Month: October 2023

Josh Kruger, a freelance journalist and former Philadelphia city employee, was shot and killed in his home early Monday. Police responded at about 1:30 a.m. and found Kruger shot seven times in the chest and abdomen. He was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. There have been no arrests in the shooting, andno weapon has been recovered.

The 39-year-old Kruger lived in the city’s Grays Ferry neighborhood was previously employed by the Philadelphia City Paper and Philadelphia Weekly. Kruger also previously worked in communications for the city, first in the mayor’s office and then for the Office of Homeless Services and Department of Health. He had recent worked as a freelance journalist, with bylines in the Philadelphia Inquirer and The Philadelphia Citizen.

District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement: “Josh deserved to write the ending of his personal story. As with all homicides, we will be in close contact with the Philadelphia Police as they work to identify the person or persons responsible so that they can be held to account in a court of law. I extend my deepest condolences to Josh’s loved ones and to all those mourning this loss.”

According to Krasner, Kruger was openly queer and often wrote about LGBTQ+ topics, as well as drug abuse and homelessness. The district attorney’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee added in a statement: “Many of us knew Josh Kruger as a comrade who never stopped advocating for queer Philadelphians living on the margins of societ. His struggles mirrored so many of ours — from community rejection, to homelessness, to addiction, to living with HIV, to poverty — and his recovery, survival, and successes showed what’s possible when politicians and elected leaders reject bigotry and work affirmatively to uplift all people.”

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney wrote on X: “Shocked and saddened by Josh Kruger’s death. He cared deeply about our city and its residents, which was evident in his public service and writing. Our administration was fortunate to call him a colleague, and our prayers are with everyone who knew him.”

Editorial credit: Tupungato / Shutterstock.com

North Dakota state senator Doug Larsen, his wife and their two young children were killed when the small plane they were riding crashed in Utah. Republican Senate Majority Leader David Hogue confirmed the fatalities on Monday in an email sent to his fellow senators which was obtained by The Associated Press. Hogue wrote in his email: “Senator Doug Larsen, his wife Amy, and their two young children died in a plane crash last evening in Utah. They were visiting family in Scottsdale and returning home. They stopped to refuel in Utah.”

According to a Grand County Sheriff’s Department statement posted on Facebook, Larsen was the pilot of the plane that crashed Sunday evening, shortly after taking off from Canyonlands Airfield, located about 15 miles north of Moab.  The sheriff’s office said all four people on board the plane were killed, and said in a statement later Monday that the county’s “dispatch center received a report of an isolated incident involving a single aircraft taking off from the Canyonlands Regional Airport and then crashing into the ground.”

The National Transportation Safety Board said in a post on social media that the crash of the single-engine Piper plane was being investigated.  Sheriff’s deputies, Moab County Fire Department personnel and paramedics responded to the crash after a medical aircraft spotted the downed plane, the sheriff’s office said.

An NTSB spokesman earlier said a board investigator was expected to arrive at the scene Monday “to begin to document the scene, examine the aircraft, request any air traffic communications, radar data, weather reports and try to contact any witnesses. Also, the investigator will request maintenance records of the aircraft, and medical records and flight history of the pilot.”

Larsen was a Republican first elected to the North Dakota Senate in 2020. His district comprises Mandan, the city neighboring Bismarck to the west across the Missouri River. Larsen chaired a Senate panel that handled industry and business legislation. He was also a lieutenant colonel in the North Dakota National Guard, and he and his wife, Amy, were business owners. District Republicans will appoint a successor to fill out the remainder of Larsen’s term, through November 2024. His Senate seat is on the ballot next year. Republicans control North Dakota’s Legislature with supermajorities in the House and Senate.

Editorial credit: Philip Pilosian / Shutterstock.com

New York State Police are searching for a 9-year-old girl who they said was abducted Saturday night while she was camping with her family. The girl, Charlotte Sena, was last seen 50 miles north of Albany at Moreau Lake State Park in Saratoga County at approximately 6:15 p.m., wearing an orange tie-dye Pokémon shirt, dark blue pants, black Crocs and a gray bike helmet. According to information provided by police, Charlotte is 4 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs 90 pounds, and she has blond hair. Lt. Col. Richard Mazzone told reporters Sunday after an exhaustive search of the park, police had determined it was “quite possible” Charlotte was abducted. The Sena family said in a statement: “We just want her returned safely like any parent would. No tip is too small, please call if you know anything at all.”

