Why archbishop turned to sign language to talk to Uvalde survivors

Why archbishop turned to sign language to talk to Uvalde survivors
Why archbishop turned to sign language to talk to Uvalde survivors
Nick Wagner/Xinhua via Getty Images

(UVALDE, Texas) — Archbishop of San Antonio Gustavo García-Siller has been traveling to Uvalde, Texas, to “walk with the community” as it grapples with the horrific shooting this past May.

García-Siller spends time with the residents and leads Mass services for the community. For the past two and a half months, he has borne witness to the town’s “collective wound,” he said.

When faced with the magnitude of emotions that accompanies tragedy, words often fail, which is why he’s utilizing another way to make a connection with the children of Uvalde.

The archbishop said he has met with children from the community to encourage them, but when he tried to ask them to express their feelings, they had trouble, likely due to emotional distress. But when he used sign language for words such as “sad,” “happy,” or “peace,” they were receptive and responsive, helping him and their families understand what they were feeling, García-Siller told ABC News Correspondent John Quinones.

The archbishop said one of his first concerns was that children he met weren’t able to communicate their feelings verbally. “It’s hard for people to talk… to express a feeling,” he said. But after sensing fourth and fifth graders’ participation during a partially signed homily, he went home to brush up on his American Sign Language skills. What they could not previously communicate verbally, they were able to through hand motions.

The archbishop could gauge the children’s emotional states, and how they felt sad but desired to feel peace, he said. “It was a breakthrough. I felt so happy that I was able to connect with them,” said García-Siller, who has now integrated the practice into his work with children.

“Because the children trust me,” he said, when asked why he attended a local private school’s back-to-school student-teacher meet-and-greet Monday morning.

Meanwhile, the parents of victims have presented the church leader with deep questions regarding faith and forgiveness, he said. What surprised him was how many parents asked not about why God would take their children away, but rather, if God was with their little girls and boys. “They wanted to know that God was taking care of their child,” he said.

The archbishop described a community aching for trust. He said that while children often gain trust by “just sitting [at] the same table eating cookies,” the adults in Uvalde need “servant leaders” who will reestablish “mutual trust.” The archbishop also said he has a message for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

“We don’t need to show power at this time. Power, at this time, and it will be for a while, diminishes people. We need you to accompany them. To walk with them,” he said. “If mistakes were made, walk with them to resolve them. Don’t bring all that power and all those arms and all that control.”

In the meantime, García-Siller plans to continue to do just that: walk with Uvalde.

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Millions of people in Midwest to experience ‘extreme heat belt’ by 2053: Report

Millions of people in Midwest to experience ‘extreme heat belt’ by 2053: Report
Millions of people in Midwest to experience ‘extreme heat belt’ by 2053: Report
Bloomberg via Getty Images/FILE

(NEW YORK) — Millions of Americans are at risk of experiencing an “extreme heat belt” that would affect parts of the Midwest over the next three decades, according to a new report from the nonprofit research group First Street Foundation.

By 2053, 1,023 counties, an area home to more than 107 million Americans and covers a quarter of U.S. land, are expected to see the heat index, or the feels-like temperature, surpass 125 degrees Fahrenheit at least one day a year, according to the report, which was released Monday.

According to the First Street Foundation’s study, those high temperatures, considered extremely dangerous by the National Weather Service, are expected to affect 8 million Americans this year and increase 13 times over 30 years.

The “extreme heat belt” extends from Texas’ northern border and Louisiana north through Iowa, Indiana and Illinois, the report shows.

Other parts of the country are expected to see hotter temperatures, harming people living in areas not used to excessive heat, the report found.

“This reality suggests that a 10% temperature increase in Maine can be as dangerous as a 10% increase in Texas, even as the absolute temperature increase in Texas is much higher,” researchers wrote in the report.

The researchers cited the changing condition in the environment that’s leading to higher temperatures and more humid conditions.

