Friday, January 21 top stories
It is Friday, January 21. Here are today’s top stories.
Two notable deaths: Meat Loaf & Louie Anderson
We lost two celebrities in a span of 24 hours: Meat Loaf and Louie Anderson.
Meat Loaf, who’s birth name is Marvin Lee Aday, was a singer and an actor. TMZ reported that he died of the coronavirus at the age of 74. It is not known if he was vaccinated. Meat Loaf’s most famous album is “Bat out of Hell,” which has sold over 65 million copies worldwide. He had an acting role in several Hollywood films such as “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “Fight Club.”
The second death is Louie Anderson, who passed away this morning from blood cancer He was 68. Louie was a stand-up comedian, an actor, a producer, and hosted the “Family Feud” show for three years.
Austria mandates Covid-19 vaccines
Austria’s lower house of parliament voted on Thursday in favor of making Covid-19 vaccines compulsory (required by law) for adults. The upper house of parliament is expected to pass the bill and hand it to the Austrian president for his signature. The vaccination requirement would go into law on February 1. No other country in Europe has passed this kind of law requiring vaccinations. Austria plans to enforce vaccinations by checking vaccination status via traffic stops and other methods by mid-March. Those who refuse to get vaccinated will be fined up to $4,000. There will be vaccination exemptions granted for health reasons.
Furniture store employee stabbed to death
Last Thursday in Los Angeles, a 24-year-old woman who worked at a furniture store was stabbed to death. Her name was Brianna Kupfer and she was working alone in a store called Croft House. In the afternoon, the suspect, named Shawn L. Smith, went into the store. Brianna texted her friend that she had a “bad vibe” about the man. About 20 minutes later, another customer went in the store and found Brianna’s body. Police said the suspect left through the store’s back door and did not steal anything and that he went into a 7-Eleven store about 30 minutes later. There was a manhunt with a reward of $250,000 for information leading to the suspect’s arrest. On Wednesday he was arrested after someone sent in a tip of the suspect’s whereabouts. There was a vigil to honor Brianna last night.
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Philadelphia office worker killed by tenant
In Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon, a 31-year-old woman named Samantha Maag, who worked for an office rental company, was attacked from behind by a man who struck her several times with a metal pipe. A suspect named Jeffrey Stepien was arrested and police said it is possible that Jeffrey was illegally living in an office space and become angry when Samantha asked him to leave. There were many witnesses who saw the attack and called police, but none of them intervened. When police arrived, they found the suspect covered in blood and holding a bag with two pipes, and he was arrested. Samantha was taken to a hospital but died from the injuries to her head.
CDC: Boosters reduce Omicron hospitalizations
The CDC said new data shows that the Pfizer and Moderna booster doses are 90% effective at preventing Americans infected with Omicron from going to the hospital. The booster doses also protected those over 50 from dying. The CDC said there are millions of people eligible for a booster dose but have not yet received one, and they urge those to go and get one as soon as possible.
Plane turns back after passenger refuses to wear mask
On Wednesday, an American Airlines plane that left Miami on its way to London had to turn around after about an hour due to a passenger in the first class section who refused to wear a mask. There were 129 passengers on the plane. Another passenger, who was also in the first class section, said the passenger, who was a woman in her 40’s, was drinking a lot and was verbally abusive to the flight attendants. The witness said she was given several different masks to try on and was warned, but she complained about the masks. The airline said they turned around due to a “disruptive customer refusing to comply with the federal mask requirement.” Police officers were waiting for the plane when it returned and escorted her off the plane. The woman was not arrested, but she is on a “no-fly” list for American Airlines.
That is all the top stories for today. Have a great weekend and stay with the light.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/meat-loaf-name_n_5849f39ce4b0e05aded337bf
https://www.tmz.com/2022/01/21/meat-loaf-dead-dies-singer/
https://www.thedailybeast.com/meat-loaf-dies-at-74?ref=scroll
https://www.tmz.com/2022/01/21/louie-anderson-dead-dies-blood-cancer-battle/
https://abcnews.go.com/US/la-community-gathers-vigil-24-year-slain-furniture/story?id=82395976