June 6 top stories
Hello, it is June 6. Here are today’s top stories.
Tornado hits Michigan without warning, killing toddler, while twister in Maryland injures 5
A toddler was killed and his mother was injured when a tornado struck suburban Detroit without warning, while five people were injured when a tornado in Maryland collapsed structures and trapped people inside.
Officials in Livonia, Michigan, said the tornado tore through several neighborhoods on Wednesday afternoon and developed so quickly that there was no advance notice from the National Weather Service or others that would have normally led to the activation of warning sirens.
The storm uprooted a massive tree that fell on one’s family house and came through the roof, landing on a bed where a woman and her 2-year-old were sleeping. Crews worked for nearly an hour to remove the roof and parts of the tree and then lift the tree to get the victims out. The toddler was pronounced dead at the scene. The mother was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.
In Gaithersburg, Maryland, emergency workers responded to reports of three collapsed structures with people trapped inside. The most significant damage occurred when a large tree fell on a house, injuring five people who were taken to hospitals, including one with traumatic injuries. No serious injuries were reported at the other structures.
Biden calls for end to Gaza war, endorses Israeli cease-fire proposal
President Joe Biden asserted in his Friday’s speech that Hamas has been degraded to a point where it can no longer carry out the type of attack that launched the current eight-month conflict in Gaza, laying out a three-phase proposal as he declared, “It’s time for this war to end.”
Hamas initially issued a statement saying it looks positively at what was included in Biden’s speech, in particular his call for a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza Strip, the reconstruction of Gaza and prisoner exchanges.
Biden said the plan came from Israel itself, but comments from Israeli leaders are far from supportive. It appears as though the country’s coalition government is bitterly and possibly permanently divided. The cabinet’s two far-right members – Finance Minister and National Security Minister – have rejected the proposal outright, and have threatened to topple the government if Israel accepts Biden’s peace plan.
PM Netanyahu said Israel’s conditions for ending the war have not changed: the total destruction of Hamas military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel – reiterating a position that seems to contradict the peace proposal.
Now Hamas said they won’t support Biden’s peace plan without Israeli assurances of permanent cease-fire and would not even return to the negotiating table until Israel completely halted its military operations.
4 dead, 23 hurt in Czech Republic train collision
Authorities said at least four people were killed and more than 20 others injured when a passenger train collided with a freight train in the Czech Republic on Wednesday night.
About 380 people were traveling aboard the passenger train and it was traveling overnight from Prague to the city of Chop in western Ukraine.
The freight train was carrying calcium carbide – a hazardous industrial chemical – although the first two wagons were empty, so no leak occurred.
Rescue operations have ended and authorities will investigate what caused the crash in the city of Pardubice.
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Airline passenger tracks missing bag to home of airport store worker
According to court documents, a man who worked at a retail store at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airport, Junior Geneus Brazile, is facing a felony grand theft charge after an airline passenger, Paola Garcia, tracked her stolen luggage to Brazile’s home.
Paola Garcia told Florida’s Local 10 news that she usually takes her suitcase onboard, but this time, she was told she had to check it. Garcia waited at least two hours for her pink roller bag, which contained an Apple MacBook, Apple iPad, Apple Watch, jewelry, high-end women's clothing and toiletries. It never came out on the luggage belt. Garcia said that Spirit Airlines told her that her luggage had been sent to her house. The luggage never came. But Garcia explored another avenue with her own electronic tracker.
Garcia later pinged the electronic items inside the bag to try and locate them, and the ping showed them at an address in Fort Lauderdale. She then went to retrieve her things from the address, but she couldn’t contact anyone inside the home. While at the house, she took video and still pictures, where she saw several pieces of luggage in the front of the home. She then contacted the police.
Surveillance video provided by the airport showed Brazile entering a store’s storage room with a pink roller bag, matching the description of the stolen bag, and rummaging through the luggage. He then appeared to take the MacBook and other smaller items out of the luggage and put them in other bags.
Spirit Airlines told a news outlet they issued a reimbursement check to the woman whose luggage was stolen as a courtesy.
See Alex’s brief on Joro spiders – giant, venomous flying arachnids – are here to stay.
Joro spiders to invade Northeast
Thanks, Callie.
A news report said Joro spiders are coming to the Northeast after infiltrating the Southeastern U.S. from Japan. These spiders have four-inch legs and have yellow and black colors. They are able to fly by using a technique called ballooning, which is when they release silk threads in the air, and when the wind catches it, it pulls up the spider and allows it to glide. The spiders have venom but they are not dangerous to humans.
Experts believe the Joro spiders came to the U.S. through cargo shipments, international trade, and personal travel. They have a great ability to adapt to various environments and reproduce rapidly. Experts said they’ve already seen the spiders in Maryland and expect them to continue spreading northwards.
Thanks for the brief. That’s all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!
Tornado hits Michigan without warning, killing toddler, while twister in Maryland injures 5
Israel-Gaza war updates
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrrng3l6jro
4 dead, 23 hurt in Czech Republic train collision
Airline passenger tracks missing bag to home of airport store worker
https://people.com/traveler-tracks-down-her-missing-luggage-finds-it-airport-worker-home-8658861
Joro spiders to invade Northeast