(RICHMOND, Va.) — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency Thursday night as torrential rainfall and flooding impacted Southwest Virginia.
Heavy rainfall in parts of Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky slammed the region overnight, causing evacuations, damage roadways and people’s homes and even deaths.
“With more rainfall forecasted over the next few days, we want to lean forward in providing as many resources possible to assist those affected,” Youngkin said in a statement. “Our team will continue to monitor the situation and provide assistance as needed.”
In Kentucky, at least eight people have been killed “in one of the worst, most devastating” floods in the state’s history, Gov. Andy Beshear said.
Beshear has also asked the federal government for assistance as it deals with floods.
“The damage suffered is enormous and recovery will be a long-term effort. This assistance is critical to our efforts and essential for our people,” Beshear tweeted.
Through a state of emergency, Virginia can better assemble resources and send officials with equipment to aid in response and recovery efforts.
(NEW YORK) — The Mega Millions jackpot has risen to over a billion dollars. With Americans across the country rushing to secure tickets for the chance to win big, it’s likely someone will hear their ticket numbers announced Friday night.
But, for those lucky winners who become millionaires overnight, what comes next?
While buying a mansion, going on a dream vacation or taking an extended shopping spree may seem like the most logical first move after winning the lottery, there are actually a few steps someone has to take to claim and obtain their prize.
Keep it quiet
The first step experts suggest for winners is harder than you may think — keep your mouth shut.
Experts say that keeping as little people in the know about your big win is key.
Walt Blenner, an attorney who’s worked extensively with lottery winners, said the more relatives and friends you tell, the more likely the news will get out.
Especially for big wins, like a Mega Millions jackpot, safety is priority, Blenner said. He suggests that winners get out of town, just far enough to be under the radar.
“You don’t need to rent a dacha in Siberia – my last big winner rented a modest house under an assumed name just a few dozen miles away from where he lived for one month,” Blenner told ABC News. “Putting distance between the lottery winner and familiar surroundings is best.”
Kurt Panouses, a seasoned “lottery lawyer” from Florida, told ABC News that many of his big-winner clients are grateful they kept their winnings private, so they could live their lives without safety concerns, or awkward questions from friends and family who could view the winner as a money source.
Get professional advice
After ensuring your safety, experts say it’s imperative to get advice from qualified and experienced professionals.
While not all professionals use the same strategies, finding one that suits you can ensure that you make the best decision after scoring a winning ticket.
“You’re talking about the most important financial decision that they and their family is ever going to make,” said Panouses, who is also a certified public accountant or CPA.
Blenner believes in bringing in a team of professionals for specific needs. He said his primary job is to line a winner up with a financial team, including a wealth manager, tax attorney and a CPA. He also helps the client redeem their ticket, which is a process in itself.
Ultimately, finding professional guidance is key for a lottery winner as they navigate the many steps to becoming a millionaire.
Using trusts and LLCs
It’s common for lottery winners to set up a trust or a limited liability company, LLC, to claim their winnings from.
For some states, this means that you can claim your prize without using your real name, instead using the name of your LLC.
Depending on a state’s rules, you may have to jump through hoops to keep your identity safe.
Panouses said that when helping winners in Michigan, he had to create a club to claim the winning prize. Panouses came as a representative of that club to claim the winnings for his clients that had joined this “club” and their identities remained safe.
Trusts and LLCs can be used for one or more people, Panouses said, and ultimately make a safer process in claiming your prize.
Seeking professional assistance allows you to therefore establish a trust or LLC to use in this process.
Decide if you want to share
While winners are encouraged to stay quiet about their jackpot, experts say it’s better to decide before you claim if you are going to share your prize.
This is because any sums given after someone claims their prize will have a certain gift tax on it, which will end up costing the winner more money.
Experts say to figure out who you would be sharing the winnings with, and establish the percentages of who gets what. Everyone who is going to be claiming a piece of the prize can be joined together in a trust or LLC that is used to claim the money.
This way, no additional taxes will be added if you were planning on sharing the money.
Sharing the claim like this, experts say, also allows the main winner to save on the initial taxes, as everyone involved in the claim will take on parts of the income tax.
Cash or annuity?
Another decision lottery winners will be faced with is the decision to accept the cash lump sum or to take the winnings through annuity.
A cash lump sum means accepting the entire payment all at once, while annuity means accepting a series of payments over time.
It’s more common for winners to take the lump sum, Blenner said, because it provides them with the freedom to invest as they wish with maximum available funds up front.
Annuity may be a simpler option for those not familiar with organizing wealth, as a lump sum leaves you with a large, immediate sum that can be very overwhelming, Blenner said.
