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Newly released body cam footage shows chaos, shock minutes after Surfside building collapse

August 4, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(SURFSIDE, Fla.) — The screams of people shouting for help can be heard in newly released body cam footage from police officers responding to the collapse of Champlain Towers South in the minutes after the Surfside, Florida, building fell to the ground.

Ninety-eight people were killed when the 12-story condominium building collapsed in the early morning of June 24. Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the collapse.

The three videos released by the Town of Surfside on Tuesday show the chaos and shock as first responders and bystanders try to grasp what had just happened.

The footage begins at around 1:24 am, minutes after the collapse of the building.

The videos show Surfside Police officers arriving at the scene, speaking for the first time with survivors and witnesses, and working with other first responders to secure the area.

In one video, Officer Craig Lovellete is seen arriving at the site of the collapse at around 1:27 a.m. He walks up to other officers and asks if there was a fire.

“No,” one officer replies. “The building collapsed.”

Lovellete peeks over a concrete wall and sees the fallen garage with debris everywhere. Screaming can be heard in the background.

Back in his car, he says, “Oh my god” and sighs heavily.

Later Lovellete encounters Champlain Towers South security guard Shamoka Furman, who was in the building when it came down. Furman describes explosion-type noises she says she heard right before the collapse of the building. In another video clip, Officer Kemuel Gambirazio joins parts of the conversation.

“I hear a boom-boom but I’m thinking it’s the elevator … no beeps or nothing goes off … another boom-boom,'” Furman says. She makes hand motions to show Lovellete that after she heard the noises, the building came down.

After seeing two residents exit the building after the loud noise, Furman said she called 911.

“This never happens, I didn’t even know we had earthquakes — I don’t even know what this was,” Furman says. “I don’t even know how I made it out of there … through the grace of God.”

Asked if the building had any work done lately, Furman says she only works overnight.

Officer Ariol Lage’s body cam footage also shows him encountering Furman earlier, while she was still covered in debris.

“What collapsed?” Lage asks.

“I don’t know, I don’t know,” Furman says. “All I heard was boom. The garage, the pool — if they don’t get out…”

“It’s OK, fire rescue is here,” Lage replies.

Lage’s bodycam footage also shows him at the garage, which was the area of the building that collapsed first.

“There’s a lot of dust, I can barely see anything,” Lage says into his radio. He then hears a woman scream so he calls out for survivors, shining a flash light toward the noise. A woman is seen next to an overturned car, but cars and debris block Lage from getting to her.

“Are you OK?” Lage asks.

“No,” the woman replies.

Footage then shows Lage leaving the garage and making his way to a colleague, and the two walk around the building trying to determine how to get closer as screams can be heard from people in the area. It’s unclear what happened to them.

Lage and his colleagues are also seen trying to move bystanders away from the scene, fearing that the rest of the building could fall. They encounter a woman who appears to be in shock, standing in front of the building.

When told to move back, the woman replies slowly, “I’m just standing here cause I’m the building president and if you need something…”

Lage interrupts the woman and tells her the rest of the building might collapse, then ushers her away.

Another clip shows Officer Gambirazio talking with a someone who says he just made his way down from the 12th floor penthouse.

The man, who appears to be in shock and out of breath, says he was on his phone watching YouTube when he heard something falling.

He says he initially thought it wasn’t a big deal, but then “all of a sudden, I hear, like, it was a jet right through the front of my balcony. So I get up, and was like, ‘Was that a plane?'”

The video shows another person running toward Gambirazio from the direction of the collapse. The man, appearing distressed and shocked, keeps pointing and shouting toward the direction of the building.

As another officer tries to calm him down, Gambirazio tells him, “Listen, right now, we were told by Rescue not even we can help right now. … They’re coordinating something to help get everybody out.”

“Please” the man says, pointing toward the collapsed structure, but Gambirazio interrupts him and says, “I understand, but we have to do whatever they say.”

The man asks the officers if he can make a call to the building, and Gambirazio responds that he can, but adds that he can’t let him back into the area.

Hugh Jackman urges fans to wear sunscreen after undergoing skin biopsy

August 4, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Hugh Jackman urged fans to wear sunscreen when revealing Monday he recently underwent a skin biopsy after his doctor noticed something “a little irregular” on his skin.

The Australian actor shared a video to social media in which he pulled down his mask and showed his bandaged nose. While assuring fans that he’ll be OK, Jackman stressed the importance of wearing sunscreen on a daily basis.

“I just want to let you know, I just went to see … my amazing dermatologists and doctors, and they saw something that was a little irregular,” the Greatest Showman star explained while indicating to his bandaged nose. “So they took a biopsy, and they’re getting it checked.”

Jackman, 52, thanked fans for their concern and assured them they need not “freak out,” promising to keep everyone updated.