“When everyone thinks of this extreme summer we [are having], this is probably one of the best summers over the next 30 years,” Matthew Eby, founder and CEO of the First Street Foundation, told ABC News. “It’s going to get much worse.”

Extreme temperatures can cause health issues, from fatigue to life-threatening problems such as heat strokes.

Scientists have said that prolonged heat waves result from climate change, particularly in different countries at the same time, as was the case last month in parts of the continental U.S. and Europe.

Jason Smerdon, a climate scientist for the Columbia Climate School’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in New York, told ABC News last month that extreme heat is a “basic consequence of climate change.”

“While each heat wave itself is different and has individual dynamics behind it, the probability of these events is a direct consequence of the warming planet,” Smerdon said.

The First Street Foundation is a Brooklyn, New York-based nonprofit research and technology group that quantifies climate risks.

ABC News’ Julia Jacobo contributed to this report.

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99-year-old woman ‘absolutely ecstatic’ to meet her 100th great-grandchild

99-year-old woman ‘absolutely ecstatic’ to meet her 100th great-grandchild
99-year-old woman ‘absolutely ecstatic’ to meet her 100th great-grandchild
ABC News

(NEW YORK) — A 99-year-old Pennsylvania woman got to meet her 100th great-grandchild in person earlier this month.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime event for Marguerite “Peg” Koller — also known as “grandmom” to Christine Stokes Balster and her husband Patrick Balster — who was “absolutely ecstatic” to greet baby Koller William Balster after his birth on Aug. 4.

“We went to grandmom’s, introduced her to Koller, who was named after that family name,” Stokes Balster, of Lafayette Hill, told “Good Morning America.” “…She was absolutely ecstatic. Limited words for sure. She was just so happy and felt so blessed and lucky to be holding him.”

“You could feel the emotion and the gratitude and [she] just felt blessed again that she got to hold yet another great-grandbaby, and this one named after my grandfather,” the mom of two added.

In total, the 99-year-old matriarch has 11 children, 56 grandchildren and 100 great-grandkids. Koller was lucky number 100 and arrived a week after his due date, weighing in at 9 pounds, 6 ounces.

“It was a race to 100,” Stokes Balster explained. “My cousin Colleen and I were just a day apart [for] our due dates, and she had the 99th great-grandchild, who is absolutely healthy and beautiful. So you know, just grateful, blessed to have another few babies joining this great family.”

Koller is the second child for Stokes Balster and her husband, who are also parents to Griffin David Balster, 22 months. Griffin David was named after his uncle, Stokes Balster’s late brother David Stokes, who died of brain cancer in 1990.

The Balsters said they wanted another name that was just as meaningful for their second son.

“We wanted to do like a name that was equally significant,” Patrick Balster told “GMA.” “I’ve always loved the name Cole. And Chris one day was like, ‘Hey, how about Koller? This could be baby number 100 for great-grandmom.’ We thought about Koller and we went for Koller William … William Koller was her grandfather’s name [Peg Koller’s late husband, who died in 2008]. And then ‘William’ is also on my side of the family, I’m fourth-generation William, middle name. So we’re like, it just made sense. It felt good.”

The couple kept their baby’s name a secret until after he was born.

“I think each one of my mom’s siblings — she’s one of 11 — just felt that it was such an honor to my late grandfather and the family name,” Stokes Balster said. “[It was] so much love, so much support immediately once we revealed what his name was, and even more special that he was the 100th great-grandchild. So the timing was just right.”

Peg Koller will turn 100 this November and the Balsters are looking forward to spending more time with their family matriarch. They say among the “secrets” to her longevity is working out twice a day and the love and support of their family.

“Faith and family really get her going,” Stokes Balster said. “She is present no matter what is going on and however old she is. I mean she never misses a graduation, a baptism, a wedding, a book moment at grade school. Whatever it is, she’s always there.”

