Monday, April 17, 2023

4/17 WAKE-UP CALL: 4 Shot Dead At 'Sweet 16' Party


Alabama law enforcement officers Sunday were imploring people to come forward with information about a shooting that killed four people and injured 28 others during a teenager’s birthday party. Among those killed was a high school senior who planned to play college football and was celebrating his sister’s 16th birthday. The shooting erupted Saturday night at a dance studio in downtown Dadeville.

During two news conferences Sunday, Sgt. Jeremy Burkett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency did not take questions. He did not say if a suspect was in custody or if investigators knew about any motivation. He did not provide the names of those killed. “We’ve got to have information from the community,” Burkett said during a Sunday evening news conference. Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, a Dadeville High School senior who had committed to Jacksonville State University, was celebrating at his sister Alexis’ party before he was shot to death, his grandmother Annette Allen told the Montgomery Advertiser.

➤BODY CAMERA FOOTAGE SHOWS POLICE IN NEW MEXICO GOING TO WRONG ADDRESS AND FATALLY SHOOTING THE HOMEOWNER: Police released body camera footage and 911 audio on Friday of officers fatally shooting a homeowner after they responded to the wrong house for a domestic violence call. Farmington Police officers killed Robert Dotson, 52, when he answered the door with a handgun on April 5 at about 11:30 p.m., police initially said.  The newly released videos show the unidentified officers immediately opening fire after Dotson opened the door with the gun. Officers opened fire again after a woman was heard in the video screaming. Police previously said the woman, Dotson's wife, returned fire to the officers. She was not injured.

➤AMERICA'S PARENTS SHOW INCREASING CONCERN OVER GUN VIOLENCE, CBS NEWS POLL:  Throughout generations, American children have had to contend with social pressures, bullies, and academic stress. However, parents of today's youth have identified a new source of anxiety: the possibility of gun violence. The fear of gun violence is now a prominent concern for both children and parents, with 77% of parents reporting at least some level of worry. This represents an increase from the already-high level of 72% reported the previous summer. According to Yahoo News, 60% of parents report that their children express concerns about gun violence, whether frequently or occasionally. Although not as prevalent as issues such as bullying and social pressures, this fear is still a reality for most families, regardless of income level, racial background, or geographic region.

➤WEEKEND MAYHEM IN CHICAGO: Hundreds of teenagers flooded into Downtown Chicago on Saturday night, smashing car windows, trying to get into Millennium Park, and prompting a major police response. At least one person in a car was attacked. Shots were fired near the corner of Madison and Michigan, and FOX 32 Chicago decided that it was unsafe to keep our news crew on the scene. Two teens were wounded by gunfire in the crowds in the first block of East Washington Street. A 16 and 17-year-old boy were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in fair condition with gunshot wounds. A woman whose car was smashed by people jumping on the windshield said her husband was beaten as he sat in the driver's seat. He's been taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Police were escorting tourists and others back to their cars in the Millennium Park garage. The crowd was trying to get into Millennium Park, but there are checkpoints around the perimeter and people under 21 are not allowed without an adult.


NEW MAYOR: DON'T DEMONIZE TEENS: Chicago's mayor-elect says the city should not demonize the teens who organized a 'Teen Takeover' of the Loop over the weekend, even after the event turned violent with cars burnt cars and minors shot.  Brandon Johnson, 47, said Sunday he does not 'condone the destructive activity' and that it's 'unacceptable and has no place' in Chicago, but that it should not be used as a way to vilify the group. 'However, it is not constructive to demonize youth who have otherwise been starved of opportunities in their own communities,' said Johnson, a progressive Democrat. 

➤RUCKUS BREAKS-OUT AT SOX GAME: A huge brawl broke out at Saturday’s Chicago White Sox game for over two minutes with several spectators involved. Fists were flying all over the place before a woman was dragged from behind over a row of seats on the first-base side. One lone security guard attempted to make peace, while another pair of women were throwing haymakers at one another. Things seemed to settle down for a few seconds, but the fire was reignited when another woman threw a cup at the person who had been dragged over the seats. She ran around a group of people and tried to attack the person who threw the cup at her, but slipped while getting up the stairs. All was calm again for a couple of seconds, but one woman grabbed another’s hair while trying to walk away from the ruckus. She returned with a hammer fist, and then one man threw a left hook at another. That’s when it got pretty wild once again, with groups of people holding each other back and tackling one another to the steps. It took well over a minute for other security to finally show up, but they did not do much to break up the fight.


➤MILITARY RIVALS CAUSE CIVILIAN DEATHS IN SUDAN: Sudan's army appeared to gain the upper hand on Sunday in a bloody power struggle with rival paramilitary forces, pounding their bases with air strikes, said witnesses. At least 97 civilians had been killed and 365 injured since the fighting in Sudan started, said one doctor's group. The fighting erupted on Saturday between army units loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of Sudan's transitional governing Sovereign Council, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, who is deputy head of the council.

➤SCIENTISTS FIND A ANCIENT VIRUS MIGHT BE THE KEY TO TREATING LUNG CANCER: According to a recent study conducted by scientists from the Francis Crick Institute, partially funded by Cancer Research UK, dormant endogenous retroviruses present in human DNA can assist in combating lung cancer. Although these viruses are inactive in most individuals, they can be triggered in cancerous tissue. Upon investigation of lung cancer tissue in mice and humans, researchers discovered that once activated, these cells can stimulate B cells, a type of white blood cell that produces antibodies to combat illnesses. Therefore, the reawakening of ancient endogenous retroviruses in cancerous regions prompts a biological response in our body to combat cancer.


