November 8 top stories
It is November 8. Here are today’s top stories.
Texas chemical explosion
This morning in Shepherd, Texas, there was an explosion at a chemical plant that caused a huge plume of smoke to drift to the north. Emergency officials ordered communities in the area to shelter in place and turn off all air conditioning systems.
The chemical plant is called the Sound Resource Solutions Plant, a petroleum processing plant. It is unknown what caused the explosion.
News videos showed a huge inferno in the middle of a rural, forested area.
2023 elections news
During yesterday’s election, Ohio voters said “yes” to making abortion a constitutional right. It is considered a big victory for abortion rights supporters. Ohio voters also voted to legalize recreational marijuana, which will make it the 24th legal state.
In Kentucky, voters re-elected Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat.
In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, was re-elected.
In Virginia, Democratic candidates won enough seats to secure full control of the Virginia legislature by flipping the House and maintaining their majority in the Senate.
In Philadelphia, Cherelle Parker won an election to become the city’s first woman mayor.
In New York City, Yusef Salaam won a seat on the city council to represent central Harlem. Salaam was a member of the Central Park Five, who were falsely accused of raping a white woman in 1989. All five were exonerated. Salaam said his victory means “we can really become our ancestors’ wildest dreams.”
Rep. Rashida Tlaib censured
The House of Representatives voted to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich) over her criticism of Israel.
22 Democrats joined Republicans in rebuking her for using the phrase, “from the river to the sea,” which is considered a call to end Israel’s existence.
Tlaib, who is the first and only Palestinian-American member of Congress, said President Biden is supporting a Palestinian genocide. She said she is speaking up for human rights.
ABC News explained that a vote to censure a member of Congress does not hold power beyond a public condemnation of the member’s behavior.
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Officer who arrested Elijah McClain found not guilty
CNN reported that Aurora, Colorado police officer Nathan Woodyard was found not guilty by a Colorado jury Monday on all charges related to the death of Elijah McClain, an unarmed 23-year-old Black man who died after he was wrestled to the ground by police and injected with ketamine by paramedics in 2019.
The trial had arguments on whether it was appropriate for officers to put McClain in a carotid hold and whether it was necessary to stop McClain’s resisting arrest. The ketamine that was injected was another factor as experts testified that McClain might still be alive if he wasn’t injected.
Two of the paramedics involved in the case will go on trial in a few weeks.
50,000 Roman coins discovered in the sea
Italy’s culture ministry said divers have discovered tens of thousands of Roman bronze coins near the coast of Sardinia, a large Italian island.
The coins date back to the fourth century (between 301 AD to 400 AD). There are at least 30,000 coins and possibly as many as 50,000.
Most of the coins were found in a sandy area between the underwater seagrass and the beach and now officials believe there may be nearby shipwrecks.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/smoke-plume-shepherd-texas-chemical-plant-explosion
https://apnews.com/article/ohio-abortion-amendment-election-2023-fe3e06747b616507d8ca21ea26485270
https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/07/politics/virginia-senate-election-democrats-youngkin/index.html
https://www.axios.com/2023/11/08/central-park-five-member-wins-nyc-council-election
https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/06/us/elijah-mccain-nathan-woodyard-manslaughter-verdict/index.html