ATLANTA — Atlanta police have confirmed with Channel 2 Action News that multiple teens were shot in southwest Atlanta at an apartment complex.
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Police responded to the scene at 3000 Continental Colony Parkway after reports of people being shot around 5:08 p.m.
According to the police, a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old were pronounced dead at the scene while several other victims were transported to a nearby hospital.
The address appears to be an apartment complex named The Retreat at Greenbriar.
Police said three teens — a 15-year-old female, 15-year-old male, and an 11-year-old boy — were transported to a local hospital.
Police believe some type of argument on social media escalated the incident to gunfire.
“One group of individuals came to the apartment with their guns, then the other group fired their weapons,” Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr. said. “Both parties had weapons.”
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Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Atlanta police.
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Hurricane Ian’s “extremely dangerous” eyewall was moving onshore in southwest Florida late Wednesday morning, just hours after it grew into a Category 4 storm. It was packing sustained winds of 155 mph — making it just shy of a Category 5 hurricane, which is the most powerful storm possible.
Ian’s eyewall was moving onshore at Sanibel and Captiva islands and is forecast to make landfall Wednesday afternoon before moving over central Florida late Wednesday and Thursday, according to forecasters.
“Ian will cause catastrophic storm surge, winds, and flooding in the Florida peninsula soon,” the National Hurricane Center said in its 11 a.m. advisory.
About 2.5 million people were under mandatory evacuation orders as the hurricane started lashing the Florida peninsula with heavy rain and tropical-storm-force winds in the early hours of Wednesday. Strengthening of the storm overnight was “really, really significant,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a press conference. And emergency management directors in southwest Florida were preparing for – and expecting – a Category 5 hurricane, said Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
“This is gonna be a nasty, nasty day – two days,” DeSantis said.
Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg were among the cities bracing for the worst of the storm, but the latest forecasts suggested Ian would make landfall slightly further south, with the Ft. Myers region at risk of a possible direct hit. Given the size and strength of the hurricane and the storm surge it’s expected to drive into coastal areas, officials were clear that much of Florida remained at risk.
Life-threatening impacts are expected and power outages are occurring.
Ian tore across western Cuba on Tuesday with sustained winds up to 125 mph. Damage from the storm knocked Cuba’s power grid offline, leaving the entire country in the dark Wednesday morning.
The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore on Hurricane Ian’s path
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Detectives are investigating two homicides that happened within minutes of each other early Saturday morning in Southwest Fresno.
Fresno Police say the first call came in at 2:09 am after multiple gunshots were heard along South Teilman Avenue, near Highway 180.
When officers arrived, they found a man in his 20s who had been shot in his upper body. Fire and EMS crews tried to save the man’s life, but were unsuccessful and he was declared dead at the location.
The next shooting happened just 15 minutes later at 2:24 am. The Shot Spotter system alerted dispatchers to seven rounds fired near East Tower and South Fairview Avenues.
After searching the area, officers found a man in his 30s near the entrance to the parking lot of the Hinton Community Center.
He had been shot multiple times and was declared dead by American Ambulance when they arrived.
Fresno Police say the homicide unit is investigating the shootings.
BEIJING (AP) — At least 46 people were reported killed and 16 missing in a 6.8 magnitude earthquake that shook China’s southwestern province of Sichuan on Monday, triggering landslides and shaking buildings in the provincial capital of Chengdu, whose 21 million residents are already under a COVID-19 lockdown.
The quake struck a mountainous area in Luding county shortly after noon, the China Earthquake Networks Center said.
Sichuan, which sits on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau where tectonic plates meet, is regularly hit by earthquakes. Two quakes in June killed at least four people.
The death toll rose to 46 with 16 missing as the search for trapped people continued Monday night, state broadcaster CCTV said.
Earlier, authorities had reported 7 deaths in Luding county and 14 more in neighboring Shimian county to the south. Three of the dead were workers at the Hailuogou Scenic Area, a glacier and forest nature reserve.
