(ITHACA, NY) — Cornell University announced Monday that it’s suspending frat parties after students reported they were drugged and one student alleged being sexually assaulted at a residence off-campus, school officials said.
The school’s president, Martha E. Pollack and Ryan Lombardi, the vice president of student and campus life, addressed the suspension in a letter to students on Monday.
Student leaders at the school’s Interfraternity Council (IFC), which governs IFC-recognized fraternities at the university, decided to suspend the fraternities on Sunday during an emergency meeting.
On Friday, Cornell University Police issued a crime alert saying that between Sept. 24 and Nov. 3 there were four incidents where students claimed that they drank very little or no alcohol but became debilitated while at the frat parties and said they were “roofied.”
“Fraternity leaders will take this time to implement stronger health and safety plans,” Pollack and Lombardi wrote. “No IFC-affiliated social events will resume until student leaders and Cornell staff are confident activities can take place responsibly and safely.”
According to Cornell police, in a second crime alert, someone reported that they were sexually assaulted on Sunday at a location off-campus.
The Ithaca Police Department is investigating the incident, according to Cornell police.
Ithaca police did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Luke Sharrett for The Washington Post via Getty Images
(LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY) — A female student who was caught on camera using racial slurs towards a Black student at the University of Kentucky will voluntarily withdraw from the university, according to her attorney.
Sophia Rosing, 22, the senior at the University of Kentucky, plans to withdraw Tuesday or Wednesday, her lawyer, Fred Peters, told ABC News.
The video, which was recorded early Sunday morning, shows Rising apparently drunk and saying derogatory, racial slurs to Kylah Spring, a first-year student who was working an overnight shift at the university’s front desk.
“It is our story,” Spring said at a demonstration held on campus grounds Monday night.
“There’s a whole video of “This is a recurring issue in and across American school systems no matter what age,” she added.
Rosing refused to give her name when authorities were called. She was taken into custody at the Fayette County Detention Center and registered as Jane Doe and has since been released from custody after her parents paid a cash bond of $10,000, according to Peters. Rising pleaded not guilty according to the Fayette County Sheriff’s office.
She faces two assault charges, one against Spring and the other towards a police officer. She was also given a disorderly misconduct charge and a public intoxication charge, according to her lawyer.
“She regrets everything and is humiliated and embarrassed,” Peters said about his client.
University President Eli Capilouto released a statement following the incident condemning the behavior and said the school “will not tolerate it under any circumstance. The safety and well-being of our community has been — and will continue to be — our top priority.”
ABC News sent a request for comment to the University of Kentucky.
Spring assembled a diverse crowd Monday night to address the situation during a peaceful demonstration. Many supporters including her parents surrounded Spring while she delivered a short, emotional speech describing her experience — encouraging the crowd to follow Michelle Obama’s famous philosophy of “when they go low, we go high.”
“I was physically, verbally and racially assaulted by Jane Doe, aka Sophia Rosing,” Spring said at the protest.
Spring said she was “deeply saddened” about the incident but is “grateful for the justice to come.”
“To Ms. Rosing, you will not break my spirit,” Spring said. “I only pray that you open your heart to love,” Spring said.
Rosing’s first court hearing is set for next Monday at 8:30 a.m., according to Peters.
(NEW YORK) — Tropical Storm Nicole is forecast to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane Wednesday as it approaches Florida’s east coast.
The storm is expected to make landfall overnight Wednesday into Thursday between Fort Pierce and Melbourne.
Parts of Palm Beach County and Volusia County are under evacuation orders and Orlando International Airport announced it will stop operations at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
At least five Florida school districts, including Palm Beach County, are closing schools on Wednesday and Thursday due to the storm.
Nicole could also impact election week in the Sunshine State, where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is running against Democratic rival Charlie Crist and Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., is trying to unseat Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 34 of Florida’s 67 counties.
Meanwhile, Florida Power & Light has urged customers to prepare for power outages and activated its emergency response plan ahead of Nicole’s potential impact on the state this week.
“[Hurricane] Ian saturated soil and weakened trees in many parts of the state, so Nicole could cause trees to topple over and other vegetation and debris to blow into overhead power lines and equipment, which may cause outages,” Florida Power & Light chairman and CEO Eric Silagy said in a statement Monday.
