(LOS ANGELES) — The Los Angeles City Council elected Paul Krekorian as its new council president a week after the previous president resigned following a leaked recording of her making racist and offensive comments about the family of a fellow council member.
“Paul is a committed and conscientious leader who can bring a smart, collaborative, and effective approach to a painful moment when Angelenos deserve steady leadership on the City Council,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement Tuesday. “I am confident that he’ll assemble a leadership team of bridge builders, and I’ll work closely with the Council to help heal the wounds caused by the hateful words of a few.”
The city council has been embroiled in controversy after a recording posted anonymously to Reddit earlier this month captured then-council President Nury Martinez making allegedly racist and offensive comments about a fellow council member’s son.
Protesters called on Martinez to resign and have continued to call for the resignations of Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León, the two other city council members heard on the recording.
“Our collective mission must be partnering to press forward on the causes of racial justice and inclusive government — and pushing for new reforms to bring greater transparency, fairness, and decency to how business is conducted and people are treated by those who represent them at City Hall,” Garcetti said in a statement.
(UVALDE, Texas) — A teenager was arrested in Uvalde, Texas, in connection to a threat they allegedly made to carry out a shooting at Uvalde High School, the school district said.
Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District sent an email to faculty and parents on Tuesday morning stating the individual made the threat via social media, which was reported on the bullying prevention app STOPit.
“The Uvalde PD working in conjunction with Texas Department of Public Safety investigators located and arrested the juvenile last night,” the email reads.
Uvalde Police Department’s Lt. Javier Martinez confirmed the arrest of a male high school student on Monday evening, but told ABC News, “He was threatening another student. He wasn’t threatening to shoot the school.” He provided no further comment, stating only that “DPS is working the incident with our assistance.”
The Uvalde Police Department told ABC News in a statement Tuesday that a 16-year-old was taken into custody on felony terroristic threat charges. The suspect, who won’t be identified because they are a minor, admitted to police they threatened another juvenile over social media, according to the police department.
The Uvalde school district and Texas Department of Public Safety did not immediately return ABC News’ requests for comment.
In the email sent to faculty and parents, the district said it immediately notified law enforcement of the report of the threat received via the app. The UCISD website states, “STOPit allows you to privately report bullying going on at school. Throughout the school year, students from any campus will be able to use this app to report dangers, threats, and bullying they may be experiencing.”
“We understand that this message may cause additional stress for some of you, however we believe it is important to communicate these situations when they occur. We will continue to work with state and local law enforcement agencies to help keep our students and staff safe,” the email to faculty and parents says.
The threat came just shy of five months after the school shooting at the district’s Robb Elementary which resulted in the deaths of 19 students and two teachers. The community has been on edge since, as bombshell details of the shooting have emerged amid the prolonged investigation, which many families say has yet to provide the accountability and transparency victims’ they continue to plead for.
(NEW YORK) — Thousands of customers in the Great Lakes are without power on Tuesday after heavy snowfall combined with leaves still on trees caused many branches to fall on power lines.
Across the U.S., 28 states are under frost and freeze alerts from Colorado to New York. Actual temperatures are in the 20s and even teens. In the upper Midwest, temperatures in the 30s are widespread, with record cold dipping into the Ohio Valley and parts of the mid-South. Wind chills are in the single digits in North Dakota and Minnesota.
The freeze reaches the Gulf Coast on Wednesday, where temperatures could fall into the upper 20s and lower 30s.
Up to 18 inches of lake-effect snow fell in northern Wisconsin and up to 14 inches of snow fell in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on Monday.
Marquette, Michigan, saw record snowfall of 9.1 inches Monday.
Chicago received its first snow of the season on Monday and Indianapolis saw its first snowfall on Tuesday.
Lake-effect snow also fell in northern Indiana, with some areas getting as much as 4 inches.
Dozens of record-low temperatures are expected across the South on Wednesday. Raleigh, North Carolina, could see its first frost of the season.
