Monday, December 7 top news briefs

It is Monday, December 7. Here are today’s top news briefs.

A 104-year-old man recovered from the coronavirus and was released from a hospital in Alabama on Tuesday. His name is Major Lee Wooten. He is a World War II veteran. He was sent off by healthcare workers who sang “Happy Birthday” because he turned 104 on Thursday. His granddaughter said he requested a chocolate milkshake on his way home. He is still recovering and experiences confusion and fatigue. His neighbors have drove by or walked by to greet him through his window.

In Georgia, an elderly married couple died a few hours apart of each other from Covid-19 on Thanksgiving day. Their names are Willard and Wilma Bowen and they were married for 50 years. They were lying down side by side in a hospital and were able to hold their hands. Their daughter, Karen, said Willard died first, and then Wilma died a few hours later.

Millions of people in Southern California are now under new stay-at-home orders for the next three weeks because hospitals are seeing large increases with coronavirus patients. Hospitals are at 85% capacity with ICU beds. Five counties in the San Francisco Bay Area have voluntarily joined the lockdown orders. The rules say people must stay home and can only go out for essential purposes. Restaurants must close down and only offer takeout service. Retailers must limit customers to 20% capacity. Schools are allowed to provide in-person instruction. California was the first U.S. state to impose lockdown orders in March, and it’s happening again.

The U.K. will start its mass Covid-19 vaccination program on Tuesday using the Pfizer / BioNtech vaccine. Health care workers at hospitals, thousands of volunteers, and members of the military will help to coordinate vaccinations for over 20 million citizens over the next few months. Britain’s healthcare system, NHS, is run by its government and provides citizens with free healthcare. Russia is also doing a national vaccination program with their vaccine, called Sputnik V. Here in the U.S., we are waiting to see if a FDA panel will approve the Pfizer vaccine this week.

A 17-year-old high school student Trevor Wilkinson, who is openly gay, was suspended for wearing nail polish. His high school, Clyde High School, prohibits male students from wearing makeup or nail polish. The student said the policy was “homophobic and sexist” and started a change.org petition to demand the policy to be changed. The petition has almost 75,000 signatures. The Clyde school district said it reviews its dress code policies every year and they cannot share information about a specific student. Wilkinson said he refuses to take off his nail polish and was willing to stay suspended.

In sad news from Florida, a 4-year-boy and his 6-year-old sister were struck and killed by a truck that veered off the road and into a miniature golf course in Panama City Beach. The children were on a family trip from Kentucky. CBS News said the crash is under investigation with charges pending. The driver’s name is Scott Donaldson. The golf course is right by a four-lane road that has a 45-mph speed limit.

Breakdancing will become an official Olympic sport and will debut in Paris for the 2024 summer games. The competition will be called “breaking.” The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is trying to bring in younger audiences. For the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, there will be three new sports — skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing.

That’s all the top news briefs for today. Check out our other videos. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!

https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/06/us/104-year-old-veteran-covid-trnd/index.html

https://cbsaustin.com/news/nation-world/couple-married-50-years-dies-hours-apart-on-thanksgiving-after-battling-covid-19

https://ktla.com/news/california/33-million-californians-wake-to-new-stay-at-home-orders-as-coronavirus-cases-overwhelm-hospitals/

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/12/07/world/covid-19-coronavirus

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/male-student-given-school-suspension-wearing-nail-polish-texas-high-n1250110

https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/breakdancing-olympic-status-debut-paris-2024-74586906?cid=clicksource_4380645_2_heads_hero_live_headlines_hed