August 9 top stories
It is August 9. Here are today’s top stories.
Wildfires in Hawaii
Dangerous wildfires have destroyed several buildings in Lahaina, Hawaii. This is on the island of Maui. Some people ran to the ocean to escape the smoke and fire. The Coast Guard said they rescued people from the ocean. Hospitals on Maui said they are overwhelmed with burn patients and people suffering from smoke inhalation.
The National Weather Service said Hurricane Dora, which is about 500 miles away from Hawaii, caused high wind speeds that contributed to the spread of wildfires. Some areas reported wind gusts of 60 to 80 mph.
Officials said the windy conditions make it difficult for helicopters to dump water from the sky. The winds have also caused trees and power lines to fall on roads, complicating efforts by first responders to help those in need.
There have been no confirmed reports of deaths, but officials said they expect there to be some loss of life due to the disaster.
News reports said there are also wildfires occurring elsewhere in Maui and on Big Island. Parts of Hawaii are under a drought, so the dry land and vegetation can provide fuel for wildfires.
Giant “question mark” object in deep space
The James Webb Space Telescope showed an image of an object in deep space that looks just like a question mark.
The question mark was spotted at the bottom of an image of two young stars that are forming about 1,470 light-years away from Earth. The stars will grow for millions of years from material surrounding it.
Scientists said they are not sure what the question mark is but believe it may be a distant galaxy or two interacting galaxies. Its reddish color means it is very distant.
For now, the question mark remains a mystery.
Search warrant for Trump’s Twitter account
News reports said Special Counsel Jack Smith obtained a search warrant for Donald Trump’s Twitter account, @realDonaldTrump, earlier this year.
Twitter did not quickly comply with a warrant that was issued on January 17. As a result, a federal judge held Twitter (now known as X) in contempt of court and fined Twitter/X $350,000.
Politico said it’s unclear exactly what Smith was seeking from Trump’s account.
Smith’s indictment of Trump last week for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election included various false tweets that Trump sent out about election fraud leading to the Jan 6. riot.
Politico said it is possible that investigators wanted to look at Trump’s Twitter data, drafts that were never sent out, or who else had access to Trump’s Twitter account.
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6-year-old disabled girl suffocates on bus
In New Jersey, a disabled 6-year-old girl who is nonverbal and uses a wheelchair tragically suffocated to her death on a school bus on July 17. Her name was Fajr Williams.
The New York Times explained that the bus was on its way to a summertime education program and that there was a school bus monitor sitting near the front of the bus, but she was looking at her phone and wearing earbuds. When the bus hit a bump, the girl slid down in her chair and a strap tightened around her throat, causing her to be unable to breathe.
The bus monitor did not notice and by the time she realized what happened, it was too late. She died in a hospital.
The bus monitor, Amanda Davila (27), was charged with second-degree aggravated manslaughter. She was released without bail after a court appearance. She is due in court at the end of this month.
Fajr’s mother, Najmah Nash, said she feels that the situation is “unreal” and that she is struggling to cope.
Three die from mushroom poisoning after family meal
In Australia, police are investigating a tragic incident in which three people died after eating a deadly mushroom during a family meal at the end of July.
The person who hosted the get-together is Erin Patterson, who lives in the state of Victoria.
She served a meal to her former parents-in-law and her mother—in-law’s sister and husband. A few days later, three of them died and a fourth is still in a hospital, critically ill.
Police said the symptoms the guests suffered are consistent with poisoning by “death cap” mushrooms. It can cause severe liver damage.
Erin said she is devastated and that she loved those who died and she can’t believe this has happened.
Police said Erin is a suspect because she cooked the meal and is the only adult at the lunch who did not become sick. Erin had separated from her husband but their relationship seemed to be okay. Erin and the separated husband had two children who attended the gathering but they ate different meals.
Police said they are keeping an open mind because it could be innocent but they have to investigate the situation fully.
Person in Florida wins $1.5 billion Mega Millions ticket
Mega Millions announced today that a person who bought a Mega Millions ticket at a Publix in Neptune Beach, Florida matched all six numbers to win the $1.5 billion jackpot. The person’s identity is unknown as of now.
The Publix store will get a $100,000 bonus commission for selling the jackpot-winning ticket.
That is all the top stories for today. Callie Frye will cover tomorrow’s top stories. I’ll be back on Friday. Stay with the light!
https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfire-maui-dora-winds-ec23c16abfbeb6ba689f1a98263720db
https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/maui-wildfires-08-09-23/index.html
https://nypost.com/2023/08/08/cosmic-question-mark-discovered-by-the-james-webb-space-telescope/
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/20/nyregion/new-jersey-school-bus-death.html
https://www.megamillions.com/News/2023/One-Lucky-Florida-Ticket-Was-the-Sole-Winner-of-La.aspx