Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Democrats Lose Big In Viriginia


REPUBLICAN YOUNGKIN WINS VIRGINIA GOVERNOR'S RACE: Republican Glenn Youngkin is the apparent winner of Virginia's governor's race, according to CNN and Fox News projections early this morning. With 95 percent of the vote counted, Youngkin had 51.1 percent of the vote compared to 48.2 percent for his opponent, former Governor Terry McAuliffe.

Yesterday's off-year election day featured a number of interesting results:
  • In Minneapolis, voters soundly rejected a proposal to replace the city's Police Department with a new agency. Supporters of the measure had hoped to reinvent city policing, 18 months after the death of George Floyd there sparked national outrage.
  • In New York City, Democrat Eric Adams easily won the race for mayor with at least a 50-point lead over Republican rival Curtis Sliwa in early counting. Adams will be the city's second Black mayor and the first ex-policeman in the job.
  • In Boston, City Councilor Michelle Wu was elected mayor. A daughter of immigrants and a Harvard-educated lawyer, she is the first woman, the first person of color and the only Asian-American ever to run the city.


➤DRUG LORD DETHRONED: A one-time Columbian drug lord pleaded guilty yesterday in a New York court to trafficking more than 80 tons of cocaine to the U.S. Daniel Rendon Herrera, known as "Don Mario," was "the most feared narco-terrorist in Colombia," according to Brean Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. He was extradited from Colombia to the U.S. in 2018 and now faces a minimum of 20 years in prison.

➤JOHN DEERE WORKERS EXTEND STRIKE: Workers for John Deere & Company yesterday rejected a contract proposal negotiated by their union, extending a strike that began in mid-October. Roughly 10,000 workers at plants mostly in Iowa and Illinois are demanding better pay and retirement benefits from the farm equipment manufacturer.

➤LOW-DOSE VACCINE AVAILABLE TO CHILDREN: Children ages five to 11 are now eligible to receive a lower dose version of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on the recommendation yesterday.

➤MISSING 4-YEAR-OLD FOUND ALIVE: Cleo Smith, the four-year-old who disappeared from her family's campsite in Western Australia, has been found alive and well after 18 days. Police conducting a massive search finally found her locked in a house 47 miles from the campsite. A 36-year-old man with no connection to the family has been taken in for questioning.

➤TEACHER ACCUSED OF SUBJECTING CLASS TO 'PORN': A sheriff’s investigation found no probable cause to bring charges against a Florida teacher for subjecting her students to pornography by letting them watch the R-rated movie “Alexander.” Parents of a 15-yearold girl told school officials she was traumatized by the Niceville High School teacher showing the students a film they considered to be “porn.” 

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s office found that the instructor had a legitimate reason for showing the 2004 Colin Farrell film to her college level classical studies students. They also found that the teacher had taken steps to limit what the students watched to keep underage students from viewing graphic scenes as the film contains nudity and scenes of sexual assault and homosexuality.

➤TAKING ZINC SUPPLEMENTS CAN SHORTEN THE DURATION OF COLD AND FLU SYMPTOMS:  With cold and flu season upon us, it’s time to restock the medicine cabinet. A new study shows you might want to throw zinc in there as well. Researchers in Australia found that zinc supplements “appear to help shorten respiratory tract infections, such as colds, flu, sinusitis and pneumonia.” Looking at two dozen clinical trials that included more than 5,400 adults, researchers found that people who took zinc saw symptoms clear up two days earlier than those who took a placebo. The authors of the study also noted that, “Patients who used nasal spray or sublingual zinc were nearly twice as likely to recover during the first week of illness as those who used a placebo.” Some uncertainty remains in terms of dosage, but Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said, “The usual recommendation is 25 mg of zinc daily.”

🛌PEOPLE WHO SLEEP NAKED GET A BETTER NIGHT’S REST:  It’s National Sleep Comfort Month, which means it’s time to catch some Z’s. According to a new study, you might increase your chances by choosing to sleep naked. In surveying 2,000 Americans, researchers found that those who sleep naked, versus those who wear pajamas, were “more likely to report high-quality sleep (53 percent vs. 27 percent).” Results from the study also showed that “the average respondent struggles to fall asleep about three nights per week,” due to factors like “worries about personal stuff,” “being too hot,” and “worrying about work.” Those who sleep in a warm room also sleep better than those who prefer a cold room.

➤FACEBOOK STEPS BACK FROM FACIAL RECOGNITION: Facebook announced that it will greatly reduce its use of facial recognition software to identify people in images posted on its site. In fact, it will delete more than a billion facial templates it has stored, the company said. Privacy advocates have questioned the company's routine use of such software.


⚾ATLANTA TAKES THE WORLD SERIES: The Atlanta Braves became the World Series champions of 2021 last night, shutting out the Houston Astros 7 to 0 in Game 6. It’s Atlanta's first series championship since 1995. The heroes of the hour include outfielder Jorge Soler, who really did hit one out of the park, shortstop Dansby Swanson, who followed Soler's performance with a homer of his own that cleared the left-field bleachers, and pitcher Max Fried, who had six shutout innings.


🏈RAIDERS' HENRY RUGGS III FACES DUI CHARGES: Las Vegas wide receiver Henry Ruggs III has been charged with driving under the influence resulting in death after a deadly crash in the early morning hours yesterday. Ruggs was identified as the driver of a Chevy Corvette that crashed into a Toyota RAV4, causing the death of one person in the Toyota, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Ruggs was treated for minor injuries.

🏀KOBE BRYANT'S SMART INVESTMENT: An early investment in the sports drink BodyArmor has yielded a huge return for the family of the late basketball superstar Kobe Bryant. He bought a 10% stake in the company for $6 million in 2014. The company was just sold to Coca-Cola. Bryant's estate is expected to earn at least $400 million from the sale.

🏀KHRIS MIDDLETON SIDELINED FOR NOW: Khris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks has tested positive for COVID-19. That means he won't be playing in tonight's game against the Detroit Pistons. In fact, the Bucks will be missing a few other players including Donte DiVincenzo, who's got an ankle injury; Jrue Holiday, also with an ankle injury, and Brook Lopez, who has a back problem.

🐴JOCKEY MIGUEL MENA DIES IN ACCIDENT: Former Kentucky Derby jockey Miguel Mena was struck and killed by a vehicle Sunday evening in Louisville, officials there said. His death has been ruled an accident. Mena won 2,079 races and earned more than $72.4 million in purses in a career that began in 2003. He was just 34 years old.

🏈GEORGIA TOPS RANKINGS: Georgia is at the top of the list of the initial College Football Playoff Rankings for the season, released last night. Alabama, Michigan State, Oregon and Ohio State round off the top five.


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