(NEW YORK) — Norfolk Southern has agreed to a $600 million settlement to resolve a class action lawsuit related to the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in February 2023.
The settlement still needs to be approved by a judge.
“If approved by the court, the agreement will resolve all class action claims within a 20-mile radius from the derailment and, for those residents who choose to participate, personal injury claims within a 10-mile radius from the derailment,” Norfolk Southern said in a statement.
The spill forced hundreds of nearby residents out of their homes and sparked fears, as five tankers carried vinyl chloride, which posed serious health risks, exploded, sending a massive plume of black smoke into the sky. Vinyl chloride burning can create dioxins, which are carcinogenic, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
(NEW YORK) — Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of Oxford High School mass shooter Ethan Crumbley, are set to be sentenced Tuesday after each was found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter in separate trials earlier this year.
The trials were a rare case of parents facing criminal charges, and possible jail time, over their role in a shooting carried out by their child. They could face up to 15 years in prison for each count, but prosecutors are asking for 10 to 15 years total for each parent, according to a sentencing memo filed by prosecutors last week.
“No sentence this Court can administer will fix the damage caused by the Oxford High School shooting on November 30, 2021,” prosecutors wrote in requesting the sentence for Jennifer Crumbley. “As the jury found, defendant’s gross negligence was a cause of this damage; she knew of the danger to another, it was reasonably foreseeable her son would shoot someone, but she failed to exercise even the smallest measure of ordinary care.”
Michigan’s sentencing guidelines call for a maximum punishment of about seven years in jail, a sentence prosecutors say is not strong enough.
“Considering the guidelines, what those guidelines do and do not account for, and the objectives of sentencing, the severity of the circumstances in this case and defendant’s total lack of remorse warrant a sentence that exceeds the applicable guidelines range,” prosecutors continued. “A sentence of 10 to 15 years’ imprisonment is proportionate to these offenses and this offender.”
The same exact request was sent in regards to James Crumbley.
Jennifer Crumbley’s attorneys are asking that she be sentenced to time served and house arrest, according to the defense’s sentencing memo. James Crumbley’s lawyers asked for 28 months of prison — the amount of time he has already spent locked up — with credit for time served as well as the maximum period of supervised release.
Prosecutors came down especially hard on James Crumbley in their ask for a sentence longer than the sentencing guidelines, pointing to threats he made over the phone from jail toward District Attorney Karen McDonald and an instance of gesturing with his middle finger toward a prosecutor during the trial.
“Defendant’s shameless lack of remorse in asking for time served as an appropriate sentence is a slap in the face to the severity of tragedy caused by his gross negligence, to the victims and their families, and to the applicable law that is premised on the concept of proportionate sentencing,” prosecutors wrote.
Ethan Crumbley, who was only 15 years old at the time of the shooting, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the shooting that killed four students: Tate Myre, 16; Hana St. Juliana, 14; Madisyn Baldwin, 17, and Justin Shilling, 17.
He pleaded guilty to 24 charges, including first-degree premeditated murder and terrorism causing death in 2021.
The parents had ignored several warning signs in the days leading up to the shooting, and had just bought their son the weapon he used in the shooting, according to prosecutors. The prosecution argued that the parents failed to secure the weapon and limit their son’s access to it.
Prosecutors argued that James Crumbley failed to use a cable lock, trigger lock or store the gun in a locked safe, any one of which could have prevented the shooting. Prosecutor Karen McDonald even demonstrated installing a cable lock for the jury during closing arguments, saying it takes “less than 10 seconds.”
Oxford High School officials had called the parents to the school the morning of the shooting after disturbing drawings were found on their son’s math test and he had made statements to a counselor suggesting he was considering suicide, prosecutors said.
School officials testified that the parents said they needed to return to work and could not stay home with their son, and if he left he would need to walk home and remain alone until they finished work. School officials, concerned for Ethan Crumbley, allowed him to remain in school.
The shooting occurred that afternoon.
Jennifer Crumbley’s trial largely focused on how she spent her time in the weeks and months leading up to the shooting, implying that she failed to act on warning signs or get help for her son. Her former employer testified on the stand that she could have left work the day of the shooting — after her meeting with school officials — to care for her son or said she could have brought her son with her to work if necessary.
A man she was having an affair with in the months before the shooting also testified, with prosecutors questioning him about how the two spent their time and about their communications before and after the shooting.
Jennifer Crumbley also took the stand in her own defense, and was grilled by prosecutors over her extramarital affairs and relationship with her son.
(NEW YORK) — A total solar eclipse is passing over North America on April 8, creating a path of totality that will cast some parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada in darkness.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Apr 08, 4:57 PM Total solar eclipse reaches last US state
The total solar eclipse reached the final U.S. state as those in northern Maine observed the sun be covered by the moon under clear skies.
Apr 08, 4:46 PM Peak totality shined over New Hampshire
In Colebrook, New Hampshire, Monday’s total solar eclipse was captured in rare form. The sun’s corona shined behind the traveling moon during totality, creating a bright, glowing crown for eclipse viewers.
Apr 08, 4:24 PM Partial solar eclipse captured behind Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor is seen in the path of the partial solar eclipse. In New York State, the path of totality spans 124 miles across 29 counties.