Along with the deaths, authorities reported stones and soil falling from mountainsides, causing damage to homes and power interruptions, CCTV said. One landslide blocked a rural highway, leaving it strewn with rocks, the Ministry of Emergency Management said.
Buildings shook in Chengdu, 200 kilometers (125 miles) away from the epicenter. Resident Jiang Danli said she hid under a desk for five minutes in her 31st floor apartment. Many of her neighbors rushed downstairs, wary of aftershocks.
“There was a strong earthquake in June, but it wasn’t very scary. This time I was really scared, because I live on a high floor and the shaking made me dizzy,” she told The Associated Press.
The earthquake and lockdown follow a heat wave and drought that led to water shortages and power cuts due to Sichuan’s reliance on hydropower. That comes on top of the latest major lockdown under China’s strict “zero-COVID” policy.
The past two months in Chengdu “have been weird,” Jiang said.
The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a magnitude of 6.6 for Monday’s quake at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles). Preliminary measurements by different agencies often differ slightly.
China’s deadliest earthquake in recent years was a 7.9 magnitude quake in 2008 that killed nearly 90,000 people in Sichuan. The temblor devastated towns, schools and rural communities outside Chengdu, leading to a years-long effort to rebuild with more resistant materials.
Sichuan extends industrial power use curbs until Aug. 25
Chongqing cuts working hours of commercial venues
Shortages could affect Tesla
SHANGHAI, Aug 22 (Reuters) – China’s scorched southwestern regions extended curbs on power consumption on Monday as they deal with dwindling hydropower output and surging household electricity demand during a long drought and heatwave.
State weather forecasters issued a heat “red alert” for the 11th consecutive day on Monday, as extreme weather continues to play havoc with power supplies and damage crops. They also raised the national drought alert to “orange” – the second-highest level.
The drought has already “severely affected” mid-season rice and summer corn in some southern regions, the ministry of agriculture said on Sunday.
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The National Meteorological Center said as many as 62 weather stations, from Sichuan in the southwest to Fujian on the southeastern coast, saw record temperatures on Sunday. The situation could improve starting Wednesday as a cold front moves into China via Xinjiang.
The region of Chongqing, which hit temperatures of 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) late last week, announced that opening hours at more than 500 malls and other commercial venues would be shortened starting Monday to ease power demand.
Malls on the list contacted by Reuters on Monday confirmed they had received the government notice and would abide by the rules. Two hotels on the list said they were still operating normally but would restrict air conditioner use.
In neighbouring Sichuan province, a major hydropower generator, authorities also extended existing curbs on industrial power consumers until Thursday, financial news service Caixin said on Sunday. Power generation in Sichuan is at just half the normal level after a massive decline in water levels.
Caixin cited battery industry firms as saying that industrial power users in the cities of Yibin and Suining had been told to remain closed until Thursday.
Sichuan – a major power supplier to the rest of the country – has recently put a new coal storage base into operation to make sure its thermal plants can operate without disruption.
However, around 80% of its installed capacity is hydropower, making it especially vulnerable to fluctuations in water supplies.
People walk on a dried-up bed of a reservoir, amid hot temperatures, while many regions from southwest to east of the country along the Yangtze river have been experiencing weeks of record-breaking heatwave in Changxing, Zhejiang province, China, August 20, 2022. REUTERS/Aly Song
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Several companies confirmed on Monday that they were restricting output because of extended power supply curbs. Pesticide producer Lier Chemical Co Ltd (002258.SZ) confirmed in on Monday that restrictions would continue until Thursday.
JinkoSolar (JKS.N), a major solar power equipment manufacturer, said its Sichuan manufacturing facilities have been halted as a result of power shortages, adding that it was “uncertain” how long the measures would last.
Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) gradually resumed operations at its Sichuan plant in China on Monday using a power generator after suspending operations last week, the company’s spokesperson said.
Several plants in Sichuan and Chongqing, including those of top battery maker CATL (300750.SZ) and the electric vehicle giant BYD (002594.SZ), have only been able to partially operate in recent weeks because of power shortages.
