Month: February 2023

Three people are dead and five others are injured after a shooting at multiple locations on Michigan State University’s East Lansing campus Monday night, police said. The suspect has also died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. MSU Police and Public Safety said during a press briefing that the injured victims have been transported to a hospital, where all five remain in critical condition. Sparrow Hospital Communications Director John Foren confirmed that the hospital received five patients from the shooting but did not have an update on their conditions.

There is no longer a threat on campus and the shelter-in-place order has been lifted, Chris Rozman, interim deputy chief, said during a press briefing that there is no longer a threat on campus and the shelter-in-place order has been lifted.  University police said on Twitter that there appeared to be only one suspect, described as a “short male with a mask.” They later tweeted at 12:28 a.m. EST that the suspect had been located off campus and that he appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The suspect was identified as a 43-year-old man who was not affiliated with the university. Rozman said: “He is not a student, faculty, staff. And we have no idea why he came to campus to do this tonight.”  Police are still working to determine the suspect’s identity and possible motive, the interim deputy chief said.

Police initially received 911 calls of shots fired at 8:18 p.m. in Berkey Hall and located “several” victims there. Police then received a report of another shooting and responded to the MSU Union building, where they found other victims. Two of the fatalities were at Berkey Hall and one was at the MSU Union building.

Michigan State has about 50,000 students. East Lansing is about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of Detroit. Authorities announced late Monday that all campus activities would be canceled for 48 hours, including athletics and classes. People were advised not to come to campus Tuesday.

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The White House confirmed in a statement on Monday that J. Brett Blanton, Architect of the Capitol, was fired Monday after several lawmakers called for his removal. Blanton has been under fire since a November report accused him of ethics violations and improperly using government property.

Among the several allegations by the Capitol’s Office of Inspector General were that Blanton gave tours of the building while it was closed during COVID-19 protocol in 2020, and that he impersonated a police officer. Committee on House Administration chair Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., said in a statement: “The Architect of the Capitol plays a key role in preserving the Capitol campus and should be focused on ensuring the institution works for Members, Committees, staff, and most importantly, the American people. The Inspector General’s report was highly concerning, which is, in part, why our first hearing was dedicated to providing oversight over the AOC. His refusal to be transparent and truthful has made clear that he can no longer lead the organization and must resign immediately.”

Despite being appointed by former President Donal Trump, the calls for Blanton’s resignation came from both parties, with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy tweeting Monday morning: “After being given the opportunity to respond to numerous allegations of legal, ethical, and administrative violations, and failing to directly respond, the president has removed Mr. Brett Blanton from his position — a decision I firmly stand behind.”  Blanton was grilled about the report during hearings last week, where he said at the time, “I wholeheartedly reject any assertion that I have engaged in unethical behavior during my service to this country while serving in this particular role.”

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U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jets shot down an object flying over Lake Huron on Sunday. It is the fourth aerial object to be shot down over North America, and the third object over the United States in nine days, begining on Feb. 4 when a U.S. fighter jet downed a high-altitude surveillance balloon believed to be part of a near-global China spying campaign. China maintains that the balloon shot down on Feb. 4 was an unmanned civilian airship that veered off course into U.S. airspace.

In a statement Sunday evening, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed the shoot down, saying the unidentified object was flying at about 20,000 feet over Lake Huron in Michigan when it was felled by a Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missile at 2:42 p.m. EST.

Though only the first object shot down has been publicly identified as a spy balloon deployed by China, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Sunday that two other objects downed over Alaska on Friday and Canada’s northwestern Yukon territory on Saturday were likely similar balloons. Ryder said the path and altitude of the object downed Sunday posed a threat to civil aviation and it was shot over Lake Michigan in an effort to avoid debris hitting civilians and structures. Said Ryder: “There are no indications of any civilians hurt or otherwise affected.”

NORAD  had first detected the object Saturday. A “radar anomaly” had been picked it up, with officials stating the object had flown in proximity to sensitive Defense Department sites.  The Pentagon said Sunday: “We did not assess it to be a kinetic military threat to anything on the ground, but assess it was a safety hazard and a threat due to its potential surveillance capabilities. Our team will now work to recover the object in an effort to learn more.”

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The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in a 38–35 victory, with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes crowned as the MVP of Super Bowl LVII on Sunday night.

The 27-year-old Mahomes claimed his second career Super Bowl MVP after finishing 21-of-27 for 182 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. After trailing most of the game, Mahomes led Kansas City to a comeback victory.

The stellar performance from Mahomes came despite appearing to re-aggravate a right ankle injury he previously sustained in the divisional round; he hobbled off to the Chiefs’ sideline in noticeable pain and grimaced as he sat on the bench and spoke to the training staff. In the second half, K.C. outscored Philly following four scores on all four of their drives. The two-time MVP tossed two more down the stretch to keep even with the Eagles with a 35-35 score before kicker Harrison Butker followed a big Eagles holding penalty with a 27-yard field goal with eight seconds left to clinch the franchise’s third ever Vince Lombardi Trophy.

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Rihanna made her return to live performing on Sunday during the Super Bowl LVII Halftime show, treating fans to a medley of a dozen of her best-known songs at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.  The superstar also revealed another surprise; a baby bump.  Following Rihanna’s performance, a rep for the artist confirmed that she is pregnant with her second child.

Wearing a red jumpsuit over a tight-fitting latex bandeau, Rihanna opened the show with her 2015 song “[____] Better Have My Money” as she was lowered down to the stage on one of several floating platforms that she and her backup dancers used throughout the show. At the ground-level stage, Rihanna was accompanied by dozens of dancers dressed in all-white jumpsuits. Other hit songs followed, including with “Where Have You Been?,” “Only Girl in the World,” “We Found Love,” “Rude Boy,” “Work,” “Wild Thoughts,” “Pour It Up” and “All of the Lights,” and a band joined the performance during the final three songs of the night — “Run This Town,” “Umbrella” and “Diamonds, ” as fireworks erupted from the stadium.

Despite speculation, Rihanna had no surprise guests join her on stage – unlike other recent Super Bowl halftime performances. Prior to the show, Rihanna was tight-lipped about her performance, telling reporters: “It’s a lot of preparation. This is the week that everything is being tested. Everyone is just tightening up. Everybody’s dialing in. Everybody’s tuning up … It’s literally like 300 to 400 people breaking the stage down, building it up and getting out in 8 minutes. It’s incredible. It’s almost impossible.”

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