Theo Wargo/WireImage for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
A special tribute concert for longtime Yes drummer Alan White, who died on May 22 at age 72 after a brief illness, will take place on October 2 at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle.
The show will feature members of Yes and of Alan’s solo group White, as well as special guests, performing songs from throughout the drummer’s long career, including renditions of tunes by Yes, John Lennon, George Harrison and more.
The event will be hosted by Alan’s longtime friend, retired U.S. radio personality Bob Rivers, and all proceeds from the show will benefit the WhyHunger charity.
Tickets for the concert will go on sale to the general public this Friday, August 19, at 10 a.m. PT via Ticketmaster.
White was the drummer of yes from 1972 until his death. Prior to joining the famous British prog-rock band, he was a member of Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band, and he played on the 1969 album Live Peace in Toronto, John’s 1970 single “Instant Karma,” Lennon’s landmark 1971 album Imagine and 1972’s Some Time in New York City. Alan also contributed to Harrison’s All Things Must Pass album, including the chart-topping single “My Sweet Lord.”
In other news, another musical tribute to White is being planned for September 10 at the Newcastle Days festival in the Seattle suburb of Newcastle, Washington, where the British-born musician lived for many years up until his death.
(NEW YORK) — Scientists have a message about the spotted lanternfly: If you see one, squish it.
While that may sound harsh for bug lovers out there, experts say spotted lanternflies can be devastating to agriculture.
“It’s a good idea if you can kill them, to do that,” Brian Eshenaur, a senior extension associate for ornamental crops at Cornell University’s pest management division, told ABC News.
The New York City Parks Department offers similar guidance on its website.
“Harming our city’s wildlife is broadly prohibited, but in an effort to slow the spread of this troublesome species, the current guidance remains: if you see a spotted lanternfly, please squish and dispose of this invasive pest,” the department says.
New York state’s Department of Agriculture and Markets, Department of Environmental Conservation and the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation launched a program this year to train volunteers on how to identify and track the invasive species in the state.
The invasive species originated in Asia but was first found in the U.S. in Pennsylvania in 2014 and soon after in other states in the Northeast, including Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Virginia.
The insect, known scientifically as the Lycorma delicatula, feeds on at least 70 different species of trees, as well as vines and shrubs, including fruit trees, grapevines and several hardwoods, according to a report from the University of Michigan.
The lanternfly isn’t dangerous to people and pets, experts say. The insect is viewed as more of a nuisance since they don’t bite or sting.
So if you plan on being vigilant for spotted lanternflies this summer, here are some key things to know.
Keep an eye out in backyards and parks
The bugs gather in large numbers and can be found in backyard trees and in parks, where they feed on trees and ooze a sugary substance called honeydew, which then can cause a sooty mold that can land on lawn furniture or your car, Eshenaur said.
The female lantern fly can lay between 30 and 50 eggs each, usually between September and October. The eggs hatch in the spring, where baby lanternflies called nymphs emerge, before becoming fully grown around July, according to the Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board.
They favor warmer temperatures
Climate change could exacerbate the problem, experts say.
“The spotted lanternfly needs a long growing season to complete their lifecycle,” Eshenaur said. “With earlier spring and later fall frost that could favor the development of the lanternfly and increase the range in which they can survive at.”
Insect development depends on the temperature, Kelly Oten, assistant professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at North Carolina State University, told ABC News.
“As the temperature is warm, their development increases, which means they’re going to actively feed for longer periods of time, potentially causing more damage,” Oten said.
They’re a threat to agriculture
Wine lovers, here’s some bad news.
The spotted lanternfly can be devastating to the multi-billion-dollar wine industry since they feed on grapes, reduce their crops and diminish the quality of grapes, according to Oten.
Overall, they’re a huge threat to agriculture. If the species were to spread through Pennsylvania, the expected losses to the state’s economy would be nearly $554 million a year and potentially lead to the loss of 4,987 jobs, according to a 2019 impact study from Penn State University.