Sources familiar with the matter said CATL’s Yibin plant makes battery cells for Tesla (TSLA.O), and there were concerns that disruptions could eventually affect the U.S. automaker, though production at its Shanghai plant remains unchanged.
Shanghai, criticised on China’s Twitter-like Weibo for its use of electricity generated in Sichuan, imposed its own consumption restrictions on Monday, turning off decorative lighting on the riverside Bund area and parts of the financial centre of Lujiazui for two days.
Firms will be encouraged to “stagger” power consumption to reduce peak loads, and some construction projects will be suspended, the official Shanghai Daily said.
Important agricultural regions have been warning of the impact on crops, with Henan province saying more than a million hectares of land have been affected by drought so far.
About 2.2 million hectares across the Yangtze basin have been affected, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.
Poyang Lake, located in one of the Yangtze river’s flood plains and described as China’s “kidney” because of the role it plays in regulating water supplies, is now 67% smaller than the average over the last 10 years, state broadcaster CCTV said.
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Reporting by David Stanway and Zhang Yan in Shanghai, Martin Quin Pollard in Beijing; Additional reporting by the Beijing newsroom; Editing by Kim Coghill, Gerry Doyle and Susan Fenton
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
“The stage is set for southern Arizona and New Mexico to potentially receive prolific rainfall and widespread flash flooding today,” as a low-pressure system brings moist, tropical air to the Southwest in the form of heavy rain and thunderstorms to add to the already active monsoon season across the region, the Weather Prediction Center said early Saturday morning.
Widespread rainfall totals of 2 to 3 inches, with locally higher totals of 5 to 7 inches, are forecast across the region — leading the WPC to issue a level 3 out of 4 “moderate” risk for excessive rainfall ahead of the wet forecast. That could mean widespread flash flooding across the Southwest.
On Saturday, a search and rescue operation for a missing person continued at Zion National Park in Utah following a flash flood on the Virgin River, according to a tweet from the national park.
Rangers were alerted about hikers being “swept off their feet” near the Temple of Sinawava on Friday afternoon, according to Zion National Park spokesman Jonathan Shafer. Some hikers have been located.
“Park rangers found an injured hiker who had been pulled downstream several hundred yards,” Shafer said. The injured hiker was taken to a hospital, according to Shafer. The hiker’s condition is not known.
The flash flood at Zion National Park is associated with rain from the same system affecting the Southwest this weekend.
See if rain is expected where you live right here >>>
“Urban locations in addition to areas of complex terrain, slot canyons, arroyos, and burn scars are especially vulnerable for flash flooding and can quickly turn into very dangerous situations,” the WPC said on Saturday.
The plume of moisture and heavy rainfall is expected to move into northern Texas beginning Sunday into Monday — where a level 2 out of 4 “slight risk” for excessive rainfall has been issued. Rainfall nearing 2 to 3 inches per hour is possible, according to the WPC.
“Urban areas will be the most vulnerable to flooding for the period even with the extremely dry, drought conditions.”
Over 90% of the state of Texas is currently experiencing drought conditions, with nearly 62% experiencing extreme or exceptional drought conditions — the highest categories.
Potential Tropical Cyclone Four to bring heavy rains
Potential Tropical Cyclone Four has formed over the western Gulf of Mexico, with sustained winds of 35 mph, according to an 11 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center. It was located about 165 milessouth-southeast of the mouth of the Rio Grande.
The hurricane center uses the potential tropical cyclone designation to issue warnings for a system prior to it actually being named.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for the Gulf Coast of Mexico from Boca de Catan northward to the mouth of the Rio Grande — and across the lower Texas coast, from Port Mansfield southward to the mouth of the Rio Grande. Tropical storm conditions are expected across these regions in the next 12 to 24 hours as the system approaches the coast.
The system is expected to reach the coast of northeastern Mexico late Saturday afternoon, pushing inland through Sunday.
