Monday, November 22, 2021

Wake-Up Call: 5 Dead In Christmas Carnage


At least five people were killed and more than 40 injured yesterday when an SUV plowed through barricades and sped through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Among those hit by the SUV was a group of young dancers and a "Dancing Grannies" club. Police Chief Dan Thompson said a "person of interest" was in custody, but gave no details about the person or about a possible motivate. A police officer fired his gun to try to stop the vehicle, but Thompson said he didn't know of the driver was hit. No bystanders were injured by the gunfire. 


Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul tweeted, "What took place in Waukesha today is sickening, and I have every confidence that those responsible will be brought to justice." The parade, which is held annually on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, was returning after being canceled last year due to the pandemic.

➤TWO OF 17 KIDNAPPED MISSIONARIES FREED IN HAITI: Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries said yesterday that two of 17 members of its missionary group who were kidnapped in Haiti more than a month ago had been freed. The church organization, which said the two are "in good spirits," said they couldn't give information about why they were released. The 17 people, five of whom were children and 16 American with one Canadian, were kidnapped by the 400 Mawozo gang on October 16th, along with their Haitian driver. Authorities have said the gang was demanding $1 million per person, and that the leader was threatening to kill the hostages if the demands weren't met. The FBI, which is helping Haitian authorities recover the captives, declined to comment.

➤CLOSING ARGUMENTS TODAY IN ARBERY MURDER TRIAL: Closing arguments are scheduled for today in the Georgia murder trial of three white men charged in the killing of a Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who they saw running in their neighborhood. Greg McMichael and his son Travis McMichael grabbed guns and began chasing Arbery in their pickup truck, and were joined by a neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan, who followed in his pickup and recorded Travis McMichael fatally shooting Arbery as the cornered man threw punches and grabbed for McMichael's shotgun. McMichael claimed self-defense during testimony last week. The men claim they suspected Arbery had burglarized a house under construction, however there's no evidence he committed any crimes.

➤ABOUT 80 PEOPLE RANSACK NORDSTROM NEAR SAN FRANCISCO: Some 80 people ransacked a Nordstrom's department store in Walnut Creek, California, Saturday night, stealing merchandise and assaulting two employees before escaping in a large number of cars that were waiting outside that they'd arrived in. Some of those involved in the San Francisco Bay-area incident, which police called "clearly a planned event," were wearing ski masks and carrying crowbars. Most got away, with just three people arrested. Police said in a statement Sunday that they are reviewing surveillance footage to try to identify other suspects.

➤BIDEN, JAIDES SAYING HE'S RUNNING IN 2024:  President Biden just turned 79 on Saturday, meaning his 82nd birthday will be just a couple of weeks after the 2024 election, but he's apparently not letting his age get in the way of eyeing a second term, with the Washington Post reporting this weekend that Biden and his aides are telling allies that he plans to run for reelection in three years. The reassurance is aimed in part at beating back the assumption among many Democrats that Biden might not run again because of his age and fallen poll numbers. The Post said it also effectively freezes the field for Vice President Kamala Harris and other potential 2024 Democratic presidential candidates. However, the report also states that despite that, many Democratic strategists and officials still aren't sure how firm Biden's commitment to run again is. There are concerns among them that if he doesn't run, there could be an open and "potentially bruising" primary with no clear frontrunner, as Harris, who as VP is a potential successor, has stumbled since the start of the administration, in the opinion of many Democrats.


➤MARIJUANA USE IN PREGNANCY CAN LEAD TO ANXIETY, BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS IN CHILDREN: A new study found that the use of marijuana by pregnant women can increase the risk of having children who are anixious or have behavioral problems. The study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the City University of New York found that children of women who use cannabis before or soon after pregnancy are twice as likely to be anxious, aggressive or hyperactive. The study looked at women who used marijuana not just recreationally, but as a morning sickness remedy, which is a growing trend. However, while the study found the connection, it doesn't prove that marijuana caused the behavior in children.

👑QUEEN ELIZABETH ATTENDS JOINT CHRISTENING OF TWO GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN: Queen Elizabeth attended the joint christening of two of her new great-grandchildren on Sunday, four days after the 95-year-old British monarch made her first public appearance since a hospital stay last month. The private christening was for the son of Prince Andrew's daughter Princess Eugenie, and the son of Princess Anne's daughter Zara Tindall. Doctors had advised the queen to cancel most of her engagements for a while after her hospital stay, which was for what was called "preliminary investigations" for an unspecified reason.

🤟STUDY..GRANDMAS REALLY DO FEEL MORE AFFECTION TOWARD THEIR GRANDKIDS THAN THEIR ADULT CHILDREN: Science now proves that the bond between grandmothers and their grandkids is a special one. Emory University researchers scanned the brains of grandmothers as they looked at photos of their grandchildren, and as they looked at photos of their own adult children. They found the grandma's brains showed more cognitive empathy– trying to understand what someone is thinking and why– when viewing photos of their grandchildren, compared to when viewing photos of their adult children. The researchers say the “cute factor” of young kids likely plays a role in the results, which ultimately showed a stronger emotional response to grandchildren. Lead author James Rilling says, “What really jumps out in the data is the activation in areas of the brain associated with emotional empathy. That suggests that grandmothers are geared toward feeling what their grandchildren are feeling when they interact with them.”