State police activated an Amber Alert shortly after 9:30 a.m. local time Sunday which read: ***AMBER ALERT UPDATED DESCRIPTION*** PLEASE SHARE! NYSP has activated AMBER Alert for a child abduction that occurred near Moreau Lake State Park in Gansevoort, NY at about 6:45 PM on 9/30/2023. Anyone with any information should call the NYSP at (518) 457-6811 or dial 911.” Adding: “The child was taken under circumstances that lead police to believe that they are in imminent danger of serious harm and/or death.”

NY Governor Kathy Hochul offered an update Sunday after meeting with the missing girl’s family, promising them officials would find their daughter. Gov. Hochul told reporters that Charlotte and her family were camping only 15 minutes from where she and her sisters were raised. Shortly before she disappeared, Charlotte had been biking around Loop A of the park with family friends and had said she wanted to do one more loop by herself. Fifteen minutes later, when she hadn’t returned, her parents and nearby campers mounted a search. Charlotte’s bike was found on the loop at 6:45 p.m., and two minutes later, her mother called 911 to report her missing. By 7 p.m., state police were at the scene.  Since then, over 100 personnel and 75 law enforcement officials have been deployed in the search, which also includes dogs, two drones, two boats and six underwater rescue teams, said Hochul, who added that a command post had been established at the state park.

Hochul said: “As a mother and as a grandmother, I cannot imagine the pain they’re going through. They shared with me how joyful their little girl is, a fourth grader just recently elected to be a class officer for student council.”  Hochul implored anyone with information or anyone who may have seen anything to call 911: “Hearts are broken here today in New York. Hopefully there will be a reunion. Hopefully, there will be a family that has been traumatized but reunited.”

Editorial credit: Tada Images / Shutterstock.com

Rep. Matt Gaetz said he will try to remove fellow Republican (and longtime nemesis), House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his position this week — his statements coming after McCarthy relied on Democratic support to pass legislation that avoided a government shutdown. In response, McCarthy responded: “So be it. Bring it on. Let’s get over with it and let’s start governing.”

Gaetz, R-Fla, said in a broadcast interview: “I think we need to rip off the Band-Aid … I think we need to move on with new leadership that can be trustworthy,” adding that McCarthy, R-Calif., was in “brazen, material breach” of agreements he made with House Republicans in January when he ran for speaker. Gaetz said as House rules permit, he would be filing a “motion to vacate the chair.”  Procedural votes could be offered to halt the motion or it could trigger a House floor vote on whether McCarthy should remain speaker. No speaker has ever been removed from office through such a move.

Gaetz had threatened to file his ouster motion if McCarthy worked with Democrats; in light of a potential government shutdown, McCarthy pivoted on Saturday to a bill that would draw Democratic support. Democrats jumped at the chance to keep the government open and both chambers passed the bill by overwhelming margins.  While McCarthy has the support of a large majority of House Republicans, he may need votes from some Democrats to keep his job. When Gaetz was asked how many Republicans he had on board to vote McCarthy out, he replied had enough to ensure that if McCarthy retains the speakership he would “be serving at the pleasure of the Democrats … The only way Kevin McCarthy is speaker of the House at the end of this coming week is if Democrats bail him out.”

However, Gaetz has received noticeable opposition from many House Republicans. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., spoke of Gaetz’s “diatribe of delusional thinking” and said Gaetz was acting for “personal, political reasons.” McCarthy agree, saying that Gaetz was “more interested in securing TV interviews than doing something.” McCarthy added on Sunday that Gaetz would fail and said that Gaetz has been after him since he ran for speaker:  “Yes, I’ll survive,” McCarthy said.

Editorial credit: Consolidated News Photos / Shutterstock.com