There is still uncertainty about whether the system will strengthen enough to become a named storm before landfall. If it does, it will be named Danielle.
An 11 a.m. National Hurricane Center advisory said “the chances of the disturbance [Potential Tropical Cyclone Four] becoming a tropical cyclone appear to be decreasing.” The storm is located close to the coast and may not have enough time to strengthen before moving inland.
PTC Four still remains disorganized over the Gulf of Mexico and does not have a defined center at or near the surface, according to recent data from the Air Force Hurricane Hunters.
Still, heavy rain of 1 to 3 inches, with isolated totals up to 5 inches, is forecast across portions of Texas and Mexico over the next 48 hours — which could lead to localized areas of flash flooding.
“Regardless of the system’s status, the overall impacts are expected to be the same,” the NHC said. “Winds to tropical storm force and heavy rains are expected to spread across northeastern Mexico and southern Texas later today and continue into Sunday.”
The system is forecast to quickly weaken after it moves inland and eventually dissipate by Sunday night over southern Texas.
CNN’s Ray Sanchez, Rebekah Riess, Paradise Afshar contributed to this report.
All of the weather data is pointing toward a line of severe thunderstorms moving into southwest and west-central Lower Michigan late this evening. Here’s a timeline and location of the possible line of storms.
Here is the radar forecast from 6 p.m. tonight to 10 a.m. Sunday. The first line of thunderstorms coming onshore into Michigan from Muskegon southward to the Indiana state line is the line of storms that could produce severe weather.
Radar forecast for 6 p.m. Saturday, July 23 to 10 a.m. Sunday, July 24.
The storm line should be weakening as it moves across southern Lower Michigan, but will remain as vigorous thunderstorms through Lansing, Jackson and maybe into Ann Arbor and Detroit.
Notice the second larger area of rain and storms after the severe weather line. The second area has the widespread rain that brings a good chance of a useful rain for much of the southern half of Lower Michigan.
The timeline on possible severe thunderstorms is 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Lake Michigan shoreline. Severe storm lines move quickly. Expect the line of storms to be into the Ann Arbor and Detroit areas by midnight.
The main threat is a quick 60 mph to 70 mph gust of wind at the beginning of the thunderstorms. As the storms move inland toward Kalamazoo, Lansing and Jackson, any severe gusts will likely diminish.
Here’s a breakdown of what the Storm Prediction Center says are the chances of each type of severe weather.
Outline of where the highest chances of severe weather are for this evening.
Damaging wind gust forecast for this evening. Black hatched area is where the wind gusts should be the strongest.
Tornado chance forecast for this evening.
Large hail forecast for this evening. Black hatched area has the possibility of two inch hail.
Here’s the always updated radar so you can know when the thunderstorms are approaching your area.
If your location gets put under a severe thunderstorm warning, move away from windows when the thunderstorm is blowing past your location.
House Oversight Committee holds hearing on impact of Supreme Court’s abortion decision.
A federal jury in Texas has awarded a former Southwest flight attendant more than $5 million after the airline fired her over her stance on abortion in a lawsuit dating back to 2017.
The reward in combined compensatory and punitive damages comes after the Transportation Workers Union of America (TWU) Local 556 union and Southwest fired Charlene Carter for her religious stance on abortion, which she publicized on social media.
“Today is a victory for freedom of speech and religious beliefs. Flight attendants should have a voice and nobody should be able to retaliate against a flight attendant for engaging in protected speech against her union,” Carter told FOX Business in a Friday statement. “I am so humbled and thankful for today’s decision and for everyone who’s supported me these past five years, including the National Right to Work Foundation.”
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES PILOTS PICKET IN DALLAS FOR BETTER WORKING CONDITIONS AMID PILOT SHORTAGE
Adam Greenfield, an attorney with the Law Offices of Cloutman and Greenfield, PLLC, representing TWU Local 556, said the “factual evidence” in the case “indicates an outcome different from the recent decision of the jury, which may have misunderstood the court’s charge.
Amended complaint:
“We look forward to appellate review,” Greenfield said.
