Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Boulder Suspect Book On 10 Murder Counts


The suspect in the mass shooting at a Boulder, Colorado, supermarket on Monday that left 10 people dead was booked into jail Tuesday  on 10 counts of murder after being released from the hospital, where he'd treated for a leg wound. Officials identified him as 21-year-old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa of the Denver suburb of Arvada, who'd bought an assault weapon six days before the attack at the King Soopers market. Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said a motive hadn't been established. Media reports said that members of Alissa's family, who came to the U.S. from Syria when he was young, told investigators they believe he was suffering from mental illness, including having delusions, saying there were times he'd talked about people following or chasing him. His 34-year-old brother, Ali Aliwi Alissa, told The Daily Beast his younger brother was antisocial and paranoid.

A police affidavit said that when Alissa was a high school senior in 2018, he was found guilty of assaulting another student after he suddenly got up in class, went over the student and began punching him in the head, knocking him down and climbing on top of him as he continued to punch the student. Alissa had claimed the victim had made fun of him weeks earlier. AP cited a former wrestling teammate of Alissa's, Angel Hernandez, as saying he had a, quote, "short fuse," stating, "Once he gets mad, it’s like something takes over and it’s not him. There is no stopping him at that point." He also said Alissa would sometimes turn around suddenly or look over his shoulder and say, "Did you see that?" but there was nothing there. CNN reported that Alissa wrote on his Facebook page in 2019 that he believed people were hacking into his phone, including his former high school.


The names of the other nine victims of the attack were released yesterday, after Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley, a 51-year-old father of seven who was the first officer to respond to the shooting, was the only one identified on Monday. They included three of the supermarket's employees: Denny Stong, 20; Teri Leiker, 51; and Rikki Olds, 25. The others were: Neven Stanisic, 23; Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; and Jodi Waters, 65. A makeshift memorial has been set up near the supermarket, and about 100 people were there last night.

 
➤BIDEN, DEMOCRATS CALL FOR ACTION ON GUN MEASURES: In the wake of the Boulder mass shooting, President Biden yesterday urged Congress to move quickly to close loopholes in the background check system to buy guns, and to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. He said, "It should not be a partisan issue. This is an American issue. It will save lives, American lives." Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he will bring legislation to the floor in the Senate that was passed by the House that would require background checks for most gun sales and transfers. However, prospects for passage aren't good in the face of Republican opposition.

➤ISRAEL AGAIN HAS NO CLEAR ELECTION WINNER: Israel's parliamentary elections yesterday resulted in no clear winner for the fourth time in the past two years, with exit polls indicating a virtual deadlock. They showed that both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies, as well as a group of anti-Netanyahu parties, fell short of the majority needed to form a new government. The results raises the possibility that Israel will have to hold an unprecedented fifth consecutive election. However, exit results haven't always been exactly right in the past, so when all the votes are counted, there could be a more decisive outcome.

➤SECOND EXTENSION OF OBAMACARE ENROLLMENT ANNOUNCED: President Biden announced yesterday that he would extend the special enrollment period for Obamacare by three months until August 15th as part of the continuing effort to deal with the impact of the pandemic. Biden ordered the initial special enrollment for getting health insurance under the Affordable Care Act for February 15th to May 15th. Extending it will allow enrollees to take advantage of the greater subsidies to pay for the plans that were passed as part of the $1.9 trillion Covid relief package Biden signed into law earlier this month. Enrollment is usually only open for about six weeks as the end of the year.

➤JURY SEATED IN TRIAL OF OFFICER CHARGED IN GEORGE FLOYD'S DEATH: The 15th and final juror was chosen yesterday in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd last May. Twelve jurors were chosen along with two alternates and one extra juror in case it's needed. Opening statements are set for next Monday, March 29th, and if all of the 14 jurors are still available to serve, the 15th will be dismissed.


