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Florida hit with gas shortage after severe weather, panic buying

April 20, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(MIAMI) — Weather-related delays and panic-buying have led to a gas shortage in South Florida.

Over 55% of gas stations in Miami/Fort Lauderdale and over 34% of gas stations in West Palm Beach were without fuel as of Thursday morning, according to GasBuddy, a gas-tracking database.

“We ask that you please only purchase gas when you absolutely need it,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava at a news conference Wednesday morning outside a Shell gas station. “Overly stocking up on gas is creating an extra strain on the delivery system. In other words, there’s no need to panic.”

The shortage in Port Everglades, where only nine of 12 gas terminals were working as of Thursday morning, is causing strain on the Fort Lauderdale region. Some of the fuel terminals at the port, which are privately owned and operated, were impacted by the Apr. 12 flooding in South Florida. The port is currently 70% operational and dispenses 9.1 million gallons of fuel daily, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

Meanwhile, additional gas reserves are being sent to address the issue. At the direction of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida Division of Emergency Management is sending a million gallons of fuel to South Florida, escorted by law enforcement and pulling fuel from Port Canaveral and Tampa. Companies are also sending additional fuel supplies from across the state and delivering to gas stations around the clock.

Most of the outages were due to panic buying and not the weather, GasBuddy petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan said.

“It’s very much similar to the Colonial Pipeline and the toilet paper run in 2020,” he said. “People see something abnormal — lines and bags at gas stations — and it’s the fear of missing out on the supply of gasoline. Everyone fills everything up.”

In a video posted to Twitter, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio called the situation “crazy.”

“They keep saying it’s going to get better but it’s not,” the Republican said. “They got to get this thing fixed. This is crazy.”

Both Democrats and allies of former President Donald Trump have criticized DeSantis’ response as inadequate.

“Remember when Florida governors used to respond to natural disasters and not flee the state?” Nikki Fried, chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party and a former gubernatorial candidate, tweeted Wednesday.

DeSantis held an event in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

Jason Miller, a senior advisor to Trump, shared a Newsweek article headlined “Ron DeSantis Under Pressure Over Florida Gas Shortage: ‘Where is He?'”

DeSantis’ office hit back at the criticism, telling ABC News that “the state emergency response apparatus has been at work since the flooding occurred and continues in full swing responding to the needs of the localities as they are communicated to us.”

“The governor issued a state of emergency the day after the flooding occurred. And since then, Florida’s Division of Emergency Management has been activated to alleviate gas supply issues and ensure that no obstacles from the state keep companies in south Florida from keeping gas pumps stocked,” Bryan Griffin, DeSantis’ press secretary, continued in a statement to ABC News.

The American Automobile Association estimates that it will take about a week for the issue to clear up.

ABC News’ Jay O’Brien contributed to this report.

4 missing in fishing trip off the New England coast

April 20, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(HAMPTON, N.H.) — The U.S. Coast Guard is searching the waters off New England for four people reported missing after they sailed for a fishing trip Wednesday.

Michael Sai and three unidentified passengers departed Hampton, New Hampshire, in a 17-foot white center console boat, according to the Coast Guard.

“Their reported destination was fishing grounds near Jeffreys Ledge, approx. 50 miles offshore,” the Coast Guard tweeted.

A Coast Guard helicopter, plane and two boats were deployed to search for the missing people, the agency said.

On Thursday, an aircraft found an overturned vessel seven miles northeast of Cape Ann, but no people in the water were observed, according to the Coast Guard.

Anyone with information is asked to call Sector Northern New England at (207) 767-0303.

5th person arrested in Alabama birthday party shooting that killed 4

April 20, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(DADEVILLE, Ala.) — Five people, including three teenagers, have been arrested in connection with a deadly shooting at a birthday party in Alabama over the weekend where four victims were killed and 32 others were injured.

The most recent arrest was 19-year-old Willie George Brown Jr. of Auburn. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency announced Thursday that he’s been charged with four counts of reckless murder.

Ty Reik McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16, both of Tuskegee, were each charged with four counts of reckless murder on Tuesday. They have both been charged as adults.

