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One dead, one missing after 12 kayakers go over Virginia dam

June 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — One woman has died and another is missing after a group of 12 kayakers became stranded and then went over Bosher’s Dam in Richmond, Virginia, on Monday afternoon.

Ten kayakers were rescued shortly after the incident took place on the James River at around 3 p.m. local time, according to Richmond Fire Department Assistant Chief Jeffrey Segal. The dam has a 12-foot drop.

Two kayakers — identified by the Henrico County Police Division as Lauren Winstead and Sarah Erway — were initially deemed missing. Their last known location was where most of the kayakers were rescued. Winstead’s body was recovered from the James River on Wednesday afternoon, while the search for Erway has transitioned from a rescue mission into a recovery operation, police said.

The search and rescue mission for the missing women ceased Monday night because it was getting dark, Segal had said. The operation resumed the next morning.

Henrico County Police Division spokesman Lt. Matthew Pecka said Tuesday that multiple agencies responded to assist in the search between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., searching from the Bosher Dam to Powhite Parkway along the James River. Agencies used drones, fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and inflatable vessels in their efforts, Pecka said.

The search continued Wednesday. That evening, Henrico County Police Division took to Twitter to announce that search teams had recovered Winstead’s body from the James River, just west of the Powhite Parkway Bridge, at approximately 1:30 p.m. local time.

“Our deepest condolences are with Ms. Winstead’s family during this difficult time,” police tweeted. “The search for Sarah Erway will continue and is transitioning from a search and rescue mission to a recovery operation.”

It was unclear if all the kayakers knew each other, according to Segal, and if they were all physically inside the kayaks at the time of the emergency.

White House marks Pride Month amid wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation

June 1, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News

(WASHINGTON) — The White House says it will celebrate Pride Month this June by signaling support for the LGBTQ community and their families amid a wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation.

There have been more than 300 anti-LGBTQ bills proposed in at least 28 states this year, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

Eight states have signed such bills into law this year.

President Joe Biden has condemned the rapid spread of these bills.

“These bills are targeting kids in classrooms and families in their homes, which is why this Pride Month we will be focused on protecting, uplifting, and supporting LGBTQI+ children and families,” a White House spokesperson said about Biden’s Pride plans.

The White House says it is “laser-focused” on fighting back against the onslaught of anti-LGBTQ legislation and supporting LGBTQ community members and their families.

Many of the bills or policies target LGBTQ youth. In some cases, like in Alabama, families and healthcare providers of transgender youth can be criminalized for providing gender-affirming care.

The Alabama bill’s sponsor, Republican state Sen. Shay Shelnutt, has called gender-affirming health care, “child abuse.”

A growing number of states have introduced legislation that LGBTQ advocates say targets transgender youth and their access to school sports and gender-affirming health care.

To combat such legislation, the Biden administration is calling on Congress to pass the Equality Act. The legislation would expand federal civil rights law to prohibit LGBTQ and gender identity discrimination in public accommodations.

The Biden administration has been behind several progressive steps for the LGBTQ community, including the first use of the gender-neutral gender marker on passports by the State Department and the reversal of the Trump era rule that Title IX does not protect LGBTQ students.

Queen Elizabeth II to miss Trooping the Color royal salute for 1st time in 70-year reign

June 1, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — Queen Elizabeth II will miss part of Thursday’s Trooping the Color, the kick-off to her Platinum Jubilee celebration, Buckingham Palace has announced.

The queen will not join other royal family members in the traditional carriage rides to the Horse Guards and will instead appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, joined by her cousin, the Duke of Kent, the palace confirmed Wednesday.

In the queen’s absence, her son Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, will take the royal salute on the parade ground and inspect the troops on the queen’s behalf, joined by his son, Prince William, and his sister, Princess Anne.

Elizabeth will take a salute from the cavalry as they go past Buckingham Palace on their return from the parade.

This is the first time in Elizabeth’s 70-year reign that she will take a salute from the balcony at Buckingham Palace, and the first time Prince Charles will stand in for her on the parade ground.