➤EXPERTS CALL OUT FACTORS MAKING PREGNANCY FAR LESS SAFE FOR BLACK PEOPLE IN AMERICA: Maternal mortality rates in the United States remain high, with Black women being disproportionately affected, suffering from almost three times the mortality rate of white women. Experts and advocates are highlighting the urgent need for equity during Black Maternal Health Week, with systemic racism and implicit bias being identified as contributing factors to the widening disparities. These deaths are largely preventable, and the United States continues to lag behind other high-income countries in addressing this issue.

Daily Mail Composite (4/17/23)

➤POPULATIONS GAINS AND LOSES: US Census Bureau data show how New York, Illinois, and Hawaii saw their populations shrink between 2021 and 2022, while Florida, Texas, Montana, and South Dakota made big gains. Mark Perry, an economist at the American Enterprise Institute, a think tank, said the overall population drift was from Democrat-run states to mostly Republican-administered boomtowns in the South and West of the country. 'Americans are moving from blue states that are more economically stagnant, fiscally unhealthy states with higher tax burdens and unfriendly business climates with higher energy and housing costs and fewer economic and job opportunities,' Perry said. They're opting for 'fiscally sound red states that are more economically vibrant, dynamic and business-friendly, with lower tax and regulatory burdens, lower energy, and housing costs and more economic and job opportunities.'

🏠YOUNGER HOMEBUYERS ARE MORE CONCERNED WITH A HOME'S LOOKS: A survey of 2,000 homeowners split evenly by generation found that Gen Z and millennials care more about a home's looks and style compared to Gen X and boomers. Aesthetic also mattered more to the younger generations. 46% of Gen Zers were likely to purchase a home based on its architecture and style, compared with just 23% of boomers. Of all participants, when it comes to maintenance, 62% would call a professional over a family member. "Newer homeowners may be more hesitant to ask for help — only 38 percent were very likely to rely on professional aid for their home’s exterior as a new homeowner," Johanna Metz of TruGreen noted. For those who DIY, 42% turn to YouTube for help.

📺C-SPAN UNDER FIRE: C-SPAN is under fire over accusations of lefty bias for declining to air two consecutive hearings held by the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee – including one slated for Monday that’s expected to shed light on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s decision to indict former President Trump. Tense exchanges between C-SPAN honchos and judiciary committee staffers have been revealed in emails examined by Fox News Digital regarding coverage of a February hearing held in Yuma, Ariz., that focused on border issues, and another planned for Monday in the Big Apple focusing on violent crime surging in Manhattan. The latter is all but certain to spotlight a soft-on-crime progressive prosecutor’s controversial indictment of Trump, a Republican, on alleged hush money payments to reputed former paramours. “I wanted to reach out to you as soon as I could to let you know that we won’t be able [to] send a crew to cover the House Judiciary field hearing on Victims of Violent Crime in Manhattan on Monday,” C-SPAN assignment desk manager Jon Kelley wrote to staffers Wednesday. “I know it is making a lot of news and we did look at possible coverage but we just don’t have the resources at this time.”

🏈MIAMI DOLPHINS AGREE TO DEAL WITH CHOSEN ROBBIE ANDERSON: The Miami Dolphins have agreed to a contract with former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Chosen Robbie Anderson. Anderson was released by the Cardinals on March 8 after he was acquired last year in a midseason trade.

⚾TREVOR BAUER 'READY TO COMPETE,' DEBUTS IN JAPANESE MINORS: Trevor Bauer pitched his first competitive game in almost two years Sunday and said he is almost ready to debut in Japanese baseball. Pitching for the Yokohama BayStars' minor league team in nearby Yokosuka, Japan, the 2020 Cy Young Award winner allowed four hits, no runs and struck out six in four innings before 2,600 fans.

⚾DODGERS CATCHER WILL SMITH PLACED ON 7-DAY CONCUSSION IL: The Los Angeles Dodgers placed catcher Will Smith on the seven-day concussion list Sunday after he had been sidelined for the first two games of their weekend series against the Chicago Cubs. Smith has started 10 of the Dodgers' 15 games behind the plate this season. The move was made retroactive to April 13.

🏀PAUL GEORGE LIKELY OUT FOR ENTIRE CLIPPERS-SUNS SERIES: All-Star forward Paul George is likely to miss the LA Clippers' entire opening-round Western Conference playoff series against the Phoenix Suns because of his sprained right knee. George has been progressing on the rehabilitation from the injury he suffered on March 21, but the Clippers are preparing to be without him for the series, which begins Sunday in Phoenix.

🏀WARRIORS FAN, RAPPER E-40 EJECTED, CITES 'RACIAL BIAS': Golden State Warriors fan and Bay Area hip-hop legend E-40, who was born Earl Stevens, was kicked out of Saturday night's playoff game between the Warriors and Kings in Sacramento, California, and he said "racial bias" led to his dismissal. Videos show the rapper, who was born Earl Stevens, talking to security at Golden 1 Center before leaving his courtside seats. The rapper issued a statement telling his side of the events, explaining that after being "subjected to disrespectful heckling" throughout the game, in the fourth quarter he "turned around and addressed one heckler in an assertive but polite manner." The Kings said Sunday that they are looking into the incident.

🏀NBA SCORES:
  • Los Angeles Lakers 128 Memphis Grizzlies 112
  • Miami Heat 130 Milwaukee Bucks 117
  • Los Angeles Clippers 115 Phoenix Suns 110
  • Minnesota Timberwolves 109 Denver Nuggets 80





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