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Woman starts Facebook group to help protect other women amid rise in drink spiking

November 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A Facebook group started to help protect women from the dangers of drinks “spiked” with illegal drugs has gone viral with nearly 8,000 followers.

The group was started by Melanie Hubbard after police in Boston issued a safety warning following more allegations from women about their drinks being spiked with dangerous drugs.

Hubbard co-founded the Facebook page “Booze in Boston” as a way for people to shed light on incidents of spiked drinks in the Boston area.

“People don’t feel safe anymore. People don’t want to go to the bar because they hear what happened to their friends,” Hubbard told ABC News’ Good Morning America. “I hope that it spreads that awareness.”

Boston police said Friday they have received reports of more than 70 incidents involving spiked drinks this year alone, according to Boston ABC affiliate WCVB-TV.

Of those incidents, four were confirmed by subsequent drug tests, WCVB reported, citing comments made Friday by Boston Police Department Lt. Detective Richard Driscoll.

The Boston Police Department also issued a warning about reports of spiked drinks in September, as college students returned for the start of school.

“The Boston Police Department has become aware of numerous social media posts from various individuals who state that they were victims of drink spiking at local area bars,” stated a letter signed by Boston Police Commissioner Michael A. Cox.

In the letter, Cox encouraged people to report incidents of drink spiking to the police department.

One of the many colleges in the area, Boston University, shared a new warning last week about “scentless, colorless and tasteless drugs being placed in alcoholic drinks.”

“Drugs used in this way can cause disorientation, unconsciousness or other symptoms,” the university’s police department said in a warning that was shared on Twitter.

Sarah Solomon told GMA she became incapacitated after having a third round of drinks at a concert in Boston.

“I couldn’t stand up,” Solomon said. “I basically had to sit on the sidewalk, and then I just started getting sick, like uncontrollably.”

Solomon said she was hospitalized the next day, adding, “Even in the hospital I was throwing up. I mean it was like the worst hangover.”

Solomon, who is now recovered, said she filed a police report after her experience. She said she wants people to know that this can happen to anyone.

“I just turned 40. I’m not a college kid. I’m not a party animal,” she said. “Make sure you keep your wits about you.”

Another woman, who asked that her name not be used, told WCVB that she was terrified after an alleged drugging incident in Cambridge, outside of Boston.

“All of a sudden, I felt so drunk and then I collapsed,” the woman said, adding that her memory of the incident is “hazy.” “I did end up in the emergency room. I couldn’t stop shaking. I couldn’t stop throwing up.”

ABC News contributor Brad Garrett said drink spiking has always been prevalent, but can be underreported.

He said the latest rise in reported incidents in the Boston area may mean that people are more empowered to speak out.

“It is a crime that’s big-time underreported,” Garrett said. “And so, as a result, we don’t really know the numbers.”

Garrett said people should always keep an eye on their drinks and surround themselves with trusted friends.

The Boston Police Department is also urging people not to consume a drink that is not served to them directly by the bartender or server, and to keep their drink covered with their hand when they are not drinking it.

The department said people can also use products for sale that enable a drink to be tested for drugs.

Signs that a person may have consumed a spiked drink include loss of motor skills, vomiting, numbness, loss of control over the body and gaps in memory, according to Boston University and the Boston Police Department.

“Our little butterfly”: Kane Brown’s daughter Kingsley turns 3

November 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Kane Brown‘s daughter turned 3 and her family celebrated in style.

Kingsley, the eldest daughter of Kane and wife Katelyn, turned 3 on October 29. Her parents threw her a butterfly-themed party, complete with a pink and gold balloon arch, a neon sign of the number three and a banner that reads “Kingsley is three.”

Katelyn shared photos from the event that show the family all smiles as they pose in front of the elaborate backdrop, and Kingsley excitedly jumping in a bounce house and standing inside a cozy tent.

“Cannot believe our baby girl is 3! We love you sooo much and you are our whole world!” Katelyn writes. “Your light shines so bright and I love watching you turn into the person you are meant to be.”