Wilson LaMar Hill Jr., 20, of Auburn, was arrested on Wednesday and also charged with four counts of reckless murder. Johnny Letron Brown, 20, of Tuskegee, was arrested and formally charged with four counts of reckless murder on Thursday, according to the ALEA.

Four victims are still in the hospital in critical condition.

The shooting took place at a crowded birthday party in the small town of Dadeville, located approximately 60 miles northeast of Montgomery, according toauthorities.

“Make no mistake, this is Alabama and when you pull out a gun, and you start shooting people, we’re gonna put you in jail,” Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Sgt. Jeremy Burkett said at a press conference Wednesday.

Officials said they are still in the early stages of the investigation and more charges will be coming. Officials asked anyone who has information or was present at the shooting to come forward.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Mike Segrest, district attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit of Alabama. “We’re going to make sure every one of those victims has justice and not just the deceased.”

Officials did not reveal whether they have identified a motive for the shooting.

One of the victims killed in the shooting — 18-year-old Philstavious Dowdell — was attending his sister’s 16th birthday party, according to Segrest.

“There were so many kids in this venue and what they saw, they’re victims in this. Their families are victims of this,” Segrest said at a press conference Wednesday.

In addition to Dowdell, the three others killed in the shooting were identified as 23-year-old Corbin Dahmontrey Holston, 19-year-old Marsiah Emmanuel Collins and 17-year-old Shaunkivia Nicole Smith.

South Korea exporting arms to Poland amid controversy over lethal aid to Ukraine

April 20, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(SEOUL, South Korea) — South Korea’s presidential office confirmed that the ongoing machine gun bullets, battle tank shell, and reactive armor exports deal to Poland will continue as planned amid controversy after President Yoon Suk Yeol signaled his intentions to send weapons directly to Ukraine if a large-scale attack on civilians is carried out by Russia.

President Yoon’s comments were strongly criticized by Russian officials saying “such actions would definitely ruin Russian-Korean relations.”

In Yoon’s interview with Reuters, he said that if there were to be a large-scale attack on Ukrainian civilians, a massacre or a serious violation of the laws of war by Russia, that it might be difficult for South Korea to insist only on humanitarian or financial support.

The presidential office immediately clarified that President Yoon was merely referring to a “hypothetical situation” and explained to reporters “what South Korea does in the future will depend on Russia’s action.”

President Yoon is expected to meet President Joe Biden at the White House for his second bilateral summit next week and the two leaders are expected to “discuss a shared vision of a strong and deeply integrated U.S.-ROK Alliance that maintains peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” the White House announced on Wednesday.

South Korean companies have begun to wade into the global arms market to fill the gap in the international arms shortage. Last year, South Korea’s arms exports rose to a record $17.3 billion and Hanwha Aerospace, the largest defense company in South Korea, accounts for more than half of overseas arms exports in the country, according to South Korea’s Defense Ministry.

In the case of Poland, South Korea currently exports tanks, fighter jets, howitzers and multiple rocket launchers as Poland has been sending its conventional weapons to Ukraine.

The arms exported to Poland include 180 K2 main battle tanks by Hyundai Rotem and Hanwha Aerospace’s 672 K9 A1 self-propelled howitzers. The first 24 of Hanwha’s howitzers were delivered to Poland’s soil last December while the company looks for ways to manufacture a portion of their product in Poland as well.

“We have 10 K2 tanks and 24 K9 howitzers on Polish soil. I emphasize that this is only the first batch of equipment that is to be delivered to Poland. There will be more deliveries next year,” Mariusz Błaszczak, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense said during the collection of equipment from South Korea last December.

It took less than half a year for Hanwha Aerospace to land an export deal and deliver the product to Poland — an unprecedented speed in signing and executing an arms contract since it is a process that normally takes four to five years. For Hanwha, it was the largest order from overseas.

“The Ukrainian war is draining inventory of conventional weapons, such as self-propelled guns, missiles, and shells, which are most commonly used in actual war. Since major weapons-producing countries like the U.S. and Germany have reduced production lines for conventional weapons, it will take years to meet the demand, but South Korea was ready,” Chae Woo-suk, the president of the Korea Defense Industry Association, told ABC News. “Poland imported new weapons to defend themselves from South Korea to cover the short supply after they have exhausted a lot of old existing weapons supporting the Ukrainian war.”

