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Denver school shooting suspect brought weapon to previous school, sources say

March 23, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(DENVER) — A student who was required to be patted down at the start of each school day allegedly shot and wounded two school administrators at East High School in Denver, authorities said.

The suspect, Austin Lyle, 17, fled the school after the Wednesday morning shooting, Denver police said. His body was discovered in nearby Park County on Wednesday night after an hours-long manhunt, officials said.

Lyle allegedly shot the school administrators as they patted him down in the school’s office area, which officials said is away from other students and staff.

The injured faculty members were both hospitalized. Eric Sinclair remains in serious condition and Jerald Mason has since been released from the hospital, according to the hospital and school district.

The suspect’s daily searches were part of a “safety plan” that was a result of “previous behavior,” officials said at a Wednesday news conference.

Last year Lyle was expelled from Overland High School in Aurora for allegedly violating school policy, a spokesperson for the Cherry Creek School District told ABC News.

Law enforcement sources told ABC News that in 2021 Lyle was charged with possession of a dangerous weapon.

It is unclear if that is the same incident that led to his dismissal from Overland High School, but sources told ABC News that school leadership described Lyle to police as “potentially violent” and a “threat to the safety of the school” after a series of events in the 2021-2022 school year, including bringing a weapon to Overland High School prior to his dismissal.

This year at East High School, Lyle appeared to be a “loner” who didn’t seem to have friends, according to two East High School students who did not want to be named.

For East High School, Wednesday wasn’t the first incident of gun violence for the school this year.

Last month, East High School students went to a city council meeting to call for action on school safety and gun violence after a 16-year-old student was fatally shot near the school, according to ABC Denver affiliate KMGH.

The superintendent said Wednesday that the school will be closed for the rest of this week, and that the building will now have two armed officers present through the end of the school year.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, in a statement, said removing school resource officers was a “mistake” and said they should be quickly returned.

Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero announced Thursday that all district schools will be closed Friday for a “mental health day.”

“I want to extend my heartfelt apologies to the East High School community and the larger DPS community,” he said in a letter. “No student or employee should have to carry the fear of potential violence when they walk into our buildings each day.”

Marrero encouraged students to “pause and process the challenging events this year” and provided contact information for multiple support services.

He noted that among the year’s “challenging events” was a significant data breach this month that comprised many employee names, Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, driver’s license numbers and passport numbers. The breach was unrelated to the shooting.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday that the administration’s “hearts go out to the families of the two school administrators and in Denver today and to the entire school community.”

Jean-Pierre noted that President Joe Biden unveiled another executive action aimed at tackling gun violence last week but that “as the president said in the State of the Union, Congress needs to do something.”

The mayor also called on Congress to pass “common sense” gun legislation.

“Parents are angry and frustrated, and they have a right to be,” he said. “Easy access to guns must be addressed in our country — Denver cannot do this alone.”

This shooting comes two years to the day after a mass shooting at a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, that claimed 10 lives.

ABC News’ Nic Uff and Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.

Judge temporarily blocks Wyoming abortion ban, allowing abortions to resume

March 23, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(CHEYENNE, Wyo.) — A Wyoming judge temporarily blocked a state abortion ban, prohibiting the state and its employees from enforcing the ban. The temporary restraining order will remain in effect unless it is dissolved or modified by a court order, according to court documents.

The ban prohibits nearly all abortions, with exceptions for rape, incest and to save a woman’s life or prevent irreversible bodily harm, according to the law. The law makes violating the ban a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000.

Under the ban, abortions would be permitted for ectopic pregnancies, fetuses with fatal anomalies and women who need cancer treatment, among other exceptions.

Wyoming also became the first state to ban abortion pills, separate from all abortion services, last week in a bill signed into law by Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon.

In her decision, Teton County District Court Judge Melissa Owens said the temporary injunction will “preserve the status until the merits of an action can be determined,” court documents show.

Gov. Gordon allowed the ban to become law last week without his signature.

In a statement last week, Gordon said he believes that if the state legislature seeks to settle the issue of abortion, it may have to come through a constitutional amendment.

“If the legislature wants to expressly address how the Wyoming Constitution treats abortion and defines healthcare, then those issues should be vetted through the amendment process laid out in Article 20 of the Wyoming Constitution and voted on directly by the people,” Gordon said.