She also shared a video of the tot sitting in front of her lavish birthday cake adorned with butterflies, getting a little help from dad, who lifts her up so she can blow out the last flame.

Kingsley was joined by sister Kodi Jane, who was born on December 30, 2021.

Mariah Carey reveals what happens in her house when she’s in “holiday mode”

November 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Mariah Carey takes Christmas very seriously and revealed in a new interview what happens once she’s entered “holiday mode.”

Speaking with USA Today, the self-professed Queen of Christmas declared, “When I’m not on stage and I’m in holiday mode, there are rules that I set … I don’t care who it is – the kids, if I have guests, whatever – nobody is allowed to play or watch anything other than a Christmas-related thing.”

That rule cannot be broken. Added Mariah, “If I wake up in the middle of the night and walk into the living room, and the music isn’t playing and the lights aren’t on, I just can’t handle it.”

Just in time for the holidays, Mariah’s first children’s book, The Christmas Princess, has been released.

The singer describes the book’s main character, named Little Mariah, as a “mixed-race Pippi Longstocking” who uses music to help her cope with sadness.

As for what inspired her to write such a story, Mariah said, “The constant question was, ‘What are you?’ Not ‘who are you?’ but ‘what are you?’ … It made me feel like a thing — it did not make me feel like a human being. That was mainly the reason I wrote [my memoir]: to emancipate my little girl self. And she’s never really left me.”

She said she hopes this new book inspires “all the people who have ever felt othered.” Added Mariah, “It’s a short little book, but it really does have a deeper meaning.”

Mariah has dedicated the book to her younger self and begins the book with this letter: “No matter what things look like now, you are worthy and deserving of all the attention, love, protection, care, conditioner, and fancy dresses in the whole wide world.”

Shine on, ‘Harvest Moon’: Neil Young’s acclaimed 1992 album turns 30 Wednesday

November 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Neil Young started the ’90s by rocking out on the album Ragged Glory, and subsequent 1991 live albums Arc and Weld. But when 1992 rolled around, Young, who was suffering from tinnitus, decided to mellow out a bit. The result was Harvest Moon, which marks its 30th anniversary Wednesday.

Like Young’s classic ’70s albums Harvest and Comes a Time, Harvest Moon featured acoustic guitar, piano and banjo, rather than screaming electric guitar. Neil was accompanied on Harvest Moon by backing band The Stray Gators, which also had played on Harvest, but with a slightly different lineup. On Harvest Moon, three of the group’s original members — pedal steel guitarist Ben Keith, bassist Tim Drummond and drummer Kenny Buttrey — were joined by famed songwriter and session keyboardist Spooner Oldham.

Also returning were Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor on backing vocals. The two, along with Crosby, Stills & Nash, had sung backups on Harvest, as well. In addition, Nicolette Larson and Neil’s sister, Astrid Young, lent their backing-vocal talents to Harvest Moon.

Featuring memorable songs like “Unknown Legend,” “From Hank to Hendrix,” “War of Man” and the title track, Harvest Moon was a huge success, reaching the top 10 in both the United Kindgom and Young’s home country of Canada; in the U.S., it made the top 20. It’s been RIAA-certified double Platinum for sales of 2 million copies.

Harvest Moon was also named Album of the Year at Canada’s Juno Awards, and outsold both Ragged Glory and its predecessor, 1989’s Freedom. A concert album from the Harvest Moon tour called Dreamin’ Man Live ’92 was released in 2009 as part of Young’s ongoing Archives series.

Here’s the album’s full track list:

“Unknown Legend”
“From Hank to Hendrix”
“You and Me”
“Harvest Moon”
“War of Man”
“One of These Days”
“Such a Woman”
“Old King”
“Dreamin’ Man”
“Natural Beauty”

Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong talk their new film ‘Armageddon Time’

November 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Out now in select theaters and across the country on Friday, the new film Armageddon Time is the deeply personal story of writer/director James Gray growing up in a Jewish household in the 80s, and how we sometimes regret the choices we make when we’re younger.

