Thursday, July 23 top news briefs
Hello, it is Thursday, July 23. Here are top news briefs.
Hurricane Douglas nears Hawaii
There is a Category 3 hurricane that may make landfall on Hawaii this Sunday in the Pacific Ocean. Its name is Douglas and it has sustained winds of 120 mph. Fortunately, forecasters say the storm is likely to weaken as it approaches Hawaii because of cooler waters. However it’s still a very dangerous storm that Hawaiians should keep an eye on.
House votes to remove Confederate statues
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill to remove statues of Confederate leaders from the U.S. Capitol. They also want to remove a bust of Chief Justice Robert B. Taney, who wrote that African Americans couldn’t be citizens in the 1857 Supreme Court case concerning Dred Scott. Scott was a slave who sued to have certain rights, but was denied. It was a 7-2 Supreme Court decision, but Taney is the one who wrote the opinion. His bust, if the bill becomes law, would be replaced with Justice Thurgood Marshall, who is the first Black justice to serve on the Supreme Court. The bill will go to the Senate.
Washington Football Team
The NFL franchise in Washington, D.C. will call themselves the “Washington Football Team” for now. It is a temporary change as the team considers what to call itself permanently. The team used to have a name and a logo that had a term that was offensive towards Native Americans. The team will keep its colors and replace the old logo on players’ helmets with the players’ numbers.
Michael Cohen to be released again
Michael Cohen will be released from prison again to serve out his three-year term in home confinement. A federal judge in New York said the U.S. government detained Cohen in a “retaliatory manner” because he wanted to publish a book or make statements criticizing President Donald Trump. The judge was opposed to this. Cohen will be released on Friday afternoon after he takes a Covid-19 test.
Tesla to build factory in Austin
Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced yesterday that Tesla would build their second factory in Austin, Texas. The exact location is a 2,100-acre tract of land near the Austin international airport, right across the Colorado River. The factory is expected to create at least 5,000 jobs. The factory will manufacture the new Cybertruck and other vehicles. Tesla’s original factory is in Fremont, California. It’s interesting that both factories are located close to large deaf schools (CSD Fremont and TSD).
Florida triple murder
In Central Florida, three people were arrested for the murders of three fishing buddies who were shot and killed on Friday night.
The three fishing buddies’ names were Brandon Rollins (27), Keven Springfield (30), and Damion Tillman (23). They died on a road near a lake.
Police said they found a receipt from a Dollar General store at the scene and then checked surveillance video from the store and saw that one of the fishing buddies talked with one of the murder suspects, Tony “TJ” Wiggins, at the store right before the murders.
TJ was with his brother, William, and his girlfriend, Mary Whittemore. They were in a car and followed the fishing buddies as they traveled in two trucks. Police said TJ confronted the fishing buddies and shot them, and then the three suspects went to eat at a McDonalds.
The father of one of the fishing buddies got a call from him for help (Brandon Rollins) but by the time he arrived, he found his son shot. He died in his arms.
TJ already had 230 felony charges and 15 convictions, dating back to when he was 12. Now he is charged with three counts of first-degree murder. He is accused of being the one who shot the friends.The brother and the girlfriend were charged with accessory to murder.
It is not clear what the motive is. It seems like TJ accused the fishing buddies of stealing a truck engine. Police said TJ was “pure evil in the flesh.”
There is a memorial set up to honor the three fishing buddies. It has three crosses. Friends and family left behind some personal things to honor them.
Chicago funeral shooting
On Tuesday night in Chicago, 15 people were shot while attending a funeral. News reports said the funeral was for a gang member and that members of a rival gang drove by in a stolen vehicle and opened fire. Some of the people attending the funeral returned fire, and the vehicle crashed with the occupants fleeing.
Chicago authorities said they found 60 shell casings at the scene. It is not known how many shooters in total there was. Of the 15 victims, 10 were women. 13 are expected to recover but two are in critical condition. One of the victims was not a part of the funeral but was outside to smoke a cigarette.
Chicago authorities said it is a deadly cycle of violence that is fueled by street gangs, guns, and drugs.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the violence is a result of lack of opportunities, saying that young men don’t feel like they have a future with a career or a college.
Police are looking for three shooting suspects, but they have not been identified.
That is all the top news for today. Check out our Deaf News videos. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!
https://apnews.com/66280c67fb697d9539108c560bc9a9cb
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article244407692.html
https://www.foxnews.com/us/three-arrested-triple-murder-florida-fishing-buddies
https://www.si.com/nfl/redskins/news/a-temporary-name-washington-football-team
https://www.axios.com/tesla-earnings-profit-covid-ba93b4cd-9c7c-4427-9824-9930b54c39ab.html