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Woman killed in alligator attack in South Carolina

Woman killed in alligator attack in South Carolina
Woman killed in alligator attack in South Carolina
Tom Wozniak / 500px / Getty Images

(SUN CITY HILTON HEAD, S.C.) — A woman was killed in an apparent alligator attack in South Carolina on Monday, officials said.

The large alligator was spotted “near the edge of a pond” in Sun City Hilton Head, an adult-only community, “guarding what was believed to be a person,” the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said.

Responders found the gator and a dead person, the sheriff’s office said. The victim hasn’t been identified.

The gator is still being recovered from the pond, according to the sheriff’s office.

Alligators are active during spring and summer, because when temperatures rise, their metabolism increases and they look for food, Melody Kilborn, a spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, told ABC News last month.

Kilborn urged people to follow these safety tips: alligators are most active at night, so only swim in designated swimming areas during daylight hours; never feed an alligator; and keep your pets on a leash and away from the water’s edge.

ABC News’ Darren Reynolds contributed to this report.

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Former federal prosecutor reveals ‘powder keg’ in FBI raid on Trump

Former federal prosecutor reveals ‘powder keg’ in FBI raid on Trump
Former federal prosecutor reveals ‘powder keg’ in FBI raid on Trump
John Roca/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images, FILE

(WASHINGTON) — Last Monday, FBI officials raided former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Fla., executing a court-ordered search warrant the Department of Justice later revealed was related to possible violations of three criminal statutes.

Officers seized a total of 27 boxes from Mar-a-Lago, with 11 containing classified documents — including top secret information.

ABC News contributor and former federal prosecutor Kan Nawaday spoke with ABC News’ Phil Lipof about what stands out to him in the search warrant, the top secret materials in the boxes and what officials are likely doing now.

PRIME: ABC News contributor and former federal prosecutor Kan Nawaday again with us tonight for some insight on all of this. Kan, thanks for being here. Let’s take a look at the search warrant first. We both have a copy of it. What stands out to you in the search warrant?

NAWADAY: First off, the huge big powder keg in this is the fact that the judge found probable cause to believe that there was a violation of the Espionage Act.

PRIME: And that’s no small feat. We’re talking about espionage here.

NAWADAY: Exactly. What that means is that they think that there was mishandling of top secret information that was transmitted to unauthorized persons. This is the exact same statute that [National Security Agency whistleblower Edward] Snowden was charged with.

PRIME: All right. So let’s move on to the receipt here, the things that they say they took in this search of the former president’s home. You can see at the top a grant of clemency for Roger Stone, information on the president of France, then we see as you move down secret documents, miscellaneous, then we have top secret documents, confidential documents, more top secret documents. Talk about top secret for a minute, because, you know, people can throw that term around, but what does that mean?

NAWADAY: And you’re exactly right. Feel like people throw that term around. But it’s actually very, very specific. What top secret means is a type of document or information that if it gets out there, it can cause exceptionally grave damage to our national security. So it’s really important stuff, it’s sensitive stuff. And the thing that sticks out to me is item “2A,” various TS/SCI documents.

PRIME: That SCI.

NAWADAY: Right, SCI means this is top secret stuff that can only, and should only, be viewed within a certain facility that’s basically protected from data leaks.

PRIME: They’re called skiffs, right?

NAWADAY: Exactly.

PRIME: No phones allowed, nothing. This is where you view these documents exactly.

NAWADAY: Like you cannot take your phone in, you’re not going to get any emails…that’s how sensitive this material is, and they have it there.

PRIME: So then what do they have to do now? Are they concerned about people who may have seen this or where this material may have gone?

NAWADAY: Absolutely. My money’s on what the FBI, and national security professionals are doing right now — they’re looking through everything they’ve gotten from the search and they’re trying to figure out who else may have seen this highly sensitive material.

PRIME: That’s a big task. Yes. Especially with everything that we see they took. OK. Former federal prosecutor and ABC News contributor Kan Nowaday, thanks so much for joining us again, we do appreciate it.

