Month: May 2024

Officials confirmed on Wednesday that a barge slammed into a bridge pillar in Galveston, Texas on Wednesday, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a small island.

Ronnie Varela with the Galveston’s Office of Emergency Management said that the bridge leading to Pelican Island, located just north of Galveston, was hit by a barge around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday when a tugboat backing out of Texas International Terminals (a fuel storage operator next to the bridge) lost control of two barges it was pushing. One of the barges also hit two telephone poles.  David Flores, a bridge superintendent with the Galveston County Navigation District, said “the current was very bad, and the tide was high. He lost it.”

There was no immediate information on damage to the bridge or if there were any injuries, but officials did say one person on the barge was knocked into the water and quickly rescued. The accident resulted in oil spilling from the barge into the bay and crews were working to clean it up, with the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office adding that a large piece of the bridge fell.  Galveston County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Ray Nolen said that the barge is owned by Martin Petroleum, has a 30,000-gallon capacity, but it’s not clear how much leaked into the bay. About 6.5 miles (10.5 kilometers) of the waterway was shut down as a result of the spill.

Pelican Island, which is connected to Galveston by the bridge, is home to a large shipyard, Texas A&M University of Galveston, and Seawolf Park, a former immigration station that now attracts tourists to its iconic fishing pier and decommissioned U.S. Navy vessels. The bridge has one main steel span that measures 164 feet (50 meters), and federal data shows it was last inspected in December 2021. However, it’s unclear from the data if a state inspection took place after the Federal Highway Administration compiled the data. The bridge had an average daily traffic figure of about 9,100, according to a 2011 estimate.

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On Wednesday, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump agreed to participate in two general election debates, on June 27 and Sept. 10.

Biden and Trump accepted an invitation from CNN to debate on June 27, with Biden sharing in a post on X: “I’ve received and accepted an invitation from @CNN for a debate on June 27th. Over to you, Donald. As you said: anywhere, any time, any place.”  Mr. Trump told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, “The answer is yes, I will accept.”

According to a press release from CNN, the first debate will take place at 9 p.m. at its studios in Atlanta, adding: “to ensure candidates may maximize the time allotted in the debate, no audience will be present. Moderators for the debate and additional details will be announced at a later date.”

Biden and Trump also both announced on Wednesday that they had also accepted an invitation from ABC News to hold a second debate on September 10.  Biden shared on X:  “I’ve also received and accepted an invitation to a debate hosted by ABC on Tuesday, September 10th. Trump says he’ll arrange his own transportation. I’ll bring my plane, too. I plan on keeping it for another four years.”

Trump later confirmed his participation in the debates, posting on his Truth Social platform: “It is my great honor to accept the CNN Debate against Crooked Joe Biden, the WORST PRESIDENT in the History of the United States and a true Threat to Democracy, on June 27th. Likewise, I accept the ABC News Debate against Crooked Joe on September 10th. Thank you, DJT!”

In a subsequent Truth Social post Wednesday afternoon, Trump pushed for an additional debate on Fox News, which he said would take place on Oct. 2 and be hosted by anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.

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At least eight people were killed and up to 40 more were hospitalized – some critically — after a bus carrying farm workers crashed and overturned early Tuesday morning on a Florida highway Tuesday morning.

The Florida Highway Patrol said that the crash involved a 2010 International retired school bus transporting farm workers and a 2001 Ford Ranger truck, taking place on State Road 40, 500 feet west of SW 148 Court at 6:35 a.m. The crash site is about 45 miles south of Gainesville, northwest of Orlando. Highway Patrol Lt. Pat Riordan said during a news conference that 38 people were hurt, eight of whom are in critical condition and 30 who have non-life-threatening injuries; they were taken to area hospitals after the crash on the outskirts of Dunnellon, Florida. The Marion County Fire Rescue said there were 53 patients total involved in the crash.

The retired school bus was traveling west on the highway and the pickup truck was going east when the truck moved, “for unknown reasons”, toward the center line. According to Riordan, the bus and truck collided in “a sideswipe-type manner,” sending the bus off the road and it went through a fence and hit a tree before it overturned. The bus was taking the workers to a farm in the area, Riordan said, adding that the farmworkers are migrants with documentation. The driver of the Ford pickup was also transported to the hospital with serious injuries, with Riordan stating that ‘at this point, we are conducting a massive traffic homicide investigation,’ adding that investigators will need at least six months to conduct the investigation.

