Wednesday, January 18 top stories
It is Wednesday, January 18. Here are today’s top stories.
World’s oldest known person dies at 118
A French nun who was considered the world’s oldest person, Lucile Randon, died at the age of 118. She was only a few weeks away from turning 119.
She was born in southern France in 1904. She lived through two world wars and two major pandemics: influenza and coronavirus pandemics.
She was known as “Sister André.” She said what made her live so long was “working,” explaining that she worked until she was 108.
She was infected with the coronavirus in 2021 but she had no symptoms.
French President Macron recognized Lucile after her death, saying she lived through 18 different French presidents.
The world’s oldest person is now Maria Branyas Morera, who is 115. She currently lives in San Francisco.
Polar bear kills woman and boy in Alaska
In tragic news from Alaska, a polar bear in a small community called Wales attacked and killed a woman and a boy. Authorities said the polar bear entered the community and chased multiple residents before killing the two. A local resident shot and killed the bear.
USA Today said Wales is a “small, predominantly Inupiaq town of fewer than 200 people.” The identities of the woman and boy have not been released pending notification of next of kin.
USA Today said it is very rare to see a fatal polar bear attack in Alaska with the last incident in 1990. But there are concerns that polar bears may spend more time on land near people because of the loss of their sea ice habitat due to climate change.
Brian Walshe charged with murdering wife
In Massachusetts, prosecutors issued a murder warrant against Brian Walshe on suspicion that he killed his wife Ana Walshe, who disappeared around New Year’s Day. Her disappearance made national news last week. Ana’s co-workers reported her missing on January 4.
Prosecutors said evidence they have against Brian is his Google searches on January 1 on how to dispose of a dead body and on how to stop a body from decomposing. Other searches were on “how long does DNA last,” “how to clean blood from wooden floor,” and “can you be charged with murder without a body.”
Prosecutors suspect that Brian murdered Ana and then moved her body or remains.
They have a surveillance video from January 3 that shows Brian driving to a dumpster and carrying and discarding items that seemed to be heavy. Police tried to find the bags but they had already been destroyed by trash workers, who shredded and incinerated things in the dumpster.
But police were able to track down Brian throwing things away at another dumpster on January 5. Police found 10 trash bags that had blood stains, tape, rugs, a Covid vaccination card for Ana, a hacksaw, and Ana’s Prada purse. Both Brian's and Ana’s DNA was found among the contents.
When police searched Brian’s home on January 8, they found blood in the basement and a damaged knife with blood on it. He was arrested for misleading investigators and now he has a warrant for murder.
Brian’s attorney said he is innocent. A judge ordered Brian to be held without bail pending indictment.
The Walshes have three sons. They are now in state custody.
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Microsoft laying off 10k employees
Microsoft will be laying off 10,000 workers, which is less than 5% of its workforce. The cuts will happen before the end of its fiscal third quarter.
Axios said, “Microsoft joins a growing list of large tech firms that have recently cut staff, a roster that includes Amazon, Meta, Salesforce, Twitter and Snap, among others.”
Six found dead in California in “cartel-style execution”
In terrible news from Goshen, California, six people, including an infant, were found shot to death on Monday. Police said the six victims were targeted in a “cartel-like execution.”
Two of the victims were a 16-year-old mother named Alissa Parraz and her son Nycholas. Police said forensic evidence shows that they were shot in the head. The other victims were family members and a family friend. Their bodies were found in the home and on a street near the home.
Police said they are looking for two suspects who opened fire. Police said the home was known to law enforcement for illegal activity but emphasized that not all the victims were involved in the illegal activities. There is a $10,000 reward for information leading to their arrest.
Police said there were three survivors of the shooting who hid as shots rang out. They are providing key information about who the suspects could be.
Helicopter crash in Ukraine
In tragic news from Ukraine, a helicopter that was carrying several Ukrainian government officials crashed today into a kindergarten school and a residential building.
At least 14 people were killed. Nine were on the helicopter and the other fatalities were those who were impacted by the crash. It is not clear what caused the crash but there are no signs that it was shot down. The weather was foggy today and that may have caused poor visibility.
Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs Denys Monastyrsky was in the helicopter. A child was killed in the crash and 11 other children were hospitalized. News reports said there were panicked parents who gathered around the kindergarten school, thinking that a missile had hit it.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.axios.com/2023/01/18/microsoft-layoffs-nadella
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/01/18/world/russia-ukraine-news
https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/18/europe/helicopter-crash-ukraine-intl/index.html
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/worlds-oldest-person-french-nun-dies-118-96499649
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/01/18/worlds-oldest-person-french-nun-sister-andre/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/18/us/goshen-california-shooting-wednesday/index.html