For forestry, the estimated economic loss could be up to $152.6 million annually throughout Pennsylvania, the study found.
What to do if you see one
Killing the pest if you encounter it isn’t the only way to address the problem.
People should check outdoor items for spotted lanternfly eggs, which can look like a mass covered with gray wax. Scrape them off, put the mass in a plastic zippered bag with hand sanitizer and throw it out, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says.
While spotted lanternflies can’t kill trees, they can cause damage to them. People can also use insecticides approved by the Environmental Protection Agency, which can kill lanternflies and not harm trees.
(WASHINGTON) — Federal officials warned in a new bulletin that law enforcement officers and others in the government are facing increasing threats after last week’s unprecedented search of former President Donald Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago.
The joint intelligence bulletin from the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security was released Friday and obtained by ABC News. It was disseminated “in light of an increase in threats and acts of violence, including armed encounters, against law enforcement, judiciary, and government personnel, in reaction to the FBI’s recent execution of a court-authorized search warrant in Palm Beach, Florida,” officials wrote.
The bulletin links the latest concerns of possible violence with a broader polarization in society, driven in part by statements from lawmakers themselves.
“Since the search, the FBI and DHS have observed an increase in violent threats posted on social media against federal officials and facilities, including a threat to place a so-called dirty bomb in front of FBI Headquarters and issuing general calls for ‘civil war’ and ‘armed rebellion,'” officials wrote in the bulletin.
“Many of these threats include references to the perception that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent and other claims of government overreach, which are narratives that have mobilized [domestic violent extremists] in the past to commit acts of violence, including against law enforcement and federal, state, and local governments,” the officials added.
Specifically, officials identified multiple articulated threats and calls for the targeted killing of judicial, law enforcement and government officials associated with the Palm Beach search, including the judge who approved the search warrant, the bulletin stated.
The FBI and DHS have also observed the personal identifying information of possible targets of violence, such as home addresses and identification of family members, disseminated online as additional targets, according to the bulletin.
The warning comes after FBI agents searched Trump’s home early last Monday in connection with the suspected improper handling of government information. A redacted copy of the search warrant shows agents took out boxes of sensitive, top secret and other classified files.
Trump denies wrongdoing and says he is being politically persecuted; his spokesperson has also claimed the documents that were retrieved were declassified.
The search caused an uproar among Trump’s allies, who painted it as overtly political. Some lawmakers, like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., issued calls to “defund the FBI.”
Such comments built on baseless conspiracy theories by Trump and others that the 2020 election was “rigged” and that a so-called “deep state” has been supposedly acting to undermine the former president from within the government.
The law enforcement bulletin released Friday referenced officials’ rhetoric in being one of multiple possible contributors to the threats.
“Drivers that could escalate the threat environment include possible future law enforcement or legal actions against individuals associated with the Palm Beach search, statements by public officials which incite violence, a high-profile successful … attack that inspires copycats, or the emergence of additional conspiracy theories,” the officials wrote.
“The threats we have observed, to date, underscore that [domestic violent extremists] may view the 2022 midterm election as an additional flashpoint around which to escalate threats against perceived ideological opponents, including federal law enforcement personnel,” the officials wrote.
Days after the Mar-a-Lago search, authorities said, an armed man tried to break into the FBI’s Cincinnati field office before fleeing — and was ultimately shot and killed by police after a standoff.
The man, Ricky Shiffer, is a “suspected domestic violent extremist,” according to law enforcement officials briefed on the probe.
Investigators have been looking social media posts apparently linked to Shiffer, which called for violence in the days after the FBI raid of Trump’s home, officials previously told ABC News.
(WASHINGTON) — A man fatally shot himself after ramming his car into a security barricade at the Capitol early Sunday morning, police said.
U.S. Capitol Police said in an initial, brief statement that a man exited his vehicle after crashing it around 4 a.m., after which the vehicle “became engulfed in flames.”