Anne Hathaway plays Esther, the mom of the family, and although she’s not Jewish she tells ABC Audio the role was “something I took very seriously.”

“I’m just aware that these sorts of roles don’t come along very often. And I wanted to be worthy of being asked to play it,” the actress explains.

To prepare, Hathaway says she “wound up doing a lot of research into Jewish women’s history to understand who her heroes would have been, who’s somebody she would have heard about growing up.”

Hathaway describes her character as “an idealist…who’s really, really stressed out by her economic circumstances” and expressed that exploring the character’s “contradiction of love and violence” was a dichotomy she found interesting to explore.

Likewise, Jeremy Strong was drawn to the duality of his character, Irving, the father of the household, a man with a loving side and also a nasty temper, though he admits “it was a great challenge to try and bring that out in all of its complexity and sort of dimensionality.”

Growing up with a Jewish father and grandfather allowed Strong to have some understanding of his character “at a certain level,” however, he still did a lot of research to prepare.

“You’re trying to locate the essence of a person, not a Jewish person, necessarily, that you’re trying to find the part of people that is universal,” he shares. “And you can find that within yourself, I think, whoever you are trying to embody.”

Scoreboard roundup — 11/1/22

November 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYOFFS
Philadelphia 7, Houston 0

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Chicago 108, Brooklyn 99
Miami 116, Golden State 109
Oklahoma City 116, Orlando 108
Phoenix 116, Minnesota 107

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
NY Rangers 1, Philadelphia 0 (OT)
Tampa Bay 4, Ottawa 3
Vegas 3, Washington 2 (OT)
Minnesota 4, Montreal 1
Boston 6, Pittsburgh 5 (OT)
Dallas 5, Los Angeles 2
NY Islanders 3, Chicago 1
Edmonton 7, Nashville 4
Seattle 5 Calgary 4
Arizona 3, Florida 1
New Jersey 5, Vancouver 2
Anaheim 6 San Jose 5 (SO)

Suspect in Paul Pelosi attack pleads not guilty during court appearance

November 1, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(SAN FRANCISCO) — The man accused of attacking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer last week has been arraigned in San Francisco Superior Court.

David DePape, 42, from Richmond, California, is facing a slew of state charges, including attempted murder, residential burglary and assault with a deadly weapon, as well as federal charges of assault and attempted kidnapping.

DePape walked into the courtroom wearing an orange jumpsuit and a shoulder sling on his right arm — having dislocated his shoulder during the alleged attack. Through his public defender, he pleaded not guilty and denied all allegations.

He has been ordered held without bail, and a preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Friday. DePape is expected to be arraigned on the federal charges against him on Wednesday.

A protective order that states DePape can make no contact with either Nancy or Paul Pelosi and can not come within 150 yards of their home was also signed by a judge.

According to the federal complaint, DePape allegedly used a hammer to break into the Pelosi residence in the upscale Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco early Friday, just before 2 a.m. local time. The intruder then went upstairs, where 82-year-old Paul Pelosi was asleep, and demanded to talk to “Nancy.” Despite being told that the speaker was not home and would not be for several days, DePape said he would wait and started taking out zip ties from his backpack to tie up Paul Pelosi, according to the complaint.

According to the complaint, Paul Pelosi told DePape that he needed to use the bathroom, allowing him to get his cellphone and call 911. Two police officers arrived minutes later and entered the home, encountering DePape and Paul Pelosi struggling over a hammer. The officers told the men to drop the hammer, at which time DePape allegedly gained control of the hammer and swung it, striking Paul Pelosi in the head. The officers immediately restrained and disarmed DePape, while Paul Pelosi appeared to be unconscous on the floor.

The officers later secured a second hammer, a roll of tape, white rope, zip ties as well as a pair of rubber and cloth gloves from the crime scene, according to the complaint.

Paul Pelosi was struck at least twice with the hammer, sources told ABC News. He was hospitalized following the attack and underwent successful surgery on Friday to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands, according to a statement from Nancy’s Pelosi’s spokesperson, Drew Hammill. Although his injuries are significant, the speaker’s husband is expected to make a full recovery, Hammill said.

