Month: October 2024

Officials said Sunday that seven people are dead and half a dozen others were critically injured after a gangway that’s part of a ferry dock collapsed on Georgia’s Sapelo Island on Saturday. Sapelo Island, on the Atlantic Coast, is about 72 miles south of Savannah.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Commissioner Walter Rabon said Sunday morning that the aluminum ferry gangway gave way before 4 p.m. in a “catastrophic failure” with at least 40 people on the gangway at the time, attending an annual cultural event on historic Sapelo Island off the coast of Georgia. Tyler Jones, a spokesperson for the Department of Natural Resources, said a celebration of Gullah Geechee culture was underway on the island when the collapse took place.

DNR Commissioner Rabon said during a news conference that three other people were critically injured and remained hospitalized Sunday afternoon, adding that among those killed was Charles Houston, the chaplain for both the DNR and the Georgia State Patrol. Rabon said the aluminum gangway was installed at the Marsh Landing Dock on Sapelo Island in November 2021, and gave way in the middle under the weight of people boarding the ferry to leave the island.  He added that the gangway was supported by two standing platforms and that at the time of the incident, the ferry Annemarie was moored to a stationary dock next to one of the platforms. Said Rabon: “One end of the gangway was in the water. One end of the gangway on the landward side was still attached. It is a structural failure… There should be very, very little maintenance to an aluminum gangway like that, but we’ll see what the investigation unfolds. The initial findings of our investigation at this point show the catastrophic failure of the gangway causing it to collapse.” Rabon said at least 20 people ended up in the water and another 20 jumped in to try to save people: “Their quick response and action saved additional lives yesterday afternoon.”

Petty Officer 3rd Class Jamie Emery said that the Coast Guard was part of an active search for survivors Saturday night, with two Coast Guard air crews, including one attached to a MH-65 helicopter, being deployed

The Sapelo Island Cultural and Revitalization Society organized its annual Cultural Day celebration on the island, calling it “our most celebrated event.” The society said in a statement: “The Sapelo Island community is grateful for the outpouring of love and support, and we ask that you join us in praying for the families of those who were impacted by this tragedy.” The centuries-old culture has been maintained by descendants of West and Central African slaves along the coast of the Southeastern United States who were able to retain many of their Indigenous African traditions.

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., said on X: “deeply saddened by the awful news out of Sapelo Island. A tragic end to a joyous celebration. Praying for the loved ones of those we sadly lost and those still missing. The heart of every Georgian is with the Gullah Geechee community & the people of Sapelo Island tonight.”

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said in a statement: “Marty, the girls, and I are heartbroken by today’s tragedy on Sapelo Island. As state and local first responders continue to work this active scene, we ask that all Georgians join us in praying for those lost, for those still in harm’s way, and for their families.”

The White House also released a statement from President Joe Biden: “We are heartbroken to learn about the ferry dock walkway collapse on Georgia’s Sapelo Island. What should have been a joyous celebration of Gullah-Geechee culture and history instead turned into tragedy and devastation. Jill and I mourn those who lost their lives, and we pray for the injured and anyone still missing. We are also grateful to the first responders at the scene. My team is in touch with state and local officials, and we stand ready to provide any assistance that would be helpful to the community.”

Vice President Kamala Harris said in a separate statement that she was also “praying for all those who were killed or injured in the collapse of the ferry dock walkway on Georgia’s Sapelo Island. Our administration is in close touch with state and local officials, and we have offered any federal support the community might need. As always, we are deeply grateful for the heroism of our first responders .. In the face of this tragedy, we will continue to celebrate and honor the history, culture and resilience of the Gullah Geechee.”

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At least two people have died and hundreds more were rescued after overnight rainfall and flooding Saturday in Roswell, New Mexico caused severe flash flooding,

According to New Mexico State Police, nearly 300 people have been rescued by the New Mexico National Guard and other agencies within Chaves County, including 38 who were taken to hospitals.

The National Weather Service stated that widespread showers and storms on Sunday in central and eastern New Mexico and also bring the risk of large hail, damaging wind gusts, tornadoes, and both flash flooding and river flooding, “especially in the Roswell area.”

Per the National Weather Service, Roswell recorded 5.78” of rainfall Saturday, which set a record for any date, surpassing the prior mark of 5.68” set November 1, 1901. It also broke the daily record set in 1983 and is four times the region’s average October rainfall. The Spring River in the Cahoon area rose to dangerous levels, stranding several vehicles under bridges along the river, with water entering homes.