Panouses said the decision depends on who you are, where you are and what you are going to do with the money.
For young people, or someone more inexperienced with finances, annuity is a much safer route, Panouses said.
However, due to the high rates of inflation right now, annuity may be a better option for others, too, because of the impact on taxes. Essentially, the initial taxes taken out of a lump sum payment will be greater right now due to inflation.
Taking annuity means that some of your future earnings may not be so heavily taxed and you’ll keep more of the original prize.
But, if you live in a high-tax state or city, you could then risk losing more each year on taxes as you receive the new income.
If you will be taking on the full prize by yourself, your experience with finances and your projected tax costs are essential starting points to deciding if a lump sum or annuity payment is right for you.
(DANBURY, Conn.) — A Connecticut mother allegedly killed her three children before taking her own life, the Danbury Police Department said Thursday.
Police identified the mother as 36-year-old Sonia Loja and her three children as Junior Panjon, 12; Joselyn Panjon, 10; and Jonael Panjon, 5.
“A truly horrible event occurred in our city yesterday and we mourn the tragic loss of life. In the coming days, mental health and counseling services will be provided through collaboration with the Danbury Public Schools and the City of Danbury. Our community grieves for the innocent lives taken from us. We will get through this together,” Danbury Mayor Dean Esposito said in a statement.
Police found the four bodies Wednesday night after receiving a 911 call from someone distraught and crying, according to WTNH. Police said they believe the mother strangled her children before killing herself.
Autopsies are scheduled for Thursday at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Farmington, Connecticut, authorities said.
Police said the family lived in the home with two other adults. The adults were not present when police arrived on the scene, but they and other family members have been contacted and informed of the incident, police said.
“The kids were really good kids. They were really friendly kids,” neighbor Ralph Baugher told ABC News Connecticut affiliate WTNH. “When you drive by, they would wave and say, ‘How are you doing?’ Wave back to them, ‘Hi, how are you doing?’ They were always happy kids. Always playing in the yard, having fun, laughing all the time.”
The mayor’s office and other local government agencies said they are providing support for family and friends of the deceased and for first responders who responded to the scene, officials.
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — A 7-year-old California boy is being heralded as a hero for his quick-thinking actions that helped save a toddler at the bottom of a pool.
Massiah Browne, of Sacramento, was swimming with relatives at the apartment complex where he lives with his mom and brother when he said he saw something out of the ordinary.
“I was just playing in the pool and then I saw a boy at the bottom of the pool,” Massiah, a second-grade student, told “Good Morning America.” “And I went to go get him.”
Massiah, who was in the pool with a 9-year-old relative, swam down in 6-feet deep water to rescue the boy, according to his mom, Tiara Delvalle, who said she rushed to the scene from her apartment after being alerted by relatives who were with her son at the pool.
Massiah said he noticed the 3-year-old boy, a stranger, with his mouth and eyes open and dove down to get him, grabbing his arm and pulling him to the pool’s surface.
From there, his 9-year-old relative, a girl named Savannah, pulled the boy onto the pool deck, where adults came to help and then called 911.
“Savannah brought him to his mom and then they did CPR on the boy and then they called the doctor,” Massiah said.
A spokesperson for the Sacramento Fire Department confirmed to ABC News that first responders responded to a 911 call at the apartment complex’s pool on July 19.
Bystanders performed CPR on the boy, who was breathing by the time first responders arrived, according to the spokesperson.
“The child was transported in critical condition with advanced life support efforts provided by Sacramento firefighters,” the spokesperson said.
Delvalle said she is in touch with the mother of the boy, whom she reports is doing well.
“It’s a miracle,” Delvalle said of the boy’s survival.
Massiah’s father, Marcus Browne, a boxer who competed for the United States at the 2012 London Olympics, said that although his son swims like “a fish,” he was in shock when he learned of his heroic efforts.
“I just couldn’t believe it,” Browne said of his son, who also goes by his superhero nickname, “Siah Fire.” “He’s a good kid.”
In the U.S., drowning is the leading cause of death for kids between the ages of 1 and 4, and the second leading cause of death for kids up to age 14, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A report released last year by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) found that male toddlers and teenage boys are at the highest risk of drowning.
Here are four water safety tips from the AAP:
1. Close, constant, attentive and capable adult supervision when children are in and around water, as well as life jacket use among children and adults.
2. To prevent unsupervised access to water, use four-sided pool fencing at least 4 feet tall with self-closing and self-latching gates that completely isolates the pool from the house and yard.
