News – Page 2905 – 105.7 WDNY

Police chief confident Capitol won’t see attack like Jan. 6 again

January 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — One year after a mob of former President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the halls of Congress — sending lawmakers fleeing and leaving the building ransacked — the chief of the U.S. Capitol Police expressed confidence in an interview with ABC News that his force would be able to effectively prevent any similar kind of attack on the nation’s legislative branch from happening again.

“I believe we can, and I don’t say that as a challenge to anybody, ” Chief Tom Manger said in a new interview with ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas. “But I do believe we can. I mean, one, when you look at what went wrong on [Jan. 6], we didn’t have enough people, there were training issues, equipment issues. You know, there were things that we — that with regard to intelligence that we probably should have addressed, but we didn’t.”

“Those issues have been addressed,” Manger said.

A bipartisan report on the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol released by the Senate Homeland Security Committee in June showed there were widespread security failures on the part of the Capitol Police and law enforcement.

The intelligence division of the Capitol Police ”knew from online posts of a plot to breach the Capitol and posts that contained Capitol Complex maps of the tunnel systems, yet did not convey the full scope of known information to USCP leadership, rank-and-file officers or law enforcement partners,” the report found.

A comprehensive review of police officer body camera footage from the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol found roughly 1,000 instances of assault against members of law enforcement who were trying to protect the building, according to Department of Justice court filings. Approximately 140 officers suffered injuries as they battled for hours with the pro-Trump mob, and, according to Manger, some are still unable to return to regular duties.

While some officers were back the next day “even though they were hurting and they’ve worked every day since that,” Manger said, “We’ve had some officers that have been out because of their injuries. The healing process is happening, and we’re doing everything we can to provide assistance to these officers. What we had in place prior to Jan. 6 for employee wellness and employee assistance is minuscule compared to what we have in place today.”

Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, a Capitol Police officer who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6, recently tweeted a photo of injuries he said he sustained in the attack and repudiated those who have since sought to minimize the seriousness of the insurrection.

“To some, my efforts and injuries are just an exaggeration,” he tweeted along with a bruised foot and hand. “THEY did this to me. This why it matters to me and should matters to you.”

Manger said he is “concerned” about some of the lessons he feels people around the country seem to have taken away from the Jan. 6 attack.

“I think there’s a lot of folks that in our country, regrettably, in my opinion, that if they have disagreements with someone else, political disagreements or just disagreements about anything, that instead of having a civil conversation about something, if you disagree with me, then you’re my enemy,” Manger said. “And if you’re my enemy, I can hurt you. I mean this — I don’t know how this, this notion, you know, became so acceptable to so many people, but that that really is what concerns me the most.”

Manger, who was retired from a more than four-decade career in law enforcement at the time of the Capitol assault, told ABC News the department is still facing issues with its staffing levels despite what he called an “apparent” bump in recruitment interest from those like himself who watched the insurrection unfold.

“We’ve had no trouble recruiting people to join the Capital Police Department,” the chief said. “Of course, our challenge is to make sure we’re hiring the right people in terms of our staffing. We are right now probably at least 200 people down from where we were a couple of years ago, and we’re about 400 people down from where we should be.”

Assessing the current threats leading up to the one-year anniversary of Jan. 6, Manger told ABC News that he has seen no indication of any significant demonstrations that would be a cause for concern. However, he stressed that if that changes, Capitol Police are more than capable of quickly putting up the steel fencing around the complex to guard against any potential threats.

“I’m going to be very judicious about recommending that we put the fence up for anything,” Manger said. “There’s nothing that I’m hearing now that’s of concern. There’s a lot, of course, a lot of chatter about Jan. 6, but so far I’m not aware of any big demonstrations that are going to be here.”

Republican Liz Cheney calls Trump ‘clearly unfit for future office’

January 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wy., the top Republican on the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, said former President Donald Trump is “clearly unfit for future office [and] clearly can never be anywhere near the Oval Office ever again.”

“He crossed lines no American president has ever crossed before,” she said in an interview with “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos on Sunday. “When a president refuses to tell the mob to stop, when he refuses to defend any of the coordinate branches of government, he cannot be trusted.”