Apr 08, 3:53 PM Stunning total solar eclipse on display in Niagara Falls
A stunning view of the total solar eclipse was captured at Niagara Falls State Park in New York. A cloud of light appeared above the sun as the moon eclipsed the celestial body during totality.
Below the eclipse, red coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are seen peaking out behind the moon.
Daylight plunged into a blue twilight at the state park as skywatchers experienced totality.
Apr 08, 3:38 PM Sun’s coronal mass ejection seen during total solar eclipse in Illinois
In Carbondale, Illinois, the sun’s corona was seen glittering behind the moon as it eclipsed the sun near peak totality.
Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are expulsions of plasma, threaded by magnetic field lines, that are ejected from the sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere, according to NASA. CMEs look like twisted rope, dubbed “flux rope” by scientists.
Apr 08, 2:38 PM Rural Oklahoma towns welcome thousands for total eclipse
Two small towns in rural Oklahoma are welcoming an estimated 60,000 to 100,000 people to Beavers Bend State Park as visitors come to witness the solar total eclipse.
Typically, the towns of Broken Bow and Hochatown have year-round populations of 2,500 and 150, respectively.
Oklahoma Secretary of Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage Shelley Zumwalt told ABC News that McCurtain County has been preparing for about a year and a half, having meetings with state and local public safety officials and other agencies to deal with the influx of visitors and traffic.
She said she’s met people who came to the state park from across the U.S. and from Europe, and said she hopes it leads to people returning after the eclipse.
“Just today we’ve had people from Norway, Denmark, California, Hawaii, Tennessee that I’ve just seen passing through our lodge this morning, which is phenomenal,” Zumwalt said.
“But, in a broader sense, I think that post-pandemic, a lot of people are looking for vacations that kind of take them out of the city and to maybe more of a quieter place and we have a lot of that in Oklahoma and see the tremendous response from just this event has really solidified in my mind that we have something special,” she continued.
Apr 08, 2:37 PM Partial solar eclipse reaches Liberty Island, New York
Liberty Island, New York, has its first look at the partial solar eclipse. New York is among the 11 contiguous U.S. states situated within the path of totality.
Apr 08, 2:24 PM Cities in Mexico 1st to experience total solar eclipse
Cities across Mexico, including Mazatlán, were the first in North America to experience the total solar eclipse.
Apr 08, 2:24 PM The moon begins to eclipse the sun in Fort Worth, Texas
A partial eclipse is viewable in Fort Worth, Texas on Monday as the moon partially blocks the sun. The city will experience totality at approximately 1:40 p.m., local time.
Apr 08, 1:16 PM Partial solar eclipse begins in Mexico
The eclipse has begun to cross North America with the first photos showing the partial solar eclipse in Mazatlán, Mexico.
Apr 08, 12:35 PM How some schools prepared students for the eclipse
As millions of Americans gather to watch the solar eclipse, science teachers have been preparing their students for the historic event.
LaToya Padilla, an earth science teacher at School of the Arts in the Rochester City School District in upstate New York, said she has been talking to her students about the eclipse since October of last year. Rochester is in the path of totality.
“We talked about how it’s kind of a once-in-a lifetime experience, we talked about how the last eclipse in Rochester was 99 years ago, and how it might be a whole [other] lifetime before you get to see another eclipse unless you go chasing them, which some people do,” she told ABC News.
Padilla said she taught her students the difference between a partial solar eclipse, which is when the moon only partially covers the sun, and a total solar eclipse, when the moon — for a short period — completely blocks the sun.
She also explained the proper eye protection to wear and how when the moon covers the sun, observers will be able to see planets, including Venus and Jupiter, in the sky.
“I feel like it’s very important because you don’t want [students] to wait until they’re older to realize that missed out on this opportunity,” Padilla said. “Even though they might not fully understand what a unique experience it is, talking to them now about it and getting them to understand that it is unique, and you may never experience this again.”
Apr 08, 11:46 AM FAA grounds some flights due to eclipse
The FAA is stopping some flights from taking off to two small commercial airports due to eclipse volume.
Certain flights headed to Southern Illinois Airport, located in Jackson County, and Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois, located in Williamson County — both in the path of totality — are being held at their destinations until at least 12 p.m. ET.
The FAA website indicates that the probability of the ground stop being extended is between 30% and 60%.
-ABC News’ Sam Sweeney
Apr 08, 11:11 AM Why is April’s total solar eclipse historic?
The contiguous United States hasn’t seen a total solar eclipse since August 2017, but the seven-year difference between eclipses is “deceptive,” Fred Espenak, a former astrophysicist from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and author of “Road Atlas for the Total Solar Eclipse of 2024,” previously told ABC News.
“If you look previous to 2017, the last one was in 1979,” he said. “So, it’s a little bit deceptive that these two eclipses were in seven years of each other.”
The next total solar eclipse to occur in the contiguous U.S. won’t be until August 2044 in Montana and North Dakota, and the next to span coast-to-coast is slated for 2045, according to NASA.
Comparatively, 2024’s total solar eclipse is “better” than 2017’s, because the path of totality is almost 60% wider and the duration of the eclipse is about 60% longer, according to Espenak, who explained some locations within the path will experience up to four and a half minutes of the eclipse.