“They think it’s probably fine,” he continued. “But remember: Go and get a check and wear sunscreen. Don’t be like me as a kid, just wear sunscreen.”

The actor revealed in a 2015 interview with ABC News that he spent most of his childhood playing in the hot Australian sun and neglected to wear sunscreen. He was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, in 2013.

In the years since, Jackman continued to remind fans of the importance of sunscreen and revealed in 2016 that he had to undergo another biopsy.

“An example of what happens when you don’t wear sunscreen. Basal Cell. The mildest form of cancer but serious, nonetheless. PLEASE USE SUNSCREEN and get regular check-ups,” he wrote at the time.

In 2017, he shared a similar message about his ongoing battle with skin cancer and credited his “frequent checks” for catching it early.

The Mayo Clinic says basal cell carcinoma is believed to be caused by long-term exposure to UV sunlight and says the best way to prevent it is to wear sunscreen.

Sean “Love” Combs reveals why he keeps changing his name: “I put periods on those eras”

August 4, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Music mogul Sean Combs has reinvented himself and his name numerous times since the 1990s. The artist went from Puff Daddy to P. Diddy and now he’s embracing his new middle name “Love.”

In the September cover story for Vanity Fair, Combs describes the Puff Daddy era as “this young, brash, bold hip-hop, unapologetic swagger on a million and just fearlessness and really doing it for the art and rooted.” He adds, “When I changed names, I put periods on those eras.”

The 51-year-old is predominately known for launching his legendary label Bad Boy Records and signing artists such as The Notorius B.I.G., Junior M.A.F.I.A., Lil’ Kim, Faith Evans and 112, among others. Although the Bad Boy era brought him Grammys and plenty of hit records, it also led to a beef between Biggie and Tupac and the latter’s L.A.-based label, Death Row Records.

“Puff Daddy had just got through East-West war,” Combs says. “Nobody wanted to get in the room with me. They thought they was going to get shot.”

After that period, Combs notes about how his Diddy era began, “I wanted to get into other businesses. And so Biggie had called me Diddy because of my bop, the way I walk, my swagger, and they got something called the diddy bop that…was something before me. That’s the diddy bop. It’s the way a brother would walk around, walk down the street.”

Since those days, Combs has expanded his empire and influence over music and culture with his Sean John fashion brand, branding partnerships with liquor companies, and his “all R&B label.”

“I am the happiest I’ve ever been in life,” Combs says. “I laugh the most, I smile the most, I breathe the most.”

Rise Against refuses to be defined with number-one single “Nowhere Generation”

August 4, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Rise Against‘s “Nowhere Generation” has found a home at the top of the charts.

The lead single and title track off the punk outfit’s new album has hit number one on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay tally, the first Rise Against tune to ever achieve that feat. In addition to boasting a rousing, instantly singalong-able chorus, “Nowhere Generation” the single gives Nowhere Generation the album one of its central themes with the line, “We are not the names that we’ve been given.”

“They were talking about resisting the urge to let somebody else define you, and define who you are,” frontman Tim McIlrath tells ABC Audio of the “Nowhere Generation” lyrics.

“Where you fit into the world, what the world looks like, what the world’s going to look like, whether you like it or not, the rules you have to play by to be a part of it,” he continues. “You know, ‘These are the things that we’ve done, so therefore these are the things you have to do to get where we are.'”

McIlrath wanted the song to reflect the real-world “rejection” of the idea of “letting previous generations define you, to name you.”

“When you take back your own definition and your own route to success, you kind of rename yourself, in a way,” he says. “You don’t let somebody else name you.”

Interestingly, the word “name” pops up in four other Nowhere Generation songs. Specifically with the song “Nowhere Generation,” McIlrath wanted the message to feel “a little more dangerous.”

“Like, ‘You keep calling me that, but that’s not who I am,'” he says.

Nowhere Generation the album is out now.

Dee Snider says new solo album ‘Leave a Scar’ was “inspired by what’s going on in the world”

August 4, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Dee Snider released his latest solo album this past week, Leave a Scar, which the Twisted Sister frontman says is a true follow-up to his 2018 studio effort, For the Love of Metal.

Like For the Love of Metal, Leave a Scar finds Snider collaborating with Hatebreed‘s Jamey Jasta and exploring heavier, contemporary metal sounds.

Snider notes that while he left songwriting duties to Jasta and other collaborators for his previous album, with Leave a Scar, he felt motivated to co-write the new tunes, inspired by the state of the world during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was very much driven by ‘I need to say something,'” Snider tells ABC Audio. “This record is of the time. Every song is inspired by what’s going on in the world, and what [we’re]…all going through.”

He adds, “It was the pandemic. It was the social unrest, the political unrest in the world. I mean, our country was a mess, but it was going on in England and Brazil and all around the globe.”