Nicole formed in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean on Monday, becoming the 14th named storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, which ends this month. The storm’s center is expected to move near or over the Bahamas before heading to Florida, according to the National Weather Service.
When Nicole touches down in eastern Florida, cities may see flash flooding, with more than 6 inches of rainfall possible from West Palm Beach to Cape Canaveral.
NASA said it does not plan to move the Artemis 1 rocket off the launch pad in Cape Canaveral as a precaution. The unmanned rocket, which will travel to orbit the moon, is scheduled for launch Nov. 14. The launch has already been delayed several times, including by Hurricane Ian.
The highest storm surge is expected from West Palm Beach to southern Georgia, where water could rise up to 6 feet.
A storm surge is also possible on Florida’s west coast, where Tampa could see water rise up to 3 feet.
Nicole will weaken as it moves north through Florida on Thursday, but heavy rain will continue to be a threat.
Nicole will then drop heavy rain in the Carolinas, mid-Atlantic and New England regions. Rainfall of 3 to 4 inches is possible from Raleigh, North Carolina, to New York to Boston on Friday into Saturday morning.
ABC News’ Max Golembo, Kenton Gewecke, Melissa Griffin, Samantha Wnek and Ginger Zee contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — An estimated $2.04 billion is up for grabs in Powerball’s latest jackpot as a delayed drawing occurred Tuesday morning.
The winning numbers are 10, 33, 41, 47, 56 and Powerball of 10.
The drawing was delayed about 10 hours as Powerball announced Monday night that the scheduled drawing “has been delayed due to a participating lottery needing extra time to complete the required security protocols.”
“Powerball has strict security requirements that must be met by all 48 lotteries before a drawing can occur,” Powerball said in a statement. “When the required security protocols are complete, the drawing will be performed under the supervision of lottery security officials and independent auditors.”
The winning numbers were drawn at about 9 a.m. Eastern Time Tuesday on the Powerball YouTube channel and posted to its website.
The drawing commenced after Powerball managed to resolve issued with one of its 48 lotteries.
Lottery officials had asked players for patience and to hold onto their tickets “as the required security procedures are completed by the one outstanding lottery.”
Monday’s $1.9 billion jackpot jumped to $2.04 billion Tuesday morning and is the world’s largest lottery prize ever offered, according to a press release from Powerball. The cash value is $929.1 million.
The jackpot grows based on game sales and interest. But the odds of winning the big prize stays the same — 1 in 292.2 million, Powerball said.
Monday’s Powerball drawing marked the 41st since the jackpot was last won on Aug. 3, tying the game record for the number of consecutive drawings without a grand prize winner, according to Powerball.
Despite there being no jackpot winner, more than 10.9 million tickets won cash prizes totaling $102.2 million in the latest drawing on Saturday night. The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9, Powerball said.
Jackpot winners can either take the money as an immediate cash lump sum or in 30 annual payments over 29 years. Both advertised prize options do not include federal and jurisdictional taxes, according to Powerball.
Tickets cost $2 and are sold in 45 U.S. states as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. More than half of all proceeds remain in the jurisdiction where the ticket was purchased, Powerball said.
Powerball drawings are broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee. The drawings are also livestreamed online at Powerball.com.
(NEW YORK) — A number of severe weather alerts are now in effect along Florida’s east coast as Subtropical Storm Nicole makes its way toward the Sunshine State.
The National Weather Service has warned that Nicole could be as strong as a hurricane when it arrives in eastern Florida late Wednesday.
The storm could impact election week in the southeastern U.S. state, where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is running against Democratic rival Charlie Crist and Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., is trying to unseat Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 34 of Florida’s 67 counties.
“While this storm does not, at this time, appear that it will become much stronger, I urge all Floridians to be prepared,” the governor said in a statement Monday. “We will continue to monitor the trajectory and strength of this storm as it moves towards Florida.”
Meanwhile, Florida Power & Light has urged customers to prepare for power outages and activated its emergency response plan ahead of Nicole’s potential impact on the state this week.
“[Hurricane] Ian saturated soil and weakened trees in many parts of the state, so Nicole could cause trees to topple over and other vegetation and debris to blow into overhead power lines and equipment, which may cause outages,” Florida Power & Light chairman and CEO Eric Silagy said in a statement Monday.