Wyoming was one of 13 states that had enacted trigger bans on abortion that were set to go into effect when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The trigger ban, which prohibits abortions in all circumstances except rape, incest or if the mother is at serious risk of death or injury, was blocked by a court as litigation to determine its legality under the state constitution continues.

The Black Crowes to perform on the CMT Music Awards with Darius Rucker

March 23, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Are The Black Crowes going country? Well, not really, but they are set to perform at the upcoming CMT Music Awards.

The “Shake Your Money Maker” rockers are set to join Darius Rucker on the broadcast to premiere their collaboration on the 1991 classic “She Talks To Angels.” Not only that, the artists and longtime friends are set to team up for an episode of CMT Crossroads, which will tape in Austin on March 31 and air sometime this summer.

The 2023 CMT Music Awards air April 2 live from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

Mindy Kaling saluted at the White House with ‘The Office’ theme

March 23, 2023 by WDNY Radio

While visiting the White House this week, Mindy Kaling was made to feel little bit more at home — or at work, technically — thanks to the Marine Corps Band.

The actress, author and producer was on hand to receive a National Medal of Arts award from President Joe Biden on Wednesday, along with Seinfeld alum/Marvel movie star Julia Louis-Dreyfus, musicians Bruce Springsteen and Gladys Knight, and author Amy Tan.

On Thursday, Kaling posted to Instagram her greeting when she arrived at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue: the uniformed band playing the theme to The Office.

Kaling played flighty customer service rep Kelly Kapoor on the show, which she also co-produced during its run.

Her former co-star Jenna Fischer, who played Pam Beesly, was quick to comment of the honor, “That would destroy me. Omg.”

Next to a photo with Biden, Kaling had written in part, “Yesterday, I went with my family to receive the medal at the White House. To hear the President speak about my parents, their journey to the United States, my late mother’s dreams for me, and the power of comedy to make people understand each other was almost too much to take in. It didn’t feel real!”

Stevie Nicks postpones two shows due to “Covid illness within the band”

March 23, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Stevie Nicks‘ solo tour is being put on pause thanks to COVID-19. The Fleetwood Mac singer announced that her shows Thursday in San Francisco and Sunday in Sacramento are being postponed “due to a Covid illness within the band.”

“Stevie has loved being back on stage and is so sorry to disappoint the fans,” reads a post on social media, “but she and the band are taking all safety precautions and will be back soon.”

Stevie’s next solo tour date is scheduled for March 30 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She’s also due to reunite with Billy Joel for another co-headlining show on April 8 in Arlington, Texas. A complete list of Stevie dates can be found at stevienicksofficial.com.

Smokey Robinson talks ‘GASMS,’ longevity, retirement & more

March 23, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Smokey Robinson’s new album, GASMS, drops April 28, and while you may think the title is a bit risqué, Smokey says it doesn’t necessarily mean what you think.

“All the songs on the album have a connotation to them. Most people, when you say ‘gasms,’ they think about orgasms,” Smokey tells Rolling Stone. “But ‘gasms’ is any good feeling that you get. It’s probably a controversial title, but I wanted it to be that way.”

The 83-year-old Smokey has had a long and lasting career, but he’s seen a lot of the artists he started out with pass away. He believes the reason he’s still here is because he’s “blessed,” sharing, “For me to be my age that I am right now, and feel like I’m 40, I can’t beat that, man.”

As for the secret to his longevity, Smokey does yoga, works out regularly and eats well. But even with all that he notes, “There’s nothing you can do, man. When it’s your time, it’s your time. If there was a secret to longevity, man, you can believe somebody would’ve bottled or boxed it by now and made a fortune.”

And Smokey still has a lot of things left to do in his career, including a biopic that he says he’s “in the process of doing” right now.

And it certainly sounds like he doesn’t plan to slow down anytime soon. Asked if he thinks he’ll ever retire, he says “not anymore, man,” explaining he tried to do it when he became the vice president of Motown, but he was “just miserable.” He insists, “I will never try retirement again.”

After redemptive appearance in ‘The Mandalorian’, Ahmed Best thanks fans

March 23, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(SPOILERS) If anyone deserved a bit of redemption in the Star Wars universe, it’s actor Ahmed Best. The actor, who played Jar Jar Binks in the prequel trilogy — and who has admitted the backlash from it nearly cost him his life by suicide — got possibly the biggest redemption of all in the eyes of fans in the latest episode of The Mandalorian.