While the songs on Leave a Scar tackle some heavy subjects, Snider says he also wanted the tunes to offer messages of hope for people dealing with the frustration of life during the pandemic.

The album kicks off with “I Gotta Rock (Again),” a song in the tradition of Twisted Sister’s “I Wanna Rock,” only much heavier, that also serves as an anthem for rock fans itching to go to live concerts again.

“By the middle of COVID, ‘I Gotta Rock (Again)’ popped in my head and I said, ‘Boy, if there was ever a Dee Snider title, that’s [one] right there,” he explains. “[I]t was supposed to be an anthem. It was supposed to be a sledgehammer. And I’m hoping it achieves its goal.”

The Spinners to release first new studio album in decades, ”Round the Block and Back Again,’ this month

August 4, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Legendary soul vocal group The Spinners will release their first new studio album in over 30 years, ‘Round the Block and Back Again, on August 27.

In advance of the album, which you can pre-order now, the band has released a pair of singles, “Cliché” and “In Holy Matrimony,” as digital downloads and via streaming services.

The Spinners’ current lineup is led by the group’s sole surviving original member, Henry Fambrough, and also features Jessie Peck, Marvin Taylor, Ronnie Moss and C.J. Jefferson.

‘Round the Block and Back Again was produced by Preston Glass, who started his music career as a staff writer for legendary Philly soul producer Thom Bell. Bell was The Spinners’ producer during the group’s 1970s heyday and co-wrote a number of their big hits, including “I’ll Be Around” and “Rubberband Man.”

“I wanted to emphasize to the listener that these guys are the real deal — still, today, with a virtually new lineup,” says Glass. “And the phrase ‘Round the Block and Back Again’ came to my mind when describing this project and these gentlemen.”

He adds, “It was so inspiring for me to produce and write songs for this new album and I was honored that original member, Henry Fambrough, still leading the group through its vocal paces, gave the stamp of approval to do so.”

The Spinners have dozens of concerts on their schedule, including a show this Friday, August 6, in South Park Township, Pennsylvania. Visit TheSpinners.com to check out their full itinerary.

Here’s the album’s track list:

“I’m in My Prime”
“Cliché”
“Bedroom Butta”
“Missing Your Embrace”
“Down for the Count”
“So Much In Love”
“Show Me Your Heart”
“Vivid Memories”
“Love Never Changes”
“Leftover Tears”
“I’m Looking for My Baby”
“Only Want You”
“In Holy Matrimony”

Jennifer Aniston reveals she cut ties with “a few people” who refused to get vaccinated

August 4, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Jennifer Aniston revealed that she cut ties with “a few people” who refused to get the COVID-19 shot.

Speaking to InStyle for their September cover issue, the Morning Show star expressed disbelief that some people choose to believe in hoaxes rather than research from accredited scientists and health experts.

“There’s still a large group of people who are anti-vaxxers or just don’t listen to the facts. It’s a real shame,” she remarked. “It’s tricky because everyone is entitled to their own opinion — but a lot of opinions don’t feel based in anything except fear or propaganda.”

Aniston, 52, then revealed she “lost a few people in my weekly routine who have refused or did not disclose [whether or not they had been vaccinated].”

“It was unfortunate,” the Golden Globe winner admitted before making a case why people should be comfortable with revealing whether or not they were vaccinated, adding, “I feel it’s your moral and professional obligation to inform, since we’re not all podded up and being tested every single day.”

Earlier in the interview, Aniston spoke about how she came to reset herself during the pandemic and revealed, “My level of anxiety has gone down by eliminating the unnecessary sort of fat in life that I had thought was necessary. Also realizing that you can’t please everybody.”

Aniston also expressed sympathy for Britney Spears and reflected on how she was mistreated by the media.

Saying the paparazzi was “feeding on young, impressionable girls,” the actress explained how the “Toxic” singer was manipulated because she was still figuring out who she was.

“They were being defined by this outside source,” she said. “The media took advantage of that, capitalized on them, and it ultimately cost them their sanity. It’s so heartbreaking.”

Governor pardons St. Louis couple who pointed guns at Black Lives Matter protesters

August 3, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Laurie Skrivan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

(ST. LOUIS, Mo.) — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced Tuesday that he had pardoned Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the St. Louis couple who were charged with waving guns at a group of Black Lives Matter protesters outside their home last year.

Mark McCloskey was seen holding a semi-automatic rifle while his wife was holding a handgun on their property on June 28, 2020, as a group of protesters passed by their house, prosecutors said. The couple were filmed shouting “Get out” to the crowd, but there was no physical confrontation between them and the protesters.

They contended they were protecting their property during the protests.

Several prominent conservative leaders, including President Donald Trump, defended the couple. The McCloskeys were guest speakers at the 2020 Republican National Convention.

A grand jury indicted the couple in October and Pearson told reporters he would consider pardoning them.