-ABC News’ Leah Sarnoff
Apr 08, 11:02 AM What to know about the total solar eclipse
A total solar eclipse is passing over North America on April 8, creating a path of totality that will cast some parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada in darkness.
During a total solar eclipse, which is a rare celestial event, the moon passes between the sun and Earth. The moon slowly covers and, for a brief period, completely blocks the face of the sun.
In the U.S., the path of totality begins in Texas and will travel through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Some parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse, according to NASA.
April 8’s solar eclipse will be the last of its kind to occur in North America for the next 20 years. There will not be another total solar eclipse in North America again until 2044.
The best time to view totality will depend on where you are in the U.S. In Eagle Pass, Texas, totality will occur at 1:27 p.m. CDT and last 4 minutes and 23 seconds. In Presque Isle, Maine, totality will occur at 3:32 p.m. EDT and last 2 minutes and 47 seconds.
Apr 08, 10:57 AM Weather forecast along path of totality
From Mexico to Maine, if you’re in a city where the total solar eclipse will grace the skies Monday afternoon, cloud coverage may dampen your view.
Mazatlan, Mexico, will have low clouds through the morning. The clouds will begin to break by the afternoon, but the weather may still be mostly cloudy at the time of the total eclipse.
Del Rio, Texas, is forecast to have mostly cloudy skies, so eclipse viewing weather won’t be ideal. There’s a chance to see the eclipse in Dallas, where the skies will be partly cloudy with some passing clouds.
In Niagara Falls, New York, the weather will be mostly cloudy with an isolated shower is possible, making it hard to see the eclipse.
Meanwhile, Houlton, Maine, will have sunny skies — and will be the best place to see the eclipse in all of North America.
-ABC News’ Emily Shapiro and Max Golembo
Apr 08, 10:37 AM This city in New York has been planning for the eclipse for 7 years
For seven years, Deb Ross has been helping prepare the city of Rochester, New York, to welcome thousands of visitors for the total solar eclipse.
Rochester, which is in the path of totality, is expecting between 300,000 and 500,000 visitors and to earn between $10 million and $12 million over eclipse weekend.
“I think probably I was little over the top, so maybe people were saying, ‘Seven years out, really Deb? Six years out, five years out, this a little early, isn’t it?'” Ross told ABC News. “But the fact is pulling all these folks together and working for something that’s going to happen far in the future for three minutes and 38 seconds, that is a kind of wacky proposition. But it was really fun, and everybody just jumped right on board.”
As chair of the Rochester Eclipse Task Force, Ross has recruited the local government, museums, small businesses and even the local transportation council to make the event memorable for visitors by creating eclipse-themed events, food and merchandise.
“We’ve had practice runs, we’ve had a lot of meetings to get at the nitty gritty, and I’ve been able to be part of those and watching everybody here play so beautifully together in this sandbox,” she said. “I think what we’ll be doing here on Monday, April 8. is converting hundreds of thousands of skeptics into eclipse chasers.”
Apr 08, 9:47 AM What to know about the total solar eclipse
A total solar eclipse is passing over North America on April 8, creating a path of totality that will cast some parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada in darkness.
During a total solar eclipse, which is a rare celestial event, the moon passes between the sun and Earth. The moon slowly covers and, for a brief period, completely blocks the face of the sun.
In the U.S., the path of totality begins in Texas and will travel through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Some parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse, according to NASA.
April 8’s solar eclipse will be the last of its kind to occur in North America for the next 20 years. There will not be another total solar eclipse in North America again until 2044.
The best time to view totality will depend on where you are in the U.S. In Eagle Pass, Texas, totality will occur at 1:27 p.m. CDT and last 4 minutes and 23 seconds. In Presque Isle, Maine, totality will occur at 3:32 p.m. EDT and last 2 minutes and 47 seconds.
(NEW YORK) — A total solar eclipse is passing over North America on April 8, creating a path of totality that will cast some parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada in darkness.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Apr 08, 3:53 PM Stunning total solar eclipse on display in Niagara Falls
A stunning view of the total solar eclipse was captured at Niagara Falls State Park in New York. A cloud of light appeared above the sun as the moon eclipsed the celestial body during totality.
Below the eclipse, red coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are seen peaking out behind the moon.
Daylight plunged into a blue twilight at the state park as skywatchers experienced totality.
Apr 08, 3:38 PM Sun’s coronal mass ejection seen during total solar eclipse in Illinois
In Carbondale, Illinois, the sun’s corona was seen glittering behind the moon as it eclipsed the sun near peak totality.
Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are expulsions of plasma, threaded by magnetic field lines, that are ejected from the sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere, according to NASA. CMEs look like twisted rope, dubbed “flux rope” by scientists.
Apr 08, 2:38 PM Rural Oklahoma towns welcome thousands for total eclipse
Two small towns in rural Oklahoma are welcoming an estimated 60,000 to 100,000 people to Beavers Bend State Park as visitors come to witness the solar total eclipse.
Typically, the towns of Broken Bow and Hochatown have year-round populations of 2,500 and 150, respectively.
Oklahoma Secretary of Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage Shelley Zumwalt told ABC News that McCurtain County has been preparing for about a year and a half, having meetings with state and local public safety officials and other agencies to deal with the influx of visitors and traffic.