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Man arrested for 1992 double murder says he was ‘very drunk,’ has ‘snippets’ of memories of crime

Man arrested for 1992 double murder says he was ‘very drunk,’ has ‘snippets’ of memories of crime
Man arrested for 1992 double murder says he was ‘very drunk,’ has ‘snippets’ of memories of crime
Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images

(WEYAUWEGA, Wisc.) — A Wisconsin man, 51-year-old Tony Haase, has been arrested for a 1992 double murder after police used DNA from a recent traffic stop to connect him to the crime. He told police last week he was in a “drunken stupor” and has “snippets” of memories of the crime, according to the criminal complaint.

On March 21, 1992, Timothy Mumbrue, Tanna Togstad and Togstad’s dog were found stabbed to death at Togstad’s Weyauwega, Wisconsin, home, according to the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

The murders went unsolved for decades, even as police collected DNA, re-tested evidence, conducted interviews and executed search warrants, according to the criminal complaint.

At one point Haase was identified in the investigation, the criminal complaint said. A DNA sample was taken from a pen Haase used during a traffic stop in July 2022, and that DNA sample was determined to be a match to fluids on Togstad’s body, the complaint said.

In a police interview on Aug. 11, 2022, Haase revealed his father was friends with Togstad’s father, according to the complaint.

Haase told investigators that he’d never been to Togstad’s home and denied involvement in the murders, the complaint said.

But Haase also told police “he had ‘snippets/blurbs’ of memories through the years that he attributed to the murders,” the complaint said. “Those ‘snippets’ included remembering walking down the front steps of the house and vomiting in the yard” and leaving her driveway, the complaint said.

Haase said those memories “made him very nervous and scared that he was involved,” according to the complaint.

He later told police that his father died a snowmobile accident when he was a child. Haase said several people were racing and collided, and that one of the snowmobile drivers was Togstad’s father, the complaint said.

Haase told police that the night of the crime, he got “very drunk” and started thinking about his father’s death, which led him to thinking about going to Togstad’s home, the complaint said.

In a “drunken stupor,” Haase said he had a “scuffle” with Mumbrue, “and he moved his arm in a stabbing motion toward Mumbrue’s chest,” the complaint said.

Haase said Togstad yelled, “what the f—” and he then punched her in the face, the complaint said.

When “Togstad started to ‘stir,'” he said he stabbed her in the chest, the complaint said.

Haase said the crime was not planned and “he did not know why he did it,” according to the complaint. He said when he “saw the news report he thought ‘Holy f—, what did I do,'” the complaint said.

Haase, of Weyauwega, was charged Friday with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, the Wisconsin Department of Justice announced Monday. He does not have an attorney. He has not entered a plea and is due back in court on Tuesday.

ABC News’ Alex Faul contributed to this report.

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New heat wave builds as flash flooding targets several states

New heat wave builds as flash flooding targets several states
New heat wave builds as flash flooding targets several states
ABC News

(NEW YORK) — A new heat wave is building in the South and West as flash flooding targets several Western states.

Heat advisories are in effect across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

The heat index — what a temperature feels like — is forecast Monday to jump to a sweltering 106 degrees in Jackson, Mississippi; 100 in New Orleans and Houston; 103 in Dallas; and 104 in Austin, Texas; Shreveport, Louisiana; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Oklahoma City.

An excessive heat watch has also been issued on the West Coast.

On Wednesday, temperatures in California are expected to climb to 108 in Bakersfield and Fresno, 105 in Sacramento and 110 in Redding. Temperatures are also forecast to reach the triple digits in Oregon and Washington.

Meanwhile, flash flooding targeted drought-stricken Texas over the weekend, dropping 5 to 10 inches of rain on extremely dry soil.

Corpus Christi saw a record rainfall of 2.29 inches on Sunday.

Flash flooding also covered roads in Arizona on Sunday; some areas saw up to 4 inches of rain this weekend.

Four states are under flood alerts Monday morning, from Texas to Colorado.

