Monday, January 16 top stories
It is Monday, January 16, which is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Here are today’s top stories.
Biden delivers sermon at MLK’s church
President Biden visited the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, which is the church where Martin Luther King Jr. was a pastor, on Sunday morning. He became the first sitting president to deliver a sermon. He went to the church at the invitation of Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock (D), who is the church’s current pastor.
Biden said, “Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a nonviolent warrior for justice.” Biden said we should hold up a mirror to America and ask ourselves what kind of country we want to be and whether we would honor Dr. King’s legacy by rising together. Biden said he believes that we can.
Sunday would have been MLK Jr.’s 94th birthday.
Miss USA R’Bonney Gabriel wins Miss Universe
Miss USA R’Bonney Gabriel, who is from Texas, won the Miss Universe pageant on Saturday night. She is a fashion designer, model and sewing instructor. She said she uses recycled materials in her designs and teaches sewing to survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence.
Gabriel is the first Filipino American to win Miss USA. The competition was in its 71st iteration and took place in New Orleans. Gabriel is the first Miss USA to win the Miss Universe crown since 2012. Congratulations to her.
UGA player & staffer killed in car crash
A University of Georgia football player and a team staffer were killed in a car crash on early Sunday morning several hours after the team celebrated its second straight national championship in a parade.
The player’s name was Devin Willock (20) and he was an offensive lineman. The staffer’s name was Chandler LeCroy (24) and she was a recruiting staff member.
LeCroy was driving an SUV with Willock and two other members of the UGA football program — another player and another staffer — when the SUV veered off the road and struck two power poles and several trees. It was about 2:45 a.m. The two other people survived and are in stable condition. Photos of the scene showed a completely totaled SUV among broken trees.
The UGA Athletic Association said they are “heartbroken” and “devastated.”
Deadly plane crash in Nepal
On Sunday in Nepal, a passenger plane with 72 people on it crashed near the city of Pokhara. At least 69 were killed. There are searches for the remaining three missing people but authorities said it is likely that they are also deceased.
The plane belonged to Yeti Airlines. It crashed into a gorge.
There is a video that shows the plane banking sharply to the left moments before the crash.
There is another video of one of the passengers filming a Facebook LIVE video as the plane was about to land but the video suddenly shakes and shows darkness and flames before going black.
In a tragic coincidence, the pilot, Anju Khatiwada, had lost her husband in a similar crash in 2006. Her husband was a co-pilot and after he died, Anju decided to become a pilot. The plane’s black box (flight data recorder) was recovered and the cause of the crash is now under investigation.
The New York Times said the passengers included 53 Nepalis, five Indians, four Russians, two South Koreans and one person each from Australia, Argentina, France and Ireland. There were also four Nepali crew members.
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London police officer admits to 24 rapes
A police officer in London has admitted to committing 24 counts of rape between 2003 to 2020. His name is David Carrick. Prosecutors said the cop used his position of power and control to intimidate his victims and told them that no one would believe them.
Some survivors said Carrick would use his police handcuffs to restrain them, make threats to plant drugs in their cars if they wanted to end a relationship with him, or even threaten to kill them and brag that he could get away with it because of his experience as a police officer.
The Metropolitan Police apologized for failing to spot the pattern of abuse. London Mayor Khan said there are serious questions about how he was able to abuse his position.
Carrick will be sentenced on February 6.
Italian authorities arrest mafia boss
Italian authorities arrested a mafia boss after looking for him since 1992. The person is Matteo Messina Denaro. He was in a private hospital in Sicily undergoing treatment for cancer when he was arrested.
Denaro was the most wanted mafia boss in Italy and was sentenced in absentia to a life term for his role in the murders of two anti-mafia prosecutors in 1992. He is considered responsible for many murders in the 1990s.
Italian PM Meloni went to Sicily and congratulated police chiefs for making the arrest. Reuters said, “Despite the euphoria, Italy still faces a struggle to rein in organized crime groups.”
More Biden classified documents found
President Biden’s attorneys announced on Saturday that they found five additional pages of documents with classified markings at Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware. This is the third set of documents discovered so far with the first in Biden’s private office in D.C. and the second in Biden’s garage.
Biden’s lawyers said the documents were immediately turned over to the Department of Justice.
The DOJ has appointed Special Counsel Robert Hur to look into how the classified documents got out of government possession and into Biden’s personal spaces. The documents are from Biden’s time as Vice President.
House Republicans said they would start an investigation under the leadership of House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.npr.org/2023/01/15/1149342588/biden-ebenezer-church-sermon-martin-luther-king
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rbonney-gabriel-miss-usa-wins-miss-universe/
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/16/world/asia/nepal-yeti-airlines-crash.html
https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/15/asia/nepal-air-travel-risks-intl/index.html