A subsidiary of South Korean conglomerate Hanwha Group, Hanwha Aerospace provides most howitzers and fighting vehicles for the country’s military. As one of the few countries in the world that is technically still at war, South Korea’s arsenal companies have been maintaining and upgrading the conventional weapons production to equip the more than 3.6 million army personnel.

Despite playing second fiddle in the arsenal industry to companies in the West, South Korean companies like Hanwha have a comparative advantage in their production capabilities. Hanwha explained their biggest advantage is that they can meet the demands in a shorter period of time because they are relatively free from the global logistics disturbance when assembling their howitzers and war vehicles. For instance, 92% of Hanwha’s K9 howitzer parts are manufactured within South Korea.

“Our strong local manufacturing ecosystem has enabled us to be a key player providing high-quality weapon systems like our artillery and armored vehicles. And localization rate reaches over 80%,” Dae-young Kim, Executive Vice President of Hanwha Aerospace told ABC News. “Many thought that conventional weapons like battle tanks and artillery systems do not necessarily belong to the battle environment in the 21st century. But as seen in the Ukraine war, the artillery capabilities still play an essential role, and Hanwha Aerospace has strength in providing them.”

Hanwha’s export deal with Poland has expanded its production line in Changwon and around 50 more workers were committed to the K9 Howitzer production in March to increase production capacity to meet export demand.

“It takes approximately 100 days to complete one K9 howitzer-starting from laying the foundation plate and running a road test,” production manager Cha Yong-su at Hanwha Aerospace Changwon manufacturing plant, told ABC News. “Skilled workers as well as the automated robots who enable the hectic schedule.”

The South Korean government has reiterated its official position that they will not send Ukraine any direct lethal aid in the midst of the current controversy.

Nashville notes: Opry’s ‘Salute the Troops’ lineup + Mickey Guyton on Disney

April 20, 2023 by WDNY Radio

The Grand Ole Opry’s star-studded Salute the Troops returns on May 23. The performance lineup includes The Oak Ridge Boys, John Conlee, Locash, The War and Treaty and Jason Crabb. For more information and to get tickets, visit opry.com.

Lukas Nelson and Lainey Wilson have dropped the music video for their rollicking new song, “More Than Friends.”

Mickey Guyton shared on Twitter that she’s reprising her role as Wanda Warbler on the next episode of Mickey Mouse Funhouse. Catch it Friday, April 21, on Disney Channel and Disney Now.

Circle Network is set to air Reportin’ For Duty: A Tribute to Leslie Jordan on Saturday, April 29, at 9 p.m. CT. The special will feature performances from country artists such as Maren Morris and Lainey Wilson. Fans can tune in on the television network or livestream it via Circle All Access’ Facebook or YouTube.

Music notes: Ed Sheeran, Selena Gomez, Bebe Rexha and more

April 20, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Ed Sheeran fans in Dublin, Ireland, were treated to a unique listening experience Thursday. A yellow bench with a QR code was installed in Merrion Square Park, offering music snippets from Ed’s new album, – [Subtract], and voice notes from the singer. – [Subtract] comes out May 5.

That’s a wrap on season 3 of Only Murders in the Building. Selena Gomez commemorated the end of filming by posting a photo of herself with the upcoming season’s guest star, Meryl Streep, and a message of gratitude. “I’m not sure I have enough words to explain just how beautiful this season has been,” she wrote. “It has been deliriously hilarious, challenging and for me, an absolute dream. I’ll post more soon. But I’ll I leave it with the woman I adore, look up to and love.”

Bebe Rexha and Snoop Dogg got high together and dropped the video for their new song “Satellite” on 4/20, but Bebe says she had some explaining to do after teasing the collab last week on Instagram. “My dad called me and was like, ‘What are you doing? Why are you smoking on the internet? Are you crazy?'” she tells People. “I was like, ‘Dad, it’s Snoop Dogg. If you smoke with anybody, it has to be Snoop Dogg.'”