Arizona is now getting a break from the monsoon rain, but the same system that brought flooding to Corpus Christi will move into the Arizona by the end of the week with more heavy rain.

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Viral TikTok trend sparks dramatic rise in car thefts

Viral TikTok trend sparks dramatic rise in car thefts
Viral TikTok trend sparks dramatic rise in car thefts
5./15 WEST/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — A viral TikTok trend has sparked a rash of car thefts in cities across the U.S.

The TikTok videos demonstrate how a person can start a car without a key by using only a screwdriver and a USB phone charger to hot-wire automobiles, with some Kia and Hyundai models particularly vulnerable.

In Cook County, Illinois, which includes Chicago, the state’s most populous city, local authorities say they’ve seen a 767% increase in Kia and Hyundai car thefts since 2021. Since July 1, the county has received 642 reported Kia and Hyndai vehicle thefts, a dramatic rise from last year’s 74 reported thefts.

“This is an extremely concerning trend and the public needs to know so they can be vigilant in protecting themselves,” Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart said in a statement.

The hack only works on cars with keys that don’t have engine immobilizers, a type of anti-theft technology that uses a computer chip to help an engine recognize a corresponding key.

Authorities are blaming a social media challenge for an alarming rise in car thefts.

Hyundai told Good Morning America the TikTok videos target Hyundai models that were made before November 2021 and the automaker plans to roll out security kits for those models starting in October.

In a statement, the company said it will work with police departments to “make steering wheel locks available for affected Hyundai owners.”

Police in Park Forest, Illinois, about 35 miles south of Chicago, said in a social media post that the cars most likely affected are select 2011-2021 Kia and 2015-2021 Hyundai models.

“Vehicles in those model years that are not equipped with a push-button start are more easily started without a key (hotwired) than cars from other manufacturers,” the department said in a July 30 Facebook post.

Some Kia and Hyundai owners have since filed a class-action lawsuit in Missouri and Kansas, as reported by ABC affiliate KMBC.

To prevent a car theft, the National Insurance Crime Bureau recommends using visible or audible devices, such as steering wheel locks, brake locks, wheel locks, steering column collars, audible alarms and theft deterrent decals as part of a multi-pronged approach to discourage would-be thieves. Law enforcement officials are also reminding drivers to park in well-lit areas and public locations.

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Man fatally shot during youth football game near Dallas

Man fatally shot during youth football game near Dallas
Man fatally shot during youth football game near Dallas
Douglas Sacha/Getty Images

(LANCASTER, Texas) — A man was killed during a youth football game in Lancaster, Texas, Saturday night after an argument escalated into a shooting, according to police.

Witnesses told Lancaster police that the coaching staff and officials had gotten into a disagreement that became physical, leading to the shooting.

Lancaster police said they’re searching for Yaqub Salik Talib, the brother of former NFL cornerback Aqib Talib, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

“Upon arrival, officers were notified of a disagreement among coaching staff and the officiating crew,” the Lancaster Police Department said in a press release. “During the disagreement, the opposing coaching staff were involved in a physical altercation and one of the individuals involved in the altercation discharged a firearm striking one adult male.”

The man was taken to a hospital, where he later died, according to Lancaster police.

The victim was identified Sunday as Michael “Mike” Hickmon, a youth football coach, according to the family, who has released a statement.

“On behalf of the Hickmon family we would like to thank everyone for the onslaught of [love] we’ve received,” the family said in a statement. “This is a very difficult time for our family and community. Michael was our everything. He was incredibly kind and generous. He loved to laugh and make others laugh. He could also be sarcastic and drive you crazy. But we loved him, because all of those things made him, him.”

“Mike loved his family,” the statement continued. “He adored his wife. He loved being a dad and grandpa. He was a great provider. The best brother you could ask for. He loved football and boxing, he went to as many fights as he could. He loved boxing so much, he also worked boxing matches. He loved to travel. Our family is grieving. Hard. Right now we don’t see an end to our grief. But what I know for sure is… We will find a way to move forward. We don’t have a choice. We miss him immensely. We always will. We will love him forever.”

