Friday, October 18, 2024
It is Friday, October 18, 2024. Here are today’s top stories.
———
Over 350k ballots cast in North Carolina early voting
North Carolina elections officials said over 350,000 ballots have been cast in the state on the first day of early voting on Thursday. It is a record number.
Party registration for the early, in-person voting had 36% Democratic voters and 35% Republican voters with 29% unaffiliated.
North Carolina is an important state for the presidential race. It has 15 electoral votes. In 2020, Donald Trump won the state by just over 1%, or about 75,000 votes.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4940866-350000-ballots-cast-north-carolina-early-voting/
———
More details on Hamas leader Sinwar’s death
Here are more details about the Israeli military’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
The Israeli military said soldiers encountered three armed men in southern Gaza and exchanged fire. Sinwar was one of the three men and he fled into a damaged building. The Israeli military showed video from a mini-drone that flew into the building and filmed Sinwar sitting on a chair with his body covered in dust. His right arm had serious injuries. He looked at the drone and threw a stick at it. The Israeli military fired a tank shell into the building and later realized the body could be Sinwar. They confirmed it was him through his teeth, fingerprints, and DNA testing.
Sinwar was the No. 1 target of the Israeli military, who believes that he is the mastermind of the Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel.
Hamas confirmed that he is dead. The group vowed to continue fighting Israel.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/17/world/middleeast/how-yahya-sinwar-killed.html
———
[Sponsored Video from Sorenson: www.sorenson.com]
———
Father and son indicted in Georgia school shooting case
The 14-year-old boy in Georgia who is accused of committing a school shooting that killed two teenagers and two teachers at the Apalachee High School last month was indicted by a grand jury along with his father.
The boy’s name is Colt Gray and his father is Colin Gray. They are facing many charges including felony murder for the boy and second-degree murder for the father.
The indictment said the father is responsible for the murders because he allowed his son, a minor, to have access to a firearm and ammunition after he received warning that his son may harm others.
CNN said the case marks the second time in America that a parent has been charged in connection with a mass shooting by a minor after Jennifer and James Crumbley were sentenced to at least 10 years in prison after allowing their son to have a gun, which he used to carry out a mass shooting at a school in Michigan.
In both instances, the parent gave a firearm to their kid as a gift and did not take measures to ensure the gun was safely secured.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/17/us/colt-colin-gray-apalachee-school-shooting/index.html
———
Teen kayaker rescued after 12 hours at sea
The U.S. Coast Guard in Hawaii said a 17-year-old kayaker was rescued after he capsized and treaded water for almost 12 hours in waters off Honolulu.
The teen was kayaking with a group on Wednesday but somehow became separated around 6:30 p.m. He was not wearing a life jacket but was able to cling on his kayak.
The Coast Guard said one of its aircraft spotted the teen around 4 a.m. Thursday and directed a nearby civilian boater to the location.
The civilian was an off-duty lifeguard who knew the missing kayaker’s parent and was already boating in the area searching for the boy. The off-duty lifeguard said he was so “stoked” to see the boy’s head above water and immediately covered him with blankets and towels after pulling him on the boat.
A Coast Guard official said it was such a pleasure to be able to call the boy’s mother and tell her that they’ve found her son and he’s OK.
———
That is all the top stories for this week. Have a nice weekend and stay with the light.