Friday, September 30 top stories
It is Friday, September 30. Here are today’s top stories.
At least 15 in Florida killed by Hurricane Ian
At least 15 people in southwest and central Florida were killed by Hurricane Ian. The death toll is expected to go up as first responders continue to visit impacted areas and rescue survivors.
A 94-year-old man and an 80-year-old woman in Sarasota County who relied on oxygen machines died after they lost power.
A 67-year-old man in New Smyrna Beach died after he fell during the hurricane and couldn’t get up. Water levels rose over him before first responders could arrive in time. Water levels were about waist high.
Three people died in two different car crashes during heavy rainfall as the storm passed over them.
There is extensive damage to Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island from the combined forces of hurricane winds and storm surge.
Analysts said Hurricane Ian may have caused about $47 billion in insured losses.
Florida Gov. DeSantis said the state would provide “insurance villages” to assist people with insurance claims for flood or wind damage to their homes. The plan is to send RVs out with representatives of insurance carriers to allow survivors to file claims in person.
President Biden today made a promise that those in Florida who don’t have enough insurance will get individual assistance from FEMA of $37,900 for home repairs and another $37,900 for loss of property.
Hurricane Ian hit Georgetown, South Carolina today as a Category 1 storm with sustained wind speeds of about 85 mph. Over 70,000 homes lost power in South Carolina.
Woman accused of murdering ex-landlord
In Massachusetts, a 43-year-old woman is accused of murdering her former landlord with a hammer and wrapping his body in a curtain after he found out that she stole over $40,000 from him by using forged checks in his name.
The woman’s name is Xiu Fang Ke. The landlord’s name is Leonard Garber and he was 65.
The landlord’s family reported him missing on Monday and police visited his home twice and didn’t find him but after a third visit, found his body wrapped in a curtain and concealed under construction materials and heavy items.
Police said both individuals had been spending time together and that Ke was forging checks from his account. Police said Ke confessed to using a hammer to kill Garber.
Trevor Noah to depart “The Daily Show” after 7 years
Trevor Noah, the host of “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central, announced that after 7 years, he would be stepping down and leaving the show. The exact timing of his last day hasn’t been determined.
Noah is a South African and was a stand-up comedian before taking over the show’s hosting duties from Jon Stewart in 2015.
Noah said he’s very grateful for the journey.
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U.S. mortgage rates at average of 6.7%
Freddie Mac reported that the average U.S. mortgage rate is at 6.7%. That is the highest number in 15 years. About a year ago, the average rate was about 3%. That means it’s more expensive to take out a loan and pay mortgage payments compared with last year.
An analyst with AP News said rapidly rising mortgage rates threaten to “sideline even more homebuyers.”
The cause for the mortgage increases can be pointed to the Federal Reserve’s five rate increases this year. The Fed did this with the hope that fewer people would take out loans, which would cool spending and slow down inflation.
Queen Elizabeth died of “old age”
Queen Elizabeth II’s cause of death is “old age,” according to a U.K. document that is similar to a death certificate. It lists the Queen’s age as 96 years, her occupation as “Her Majesty The Queen,” and in the area of “Cause of death,” it lists “Old Age.”
The document said the Queen died about three hours before it was announced to the world.
“The Guardian” explained that “Old age is acceptable if the doctor certifying death has cared for the patient for a long time, was not aware of any disease or injury that contributed to death and had observed a gradual decline in the person’s general health and functioning.”
Putin announces annexation of 15% of Ukraine
Russian President Putin announced today that Russia would annex four regions in eastern Ukraine. The regions are called Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.
Putin said the annexations are “final” and that “we shall defend our territory with all means available to us.” Russia has nuclear weapons so Putin is sending a signal that he will protect his “new” land with nukes.
This is a very sensitive time for the war in Ukraine because any kind of attack on these regions from Ukrainian troops would be interpreted by Putin as an attack on Russian soil.
Ukrainian President Zelesnkyy said he has submitted an accelerated NATO application.
That is all the top stories for this week. Have a nice weekend and I’ll see you on Monday. Stay with the light.
https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/hurricane-ian-florida-updates-09-30-22/index.html
https://www.axios.com/2022/09/30/hurricane-ian-florida-death-toll
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63084082
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/sep/29/us-mortgage-rates-high-freddie-mac
https://www.axios.com/2022/09/30/putin-claims-annexation-four-ukrainian-oblasts