(Anchorage, AK-AP) — Emergency crews in Anchorage are responding to calls following a massive earthquake in Anchorage. The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake’s epicenter was located about ten miles northwest of the city, and had a preliminary magnitude of 7.0.
Residents are reporting cracked walls and shattered glass in several buildings. A tsunami alert is now in effect for coastal regions of the state, including the southern Kenai Peninsula and Cook Inlet.
A TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE COOK INLET AREA AND SOUTHERN KENAI PENINSULA IN ALASKA – Event details: Preliminary magnitude 7.0 (Mwp) earthquake / Lat: 61.300, Lon …
(Mexico-AP) — A hunger strike is being launched at the U.S.-Mexico border by some of the Central American migrants in the caravan. The three-day hunger strike is in response to Mexican police who stopped a number of migrants from approaching the El Chaparral border crossing on Thursday.
Many of those in the caravan are waiting in harsh conditions in order to gain work permits in Mexico or apply for asylum in the U.S.. President Trump has said he might “permanently” close the border if Mexico does not actively deport those who have congregated in Tijuana.
(Washington, DC-AP) — President Trump’s former campaign chief Paul Manafort will be sentenced next spring. A federal judge set a date of March 5th at a hearing today in Washington, DC.
Earlier this week, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team accused Manafort of violating his plea agreement by lying to the FBI. Manafort’s lawyers denied the charge.
Manafort struck a deal with in investigators in the Russian probe before his second trial in September. He was convicted in August on eight criminal counts related to political consulting work in Ukraine years before signing on as Trump’s campaign chief.
(Little Rock, AR) – At 18-years old standing at 6 feet 10 inches, it’s no surprise that Kalin Bennett has signed a national letter of intent to play D1 basketball at Kent State. What’s amazing about this story is that Kalin has autism.
A serious developmental disorder that impairs one’s ability to communicate and interact, Kalin didn’t walk until he was four and didn’t start talking until he was 7. Some people with autism never talk and anything close to being sociable is a dream. Kalin himself says that he used to hate being around people. Now, he just might be the first autistic student athlete to play D1 college hoops.
Bennett says, “I used to be in the corner, like, I wouldn’t say nothing, I used to not like people at all,” he said. “I was always by myself, always alone.”Kalin’s mom Sonja Bennett adds, “He’s overcome being nonverbal. He’s sociable now, he focuses on you, he talks to you, he’ll hug you.”
Inspiring indeed, the teen credits basketball for helping him beat his condition; and a very supportive mother of course who reassures Kalin daily that he can do and be whatever he wants. Kalin started playing in 3rd grade and his mother says it was the game of basketball that helped him build his self-esteem and with the brotherhood his teamwork skills excelled as well.
Kalin who will head to Ohio next fall to play for Kent State is also gifted at math and music. He plays four instruments with percussion being his favorite.
(Santa Ana, CA-AP) — It took some time for justice to catch up, but police in Santa Ana, California, say they’ve caught their ketchup assault suspect. Twenty-four year old Mayra Gallo is under arrest after allegedly attacking a McDonald’s manager last month after not receiving enough ketchup packets with her meal.
Police received numerous tips from the public after video of the assault was shared by news agencies and on social media. A 15-thousand dollar warrant was issued for her arrest. Gallo was taken into custody yesterday outside of her home in Santa Ana.
(Washington, DC-AP) — Outgoing Speaker Paul Ryan says the Republican-led House is ready to authorize several billion dollars for a massive border wall. Talking with reporters yesterday, Ryan said the question is whether the Senate will follow suit.
He argued that border security should not be a Republican or Democratic issue. The government runs out of money on December 7th and President Trump is demanding five-billion dollars for a border wall in any funding bill.
In the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly vowed that Mexico would pay for the border wall. Speaker Ryan is retiring at year’s end and Democrats will control the House starting in January.
(Hong Kong-AP) — The organizers of a scientific conference are condemning a Chinese researcher who claims to have edited the genes of twin babies.
The International Summit On Human Genome Editing is meeting in Hong Kong this week, and the organizers came out today against the work of the scientist behind the first so-called “designer babies.”
The scientist, He Jiankui, claims he used a gene-editing technology called CRISPR to alter the embryonic genes of twin girls born this month. The conference organizers say his work is “deeply disturbing.”
(Ventura, CA-AP) — Patagonia is announcing it plans to use the 10-million-dollars it earned because of tax cuts Republicans pushed through last year to help fight climate change. It said in a news release that it will donate the unplanned cash to organizations that are fighting climate change.
Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario called the tax cuts “irresponsible” and the President’s continued denials of climate change “evil.” Bloomberg reports the tax cuts passed last year have given companies about 13-billion-dollars in unplanned cash.
On Friday the Trump Administration issued a Congressionally-mandated report on climate change that said it is real and getting worse because of man. It also concluded climate change will cost the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars over the century. Trump said he doesn’t believe it.
(AP) – Rihanna and Donald Glover are working on a surprise new movie. Glover shared a teaser from the film, titled Guava Island, on social media.
In it, Glover talks about being in paradise, but not having the means to actually live there. He and Rihanna’s characters are believed to be love interests. The movie does not have a release date yet.
(Honolulu, HI-AP) –– A man is suing the state of Hawaii after he says he suffered a heart attack due to the false missile alert earlier this year. James Shields and his girlfriend filed the suit yesterday, seeking an undisclosed amount in damages.
The complaint states that the couple received the January 13th message and decided that there wasn’t much they could do, so they went to the beach to die together. Shortly after, he felt burning in his chest and was rushed to a Hawaii Kai clinic, where he eventually received emergency surgery and had four stents placed in his heart.
The lawsuit also names the former Hawaii Emergency Management Agency administrator.
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