She said she’s met people who came to the state park from across the U.S. and from Europe, and said she hopes it leads to people returning after the eclipse.
“Just today we’ve had people from Norway, Denmark, California, Hawaii, Tennessee that I’ve just seen passing through our lodge this morning, which is phenomenal,” Zumwalt said.
“But, in a broader sense, I think that post-pandemic, a lot of people are looking for vacations that kind of take them out of the city and to maybe more of a quieter place and we have a lot of that in Oklahoma and see the tremendous response from just this event has really solidified in my mind that we have something special,” she continued.
Apr 08, 2:37 PM Partial solar eclipse reaches Liberty Island, New York
Liberty Island, New York, has its first look at the partial solar eclipse. New York is among the 11 contiguous U.S. states situated within the path of totality.
Apr 08, 2:24 PM Cities in Mexico 1st to experience total solar eclipse
Cities across Mexico, including Mazatlán, were the first in North America to experience the total solar eclipse.
Apr 08, 2:24 PM The moon begins to eclipse the sun in Fort Worth, Texas
A partial eclipse is viewable in Fort Worth, Texas on Monday as the moon partially blocks the sun. The city will experience totality at approximately 1:40 p.m., local time.
Apr 08, 1:16 PM Partial solar eclipse begins in Mexico
The eclipse has begun to cross North America with the first photos showing the partial solar eclipse in Mazatlán, Mexico.
Apr 08, 12:35 PM How some schools prepared students for the eclipse
As millions of Americans gather to watch the solar eclipse, science teachers have been preparing their students for the historic event.
LaToya Padilla, an earth science teacher at School of the Arts in the Rochester City School District in upstate New York, said she has been talking to her students about the eclipse since October of last year. Rochester is in the path of totality.
“We talked about how it’s kind of a once-in-a lifetime experience, we talked about how the last eclipse in Rochester was 99 years ago, and how it might be a whole [other] lifetime before you get to see another eclipse unless you go chasing them, which some people do,” she told ABC News.
Padilla said she taught her students the difference between a partial solar eclipse, which is when the moon only partially covers the sun, and a total solar eclipse, when the moon — for a short period — completely blocks the sun.
She also explained the proper eye protection to wear and how when the moon covers the sun, observers will be able to see planets, including Venus and Jupiter, in the sky.
“I feel like it’s very important because you don’t want [students] to wait until they’re older to realize that missed out on this opportunity,” Padilla said. “Even though they might not fully understand what a unique experience it is, talking to them now about it and getting them to understand that it is unique, and you may never experience this again.”
Apr 08, 11:46 AM FAA grounds some flights due to eclipse
The FAA is stopping some flights from taking off to two small commercial airports due to eclipse volume.
Certain flights headed to Southern Illinois Airport, located in Jackson County, and Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois, located in Williamson County — both in the path of totality — are being held at their destinations until at least 12 p.m. ET.
The FAA website indicates that the probability of the ground stop being extended is between 30% and 60%.
-ABC News’ Sam Sweeney
Apr 08, 11:11 AM Why is April’s total solar eclipse historic?
The contiguous United States hasn’t seen a total solar eclipse since August 2017, but the seven-year difference between eclipses is “deceptive,” Fred Espenak, a former astrophysicist from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and author of “Road Atlas for the Total Solar Eclipse of 2024,” previously told ABC News.
“If you look previous to 2017, the last one was in 1979,” he said. “So, it’s a little bit deceptive that these two eclipses were in seven years of each other.”
The next total solar eclipse to occur in the contiguous U.S. won’t be until August 2044 in Montana and North Dakota, and the next to span coast-to-coast is slated for 2045, according to NASA.
Comparatively, 2024’s total solar eclipse is “better” than 2017’s, because the path of totality is almost 60% wider and the duration of the eclipse is about 60% longer, according to Espenak, who explained some locations within the path will experience up to four and a half minutes of the eclipse.
-ABC News’ Leah Sarnoff
Apr 08, 11:02 AM What to know about the total solar eclipse
A total solar eclipse is passing over North America on April 8, creating a path of totality that will cast some parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada in darkness.
During a total solar eclipse, which is a rare celestial event, the moon passes between the sun and Earth. The moon slowly covers and, for a brief period, completely blocks the face of the sun.
In the U.S., the path of totality begins in Texas and will travel through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Some parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse, according to NASA.
April 8’s solar eclipse will be the last of its kind to occur in North America for the next 20 years. There will not be another total solar eclipse in North America again until 2044.
The best time to view totality will depend on where you are in the U.S. In Eagle Pass, Texas, totality will occur at 1:27 p.m. CDT and last 4 minutes and 23 seconds. In Presque Isle, Maine, totality will occur at 3:32 p.m. EDT and last 2 minutes and 47 seconds.
Apr 08, 10:57 AM Weather forecast along path of totality
From Mexico to Maine, if you’re in a city where the total solar eclipse will grace the skies Monday afternoon, cloud coverage may dampen your view.
Mazatlan, Mexico, will have low clouds through the morning. The clouds will begin to break by the afternoon, but the weather may still be mostly cloudy at the time of the total eclipse.