3. In the home, be aware that infant bath seats can tip over, and children can slip out of them and drown in even a few inches of water in a bathtub. Infants should never be left alone in a tub, even for a minute.
4. Water should be emptied from containers, such as pails and buckets, immediately after use.
(NEW YORK) — Alena Analeigh Wicker, a 13-year-old from Texas, is not preparing for back to school like most kids her age.
Alena has already been accepted to medical school, with plans to attend the Heersink School of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
“After I was accepted, it was the most amazing moment,” Alena said Thursday on “Good Morning America.” “Just knowing that I’ve reached the goal of getting into medical school at this age was amazing for me.”
She expects to start medical school in 2024, after graduating from the two undergraduate programs she’s currently enrolled in, studying biological sciences at Arizona State University and Oakwood University.
“My goals right now are to definitely make it through college so I can go into medical school,” she said, adding that she wants to become a viral immunologist to be able to “study viruses and really help communities.”
Alena, who on Thursday was awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award’s lifetime achievement award, graduated from high school last year at just 12 years old.
She is also the founder of Brown Stem Girl, an organization she said she launched to provide an outlet for girls of color in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics classes).
“I started the organization because when I was about 3 and I had first had my passion of working for NASA, I didn’t see a lot of people who looked like me,” said Alena. “I didn’t see a lot of girls and a lot of women getting into the STEM field.”
“That’s what struck my passion for advocating for them, really giving them those opportunities and showing them that they can do whatever they put their mind to,” she continued. “They can have the same path as me and become whatever they want to become without anybody telling them it’s impossible.”
Only 13% of engineers are women and just 8% of female college students enter their freshman year intending to major in engineering, math, statistics or computer science, according to the Society of Women Engineers.
Among STEM workers, Black individuals make up only 9% of the industry, with that number dropping to 7% for Hispanic individuals, according to the Pew Research Center.
Alena’s mom, Daphne McQuarter, said she saw her daughter’s STEM and academic talents early on.
“She was just always smart, gifted and she was always ahead,” McQuarter said on “GMA.” “There was just something about her that I knew I had to nurture her gift.”
Alena called her mom her “biggest supporter.”
“She always gave me opportunities over things and she believed in me,” she said.
Asked what advice she would give to other kids who also want to dream big, Alena said to ignore those who tell them “no.”
“First I would say don’t let anybody tell you no, because there was a lot of people who told me no, or that I couldn’t do what I dreamed to do,” she said. “I also had that support system. They were there when I needed them and they gave me that support to say, ‘Don’t give up on your dreams.'”
(ALABANY, N.Y.) — New York state’s health commissioner declared monkeypox an “imminent threat to public health” on Thursday amid a rapid increase in cases.
The declaration means that “local health departments engaged in response and prevention activities will be able to access additional State reimbursement, after other Federal and State funding sources are maximized,” Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said in a statement.
The United States has one of the highest levels of monkeypox in the world, with over 4,600 confirmed cases as of Wednesday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New York has the highest number of cases out of any state reporting those figures, CDC data shows.
There are 1,341 confirmed monkeypox cases in New York as of Thursday, according to state data.
San Francisco declared monkeypox a public health emergency on Thursday, effective Aug. 1, which will also help expedite resources to better respond to the “rapidly rising cases,” city officials said. The city has reported 261 cases of monkeypox.
“We need to be prepared and this declaration will allow us to serve the city better,” San Francisco Department of Public Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax said in a statement. “Our COVID-19 response has taught us that it is imperative that we mobilize city resources. The declaration helps us ensure we have all the tools available to augment our outreach, testing and treatment, especially to the LGBTQ+ [community] who remain at highest risk for monkeypox.”
The Biden administration continues to weigh whether monkeypox should be declared a public health emergency, federal health officials said on Thursday.
“We continue to monitor the response throughout the country on monkeypox,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told reporters Thursday.
“We will weigh any decision on declaring a public health emergency based on the response we’re seeing throughout the country. The bottom line is: We need to stay ahead of this and be able to end this outbreak,” he continued.
Last week, the World Health Organization declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. Globally, more than 20,000 cases have been reported in over 75 countries, including in dozens that have not historically reported monkeypox cases.
U.S. health officials have warned for weeks that the number of monkeypox cases would likely increase nationwide, as the government ramps up testing capacity and surveillance.
“We know monkeypox symptoms usually start within three weeks of exposure to the virus, so we anticipate we may see an increase in cases throughout the month of July and into August,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a press briefing earlier this month.
Monkeypox is primarily spread through close, physical contact between people. Symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue and muscle aches. Patients can develop a rash and lesions that often begin on the face before spreading to the rest of the body.
