Thursday, February 2 top stories
It is Thursday, February 2. Here are today’s top stories.
New England facing extreme cold
Weather forecasters said the New England area will face extreme cold beginning tonight and lasting through the weekend. Northern Maine may get wind chill forecasts of -60 F. Boston is facing -30 F wind chills, while New York City may get -10 F.
Axios said the cold could be deadly for anyone caught outside for extended periods. Frostbite could occur on exposed skin in 10 minutes or less.
The air over New England this weekend will be the coldest in the Northern Hemisphere with the possible exception of a part of Siberia.
Philadelphia Eagles player indicted on rape charges
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office announced it has indicted Josh Sills, a 25-year-old offensive lineman playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, on rape and kidnapping charges.
Sills is accused of raping and holding a woman against her will on December 5, 2019.
The Eagles are playing in the Super Bowl next Sunday. The NFL placed Sills on the Commissioner Exempt List, which bars him from participating in practices or games.
Tyre Nichols funeral
The funeral for Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old Memphis man who was brutally beaten by multiple police officers, took place on Wednesday evening at a church in Memphis.
Vice President Kamala Harris attended and gave a speech. She said the police officers who killed him violated the idea of police’s role to ensure public safety because Nichols was “also entitled to the right to be safe.”
The Rev. Al Sharpton said in a speech that he believes that if Nichols was white, he wouldn’t have been beaten like that. He said, “you don’t fight crime by becoming criminals yourself.”
Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, said she believes that her son was “sent here on assignment from God” and guesses his assignment is done. She called on Congress to pass police reform laws.
Lawsuit against Kyle Rittenhouse can proceed
AP reported that a federal judge in Wisconsin allowed a wrongful death lawsuit against Kyle Rittenhouse to proceed. The person filing the lawsuit is the father of Anthony Huber, one of the two men who were fatally shot by Rittenhouse when he was 17 years old and walking the streets of Kenosha carrying an AR-15-style rifle during a protest in 2020.
The lawsuit accuses law enforcement in Kenosha of allowing a dangerous situation that violated his son’s constitutional rights and resulted in his death. The suit also accuses Rittenhouse of conspiring with police to cause harm to protesters.
Rittenhouse’s attorney said the shooting was done in self-defense.
———
[Sponsored Video from Sorenson: www.sorenson.com]
—------
NJ councilwoman fatally shot in her car
A councilwoman in Sayreville, New Jersey was found dead inside her car on Wednesday night from multiple gunshot wounds. Her name was Eunice Dwumfour and she was 30.
Police said they believe that she was killed in a targeted shooting but do not know what the motive could be. The incident was outside of her home. Police are asking anyone with information or surveillance footage of the area to share it with them.
Sayreville’s mayor said the entire community is shocked and saddened. NJ Gov. Murphy said he is stunned and is sending his condolences to Councilwoman Dwumfour’s family and friends.
Nikki Haley running for presidency
Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador during the Trump administration, will be running for the presidency in 2024 as a Republican. She is expected to make a formal announcement on February 15.
We now have two candidates for the Republican nomination — Donald Trump, the former president, and Haley.
Haley recently posted on her Twitter that “it’s time for a new generation. It’s time for new leadership.” Haley is 51 years old.
Trump said during the weekend that Haley called him to let him know that she was considering running. Trump said he welcomes the competition.
Other potential presidential candidates on the Republican side are Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, or Liz Cheney.
Shell, Exxon, Chevron report huge profits
We saw gas and energy prices rise dramatically in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine, and now at least three giant energy companies are reporting huge profits.
Shell reported that it made a profit of almost $40 billion in 2022. It’s the highest profit the company has made in its 115 years of history.
In January, ExxonMobil said it earned almost $56 billion last year, which is a record for the company.
Chevron said it earned profits of $36.5 billion last year.
Forbes.com said the soaring prices of energy last year have hit consumers across the U.S. and Europe hard but it has buoyed the companies’ earnings.
Some lawmakers in the U.S. and Europe are calling on passing legislation for one-time windfall taxes on the companies for benefiting from rising energy costs.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/01/sport/philadelphia-eagles-player-rape-charges-spt-intl/index.html
https://abc7ny.com/eunice-dwumfour-nj-councilwoman-shot-dead-sayrevile-murdered/12761258/
https://newjerseyglobe.com/in-memoriam/sayreville-councilwoman-shot-and-killed/
https://apnews.com/article/tyre-nichols-funeral-175130f120b1aae35c4c07a65ee6dd09