The City of Roswell said in a statement: “Many motorists became stranded when their vehicles got stuck in flood waters on many streets. Some people had to await rescue on top of their vehicles that were covered by water. Some vehicles were swept by the water into the river channel. One fatality has been confirmed as a result of the flooding. Search-and-rescue efforts are still underway this morning.”

The NWS has also issued a flood warning for east central, northeast and southeast New Mexico through the early hours of Monday. Additional rain is expected on ground already saturated by Saturday’s downpours and thus raising the risk of further flash flooding.

Editorial credit: Rex Wholster / Shutterstock.com

The White House announced an additional $4.5 billion in student debt relief for approximately 60,000 public service borrowers – including teachers, nurses, firefighters and others — bringing the number of public service workers to get relief during the Biden administration to more than 1 million.

The Department of Education announced the relief comes with additional fixes being made to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program under which it has forgiven $175 billion in loans for more than 4.8 million U.S. residents to date. The program supports those who work in the public service sector, which includes teachers, first responders, military service members and others who work in government. They qualify for loan forgiveness if they have made the required 120 qualified monthly payments.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement: “Before President Biden and Vice President Harris entered the White House, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program was so riddled by dysfunction that just 7,000 Americans ever qualified and countless public servants were trapped making debt payments that should have been forgiven. .. I want to send a message to college students across America that pursuing a career in public service is not only a noble calling but a reliable pathway to becoming debt-free within a decade.”

Cardona said the continued fixes being made to the program simply make it operate the way it was intended to in providing relief to those who have faithfully made payments to it: “i’m tremendously proud that over one million teachers, nurses, social workers, veterans and other public servants have received life-changing loan forgiveness. As Secretary of Education, I want to send a message to college students across America that pursuing a career in public service is not only a noble calling but a reliable pathway to becoming debt-free within a decade.”

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Israel Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a press release that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed in an Israeli military’s operation in the Gaza Strip on Thursday.  Sinwar had been credited as the mastermind behind the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that led to the deaths of 1,200 people, the worst terrorist attack in Israel’s history. The IDF initially said they were “checking the possibility” that the Hamas leader was among three militants killed in an operation in Gaza and were working to confirm identification through dental images and DNA testing.

Israeli authorities have been pursuing Sinwar for a year and that he had been hiding “behind the civilian population of Gaza, both above and below ground in Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip.”   A post on X from the Israel Defense Forces simply read: “Eliminated: Yahya Sinwar.”  

Katz said in a statement: “The master murderer Yahya Sinwar, who is responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7, was killed today by IDF soldiers. This is a great military and moral achievement for Israel and a victory for the entire free world against the evil axis of extreme Islam led by Iran.” Katz said Sinwar’s death “creates a possibility for the immediate release of the abductees and to bring about a change that will lead to a new reality in Gaza — without Hamas and without Iranian control.”

Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant said in a statement: “Sinwar died while beaten, persecuted and on the run — he didn’t die as a commander, but as someone who only cared for himself. This is a clear message to all of our enemies – the IDF will reach anyone who attempts to harm the citizens of Israel or our security forces, and we will bring you to justice.” Israeli President Isaac Herzog added that Israel “must act in every way possible to bring back the 101 hostages” still in Gaza.

Sinwar, 62, had served as Hamas’ leader in Gaza since 2017 and assumed leadership of the group’s political bureau after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh during an airstrike on his residence in Tehran, Iran this July. In 1989, an Israeli court sentenced Sinwar to four life sentences for his role in killing suspected Palestinian informers and plotting to murder two Israeli soldiers. Sinwar spent the following 22 years in prison before becoming one of more than 1,000 Palestinian detainees released in 2011 in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been held hostage by Hamas for five years (per NBC News).

U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, who serves as chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said in a statement that “justice has been served to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar,” with the hope that Sinwar’s death “results in further progress toward the release of all hostages still held in Gaza, as well as to a ceasefire for Palestinians who have suffered under Hamas’ grip for far too long.”

In a statement Thursday, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters (which represents the families of hostages held by Hamas) said it welcomed the possibility of Sinwar’s killing and urged the leveraging of “this major achievement to secure hostages’ return.”  Approximately 250 people taken hostage into Gaza during the Oct. 7 attacks. According to Israeli officials, 154 have been freed, with 101 hostages still held in Gaza, and 33 believed dead.

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