August 16 top stories
It is August 16. Here are today’s top stories.
Maui fires death toll reaches 106
At least 106 people are confirmed dead from the Maui wildfires.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said it is very difficult to identify the bodies because they are unrecognizable and without fingerprints. Only five of the 106 deceased have been identified.
Authorities are asking relatives of the missing to provide DNA samples to help and identify the bodies.
President Biden has promised to provide Hawaii with all the help they need for recovery and rebuilding. Biden plans to visit Maui on Monday.
There is a lawsuit against an electric company, Hawaiian Electric, with the allegation that power lines blown over by high winds caused fires to break out.
North Korea says U.S. soldier was fleeing abuse and racism
North Korea’s government said the U.S. soldier who crossed the border from South Korea last month, Travis King, was fleeing abuse and racism in the U.S. military. They said King is willing to seek refuge in North Korea or another country because he is frustrated with inequality in American society.
The U.S. government said its priority is to bring King home and that it cannot verify whether what North Korea is claiming is true.
NPR explained that King was arrested last October and convicted of assaulting a South Korean citizen, damaging police vehicles and verbally abusing police officers while intoxicated. He refused to pay a fine and was detained in South Korea this spring. He was supposed to return to the U.S. but instead left an airport and crossed the border.
NASA says July 2023 is hottest month since 1880
NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said Earth just had its hottest July in recorded history.
July 2023 is the hottest July on record since 1880, which is when meteorological documentation began.
NOAA said “Earth just had its hottest July in 174 years.” The NOAA also said it is the fourth consecutive month of record-high global ocean surface temperature.
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New Zealand jury finds mom guilty of killing 3 daughters
A jury in New Zealand found a 42-year-old mother guilty of murdering her three young daughters almost two years ago.
The mother’s name is Lauren Dickason. The children were 2-year-old twin girls and their 6-year-old sister.
The mother’s defense team argued that she was mentally ill at the time and shouldn’t be held responsible.
Prosecutors said she did suffer from depression but that she killed her children out of anger and bitterness. Prosecutors pointed to Dickason’s online history in which she searched for “most effective overdose in kids.”
The trial lasted for four weeks. Dickason now faces a sentence of life in prison.
DNA of glacier mummy analyzed
In 1991, two German tourists discovered a frozen natural mummy in the Italian Alps. The mummy is known as Ötzi the Iceman and scientists believe he lived more than 5,000 years ago.
His back had an arrow in it so it is believed that someone murdered him and his body was preserved by the cold temperatures. The body was found with a copper ax, a longbow and a bearskin hat.
CBS News said scientists published a study today explaining that they believe Ötzi was descended from an isolated population of farmers from present-day Turkiye.
His DNA was analyzed and it helped scientists with understanding where he came from. Scientists said the man had darker skin than what was initially thought and was balder as well. Scientists believe he died around age 45.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/16/us/hawaii-maui-wildfires-death-toll-wednesday/index.html
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/new-zealand-jury-finds-mom-guilty-killing-3-102302638
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/nasa-hottest-month-18296774.php
https://www.npr.org/2023/08/16/1194113537/north-korea-travis-king-racism-in-america
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dna-glacier-mummy-oetzi-the-iceman-traces-roots-turkey/