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Southwest Airlines CEO apologizes for weekend travel mess

October 12, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Southwest CEO Gary Kelly apologized to the tens of thousands of passengers who were stranded at U.S. airports over the weekend due to widespread flight cancellations.

“I want to apologize to all of our customers, this is not what we want,” Kelly said in an interview on Good Morning America Tuesday. “Unfortunately, it just takes a couple of days to get things back on track.”

One of those passengers, Fabricia Amara, couldn’t take her 14-year-old daughter to see her neurosurgeon in Miami because of the operational meltdown.

“They did not handle it properly,” Amara told ABC affiliate KTRK. “They have no answers for you, they tell you that there’s nothing we can do.”

Amara’s flight was just one of more than 2,200 flights Southwest has canceled since Saturday.

The airline initially blamed the multi-day mess on air traffic control issues, bad weather and “other external constraints.”

But the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement that “there had been no air traffic control shortages since Friday,” adding, “Some airlines continue to experience scheduling challenges due to aircraft and crews being out of place.”

Kelly acknowledged air traffic control issues were not the cause, saying “a series of FAA Florida delay programs” on Friday contributed to the cancelled flights.

“There were no ATC issues over the weekend. That’s absolutely true,” Kelly said. “But I think any industry expert knows that it takes several days, if you have that large of an impact on the operation, to get the airplanes where they need to be and then to match the crews up with that.”

The head of Southwest’s pilot union blamed bad staffing for the disruptions.

“Until the company makes some changes in how they’re doing business internally and scheduling our pilots, we’re going to continue to see the problem,” Capt. Casey Murray told ABC News.

Kelly said operations are “back to normal.” According to FlightAware, there were 87 canceled Southwest flights as of 8 a.m. ET Tuesday.

“Things are much smoother today,” he said. “We have a few more cancellations than we would normally have, but things are pretty well back to normal.”

COVID-19 live updates: Abbott issues executive order banning vaccine mandates in Texas

October 12, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The United States has been facing a COVID-19 surge as the more contagious delta variant continues to spread.

More than 714,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.8 million people have died from the disease worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Just 66% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the CDC.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Oct 12, 9:36 am
Pediatric infection rates trending down

More than 6 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.

Although the weekly case rate remains exceptionally high, the U.S. is reporting about 95,000 fewer child cases now compared to one month ago, according to a weekly report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.

Even with the decline, last week children still accounted for 24.8% of the week’s cases, the report found.

The South is no longer reporting the highest number pediatric cases and has now been surpassed by the Midwest.

Severe illness due to COVID-19 remains “uncommon” among children, the two organizations wrote in the report. However, AAP and CHA warned that there is an urgent need to collect more data on the long-term consequences of the pandemic on children, “including ways the virus may harm the long-term physical health of infected children, as well as its emotional and mental health effects.”

About 43.3% of adolescents ages 12 to 17 are fully vaccinated, according to federal data.

Oct 12, 9:15 am
Fauci: Best way to avoid resurgence is getting more Americans vaccinated

Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN Monday night that “the best way to assure that decline in cases, hospitalizations and deaths [will] continue is to continue to get a lot more people vaccinated.”

“We need the overwhelming proportion of those unvaccinated people to get vaccinated. Then we can be quite confident that if we can do that, you will not see a resurgence,” Fauci said.

About 68 million eligible Americans remain completely unvaccinated.

Despite continued pushback, Fauci said that newly implemented vaccine mandates are working.

“Sometimes mandates can help. As sensitive an issue as that is, it is really getting people more vaccinated,” Fauci said.

Oct 11, 6:41 pm
Abbott issues executive order banning vaccine mandates in Texas

Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday that he issued an executive order that bans vaccine mandates “by any entity” in Texas.

The executive order prohibits entities from issuing a mandate to anyone who “objects to such vaccination for any reason of personal conscience, based on a religious belief, or for medical reasons, including prior recovery from COVID-19.”

“The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective, and our best defense against the virus, but should remain voluntary and never forced,” Abbott said in a statement.

The governor also announced that the issue over vaccine mandates will be addressed in a special session of the state legislature.

As of Monday evening, 72.4% of Texas residents over 12 have received one vaccine dose, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Texas’s seven-day average for new daily COVID-19 cases is 7,447 as of Oct. 8, according to the CDC.

Jamie Lynn Spears announces new memoir, ‘Things I Should Have Said’

October 12, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Just days after Britney Spears announced she’s writing a book, her little sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, has beaten her to the punch.

Sharing a photo of her upcoming book cover on Instagram on Monday, the actress and singer announced, “I can’t believe I finally finished writing my book!!!”

Jamie goes on to explain that the idea for the memoir, titled Things I Should Have Said, came to her in 2017 after her daughter Maddie‘s near-fatal ATV incident.

“I felt a strong conviction to share my story, but there was a lot of personal work and healing that had to happen before I could share my truth the proper way,” the Zoey 101 alum wrote. “I’ve spent my whole life believing that I had to pretend to be perfect, even when I wasn’t, so for the first time I am opening up about my own mental health.”

