(FORT HOOD, Texas) — A Fort Hood soldier assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division was found dead Saturday behind his barracks over the weekend, according to military officials.
Officials have not released the victim’s ID or the cause of death.
“More details will be released once all next of kin have been notified. The incident is under investigation,” Fort Hood officials said in a press release.
Fort Hood officials did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
There have been multiple incidents at the Texas base this year.
Last week, there were concerns for Pfc. Jennifer Sewell, who was believed to be missing after she failed to report for duty on Oct. 7. Fort Hood officials said in an update Sunday that “Sewell’s family confirmed she is safe and with extended family.” She returned to the base Monday.
Fort Hood is the same Army base where Vanessa Guillen was murdered in April 2020, in a case that engrossed the nation.
Guillen, 20, was bludgeoned to death with a hammer in an arms room on April 22, 2020, authorities said. She was missing for months until some of her remains were found buried along the Leon River in June 2020.
Her suspected killer was fellow soldier Spc. Aaron Robinson, who took his own life when confronted by police after her remains were discovered, authorities said at the time.
Her death cast a harsh spotlight on the base and its culture, particularly for its handling of sexual assault and harassment, as she told her family that she had been harassed at the base. A long-awaited U.S. Army investigation released in April determined she had been sexually harassed by a supervisor, but the incidents of harassment were not related to her murder.
In December 2020, the Army announced 14 senior leaders and enlisted personnel at Fort Hood were fired or suspended following an independent panel’s review of the command climate and culture at the base.
Last week, the base unveiled the People First Center, a training center for support and resources for victims of sexual assault or those experiencing suicidal thoughts.
(VAN HORN, Texas) — Actor William Shatner and his three crewmates on Blue Origin’s New Shepard have returned to earth after an 11-minute trip to space.
Shatner, 90, is the oldest person ever to go to space.
The “Star Trek” star joined Audrey Powers, Blue Origin’s vice president of mission and flight operations and a former NASA flight controller and engineer; Chris Boshuizen, the co-founder of satellite company Planet Labs and a former space mission architect for NASA; and Glen de Vries, the co-founder of Medidata Solutions, a life science company.
This was Blue Origin’s second crewed mission to space.
Latest headlines:
-‘I am so filled with emotion,’ Shatner says
-Capsule touches down safely
-Capsule separates from booster
-Shatner soars to space in historic launch
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Oct 13, 11:32 am
Bezos pins Shatner and crew
“Welcome to a very small club,” Bezos told the four new astronauts as he fastened pins on their suits.
“Oops, this one is bent,” Bezos said as he tried to pin one on Shatner. “So am I,” Shatner joked back.
ABC News’ Ayushi Agarwal
Oct 13, 11:25 am
‘I am so filled with emotion,’ Shatner says
Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin’s founder, joined friends and family as they greeted the astronauts who exited the capsule one by one.
Bezos sprayed bottles of champagne to celebrate the safe and historic launch.
“Everybody in the world needs to do this,” Shatner, who was overcome with emotion, told Bezos.
“It was so moving. This experience has been something unbelievable,” he said. “The blue down there, the black up there.”
“You have done something,” Shatner said to Bezos. “What you have given me is the most profound experience. I am so filled with emotion.”
“I hope that I can maintain what I feel now,” he said. “I don’t want to lose it.”
“I am overwhelmed,” he said. As for the camaraderie with the crew, the actor said, “It’s like being in battle together.”
Oct 13, 11:02 am
Capsule touches down safely
The newest astronauts touched down safely at about 11 a.m. ET.
This was the second crewed flight for Blue Origin.
Oct 13, 10:59 am
Booster returns to earth ahead of capsule
The booster touched back down on Earth after launching Shatner and crew to space.
(VAN HORN, Texas) — Actor William Shatner and his three crewmates on Blue Origin’s New Shepard are just hours away from their suborbital space flight.
The eleven-minute mission for Jeff Bezos’ spaceflight company was initially set for Tuesday but was delayed one day due to forecasted winds in West Texas.
Shatner is joining Audrey Powers, Blue Origin’s vice president of mission and flight operations and a former NASA flight controller and engineer; Chris Boshuizen, the co-founder of satellite company Planet Labs and a former space mission architect for NASA; and Glen de Vries, the co-founder of Medidata Solutions, a life science company.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Oct 13, 9:58 am
Bezos chauffeurs astronauts to launch tower
The countdown clock was paused for approximately 30 minutes as Blue Origin teams assessed launch conditions on the ground, but the astronauts are en route to the launch pad.