Southwest and TWU Local 556 did not immediately respond to inquiries from FOX Business on Friday afternoon.
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES PASSENGER WHO REPORTEDLY STRUCK FLIGHT ATTENDANT TO SERVE UP TO 15 MONTHS IN PRISON
Carter joined the union in 1996 and resigned in 2013 after realizing that her religious views did not align with those of the union, but she was required to continue paying union fees as a condition of her employment, according to a press release.
In 2017, Carter learned that the union and its president, Audrey Stone, attended the Women’s March in Washington, D.C., which received some funding from Planned Parenthood. The flight attendant criticized the union’s attendance on social media.
A federal jury has awarded a former Southwest flight attendant more than $5 million. (Charlene Carter / Fox News)
Carter also sent messages to the union leader expressing intent to support a recall effort against Stone.
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES PASSENGER PLEADS GUILTY TO FEDERAL CHARGE OF ASSAULT ON FLIGHT ATTENDANT: REPORT
Southwest managers then informed Carter that she had to attend a meeting regarding her Facebook posts, during which the airline presented screenshots of Carter’s social media activity and messages regarding her pro-life stance and questioned why she posted them.
Company representatives also told Carter that Stone claimed to have been “harassed” by Carter online, and Southwest fired her a week later, according to the lawsuit.
Southwest flight attendant Charlene Carter has been awarded more than $5 million in a lawsuit that argues her firing from the company over her stance on abortion was unlawful. (Southwest Airlines/Stephen M. Keller)
“No American worker should have to fear termination, intimidation, or any other reprisal merely for speaking out against having their own money spent, purportedly in their name, to promote an agenda they find abhorrent,” said Mark Mix, president of National Right to Work Foundation, which offered pro-bono legal representation to Carter.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS
Mix added that “even with this basic right” to dissent from the union’s ideas “under the Railway Labor Act successfully defended, however, TWU union officials still enjoy the enormous government-granted privilege of being able to force airline workers to financially subsidize their activities as a condition of employment.”
“While we’re proud to stand with Ms. Carter and are pleased by the verdict, there ultimately should be no place in American labor law for compelling workers to fund a private organization that violates their core beliefs,” he continued.
At least 44 people were still unaccounted for after heavy flooding occurred in Buchanan County, Virginia, early Wednesday morning, authorities said. No deaths have been reported so far as a result of the flooding.
Overnight storms caused widespread power outages and infrastructure damage, with some homes having been swept off their foundations in the valley community of Pilgrim’s Knob. Responding to the situation, Buchanan County officials received assistance from neighboring fire departments to help in search and rescue efforts.
The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that 44 people were “unaccounted for,” but noted that does not mean they are missing.
“This number reflects the number of people that has been reported to law enforcement by loved ones and family members as being unable to make contact with them,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Some of the worst flash flooding I’ve seen occurred overnight in the community of Pilgrims Knob. Whitewood is still impassable. Homes washed hundreds of yards off foundations into the road. 11’6 FOOT marks on homes. @NWSCharlestonWV @spann @ReedTimmerAccu @WCYB_DavidBoyd pic.twitter.com/XEyy2EhEx4
— Billy Bowling (@babowling12) July 13, 2022
Officials from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) confirmed search efforts were ongoing, and that the affected area has no power, landline service or cell service. The American Red Cross is opening a shelter to support local residents.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency Wednesday afternoon in response to the flooding, mobilizing Commonwealth resources and personnel to aid recovery efforts.
“We are deeply saddened to learn that another flood has impacted a community still recovering from last year’s flood,” Youngkin said in a statement. “In the wake of the devastation, I want Virginians in Buchanan County to know that we are making every resource available to help those impacted by this storm.”
Appalachian Power confirmed approximately 3,700 outages in the Grundy area of Buchanan County at the flooding’s peak Tuesday night. Around 1,000 customers remain without power, and the company was unable to provide an estimated restoration time, citing damages. One Appalachian Power facility was partially submerged in a picture posted on the company’s Twitter.