She added, “I owe it to myself, my younger self, and to my daughters to be an example that you should never edit yourself or your truth to please anyone else.”

Jamie admitted that while she still has “ALOT of learning to do,” the book gave her “closure on this ’30 year long’ chapter of [her] life.”

Additionally, she announced that “a portion of my book proceeds will be going to @thisismybrave, because I know how scary it can be to share personal struggles, especially if you don’t feel you have the support or a safe space to do so, and they are doing amazing work to support and encourage people as they bravely share their experiences.”

Although Jamie didn’t specify any book details in her post, according to a description written by her publisher, Worthy Publishing, the memoir will also touch on her “role as Britney’s kid sister.”

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A post shared by Jamie Lynn Spears (@jamielynnspears)

Reba McEntire weighs in on Kelly Clarkson and stepson Brandon Blackstock’s divorce

October 12, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Reba McEntire isn’t taking sides when it comes to Kelly Clarkson‘s divorce from her stepson, Brandon Blackstock.

“Kelly and I do talk, we text and I love them both, and so I can’t play favorites because I’ve been a friend of Kelly for a long time,” the country music legend tells Entertainment Tonight.

Reba was married to Brandon’s father, Narvel Blackstock, from 1989 to 2015. Even though the two have gone their separate ways, she still considers Brandon to be her own flesh and blood.

“Brandon’s been my son forever it seems. Although he’s my stepson, I still love him like he’s…my blood, so I’m praying for ‘em both ’cause I love ‘em both,” Reba tells ET.

Kelly filed for divorce from Brandon in June 2020 after nearly seven years of marriage.

The Golden Globes to be awarded, but not on NBC

October 12, 2021 by WDNY Radio

The Golden Globes will go on as planned, but not in a live telecast on NBC.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has been under fire both in the press and from Hollywood’s elite, who have accused the organization of sexism and racism, prompting NBC to announce in May that they wouldn’t air the 2022 ceremony.

However, a source tells the The Wrap, “The HFPA plans to recognize the performances of 2021 to celebrate the great work of the industry this past year at the 79th annual Golden Globes.” The outlet goes on to say that it’s unclear at present how and in what format the awards and nominations be presented for what would be the 79th Golden Globes.

HFPA President Helen Hoehne and interim CEO Todd Boehly sent a memo to publicists and studios on Friday that outlined the new rules and regulations for submitting projects for award consideration. However, it’s unclear who will even show up to accept the awards after a group of publicists and studios all joined a boycott of the Globes until reforms were made. Furthermore, Scarlett Johansson and Tom Cruise announced back in May their intentions to “give back” their Golden Globe trophies because of the controversy.

The HFPA recently announced a number of changes and reforms, included hiring Boehly as its interim CEO, electing a new board of directors, adding a diverse group of 21 new members, recruiting three non-members for its board of directors, and partnering with the NAACP to regularly review their diversity goals, among other steps.

Matt Amodio’s ‘Jeopardy!’ winning streak comes to an end

October 12, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Matt Amodio‘s winning streak on Jeopardy! has officially come to an end.

The thirty-year-old contestant lost on Monday night after 38 straight wins, with new champion Jonathan Fisher besting him. However, Amodio isn’t going away empty-handed: his impressive winning streak earned him a whopping $1,518,601. He ended his 39th appearance by adding an additional $5,600 to his earnings.

“I always wanted to be a Jeopardy! champion, and I accomplished that,” Amodio aid in a statement. “l know going into every bar trivia game that I play that I’m going to come in with a little intimidation factor. But also, I just like the badge that it represents.”

Amodio, a fifth-year computer science Ph.D. candidate at Yale University, continued, “As somebody who prioritizes knowledge and knowing things, this is really a good one to have following me everywhere.”

Amodio has earned his place in the Jeopardy! history books. He boasts having the second-most consecutive wins of all time, bested only by Ken Jennings‘ historical run that saw him win 74 straight games. His overall winnings are also the third-highest in show history, coming behind James Holzhauer and Jennings. who respectively took home $2,462,216 and $2,520,700 during their runs.

This isn’t the last time you’ll see Amodio on Jeopardy! He will return in the next Tournament of Champions.

California to require free period products in public schools, colleges

October 12, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — Beginning next school year, California public schools and colleges will be required to offer free menstrual products in restrooms under a new bill signed Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The bill, called the Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2021, applies to public schools serving students in grades six to 12, community colleges and the California State University System, according to the bill’s sponsor, Democratic Assemblymember Cristina Garcia.

“Our biology doesn’t always send an advanced warning when we’re about to start menstruating, which often means we need to stop whatever we’re doing and deal with a period,” she said in a statement. “Often periods arrive at inconvenient times. They can surprise us during an important midterm, while playing with our children at a park, sitting in a lobby waiting to interview for a job, shopping at the grocery store, or even standing on the Assembly Floor presenting an important piece of legislation.”

“Having convenient and free access to these products means our period won’t prevent us from being productive members of society, and would alleviate the anxiety of trying to find a product when out in public,” she said.

Garcia was also sponsor of legislation that was signed into law in 2017 that ensures low-income schools in California provide students with free menstrual products.