➤WHY DO SO MANY YOUNG AMERICANS HATE SPORTS?:  Sports used to really capture the attention of Americans, but it seems younger people are losing interest. A new study shows just 23 percent of Generation Z (people born between 1992 and 2007), consider themselves “avid” sports fans. That’s 19 percent lower than Millennials (42%), and about a third of Gen Xers and Baby Boomers say they identify as “avid” sports fans– about ten percentage points higher than Gen Z. In fact, 27 percent of Gen Z respondents say they “actively dislike” sports (compared to a rate between five and seven percent for Millennials, Gen Xers, and Boomers). In November 2020, Rich Luker, a social psychologist, told the Washington Post that he’s observed sports fandom drop among young people for the past decade and a half, and he’s warned major sports leagues that a reckoning is on the horizon. In 2019, Nielsen noted that members of Gen Z “have higher expectations for entertainment experience than their elders, and new ways to discover and consume content.” Study co-author of the most recent findings, Mike Lewis, notes the relative lack of sports enthusiasm in young people is “a consequence of the culture we exist in.”

🏈NFL SCORES -- WEEK 11:
  • Indianapolis Colts 41, Buffalo Bills 15
  • Baltimore Ravens 16, Chicago Bears 13
  • Cleveland Browns 13, Detroit Lions 10
  • Houston Texans 22, Tennessee Titans 13
  • Minnesota Vikings 34, Green Bay Packers 31
  • Miami Dolphins 24, New York Jets 17
  • Philadelphia Eagles 40, New Orleans Saints 29
  • Washington Football Team 27, Carolina Panthers 21
  • San Francisco 49ers 30, Jacksonville Jaguars 10
  • Cincinnati Bengals 32, Las Vegas Raiders 13
  • Kansas City Chiefs 19, Dallas Cowboys 9
  • Arizona Cardinals 23, Seattle Seahawks 13
  • Los Angeles Chargers 41, Pittsburgh Steelers 37
Monday Night Football on ESPN: New York Giants at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8:15 p.m. ET)

🏈CHARGERS HOLD OFF STEELERS' FOURTH-QUARTER COMEBACK ATTEMPT, WIN 41-37: The Los Angeles Chargers held off the Pittsburgh Steelers' fourth-quarter comeback attempt last night, pulling out a 41-37 win on Justin Herbert's 53-yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams with 2:17 left to play. The Chargers had gone into the fourth quarter with a 27-10 lead, but the Steelers rallied to take a 37-34 lead with 3:24 left. Los Angeles then went up on the Williams touchdown and made it stick for the win. Herbert passed for 382 yards and rushed for 90, becoming just the fifth quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 300 yards passing and have at least 90 yards rushing in the same game.

 

🏀LEBRON EJECTED AFTER HITTING PISTONS' STEWART IN FACE: Lakers star LeBron James was ejected from L.A.'s 121-116 win over Detroit yesterday for hitting the Pistons' Isaiah Stewart in the face while jostling for rebounding position in the third quarter. Stewart was also ejected after he, with blood streaming down his face, tried several times to confront James. Referee crew chief Scott Foster said after the game that James was penalized for, quote, "unnecessary and excessive contact above the shoulder." It was just the second time in his 19-year career that LeBron had been ejected from a game.

🎾OLYMPIC OFFICIALS SAY MISSING CHINESE TENNIS STAR TOLD THEM SHE'S SAFE: The International Olympic Committee said Sunday that missing Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai told Olympic officials in a video call from Beijing that she was safe and well. That came after Peng reemerged in public at a youth tournament, according to photos released by the organizer. There has been growing concern over Peng's well-being after she disappeared from view on November 2nd following her accusation on Chinese social media that a former leading Communist Party official sexually assaulted her. The IOC's statement said, "She explained that she is safe and well, living at her home in Beijing, but would like to have her privacy respected at this time. That is why she prefers to spend her time with friends and family right now." The Women's Tennis Association has threatened to pull events out of China unless the safety of Peng, the former Number 1 doubles player, was assured.

🏀SUNS WIN 12TH STRAIGHT 126-97 OVER NUGGETS: The Phoenix Suns won their 12th game in a row last night (November 21st), rolling over the Denver Nuggets 126-97. Cam Johnson scored a career-high 22 points for the Suns, and Deandre Ayton added 21. The Nuggets were playing for second straight game without star forward Nikola Jokic, who is out with a sprained right wrist.

🏀NBA'S KINGS FIRE HEAD COACH WALTON: The Sacramento Kings fired head coach Luke Walton on Sunday (November 21st), installing associate head coach Alvin Gentry to the position on a interim basis. The move came as Kings have lost seven of their last eight games and their record dropped to 6-11. Walton was 68-93 in more than two seasons as Kings coach.



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