The farm workers were headed to Cannon Farms in Dunnellon, according to NBC affiliate WESH of Orlando. Cannon Farms announced on social media early Tuesday that it’d be closed “out of respect to the losses and injuries endured early this morning in the accident that took place to the Olvera Trucking Harvesting Corp .. Please pray with us for the families and the loved ones involved in this tragic accident. We appreciate your understanding at this difficult time.”

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On Tuesday, a New York court denied former President Donald Trump’s bid to lift the gag order limiting what he can say about those involved in his ongoing criminal trial, saying the order does not violate Trump’s First Amendment rights. Justice Juan Merchan, the judge overseeing Trump’s trial on 34 counts of falsifying business records, issued the original order in March, barring Trump from discussing likely witnesses, jurors, attorneys and court staff involved in the case. Merchan later expanded it to apply to his daughter.

In a five-page ruling on Tuesday, the appellate division, first department of the New York Supreme Court, found that Merchan “properly determined that [Trump’s] public statements posed a significant threat to the integrity of the testimony of witnesses and potential witnesses in this case.”  The ruling added (per CNN): “we find that Justice Merchan properly weighed petitioner’s First Amendment Rights against the court’s historical commitment to ensuring the fair administration of justice in criminal cases, and the right of persons related or tangentially related to the criminal proceedings from being free from threats, intimidation, harassment, and harm.”

Trump has repeatedly stated that the gag order implemented by Merchan is unfair to him and should be lifted, especially since it means he is unable to respond to testimony from Stormy Daniels or Michael Cohen in public spheres.  However, Merchan has stated that the gag order is needed to prevent witnesses from being intimidated, especially given the high-profile nature of the trial and defendant. Trump was not prevented from criticizing Merchan or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Merchan has held Trump in contempt of court for violating the order 10 times; and just last wee, he warned Trump that he could be sent to jail for future violations.

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Billionaire philanthropist Melinda French Gates announced she is stepping down from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the charitable organization that she co-founded in 2000 with her now ex-husband, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

Saying “this is not a decision I came to lightly,” French Gates, 59, wrote in a post on social media that under the terms of the agreement with her former husband upon her departure from the foundation, she will retain more than $12 billion “to commit to my work on behalf of women and families.”  French Gates shared that her last day at the foundation will be June 7, adding that she plans to move onto “the next chapter” of her philanthropic work, called this “a critical moment for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world .. And those fighting to protect and advance equity are in urgent need of support.”

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman said in a separate statement that the organization would be changing its name to the ‘Gates Foundation.’  Suzman also shared on X that French Gates “has played a crucial role” in the foundation’s achievements, adding that “her vision will leave a lasting legacy, and our foundation remains committed to creating a world where every person has the opportunity to live a healthy and productive life.”

Gates also thanked his ex-wife in a post on X: “I want to thank Melinda for her critical contributions to the Foundation from its very beginning. As a co-founder and co-chair Melinda has been instrumental in shaping our strategies and initiatives, significantly impacting global health and gender equality. Looking ahead, I remain fully committed to the Foundation’s work across all our strategies, and to realizing the opportunities we have to continue improving the lives of millions around the world.” Gates added “I am sorry to see Melinda leave, but I am sure she will have a huge impact in her future philanthropic work.”

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Smoke from wildfires in western Canada has led to air quality alerts in four U.S. states, with the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre reporting that Canada has 146 active wildfires burning, including dozens in British Columbia and Alberta that are characterized as “out of control.”

In the United States, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota have issued alerts as winds carry smoke over these regions.as winds carried plumes of smoke over the region. On Sunday, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued an air quality alert in response to a “band of very heavy smoke from wildfires in northeast British Columbia.” The agency said the northern half of the state has since cleared up, but “smoke will linger over southern Minnesota on Monday as northerly winds become light during the day.”

The air quality index, established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to measure daily air pollution levels and communicate the associated risks, reported on Monday that conditions across those four states ranging from “moderate” to “unhealthy” for the general public.

Authorities issued an evacuation order for thousands of residents in Northern Rockies Regional Municipality and Fort Nelson First Nations in British Columbia because of fast moving blazes. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, Canada experienced its most devastating wildfire season in recorded history last year, with more than 45 million acres burned; and last summer, smoke from wildfires in Quebec affected wide portions of the U.S., sending air quality down into dangerous levels in cities across the Midwest as well as the Eastern Seaboard. The country is once again bracing for a season of increased fire risk.

Small particles in smoke, less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, can reach deep inside the lungs, causing inflammation and weakening the immune system. This can exacerbate or increase the risk of asthma, lung cancer, and other chronic lung diseases. Older people, infants, children, and pregnant individuals are most vulnerable when air quality worsens.

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