January 24 top stories
It is January 24. Here are today’s top stories.
Many loose bolts discovered on Max 9 planes
Multiple sources reported that a safety inspection from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Alaska Airlines’ Boeing 737 Max 9 planes revealed numerous loose bolts were found. The inspection was prompted by an in-flight emergency in which a door plug came loose and a window blew out in an Alaska Airlines plane on January 5.
Alaska Airlines CEO, Ben Minicucci, told NBC News in an interview, “I’m more than frustrated and angry that this happened to Alaska Airlines. It happened to our guests and our people. My demand on Boeing is what are they going to do to improve their quality program in-house.”
United Airlines has also shared that it found additional loose bolts on its Max 9 planes. FAA has urged operators of Boeing 737-900ER aircraft to visually inspect mid-exit door plugs to ensure the door is properly secured.
Amidst the growing controversy around its aircraft, Boeing appointed a special advisor to Boeing president last week to work with a team of outside experts to conduct a thorough assessment of its overall quality.
Alligators stick snouts out in frozen ponds
Alligators in North Carolina and Texas survived a cold snap by submerging their bodies in pond water and letting it freeze solid around them. Only their snouts and front teeth poke through the ice, allowing the alligators to breathe while they wait for the water to thaw.
When it gets so cold that the water freezes, alligators instinctively tilt their nose up so they stick out of the water to stop themselves from suffocating as seen in the video:
[Shows the video from https://apnews.com/1ee43fc5f85640d6944a12505352f96d ]
Alligators can survive frigid temperatures by entering a state of torpor called brumation – the cold-blooded, reptilian equivalent to hibernation in mammals.
Kevin Monahan found guilty of murder
Local news shared an update on the murder case of a man who killed a 20-year-old woman in a car that mistakenly pulled into his driveway last year.
Kaylin Gillis and her friends were driving around Hebron, a small town northeast of Albany, during nighttime. It is a very rural area with dirt roads and it’s easy to get lost. They drove up Kevin Monahan’s driveway for a very short time, realized their mistake and were leaving when Monahan fatally shot Gillis.
A jury found Monahan, 66, guilty of second degree murder and reckless endangerment in the first degree. Prosecutors are seeking the maximum sentence for the murder conviction, which is 25 years to life. Sentencing is scheduled for March 1.
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[Sponsored Video from Sorenson: www.sorenson.com]
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Cameroon starts world-first malaria mass vaccine rollout
Cameroon will be the first country to routinely give children a new malaria vaccine as the shots are rolled out in Africa.
The campaign due to start Monday was described as a milestone in the decades-long effort to curb the mosquito-spread disease on the continent, which accounts for 95% of the world’s malaria deaths.
Cameroon hopes to vaccinate about 250,000 children this year and next year. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, said it is working with 20 other African countries to help them get the vaccine and that those countries will hopefully immunize more than 6 million children through 2025.
See Alex for the report on the New Hampshire primary from yesterday.
Trump wins New Hampshire primary
Thank you, Callie. I’ll provide an update on last night’s New Hampshire Republican primary.
Donald Trump won with 55% of the vote. The second place finisher is Nikki Haley, the only remaining major challenger in the Republican field. She had 43% of the vote to Trump’s 55%. Haley said she would remain in the race.
CBS News explained that Haley’s campaign team invested a lot of time and money in New Hampshire because they hoped to win the support of the state’s large number of independent voters, but it was not enough to catch up to Trump.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R) said it is now time for the Republican Party to unite around Trump so they can focus on defeating President Joe Biden.
Haley said the race is far from over and the next major contest is in South Carolina, her hometown and where Haley was a governor from 2011 to 2017. That primary is on February 24, a month from now.
Thanks for that report. That is all the news stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!
Bolts:
https://www.axios.com/2024/01/22/faa-boeing-737-900er-door-plug-checks-recommend
Alligators:
Kevin Monahan:
Cameroon:
Trump:
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/new-hampshire-primary-2024-updates/