Friday, June 17 top stories
It is Friday, June 17. Here are today’s top stories.
Man runs out of gas and dies in Death Valley National Park
A 67-year-old man was found dead near a road on Death Valley National Park in California.
Park officials said it appears that the man ran out of gas and was walking outside during temperatures that reached 123 F due to a heat wave. His body was found about 2 1/2 miles from his vehicle, around 30 feet away from the road, and near a mesquite tree.
The man’s name was David Kelleher. There was a note left inside of his vehicle that said, “Out of gas.”
The New York Post reported that Kelleher was a former Marine Corps captain
Park officials said if you happen to be in a situation where your vehicle breaks down during extreme heat, you should wait there rather than attempting to walk for assistance.
Golden State Warriors NBA champions again
The Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night to win their fourth NBA title since 2015.
Star player Steph Curry received the NBA Finals MVP award. He was emotional when he won the championship as he cried on the court during the final seconds.
It is the fourth championship that the team’s “Big Three” achieved together: Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. None of them are retiring anytime soon, so as long as they stay healthy and stick together, they’ll be an obvious favorite to win the next NBA title.
Three American veterans missing in Ukraine
The U.S. State Department said three American veterans are missing in Ukraine.
The first two veterans are from Alabama and were fighting together with Ukrainian troops in the Kharkiv region. Both went missing on June 9. Their names are Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh (27) and Alexander Drueke (39).
A Russian group posted on Telegram on June 10 that two Americans were captured, but this has not been confirmed to be accurate. There is a photograph that shows two men that look identical to the missing Americans sitting in the back of a truck with their arms behind their backs, apparently bound. If it is true that they are prisoners of war, they would be the first American POWs of this war.
Today CNN reported that there is a third missing American veteran in Ukraine — Grady Kurpasi, who was a U.S. Marine. The last time his family heard from him was between April 23 and 24. Kurpasi was in Kherson at an observation post and reported that they were getting shot at, went to investigate, and radioed for Ukrainian troops to start firing back. That was the last time anyone heard from Kurpasi. The State Department said they consider him “missing in action.”
“America’s Frontline Doctor” sentenced in Jan 6. rioting case
Remember in July 2020 when a group of doctors calling themselves “America’s Frontline Doctors” gave a press conference in front of the Supreme Court to claim that hydroxychloroquine could cure Covid-19? The video of the conference spread widely on social media but was taken down on Facebook and YouTube due to violating polices on misinformation.
One of the leaders of this group, Dr. Simone Gold, was sentenced on Thursday to two months in prison for storming into the U.S. Capitol on January 6. Court documents said Gold gave speeches to rioters on that day and illegally entered the Capitol.
Gold will have to serve 12 months of supervised release after her two-month prison term and will have to pay a $9,500 fine. She said in court that she deeply regrets entering the Capitol.
———
[Sponsored Video from Sorenson: www.sorenson.com]
—---------------
[Advertisement from Disaster Distress Helpline] After a disaster, you may be at risk for emotional distress. Warning signs can include feeling isolated, anxious, having trouble sleeping and more. If you or someone you know is Deaf or hard of hearing, the Disaster Distress Helpline offers a direct videophone option. This free service for ASL users is answered 24/7 by trained crisis workers fluent in ASL and can be accessed using any videophone-enabled device and dialing 1-800-985-5990 or at disasterdistress.samhsa.gov.
——
[Advertisement from RIT's TRACCD] If you are deaf or hard-of-hearing and your career or career advancement has been derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, RIT/NTID’s Training Resources and Career Coaching for the Deaf (TRACCD) program can help you get back on track! TRACCD is a program that provides deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals with training cohorts and job-seeking resources. Watch our video to meet our coordinators and learn more about the program. All deaf and hard-of-hearing adults are welcome to learn more and apply at www.rit.edu/ntid/traccd. We hope to hear from you soon!
—-------
UK to extradite Julian Assange to U.S.
The UK government has approved an order to extradite Julian Assange, the Wikileaks founder, to the U.S. to face espionage charges. But Assange may not be immediately brought to the U.S. because his legal team promised that they would appeal the decision to the European Court of Human Rights.
Assange’s Wikileaks published thousands of top-secret U.S. military and intelligence files in 2010.
He received 18 criminal charges but found refuge in an Ecuadorian embassy in London — until he was dragged out three years ago and placed in a London prison. If Assange is extradited to the U.S. and convicted of his charges, he faces up to 175 years in prison.
Wikileaks said in a statement that Assange is not a criminal and is only a journalist and a publisher. Assange’s wife said he was only putting into “sunlight” the crimes that foreign powers committed.
Two killed in Alabama church shooting
A 71-year-old man opened fire inside of a church in Alabama on Thursday evening as members were gathered for a potluck. Two people were killed and a third person was wounded.
The gunman used a handgun. He was subdued by other members and held until police arrived.
The church is the St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills, which is near Birmingham.
The two victims were Walter Rainey (84) and Sarah Yeager (75). The injured person was a 84-year-old woman who was hospitalized.
The suspect and the three victims were all white. The suspect has not been identified but authorities said they will reveal his identity when they charge him with capital murder. The suspect previously attended services at the church.
FDA authorities Covid-19 vaccines for babies
Today the FDA authorized both Pfizer and Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccines for babies that are six months old and up. Children under 5 was the last group that had no access to coronavirus vaccines.
The FDA said “the known and potential benefits of the… vaccines… outweigh the known and potential risks in the pediatric populations…”
The CDC has to sign off on the vaccines before they can be distributed to children under 5. The CDC could make their decision in the next few days and the vaccines will be available shortly after that.
That is all the top stories for this week. Have a good weekend and stay with the light.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/death-valley-man-dead-national-park-ran-out-of-gas/
https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/news/fatality-2022-06-14.htm
https://www.axios.com/2022/06/17/golden-state-warriors-win-fourth-nba-title-since-2015
https://www.axios.com/2022/06/17/third-american-veteran-reported-missing-ukraine
https://www.axios.com/2022/06/15/us-veterans-missing-ukraine
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/06/16/politics/state-department-american-missing-ukraine/index.html
https://www.axios.com/2022/06/17/anti-vaccine-doctor-sentenced-capitol-riot
https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/17/uk/uk-julian-assange-extradition-priti-patel-intl-gbr/index.html
https://www.wral.com/alabama-church-shooting-kills-2-wounds-1-suspect-held/20334776/
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/16/us/vestavia-hills-alabama-church-shooting.html
https://www.axios.com/2022/06/17/fda-covid-vaccines-children-6-months