The man then “fired several shots into the air” and shot himself as officers approached, police said.
“They had heard the gunshots, and Capitol police officers were responding. As [the man] got just onto the East Front of the Capitol property, one of our officers observed him to put the gun to his head and shoot himself,” Chief Tom Manger told reporters later Sunday. “Our officers then made sure that he was not a threat and then approached him. And, in fact, he was deceased.”
Late Sunday afternoon, police identified the man as 29-year old Richard A. York III, of Delaware, and said his next of kin had been notified.
His motive remained unclear, police said then.
Nobody else was injured in the incident and York did not seem to be targeting members of Congress, which is in recess, the police said in their first statement.
“[I]t does not appear officers fired their weapons,” police said.
An investigation was underway into York’s background, according to authorities. D.C. police are “handling the death investigation.” In a separate statement D.C. police confirmed this but said they had “no further details on the identification of the decedent or motive” no share.
Manger said in Sunday’s press conference that it was unclear if the incident was the result of a mental health emergency.
“A very preliminary check didn’t reveal anything on social media,” he said, adding, “Part of the investigation is we talk to this individual’s family and friends to see, perhaps, if we can get more information from them.”
York was not known to Capitol Police prior to this incident, Manger said.
“We do know that the subject has a criminal history over the past 10 years or so,” he said. “But nothing that, at this point, would link him to anything here at the Capitol.”
The incident comes amid what law enforcement has called heightened concerns of political violence — and in the shadow of alarming attacks at the Capitol in the past two years.
A Capitol Police officer was killed in a car-ramming attack in April 2021 just months after the deadly insurrection in which a violent mob ransacked the building and sent lawmakers temporarily into hiding.
Several officers died following that riot, including some from suicide.
ABC News’ Tia Humphries and Beatrice Peterson contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — A 24-year-old man was being held without bail on Sunday after police alleged he deliberately drove a car into a crowd at a Pennsylvania fundraiser, killing a woman and injuring 17 people, before allegedly hitting his mother and bludgeoning her to death with a hammer in a neighboring town.
Pennsylvania State Police identified the suspect early Sunday as Adrian Oswaldo Sura Reyes after he was arraigned in court on two counts of criminal homicide.
A motive in the two unrelated fatal incidents is under investigation.
The deadly back-to-back episodes unfolded Saturday evening when Reyes allegedly drove a car into a crowd of people gathered at a Pennsylvania bar to support the victims of a recent deadly fire, state police said.
Geisinger Hospital confirmed in a statement it was providing care for more than 15 patients, including four in critical condition.
State police were called to the area near the Intoxicology Department bar in Berwick at about 6:15 p.m. Saturday, Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Anthony Petroski told reporters.
Police said a vehicle “drove through a crowd at a community event.”
Troopers then received a call about a man allegedly assaulting a woman in the neighboring town of Nescopeck, Petroski said. He said officers arrived to find a woman dead at the scene. Officers detained Reyes, who they said was a suspect in both incidents, police said.
The Luzerne County Coroner’s office identified the victim of the Nescopeck attack as Rosa Reyes, 56, and ruled her death a homicide after an autopsy showed she died from being hit by a vehicle and assaulted with a hammer.
The coroner’s office told ABC News that Rosa Reyes is the suspect’s mother.
The name of the person killed in the alleged Berwick attack has not been released.
“These investigations are very active,” police said in a statement.
Reliance Fire Company No. 1, which serves Berwick, said crews responded to the scene of a “mass casualty incident” at the bar Saturday evening.
The bar was hosting a benefit for the families affected by a deadly house fire that occurred in Nescopeck earlier this month. Ten people, including three children, were killed in the Aug. 5 blaze, while three adults were able to make it out safely. The cause of the fire, which destroyed the home, remains under investigation.
The restaurant where Saturday’s fundraiser was taking place issued a statement on its Facebook page.