Nicole formed in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean on Monday, becoming the 14th named storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, which ends this month. Nicole’s center is expected to approach the northwestern Bahamas on Tuesday, move near or over those islands on Wednesday, then approach the east coast of Florida and make landfall there late Wednesday night. It will move across central and northern Florida into southern Georgia on Thursday, according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service.
Currently, Nicole wields maximum sustained winds of about 50 miles per hour, with higher gusts. Winds of 40 mph extend outward up to 380 miles from the storm’s center.
“Nicole is expected to make a transition to a tropical storm later today and begin strengthening, and it is forecast to be near or at hurricane strength by Wednesday and Wednesday night while it is moving near the northwestern Bahamas and approaching the east coast of Florida,” the National Weather Service said in a public advisory on Tuesday morning.
The National Weather Service has issued hurricane and tropical storm warnings for parts of the northwestern Bahamas. Tropical storm and storm surge warnings, tropical storm and storm surge watches as well as hurricane watches were issued for portions of southern and central Florida as well as coastal southeastern Georgia.
“Interests in the central Bahamas, the remainder of Florida, and along the southeastern coast of the United States should monitor the progress of Nicole,” the National Weather Service said in a public advisory on Tuesday morning. “Additional watches or warnings may be required later today.”
Hurricane conditions are expected in the northwestern Bahamas, within the hurricane warning area, on Wednesday, with tropical storm conditions beginning across the entire area by Tuesday night. A storm surge could raise water levels by as much as 4 to 6 feet above normal tide levels along the coast in areas of onshore winds, according to the National Weather Service.
Hurricane conditions are possible along Florida’s east coast, within the hurricane watch area, by Wednesday night, with tropical storm conditions expected to begin Tuesday night or early Wednesday. Tropical storm conditions are also possible along Florida’s west coast, within the watch area, by Wednesday night.
Through Friday, Nicole is expected to produce between 3 and 5 inches of rainfall across the northwestern Bahamas into the eastern, central and northern part of the Florida Peninsula, with a maximum of 7 inches for localized rain. Southeastern Georgia into portions of South Carolina could see 1 to 4 inches of rain. The storm’s “heavy rainfall” will spread north farther up the Eastern Seaboard late Thursday into Friday, the National Weather Service said.
Large swell waves generated by Nicole will affect the northwestern Bahamas, the east coast of Florida and much of the southeastern U.S. coast over the next several days.
“These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” the National Weather Service warned.
Tropical weather systems have the potential to quickly grow into hurricanes, while subtropical ones do not. A subtropical storm typically generates more rain and heavy thunderstorms. If a subtropical storm intensifies enough to have hurricane-force winds, then it has become fully tropical. There is no such thing as a subtropical hurricane, according to the National Weather Service.
(NEW YORK) — A California mother whose son was shot and killed in 2019 by police during a mental health crisis has partnered with local officials to create a mobile task force to aid those struggling with mental illness.
Taun Hall’s son, Miles, began showing signs of possible mental illness during his teenage years. He would later be diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and, as his symptoms progressed, Hall worried about Miles’ safety.
The fears were not unfounded: People with severe, untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed by police, according to Treatment Advocacy Center, a nonprofit based in Arlington, Va. Hall also worried about Miles as a Black man, which made him three times as likely as white people to be killed by law enforcement, according to a study by researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Hall reached out to law enforcement in her Walnut Creek neighborhood, a wealthy suburb a few miles from San Francisco, to alert them about her son’s mental health challenges. She also worked with her local mental health officer to open a channel of communication.
“I was trying to be preventive,” Hall said. “I was trying to get things handled before there was a problem.”
Miles’ condition worsened in 2019; he began experiencing delusions and sometimes referred to himself as “Jesus.” But he was 23, legally an adult, and Hall couldn’t force him to get help.
“You see your child going down a mental health kind of spiral… you can see the deterioration, but you can’t do anything to help him.”
When Hall saw Miles’ symptoms getting worse, she reached out to the mental health officer she’d been working with to aid Miles. Hall left a message for her, and called the local police department’s non-emergency line, trying to alert them to Miles’ condition in case her son encountered law enforcement. “I was like, ‘OK, if they know him, they’re gonna respond with care and compassion.’”