Del Rio, Texas, is forecast to have mostly cloudy skies, so eclipse viewing weather won’t be ideal. There’s a chance to see the eclipse in Dallas, where the skies will be partly cloudy with some passing clouds.
In Niagara Falls, New York, the weather will be mostly cloudy with an isolated shower is possible, making it hard to see the eclipse.
Meanwhile, Houlton, Maine, will have sunny skies — and will be the best place to see the eclipse in all of North America.
-ABC News’ Emily Shapiro and Max Golembo
Apr 08, 10:37 AM This city in New York has been planning for the eclipse for 7 years
For seven years, Deb Ross has been helping prepare the city of Rochester, New York, to welcome thousands of visitors for the total solar eclipse.
Rochester, which is in the path of totality, is expecting between 300,000 and 500,000 visitors and to earn between $10 million and $12 million over eclipse weekend.
“I think probably I was little over the top, so maybe people were saying, ‘Seven years out, really Deb? Six years out, five years out, this a little early, isn’t it?'” Ross told ABC News. “But the fact is pulling all these folks together and working for something that’s going to happen far in the future for three minutes and 38 seconds, that is a kind of wacky proposition. But it was really fun, and everybody just jumped right on board.”
As chair of the Rochester Eclipse Task Force, Ross has recruited the local government, museums, small businesses and even the local transportation council to make the event memorable for visitors by creating eclipse-themed events, food and merchandise.
“We’ve had practice runs, we’ve had a lot of meetings to get at the nitty gritty, and I’ve been able to be part of those and watching everybody here play so beautifully together in this sandbox,” she said. “I think what we’ll be doing here on Monday, April 8. is converting hundreds of thousands of skeptics into eclipse chasers.”
Apr 08, 9:47 AM What to know about the total solar eclipse
A total solar eclipse is passing over North America on April 8, creating a path of totality that will cast some parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada in darkness.
During a total solar eclipse, which is a rare celestial event, the moon passes between the sun and Earth. The moon slowly covers and, for a brief period, completely blocks the face of the sun.
In the U.S., the path of totality begins in Texas and will travel through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Some parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse, according to NASA.
April 8’s solar eclipse will be the last of its kind to occur in North America for the next 20 years. There will not be another total solar eclipse in North America again until 2044.
The best time to view totality will depend on where you are in the U.S. In Eagle Pass, Texas, totality will occur at 1:27 p.m. CDT and last 4 minutes and 23 seconds. In Presque Isle, Maine, totality will occur at 3:32 p.m. EDT and last 2 minutes and 47 seconds.
(NEW YORK) — A total solar eclipse is passing over North America on April 8, creating a path of totality that will cast some parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada in darkness.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Apr 08, 1:16 PM Partial solar eclipse begins in Mexico
The eclipse has begun to cross North America with the first photos showing the partial solar eclipse in Mazatlán, Mexico.
Apr 08, 12:35 PM How some schools prepared students for the eclipse
As millions of Americans gather to watch the solar eclipse, science teachers have been preparing their students for the historic event.
LaToya Padilla, an earth science teacher at School of the Arts in the Rochester City School District in upstate New York, said she has been talking to her students about the eclipse since October of last year. Rochester is in the path of totality.
“We talked about how it’s kind of a once-in-a lifetime experience, we talked about how the last eclipse in Rochester was 99 years ago, and how it might be a whole [other] lifetime before you get to see another eclipse unless you go chasing them, which some people do,” she told ABC News.
Padilla said she taught her students the difference between a partial solar eclipse, which is when the moon only partially covers the sun, and a total solar eclipse, when the moon — for a short period — completely blocks the sun.
She also explained the proper eye protection to wear and how when the moon covers the sun, observers will be able to see planets, including Venus and Jupiter, in the sky.
“I feel like it’s very important because you don’t want [students] to wait until they’re older to realize that missed out on this opportunity,” Padilla said. “Even though they might not fully understand what a unique experience it is, talking to them now about it and getting them to understand that it is unique, and you may never experience this again.”
Apr 08, 11:46 AM FAA grounds some flights due to eclipse
The FAA is stopping some flights from taking off to two small commercial airports due to eclipse volume.
Certain flights headed to Southern Illinois Airport, located in Jackson County, and Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois, located in Williamson County — both in the path of totality — are being held at their destinations until at least 12 p.m. ET.
The FAA website indicates that the probability of the ground stop being extended is between 30% and 60%.
-ABC News’ Sam Sweeney
Apr 08, 11:11 AM Why is April’s total solar eclipse historic?
The contiguous United States hasn’t seen a total solar eclipse since August 2017, but the seven-year difference between eclipses is “deceptive,” Fred Espenak, a former astrophysicist from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and author of “Road Atlas for the Total Solar Eclipse of 2024,” previously told ABC News.
“If you look previous to 2017, the last one was in 1979,” he said. “So, it’s a little bit deceptive that these two eclipses were in seven years of each other.”
The next total solar eclipse to occur in the contiguous U.S. won’t be until August 2044 in Montana and North Dakota, and the next to span coast-to-coast is slated for 2045, according to NASA.
Comparatively, 2024’s total solar eclipse is “better” than 2017’s, because the path of totality is almost 60% wider and the duration of the eclipse is about 60% longer, according to Espenak, who explained some locations within the path will experience up to four and a half minutes of the eclipse.