“Today was an absolute tragedy. We will be closed until further notice. Please respect our privacy while we grieve and try to process the events that occurred. Thank you,” the statement read.
ABC News’ Darren J. Reynolds contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Eight people, including at least five Americans, were wounded when a gunman opened fire on a bus in Jerusalem early Sunday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.
Among those injured in the attack was a pregnant woman, who was forced to deliver her baby in an emergency room, officials said.
“Last night, a terrorist shot at a bus in Jerusalem wounding eight people, including a pregnant 30-year-old woman and a 60-year-old man who are in critical care,” the ministry said on Twitter. “We pray for their full recovery. This attack on Israel’s capital, a city sacred to all three religions, must be condemned.”
At least five U.S. citizens were injured in the attack, a U.S. Embassy spokesperson confirmed to ABC News.
The attack occurred early Sunday near the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City, authorities said. The shooting happened as the bus was waiting for passengers in a parking lot near the Western Wall, one of the holiest sites in Judaism where Jews from around the world make pilgrimages to pray.
The bus driver, Daniel Kanyevski, told local news media outlets that he was parked near the Tomb of King David waiting for worshippers to return from praying at the Western Wall when the gunfire erupted.
“We opened the ramp for someone on a wheelchair, and then the shooting started,” Kanyevski told news reporters. “Everyone got down on the floor, screaming. I tried to escape, but the bus couldn’t drive with the ramp open.”
Israeli police launched a search for the suspected shooter, who later surrendered to authorities, officials said.
A New York Police Department overseas liaison identified the suspected gunman as Amir Sidawi, a 22-year-old Palestinian who lives in East Jerusalem.
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid issued a statement condemning the attack.
“Jerusalem is our capital city and a tourist center for all religions,” Lapid said in his statement, adding that Israeli security forces would “restore calm.”
The U.S. State Department also issued a statement Sunday denouncing the attack.
“The United States strongly condemns the terrorist attack outside the Old City of Jerusalem that wounded at least eight victims, including at least five U.S. citizens. We wish all the victims a speedy recovery. We remain in close contact with our Israeli partners and stand firmly with them in the face of this attack,” the U.S. State Department said, adding that it “has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas.”
While a motive for the attack was not immediately clear, it came during a tense week between Israel and Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
Last weekend, Israeli aircraft launched an offensive in the Gaza Strip targeting the militant group Islamic Jihad and setting off three days of fierce cross-border fighting. Islamic Jihad fired hundreds of rockets during the flare-up to avenge the airstrikes, which killed two of its commanders and other militants.
Israel said the attack was meant to thwart threats from the group to respond to the arrest of one of its officials in the occupied West Bank.
Two of the victims from Sunday morning’s attack are listed in serious condition at Shaarei Tsedek Hospital in Jerusalem, a hospital spokesperson told ABC News.
The hospital spokesperson said an American citizen in his 50s or 60s suffered gunshot wounds to his neck and upper back and was among those in serious condition. Two other Americans were treated at the hospital for mild to moderate injuries and released, the spokesperson said.
The pregnant woman wounded in the attack was undergoing surgery and is expected to survive, but is facing a long recovery process, the hospital spokesperson said. Her baby was delivered alive and doctors were doing their best to save the newborn, the spokesperson said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul posted a statement on Twitter, saying some of the Americans injured in the attack were from New York state.
“I’m horrified by the terror attack in Jerusalem, and by the news that a family of New Yorkers has been impacted,” Hochul tweeted, adding that her staff has been in contact with the U.S. State Department and offered to assist those injured.
“We condemn terror and stand with the Israeli people as they seek peace,” Hochul said.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., spoke about the shooting during an unrelated news conference Sunday. He said three of the people injured are from the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, including a man he identified as Shia Hersh Glick. Schumer said friends of Glick told him he was trying to protect his family when he was shot.
“He was very brave,” Schumer said. “He bent down over his family to protect them. He was shot in the neck and they had him on a respirator, but it looks like his condition is improving. His son was shot in the arm as he protected his son.”