Some of the cold will swing into the Northeast with temperatures expected to be in the upper 30s on Wednesday morning.
Frost and freeze alerts have been issued for the Northeast, including Philadelphia, but the frosty conditions will stay away from Washington, D.C., New York City and Boston for now.
Temperatures in the West could reach, if not break, records highs on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Seven cities are expected to see near-record or record-high temperatures on Tuesday, with twice as many near-record or record-high temperatures forecast on Wednesday. Twelve cities are expected to see record or near-record high temperatures on the West Coast Thursday.
But temperatures are expected to be much cooler over the weekend and wet weather is on the way with mountain snow.
(MARIETTA, Ohio) — A small plane crashed in a car dealership parking lot in Marietta, Ohio, Tuesday morning, leaving the pilot and a passenger dead, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The pilot and passenger were the only people aboard the twin-engine Beechcraft BE9L, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The accident at the Pioneer Buick GMA dealership sparked a fire that took about 30 minutes to extinguish, said Marietta police.
Police do not believe anyone on the ground was injured.
Marietta is located in southeast Ohio along the West Virginia border.
(MARIETTA, Ohio) — A small plane has crashed in a car dealership parking lot in Marietta, Ohio, according to police.
The accident sparked a fire that took about 30 minutes to extinguish, said Marietta police. Marietta is located in southeast Ohio along the West Virginia border.
Police do not believe anyone on the ground was injured. Information on the passengers and pilot were not immediately clear.
(STOCKTON, Calif.) — The suspected Stockton, California, serial killer is due to make his first court appearance Tuesday afternoon after police say he was apprehended while “out hunting” for another victim this weekend.
Wesley Brownlee, a 43-year-old Stockton resident who police say is linked to six slayings, was arrested early Saturday while driving, Stockton police chief Stanley McFadden said.
Ahead of Brownlee’s arraignment on Tuesday, the police chief said the suspect was near perfect in covering up his tracks and being careful.
“He didn’t make many mistakes. We know he purposely stayed in the dark,” McFadden said Monday.
Both police and the San Joaquin District Attorney’s Office said it’s remarkable they were able to make an arrest in less than 90 days of the crime spree.
Authorities said they zeroed in on Brownlee from tips. Police said they then surveilled him as he allegedly prowled the streets for another victim.
McFadden said Brownlee was apprehended while wearing dark clothing and a mask around his neck. Police said he was also armed with a gun.
“He was on a mission to kill. He was out hunting,” McFadden said in a statement. “We are sure we stopped another killing.”
The six slayings — all fatal shootings of men — spanned from April 2021 to September 2022, according to police.
Five of the six killings were in Stockton; one was in Oakland, about 70 miles away. All of the shootings were at night or in the early morning.
A seventh victim, a 46-year-old woman, was shot in April 2021 and survived her injuries, police said.
(LAS VEGAS) — Las Vegas police released body camera footage on Monday showing the moment a man allegedly fired 18 shots at two officers, killing one of them.
Despite being mortally wounded, Officer Truong Thai returned fire as he laid on the ground. The suspect — Tyson Hampton, 24, of Las Vegas — was arrested several blocks away after the pre-dawn shooting on Oct. 13, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said.
“The blue vehicle that Hampton was driving doesn’t just accelerate and try to leave the area. He’s driving very slowly as he fires back at the officers and the citizens on the street,” Las Vegas Police Assistant Sheriff Andy Walsh said during a press conference on Monday, while playing videos from both officers’ body-worn cameras.
Hampton faces eight felony charges, including murder and attempted murder, as well as one count of misdemeanor domestic battery. He made an initial court appearance on Oct. 14, where he did not speak and was temporarily represented by a deputy public defender. He is being held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas, pending his arraignment on Tuesday.
“The tragic part about this is (that) from the evidence, this defendant was being investigated for a misdemeanor,” Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson told reporters on Oct. 14. “That’s why it’s a sad day. It didn’t have to happen. This officer didn’t have to lose his life.”