Authorities have not publicly identified the victim.

The shooting happened at around 8:50 p.m. at the Lancaster Community Park, Lancaster police officials said in the press release. An investigation is ongoing.

Police said if people have any information about Yaqub Salik Talib’s whereabouts, please contact Detective Senad Deranjic at 972-218-2756.

Lancaster is located in Dallas County.

ABC News’ Nic Uff, Marcus Moore and Marilyn Heck contributed to this report.

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What to know about the spotted lanternfly, the insect experts say to squish

What to know about the spotted lanternfly, the insect experts say to squish
What to know about the spotted lanternfly, the insect experts say to squish
Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — Scientists have a message about the spotted lanternfly: If you see one, squish it.

While that may sound harsh for bug lovers out there, experts say spotted lanternflies can be devastating to agriculture.

“It’s a good idea if you can kill them, to do that,” Brian Eshenaur, a senior extension associate for ornamental crops at Cornell University’s pest management division, told ABC News.

The New York City Parks Department offers similar guidance on its website.

“Harming our city’s wildlife is broadly prohibited, but in an effort to slow the spread of this troublesome species, the current guidance remains: if you see a spotted lanternfly, please squish and dispose of this invasive pest,” the department says.

New York state’s Department of Agriculture and Markets, Department of Environmental Conservation and the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation launched a program this year to train volunteers on how to identify and track the invasive species in the state.

The invasive species originated in Asia but was first found in the U.S. in Pennsylvania in 2014 and soon after in other states in the Northeast, including Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Virginia.

The insect, known scientifically as the Lycorma delicatula, feeds on at least 70 different species of trees, as well as vines and shrubs, including fruit trees, grapevines and several hardwoods, according to a report from the University of Michigan.

The lanternfly isn’t dangerous to people and pets, experts say. The insect is viewed as more of a nuisance since they don’t bite or sting.

So if you plan on being vigilant for spotted lanternflies this summer, here are some key things to know.

Keep an eye out in backyards and parks

The bugs gather in large numbers and can be found in backyard trees and in parks, where they feed on trees and ooze a sugary substance called honeydew, which then can cause a sooty mold that can land on lawn furniture or your car, Eshenaur said.

The female lantern fly can lay between 30 and 50 eggs each, usually between September and October. The eggs hatch in the spring, where baby lanternflies called nymphs emerge, before becoming fully grown around July, according to the Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board.

They favor warmer temperatures

Climate change could exacerbate the problem, experts say.

“The spotted lanternfly needs a long growing season to complete their lifecycle,” Eshenaur said. “With earlier spring and later fall frost that could favor the development of the lanternfly and increase the range in which they can survive at.”

Insect development depends on the temperature, Kelly Oten, assistant professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at North Carolina State University, told ABC News.

“As the temperature is warm, their development increases, which means they’re going to actively feed for longer periods of time, potentially causing more damage,” Oten said.

They’re a threat to agriculture

Wine lovers, here’s some bad news.

The spotted lanternfly can be devastating to the multi-billion-dollar wine industry since they feed on grapes, reduce their crops and diminish the quality of grapes, according to Oten.

Overall, they’re a huge threat to agriculture. If the species were to spread through Pennsylvania, the expected losses to the state’s economy would be nearly $554 million a year and potentially lead to the loss of 4,987 jobs, according to a 2019 impact study from Penn State University.

For forestry, the estimated economic loss could be up to $152.6 million annually throughout Pennsylvania, the study found.

What to do if you see one

Killing the pest if you encounter it isn’t the only way to address the problem.

People should check outdoor items for spotted lanternfly eggs, which can look like a mass covered with gray wax. Scrape them off, put the mass in a plastic zippered bag with hand sanitizer and throw it out, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says.

While spotted lanternflies can’t kill trees, they can cause damage to them. People can also use insecticides approved by the Environmental Protection Agency, which can kill lanternflies and not harm trees.

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