-ABC News’ Leah Sarnoff
Apr 08, 11:02 AM What to know about the total solar eclipse
A total solar eclipse is passing over North America on April 8, creating a path of totality that will cast some parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada in darkness.
During a total solar eclipse, which is a rare celestial event, the moon passes between the sun and Earth. The moon slowly covers and, for a brief period, completely blocks the face of the sun.
In the U.S., the path of totality begins in Texas and will travel through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Some parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse, according to NASA.
April 8’s solar eclipse will be the last of its kind to occur in North America for the next 20 years. There will not be another total solar eclipse in North America again until 2044.
The best time to view totality will depend on where you are in the U.S. In Eagle Pass, Texas, totality will occur at 1:27 p.m. CDT and last 4 minutes and 23 seconds. In Presque Isle, Maine, totality will occur at 3:32 p.m. EDT and last 2 minutes and 47 seconds.
Apr 08, 10:57 AM Weather forecast along path of totality
From Mexico to Maine, if you’re in a city where the total solar eclipse will grace the skies Monday afternoon, cloud coverage may dampen your view.
Mazatlan, Mexico, will have low clouds through the morning. The clouds will begin to break by the afternoon, but the weather may still be mostly cloudy at the time of the total eclipse.
Del Rio, Texas, is forecast to have mostly cloudy skies, so eclipse viewing weather won’t be ideal. There’s a chance to see the eclipse in Dallas, where the skies will be partly cloudy with some passing clouds.
In Niagara Falls, New York, the weather will be mostly cloudy with an isolated shower is possible, making it hard to see the eclipse.
Meanwhile, Houlton, Maine, will have sunny skies — and will be the best place to see the eclipse in all of North America.
-ABC News’ Emily Shapiro and Max Golembo
Apr 08, 10:37 AM This city in New York has been planning for the eclipse for 7 years
For seven years, Deb Ross has been helping prepare the city of Rochester, New York, to welcome thousands of visitors for the total solar eclipse.
Rochester, which is in the path of totality, is expecting between 300,000 and 500,000 visitors and to earn between $10 million and $12 million over eclipse weekend.
“I think probably I was little over the top, so maybe people were saying, ‘Seven years out, really Deb? Six years out, five years out, this a little early, isn’t it?'” Ross told ABC News. “But the fact is pulling all these folks together and working for something that’s going to happen far in the future for three minutes and 38 seconds, that is a kind of wacky proposition. But it was really fun, and everybody just jumped right on board.”
As chair of the Rochester Eclipse Task Force, Ross has recruited the local government, museums, small businesses and even the local transportation council to make the event memorable for visitors by creating eclipse-themed events, food and merchandise.
“We’ve had practice runs, we’ve had a lot of meetings to get at the nitty gritty, and I’ve been able to be part of those and watching everybody here play so beautifully together in this sandbox,” she said. “I think what we’ll be doing here on Monday, April 8. is converting hundreds of thousands of skeptics into eclipse chasers.”
Apr 08, 9:47 AM What to know about the total solar eclipse
A total solar eclipse is passing over North America on April 8, creating a path of totality that will cast some parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada in darkness.
During a total solar eclipse, which is a rare celestial event, the moon passes between the sun and Earth. The moon slowly covers and, for a brief period, completely blocks the face of the sun.
In the U.S., the path of totality begins in Texas and will travel through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Some parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse, according to NASA.
April 8’s solar eclipse will be the last of its kind to occur in North America for the next 20 years. There will not be another total solar eclipse in North America again until 2044.
The best time to view totality will depend on where you are in the U.S. In Eagle Pass, Texas, totality will occur at 1:27 p.m. CDT and last 4 minutes and 23 seconds. In Presque Isle, Maine, totality will occur at 3:32 p.m. EDT and last 2 minutes and 47 seconds.
(NEW YORK) — A booming job market, softening inflation, robust growth — the economy has performed well by just any measure but the chief executive of the nation’s largest bank is worried the U.S. still remains on the brink of a downturn.
Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, issued a sober economic forecast in his annual shareholder letter on Monday, warning that high inflation may prove more stubborn than expected, triggering rate hikes at the Federal Reserve and an eventual recession.
The billionaire financier also offered up a sweeping assessment of artificial intelligence and waded into an ongoing controversy over diversity, equity and inclusion.
Here are four takeaways from Dimon’s annual shareholder letter:
1. Sticky inflation Dimon acknowledged strong economic performance of late but cautioned of long-term trends that could undermine the gains. He raised special alarm about the economy’s top threat: inflation.
Inflation has fallen significantly from a peak of 9.1%, but it remains more than a percentage point higher than the Fed’s target rate of 2%.
A host of factors, including government spending and global trading shocks, could make the final leg of inflation’s path down to normal levels much more difficult than many observers expect, Dimon said.
Other trends keeping inflation higher, he added: ascendant military conflict and the loans required for the transition to a climate-friendly economy.
The risks posed by ongoing inflation imperil efforts to achieve a “soft landing,” in which inflation returns to normal levels while the economy averts a recession, Dimon said.
“These markets seem to be pricing in at a 70% to 80% chance of a soft landing,” he added. “I believe the odds are a lot lower than that.”