The Wyoming Republican said her party has a “particular duty” to not only reject the events of Jan. 6, but “to make sure that Donald Trump is not our nominee, and that he’s never anywhere close to the reins of power ever again.”

As Trump publicly weighs whether to seek the White House again in 2024, Cheney said she agreed with Trump’s former Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, who said recently that a Trump victory in the next presidential election “could be the end of our democracy.”

“Do you share that fear?” Stephanopoulos asked.

“I do,” she said.

As the one-year anniversary of the Capitol siege nears, the House select committee’s sprawling probe is in full swing. In the past six months, the panel has interviewed more than 300 people, issued more than 50 subpoenas and obtained tens of thousands of records.

Cheney said the panel’s substantial efforts have already garnered important findings regarding Trump’s actions that day.

“The committee has firsthand testimony now that [Trump] was sitting in the dining room next to the Oval Office watching the attack on television,” she said.

She went on to add, “We have firsthand testimony that his daughter Ivanka went in at least twice to ask him to please stop this violence.”

“He could have told them to stand down. He could have told them to go home – and he failed to do so,” Cheney continued. “It’s hard to imagine a more significant and more serious dereliction of duty than that.”

“Is his failure to make that statement criminal negligence?” Stephanopoulos asked.

Cheney replied that there are several “potential criminal statutes at issue here.”

“But I think that there’s absolutely no question that it was a dereliction of duty, and I think one of the things the committee needs to look at is we’re looking at a legislative purpose is whether we need enhanced penalties for that kind of dereliction of duty,” she said.

Cheney, one of two Republicans on the congressional panel probing Jan. 6, said Sunday that “the Republican Party has to make a choice. We can either be loyal to our Constitution or loyal to Donald Trump, but we cannot be both.”

Despite her pessimism about the state of her party, Cheney said she remains in high spirits about the work her committee has done.

“This committee gives me hope,” she said. “It is very much one that brings together a group of us who have very different policy views, but who come together when the issues have to do with the defense of the Constitution. So, that does give me hope.”

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

Puerto Rico’s COVID-19 positive rate jumps from 2% to over 30% in just two weeks

January 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Just two weeks ago, Puerto Rico had a COVID-19 test positivity rate of 2% — the lowest it had ever been, according to the island’s health department COVID-19 dashboard.

As of Monday, that rate (an indicator of community spread) jumped to 33%, an explosive increase that tracks with the emergence of the highly contagious omicron variant and has sparked concerns among the scientific community and health officials on the island.

“This is not the time to get together, “ said Puerto Rico’s Health Secretary Carlos Mellado in a press conference ahead of New Year’s Eve gatherings.

The rapid surge of cases comes after multiple events, concerts and holiday festivities had been held on the island. Many of these events required proof of vaccination to be able to attend.

“What happened was a perfect storm,” said the president of Puerto Rico’s Scientific Coalition Daniel Colón-Ramos. “We didn’t expect to happen this fast.”

The island has seen an uptick in hospitalizations as well.

“Hospitalization cases have increased considerably in just two days,” Secretary Mellado added in the press conference.

According to the health departments dashboard, current hospitalizations are over 400 and the total death toll is at 3,310.

Puerto Rico’s increase in COVID-19 cases is on par with the rest of the nation. Other U.S. jurisdictions like New York, Florida, New Jersey and Washington D.C. have also reported a spike in cases in the last weeks.

The island’s vaccination rate is 80% one of the highest in the U.S., but 26.8% have received booster shots — a key factor in battling the omicron variant. In other states like New York health officials are also trying to encourage citizens to get the booster shot as soon as possible.

The omicron variant in Puerto Rico account for 92% of the COVID-19 cases, according to the island’s health department.

After cases started to increase, Puerto Rico’s governor implemented new restrictions including limiting capacity in restaurants, bars and theaters, requiring domestic travelers a negative test within 48 hours and demanding international travelers proof of negative test 24 hours prior to arrival even when the person has been fully vaccinated. The island’s mask mandate implemented since the beginning of the pandemic remains in place.

The government recently announced that booster shots would be required for first responders, restaurant employees and public employees that work in the educational system.

