Friday, May 7, 2021

Wake-Up Call: 6th Grader Shoots 3 At Idaho Middle School


A sixth-grade girl shot and wounded two students and a custodian at her middle school in Rigby, Idaho, yesterday morning before being disarmed by a female teacher and held by her until police arrived and took the girl into custody. The victims are expected to survive, with the students in fair condition and possibly able to be released as early as today, and the custodian treated and released. Sheriff Steve Anderson said the girl, whose name wasn't disclosed, pulled a handgun out of her backpack and fired multiple times both inside and outside of Rigby Middle School. Anderson said they are investigating where the girl got the gun and her motive.

 
➤FLORIDA GOV. SIGNS VOTING LAW THAT'S LATEST TO BE BLASTED BY CRITICS: Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed a new state voting law yesterday, the latest recent law passed by a Republican-led state that creates new voting restrictions and that have been blasted by Democratic critics and voting rights advocates. DeSantis signed the bill at a live event that aired exclusively on Fox News, saying it would prevent fraud and restore confidence in the state's elections. The state has found no evidence of significant fraud, and critics claim the more restrictive voting laws being passed by GOP states make it harder for people to vote, particularly the elderly and people of color. Fox News later said it had booked DeSantis for an interview, not a bill signing, and hadn't asked that the event be exclusive to them.

➤BLINKEN MEETS WITH UKRAINE'S PRESIDENT, REAFFIRMS U.S. SUPPORT: Secretary of State Antony Blinken met in Ukraine Thursday with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reaffirming U.S. support for Ukraine amid increased tensions between the country and Russia, which recently had a troop buildup on the border. Russia has since pulled back some of those forces, but not all. Blinken emphasized America's commitment to Ukraine's, quote, "sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence," as well as the importance of Ukraine working against widespread internal corruption. Ukraine is hoping for more military aid from the U.S., and strong support for its NATO membership.

➤U.S. UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS FALL BELOW 500,000, LOWEST SINCE START OF PANDEMIC: The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment benefit claims fell below 500,000 last week to 498,000, according to the Labor Department's report out yesterday (May 6th), the lowest level since the pandemic began. The first-time claims fell by 92,000 from a revised 590,000 the week before. While down by nearly half from the peak of 900,000 in January, the claims are still well above the approximately 230,000 they were before the pandemic struck in March 2020.
 

➤WE STARTED SHOWERING LESS DURING THE PANDEMIC AND DON’T PLAN TO CHANGE: The pandemic means many of us are still spending a lot more time at home than we did before March 2020, and as a result, many people are showering less often than they used to. A YouGov survey of British people showed that 17 percent said they’d abandoned daily showers during the pandemic, and many people on Twitter reported the same. Many cite the fact that they’re just not around people that often as the reason, while others note the negative impact daily showers have on the environment. Doctors and health experts have long said that daily showers are unnecessary, and even counterproductive, as washing with soap every day can strip the skin of its natural oils and leave it feeling dry. Andrea Armstrong, an assistant professor of environmental science and studies at Lafayette College says it would take a huge number of people changing their bathing habits to make a difference in carbon emissions, but another expert notes it’s not so much about embracing infrequent bathing as it is fighting against a culture that drills in that we should not smell and that we need to buy products related to bathing if we want to be socially accepted.


➤AS THE SUMMER TRAVEL OUTLOOK IMPROVES, ADDED FEES ARE MAKING A COMEBACK:  It might be safe to travel this summer, and of course, travel fees are poised to make a big comeback. Some are obvious; last month, for example, most major airlines began reinstating penalty charges for some ticket changes. But other fees may come as a surprise. If you’re visiting the Caribbean island of St. Maarten, for example, you’ll have to pay a $30 fee for its Visitors Protection Plan. It covers medical expenses and medical evacuation—whether you need them or not. The revived charges fall into two broad categories: the new ones imposed by countries on international visitors and the fees (new or reinstated) charged by companies such as airlines, hotels, and travel agencies. The Bahamas have a $50 to $70 fee it’s charging for visitors now that it’s calling a health visa, which covers basic medical expenses on the islands. So what happens when the pandemic is over? Travel insurance experts predict countries will institute a strict medical insurance requirement to offset the cost of providing medical care to tourists, or will keep a medical visa requirement, if they have one. But when it comes to travel companies, the fee frenzy is likely just starting. So this year, if you are making travel plans, don’t forget to ask about extra fees.
 