PHOTO: In this still image taken from a Blue Origin video, the New Shepard rocket sits on the launch pad prior to lift off on Oct. 13, 2021, from the West Texas region, 25 miles, north of Van Horn.
Jose Romero/Blue Origin/AFP via Getty ImagesJose Romero/Blue Origin/AFP via Getty Images
In this still image taken from a Blue Origin video, the New Shepard rocket sits on the lau…
Blue Origin’s Jeff Bezos, who went to space himself in July, chauffeured the four astronauts to the launch tower as workers cheered.
Oct 13, 9:16 am
NASA wishes Shatner ‘all the best’ on his flight to space
NASA sent a good luck tweet to William Shatner Wednesday morning ahead of the actor’s trip to the edge of space.
Oct 13, 9:10 am
Astronauts will experience 3 to 4 minutes of weightlessness
During the 11-minute flight, the astronauts will experience about three to four minutes of weightlessness.
They’ll also travel above the Karman Line, the internationally recognized boundary separating Earth’s atmosphere from space.
Oct 13, 7:31 am
Shatner set to become the oldest person to go to space
Star Trek star William Shatner, 90, is poised to become the oldest person ever to go to space.
He’ll beat the record set by 82-year-old Wally Funk during July’s inaugural New Shepard launch.
(CHAPEL HILL, N.C.) — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill canceled classes and declared Tuesday a “Wellness Day” as officials investigate two suicide-related incidents from over the weekend.
“We are in the middle of a mental health crisis, both on our campus and across our nation, and we are aware that college-aged students carry an increased risk of suicide,” Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz said in a statement to students Sunday evening. “This crisis has directly impacted members of our community — especially with the passing of two students on campus in the past month.”
He encouraged students to “rest and check in with each other, adding: “Reach out to a friend, a classmate or colleague and ask them, ‘Honestly, how are you doing?'”
The UNC Police Department reported a suicide at the Forest Theater on Sept. 4, according to UNC Police’s online crime log.
Campus police responded to a suicide Saturday morning at the Hinton James Residence Hall and to another call on Sunday at 3:35 a.m. for an attempted suicide at the Granville Towers South on campus, according to the log’s data.
UNC Media Relations told ABC News the incidents are under investigation.
Leaders of the UNC student government had called for the school to pause instruction on Monday as well as Tuesday.
“The leaders of the Undergraduate and Graduate and Professional Student Governments are mourning the tragic loss of life that occurred on Carolina’s campus this weekend. We share the pain of our peers who are now navigating both the grief of losing a friend and simultaneously completing a rigorous curriculum during an already stressful semester,” students said in a statement.
Some students said they wished the university was doing even more.
“I think they are trying, but it kind of seems like a bare minimum response to me,” sophomore Annalise Zola said to ABC Durham station WTVD. “I think the response was a little delayed in that they could be funding CAPS [Counseling and Psychological Services] better and doing more to support our students.”
Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among people 15 to 34 years old, according to National Institute of Mental Health data.
Guskiewicz said UNC is working to create a special support network for students and staff this week, and that the campus will convene a mental health summit later this month. Students who live on campus also have been encouraged to reach out to Carolina Housing staff for support.
He also announced the upcoming launch of a campus-wide campaign to support mental health awareness called the Heels Care Network, a reporting mechanism where people can share information about someone else who may need help.
If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
(NEW YORK) — The United States has been facing a COVID-19 surge as the more contagious delta variant continues to spread.
More than 716,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.8 million people have died from the disease worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Just 66% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the CDC.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Oct 12, 11:26 pm
US to lift land-border restrictions on Canada, Mexico with proof of vaccination
The U.S. is moving forward to lift restrictions for foreign travelers coming into the country over land-border crossings as long as they have proof of COVID-19 vaccination, according to multiple senior Biden administration officials.
The news follows a decision about two months ago from Canadian authorities to allow vaccinated American travelers to enter by land. It also follows the announcement last month of a vaccine requirement for foreign air travelers coming into the U.S.