Trooping the Color, also known as the Queen’s Birthday Parade, is an annual tradition that has marked the British monarch’s official birthday for more than 260 years, according to the Associated Press.

The 96-year-old queen, the first monarch in Britain’s history to reach a Platinum Jubilee, has been suffering from mobility issues.

She attended the Chelsea Flower Show last week but was escorted by golf car instead of touring the gardens on foot, as she has done in years past.

Earlier this month, the queen attended the Royal Windsor Horse Show but, again, did limited walking.

Prior to the horse show, Elizabeth’s last public appearance was in late March at a service of Thanksgiving for her husband, Prince Philip, who died last year at the age of 99.

While the queen has continued to maintain a busy schedule of virtual meetings, phone calls and private engagements, her public appearances have become increasingly rare.

She did not attend the opening of Parliament in early May, marking the first time in nearly 60 years and only the third time in her 70-year reign that she has not attended.

At the time, Buckingham Palace said the queen “continues to experience episodic mobility problems.”

The queen has also battled several health conditions over the past year, including COVID-19 and an overnight hospitalization last October for what Buckingham Palace described at the time as “preliminary investigations.”

The queen’s Platinum Jubilee is being celebrated in the U.K. through Sunday. In addition to Trooping the Color, celebratory events include a service of thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral, a star-studded concert at Buckingham Palace and a Platinum Jubilee Pageant.

At Trooping the Color, the queen will be joined by members of the royal family, in addition to the 1,500 soldiers and 250 horses who will participate in the parade.

The royals will watch the parade from the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Joining the queen this year on the balcony will be Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall; the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate, along their three children; the Earl and Countess of Wessex, Edward and Sophie, along their two children; the Princess Royal and Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence; the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester; the Duke of Kent; and Princess Alexandra.

Other members of the royal family, including Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, will watch the parade from the Major General’s Office, an office in Buckingham Palace that overlooks the parade ground.

At least 3 dead, multiple people injured in shooting at Tulsa, Oklahoma, medical office: Police

June 1, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(TULSA, Okla) — At least three people are dead and multiple people are injured following a shooting at the Natalie Building at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Wednesday, according to police.

Police received a call of a man walking with a rifle near a medical office. When police responded, they said it turned into an active shooter situation, according to Tulsa Police Captain Richard Meulenberg.

When police entered the building, they found multiple people shot.

“Officers immediately rushed to the second floor where the shooting was taking place, when they got there they found a few people had been shot, a couple were dead at that time,” Meulenberg told ABC News. “We also found at that time who [we] believe and still believe to [be] the shooter because he had a long rifle and a pistol with him.”

Tulsa police said the shooter is dead. It’s unclear if he was shot by police, Meulenberg said.

Police said they are going through the five-story medical complex room by room to secure the building.

“We are doing a meticulous floor-by-floor, room-by-room search … It’s calmed down. We’re trying to connect people and we’re hoping not to find any victims,” Meulenberg said.

The Tulsa Police Department said to stay away from the area and that reunification for families will be at Memorial High School on the west side of LaFortune Park.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Fatalities reported, multiple people injured in shooting at Tulsa, Oklahoma, medical office: Police

June 1, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(TULSA, Okla.) — Fatalities are reported and multiple people are injured following a shooting at a medical center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Wednesday, according to police.

When police entered the building, they found multiple people shot.

The shooter is believed to be down, but it’s unclear if he was shot by police, Meulenberg said.

Police said they are going through the five-story medical complex room by room to secure the building.

The Tulsa Police Department said to stay away from the area and that reunification for families will be at Memorial High School on the west side of LaFortune Park.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Police responding to active shooting at Tulsa, Oklahoma, hospital

June 1, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(TULSA, Okla.) — Police are responding to an active shooter Wednesday evening in Tulsa, Oklahoma, near a medical building, according to police.

The Tulsa Police Department said reunificaiton for families will be at Memorial High School on the west sid eof LaFortune Park.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Older Americans bore brunt of COVID-19 deaths during the omicron wave

June 1, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the elderly have borne the brunt of the virus’ deadly wrath.