Hampton’s wife had called 911 at about 1 a.m., saying she had been battered by her husband. Thai and Officer Ryan Gillihan were assigned to respond. Gillihan arrived first and spoke with Hampton’s wife, who was with her mother, several blocks east of the Las Vegas Strip. Hampton was sitting in his car a short distance away, according to police.
Footage from Thai’s body camera shows the officer arriving on scene and walking over to Hampton’s car to ask him “what’s going on,” but the man didn’t reply. Thai tells Hampton to put his hands on the steering wheel, which he does without saying anything, even as the officer asks him again “what’s going on tonight.” Hampton then looks over to the passenger side of the vehicle and removes his right hand from the steering wheel. Thai reaches into the car and attempts to control Hampton’s arm while ordering him to “get out of the car.”
As Hampton begins to drive away, Thai walks backward to his patrol vehicle while Gillihan walks toward Hampton’s car. Hampton then points a gun out of the driver’s side window and unleashes a barrage of bullets, striking his mother-in-law and Thai, who was wearing a ballistic vest. Both officers fire back as Hampton drives away from the area, as seen in their bodycam videos.
A short time later, Hampton’s vehicle was spotted by another officer driving not far from where the shooting occurred. Hampton refused to stop for all marked police vehicles and a PIT maneuver (precision immobilization technique) was conducted. Hampton was then taken into custody with the assistance of a K9 unit, according to police.
Thai, who was shot in the torso, was transported to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas, where he died from his wounds. He was 49 and had been a member of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department since 1999. Hampton’s mother-in-law was also transported to the hospital for treatment of a non-life-threatening injury, police said.
(NEW YORK) — A mother allegedly admitted to intentionally killing her 5-year-old daughter before taking her to the hospital where her body was found partially wrapped in plastic and mesh bags, police say.
The incident occurred on Sunday when Melissa Towne drove to HCA Tomball Hospital, located just north of Houston, Texas, at approximately 12 p.m. and asked hospital personnel for a wheelchair because “her daughter’s body was hurting,” according to a statement from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
“An emergency room nurse walked to Towne’s Jeep Cherokee, where she found Towne’s 5-year-old daughter partially wrapped in plastic and mesh bags,” the statement read. “The child was unresponsive and a laceration was visible on the child’s neck.”
The 5-year-old girl was pronounced dead 10 minutes later.
The Tomball Police Department was notified about the death and responded to the hospital where Towne was detained and reportedly told the authorities that she killed her daughter at Spring Creek Park before driving her to the hospital, police say.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office Homicide and Crime Scene Units responded to the crime scene and took over the investigation into the death.
“Towne was transported to the Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit, where she provided investigators with a statement admitting to intentionally killing her daughter,” police said in their statement released to the media. “The Harris County District Attorney’s Office accepted a charge of Capital Murder against Melissa Towne and she was booked into the Harris County Jail.”
ABC New’s Houston station KTRK-TV obtained a statement from the surviving members of the little girl’s family.
“We ask for privacy and respect for [the victim’s] father, James, and our family as we all figure out how to grieve her horrible loss and try to figure out how to go on from here. [The 5-year-old girl] has grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and a father that all loved her dearly and never thought such a tragic event would happen to such an innocent child. She will always hold a special place in all of our hearts. We will always remember her as the sweetest little girl who never met a stranger. She was so full of love and giggles and her bright blue eyes shined so full of curiosity. We are hoping and praying justice will be served and the heartless monster who took our sweet girl away from us pay for the innocent life she took,” the statement said.
The initial probable cause magistrate judge set Towne’s bond at $15 million, according to KTRK.
A spokesperson with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services also released a statement to KTRK regarding the case against Towne.
“Child Protective Services is investigating this tragic death alongside law enforcement. The child’s mother, Melissa Towne, does have prior history with CPS, but specific details of CPS investigations are confidential according to law,” the statement read. “Ms. Towne has three additional children ranging in age from 2 years old to 18 years old, who are safe and have been living with other family members.”
It’s unclear if there were any potential witnesses, according to authorities.