Current air travel requirements also include presenting a negative COVID-19 test while land border requirements remain more restrictive for anyone deemed “nonessential.”
The first stage of the land-border changes is expected in early November, the officials said, when travelers deemed “nonessential” will be able to enter the U.S. with proof of vaccination. Nonessential travel, including recreation, family visits and tourism, was previously restricted at all land-border crossings.
All travelers, both essential and nonessential, will be required to have proof of vaccination starting in early January.
Unlike the requirements for air travel, this new set of restrictions does not have a testing component, the officials said.
Customs and Border Protection will enforce the requirements at U.S. land ports of entry where they will ask about vaccination status and refer travelers to a more thorough inspection on a case-by-case basis.
Oct 12, 6:00 pm
62% of 2020 law enforcement line of duty deaths were from COVID-19: Report
A report issued Tuesday found that 62% of all law enforcement deaths in the line of duty in 2020 were from COVID-19.
The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund revealed the statistics in a release, announcing its annual candlelight vigil on the National Mall.
Attorney General Merck Garland will lead Thursday’s vigil that will honor 701 law enforcement officers who recently died in the line of duty, including 434 who died in 2019 and 2020, the museum said in a statement.
Oct 12, 5:02 pm
White House to governors: Get ready to start vaccinating kids in November
In a private phone call Tuesday, the White House urged governors to prepare to begin vaccinating elementary-age kids in early November.
Once federal regulators give the green light, the pediatric Pfizer vaccine will be distributed in 100-dose packs. The doses, which are about one-third of what is given to adults, will be sent to thousands of sites, including pediatricians, family doctors, hospitals, health clinics and pharmacies enrolled in a federal program that guarantees the shots are provided for free. Some states are planning to provide the vaccine through schools, as well.
“We’ve secured plenty of supply, and we’ll be putting in place an allocation ordering and distribution system similar to what we’ve used for the other vaccines,” White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said on the call.
The Biden administration has purchased 65 million Pfizer pediatric vaccine doses, according to an HHS official. That number is more than enough to vaccinate all 28 million 5-to-11-year-olds.
At least 31,000 providers have enrolled to administer free vaccines already, according to the HHS official, and that number is expected to increase as the HHS and CDC continue to work with the existing federal program that funds many other routine childhood vaccinations all over the country.
While the White House said shipments of the pediatric vaccine will begin as soon as the FDA gives the green light, shots wouldn’t happen until the CDC makes its recommendation on who should get the vaccine.
The CDC is drafting guidance on the practice of “test to stay” being used by schools in lieu of quarantines, according to the White House call. CDC director Rochelle Walensky said it’s possible that the guidance is released this week.
Oct 12, 3:32 pm
What to expect at this week’s meetings on Moderna, J&J boosters
On Thursday and Friday, the FDA’s independent advisory panel is set to discuss and vote on whether to authorize Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters for people 18 and older. If approved, the FDA and CDC both still need to sign off. The earliest that could happen is Oct. 22.
An initial and nonbinding vote on the Moderna booster has been scheduled for around 4:45 p.m. ET Thursday. Moderna’s own scientific summary posted on Tuesday argues for a booster shot with a half dose given six months after the second shot.
An initial and nonbinding vote on the J&J booster has been scheduled for around 3:15 p.m. ET. Friday. Johnson & Johnson’s summary posted Tuesday makes the argument for a second shot, same as the first dose, given roughly six months after the single-shot vaccine.
On Friday, the National Institutes of Health will also present data on whether it’s safe and effective to mix-and-match booster doses.
(LOS ANGELES) — Wildfires wreaking havoc in several West Coast regions are expected to burn throughout the night as dangerous conditions may further increase their spread.
The Alisal Fire in Southern California had exploded to about 13,400 acres Tuesday evening after sparking near the Alisal Reservoir on Monday around 2:30 p.m. It remains just 5% contained and 50 mph gusts were expected in the region overnight, according to the National Weather Service.
Strong northwest winds pushed the fire south of the summit, crossing Highway 101 to Tajiguas Beach, according to fire officials. The origin of the blaze is not yet known.
The fire prompted evacuations in Santa Barbara County and the closure of Highway 101 from Las Cruces to Goleta. Closures of the 101, the only major highway in the region, have caused congestion on the nearby State Road 154 and Interstate 5, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Videos posted to social media show thick plumes of smoke hanging over roadways in Gaviota, California, and near Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County.