While being questioned by police, DePape stated that he was planning to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage and talk to her and that he wanted to use her to lure another unnamed individual. If she were to tell the “truth,” DePape told police he would the speaker go. And if she “lied,” he said he was going to break “her kneecaps,” according to the complaint. DePape told police he viewed Nancy Pelosi as the “leader of the pack” of lies told by the Democratic Party and that he was certain she would not have told the “truth.” DePape explained that by breaking her kneecaps, the speaker would then have to be wheeled into Congress, which would show other members of her party there were consequences to actions, according to the complaint.

During a press conference on Monday evening, when announcing the state charges against DePape, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins described the attack as “politically motivated” and implored the public to “watch the words that we say and to turn down the volume of our political rhetoric.”

“This house and the speaker herself were specifically targets,” Jenkins said.

Nancy Pelosi gave an update on her husband’s condition in a statement on Monday night, saying he “is making steady progress on what will be a long recovery process.” She added that her family is “most grateful” for “thousands of messages conveying concern, prayers and warm wishes” since the “horrific attack.”

ABC News’ Julia Jacobo and Mola Lenghi contributed to this report.

Kansas mother who led ISIS battalion sentenced to 20 years in prison

November 1, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A Kansas mother who was convicted of leading an ISIS battalion was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday.

Allison Fluke-Ekren, 42, pleaded guilty in June to expressing interest in carrying out terrorist attacks in the United States in support of ISIS on six separate occasions between 2014 and 2017, according to court documents unsealed in February.

In letters to the court, her family described Fluke-Ekren as a “monster.” In court on Tuesday, her adult daughter said her mother forced her to marry an ISIS fighter who raped her when she was only 13.

“My mother is a monster who enjoys torturing children for sexual pleasure. My mother is a monster very skilled in manipulation and controlling her emotions to her advantage,” wrote her son, who remains unnamed in court documents filed by the Justice Department last week. “My mother is a monster without love for her children, without an excuse for her actions.”

Fluke-Ekren’s son, according to court documents, said she physically abused him as a child.

Fluke Ekren trained over 100 women and young girls, some just 10 years old on how to use automatic weapons, grenades and suicide belts, according to the Justice Department.

“Allison Fluke-Ekren brainwashed young girls and trained them to kill,” court documents say. “She carved a path of terror, plunging her own children into unfathomable depths of cruelty by physically, psychologically, emotionally, and sexually abusing them. For at least eight years, Fluke-Ekren committed terrorist acts on behalf of three foreign terrorist organizations across war zones in Libya, Iraq, and Syria.”

She also urged her daughter to delete messages shared between them to make sure she wasn’t caught in Syria where she had taken her children and was evading U.S. law enforcement, according to audio recordings played in court. Her daughter in court documents said she would inflict pain on her children, picking out what each one disliked the most and inflicting that damage upon them, then getting off on the pleasure of doing so, court documents say.

Fluke-Ekren was arrested in Syria earlier this year and transferred to U.S. custody, according to the DOJ.

Fluke-Ekren, who also used the name Umm Mohammed al-Amriki, moved to Syria in 2012 and married a “prominent” ISIS leader, court documents said. She can reportedly speak four languages, and the documents alleged she rose up the ranks to command her own all-female battalion.

“Fluke-Ekren’s alleged ISIS-related conduct includes, but is not limited to, planning and recruiting operatives for a potential future attack on a college campus inside the United States and serving as the appointed leader and organizer of an ISIS military battalion located in Syria, known as the Khatiba Nusaybah, in order to train women on the use of automatic firing AK-47 assault rifles, grenades, and suicide belts,” court documents filed in January said.

Prosecutors say she provided ISIS members with services, which included lodging, translating speeches made by ISIS leaders, teaching extremist ISIS doctrine and training children on the use of weapons and suicide belts.

Justice Department prosecutors said they believe the 20-year sentence is not enough.

