News from the Note…
A round up of the day’s news that might be of interest to you.
This is an OPEN THREAD, folks. Chat about any of the stories listed, share links to stories that caught your eye today, and generally have a good time discussing whatever you want.
BREAKING: Norfolk Southern agrees to pay $600M in settlement related to train derailment in eastern Ohio https://t.co/AizMCEYVKz
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 9, 2024
Norfolk Southern has agreed to pay $600 million in a class-action lawsuit settlement related to a fiery train derailment in February 2023 in eastern Ohio.
The company said the agreement, if approved by the court, will resolve all class action claims within a 20-mile radius from the derailment and, for those residents who choose to participate, personal injury claims within a 10-mile radius from the derailment.
[snip]
The company said that the settlement doesn’t include or constitute any admission of liability, wrongdoing, or fault.
The settlement is expected to be submitted for preliminary approval to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio later in April 2024. Payments to class members under the settlement could begin by the end of the year, subject to final court approval.
[snip]
The NTSB’s full investigation into the cause of the derailment won’t be complete until June, though that agency has said that an overheating wheel bearing on one of the railcars that wasn’t detected in time by a trackside sensor likely caused the crash.
The EPA has said the cleanup in East Palestine is expected to be complete sometime later this year.
AP News.com. 04/09/2024.
A Georgia woman who allegedly wounded two drivers on a Florida interstate Monday told people God directed her to carry out the shootings “in relation to” the solar eclipse, authorities say. https://t.co/61EzsEkFHJ
— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 9, 2024
Taylon Nichelle Celestine, 22, was stopped on Interstate 10 near mile marker 96 on a felony traffic stop after she was suspected of wounding two drivers a short time earlier, the Florida Highway Patrol said in a statement.
Before the shooting began, the highway patrol said, Celestine “had recently checked out of a local hotel and told the staff she was going on a shooting spree, directed by ‘God’ in relation to the solar eclipse.”
[snip]
An AR-15 rifle and a 9 mm handgun were recovered in the Dodge Challenger with Georgia plates that Celestine was driving, the highway patrol said.
[snip]
After she made the comment at the hotel, Celestine entered the interstate near mile marker 112 and drove westbound, the highway patrol said. Within five miles of entering the interstate, she fired a weapon and struck another vehicle multiple times, it alleged.
“The driver was struck by glass fragments from the window and grazed on the arm by a bullet; however, he was able to steer his vehicle onto the shoulder of the road, away from the suspect,” the highway patrol said.
As she continued westbound, Celestine shot at another vehicle near mile-marker 107, the highway patrol said.
The driver was struck in the neck but survived and was being treated at a hospital, it said.
NBC News. 04/08/2024.
BREAKING: James and Jennifer Crumbley, the first parents to ever be charged then convicted in their child’s mass shooting at a U.S. school, have both been sentenced to 10 -15 years in prison. https://t.co/rgaU8L3pzM
— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 9, 2024
The first parents to ever be charged, then convicted, in their child’s mass shooting at a U.S. school were both sentenced Tuesday to 10 to 15 years in prison after facing the victims during a sentencing hearing in a Michigan courtroom.
James and Jennifer Crumbley were sentenced one after another by Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Matthews as they appeared together for the first time since they attended joint hearings before their landmark trials were separated last fall. Their son, Ethan, now 17, pleaded guilty as an adult to the 2021 shooting at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit and was sentenced to life in prison.
NBC News.com. 04/09/2024.
An appeals court judge has denied former President Donald Trump’s request to delay the start of his New York hush money trial so he can challenge the gag order imposed by Judge Juan Merchan. https://t.co/ztI5LVledz
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) April 9, 2024
An appeals court judge has denied former President Donald Trump’s request to delay the start of his New York hush money trial so he can challenge the gag order imposed by Judge Juan Merchan.
New York Associate Justice Cynthia Kern denied the application for an interim stay just minutes after hearing arguments on the matter Tuesday.
A full appeals court panel will still consider Trump’s petition, though it will not delay the start of the trial.
Motions are due on Monday, the day the jury selection is scheduled to start. The panel of judges will rule on whether to stay the trial after they receive briefs that day, and will decide about the gag order after April 29, when submissions are due.
The panel will rule on the written papers; there will be no oral arguments.
CNN.com. 04/09/2024.
Maps show where trillions of cicadas will emerge in the U.S. this spring https://t.co/Bn7Hqb2X40
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 9, 2024
This year, both the 13-year and the 17-year cicadas will emerge, arriving in numbers that have not been seen in generations.
They mate, molt and then die, leaving behind their offspring to burry themselves into the soil and lay dormant until their brood’s next cycle.
[snip]
The 13-year cicadas, called Brood XIX, will emerge in Georgia and the Southeast. The 17-year cicadas, called Brood XIII, will appear in Illinois. This will be the first time since 1803 that two broods emerged at the same time. The next time this happens will be 2037.
[snip]
The overlap of these two broods has been dubbed by an expert as “cicada-geddon” – but it won’t be the biggest cicada event. In 2076, the two largest broods –XIX and XIV – will come out together. “That is the cicada-palooza,” University of Connecticut cicada expert John Cooley said.
The broods will emerge peacefully, but Cooley said hundreds of trillions – or even quadrillions – of cicadas are expected. That’s an average of 1 million per acre over millions of acres.
Some of the cicadas, however, may have come in contact with a fungal pathogen called Massospora cicadina, which makes them hyper-sexual. The sexually transmitted fungal infection turns them into so-called “zombie cicadas,” with a chalky, white plug erupting out of their bodies and making their genitals fall off. Cicada expert Matthew Kasson says it’s not yet clear how the fungus impacts other wildlife, animals or humans.
CBS News.com. 04/08/2024.
Two MAGA operatives who orchestrated a scheme targeting black votes in NY with robo calls claiming that their voter info would be shared with govt agencies & debt collectors agreed today to pay up to $1.25 million in fines. Story …https://t.co/9Bz7oioe7U
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) April 9, 2024
From the New York AG’s Office…
[Snips]
New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that she has reached an agreement on proposed relief from two conspiracy theorists who launched a robocall campaign designed to prevent Black New Yorkers from voting by mail ahead of the 2020 election. In March 2023, a federal judge ruled in Attorney General James’ favor and found Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman liable for targeting Black voters and transmitting false and threatening messages intended to discourage voting. Under this agreement, Wohl and Burkman will pay up to $1.25 million for their wrongdoing.
[snip]
Under the agreement, Wohl and Burkman conceded a $1 million judgment to OAG, NCBCP, and individual plaintiffs. If Wohl and Burkman fail to pay at least $105,000 by December 31, 2024, and do not address the failure to pay within 30 days, the amount will increase to $1.25 million.
AG.NY.Gov. 04/09/2024.
