Tuesday, October 18 top stories
It is Tuesday, October 18. Here are today’s top stories.
Hearing aids for moderate hearing loss available OTC
Starting yesterday (Monday) and going forward, hearing aids designed for those who have mild to moderate hearing loss will be available for purchase over-the-counter, at stores like Walgreens, Walmart, or Hy-Vee, without the need to consult with an audiologist or a hearing professional.
CBS News explained that there is a market of tens of millions of people who have some hearing loss who have avoided getting help because devices were so expensive. A law was passed to change this in 2017 and last year President Biden ordered the FDA to establish regulations. This week is when the 2017 law finally goes into effect.
Walmart’s lowest price for hearing aids is $199. Other prices at other stores range from $499 up to $1,299. Some of those hearing aids allow customers to program it through a smartphone app.
CBS News said audiologists caution that the new category of OTC hearing aids won’t help people with severe hearing loss. Other hearing professionals explained to CNN that OTC hearing aids may not be as powerful or as customizable as prescription model hearing aids.
Four friends murdered and dismembered in Oklahoma
Police in Okmulgee, Oklahoma said they recovered four male bodies from a river on Friday, October 14 and that they were identified as four close friends who mysteriously disappeared.
Police said they were shot at a scrapyard before they were dismembered and thrown into a river. Okmulgee’s police chief said it was a “very violent event.”
Police said the owner of the scrapyard, Joe Kennedy, is missing and is considered a person of interest. His vehicle was found abandoned behind a business in a nearby city in Oklahoma.
The four friends’ names were Mark Chastain (32), Billy Chastain (30), Mike Sparks (32), and Alex Stevens (29). They were last seen leaving one of their homes while riding bicycles last Sunday, October 9. Police said someone informed them that the four men planned to commit a crime that night. They were reported missing by their families the next day.
News reports explained that the scrapyard owner had a previous conviction and is under probation for shooting at six men who broke into his scrapyard in 2012.
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Trump hotels charged Secret Service up to $1,185 per night
A report from a House committee said during Donald Trump’s presidency, Trump hotels charged the Secret Service up to $1,185 per night on some nights at hotels like the former Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C.
The total payments from the Secret Service to the Trump Organization for their agents using Trump’s hotel rooms is over $1.4 million. Trump visited his properties over 500 times during his term.
Eric Trump, on behalf of the Trump Organization, said their rates were sometimes heavily discounted and that they would be better off if the rooms were occupied by full-paying guests but the company did whatever it took to provide rooms to the agents.
Russian warplane crashes into Russian apartment
AP News reported that a Russian Su-34 warplane crashed into an apartment building in the Russian city of Yeysk on Monday night. The crash was caused by engine failure. There was a blaze that killed at least 13 people with three of them dying after jumping from the top floors of the apartment to escape the flames.
The Russian military said one of the plane’s engines caught fire during takeoff from a nearby air base. Both of the crew members bailed out but the plane crashed into a residential area.
About 500 residents were displaced by the crash.
Grass fire destroys 73 vehicles in Texas
On Saturday at a pumpkin patch in Temple, Texas, there was a large grass fire that spread out of control and destroyed 73 vehicles. The location is the Robinson Family Farm. The farm was not affected by the fire. Nobody was seriously injured, but six people had heat-related injuries.
Local authorities said it is possible that the fire was caused by a cigarette thrown into dry grass.
The fire burned many cars down to their metal remains. Witnesses said they could hear glass exploding, tires popping, and people’s gas tanks exploding.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.axios.com/2022/10/17/over-the-counter-hearing-aids
https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/over-counter-hearing-aids
https://heavy.com/news/joe-kennedy-okmulgee-oklahoma/
https://www.npr.org/2022/10/17/1129491352/trump-hotels-overcharged-secret-service-agents
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/10/18/texas-pumpkin-patch-fire-cars/10530362002/
https://twitter.com/joshuabowering/status/1582257647478509569