➤TWITTER REFINES ITS SCOLDING PROMPTS IN ONGOING EFFORT TO MAKE USERS NICER:  Twitter is trying really hard to make its users play nice. On Wednesday the social media site announced that English-language users on the Twitter iOS app (and shortly after on the Android app) may be shown “improved prompts” asking them to rethink their typed-but-not-yet-sent replies in a new set of circumstances. This expands upon their 2020 attempt at doing something similar. Twitter’s Wednesday announcement also says it’s updated the system so that it now takes into consideration between the person writing the reply and the account at which it’s directed. So, replies between two accounts that have long had friendly interactions might be treated differently than a first-time reply directed at an account the user doesn’t follow. The company also claims its system can now more accurately detect profanity, and can (to some extent) distinguish context. Twitter also claims in last year’s tests, “If prompted, 34% of people revised their initial reply or decided not to send their reply at all. After being prompted once, people composed, on average, 11% fewer offensive replies in the future.”

⚾PUJOLS CUT BY ANGELS IN SURPRISE MOVE: The Los Angeles Angels unexpectedly cut Albert Pujols on Thursday, the surprise move coming as the slumping 41-year-old star is batting just .198. Angels manager Joe Maddon said Pujols wants to play first base regularly for another team after he clears waivers, something the Angels were apparently unwilling to allow, saying, "Hopefully he’s going to get that opportunity somewhere else, and believe me, we’re all going to be rooting for him." The three-time National League MVP was in the final year of a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Angels, after 11 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals. Pujols, who's the oldest active MLB player, is fifth in career home runs with 667, and 13th in hits with 3,253.
 

🏒RANGERS FINED $250K FOR CRITICISM OF NHL'S HEAD OF PLAYER SAFETY: The New York Rangers were fined $250,000 by the NHL yesterday -- believed to be the largely publicly announced fine of its kind in NHL history -- for the team's criticism of the league's head of player safety, George Parros, in which they called for his removal. The Rangers were upset that the Washington Capitals' Tom Wilson was fined $5,000, but not suspended, for punching Pavel Buchnevich in the back of the head while he was facedown on the ice, and throwing Artemi Panarin to the ice, injuring him, during their game Monday. The Rangers accused Parros of "dereliction of duty" and called him "unfit to continue in his current role." Commissioner Gary Bettman called the Rangers' comments "unacceptable," saying, "It is terribly unfair to question George Parros’ professionalism and dedication . . . "

🏒PENGUINS' CARTER SCORES CAREER-HIGH FOUR GOALS IN 8-4 WIN: Pittsburgh's Jeff Carter scored a career-high four goals in the Penguins' 8-4 win over the Buffalo Sabres last night (May 6th). The 36-year-old scored three of the goals in the first 25 minutes, and the final one in the third period. This is the first time a Penguins player has scored four goals in a game since Chris Kunitz in 2013.
 

🏈TEXAS LINEBACKER EHRLINGER FOUND DEAD: Texas linebacker Jake Ehlinger, the 20-year-old younger brother of former team quarterback Sam Ehlinger, was found dead near campus yesterday. Austin police said officers found Ehrlinger after responding to a call just after noon. A cause of death wasn't immediately released and police didn't describe how the officers found him, but said the death isn't considered suspicious. Ehlinger didn't play the last two seasons after joining the team as a walk-on. Sam Ehlinger was a sixth-round pick in the NFL draft last week by the Indianapolis Colts.

➤PFIZER AND BIONTECH TO DONATE COVID VACCINES FOR TOKYO OLYMPICS: The International Olympic Committee said yesterday that Covid-19 vaccine developers Pfizer and BioNTech will donate doses for athletes and officials readying for the Tokyo Olympics this summer. Delivery of the vaccines will begin this month to give the recipients time to be fully vaccinated, meaning to be past two weeks after the second shot, before arriving in Tokyo for the start of the games on July 23rd.
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