Month: November 2022

On Tuesday, a federal jury in Washington found Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and Kelly Meggs, another member of the far-right organization, guilty of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Jurors reached their decision on the third day of deliberations, following a trial in federal court in Washington that spanned weeks.

Three other members of the group who were on trial alongside Rhodes and Meggs — Jessica Watkins, Kenneth Harrelson and Thomas Caldwell — were found not guilty on the seditious conspiracy charge. All five defendants were found guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting for their actions on Jan. 6.

The three defendants who physically went inside the Capitol on Jan. 6 — Meggs, Harrelson, and Watkins — were found guilty of conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging their official duties. Rhodes and Caldwell were on Capitol grounds that day but did not go inside the building.

Rhodes’ lawyer said Tuesday that he plans to appeal that conviction; the seditious conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

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A Walmart employee who survived the mass shooting at a store in Virginia last week has filed a $50 million lawsuit against the company for allegedly continuing to employ the shooter “who had known propensities for violence, threats and strange behavior.” The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Chesapeake Circuit Court by the employee and plaintiff, Donya Prioleau, who alleges that she has experienced post-traumatic stress disorder, including physical and emotional distress, from witnessing the shooting in the breakroom on November 22.

The shooter, store supervisor Andre Bing, fatally shot six employees and wounded several others before he died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot.  The lawsuit states that Bing “had a personal vendetta against several Walmart employees and kept a ‘kill list’ of potential targets prior to the shooting.” Additionally, Prioleau had submitted a formal complaint on a Walmart Global Ethics Statement Form, indicating that Bing had “bizarrely and inappropriately commented on Ms. Prioleau’s age” and complaining that Bing had harassed her for “being poor and being short,” according to the lawsuit.

Prioleau alleges in the lawsuit that “Despite Mr. Bing’s long-standing pattern of disturbing and threatening behavior, Walmart knew or should have known about Mr. Bing’s disturbing and threatening behavior, but failed to terminate Mr. Bing, restrict his access to common areas, conduct a thorough background investigation, or subject him to a mental health examination.”

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The world’s largest active volcano, Mauna Loa, has erupted in Hawaii for the first time in nearly four decades. The U.S. Geological Survey (“USGS”) said Mauna Loa erupted at 11:30 p.m. local time Sunday (4:30 a.m. ET Monday). It was the first eruption since 1984.  The volcano, whose name means “Long Mountain,” covers half of the island; and prior to its most recent eruption, it erupted 33 times, beginning in 1843, making it among the world’s most active volcanoes. It is one of six volcanoes in the state of Hawaii, according to the agency.

The USGS said the eruption began in Moku‘āweoweo, the summit caldera of Mauna Loa, inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, who upgraded the volcano’s alert level from an “advisory” to a “warning.” The USGS said in a news release: “At this time, lava flows are contained within the summit area and are not threatening downslope communities. Winds may carry volcanic gas and possibly fine ash and Pele’s hair downwind.”  Residents at risk from Mauna Loa lava flows were advised to “review preparedness and refer to Hawai’i County Civil Defense information for further guidance … Based on past events, the early stages of a Mauna Loa eruption can be very dynamic and the location and advance of lava flows can change rapidly … However, if the eruptive vents migrate outside its walls, lava flows may move rapidly downslope.”

The eruption of Mauna Loa follows weeks of warnings from officials that an eruption was possible given a recent spike in earthquakes at the volcano’s summit and that residents of the Big Island should be prepared to evacuate. The USGS previously said that “heightened unrest” began in mid-September, when earthquakes beneath the summit increased from 10 to 20 per day to 40 to 50 per day. That unrest prompted Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to close the summit backcountry until further notice.

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A former Virginia state law enforcement officer was killed during a shootout with police, after he allegedly “catfished” a teenage girl online before traveling to Riverside, California, and killing her family. County authorities said the suspect, Austin Lee Edward, 28, died in the shootout.

Three victims were discovered on Friday while investigating a house fire. Police also received a report of a girl “who appeared distressed” while getting into a car with a man, Riverside police said.  Police said the teen’s family members were found dead in the house from apparent homicides: the teen’s grandparents, 69-year-old Mark Winek; his wife, 65-year-old Sharie Winek; and the teen’s mother, 38-year-old Brooke Winek. The fire appears to have been intentionally set, police said, adding that the causes of death were still pending.

Authorities said they spotted Edwards driving with the teen several hours after the victims were found. Edwards allegedly led deputies on a chase and fired shots at them, losing control of his car and drove off the road. Deputies then fired at Edwards who was declared dead at the scene  The teen was rescued and was not injured, according to police.

Detectives said Edwards had worked for the Virginia State Police until recently employed at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in the state of Virginia. Riverside police said they determined Edwards met the teen online through “‘catfishing,’ where someone pretends to be a different person than they actually are.  Police believe that after Edwards developed a relationship with the girl online, he drove to Riverside, parked in a neighbor’s driveway, went to the girl’s home and killed her family. Edwards then allegedly took the teen and drove away.

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Officials in Atlanta said on Sunday that the victims of the shooting on Saturday night near the popular Atlanta shopping destination ‘Atlantic Station’, which left one dead and five injured, were all minors — including the deceased, a 12-year-old. Gunfire erupting on an adjacent freeway overpass of the Downtown Connector, near 17th Street.

Mayor Andre Dickens confirmed the victims’ ages at a news conference, saying that some of the victims were Atlanta Public School students. Dickens said one of the injured victims was in critical condition, adding: “When a 12-year-old dies in our city — on our city streets … the whole village has a responsibility, and the whole village is impacted.”

Officer Anthony Grant, a representative for the Atlanta Police Department, confirmed that all victims involved in the shooting were minors. The shooting took place on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year near the outdoor Atlantic Station mall, after off-duty police and mall personnel escorted the teens off the property for unruly behavior and violations of a curfew set by the shopping center.  There was no information immediately available on a possible suspect, Grant said, adding that the incident is still under investigation. While the details of how the gunfire erupted are still not clear, police said there is a possibility of two shooters.

Atlantic Station has a 3 p.m. curfew for people under the age of 18. After the curfew, they need to be accompanied by an adult. Groups of four or more juveniles will be dispersed. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Atlanta police at 404-577-TIPS.

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Nebraska has reported its 13th case of bird flu this year at a farm in Dixon County, where 1.8 million chickens will be sent to slaughter.  The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (“NDA”) reported the latest case at an egg-laying farm in northeast Nebraska.  The NDA will create a 6.2 mile radius around the site of the infection as a way to stop or limit any potential spread. The control zone is still being established, after which depopulation will commence followed by disposal.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly referred to as bird flu, has led to more than 50.54 million bird deaths this year, making it the worst nationwide outbreak of the virus in history. The prior record was 50.5 million birds killed in 2015. There have been 6.8 million birds ordered to be killed in Nebraska. That is the second-most by any state, behind only Iowa with 15.5 million killed.

Symptoms of bird flu include birds not taking in as much water as usual, lack of energy and appetite, soft-shelled or misshapen eggs and sudden death. Poultry producers are told to watch for these symptoms, limit access to their facilities, increase biosecurity efforts and report illnesses to the NDA or USDA.

While there is little risk to humans from the virus, the bird flu outbreak has contributed to the rising prices of chicken and turkey along with the soaring cost of feed and fuel.

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