Ending months of speculation, it was revealed that Best’s Jedi character Kelleran Beq was the one who saved poor little Grogu from the great Jedi Purge in a flashback scene set during the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.

Beq was seen dispatching clone troopers left and right — literally, with a lightsaber in each hand at one point — as he escorts “Baby Yoda” from the burning Jedi temple.

The redemption wasn’t lost on the actor, who took to social media Wednesday with a gym picture — wearing an Episode I hat and Jedi symbol T-shirt no less — showing his appreciation to fans.

“Gratitude! Good to be back,” Best began. “There is so much to say and share. It’s going to take a couple of days. But, for now, I’ll just say thank you to all that have held me up and made me better.”

Incidentally, the character is the same one he played in Jedi Temple Challenge, a kids game show that ran on Disney+.

While Jar Jar was pilloried when Episode I came out in 1999, younger fans who grew up watching the prequels on DVD have since softened on the klutzy gungan.

That said, the “hate and venom” at the time was hard on Best, who has since admitted he once contemplated suicide because of it.

“Mama is in full support of NOISE”: Pink gifts 6-year-old son a drum set

March 23, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Pink‘s house is about to get a whole lot noisier: she got her 6-year-old son, Jameson, a new drum set.

The singer shared the sweet surprise on her Instagram Story, which she captioned, “Day one. Mama is in full support of NOISE.” The video starts with her and Jameson walking down a hallway into what appears to be a multipurpose room that has a piano and a set of weights in it.

On the way, Pink tells her son he should “be really excited” by what she’s about to show him.

Jameson looks to his left and freezes upon seeing a Mendini drum set in the corner. He is heard panting excitedly before running toward his mom to give her a hug.

“Look at your new drum kit, bro,” Pink encourages, before Jameson asks if he can try it out.

Another video shows the singer giving her little one a lesson. She captioned, “Mama does not play- but she will pretend to inspire the future generations of drummers.”

Pink shares Jameson, as well as 11-year-old Willow, with husband Carey Hart.

‘Power Book II: Ghost’ becomes Starz network’s biggest premiere to date

March 23, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Power Book II: Ghost marked the biggest premiere weekend yet for its network, Starz. The season 3 premiere garnered 5.8 million views — a 30% increase over season 2’s November 2021 debut.

Ghost returned March 17, introducing fans to a new set of problems that arise for Tariq, Brayden and the Tejada family following Zeke’s death.

Brayden, still enamored with the drug game, is once again forced to choose between Tariq and his birth family.

“I feel like Brayden, early in Power, was like, ‘I just wanna be like this kid, he’s cool and … I have this family who doesn’t let me do anything I want to do,'” Gianni Paolo tells ABC Audio. “He just sees who Tariq is, he’s a good person, he’s … his best friend and … that’s kinda who he gels towards more this season than his actual family.”

Tariq continues to find himself deeper in the game, despite previous desires to leave, and reunite with his mother and sister.

“Tariq is pretty happy about Yazmin and Tasha being back together, but he wants to be able to be with his family, as well,” Michael Rainey Jr. says. “He’s … fighting the want to be with his family fully but also remembering that he’s not the safest person to be around, so he gotta make sure that his family’s completely good.”

Tariq’s also still battling comparisons drawn between him and his late father, James St. Patrick. “He plays the line of not wanting to be like his father, and then he plays the line of wanting to be like his father,” Michael adds. “He’s still fighting it but he’s also coming to a place that maybe one day he will accept” that he’s like Ghost.

Episode two premieres Friday.

Rod Stewart taps Culture Club to open U.K. tour

March 23, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Rod Stewart has tapped Culture Club to open for him on his upcoming U.K. summer tour, which will have him playing some unique venues, including football stadiums, estates and castles.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be sharing the stage with my dear old friend, Boy George & Culture Club for this run of special summer shows,” Stewart shares. “I’m excited for them to join me on what is sure to be a memorable set of concerts at a variety of special venues.” He added, “We’ll all be dancing under the stars.”

Stewart’s U.K. tour kicks off in Plymouth, England, and wraps July 6 in Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the only show Culture Club is not opening. He’s also scheduled to return to North America this year, with his Las Vegas residency returning to The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on May 3, followed by a summer tour that kicks off July 29 in Sparks, Nevada. A complete list of tour dates can be found at rodstewart.com.

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