Most cases in the U.S. have been reported among the gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men community and related to male-to-male sexual contact. Though health officials have repeatedly stressed that the virus can affect anyone who has close contact with people who have monkeypox. Those with weakened immune systems, pregnant people and children under the age of 8 may be at heightened risk for severe outcomes, according to the CDC.
“Every American should pay attention on monkeypox,” Becerra said. “Monkeypox is not COVID, but it is contagious. It is painful and can be dangerous.”
ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — A New York City police officer has adopted the same dog that she helped save from a hot car last month.
Aruna Maharaj, an officer with the NYPD’s 19th Precinct, adopted the pup after helping with its rescue.
“A month ago, this sweet doggo was rescued after his owner left him in his hot locked car for hours; yesterday, one of its rescuers, Officer Maharaj, adopted him,” the 19th Precinct posted on its Twitter account.
The dog was found in a hot car on June 18. Nearby residents had noticed the dog locked in the car on 88th Street near Third Avenue for over two hours and called 911, police said.
Passersby said the dog looked distressed inside the vehicle, according to police.
Police broke open one of the car’s windows to rescue the dog, helping it out of the vehicle before taking it to veterinary care.
A 26-year-old man was charged with animal cruelty, according to police.
The dog was taken in by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, before Maharaj adopted the dog from their care.
“This pup will never be neglected again!” the 19th Precinct said in its post.
The ASPCA said that animals should never be left alone in hot cars. The organization also said it’s important to look for signs of heatstroke in pets.
Excessive panting or difficulty breathing, increased heart and respiratory rate, drooling, mild weakness, stupor or collapsing, are all signs of your pet overheating, the ASPCA said.
According to the NYPD, it only takes 10 minutes for the inside of a car to reach 102 degrees on an 85-degree day.
The Humane Society said that it’s also important to watch out for humidity.
“It’s not just the ambient temperature, but also the humidity that can affect your pet,” Dr. Barry Kellogg, senior veterinary advisor of the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, said in a Humane Society statement.
Kellogg said that animals pant to evaporate moisture from their lungs, which takes heat away from their body. If the humidity is too high, however, they are unable to cool themselves down and their temperature can quickly reach dangerous levels.
The Humane Society encourages pet owners to limit their pets’ exercise on hot days and provide lots of shade and water. They also note not to rely on fans, which don’t work as effectively for animals as they do for humans.
(DANBURY, Conn.) — A Connecticut mother allegedly killed her three children before taking her own life, the Danbury Police Department said Thursday.
Police identified the mother as 36-year-old Sonia Loja and her three children as Junior Panjon, 12; Joselyn Panjon, 10; and Jonael Panjon, 5.
“A truly horrible event occurred in our city yesterday and we mourn the tragic loss of life. In the coming days, mental health and counseling services will be provided through collaboration with the Danbury Public Schools and the City of Danbury. Our community grieves for the innocent lives taken from us. We will get through this together,” Danbury Mayor Dean Esposito said in a statement.
Police found the four bodies Wednesday night after receiving a 911 call from someone distraught and crying, according to WTNH. Police said they believe the mother strangled her children before killing herself.
Autopsies are scheduled for Thursday at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Farmington, Connecticut, authorities said.
Police said the family lived in the home with two other adults. The adults were not present when police arrived on the scene, but they and other family members have been contacted and informed of the incident, police said.
“The kids were really good kids. They were really friendly kids,” neighbor Ralph Baugher told ABC News Connecticut affiliate WTNH. “When you drive by, they would wave and say, ‘How are you doing?’ Wave back to them, ‘Hi, how are you doing?’ They were always happy kids. Always playing in the yard, having fun, laughing all the time.”
The mayor’s office and other local government agencies said they are providing support for family and friends of the deceased and for first responders who responded to the scene, officials.
(WASHINGTON) — Secret Service Director Jim Murray is extending his time with the agency until a new director is selected, briefly extending his tenure as his agents finds themselves in the middle of renewed controversy over their actions related to last year’s Capitol riot.
Murray told his colleagues of his extension in an internal note reviewed by ABC News.
“As you are aware, our new director has not yet been named, however, I can tell you that the selection process is active and ongoing,” Murray wrote. “In light of these circumstances I’ve decided to briefly delay my retirement and transition to the private sector in order to help bridge the gap and foster a smooth and meaningful transition for our future Director.”
Murray wrote in his note that he spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and White House leadership and they agreed to extend his July 30 retirement date.
The Secret Service has come under new scrutiny over its handing of text messages from the days before, during and after Jan. 6.