According to scientist Mónica Feliú-Mójer from the organization Ciencia PR, which focuses on scientific education in the island, the case increase in Puerto Rico reported such a rapid increase in cases is attributable to several factors, including people’s behavior.

The combination of massive events, the holiday season and a highly transmissible variant sparked the spike in positivity rate in the island, experts say.

“The holidays are culturally very, very important and everyone thought this would be a different Christmas. People were eager to get together,” Feliú-Mójer told ABC News.

Amid the surge in cases, the island’s health department announced they will not follow the new CDC guidelines that shorten the isolation period for asymptomatic patients.

“We cannot wait to see what happens with the hospitalizations before decisions are made because our healthcare system is frail,” Colón-Ramos told ABC News.

Puerto Rico’s healthcare system is still recovering from the impact of Hurricane Maria, the 2020 earthquakes and the ongoing economic depression. Some municipalities still don’t have functional clinics.

The scientific community applauded the government’s decision to take into consideration the island’s context and to not implement the new CDC guidelines.

“We need to put all of the preventive measures front and be conservative,” Colón-Ramos said. “In Puerto Rico we need to bring the cases down, we cannot wait.”

Powerball jumps to over $522M following another winless drawing

January 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Powerball jumps to over 2M following another winless drawing

(NEW YORK) — Another week, another chance to become a bigger multi-millionaire.

No one had the winning numbers for Saturday’s half-billion-dollar Powerball jackpot, and the purse has now grown to over $522 million, according to the lottery officials.

There have been 38 drawings in a row without a jackpot winner. The last time someone won the Powerball was in October, when a California player matched the winning numbers for a $699.8 million jackpot.

The next Powerball drawing will be Monday night.

Although no one matched Saturday’s five lottery numbers and Powerball number — 6, 12, 39, 48, 50 and 7 — a few players did come up lucky with some runner-up prizes that had a hefty purse.

One player in Maryland won a $2 million prize for matching the five numbers and using the Power Play multiplier, while three players in Arizona, Florida and California each won $1 million for matching the five numbers, according to Powerball officials.

3 people still missing after devastating Colorado wildfire

January 1, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(COLORADO) — Three people are still missing after devastating Colorado wildfires destroyed hundreds of homes, authorities said.

Thousands of people were forced to evacuate in Boulder County on Thursday when high winds and dry conditions helped fuel two fast-spreading wildfires, the more destructive of the two being the Marshall Fire.

No casualties have been officially reported, though three people have been reported missing in the region of the Marshall Fire, Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said during a press briefing Saturday.

“I suspected we would have loss of life just based on the size of this fire, the speed and the ferocity,” Pelle said. “I think it’s miraculous that it is three and not 100 or hundreds. So I’m grateful for that, but I’m also extremely sorry for the families.”

Two people were reported missing in the town of Superior, while one person is missing in the Marshall area, Pelle said.

Their homes have been destroyed, and search and recovery efforts have been further impeded after 8 inches of snow fell on the structures, the sheriff said.

First responders plan to bring in cadaver dogs on Sunday to help find potential human remains in the homes, he said.

“We unfortunately believe these are going to turn into recovery efforts,” Pelle said.

The Marshall Fire has destroyed 991 total structures and damaged 127, based on preliminary assessments, authorities said. In the city of Louisville, 553 structures were destroyed and another 45 were damaged. In Superior, 332 structures were destroyed and another 60 were damaged.

Parts of Boulder County are still under evacuation due to “active hot spots, downed power lines and damaged trees at risk of falling,” according to the Boulder Office of Emergency Management.

Authorities are still working to determine the cause of the fires, which were first suspected to be sparked by downed power lines. The sheriff’s office executed a search warrant on a property based on a tip it recently received, said Pelle, who did not provide any further information on that case.

“We’re looking at any cause for the wildfire,” he said. “If it turns out to be arson, or reckless behavior with fire, we’ll take appropriate actions.”

Off-duty NYPD officer shot while sleeping in car between shifts, authorities say

January 1, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — An off-duty New York Police Department officer is in stable condition after he was struck in the head by a bullet while sleeping in his car between shifts, authorities said.

The officer was resting in his personal car, which was parked in the lot of a Manhattan police precinct, after finishing a late-night shift at a New Year’s Eve event in Central Park, according to NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell.