The next day, Miles was gardening with his grandmother. A neighbor loaned Miles a gardening tool, a long metal rod that resembled a crow bar. Miles began walking around with the rod, calling it his “staff from God.” He was walking around, saying he was Jesus, when he used the metal rod to break a sliding glass door at the family’s home, Hall said.
Miles came into the home and asked Hall and her husband to leave. They did, in an effort to de-escalate the situation, and Hall called 911. Hall told the 911 operator Miles had a metal rod.
About 10 minutes later, a neighbor called to tell Hall that Miles had been shot. According to police reports, officers responded to several calls that afternoon, not just Hall’s call.
Miles had been pounding on a neighbor’s door and several residents called police. Police footage shows officers calling Miles by his name, shouting at him to “stop” as he approached them, holding the metal rod. Despite their orders, Miles kept moving forward. Then, officers fired a bean-bag round, meant to stop a suspect but not do permanent damage. When that didn’t stop Miles, officers shot him several times with their handguns, killing him.
“The worst fricking moment of, you know, our lives was right then, right there.”
An internal investigation cleared the officers of wrongdoing.
In the years since her son’s death, Hall has worked with Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan to try to stop other families from experiencing the same tragedy. Hall realized that what would have been helpful to her was having someone to call who wasn’t the police. “We needed a different number to call. We needed a different response.”
Replacing police with mobile response units to address low-level calls — like those about mental health — is happening in many cities around the country. Oakland, California, began testing a pilot program in April. The new task force, called MACRO — Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland — was created to provide a first-response option that was separate from the police.
Oakland residents can access the task force by calling 911 and being connected to a special MACRO dispatch center. The task force’s interactions with the public come from what they call “on-view” calls. These take place when the team sees someone who may need assistance and offers resources and basic medical attention.
“If someone’s in need and you can put your eyes on them, you can stop and help them,” said program manager Elliott Jones. “And even if you’re just giving them a bottle of water and sitting them up straight, that’s maybe more compassion they’ve gotten and God knows how long.”
Each MACRO team has an EMT, a crisis intervention specialist and a minivan packed with supplies. The team doesn’t just address low-level mental health concerns. It also helps with homelessness, public intoxication and behavioral issues, among others.
Hall worked with Bauer-Kahan on a bill to expand funding for mental health services in California and Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill at the end of September, locking in an 8-year roadmap to fund mobile crisis units across California.
Accessible through the national suicide and crisis line — 988 — these services will connect users to crisis intervention specialists, counselors and peer support workers. Hall says that this is the response that could have helped her son.
“I can’t ever take back a phone call,” said Hall, referring to the 911 call she made the day her son was killed. “I can’t ever take back the officer shooting him…but I can take my pain to purpose and make sure this doesn’t happen to somebody else.”
If you are experiencing suicidal, substance use or other mental health crises please call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org.
(NEW YORK) — A tropical storm and storm surge warnings are now in effect along the east coast of Florida as Subtropical Storm Nicole makes its way toward the state, according to the National Weather Service.
The NWS warned Monday that Nicole could be as strong as a hurricane when it approaches Florida’s east coast later this week.
The storm could impact election week in the Sunshine State, where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is running against Democratic rival Charlie Crist and Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., is trying to unseat Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 34 counties.
“While this storm does not, at this time, appear that it will become much stronger, I urge all Floridians to be prepared,” he said in a statement. “We will continue to monitor the trajectory and strength of this storm as it moves towards Florida.”
Florida Power & Light is urging customers to prepare for power outages and has activated its emergency response plan ahead of Nicole’s potential impact on the state this week.
“[Hurricane] Ian saturated soil and weakened trees in many parts of the state, so Nicole could cause trees to topple over and other vegetation and debris to blow into overhead power lines and equipment, which may cause outages,” Eric Silagy, chairman and CEO of FPL, said in a statement.
Nicole formed in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean on Monday, becoming the 14th named storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, which ends this month. Nicole’s center will approach the northwestern Bahamas on Tuesday, move near or over those islands on Wednesday, then approach eastern Florida by Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service.
Currently, Nicole wields maximum sustained winds of about 45 miles per hour, with higher gusts. Winds of 40 mph or greater extend outward up to 275 miles to the east of the storm’s center.
“Gradual strengthening is forecast during the next few days, and Nicole could be near or at hurricane intensity by Wednesday or Wednesday night while it is moving near the northwestern Bahamas,” the National Weather Service said in a public advisory issued Monday morning.
