Tuesday, April 19 top stories

It is Tuesday, April 19. Here are today’s top stories.

Airlines, Uber, Amtrak dropping masks

Yesterday evening the TSA announced it would no longer enforce the federal mask mandate on public transportation following a federal judge’s order on Monday that voided the Biden administration’s mask mandate on public transportation.

Shortly after the TSA announcement, major U.S. airlines announced they would no longer require employees or customers to wear face masks on domestic flights, but said masks may be required for international flights in accordance with other countries’ laws.

Uber and Lyft announced that it would no longer require riders or drivers to wear masks.

Amtrak announced passengers and employees would no longer need to wear masks.

Kindergartner brings alcohol to class

Last week at an elementary school in Livonia, Michigan, a kindergartner brought a bottle of tequila mix with 10% alcohol content in it to school. During snack time, the student shared it with four classmates before a teacher noticed and stopped it. The school contacted the parents of the five students and called a poison control center. The school said no student became ill or needed medical attention. The school also said it would take disciplinary measures in accordance with its policies.

Carjacker assaults great-grandmother

Last Tuesday morning in San Antonio, a 72-year-old woman named Shirlene Hernandez was getting a Diet Coke from a gas station when she was attacked by a man who grabbed her keys and injured her before driving off with her car. Three other men tried to stop the attacker but couldn’t.

The carjacker didn’t get away for long because police said they found the car totaled on the interstate with the suspected attacker dead inside.

Hernandez said others have told her that it is karma. She said her reaction was sadness because he had died and said “the Lord saw fit to take him out of his misery.”

Her granddaughter set up a GoFundMe to help her find another vehicle and get back on her feet. It’s raised over $20,000 so far.

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Orlando ride was adjusted before fatality

An investigation on the Orlando, Florida amusement park ride where a 14-year-old teenager fell to his death last month found that two seats were manually adjusted. The ride is called the FreeFall and is located in the ICON Park. The teenager’s name was Tyre Sampson.

The harnesses for the ride’s seats are supposed to allow an opening of about 3 inches, but the ride’s operators adjusted it to allow it to have an opening of around 7 inches to accommodate Sampson’s large size at 6’5 and 340 pounds. The ride also had a weight limit of 250 pounds, which Sampson exceeded. The report said the harness opening may have been extended up to 10 inches with force. The FreeFall ride takes passengers up to the top of a 430-foot tower, tilts the seats downwards, and then drops at speeds up to 75 mph before quickly stopping. So it appears that the harness opening and Sampson’s size were two contributing factors that led to him slipping out and falling to his death.

Florida state officials said the next phase in the investigation is to find out how and why operators adjusted the harness before assessing what penalties may come.

Cristiano Ronaldo announces death of newborn son

Cristiano Ronaldo, the international soccer star, and his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez announced that one of their newborn twin babies passed away. Ronaldo posted on social media that their baby boy died and that it is the greatest pain that any parents can feel. Ronaldo said only the birth of the second twin, a girl, gives them the strength to live this moment with some hope and happiness. The couple announced about six months ago that they were expecting twins, and one has died.

Russia declares new phase of war

Russia’s foreign minister declared today that it has started a new phase of its war in Ukraine that focuses on two regions in Ukraine’s east — Donetsk and Luhansk. There was a new round of intense bombing along Ukraine’s east.

The Pentagon said Russia sent up to 11,000 additional troops into Ukraine, split into 11 battalion tactical groups. Russia has seized a eastern city called Kreminna.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said a very large part of the Russian army is focused on the new phase, but vowed to keep on fighting.

Axios reported that about seven U.S. flights carrying weapons are heading to Europe in the next 24 hours as a part of the $800 million aid package President Biden authorized last week.

That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.

Masks:

https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/covid-mask-mandate-uber-amtrak-airlines-requirements

https://nypost.com/2022/04/19/judges-decision-to-void-mask-mandate-prompts-mid-flight-cheers-among-fliers/

Kindergartner:

https://abc7.com/kindergartner-shares-bottle-of-tequila-grand-river-academy-livonia-jose-cuervo/11761321/

https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2022/04/16/elementary-school-student-brings-alcohol-to-class-in-livonia-later-shares-drink-with-four-students/

Carjacking:

https://www.wcax.com/2022/04/18/carjacker-beats-up-72-year-old-takes-car-only-die-crash-police-say/

https://www.gofundme.com/f/shirlenehernandez

Orlando ride:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/18/us/florida-park-ride-teen-death-seat-investigation/index.html