Month: November 2023

Six people are reported dead and 15 others were left injured after a charter bus carrying high school band students collided with a semi-truck in Ohio on Tuesday morning. The Associated Press reported that approximately 57 people were on board the charter bus when it was rear-ended by a semi-truck around 8.30am on Interstate 70 West close to the Smoke Road underpass in Licking County, about 40 miles northeast of Columbus. The collission involved five vehicles.

Dr Derek Varansky, superintendent of Tuscarawas Valley Local Schools, said that pupils and chaperones from his district were on their way to the Ohio School Boards Association conference in Columbus, which was scheduled to take place today. The students were part of the district’s band and were scheduled to perform at the conference. The event was canceled after news of the accident broke, a spokesperson for the association said. Dr. Varansky called the news “devastating and heartbreaking … Right now, our focus is on getting in touch with our Tusky Valley families who had loved ones on the bus and providing support to our entire school community. Our Trojan family is strong, and it will take that strength and love to get throughout these coming challenging days.”

Lieutenant Nathan Dennis, a spokesperson for the Ohio State Highway Patrol, said 18 people were taken to seven area hospitals. At least 34 students were taken to the Etna United Methodist Church, where officials set up a reunification center for those not injured in the crash.

Officials did not give direct answers to questions regarding crash, but said additional information would be provided once the proper notifications were made. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said on X: “Fran and I are praying for everyone involved in the bus crash east of Columbus today. It is our worst nightmare to have a bus full of children involved in such a terrible crash, and it is certainly the worst nightmare that families and schools can endure.”

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A man has been arrested in connection to the death of former NHL hockey player Adam Johnson. The BBC confirmed the arrest on Tuesday on suspicion of manslaughter following the 29-year-old British athlete’s death on Oct. 28 during a game against the Sheffield Steelers. According to the BBC, Johnson’s cause of death was confirmed to be a result of a fatal neck injury after a post-mortem examination.

Johnson’s death was announced on social media in the early hours of Oct. 29 by his team, British ice hockey club Nottingham Panthers. The club wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) that the player died “following a freak accident” when opponent Matt Petgrave’s skate slashed Johnson’s neck. The Challenge Cup match between the two teams at Sheffield Arena was called off when a “major medical emergency” happened during the game’s 35th minute, prompting the game’s ending.

Detective Chief Superintendent Becs Horsfall said the investigation “launched immediately following this tragedy,” and the department has “been carrying out extensive inquiries ever since to piece together the events which led to the loss of Adam in these unprecedented circumstances.” Horsfall said the investigation has support from the health and safety department at Sheffield City Council and that his team has been “speaking to highly specialized experts in their field to assist in our inquiries.”

Johnson, a Minnesota native, played for the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins during both the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, appearing in 13 games during his NHL career. The hockey player also spent time in the American Hockey League, as well as overseas in Sweden, Germany and most recently in the Elite Ice Hockey League following his college career at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

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On Monday, the Supreme Court issued a code of conduct signed by all nine justices which lays out formal rules, this coming after months of intense scrutiny of the court’s ethics practices.

The new code of conduct includes five canons that the justices should adhere to, including by upholding the “integrity and independence of the judiciary” and avoiding “impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all activities.” In a statement announcing the new code, the justices said the document was intended to “set out succinctly and gather in one place the ethics rules and principles that guide the conduct of the members of the court,” acknowledging that the lack of a formal code of ethics has created a “misunderstanding that the justices of this court, unlike all other jurists in this country, regard themselves as unrestricted by any ethics rules … To dispel this misunderstanding, we are issuing this code, which largely represents a codification of principles that we have long regarded as governing our conduct.”

The code of conduct lists circumstances in which a justice should disqualify him or herself in a proceeding, namely when their impartiality “might reasonably be questioned, that is, where an unbiased and reasonable person who is aware of all relevant circumstances would doubt that the Justice could fairly discharge his or her duties.” It also states that while a justice may engage in activities outside of the court, they should refrain from those “that detract from the dignity of the justice’s office, interfere with the performance of the justice’s official duties, reflect adversely on the justice’s impartiality, lead to frequent disqualification, or violate” specified limitations.

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Four people were stabbed Monday morning on the campus of Louisiana Tech University in the north Louisiana city of Ruston. The victims were stabbed as they were leaving the Lambright Sports and Wellness Center on Tech’s Ruston, Louisiana, campus.

Police learned of the stabbings at 9:08 a.m. and had the suspect in custody four minutes later. The university issued a statement saying campus police caught a suspect — 23-year-old student Jacoby Johnson – who was taken into custody after the attack outside the Lambright Sports and Wellness Center. The suspect was being treated at Northern Louisiana Medical Center for injuries received during the initial incident, according to the school.

The school said in a statement: “This appears to be a random act of violence …The suspect then fled south toward main campus and was apprehended by campus police without incident.” Ruston Police Chief Randall Hermes told the Ruston Daily Leader: “It sounds like he ran up behind them and surprised them.” 

Of the four victims, one was a graduate student reported in serious but stable condition and flown to nearby Shreveport, Louisiana, two were taken to a local hospital in Ruston, and the other refused treatment. One victim was in critical condition at Northern Louisiana Medical Center shortly before noon local time. Two others were in serious, but stable condition, according to the university. The remaining three victims were not students.

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U.S. officials said Sunday that five U.S. servicepeople were killed when a military helicopter crashed over the eastern Mediterranean Sea during a training mission. All five crew members on board were killed when the aircraft went down “during a routine air refueling mission as part of military training,” according to the military’s European Command. It wasn’t immediately clear which military service the aircraft belonged to.

The military said that the cause is under investigation, but there are no indications of any hostile activity involved. It said on Sunday that “search and rescue efforts began immediately, including nearby U.S. military aircraft and ships.” European Command said that out of respect for the families of the service members and in line with Department of Defense policy, the identities of the crew members are being withheld for 24 hours until the families of those killed have been notified.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement: “we mourn the tragic loss of five U.S. service members during a training accident in the Mediterranean Sea early Saturday morning. While we continue to gather more information about this deadly crash, it is another stark reminder that the brave men and women who defend our great nation put their lives on the line each and every day to keep our country safe.”

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A SWAT team member and three others were killed after a man barricaded himself in a house in Austin, Texas along with two hostages before opening fire on police officers.

Interim Chief of Police Robin Henderson announced at a press conference that the violent scene unfolded in South Austin, when Austin Police SWAT officers forced entry into the home where the man was allegedly armed with a knife and gun and two trapped hostages. , Henderson said that one woman who managed to escape called police for help, saying that she had been stabbed. Officers responded to the call and forced entry inside but backed out when the suspect opened fire before the SWAT team was then called.

Two officers who were shot were transported to the hospital, with one officer succumbing to his injuries, with the other in stable condition, said Henderson. The suspect and two other victims who were still barricaded inside the home were all pronounced dead at the scene.

The fatal shooting marks the first time in a decade that an Austin Police Department officer was killed in the line of duty, according to reports, and marks the first time in over a decade in which an Austin officer was shot and killed in the line of duty. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said in a post on X: “This is a horrible moment for our city and those who protect us. I thank these courageous public servants and ask that our community hold them close, support them, respect them, and lift them up in prayer.”

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