While reclined in the driver’s seat, a bullet came through the rear passenger window, striking him in the temple, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig.

The officer awoke at 6:15 a.m. in pain to find his rear window shattered, according to Sewell. An on-duty officer rendered aid and the injured officer was transported to a nearby hospital, where he underwent surgery and had bullet fragments removed from his wound, the commissioner said.

The officer, who officials said is a seven-year veteran of the force and father of two, was not identified. He has a fractured skull but is expected to make a full recovery, officials said.

“We are grateful that our officer is recovering, as we know this could have been a very tragic outcome,” Sewell told reporters outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where the office is recuperating. “I also truly believe this incident underscores that there are far too many guns out there in the wrong hands and too many people willing to fire those weapons, and that is something we intend to tackle head-on.”

Detectives don’t have a motive at this time, and it is unclear if the officer was the intended target, authorities said.

“It appears that the bullet was fired from a significant distance away,” Sewell said. “It’s hard to tell who the intended target was, if any.”

There is a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who fired the gun, Essig said.

Newly-inaugurated New York City Mayor Eric Adams visited the officer in his hospital room on Saturday.

“I knew that this could have turned out differently,” Adams, a former New York City police captain, told reporters. “I know that a bullet, when it strikes an individual, it does not stop its path. It continues to rip apart the anatomy of a family and a community.”

We are happy but angry today.

Happy to report that our officer injured last night is recovering and in good spirits.

Angry that someone brought in the New Year with violence.

We’ll find the gun AND the shooter. We’ll bring anyone who thinks they can attack our city to justice. pic.twitter.com/uhT2dWTlAy

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) January 1, 2022

He vowed to “aggressively” address gun violence in the city.

“That bullet could have struck any person or individual that was walking through the streets,” he said. “And I am clear on my mission to aggressively go after those who are carrying violent weapons in our city.”

ABC News’ Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.

New Year’s Day brings weather threats, including tornadoes as Kentucky gov declares state of emergency

January 1, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(KENTUCKY) — A tornado watch has been issued for parts of Kentucky and Tennessee on Saturday, effective until 6 p.m. CT.

The tornado watch warning includes areas devestated by an outreak of tornadoes that left 93 dead across five states last month.

The severe weather system brought heavy rain, thunderstorms, tornadoes, hail and strong straight-line winds impacting much of Western, Eastern and South Central Kentucky, according to a press release issued by the governor’s office.

“The severe weather caused flash flooding, loss of power and damage of public infrastructure and private properties,” the governor’s office said in the release.

A total of between 2 to 5 inches of rain is expected to fall on Saturday, with a cold front arriving in the evening, which could complicate the response, according to the governor’s office.

At least one tornado has already been reported in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency Saturday due to severe weather across most of the state.

“A tornado touchdown was reported in Hopkinsville, causing severe damage to downtown businesses, and a possible tornado touchdown was reported in Taylor County, where numerous households have been damaged,” the governor’s office said.

Strong thunderstorms have been hitting parts of Kentucky Saturday morning, bringing a high risk of torrential rain and flash flooding.

“It is devastating that we are once again experiencing severe weather just weeks after the deadly tornadoes hit Western Kentucky. Sadly, some counties have been affected by both of these events,” Gov. Beshear said. “We will continue to monitor the weather and provide needed updates. Everyone be aware, stay safe and seek shelter when advised.”

Major flash flooding is ongoing in Pike County and surrounding areas of Kentucky as numerous flash flood warnings remain in place across southern parts of the state.

Flash flooding was also reported in Green, Barren, Taylor, Adair, Owsley, Breathitt and Casey counties resulting in road closures and water rescues, according to the governor’s office.

The threat of severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes will increase in the next few hours, with possible damaging wind gusts and tornadoes in the watch area Saturday evening.

Kentucky Emergency Management activated the State Emergency Operations Center. Personnel from the Kentucky National Guard, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Kentucky State Police and Kentucky Department of Public Health are monitoring the situation, according to the governor’s office.

“Please give way to emergency responders operating in numerous counties and stay off of transportation routes today if at all possible,” Michael Dossett, director of Kentucky Emergency Management, said in the press release.