Before playing stadium shows, the Jonas Brothers decided on a more intimate setting for their fans with their recent Broadway run — and it paid off. According to Billboard Boxscore, Jonas Brothers on Broadway = 5 Albums 5 Nights grossed $1.6 million and sold 7,291 tickets over the five consecutive shows.

Billie Eilish is heading to The Late Late Show with James Corden on April 25.

Paul McCartney reflects on ‘Red Rose Speedway’ ahead of 50th anniversary

April 20, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Paul McCartney is celebrating the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Wings album Red Rose Speedway with the release of a special half-speed mastered vinyl arriving on Saturday, April 22, for Record Store Day.

To mark the special release, McCartney is sharing memories of the album in a Q&A on his website, and he reveals that there are at least two songs on the album that are very personal to him.

Asked about what songs stand out to him, Sir Paul notes, “I’m very proud of ‘My Love.’ This was early days for me and (wife) Linda, so it’s a love song to her really.” He adds, “One of the things I was proud of, funnily enough, was that it charted. It sort of did very well,” referring to the fact that the song hit number one in the U.S.

McCartney shares that another song on the album, “One More Kiss,” was inspired by his family, this time his daughter Mary, who was 3 or 4 at the time it was written.

“And you know how fathers often fuss over their kids? So I was fussing over her, she was a really cute baby,” he explains. “And I’m fussing away going, ‘Give me a kiss. Come on, give me a kiss!’ And she’d get fed up with me and sort of go: ‘Dad. Alright. But only one more kiss.’ So I got one more kiss … and a song!”

Overall, McCartney says Red Rose Speedway sounds “more professional” to him than Wings’ previous releases. He notes, “It sounds like it’s putting in more effort, but it’s less rebellious than (1971’s) Wild Life.”

Why stock prices are rising and what experts say comes next

April 20, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — High inflation, interest rate hikes and recession worries pummeled stocks last year.

The market has rebounded in 2023, though, even as each of those problems continues to vex the economy. Compounding those concerns, the banking sector underwent a crisis last month and a debt ceiling dispute in Congress risks financial distress.

Still, the tech-heavy Nasdaq has climbed more than 15% this year, while the S&P 500 has jumped more than 7%. The Dow has ticked up about 2% since the outset of the year.

The gains in recent months owe in part to the poor performance last year, since investors already responded to the grim economic conditions with a sell-off, stock analysts told ABC News.

Investors flocked back to the market as inflation eased and rate hikes slowed, even if those market headwinds persist and the threat of a recession looms, they said.

“The stock market is obviously performing better than the vast majority of people would’ve expected,” Tom Essaye, president of financial data firm Sevens Report Research, told ABC News.

“The market has proven very impressively resilient, despite bad news,” he added.

Analysts differed about the outlook for stocks going forward, however, as some said they expect the rally to endure for the remainder of the year while others predicted a recession that would render the good times short-lived.

Over the last year, the Federal Reserve has imposed an aggressive string of interest rate hikes last seen in the 1980s.

The policy aims to slash inflation but risks slowing the economy and bringing about a recession.

So far, the approach has succeeded in cooling price hikes but fallen short of the Fed’s goal.

Consumer prices rose 5% last month compared to a year ago, extending a monthslong slowdown of price increases but leaving inflation more than double the target rate of 2%.

The progress in slashing inflation has left investors confident that the Fed will soon stop raising interest rates and may even begin to lower rates by the end of the year, analysts told ABC News.

“The theme we’re seeing in 2023 is ‘The end is near,'” Adam Turnquist, chief technical strategist at LPL Financial, told ABC News.

Softening inflation and rate hikes have coincided with resilient economic performance, fueling investor optimism, analysts said.

The U.S. added 236,000 jobs in March, which marks robust job growth but a reduction from an average of 334,000 jobs added each month over the previous six months, according to government data released last week.

Meanwhile, U.S. retail sales fell moderately in February but remained solid, suggesting that households still retain some pandemic-era savings.

When asked about rising stock prices this year, Tigress Financial market analyst Ivan Feinseth said: “The key fundamental reason is the economy is still strong. The world hasn’t come to an end.”

Still, the economy remains under threat of a recession.

Fed economists said in March that they anticipate a “mild” recession later this year, escalating a previous forecast, central bank meeting minutes showed.