A tropical storm watch is now in effect for the northwestern Bahamas.
Tropical storm conditions are possible in the northwestern Bahamas by Tuesday night or early Wednesday. A storm surge could raise water levels by as much as 3 to 5 feet above normal tide levels along the coast in areas of onshore winds, according to the National Weather Service.
Nicole is expected to produce between 2 and 4 inches of rainfall across the northwestern Bahamas Tuesday through Thursday, with a maximum of 6 inches for localized rain. The storm is expected to bring “heavy rainfall” to parts of Florida and the southeastern United States by mid- to late week, the National Weather Service said.
Between 4 and 7 inches of rainfall is possible along the eastern coastline from Florida to the Carolinas. Tropical storm-force winds of 60 to 70 mph are also in the forecast, depending how much Nicole strengthens. The storm could lead to beach erosion, rough surf and rip currents.
Tropical weather systems have the potential to quickly grow into hurricanes, while subtropical ones do not. A subtropical storm typically generates more rain and heavy thunderstorms. If a subtropical storm intensifies enough to have hurricane-force winds, then it has become fully tropical. There is no such thing as a subtropical hurricane, according to the National Weather Service.
(NEW YORK) — An estimated $1.9 billion is up for grabs in the latest Powerball jackpot, lottery officials said.
But you’ll have to wait to see if there’s a winning ticket, as Powerball announced Monday night that the drawing “has been delayed due to a participating lottery needing extra time to complete the required security protocols.”
“Powerball has strict security requirements that must be met by all 48 lotteries before a drawing can occur,” Powerball said in a press release. “When the required security protocols are complete, the drawing will be performed under the supervision of lottery security officials and independent auditors.”
There was no indication as to how long the delay would be, but Powerball said the winning numbers would be posted to its website — which stated “results pending” as of late Monday — and YouTube channel.
Monday’s jackpot is the world’s largest lottery prize ever offered, according to a press release from Powerball. The cash value is $929.1 million.
The jackpot grows based on game sales and interest. But the odds of winning the big prize stays the same — 1 in 292.2 million, Powerball said.
Monday’s Powerball drawing will be the 41st since the jackpot was last won on Aug. 3, tying the game record for the number of consecutive drawings without a grand prize winner, according to Powerball.
Despite there being no jackpot winner, more than 10.9 million tickets won cash prizes totaling $102.2 million in the latest drawing on Saturday night. The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9, Powerball said.
Jackpot winners can either take the money as an immediate cash lump sum or in 30 annual payments over 29 years. Both advertised prize options do not include federal and jurisdictional taxes, according to Powerball.
Tickets cost $2 and are sold in 45 U.S. states as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. More than half of all proceeds remain in the jurisdiction where the ticket was purchased, Powerball said.
Powerball drawings are broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee. The drawings are also livestreamed online at Powerball.com.
(BOSTON) — At least one person was killed and five others were wounded in three separate shootings across Boston on Sunday night, police said.
The shootings happened in three different neighborhoods of Massachusetts’ capital city within a span of about 40 minutes, according to the Boston Police Department.
The first was reported at around 9:10 p.m. local time in Mattapan. Officers responded to the scene and found two people suffering from gunshot woulds. Both victims were transported to a local hospital, where one of them — a man — was pronounced dead, police said. The other victim is expected to survive, police said.
The second shooting was reported at about 9:40 p.m. local time in Dorchester. Upon arrival, officers located a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, police said. He was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to police.
The third shooting was reported at around 9:45 p.m. local time in Hyde Park. Upon arrival, officers found a man suffering from a gunshot wound, police said. He was transported to a local hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Then, just after 10 p.m. local time, officers received a report of two men suffering from gunshot wounds who showed up at the emergency department at a local hospital. A preliminary investigation found that both men were victims of the Hyde Park shooting that night. They are expected to survive, police said.
The investigations into the shootings are ongoing. Anyone with information on the incidents is urged to contact the Boston Police Department at 617-343-4500. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call the CrimeStoppers tip lune at 1-800-494-TIPS or by texting the word “TIP” to CRIME (27463).
“The Boston Police Department is actively reviewing the facts and circumstances,” police said in a statement early Monday. “The Boston Police Department will stringently guard and protect the identities of all those who wish to help this investigation in an anonymous manner.”
