June 15 top stories
It is June 15. Here are today’s top stories.
Daniel Penny indicted in NYC subway chokehold death
Daniel Penny, the 24-year-old veteran who choked to death a subway rider in New York City on May 1, was indicted by a grand jury on a second-degree manslaughter charge.
The subway rider who died was Jordan Neely and he was a homeless person who was known for his dance skills.
A witness who was on the subway on that day told NBC News that Neely was shouting that he was hungry and thirsty and that he didn’t care about going to jail. The witness said people in the subway car felt scared at how Neely was acting. Penny then put Neely in a chokehold, took him down to the floor, and continued choking him until he passed out and died.
Lawyers for Penny said they are confident that when the case goes to trial, the jury will side with Penny.
Neely’s family said Penny did not have the right to be the “judge, jury and executioner.”
Frozen strawberries recall
The FDA and CDC announced a recall for frozen strawberries under multiple brands that are sold in stores like Walmart, Costco and HEB due to a Hepatitis A outbreak that has sickened nine people in three Western states.
The agencies said if you have the products, you should throw them out.
The frozen strawberries with the virus are linked to imports from Baja California, Mexico.
Hepatitis A is a contagious liver disease that is transmitted through ingestion of the virus.
The FDA has provided a website with images of products that should be thrown away — you can check it to make sure you don’t have them in your freezer.
Starbucks to pay $25M to white manager claiming racial discrimination
ABC News reported that a jury sided with a white former Starbucks employee named Shannon Phillips in her lawsuit against the coffee company claiming racial discrimination — that she was fired for being white.
Phillips was fired after the 2018 controversy at a Starbucks in Philadelphia when two Black men were arrested for sitting in a coffee shop without ordering anything — the men said they were waiting for someone for a business meeting. A Starbucks employee called the police and accused the men of trespassing. There were protests and Starbucks closed some of its stores for a day for racial bias training.
About a month after that incident, Phillips said she was fired, although she was not at the Philadelphia store on that day and was not involved in any way with the arrests. Starbucks told Phillips that she was “overwhelmed” and lacked awareness of how critical the situation was, but Phillips said she actively worked with the company to manage the crisis and took steps to ensure that Starbucks within her area was safe and welcoming.
During the trial, a Black district manager, who oversaw the store in the Philadelphia incident and was not fired, testified that he believed that Phillips’ race was a factor in Starbucks’ decision to fire her. The jury sided with Phillips.
A legal expert with ABC News said this verdict means companies out there have to be much more thoughtful and clear about why they are terminating employees if they are faced with a similar situation.
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Federal Reserve pauses interest rate increases
NBC News reported that the Federal Reserve said it would keep its key interest rate at about 5%, which is the first time it has kept the rate steady in more than a year. The reason is because inflation seems to be easing.
The Federal Reserve raised interest rates 10 consecutive times from March 2022 in a bid to make it more expensive to borrow — to reduce demand in the economy and stop price increases.
The Fed said it could raise rates in the future if inflation continues to be an issue.
Woman killed after refusing to ride with drunk co-worker
USAToday reported that a 22-year-old woman in New York was struck and killed by a coworker as she walked home after refusing to ride with the coworker because she knew he was drunk.
The woman’s name was Madison Faltisco. On Thursday night, she went out with coworker Joshua Schiano (23). The two went to a few bars in the Syracuse area. After a few hours, Faltisco decided to walk home, refusing to ride with Schiano.
Faltisco was walking on the shoulder of a road when Schinao’s car hit her. The car continued to move for another mile before it struck a pole and burst into flames. Schiano was hospitalized. About six hours later, Faltisco’s body was found on the side of the road.
Police said according to an investigation, Schiano knew he hit someone and never told police. He was charged with second-degree manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter and fleeing the scene.
Huge kidney stone removed from patient
A 62-year-old man from Sri Lanka recently had a huge kidney stone removed. The stone is more than 5 inches wide and weighs about 1.7 pounds.
The Guinness World Records said it is the largest and the heaviest kidney stone ever extracted through major surgery.
The man, Canistus Coonge, who is a retired soldier, seems to be doing great. A photograph shows him holding the stone.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/daniel-penny-indicted-jordan-neely-subway-death-rcna89321
Frozen Strawberries Info: https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-hepatitis-virus-infections-frozen-strawberries-february-2023#productimages
https://www.axios.com/2023/06/14/frozen-strawberry-recall-2023-hepatitis-a-contamination
https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/News/starbucks-ordered-pay-25-million-former-employee-claimed/story
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/doctors-remove-worlds-largest-kidney-stone-retired-soldier-sri-lanka/