s report on Harvey Weinstein’s rape case in New York court.
N.Y. Appeals Court Overturns Harvey Weinstein Rape Conviction
Thanks, Callie.
I have an update on Harvey Weinstein, the former Hollywood producer who was convicted on rape charges in New York and California and is currently serving prison time.
The New York State Court of Appeals has overturned Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction and ruled that a new trial must take place.
But this doesn’t mean Weinstein will be free — because he still has a rape conviction in California with a sentence of 16 years. He is expected to be transferred from a prison in New York to a California prison.
Now, why was his New York case overturned?
The appeals court said the judge in his 2020 trial prejudiced Weinstein by allowing women to testify about allegations that were not part of the case. Basically, the appeals court said any testimony against a suspect should only be related to the charges they are facing, and that you cannot talk about other situations that are unrelated to the case to try to make a suspect look worse.
There will be a retrial of Weinstein’s charges in New York.
Thanks for that report. That’s all the top stories for this week. Hope you have a nice weekend and stay with the light!
New HIV cases linked to New Mexico unlicensed spa
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/cdc-first-known-cases-hiv-cosmetic-injections-rcna149357
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7316a3.htm
Frank Tyson’s final words ‘I can’t breathe’ captured on police bodycam footage
Campus protests updates
San Francisco sues Oakland over plans to rename airport
https://abcnews.go.com/US/san-francisco-oakland-airport-name-lawsuit/story?id=109394761
N.Y. Appeals Court Overturns Harvey Weinstein Rape Conviction