April 18 top stories
It is April 18. Here are today’s top stories.
NASA says part of International Space Station crashed into Florida home
According to NASA, a piece of metal that tore through a Florida home last month was space junk from the International Space Station.
The agency confirmed Monday that the 1.6-pound object was debris from a cargo pallet that had been intentionally released from the space station three years ago.
The pallet, packed with aging batteries, was supposed to burn up harmlessly in Earth’s atmosphere, but a piece survived – the piece that smashed into a house in Naples, Florida, on March 8.
Naples resident Alejandro Otero told WINK News that the object crashed through the roof and two floors of his home. Otero was not home at the time, but the metal object nearly hit his son, who was two rooms away.
The piece of space junk is roughly cylindrical in shape and is about 4-inches tall and 1.6-inches wide. NASA said agency staff studied the object’s features and metal composition and matched it to the hardware that had been jettisoned from the space station in 2021.
It is unclear if NASA will cover the cost of damages to Otero’s home.
Beijing half marathon under investigation after a controversial finish
Organizers are investigating a half marathon race in Beijing after three African runners appeared to let China’s top long-distance runner move ahead of them shortly before the finish line and sprint to victory, sparking public speculation that the result was rigged.
On Monday, organizers of the race issued a statement saying they would investigate the results.
Jie He, who won the marathon at the Asian Games and holds the Chinese national record in the event, was trailing behind three runners from Kenya and Ethiopia as they approached the finish line. A video clip of the finish to the race shows Kenya’s Willy Mnangat turn toward He and gesturing him to move in front and sprint to the finish line as the three men slowed down just meters from the finish line.
[Video 0.05 - 0.20 and 0.35 - 0.42 from CNN]
Mnangat told a news outlet that they allowed He to win but that they had been hired to serve as pacemakers and were not competing to win the race. However, all three had entered the race as official competitors rather than as pacemakers.
Owners of funeral home where 190 decaying bodies found charged with COVID fraud
The married couple, Jon and Carrie Hallford, owning the Return to Nature funeral home in Penrose, Colorado has been arrested by the FBI and indicted by the federal government for allegedly defrauding customers and the government Monday. Their facility where 190 improperly stored bodies were discovered last fall will be demolished.
Jon and Carrie have each been charged with 10 counts of wire fraud over their alleged failure to bury or cremate bodies of people, despite taking money for the services. They have also been accused of making false statements to the U.S. Small Business Administration in their efforts to qualify for three separate loans during the pandemic which is part of The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, obtaining $882,300.
The federal indictment filed last week reads “Beginning as early as September of 2019, and continuing through October of 2023, the Hallfords failed to cremate or bury approximately 190 bodies in connection with the scheme. As a result, the Hallfords collected more than $130,000 from victims for cremation or burial services which they never provided.” The indictment indicates they spent money improperly affording their luxurious lifestyle unrelated to their business.
If convicted, they could face up to 20 years in federal prison, up to a $250,000 fine – or a combination of the two – up to 3 years of supervised release and they could be ordered to pay restitution.
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Senate dismisses the articles of impeachment against DHS chief Mayorkas
The Senate has rejected both articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, swiftly ending the trial triggered by the House’s narrow vote to impeach in February.
The articles charged Mayorkas with willfully ignoring the law and breaching the public’s trust. Republicans say Mayorkas is refusing to enforce immigration laws. Democrats called the opposition a policy dispute and said it did not rise to “high crimes and misdemeanors,” as required for impeachment.
Senate Minority Leader McConnell said after senators killed the second article: “No evidence, no procedure. It’s not a proud day in the history of the Senate.” Senate Majority Leader Schumer said he felt very strongly that they had to set a precedent that impeachment should never be used to settle policy disagreements.
The Biden administration said the Democratic-led Senate made the right call and dismissed Republican efforts to attack Mayorkas unfounded.
See a report about some bees that can survive underwater for up to a week from Alex.
Bees can survive for a week underwater
There is an interesting scientific study that found queen bumblebees can survive underwater for up to a week.
In 2022, scientists in Canada were studying the impact of pesticides on queen bees who hibernated underground. There was a mishap that caused water to seep into where the bees were sleeping. When scientists found out, they thought the bees would have drowned, but they were surprised that many survived.
So these scientists decided to do a follow-up experiment with bees that focused on underwater survival. They collected 147 queen bumblebees and put them in various conditions that were either dry, wet or fully submerged.
Most of the bees that were submerged for seven consecutive days survived. The heavier and bigger queen bees were more likely to survive and non-queen bees wouldn’t have been able to survive.
Scientists said the queen bees may have very low oxygen requirements. They also may have survived because they breathe not through lungs but through tiny holes along their body.
It is not known exactly why the queen bumblebees are able to survive, but it is found that they can survive underwater for up to a week.
Thanks for that report. That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!
NASA says part of International Space Station crashed into Florida home
https://winknews.com/2024/03/15/object-crashes-through-naples-ceiling-floor/
Beijing half marathon under investigation after a controversial finish
https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/15/china/china-marathon-finish-line-uproar-intl-hnk-spt/index.html
Owners of funeral home where 190 decaying bodies found charged with COVID fraud
Senate dismisses the articles of impeachment against DHS chief Mayorkas
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4600362-mayorkas-impeachment-dismissed-trial/
Bees can survive for a week underwater