February 7, 2022 Top Stories
It is Monday, February 7. Hope your weekend was good. Here are today’s top stories.
Spirit, Frontier to merge
Spirit and Frontier Airlines announced they would merge in a $6.6 billion deal. It is not known what the new name will be. The merger will make Spirit/Frontier the fifth-largest airline in the U.S. and offer over 1,000 daily flights to over 145 destinations.
Protests over police “no-knock” shooting
In Minneapolis, there were protests to demand justice for Amir Locke, a 22-year-old man who was fatally shot by Minneapolis police officers who entered an apartment during a “no-knock” raid.
What happened? Police body camera footage shows that just before 7:00 am on Wednesday morning, a SWAT officer used a key to enter an apartment and several more SWAT officers went inside with their guns and flashlights drawn. Locke was on a couch with a blanket curled around him. He had a gun in his hand, and it seemed like he was sleeping. A SWAT officer kicked the couch, causing Locke to wake up while holding his gun. The officers shot three times.
Locke’s family’s attorneys said he had legal possession of his firearm and that he had no criminal history.
The way Locke died drew many comparisons with Breonna Taylor, who was killed by police in 2020 in a no-knock warrant.
5-year-old boy, Rayan, dies after fall in well
In Morocco, a 5-year-old boy named Rayan Oram sadly passed away four days after falling down a 100-foot well. There was a massive rescue effort with hundreds of thousands of people watching livestreams of the digging effort and praying for a miracle. Rescuers were delayed by rain and hard rock and by the time they got to Rayan, it was too late.
The well belonged to Rayan’s family and was under repairs when the boy fell in. Many are honoring Rayan’s memory.
[Sponsored Video from Sorenson: www.sorenson.com]
Pence rebukes Trump
Former Vice President Pence said on Friday that Donald Trump was wrong to make claims that Pence had the right to overturn the 2020 election. Pence said the Constitution does not give him nor current VP Kamala Harris the right to overturn the election and that it is “un-American” to say any one person can choose the American president.
Trump issued a statement in response by repeating his usual claims of voter fraud and saying Pence should have intervened.
Ottawa trucker protests continues
In Ottawa, the capital of Canada, the city is in it’s 11th day of occupation by truck drivers and their supporters who are protesting vaccination and Covid-19 restrictions. The mayor of Ottawa declared a state of emergency. Ottawa police officers and the RCMP (federal officers) arrested people who delivered diesel fuel or supplies to 18-wheelers that are blocking city streets. The standoff is still going on.
Michael Avenatti found guilty
Michael Avenatti was found guilty of stealing from Stormy Daniels when he took $300,000 that was supposed to go to her as a payment for a book deal. Avenatti deceived Stormy by saying the publisher was late with payments while he had already moved the money into an account he controlled. He will be sentenced on May 24.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/07/investing/spirit-frontier-airlines-merger/index.html
https://www.fox9.com/video/1030982
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/03/us/amir-locke-minneapolis-police-shooting.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/05/world/africa/morocco-boy-well.html
https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/04/politics/pence-january-6-trump/index.html
https://abcnews.go.com/US/verdict-reached-michael-avenatti-case/story?id=82650447