While winds died down Tuesday, red flag warnings remained in effect in Northern California, where wildfires have destroyed dozens of trailers at mobile home parks in Sacramento County and San Joaquin County.
The region remains a tinderbox following decades of drought, exacerbated by climate change.
(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — Two U.S. Postal Service employees are dead after a shooting at a Memphis postal facility, authorities said.
The suspected shooter, who was also a USPS employee, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, FBI Memphis spokesperson Lisa-Anne Culp said during a press briefing Tuesday.
The shooting occurred Tuesday afternoon at the East Lamar Carrier Annex, a location that does not have retail customers. Around 2:50 p.m. local time, the Memphis Police Department said it had secured the scene and there was no active threat.
A witness told Memphis ABC affiliate WATN she saw people running away saying shots had been fired.
USPS is working with the FBI, Memphis Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on the investigation, Postal Inspector Susan Link told reporters.
The USPS and FBI spokespeople did not share any additional information on the shooting, including the identifies of the victims or suspect.
“The Postal Service is saddened at the events that took place today in Memphis,” the USPS said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the family members, friends and coworkers of the individuals involved. The Postal Service will be providing resources to all employees at the East Lamar Carrier Annex in the coming days and weeks.”
This is the second high-profile workplace shooting in the Memphis area in recent weeks. Last month, one person was killed and 14 others were injured in a shooting at a Kroger grocery store in Collierville. The suspected gunman, a third-party vendor for Kroger, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.
(NEW YORK) — Scientists have discovered another way modern-day farming techniques are killing off bee populations.
While pesticides have long been blamed for the decline in pollinators, a study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B on Tuesday has found that the mass-flowering of single plant species is increasing the prevalence of bee populations infected with parasites.
Monoculture farming — which involves growing only one type of crop at a time on a specific field — is a common agricultural practice, especially in the U.S., which has about 440 million acres being cultivated for monoculture. But one of the consequences of the practice is that landscapes without much natural habitat can suddenly experience mass-bloom events and have negative impacts on bees, according to the study.
Researchers at the University of Oregon surveyed 1,509 bees in sunflower fields and non-crop flowering habitats in California’s Central Valley, finding that when the crops flowered for a short period of time across a large space, the events can aggregate pollinator species together, which then results in increased rates of bees becoming infected with parasites as they come in contact with each other.
The degraded landscapes are attractive to bees because of the massive amounts of pollen and nectar that bloom at the same time, the researchers said. The mass events have the potential to provide immune and nutritional benefits to the bees, but when the mass blooms peaked is when the bees had higher rates of parasitism, Hamutahl Cohen, a researcher of the at the University of Oregon’s Institute of Ecology and Evolution and one of the authors of the study, told ABC News.
“We have an incredible amount of biodiversity on this earth,” Cohen said. “And we’re seeing that wildlife is declining, and one of the primary drivers of decline is disease.”
While in many ways the modification of landscapes is necessary to feed a growing population, Cohen described the mass-flowering crops as the “doorknobs of the bee world” as bees go from flower to flower to collect food amid their daily work.
“It’s just the same thing as a human touching a doorknob,” she said. “We all know this, because of the pandemic … if you have a cold and you touch a doorknob, and someone else comes and touches that doorknob, they can get sick.”
Scientists are suggesting that farmers stop the practice of monoculture farming, which are often in “highly degraded areas” such as California’s Central Valley, which has seen an “incredible amount” of habitat loss in the past 100 years, Cohen said.
However, the fate of bees is not doomed, Cohen said. On fields where farmers who heeded the call to implement strips of perennial plants, bee aggregation was less likely to be associated with parasitism due to the increased diversity of flowers.
While Cohen was not surprised to see the enhanced rates of parasitism in bees and monoculture farming systems, she was surprised to find just how effective planting non-crop flowers were for conservation efforts.
“It didn’t just dampen the effect of aggregating these,” she said. “It actually reversed the effects.”
The perennial plants are often selected for characteristics like drought tolerance and suitability for pollinators, Cohen said, adding that there can be “economic hurdles” to changing the landscape to implementing conservation practices.
(NEW YORK) — A Wyoming coroner on Tuesday said Gabby Petito, the 22-year-old travel blogger whose remains were recovered in September in a national park, died by strangulation.