Those messages, which the agency maintains were deleted during a software update for its phones, were supposed to be preserved and turned over as part of investigations into the Capitol attack.
The Department of Homeland Security inspector general, an internal watchdog who had sought the records before they were deleted, recently launched a criminal probe into what happened, according to three sources familiar with the situation.
A secret service spokesperson told ABC News that the texts were not maliciously deleted, and Director Murray said in a statement last week that he was reaffirming his commitment to working with and helping the House Jan. 6 committee.
“As an American and Director of this incredible agency, I found the events at the Capitol on January 6th to be abhorrent. What happened on that day in January 2021 is anathema to democracy and the processes our constitution guarantees,” he said then. “Since day one, I have directed our personnel to cooperate fully and completely with the Committee and we are currently finalizing dates and times for our personnel to make themselves available to the Committee for follow up inquiries.”
“We have provided thousands of documents, operationally sensitive radio transmissions and access to Secret Service employees,” he said. “We will continue to cooperate fully with the Committee and any other investigative body and remain committed to helping ensure that another such lawless and violent assault on our Constitutional process never takes place again.”
Still, members of the House panel have been skeptical of the Secret Service’s explanations.
“I don’t really buy that for one minute,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, R-Md., said on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” this week. “For one thing, isn’t it a little odd that all of the texts would vanish for Jan. 6th and Jan. 5th? Of all the days, what an odd coincidence that is.”
(CHICAGO) — Ashbey Beasley said the horrors of the July Fourth mass shooting are still fresh in her mind.
The Highland Park, Illinois, native was at the Independence Day parade with her 6-year-old son when the gunman opened fire. The two ran for their lives.
“The look on his face was indescribable. It was such a sheer, primal sense of terror,” she told “NIGHTLINE.”
While she and her son were not hurt during the carnage, Beasley said the mental anguish remains and she is devoting her life to stopping gun violence.
On Wednesday, Beasley took her case straight to lawmakers in Washington, D.C. She was on hand for a congressional hearing with gun manufacturers and gave video testimony about her experience during the mass shooting.
Beasley told “NIGHTLINE” that she has become more active in promoting gun control policy because she is tired of people living in fear of something unavoidable.
“The idea that we, as a country, cannot go to a mall without the idea creeping in the back of our heads that someone could shoot us is unacceptable,” she said. “That we are scared to send our children to school with fear that they won’t come home is unacceptable.”
Gun manufacturer executives were in the hot seat when congressional members grilled them about the roles their companies’ weapons played in recent mass shootings.
Many of the executives acknowledged the violence and those hurt by it, but contended that they didn’t want to deprive Americans of their Second Amendment rights.
“I believe our nation’s response needs to focus not on the type of gun, but on the type of persons who are likely to commit mass shootings,” Marty Daniel, the founder and CEO of Daniel Defense, testified.
Daniel Defense made the rifle used in the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 students and two teachers were killed at Robb Elementary School on May 24.
Gun control advocates, like Ryan Busse, a senior adviser with Giffords, testified that weapons makers are not doing enough to prevent their guns and rifles from proliferating among the populace.
Busse, a former gun manufacturer executive, told “NIGHTLINE” the industry has “established irresponsible marketing” which creates and propagates the violence.
“I’m a proud gun owner… I hunt and shoot with my boys every chance I get, but we have gone far off the rails with regard to balancing responsibility and decency,” Busse said. “And part of being a responsible citizen, especially a gun owner with a right that immense means that we have to balance that kind of right with responsibility and regulation. And we have an industry who is thwarting that at every chance we get and our society, our country is paying the price for it.
Beasley echoed this message when she spoke with several members of Congress, including Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La.
Higgins contended during the hearing that if there was a ban on assault rifles, federal agents will be shot when they go to confiscate the rifles.
“When those gunfights happen, that blood will be on your hands,” Higgins told the Democratic members of the committee.
Higgins repeated his claims during his exchange with Beasley in the halls of the Capitol.
“If you don’t think they will come door to door to seize your weapons, you’re wrong,” he told Beasley.
“Have you ever run from a mass shooter? Have you ever been shot at by a mass shooter?” she asked.
“I was a SWAT cop for 12 years,” the congressman responded.
“So, you know what these bullets are,” Beasley said.
Beasley said she does not feel intimidated standing up to elected officials and speaking out on gun control. She reiterated that she’ll continue to do so. And Beasley said she won’t be alone in her mission.
“There is a whole contingency of women and parents and moms and community members who have gone to D.C. who are going to continue to fight and are getting more involved every day,” she said.