2. Interest rates could soar In recent months, the Fed has forecasted a series of highly anticipated interest rate cuts. Instead, the central bank may end up doing the opposite, Dimon said.
The Fed Funds rate stands between 5.25% and 5.5%, matching its highest level since 2001.
In response to potentially stubborn inflation, interest rates could soar past 8%, Dimon said.
Rate hikes would increase borrowing costs for consumers and businesses, potentially slowing economic activity through weaker household spending and company investment.
The ensuing economic stagnation could push the U.S. into a recession, Dimon warned.
A potential spike in interest rates could pose a broader threat than the crisis that befell Silicon Valley Bank and other regional banks last year, Dimon added.
“The mini banking crisis of 2023 is over, but beware of higher rates and recession — not just for banks but for the whole economy,” Dimon said.
3. Artificial intelligence could end up being as significant as the printing press Dimon, who said JPMorgan Chase uses artificial intelligence in about 400 different ways, touted the technology as a breakthrough on the scale of some of humanity’s most influential inventions.
“While we do not know the full effect or the precise rate at which AI will change our business — or how it will affect society at large — we are completely convinced the consequences will be extraordinary and possibly as transformational as some of the major technological inventions of the past several hundred years: Think the printing press, the steam engine, electricity, computing and the Internet, among others,” Dimon said.
The stock market has climbed since the outset of last year, driven in large part by a group of major tech companies propelled by enthusiasm over AI.
Shares of Nvidia, a California-based firm that sells the majority of chips behind the AI boom, climbed nearly 500% since the beginning of 2023. Microsoft, part-owner of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, has seen its stock price jump about 75% over that period.
JPMorgan Chase, meanwhile, has invested heavily in the technology, hiring roughly 2,000 machine-learning specialists and data scientists, and exploring avenues to incorporate the technology into every job at the firm, Dimon said.
4. Support for diversity, equity and inclusion Diversity, equity and inclusion programs have become a lightning rod, stoking controversy in state capitals and corporate boardrooms.
In a section of the letter, Dimon advocated for the importance of DEI, outlining several initiatives at the bank aimed at supporting employees and customers who belong to marginalized groups.
Dimon touted affinity groups within the company devoted to connecting workers of various identities, such as Black or LGBTQ+ employees. He also promoted a company program called Women on the Move, which pursues the career advancement of women employees.
In 2020, JPMorgan Chase pledged to spend $30 billion over a five-year span to close the racial wealth gap. The company has nearly completed the initiative, Dimon said, announcing that JPMorgan Chase would continue the program as part of its normal operations.
“We believe that companies, and banks in particular, must earn the trust of the communities and countries in which they operate,” Dimon said.
(NEW YORK) — “Eclipse Across America” will air live Monday, April 8, beginning at 2 p.m. ET on ABC, ABC News Live, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Disney+ and Hulu as well as network social media platforms.
The highly anticipated total solar eclipse is set to take place on Monday, April 8, casting a historic shadow across a path through the United States.
If you haven’t traveled to the path of totality or a cloudy weather forecast is going to shield your view, you can watch NASA’s live broadcast of the eclipse.
NASA has provided a livestream through its telescope live feeds.
The track of the moon’s shadow across Earth’s surface is called the path of totality and, to witness the April 8 total solar eclipse in totality, viewers must be within the 115-mile-wide path.
To discover when to see the solar eclipse in totality or the partial eclipse in locations across the U.S. outside of the path, check out NASA’s Eclipse Explorer tool.
At the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts are anticipating a partial view of the solar eclipse from space.
A deep partial eclipse will be visible from the ISS with 90% of the sun being covered by the moon at peak magnitude.
During totality, the ISS will be flying over southern Canada during this pass. The moon’s shadow will be moving from New York state to Newfoundland during this period.
To see the best locations, time and duration of Monday’s total solar eclipse, check out ABC News’ previous coverage here.
(NEW YORK) — “Eclipse Across America” will air live Monday, April 8, beginning at 2 p.m. ET on ABC, ABC News Live, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Disney+ and Hulu as well as network social media platforms.
If experiencing totality during the April 8 total solar eclipse makes you hungry for another celestial spectacle, you may have to wait decades.
“Solar eclipses are sort of like potato chips — once you eat one, you want another one,” Fred Espenak, a former astrophysicist from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and author of “Road Atlas for the Total Solar Eclipse of 2024,” told ABC News.
“Every eclipse is unique and exciting,” Espenak continued. “I would say it’s the most spectacular, natural phenomenon that you can see with the naked eye.”
On Monday, the total solar eclipse plunged a path through the contiguous United States into an eerie twilight showcasing the sun’s corona and the atmosphere’s array of stars as the moon passed in front of the sun.
For the 31 million Americans who live inside the eclipse’s path of totality, the experience was brought right to their doorstep, while millions of other eclipse chasers traveled to the 115-mile-wide path for the historic day.
“Many people will definitely get the bug and join the cohort of eclipse chasers, who go to any reasonable means of traveling around the world to see nature’s most dramatic sight,” Michael Zeiler, expert solar eclipse cartographer and founder of Greatamericaneclipse.com, told ABC News.