Now, newly updated federal data shows that despite widespread vaccination among seniors, virus death rates among older Americans surged to near-record levels during the first omicron wave.

Over 90% of seniors have been fully vaccinated, but about 30% of those fully vaccinated have yet to receive their first booster shot. To date, just under 10 million Americans 65 and older have received their second booster — representing about 28.5% of those who had already received their first shot.

Even with overall high vaccination rates in older populations, nearly three-quarters of the COVID-19 deaths reported in the U.S. have been among people over the age of 65.

Experts say the reason for the renewed surge may be due to a number of factors, including waning immunity, relatively low booster uptake compared to primary vaccination series and general vulnerability to the virus among the group. In addition, the sheer scale of the spread of the virus during the omicron wave was significantly higher compared to prior waves of the virus.

Although the number of virus-related deaths in Americans over 75 has consistently been higher than all other age groups, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were some lulls.

As the virus receded in late June 2021, and the group’s vaccination rate increased, the death rates for those older age groups approached levels comparable to younger people.

However, during the delta wave, in late 2021 and 2022, the disparities in death rates began to increase again with the more transmissible variant, which was better at evading vaccines. They further widened when the omicron wave hit the U.S. in the winter of 2021, a variant that was even more transmissible than delta.

In early January 2022, CDC death data — broken down by age group per 100,000 people — shows that people over 75 had a COVID-19 death rate that was 136 times higher than that of people between the ages of 18 and 29. Similarly, people between 65 and 74 had a COVID-19 death rate that was 45 times higher than that of people between the ages of 18 and 29.

Throughout the spring, overall death rates took a downturn again, as the first omicron wave receded, but as of mid-April, older Americans continue to see more deaths than younger populations.

In recent months, Hispanic Americans 75 and older have had a death rate per capita that was notably higher than other demographic groups of the same age.

During the omicron surge in January, Hispanic Americans over 75 were 2.7 times more likely to die from COVID-19, compared to white Americans and Asian Americans of the same age. They were also 1.7 times more likely to die from COVID-19, compared to their Black counterparts, and 3.7 times more likely to die compared to their American Indian/Alaska Natives.

Last month, the CDC announced that it is “strengthening” its recommendation for Americans over the age of 12 who are immunocompromised and those over the age of 50 receive their second booster shot.

“Only 38% of those 50 to 64 and 43% of those 65 and older have received a vaccine dose in the past six months. This leaves about 60% of older Americans without the protection they may need to prevent severe disease, hospitalization, and death,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a meeting of the agency’s independent advisors in May. “We know immunity wanes over time, and we need to do all we can now to protect those most vulnerable.”

Ukraine’s first lady tells ABC News that giving up land is ‘like conceding a freedom’

June 1, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska spoke about the state of the ongoing conflict with Russia and where the Ukrainian people currently stand as a country.

In her first televised solo interview since the invasion began, Zelenska, 44, told “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts that conceding territory to Russia won’t stop the war.

“You just can’t concede…parts of your territory. It’s like conceding a freedom,” Zelenska said. “Even if we would consider territories, the aggressor would not stop at that. He would continue pressing, he would continue launching more and more steps forward, more and more attacks against our territory.”

The interview comes nearly 100 days since Russia invaded Ukraine, devastating towns and forcing the displacement of millions of Ukrainian residents.

After failing to capture the capital of Kyiv, the Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region.

This week, President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. will be sending Ukraine more sophisticated military equipment as part of a $700 million package of security assistance. The move follows calls from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this month for long-range rocket systems to “allow the defeat of tyranny.”

The interview with Zelenska will air Thursday on “Good Morning America” and across ABC News. “GMA” airs at 7 a.m. on ABC.

FDA accepts Pfizer application for COVID vaccine in kids under 5, clearing way for June timeline

June 1, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Pfizer announced Wednesday that it has completed its application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a three-dose COVID-19 vaccine in children aged 6 months to under 5 years old, and the federal agency has accepted the application.

“Pfizer and BioNTech completed a rolling application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization (EUA) of the 3-µg [microgram] dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for children 6 months through 4 years of age (also referred to as 6 months to under 5 years of age) on June 1, 2022,” the company said in a statement.