Schumer added, “We’re all hoping and praying for the families that were shot in Israel. It hits so close to home because at least three of those eight on the bus were American, and Brooklynites.”
ABC News’ Jordana Miller, Christine Theodorou and Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Police in Texas have arrested a 17-year-old suspect in the murder of Yolanda N’Gaojia, officials said in a press release.
The Killeen Police Department identified Christian Lamar Weston in connection with N’ Gaojia’s March 22 death. He’s currently being held with no bond, police said Saturday.
In addition to murder, Weston was charged with the unlicensed carrying of a weapon, and that bond was set at $5,000. The charges are not related to one another, police said.
The 52-year-old mother was shot and killed while visiting her son’s grave on what would have been his 22nd birthday, according to ABC News Central Texas affiliate KXXV.
Police said when they responded to the scene at Calvary Baptist Church Garden of Memories Cemetery in March, they found two people with gunshot wounds. The second victim was treated and released at the scene with non-life-threatening injuries, Killeen police said.
Police said that N’Gaojia died from her injuries nearly two hours after she was shot.
Under Texas law, a 17-year-old can be charged as an adult, police confirmed. Weston is waiting to be sent to the Bell County Jail, police said.
Killeen, Texas, is near the Fort Hood military base and about 70 miles north of Austin.
(UVALDE, Texas) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott traveled to Uvalde amid growing criticism of his level of engagement with a community still reeling from the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School.
The Republican governor met with families of the 21 victims on Friday, his office confirmed to ABC News. Arriving Friday morning at the town’s municipal airport, Abbott said, “I’m here to help out the folks of Uvalde.”
But some have accused Abbott, who is currently in the throes of a heated reelection bid, of ulterior motives in quietly engaging with family members of the victims. State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, a Democrat from San Antonio, suggested that the governor’s visit might have been a political calculation — particularly given his hesitancy to heed their calls for gun reform.
“It is campaign season, so now, Governor Abbott is checking a box to say he met with families,” Gutierrez told ABC News. “He needs to do something real for them.”
Javier Cazares, whose daughter Jackie Cazares was killed in the Robb shooting, was among those who met with Abbott on Friday. Cazares said he and others took the opportunity to ask questions about school safety and again propose raising the age limit to purchase assault rifles. Cazares said the governor took notes but did not answer their questions directly.
“We just wanted to have a chance to ask him some questions,” Cazares told ABC News.
Renae Eze, a spokesperson for Abbott, confirmed Abbott’s travel to Uvalde in a statement to ABC News and said the governor has “[visited] with every family who requested a meeting.”
“Governor Abbott visited Uvalde today and over the past several weeks, meeting with over 30 victims’ families privately to ensure they are receiving all the resources and support needed to heal,” Eze said.
Abbott has attracted the ire of some in Uvalde who perceive his posture toward the community as aloof and distant. Some family members were disappointed when Abbott did not attend any funeral services for the victims. Others cited news reports indicating that Abbott attended a political fundraiser on the night of the shooting.
Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic nominee for governor, has visited Uvalde five times since May 24 and has also criticized Abbott for his response to the shooting.
Eze, the Abbott spokesperson, said “many families requested private funerals, and the Governor and First Lady instead sent flowers and condolences to let the loved ones know they remain in their prayers.”
In July, Angel Garza, father of victim Amerie Jo Garza, told ABC News: “Governor Abbott has yet to reach out.” And Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin said in mid-July that he had not been in touch with Abbott in the prior four weeks.
Eze pushed back on complaints that Abbott has not sufficiently engaged with the community.
“The Governor has been to the community every month since the tragedy,” Eze said. “Governor Abbott and his office remain in regular contact with local leaders to ensure all immediate needs for victims’ families and the Uvalde community are being met.”
(NEW YORK) — Nearly 1 million Michigan residents are under a boil water advisory after a leak was discovered in a major water main that serves the Detroit area.