Next total solar eclipse in the U.S. after 2024 The next total solar eclipse to occur in the contiguous U.S. won’t be until Aug. 23, 2044, and will only shadow three states in its path, Montana and North and South Dakota, according to NASA.
In Canada, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan will also experience totality, according to the agency.
Next coast-to-coast total solar eclipse The next year, on Aug. 12, 2045, a total solar eclipse will span coast to coast, according to NASA.
The far-reaching path of totality will cover parts of California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Georgia, the agency reports.
Similar to the total solar eclipse in 2017, the 2045 eclipse offers a chance for many Americans to experience totality within their states.
Adding to the decades-away excitement, since the 2044 and 2045 eclipses are slated for August, the summer season increases the likelihood of clear, cloudless skies during the event.
Next total solar eclipse internationally If you can’t wait two decades for the next chance to experience totality, another total solar eclipse will take place in Europe in 2026.
On Aug. 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse is set to sweep over the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, Iceland, Atlantic Ocean, Portugal and northern Spain, according to the National Solar Observatory.
“Witnessing a total solar eclipse is a deeply emotional experience for anyone,” Zeiler said. “And the first question you may ask after the eclipse is: When is the next one? And you may want to go see the very next eclipse in Spain in 2026.”
(NEW YORK) — The American Library Association released its annual list of the top 10 most targeted books of 2023 on Monday, the majority of which were challenges because of their LGBTQ content.
“Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe topped the list for the third year in a row. The graphic memoir, which chronicles the author’s experience with sexuality and gender from childhood to adulthood, was challenged for its LGBTQ content and for claims that it is sexually explicit.
“At ALA, we are fighting for the freedom to choose what you want to read,” said ALA President Emily Drabinski in the announcement. “Shining a light on the harmful workings of these pressure groups is one of the actions we must take to protect our right to read.”
In 2023, the ALA recorded 4,240 unique titles that have been targeted for removal or restriction in libraries and schools. It’s a record-breaking 65% increase from 2022, the highest totals recorded by the ALA since it began collecting data more than 20 years ago.
Jennie Pu, ALA member and Hoboken Public Library Director, told ABC News that “this list affirms the pattern that we’re seeing, that it’s a small group of people who don’t want their stories to be told and the retargeting of historically underrepresented and marginalized voices.”
Hoboken’s library system was declared a book sanctuary in 2023.
Across the country, classroom and library content has been at the center of contentious debates between educators, librarians, parents and politicians. Conservative-led legislative efforts to restrict what discussions and content could be had in classrooms regarding race, gender, sex, and sexual orientation has ignited a debate about the materials students and their families have access to.
Advocates of such legislation say these policies ensure that “inappropriate” content is weeded out of classrooms to protect children from “indoctrination,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have said.
Politicized groups or individuals have been at the center of large swaths of book challenges nationwide, sometimes demanding the censorship of multiple titles — often dozens or hundreds at a time. This helped drive the surge in book challenges, according to the ALA.
The other most-targeted titles, in order of the number of challenges, are:
2. “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” by George M. Johnson, for LGBTQ content and claims of sexually explicit content.
3. “This Book is Gay,” by Juno Dawson, for LGBTQ content, sex education, and claims of sexually explicit content.
4. “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky, for LGBTQ content, rape, drugs, profanity and claims of sexually explicit content.
5. “Flamer,” by Mike Curato, for LGBTQ content and claims of sexually explicit content.
“The Bluest Eye,” by Toni Morrison 6. “The Bluest Eye,” by Toni Morrison, for themes about rape, incest, DEI content and claims of sexually explicit content.
7. “Tricks,” by Ellen Hopkins, for LGBTQ content, themes concerning drugs, rape, and claims of sexually explicit content, tied with “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” by Jesse Andrews for claims of sexually explicit content.
9. “Let’s Talk About It,” by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan, for LGBTQ content, sex education, and claims of sexually explicit content.
10. “Sold,” by Patricia McCormick, for claims of sexually explicit content and themes concerning rape.
The ALA compiles its data from reports filed with its Office for Intellectual Freedom by library professionals and news reports. However, the organization says the data is only a “snapshot” of book censorship attempts because it’s not likely that all attempts are reported to the ALA or covered by the press.
The latest report marks the start of the organization’s National Library Week.
(NEW YORK) — A total solar eclipse is passing over North America on April 8, creating a path of totality that will cast some parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada in darkness.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Apr 08, 9:47 AM What to know about the total solar eclipse
A total solar eclipse is passing over North America on April 8, creating a path of totality that will cast some parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada in darkness.
During a total solar eclipse, which is a rare celestial event, the moon passes between the sun and Earth. The moon slowly covers and, for a brief period, completely blocks the face of the sun.
In the U.S., the path of totality begins in Texas and will travel through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Some parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse, according to NASA.
April 8’s solar eclipse will be the last of its kind to occur in North America for the next 20 years. There will not be another total solar eclipse in North America again until 2044.
The best time to view totality will depend on where you are in the U.S. In Eagle Pass, Texas, totality will occur at 1:27 p.m. CDT and last 4 minutes and 23 seconds. In Presque Isle, Maine, totality will occur at 3:32 p.m. EDT and last 2 minutes and 47 seconds.