Last night’s storms resulted in flooding inside APCo’s Dismal River substation. Approximately 3,700 customers in the Grundy area remain without power this morning as our crews work to restore service as safely and quickly as possible. We appreciate your patience. pic.twitter.com/kvawxM5t1g
— Appalachian Power (@AppalachianPowe) July 13, 2022
The sheriff’s office has set up a hotline for residents to add names to the search list. That number is 1-833-748-1424.
In a statement, a VDEM official said staff began monitoring the situation Tuesday night, and that emergency responders worked through the night conducting searches.
Arizona officials have confirmed the first cases in the Southwest of a bird flu that has led to the deaths of 37 million birds from commercial farms in the central and eastern U.S.
The disease was spotted after tests by federal wildlife officials in three wild cormorants that had been found dead in a park in the Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale, Arizona Game and Fish officials announced this week.
The disease has not yet been found in any domestic birds or in commercial operations, the agency said.
But it is a concern, according to Glenn Hickman, president and CEO of Hickman Family Farms, one of the largest egg producers in the Southwest. Hickman operates four chicken ranches in Arizona, one in California and two in Colorado.
The company has stopped any visits to its farms and doublechecked its biosecurity program, which is designed to prevent its approximately 2 million chickens from being infected. Its chickens are kept in barns that are secured so that wild birds can’t enter, and any people or tools that enter are disinfected.
Arizona Game and Fish officials have been closely monitoring for the disease by responding to all calls of dead birds.dpa/picture alliance via Getty I
The company dodged a scare recently when the avian flu was found in a flock 3 miles from one of its Colorado farms, Hickman said Thursday. And while he’s concerned about the Scottsdale find, its not anywhere near as concerning as if a nearby commercial operation had an outbreak.
“Those are a lot scarier because the massive amount of virus that is potentially produced when you have a large population is much more than the relatively small amount of virus per bird in the wild bird population,” he said. None of his farms were affected.
Arizona Game and Fish officials have been closely monitoring for the disease, which had been no closer than Colorado before this week’s announcement, by responding to all calls of dead birds.
Anne Justice-Allen, the department’s wildlife veterinarian, said calls from the public alerted her agency to the dead cormorants, water-loving birds that often nest in groups. The three juveniles had fallen out of their nests and were spotted dead by morning walkers in the park, who called wildlife officials.
Glenn Hickman, CEO of Hickman Family Farms, had his company stop visits to its farms and doublechecked its biosecurity program. Hickman Family Farms
“It’s a good thing they did,” Justice-Allen said, because they were able to collect the birds and test them before park workers removed them.
“We had a high suspicion that it was something that we do not normally see,” Justice-Allen said. “We have resident cormorants in the area, and we do not normally see mortality events in them.”
Justice-Allen said a major concern is backyard flocks of chickens, which are allowed in parts of metro Phoenix. The disease has been found in many homeowner flocks across the country.
Bird owners should watch for symptoms like birds not eating or lethargy, runny noses, seizures or diarrhea, she said. Anyone seeing those symptoms should call the state Department of Agriculture.
The first U.S. detection of the new strain of highly contagious avian flu in domestic poultry was in February in Indiana. More than 37 million birds have been killed to prevent the infection from spreading since then.
As of June 3, it had been detected in wild birds in 40 states, but not in California, Arizona, Nevada or New Mexico. Commercial flocks in 19 states have been infected.
Once an infection is found, the birds won’t recover and are killed to prevent spreading the illness, Justice-Allen said.
The outbreak has not only killed domestic fowl. It has also had a heavy toll on bald eagles and other wild bird species, much more so than the nation’s last bird flu outbreak detected in 2014. That outbreak cost more than 50 million domestic poultry.
Hickman said egg producers are so far making up for lost production from outbreaks affecting flocks this year.
“I think I can speak pretty firmly that regardless of how many birds that have been affected and depopulated, there are still eggs on every shelf in every grocery store in America,” Hickman said.