New Year’s Day flight cancellations: 2,500 and counting

January 1, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — COVID-19 cases among airline staff plus poor weather conditions resulted in 2,581 nationwide flight cancellations as of 4 p.m. on Saturday, according to Flight Aware.

The news comes after a week of mass flight cancellations, pushing the total number of flight cancellations this week to over 12,000.

The number of flights canceled on Saturday was the largest in a single day this week.

Airlines, which have been canceling hundreds of flights every day since Christmas Eve, canceled the largest number of flights on Saturday. On New Year’s Eve, there were 1,625 flights canceled.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a warning to travelers on Friday that flight cancellations will continue as it experiences staffing issues.

Southwest Airlines said it has canceled 473 New Year’s Day flights. The company announced it will suspend operations at its Chicago Midway hub on Saturday as of 1 p.m. CST due to weather.

“Our Planners proactively suspended operations at both Chicago airports as of 1pm CST today (we operate well more than 200 departures a day at Chicago Midway) anticipating the gusty winds and blowing snow that decades of our history operating in this airport show us will slow down the airspace and also make deicing and getting aircraft back into the air very challenging,” Southwest said to ABC News in a statement.

“No doubt, for passengers of all air carriers, Chicago travel will be tough today,” Southwest Airlines said.

Delta Airlines said it had canceled 196 flights on Saturday.

“A combination of issues, including but not limited to inclement weather in some areas of the country and the impact of the omicron variant, are driving cancellations,” the airline said on its website.

American Airlines said it canceled 207 flights on Saturday.

“The winter storm in Chicago is having an impact on our operations, accounting for a significant number of our mainline cancellations,” American said in a statement to ABC News. “t’s affecting both flights in and out of Chicago and other flight sequences for our crew. The number of COVID-related sick calls is consistent with what we have seen over the past few days. The vast majority of impacted flights were precanceled yesterday so we could proactively notify and accommodate our customers and avoid last-minute disruptions at the airport .”

American Airlines also said that it had “issued a travel notice to allow all customers whose travel plans are impacted by the Chicago storm to rebook without change fees. We apologize to our customers whose travel plans have been affected, and want thank to our team who have worked tirelessly to help us care for our customers.”

Skywest Airlines said it canceled 465 flights Saturday.

“We continue to experience the impact of weather and the omicron variant across several SkyWest hubs, and have proactively canceled a significant number of flights due to the weekend’s weather in Chicago, Denver, and Detroit,” Skywest Airlines said in a statement to ABC News.

Skywest also said that its teams “are working nonstop to minimize impact to customers and crew. Customers should check their carrier’s website or app for the latest information about their flight.”

20 people rescued, 1 still stranded after trapped overnight on New Mexico tramway

January 1, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW MEXICO) — More than 20 people became trapped overnight in a tram car on the Sandia Peak Tramway in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as rescue efforts are underway for one remaining employee, authorities said.

The tramway cars had been stuck since 2 a.m. due to icy conditions in the area, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday.

Twenty people stranded in one of the tramway’s two cars were evacuated via helicopter two to four at a time, authorities said. The sheriff’s office livestreamed the rescue operation for over an hour.

Shortly after 1 p.m. local time, Bernalillo County fire officials updated that all 20 passengers in the car had been rescued.

An employee still remains in the second tram car, as responders are “actively working” on a rescue plan, the fire department said.

Metro Air Support, the Bernalillo County sheriff’s office and fire department, New Mexico State Police, New Mexico Search and Rescue Teams are involved in the rescue efforts.

Sandia Peak Tramway general manager Michael Donavan told ABC Albuquerque affiliate KOAT earlier Saturday that all passengers were in good condition and had water and blankets on board the tram car.

The Sandia Peak Tramway is closed Saturday due to high winds, the company said.

The tram ride typically takes 15 minutes to the peak of the Sandia Mountains, and another 15 minutes back to the lower terminal.

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

ABC News’ Joshua Hoyos contributed to this report.

21 people rescued after trapped overnight on New Mexico tramway

January 1, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW MEXICO) — Twenty-one people have been rescued after becoming trapped overnight in tram cars on the Sandia Peak Tramway in Albuquerque, New Mexico, authorities said.