The couple pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and harassment charges in June. They surrendered their weapons and Patricia McCloskey was fined $2,000 while her husband was fined $750.

When Judge David Mason asked Mark McCloskey if he acknowledged that his actions put people at risk of personal injury, McCloskey replied, “I sure did, your honor.”

Mark McCloskey, who announced in May he was running for U.S. Senate, told reporters outside the courthouse after the hearing that he’d do it again.

“Any time the mob approaches me, I’ll do what I can to put them in imminent threat of physical injury because that’s what kept them from destroying my house and my family,” he said.

The couple and the governor didn’t immediately provide statements about the pardons.

Help or ‘get out of the way,’ Biden says to governors on combatting pandemic

August 3, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The president took aim Tuesday at local officials, including the governors of Florida and Texas, over laws that prevented public health measures in the wake of surging COVID-19 cases.

“I say to these governors: please help, but you aren’t going to help at least get out of the way,” President Joe Biden said. “The people are trying to do the right thing. Use your power to save lives.”

Biden called out Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, states which Biden said account for one-third of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S.

“And worst of all, some state officials are passing laws or signing orders that forbid people from doing the right thing. As of now, seven states not only banned mask mandates, but also banned them in their school districts, even for young children who cannot get vaccinated,” Biden said.

Abbott issued an executive order on Thursday that banned mask mandates and other operating mandates in Texas.

“They have the individual right and responsibility to decide for themselves and their children whether they will wear masks, open their businesses, and engage in leisure activities,” Abbott said in a statement about the order Thursday. “Vaccines, which remain in abundant supply, are the most effective defense against the virus, and they will always remain voluntary — never forced — in the State of Texas.”

DeSantis has stuck to a long-time promise not to impose a mask mandate in Florida. Both states have also moved to ban institutions from requiring vaccinations.

In response to a question from a reporter, Biden criticized the measures as “bad” policy. This comes as the two states see surges in cases and hospitalizations.

“I believe the results of their decisions are not good for their constituents,” Biden said. “And it’s clear to me, and to most medical experts, that the decisions being made, like not allowing mask mandates in school and the like, are bad health policy.”

White House press secretary Jen Psaki had a similar sentiment during a press briefing earlier Tuesday, calling out “extreme” measures.

“In fact, the most extreme of these measures is in Texas where … a professor or teacher can be fined if they ask a student if they are vaccinated or if they ask unvaccinated students to wear masks. And I think the fundamental question we have is: What are we doing here?”

Psaki noted the need for unity in the fight against the virus, and even praised most Republican governments who she said are “doing exactly the right thing … and taking steps to advocate for more people to get vaccinated.”

“But if you aren’t going to help, if you aren’t going to abide by public health guidance, then get out of the way and let people do the right thing to lead in their communities, whether they are teachers, university leaders, private sector leaders or others who are trying to save lives,” Psaki said.

Psaki also highlighted that the White House has extended offers of federal support to the two hard-hit states.

“Teams from (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and (Health and Human Services) are in contact with Florida officials to offer technical assistance and support,” Psaki said. “We’re also engaged with the governor’s office in Texas and the state health department to discuss the state of the pandemic there and how we can offer specific assistance, as well as Louisiana.”

Asked by a reporter whether the states had accepted the federal support, Psaki said that it is a “discussion,” and said that they are talking to the states about how the government “can provide additional assistance.”

ABC News’ Molly Nagle and Justin Gomez contributed to this report.

Paul McCartney’s ‘McCartney III Imagined’ remix album hits #1 on ‘Billboard’ Top Album Sales chart

August 3, 2021 by WDNY Radio

McCartney III Imagined, the new album featuring various interpretations of the songs from Paul McCartney‘s 2020 solo effort, McCartney III, has reached #1 on Billboard‘s Top Album Sales chart after being released on physical formats on July 23.

As previously reported, the collection was personally curated by McCartney and includes covers or remixes of McCartney III tracks by Beck, Blur‘s Damon Albarn, Queens of the Stone Age‘s Josh Homme, Radiohead‘s Ed O’Brien, Anderson .Paak, St. Vincent, Phoebe Bridgers and others.

The album sold 21,000 copies in the U.S. during the week ending July 29, according to MRC Data, driven by its release on CD, vinyl LP and cassette. Of that 21,000 sales figure, 16,100 were vinyl LPs, 4,300 were CDs and about 300 were cassettes.

McCartney III Imagined is the former Beatles legend’s third album to peak at #1 on the Top Album Sales tally in the chart’s 30-year history, following Egypt Station in 2018 and McCartney III in early 2021.

McCartney III Imagined also is #1 on Billboard‘s Vinyl Albums chart, and #19 on the Billboard 200.

The album got its initial release in digital formats back in April. During its first week, it debuted at #60 on Top Album Sales, after selling 2,200 downloads.

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