News You Need: Standoff Ends Peacefully

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LOCAL

*Super Blood Blue Moon - A rare celestial phenomenon is taking place this morning, when a super moon, blue moon and total lunar eclipse take place at the same time.


NATIONAL

*The fallout is still being felt from that false emergency alert earlier this month that warned residence of an incoming missile strike on Hawaii. Officials there announced Tuesday that the head of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency has resigned as a result of the mistake.

Also, the officer responsible for sending out the false alert was fired while a second employee quit before he could be disciplined. Another officer was suspended without pay, according to Major General Joe Logan, Hawaii National Guard adjutant general.

That news arrived as the FCC released its initial findings about how the mistake happened that left residents of Hawaii fearing they were headed for destruction for nearly 40 minutes.

According to the FCC and officials in Hawaii, the officer who sent out the alert believed that that a real attack was coming. And he had a questionable past, despite more than a decade of experience. At least two other times, that employee believed a drill was the real thing. 

USA Today


CBS Poll: Most Americans Approve Of President’s Speech - 

President Trump’s theme of uniting the country in his first State of the Union address seems to have struck a chord.  A CBS News poll run by YouGov shows that 75-percent of people who responded approved of the speech, while only 25-percent disapproved.  Among the findings, 8-in10 Americans felt the president was trying to unite the country rather than divide it. Two-thirds say they felt proud, but just a third say it made them feel safer.

About 42-percent of those who watched the address were Republicans, while 33-percent were Independents and 25-precent Democrats. CBS notes that the party of the president giving the speech is typically the biggest crowd watching.

Over half of Democrats who watched the speech felt angry. Most viewers thought the policies they heard would help them personally.

Source: CBS News


Texas Opens Investigation Into Former Gymnastics Training Center - 

Texas is launching an investigation into allegations of sex assault at the former National Training Center for USA Gymnastics.  Governor Greg Abbott said the claims athletes were assaulted at the Karolyi Ranch in Walker County are gut-wrenching, and need to be looked into. He wants the allegations thoroughly vetted, and any perpetrators brought to justice. Walker County Sheriff's deputies are already looking into the claims, but Abbott wants the Rangers involved because crimes may have been committed in other jurisdictions.

The owners of the ranch, Bela and Marta Karolyi, were named in a California lawsuit last year. The documents charge that they “created a toxic environment where the perpetrator [Nassar] was given opportunity to perpetrate and continue his systematic sexual abuse of minor children.” The Karolyi’s haven’t been heard from publicly since the Nassar trial began.

The probe was opened after former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar was given up to 175 years in prison in Michigan last week for molesting gymnasts.

Source: NBC News


FEMA Ending Food And Water Shipments To Puerto Rico Today -

 The island government of Puerto Rico was blindsided yesterday by news of important supplies being cut off.

The U.S. commonwealth is still trying to recover, four months after Hurricane Maria. PR’s public safety secretary, Hector Pesquera, says that in most areas there has been improvement and economic indicators show recovery is underway.

However, he and the government were shocked to find out that FEMA is putting a sudden stop to food and water shipments without no transition…or discussion with them. "The Government ... is waiting for critical data provided by FEMA in order to determine when the responsibilities should be transferred from FEMA to the Government of Puerto Rico," Pesquera said. 20-percent of residents have no running water.

For his part, FEMA spokesman William Booher said the agency "will continue to support any documented needs and will provide supplies to volunteer agencies and other private nonprofit organizations ... working with households in rural, outlying areas to address ongoing disaster-related needs as power and water is gradually restored." Nearly half a million people remain without power.

San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz was at the State of the Union address last night and spoke out loudly about FEMA’s decision before the speech. 

Source: CNN


Hawaii Worker Who Sent Alert Thought It Was Real - 

A report on the recent panic in Hawaii caused by a false alarm has some troubling details.

The alert that warned of an incoming ballistic missile happened during an unplanned drill and the employee panicked and thought the incident was real.

The report notes the employee didn’t accidentally click the wrong button as was the first explanation. The unnamed employee was troubled at work and did not hear that there was a test being run.

Among the snafus were the words “this is not a drill” in the test’s recorded parts, and no “all clear” message for the public.

As we told you earlier, Hawaii’s EMA chief resigned over the debacle that left residents calling loved ones to say goodbye. 

Source: Los Angeles Times


*Jackpotting - The Secret Service is warning banks about a hacking scheme called "jackpotting" that lets someone steal money from ATMs. It's the first time this type of scheme has made its way to the United States. To execute the cyberattack, a thief needs physical access to an ATM and will use malware, physical hacking tools, or both, to take control of the machine and force it to dispense cash quickly. If it works, cash pours out of the ATM like the hacker won a jackpot.


SPORTS

The St. Louis Blues beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1, they play again tomorrow night


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