Monday, September 19 top stories
It is Monday, September 19. Here are today’s top stories.
Puerto Rico hit by Hurricane Fiona
On Sunday afternoon, Puerto Rico was hit by Hurricane Fiona, a Category 1 storm. The southwestern part of the island was the hardest hit with severe flooding and mudslides.
News videos showed a bridge being washed away, debris falling from the sky, and people wading in waist-high water. A river rose over 15 feet in only three hours.
About 1,000 people were rescued. The entire island lost its power, but as of today, some areas had electricity back on.
It is one of the worst storms to hit Puerto Rico since the destructive Hurricane Maria hit the island five years ago. President Biden approved an emergency declaration to provide federal assistance and several state governors promised to provide aid.
Queen Elizabeth II funeral
Today Britain said goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II during a state funeral.
Her hearse traveled from central London to Windsor Castle on a route of about 22 miles. There were thousands of people who lined the route, throwing flowers at the hearse.
The Queen’s coffin was carried into a chapel where there were about 2,000 people inside waiting to pay their final respects. President Biden was among the audience.
Towards the end of the service, the Queen’s crown, orb and scepter were removed, which symbolized the separation of the crown from the woman. The Queen’s coffin was lowered through an opening in the floor into the royal vault.
There will be a private service tonight with the Queen’s family to lay her to rest with her late husband, Prince Philip.
Biden hasn’t decided to run for reelection
President Biden said in an interview with “60 Minutes” that it is “too early” to decide whether he will run for reelection in 2024. Biden said he cannot say because election laws require Biden to do several things if he makes an official announcement and that he’s just focused on doing his job and would make a judgment on what to do next year.
Biden said he has an intention to run again but it’s not a firm decision. Biden is 79 years old and is the oldest president in our country’s history. Biden said he does have the energy for the job.
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Sherri Papini sentenced 18 months for kidnapping hoax
Sherri Papini, who admitted she faked her own kidnapping in California in 2016, was today sentenced to 18 months (a year and a half) in prison. She will also have to pay over $300,000 in restitution.
In 2016, Papini disappeared for three weeks before being found alone and injured over 100 miles away from her home. She told police that she was abducted and tortured by two Hispanic women. Law enforcement conducted a search for the abductors that lasted for years and the state provided Papini with over $30,000 in victim compensation funds. Papini also received almost $50,000 from a GoFundMe and over $127,000 in SSDI benefits because of her “trauma.”
Law enforcement found out that it was a hoax four years later when they tested a male DNA on Papini’s clothes and found that it belonged to her ex-boyfriend. The ex-boyfriend admitted he was involved in the scheme by allowing her to stay at his home when she was “missing.”
The judge in the case said Papini is a manipulator who lied hundreds of times and that he decided on the 18-month sentence, which exceeded what prosecutors recommended because he wanted to send a message to others who may be thinking of perpetuating a similar hoax.
Las Vegas Aces win first WNBA title
The Las Vegas Aces won their first WNBA championship by beating the Connecticut Sun in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals.
The Finals MVP went to Chelsea Gray. Aces coach Becky Hammon was a former WNBA player and is the first former player to win a championship as a head coach. It is her first year as a coach.
It is the Sun’s fourth time making the finals and but they have lost all four times.
U.S. and Taliban prisoner swap
The White House said they have reached a deal with the Taliban to release an American contractor named Mark Frerichs in exchange for a Taliban associate who has been jailed in the U.S. for drug trafficking. Frerichs is a Navy veteran who worked for over 10 years in Afghanistan as a contractor working on engineering projects before he was abducted in January 2020.
President Biden said it required “difficult decisions” to have successful negotiations with the Taliban. The family of Frerichs said they are grateful and that this is an answer to their prayers of over 31 months.
That’s all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://apnews.com/article/queen-elizabeth-ii-funeral-bfe59d9c8f31d339f2cec2f8479cc3ce
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/president-joe-biden-2024-election-60-minutes-2022-09-18/
https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/19/us/sherri-papini-fake-kidnapping-sentence/index.html
https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article265725511.html
https://www.axios.com/2022/09/19/las-vegas-aces-wnba-first-title
https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-veterans-kabul-taliban-f8e9985237f10c341fb5af252bf7c41c