➤STUDY..ONLINE MINDFULNESS MAY IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC: The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a mental health toll on many, but a new study suggests we may find some relief in online mindfulness practices. Wake Forest School of Medicine researchers say mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment, non-judgement awareness of thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and surrounding environment. Among study participants that did a 15-minute online mindfulness meditation session, 89 percent said the session was helpful, 76 percent reported decreased anxiety, 80 percent reported decreased stress, and 55 percent had decreased COVID-19 concern. Lead researcher, Dr. Rebecca Wells, says, “We found that online mindfulness interventions may improve psychological health at a time of uncertainty. We were also encouraged by the survey responses, which showed a sense of connectedness and a desire to help others.”

➤EXTRA HOUR OF SLEEP AT NIGHT CUTS COVID RISK BY MORE THAN 10 PERCENT:  Here’s a reason to head to bed earlier. U.S. researchers surveyed nearly 3,000 healthcare workers from a few European countries and the U.S. They found the risk of catching COVID was greater for those who had trouble sleeping and those who were “burned out” by their job. In fact, every one-hour increase in the amount of time spent asleep at night was associated with 12 percent lower odds of catching COVID. One notable find, though, was that an extra hour of daytime napping was associated with six percent higher odds of being infected with COVID. And compared to those without any sleep problems, those who reported difficulties in falling or staying asleep, or needed to use sleeping pills, had an 88 percent greater risk of contracting COVID. Researchers theorize that lack of sleep and sleep disorders can influence the immune system, increasing inflammatory molecules.

🏈WATSON ATTORNEY SAYS SEX ASSAULT LAWSUITS CAME AFTER BLACKMAIL ATTEMPT: An attorney for Deshaun Watson charged Tuesday that the lawsuits filed against him by 16 women in recent days alleging sexual assault and harassment came after a failed attempt to blackmail the Houston Texans quarterback. The lawsuits were filed by massage therapists who claim Watson exposed himself, touched them with his penis, or kissed them without consent while they gave him a massage. Watson's attorney Rusty Hardin said he has "strong evidence" that an accusation made by a woman they believe filed one of the lawsuits is false, and claims she said in January that she wanted $30,000 for her, quote, "indefinite silence" for a consensual encounter with Watson. The woman's lawsuit alleges Watson forced her to perform oral sex during a massage in December. Harden said the alleged blackmail attempt, quote, "calls into question the legitimacy of the other cases." All the women are represented by attorney Tony Buzbee.
 

🏀STANFORD, WOMEN'S NCAA TOURNAMENT TOP SEED, ADVANCES TO SWEET 16: Stanford, the overall top seed in the women's NCAA basketball tournament, advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 73-62 win over Number 8 Oklahoma State in their second-round game last night. Also yesterday, sixth-seeded Michigan made it to the Sweet 16 for the first time with an upset 70-55 win over Number 3 Tennessee. In the day's two other upset results, Number 5 Iowa beat fourth-seed Kentucky 86-72, and Number 5 Georgia Tech defeated fourth-seed West Virginia 73-56.

⚾BLUE JAYS RELIEVER YATES TO HAVE SEASON-ENDING SURGERY: Toronto Blue Jays reliever Kirby Yates is expected to have season-ending surgery on his right elbow, general manager Ross Atkins said yesterday (March 23rd). The 33-year-old Yates had been expected to be Toronto's closer after he signed a one-year, $5.5 million deal in the offseason.

🏀REPORT: NCAA PREZ AGREES TO INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF MEN'S AND WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT DISPARITIES: NCAA President Mark Emmert has agreed to an independent review of the disparities between the men's and women's basketball tournaments, according to a letter from him to Suzette McQueen, the chair of the NCAA committee on women's athletics, obtained by The Washington Post. This comes after there was anger over the lack of resources for the women's tournament after it was revealed that the women had been given just a few dumbbells to work out with, while the men's tournament had a large workout space with lots of equipment. The NCAA gave the women's comparable equipment after the backlash.
 

🏈WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM MAY REMAIN AS NFL TEAM'S PERMANENT NAME: The name Washington Football Team has been used by the team that was formerly the Washington Redskins last season and will be used again in the upcoming season as the team decides what they want their new name to be. But team president Jason Wright said in an ESPN interview yesterday (March 23rd) that they may just stick with Washington Football Team. He said fans have warmed to it, stating it has, quote, "something that ties deeply to hour history." Wright said the team has received 15,000 name suggestions from 60 countries for either the name or new logo.
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