The FDA said in a statement that it received Pfizer’s request for an EUA.

“We recognize parents are anxious to have their young children vaccinated against COVID-19 and while the FDA cannot predict how long its evaluation of the data and information will take, we will review any EUA request we receive as quickly as possible using a science-based approach,” the agency said.

Last month, Pfizer announced that its vaccine for younger children was 80% effective against symptomatic COVID-19.

However, the company said this estimate is preliminary and is subject to change as more data is collected.

The FDA’s independent advisory panel, Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, is planning public hearings in mid-June to discuss both Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines in younger children. The FDA said Wednesday it would hold a VRBPAC meeting on June 15 to discuss both Pfizer and Moderna’s EUA requests for this population — 6 months through 4 years old for Pfizer and 6 months through 5 years old for Moderna.

Moderna asked the FDA to authorize its two-dose vaccine for children under age 6 on April 28.

During the omicron surge, the company said its vaccine was 51% effective against infection including asymptomatic and mild infection, among those aged 6 months to under age 2, and 37% effective for those aged 2 to 5.

If the FDA decides to authorize vaccines for younger children after the hearing and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s independent advisers agree, it could mean vaccines could be available for those under 5 years old by the end of June.

Pfizer’s shots are three micrograms each, one-tenth the dose offered to adults, while Moderna’s shots are 25 micrograms each, one-quarter of its adult-sized dose.

Although children under 5 are the last age group for which vaccines need to be approved, polls suggest there could be sluggish uptake.

An April 2022 poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that only 18% of parents plan to vaccinate their kids under age 5 right away once the vaccine is authorized.

Many are hesitant, with 27% saying they will “definitely not” get their children in this age group vaccinated and 11% saying only if it is required for school.

The remaining 38% said they want to “wait and see” before getting their young children vaccinated.

Man killed in suspected alligator attack likely looking for Frisbees in lake: Police

June 1, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(LARGO, Fla.) — A Florida man killed in a suspected alligator attack was likely looking for Frisbees in a lake, authorities said.

The Largo Police Department said Tuesday it is investigating the death of a man at Taylor Lake in Largo, a city in the Tampa Bay area.

“At this time, detectives believe the victim was looking for Frisbees in the water and a gator was involved,” the department said in a statement.

The man was found along the shoreline by a bystander walking their dog in Taylor Park, home to a 53-acre freshwater lake, and police were contacted around 8 a.m. Tuesday, according to Largo Police Department spokesperson Megan Santo.

Police identified the victim Wednesday as 47-year-old Sean Thomas McGuinness. Investigators believe he was looking for Frisbees in the water at night when an alligator likely attacked him.

“According to Park Management, McGuinness was known to frequent the park and enter the lake with disregard to the posted ‘No Swimming’ signs,” the department said in a statement. “A witness also advised detectives that McGuinness was known to sell discs back to people within the park as the park is equipped with a disc golf course and McGuinness was found within a few feet of a disc in the water.”

The medical examiner will determine the exact cause of death, though it was apparent from the injuries that alligators were involved, police said.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded to the scene Tuesday.

“A contracted nuisance alligator trapper is working to remove a nearby alligator and efforts will be made to determine if it was involved in this situation,” the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a statement Tuesday.

Police urged residents and visitors to avoid going near or swimming in the lake at any time. There are “no swimming” signs posted at the lake, according to police.

Fatal alligator bites are rare. From 1948 to 2021, Florida reported 442 unprovoked bite incidents from alligators, 26 of which resulted in fatalities, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. In the last 10 years, the state has averaged eight unprovoked bites a year that require medical treatment, the agency said.

The likelihood of someone being seriously injured during an unprovoked alligator incident in Florida is roughly one in 3.1 million, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The last fatal alligator attack in Florida was in 2019, according to the agency.

A man was bitten in the face by an alligator at Taylor Park in 2020 while looking for frisbees in the lake, ABC News Tampa affiliate WFTS reported at the time. The injury was non-life-threatening.

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