She said the new law that will provide free products to even more students was inspired by Scotland, which last year became the first country in the world to provide period products to all women for free.

“Just as toilet paper and paper towels are provided in virtually every public bathroom, so should menstrual products,” she said in a statement. “It is time we recognize and respond to the biology of half the population by prioritizing free access to menstrual products, and eliminating all barriers to them.”

Period poverty, when people cannot afford even the most basic of period supplies like pads and tampons, is an issue that affects women around the world.

At least half a billion women and girls globally lack facilities for managing their periods, according to a 2015 report from the World Health Organization and UNICEF.

Poor menstrual hygiene poses health risks for women, including reproductive issues and urinary tract infections.

The taboo around menstruation and the lack of access to menstrual products also hurts women economically because it costs them money for products and may keep them from jobs and school, advocates say.

In the U.S., where women make up more than half of the population, women are more likely than men to live in poverty, and they spend an average of 2,535 days in their lifetime, or almost seven years, on their periods, according to UNICEF.

A lack of access to menstrual products and education affects one in 10 college students in the U.S., according to a study released earlier this year.

Congress last year passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act that included a provision allowing people to use Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) dollars to buy menstrual products like pads, tampons, liners and menstrual cups.

Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., who was instrumental in adding that provision, re-introduced earlier this year in Congress the Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2021, which would, among other things, require employers with 100 or more employees to provide free menstrual products and would require all federal public buildings to provide free menstrual products in classrooms.

Demi Lovato believes it’s offensive to refer to extraterrestrials as “aliens”

October 12, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Demi Lovato wants people to consider the feelings of those from outer space — starting with retiring the term “alien.”

Speaking to Australia’s PEDESTRIAN.TV recently, the “Skyscraper” singer explained why they think the terminology is both derogatory and offensive, saying that the word enforces negative stereotypes “that they’re harmful or that they’ll come and take over the planet.”

“I really think that if there was anything out there that would want to do that to us, it would have happened by now. But I think that we have to stop calling them aliens because aliens is a derogatory term for anything,” Demi continued. “That’s why I like to call them ETs! So yeah, that’s a little tidbit. A little information that I learned.”

The singer also believes that if — or when — otherworldly beings visit the planet, it won’t be out of malice.

“I think that if there were beings that could harm us, we would have been gone a long time ago,” they said, adding that the extraterrestrials would mostly likely hail from an advanced civilization and may want to share their technology. “I think that they are looking for nothing but peaceful encounters and interactions because like I said, if they wanted us gone, we would have been gone a long time ago!” said Demi.

Lovato seeks out proof of other life in their new show, Unidentified with Demi Lovato, where they visit known UFO hot spots and confer with experts in the field. All four episodes are available to stream now on Peacock.

Shipwreck off Colombian coast kills three migrants, six are still missing

October 12, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(CABO TIBURON, Colombia) — Three people are dead and six are still missing after a ship sank in Cabo Tiburon, Colombia.

Units of the Colombian Navy in coordination with Panamanian authorities are carrying out the search and rescue operation of the passengers who were transported in a ship that was wrecked in the general area of Cabo Tiburon, in the municipality of Acandí, the Navy said.

The vessel was sailing with approximately 30 migrants, including Haitian, Cuban and Venezuelan citizens, they said.

The Colombian Navy said 21 people have been rescued, and the bodies of three dead women have been found. Two were Haitian and one was Cuban.

The Navy, with the support of the Panamanian authorities and fishermen in the region, continues the search and rescue of six missing migrants — three adults and three minors — who were on board the boat that would have set sail from a clandestine point near Necoclí.

It’s unclear what caused the incident.

This is a developing story, please check back for updates.

At least two dead in small plane crash in California neighborhood

October 12, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(SANTEE, Calif.) — At least two people were killed and two others were hospitalized when a small plane crashed in a neighborhood in Santee, California, near San Diego, on Monday, officials said.

Part of the plane struck the back of a home, city fire officials said. The crash impacted at least two houses, a UPS delivery truck and a fire hydrant, city officials said.

UPS confirmed that one of the deceased victims was one of their employees.

“We are heartbroken by the loss of our employee, and extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends. We also send our condolences for the other individuals who are involved in this incident, and their families and friends,” Steve Nagata, a UPS spokesman said in a statement.

The FAA said the twin-engine Cessna C340 crashed at 12:14 p.m. local time. It’s not yet clear how many people were on board.

There are at least two burn victims who are believed to be from a home, Santee Fire Chief John Garlow said.

Multiple structures and multiple cars were on fire. The blaze has since been extinguished, officials said.

Residents have been urged to avoid the area.

On Monday night the Yuma Regional Medical Center said a cardiologist affiliated with the hospital is one of the fatalities.

“We are deeply sad to hear news of a plane owned by local cardiologist Dr. Sugata Das which crashed near Santee,” Dr. Bharat Magu, chief medical officer at YRMC, said in a statement. “As an outstanding cardiologist and dedicated family man Dr. Das leaves a lasting legacy. We extend our prayers and support to his family, colleagues and friends during this difficult time.”

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