The Great Lakes Water Authority said it discovered a break early Saturday on a 10-foot water transmission main that distributes drinking water from its Lake Huron Water Treatment Facility.
Out of an “abundance of caution,” the water authority issued a precautionary boil water advisory for the 23 communities that are serviced by the water main, it said in a statement.
An estimated 935,000 people, as well as businesses in Greenwood and Imlay Township, are potentially impacted, the water authority said.
GLWA is working to isolate a break on a 120-inch water transmission main that distributes finished drinking water from our Lake Huron Water Treatment Facility to communities in the northern part of GLWA’s drinking water service area. https://t.co/6GHbtiQdLjpic.twitter.com/X2z34yAUhN
The water authority listed the city of Flint among the affected communities. But city officials in Flint said they switched to a secondary water supply line following the emergency alert from the Great Lakes Water Authority, which is its primary water source. The city’s water quality therefore is unaffected and residents do not need to boil water, the officials said.
Great Lakes Water Authority crews were working to isolate the leak — which was identified in Port Huron, approximately one mile west of the Lake Huron Water Treatment Facility — to begin repair work.
“Once the leak is isolated, crews will begin to open emergency connections to other mains in the system to restore some flow to the impacted communities,” the authority said.
The water authority is also investigating the cause of the leak.
A loss of water pressure in a water system could lead to bacterial contamination, officials warned. As a precaution, impacted residents are urged to boil water for at least one minute before drinking it, or use bottled or disinfected water, until further notice.
The boil water advisory will be lifted once sampling shows the water is safe to drink, the water authority said.
It is unclear how long it will take to repair the water main break.
(NEW YORK) — Law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation into Salman Rushdie’s attack told ABC News that “a preliminary investigation into the suspected perpetrator’s probable social media presence indicates a likely adherence or sympathy towards Shi’a extremism and sympathies to the Iranian regime/Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”
Author Salman Rushdie was attacked while giving a lecture at an education center, the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, in southwestern New York, Friday morning. Rushdie was stabbed at least once in the neck and abdomen, after a man ran up on stage and attacked him and his interviewer. The interviewer was not injured.
But, Rushdie’s agent told ABC News on Friday that he will likely lose an eye, the nerves in his arm were severed and his liver was stabbed and damaged.
Law enforcement have identified Rushdie’s attacker as 24-year-old Hadi Matar of New Jersey. Matar is currently in New York State Police custody. Matar is charged with felony attempted second-degree murder and second-degree assault.
Matar was processed at SP Jamestown and transported to Chautauqua County Jail and will be arraigned on Aug.13.
The suspect was born in California, sources told ABC News. On the suspect’s phone, investigators say they found photos of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the leader of Iraq’s pro-Iranian militia movement, also killed by U.S. forces. Police recovered a fake New Jersey driver’s license, which appears to have used the suspect’s picture with the alias “Hassan Mughniyah,” a possible reference to Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanese terror organization Hezbollah, and Imad Mughniyeh, who was the group’s No. 2 official before being killed in 2008, sources said.
Detectives are now calling the attack an “apparent assassination attempt” by “an individual with strong indicators of ideological support for the Iranian regime.” They said the incident occurred during a period of “plot disruptions” apparently connected to the current state of U.S.-Iran tensions.
Investigators are noting Iran continues to threaten its enemies around the world as part of its stated play for revenge for the killings of Soleimani and al-Muhandis.
Investigators say they do not know, at this point, whether the Ayatollah’s prior call to assassinate Rushdie was a motivator. No Iranian official has commented on the attack yet.
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the late Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution and a prominent Shi’a Muslim figure, issued a “fatwa,” a religious decree, on Feb. 14, 1989, calling for the death of Rushdie and his publishers over his book “The Satanic Verses.” Officials stress that the probe is ongoing and information is subject to change. The incident occurred less than 24 hours ago.
