Month: October 2024

On Sunday, President Joe Biden toured areas of Florida ravaged by the back-to-back hurricanes and announced $600+ million in aid for areas affected by Hurricanes Milton and Helene. Florida officials have confirmed 17 deaths in Milton’s aftermath following landfall near Tampa last week. Over a million residents are still without power because of the storm, which came on the heels of Hurricane Helene late last month.

As he toured Florida’s St. Pete Beach region (a barrier island city off of St. Petersburg) that was severely damaged by Hurricane Milton, Mr. Biden said: “This is all a team effort, folks. it made a big difference. And it saved lives. But there’s much more to do, and we’re going to do everything we can to get power back in your homes, not only helping you recover, but to help you build back stronger.”

Biden spoke alongside St. Pete Beach Mayor Adrian Petrila and Pinellas County Chair Kathleen Peters, noting that “they stepped up not only [to] look out for themselves, but to help other families, help their neighbors. You know, that’s the resilience of the people of west Florida.” Biden also thanked local officials, first responders and healthcare workers for their help: “we’ve been in frequent contact, and it’s in moments like this, we come together to take care of each other — not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans. Americans, who need help, and Americans who help you, if you were in the same situation. We are one, United States.”

Per the White House, the $612 million in funding entails aid for six Department of Energy projects in the Southeast , adding that nearly $100 million of the money would go toward improvements to Florida’s power system. Biden noted: “thankfully the storm’s impact was not as cataclysmic as we predicted. But for some individuals, it was cataclysmic. All those folks who not only lost their homes, but more importantly, those folks who lost their lives, lost family members. This funding will not only restore power, but will make the region’s power system stronger and more capable and reduce the frequency and duration of power outages while extreme weather events become more frequent.”

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Officials state that at least one person was killed and 12 others were injured during a shooting at a Halloween party in Oklahoma City early Saturday morning.

The shootout occurred at 12:30 a.m. CDT while outside of Patty’s Event Center in southern Oklahoma City after two groups of attendees began arguing; several people began shooting, while the argument spilled outdoors. Oklahoma City Police Capt. Valerie Littlejohn told reporters that a “disturbance” at the events center where the party was being held led to multiple shots being fired inside and outside the building, but it is unclear what the disturbance was that led to the shooting.

Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt confirmed that the incident included at least 13 total victims and is being investigated by local police detectives, and two adults have been arrested in connection with the mass shooting. Mayor Holt said in a post on Facebook: “Recent shootings in our city fit a familiar pattern — young men (boys, really) making terrible decisions with grave consequences. Boys whose brains are literally still forming don’t always respond rationally to the things that would deter you and I.”

Per ABC News, the names and ages of those involved in the incident have not yet been released. Police officials said they will release a statement regarding the mass shooting on Monday.

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Hurricane Milton moved into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday after making landfall Wednesday evening on Florida’s west coast as a Category 3 storm in Siesta Key, roughly 70 miles south of Tampa. Milton was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone with winds of 75 mph as of 2 p.m. ET, per the National Weather Service. It was 200 miles east-northeast of Cape Canaveral and moving east-northeast at 21 mph and is expected to weaken “rapidly” as it barrels away from the U.S. coast.

Milton forced millions to evacuate and left widespread destruction across Florida, wreaking havoc across the state and bringing tornadoes, powerful winds and flooding rains. More than 2.8 million customers were without power in Florida on Thursday, according to utility tracker Find Energy, with Tampa experiencing widespread damage. Milton ripping the roof off Tropicana Field, which was going to be used to house emergency workers.

At least 16 people died from the storm, officials confirmed to CBS News, with six deaths confirmed in St. Lucie County where tornadoes touched down, and at least two people were killed in St. Petersburg during the storm. At least three people died in Volusia County, and there was one reported death in Citrus County after a tree fell on their car.

Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters at a briefing Thursday: “The storm was significant, but thankfully, this was not the worst-case scenario. The storm did weaken before landfall, and the storm surge, as initially reported, has not been as significant overall as what was observed for Hurricane Helene.”

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Ethel Kennedy, family matriarch and the widow of Robert F. Kennedy, has died at the age of 96. According to a statement from the family, Kennedy was hospitalized on Oct. 8, when she suffered a stroke in her sleep. She passed away on Thursday, Oct. 10 from complications related to the stroke suffered last week.

Daughter Kerry Kennedy and former Rep. Joe Kennedy III, Ethel’s grandson, shared a statement from the family posted to social media: “It is with our hearts full of love that we announce the passing of our mother, Ethel Kennedy. Please keep our mother, Ethel Kennedy. She died this morning from complications related to a stroke suffered last week. Along with a lifetime’s work in social justice and human rights, our mother leaves behind nine children, 34 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren, along with numerous nieces and nephews, all of whom love her dearly. She was a devout Catholic and a daily communicant, and we are comforted in knowing she is reunited with the love of her life, our father, Robert F. Kennedy; her children David and Michael; her daughter-in-law Mary; her grandchildren Maeve and Saoirse; and her great-grandchildren Gideon and Josie. Please keep our mother in your hearts and prayers.”

Ethel Skakel Kennedy was born in Chicago in 1928 and grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut. She married Bobby Kennedy on June 17, 1950, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Greenwich. Bobby Kennedy served as attorney general in his brother John F. Kennedy’s administration; after JFK’s assassination in 1963, Ethel supported Bobby in his political career and his presidential aspirations before he was shot and killed by Sirhan Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles in June 1968.

Kennedy was the mother to 11 children — seven sons and four daughters – including one with whom she was pregnant when her husband was murdered. She was predeceased by son David Kennedy, who died of a drug overdose in 1984, and son Michael Kennedy, who died in 1997 in a skiing accident.

After her husband’s death, Ethel Kennedy founded the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights foundation which celebrates her husband’s and others’ dedication to human rights and public service by supporting programs for rights advocates around the world. Ethel Kennedy also co-chaired the Coalition of Gun Control and was involved with many other human rights organizations.  President Obama honored her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a ceremony at the White House in 2014, where she was praised for her perseverance and generosity.

President Biden said in a statement Thursday: “Ethel Kennedy was an American icon – a matriarch of optimism and moral courage, an emblem of resilience and service. Devoted to family and country, she had a spine of steel and a heart of gold that inspired millions of Americans, including me and Jill. We were blessed to call her a dear friend … For over 50 years, Ethel traveled, marched, boycotted, and stood up for human rights around the world with her signature iron will and grace. May God bless Ethel Kennedy, a dear friend, and a great American.”

Ethel Kennedy is survived by nine of her children, as well as the large extended Kennedy family.

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