Sixty-five percent of economists expect a recession within the next year, according to a Bloomberg survey last month.

Still, many stock investors hold out hope that the economy could avert a downturn or expect that a mild recession would cause little economic upheaval, said Turnquist, of LPL Financial.

“We’re seeing a message from the market that we could still potentially avoid a recession,” he said.

Some analysts said each of the major stock indexes would end the year at a higher price than its current level, since resilient economic activity would buoy corporate profits, the key focus for stock forecasters.

“The market is teetering on a major breakout,” said Feinseth, of Tigress Financial. “I think we’re going to see a powerful second half of the year.”

Essaye, of Sevens Report Research, offered a more pessimistic outlook, saying the S&P 500 could fall as much as 10% by the end of the year if the economy turns downward.

“It’s extremely difficult to execute a soft landing,” he said, referring to an outcome in which the Fed raises rates to bring down inflation but avoids causing a recession. “There has only been one executed successfully in the last 40 years.”

Despite the glum forecast, Essaye said the current moment offers an opportunity for patient investors to jump into the market.

“We’re pricing in the bad news now and getting ready for a positive surprise in the long term,” he said. “The U.S. economy isn’t going to break.”

ABC News’ Elizabeth Schulze contributed to this report.

Guns found at airport checkpoints increased in 1st months of 2023, TSA says

April 20, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — As air travel soars, the number of guns found at airport checkpoints is up, with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reporting a more than 10% increase in recovered firearms for the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same time last year.

TSA said officers intercepted 1,508 guns at airport security checkpoints from Jan. 1 to March 31 of this year, averaging 16.8 firearms a day — more than 93% of which were loaded. The agency found 1,367 during the same months in 2022, according to a press release from the agency.

“Firearms at TSA security checkpoints present an unacceptable safety and security risk to other passengers and I am deeply concerned that the majority of these firearms our [officers] catch are loaded,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a press release.

While the number of guns found at checkpoints is up, the rate at which they’re found has decreased. TSA said it found 7.9 firearms per one million passengers this year, down from the same time last year when the rate of discovery was 8.6 firearms per one million passengers.

This comes as air travel continues to rebound towards pre-pandemic levels – TSA says it screened 191 million passengers during Q1 of this year, up more than 20% from the 158 million screened in the first quarter of 2022.

While air travel numbers plunged during the pandemic, the rate of firearms discovered increased. TSA found a total of 3,257 firearms in carry-ons in 2020 — approximately 10 guns per million passengers screened. In 2021, the agency detected 5,972 guns. The rate of discovery that year was 10.2 firearms per million passengers.

Pre-pandemic numbers show the agency found 4,432 firearms in 2019 at a rate of five firearms per million passengers screened.

Passengers caught with guns in carry-ons can face fines up to $14,950.

“If you carry a firearm to the checkpoint, our [officers] will see it and there will be significant penalties, to include federal penalties and additional screening, which may prolong the security screening process,” Pekoske said. “You may still travel with a firearm — it just must be properly packed in your checked baggage and you must declare it to the airline.”

Florida removes company responsible for 4 a.m. emergency alert test

April 20, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) — Florida officials are apologizing and pledging to remove the company responsible for sending Florida residents emergency alerts on their cellphones after much of the state was woken up to an alarm at 4:45 a.m. on Thursday.

Officials said the alert, which included wording that it was a test, was intended to be on TV.

“The Division understands that unexpected 4:45 AM wake up calls are frustrating and would like to apologize for the early morning text,” the Florida Division of Emergency Management said in a statement to ABC News.

“We are taking the appropriate action to remove the company responsible for submitting the alert this morning. We want to stress that while this wake up call was unwarranted, disasters can happen at any time and having a way to receive emergency alerts can save lives,” the division said.

Florida’s emergency management agency said it tests emergency alerts on a variety of platforms, including radio, television and text alerts.

“We are taking the appropriate action to ensure this will never happen again and that only true emergencies are sent as alerts in the middle of the night,” the division said in a tweet.

Gov. Ron DeSantis echoed that he would “bring swift accountability” to those responsible.

“This was a completely inappropriate use of this system,” he said in a tweet.

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