“Twenty years in prison is insufficient to fully account for her monstrous acts of terror and the immeasurable damage that she has caused to countless individuals across the globe, including her own children,” prosecutors said.

One former friend, who said she last spoke to Fluke-Ekren more than 10 years ago, painted a picture of a woman who was close with her family but then became increasingly radicalized.

“I told people who she was friends with in Kansas, I told them, ‘This girl is radicalized,'” said the former friend, who agreed to be identified by her last name, Farouk. Farouk knew Fluke-Ekren when she lived in Kansas and then as a teacher in the Middle East.

She said Fluke-Ekren was a “good mom” and that their children were close, but that living in the Middle East as a teacher during the 2010 unrest of the Arab Spring and ensuing refugee crisis deeply impacted her.

New York drug overdose deaths spiked by 68% during COVID pandemic

November 1, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Drug overdose deaths in New York state spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report from the state comptroller’s office.

The analysis, published Tuesday, found that fatalities surged by 68% between 2019 and 2021.

Additionally, the more than 5,800 deaths statewide from drugs in 2021 surpassed the previous peak in 2017 by more than 1,700.

“Too many New Yorkers have died from the misuse of drugs, but the jump in these numbers is alarming,” comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said in a statement. “It is a tragedy that devastates families and impacts our communities in countless ways.”

The report also found that the number of deaths linked to opioids has skyrocketed.

In 2021, the rate of opioid overdoses was 25 per 100,000 in New York, a spike from five per 100,000 in 2010.

Additionally, the report found there were disparities in drug overdose fatalities across racial and ethnic groups.

During the pandemic, death rates rose fivefold for Black residents and quadrupled for Hispanic residents. White New Yorkers also saw a rise in drug overdose deaths, with rates tripling during the pandemic.

“The data shows our battle against drug overdose deaths is far from over,” DiNapoli’s statement continued. “State leaders must ensure an ongoing commitment of public resources and strategies, including new funding from legal settlements, and innovative, evidence-based solutions for the fight against this deadly epidemic to be effective.”

The trends in New York reflect those seen on a national level. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year showed that more than 100,000 Americans died of a drug overdose during the first year of the pandemic.

It’s a 29% increase from the same period in 2019 and equates to a person dying every five minutes.

According to the CDC, many of those drug fatalities were due to opioids, particularly synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.

Hate speech increased on Twitter after Elon Musk takeover, study finds

November 1, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A new study from Montclair State University showed a dramatic increase in hate speech on Twitter immediately following Elon Musk’s acquisition of the social media platform.

Musk, who describes himself as a free speech absolutist, closed the deal on the platform on Thursday, Oct. 27. He said he promised to reduce Twitter’s content restrictions to promote free speech, yet no official changes have been made since the acquisition aside from the announcement of a to-be-formed “content moderation council” that will review company policies.

“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” Musk said in a statement when the deal was announced.

Some online have expressed concerns about what they see as a rise in misinformation and hate speech on one of the most popular social media sites.

Despite the lack of changes to content restrictions, some researchers say that a number users seemed to take Musk’s leadership as an open invitation to spread hate online.

Montclair State University researchers who studied how often certain homophobic, antisemitic and racial hate terms were used found no more than 84 tweets featuring hate terms were posted per hour when looking at the seven-day average before Musk acquired Twitter. This totals to just over 1,000 tweets in 12 hours.

On Oct. 28, in the first 12 hours following Musk’s acquisition, hate speech was tweeted an estimated 4,778 times, according to the report.

“The character of what Twitter will look like with Musk as the head remains speculative, despite his stated intentions,” the report reads. “What is not speculative, however, is the extent to which his date of formal acquisition was celebrated by racist and extremist users on the platform.”

The Montclair State researchers found that the potential number of times a term posted in Twitter could have been viewed was more than 3 million.

In similar research by the cyber research organization National Contagion Research Institute, the use of the N-word racial epithet skyrocketed by over 500% on the website on Oct. 28.

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