May 28 top stories
Hello, it is May 28. Hope your weekend was good. Here are today’s top stories.
Severe storms tear through Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma, killing at least 22
The wave of severe storms that killed at least 22 people and left a wide trail of destroyed homes, businesses and power outages in four states over the long holiday weekend.
Two women died Saturday when a tornado passed through northeast Oklahoma, eight people died in Arkansas, seven in Texas and five in Kentucky–the deaths were caused by weather-related incidents, including falling trees.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshar said the devastating storms that hit almost the entire state of Kentucky–calling it a tragic night.
The severe weather stretched as far to Colorado, where a rancher and 34 of his cattle were killed in a lightning strike near the town of Rand–80 miles northwest of Denver.
President Joe Biden sent condolences to the families of people who died. He said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is on the ground conducting damage assessments and he has contacted governors to see what federal support they might need.
2,000 people feared buried in Papua New Guinea landslide
The landslide hit the remote village of Kaokalam in Papua New Guinea, at approximately 3 a.m. local time on Friday (1 p.m. Thursday ET), leaving a scar of debris that humanitarian workers said was as big as four football fields.
The phenomenon slammed tons of rock and mud into locals’ homes as they slept, and rescuers struggled to reach such a remote part of what is already one of Asia’s poorest nations, leaving villagers with no choice but to dig through the collapsed mountainside with whatever tools they had.
The country’s National Disaster Center said almost 2,000 were feared to be buried. A local community leader told a news outlet that “it was likely there were few survivors. People are gathering and mourning. People have been digging since day one but can’t locate bodies as they are covered by big rocks. Only machines will do.”
Papua New Guinea is home to around 10 million people. Its vast mountainous terrain and lack of roads have made it difficult to access the affected area.
Grayson Murray, two-time PGA Tour winner, dies by suicide at age 30
Professional golfer Grayson Murray has died. He was 30 years old. Murray’s death comes after he withdrew Friday during the second round of the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge, citing an illness.
A day after Murray’s death rocked the larger sporting world, his parents announced in a statement through the PGA Tour that he died by suicide.
An undeniable talent, Murray was the second-youngest golfer in history to make the cut on the Korn Ferry Tour before turning pro eventually in 2015. He bounced up and down between the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour over the course of his career, becoming a polarizing figure at times because of frequent outbursts on the course.
He won PGA Tour twice, captured the 2017 Barbasol Championship and 2024 Sony Open in Hawaii and three times on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Multiple sources reported that Murray battled with anxiety, depression and alcohol abuse. He said in January that he had been sober since early 2023. Murray cited his faith and his fiancee as helping ground him, and he spoke about his road to recovery.
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Family sickened by rare parasitic disease after eating bear meat kebabs
According to the CDC, six relatives got infected with brain worms after eating bear meat one of the family members harvested.
A group of nine extended family members gathered in summer 2022 in South Dakota and ate grilled kabobs of vegetables and black bear meat, harvested by one of the family members in western Canada in May 2022. The hunter said that the hunting outfitter had recommended freezing the meat to kill any potential parasites. The meat had been frozen for 45 days before it was thawed and then grilled.
Experts said freezing can kill some parasites commonly found in black bears, but some species of parasites are freeze-tolerant.
The CDC said the meat at the family reunion was served rare, but that was not the chef’s intention. Rather, it was difficult for the family members to visually ascertain the level of doneness because the meat was dark in color. It wasn’t until after people had gone home that some started to get sick. When their respective doctors learned that they had eaten bear meat and suspected that they may have trichinellosis, a serious disease caused by parasitic roundworms. Tests soon confirmed that that was the case.
Many wildlife experts tell bear hunters to consider all bear meat infected, and the CDC recommends cooking the meat thoroughly to an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit to kill the parasites.
See the latest update on the Israel-Gaza war from Alex. Here it is.
Update on Israel-Gaza war
Thanks, Callie.
The Israel-Gaza war has continued past the seven-month mark. The Palestinian death toll has surpassed 36,000.
ABC News said negotiations are apparently stalled on the release of hostages taken by Hamas and that Israeli forces have continued to push into the southern Gazan town of Rafah ahead of a possible large-scale invasion.
On Sunday night, an Israeli missile attack in Rafah killed at least 50 Palestinians and injured almost 250 others.
A Hamas leader said Israel is acting in defiance of international laws by attacking Rafah because it is supposed to be a safe area for people who live in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said the Sunday missile attack was a “tragic mishap” and are investigating the incident because those who were not involved with the war were harmed.
The Biden administration said it is heartbreaking to see what happened in Rafah but maintained that Israel has a right to go after Hamas.
Thanks for the update. That’s all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!
Severe storms tear through Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma, killing at least 22
https://apnews.com/article/tornadoes-weather-texas-oklahoma-93001e1d81f120d0d55c8dfa24938250
2,000 people feared buried in Papua New Guinea landslide
Grayson Murray, two-time PGA Tour winner, dies by suicide at age 30
Family sickened by rare parasitic disease after eating bear meat kebabs
Update on Israel-Gaza war
https://abcnews.go.com/International/live-updates/israel-gaza-hamas-war-updates/?id=110580308