Petito’s boyfriend and cross-country traveling companion, Brian Laundrie, has been named by investigators as a person of interest in her death and is the subject of a massive nationwide search being directed by the FBI.
Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue told reporters Petito’s manner of death was homicide.
Her body was discovered on Sept. 19 in the Bridger-Teton National Forest near Jackson.
Blue’s announcement comes amidst a nationwide search the FBI is leading for Laundrie, who drew suspicion after returning to his parents’ North Port, Florida, home on Sept. 1 without Petito but driving her van, authorities said.
Laundrie’s parents told police they last saw their son on Sept. 13, two days after Petito’s parents, who live in Long Island, New York, reported her missing. Laundrie’s parents told investigators their son may have been headed to the Carlton Reserve, a 25,000-acre wildlife preserve near their home.
(NEW YORK) — The United States has been facing a COVID-19 surge as the more contagious delta variant continues to spread.
More than 714,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.8 million people have died from the disease worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Just 66% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the CDC.
Latest headlines:
-Some states with colder climates begin to see an uptick in infections
-Nets’ Kyrie Irving, who isn’t vaccinated, won’t play until he can be a full participant
-Pediatric infection rates trending down
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Oct 12, 1:59 pm
American Airlines continues with vaccine mandate despite governor’s executive order
Texas-based American Airlines is sticking to its plan to require vaccines for employees under the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate, despite a new executive order from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott banning mandates.
American said in a statement, “We are reviewing the executive order issued by Gov. Abbott, but we believe the federal vaccine mandate supersedes any conflicting state laws, and this does not change anything for American.”
On Monday, Abbott issued an executive order banning vaccine mandates “by any entity” in the state. Abbott said, “The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective, and our best defense against the virus, but should remain voluntary and never forced.”
ABC News’ Sam Sweeney
Oct 12, 12:58 pm
Some states with colder climates begin to see an uptick in infections
While infection rates are plummeting in the South, causing national metrics to fall, some states in colder climates are beginning to see an uptick in cases, despite some impressive vaccination rates.
Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNN on Monday,” “You’re starting to see an uptick in cases in the colder parts of the country and as people are driven indoors without masks on.”
These states have seen case rates jump by 20% or more in the last month, according to federal data: Colorado (22%), Idaho (21.6%), New Hampshire (54%), Vermont (42.6%), Montana (82.6%), Michigan (90.9%) and Minnesota (75.9%).
Alaska currently has the country’s highest infection rate, followed by Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming and Idaho, according to federal data. California currently has the nation’s lowest infection rate.
Death rates remain high with about 1,400 deaths reported each day, according to federal data. But daily COVID-19 related hospital admissions down nationally by 13.4% in the last week.
ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Oct 12, 11:14 am
Nets’ Kyrie Irving, who isn’t vaccinated, won’t play until he can be a full participant
Brooklyn Nets player Kyrie Irving, who has refused to get vaccinated, won’t “play or practice with the team until he is eligible to be a full participant,” General Manager Sean Marks said in a statement Tuesday.
Barclays Center, home to the Nets, requires proof of vaccination for entry.
“We respect his individual right to choose,” Marks said, but “the choice restricts his ability to be a full-time member of the team, and we will not permit any member of our team to participate with part-time availability.”
“It is imperative that we continue to build chemistry as a team and remain true to our long-established values of togetherness and sacrifice,” Marks said.
Oct 12, 11:07 am
Federal judge sides with NY health care workers who object to vaccine mandate on religious grounds
A federal judge in Utica, New York, sided Tuesday with 17 health care workers who object to the state vaccine mandate for health workers on religious grounds, granting their request for an injunction.
Unlike other judges who have heard similar cases about vaccine mandates, Judge David Hurd concluded “the public interest lies with enforcing the guarantees enshrined in the Constitution and federal anti-discrimination law” and not the wider public health.
The plaintiffs said they hold the sincere religious belief that they “cannot consent to be inoculated … with vaccines that were tested, developed or produced with fetal cell line[s] derived from procured abortions.” According to plaintiffs, the COVID-19 vaccines that are currently available violate these sincere religious beliefs “because they all employ fetal cell lines derived from procured abortion in testing, development or production.”