The investigation into the alleged murder is ongoing.
(NEW YORK) — Two Wyoming college wrestlers have been seriously injured when they were ambushed in a gruesome attack by a grizzly bear while hunting over the weekend.
The incident occurred on Saturday in Cody, Wyoming, when the two men encountered the bear at close range while they were in heavy cover antler hunting west of the Bobcat Houlihan trailhead on the Shoshone National Forest, the Wyoming Game & Fish Department said in a press release detailing the incident.
One of the men said he jumped on the grizzly to try and get him off his friend, Brady Lowry.
“I grabbed and yanked him hard by the ear,” Kendall Cummings told Cowboy State Daily.
“I could hear when his teeth would hit my skull, I could feel when he’d bite down on my bones and they’d kind of crunch,” Cummings continued.
The two men were somehow able to break free from the attack and call 911 which elicited an immediate response from both Park County Search and Rescue and personnel from the Wyoming Game & Fish Department.
“With the assistance of a hunter in the area, a local resident and other members of their party, the two men were able to reach the trailhead where they met search and rescue and were transported from the area,” said the Wyoming Game & Fish Department.
One of the victims was flown by helicopter to a local hospital while the other was taken by an ambulance, authorities said.
Both men, wrestling teammates at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming, reportedly underwent multiple surgeries after sustaining major lacerations to the body and face. Lowry has a broken arm, reports said.
“Special thanks to Park County Search and Rescue and the Park County Sheriff’s office for their quick response and coordination of the rescue,” said Dan Smith, Cody Region wildlife supervisor.
An investigation into the attack is ongoing but authorities say this just appears to be a “sudden, surprise encounter with a grizzly bear.”
Officials added that there has been “an abundance of bear activity at low elevations” throughout the region in the last few weeks and urged people to use a lot of caution in the area where the attack took place.
“In the vicinity where the attack occurred, reports from landowners and hunters indicate there may be six to 10 different bears moving between agricultural fields and low elevation slopes,” Smith said. “Game and Fish will continue to monitor bear activity in the area and work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to make management decisions in the best interest of public safety.”
“This is a sad and unfortunate situation, we wish both victims a full and speedy recovery,” Smith added.
For now, however, both Lowry and Cummings are counting their blessings and consider themselves lucky to have survived the attack at all.
“I don’t know what I’m going to pay him back, I don’t. I owe him everything, Brady Lowry told the Cowboy Daily Press regarding Cummings’ quick actions that potentially saved his life. “We’ll be best friends for the rest of our lives.”
(ST. LOUIS, Mo.) — A considerable amount of radioactive waste was found at a Missouri elementary school near St. Louis, according to a new report.
In August, Boston Chemical Data Corp. studied soil, dust and plant samples at Jana Elementary School in Florissant, Missouri, according to the company’s report.
Boston Chemical Data’s finding coincides with findings from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which first detected radioactive contaminants near the school in 2018 and again in 2019, 2020 and 2021, the report said.
“The results show the presence of low-level radioactive contamination on this property located in the banks of Coldwater Creek within the property boundary,” the Army Corps told the superintendent of the Hazelwood School District earlier this year, according to the report.
The company said that it tested soil samples from as much as six feet below the ground surface, but it’s unclear how deep the radioactive contamination goes.
The school is in the flood plain of Coldwater Creek, which was contaminated with uranium and other radioactive waste during World War II.
According to the reports, engineers studied samples from homes in the same neighborhood of the school facing the creek. They found the same type of radioactive material discovered at Jana Elementary, both outside and inside the homes in the neighborhood.
In 2019, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry found that the waste would enter homes from the creek because of flooding, Boston Chemical Data Corp. said.
The Hazelwood School District, where Jana Elementary School is located, said in a statement that it’s aware of the report concerning the radioactive waste.
“Safety is always our top priority, and we are actively discussing the implications of the findings,” the district said. “The Board of Education will be consulting with attorneys and experts in the area of testing to determine next steps.”
