March 15 top stories
It is March 15. Here are today’s top stories.
SpaceX successfully launches Starship for a 3rd time
SpaceX launched the third test flight of its Starship rocket on Thursday and reached space. At 8:25 a.m. Central time, Starship – the biggest and most powerful rocket ever to fly – lifted off from the coast of South Texas. Starship stands almost 400 feet tall and is about 30 feet in diameter.
The rocket flew further than previous tests, with the flight lasting about an hour before Starship disintegrated on its return to Earth above the Indian Ocean.
SpaceX has flown the full Starship rocket system on two tests in the past year, with launches in April and November. While each of the rockets flew for a few minutes, with the most recent reaching space, both vehicles were ultimately destroyed due to problems.
The Starship system is designed to be fully reusable and aims to become a new method of flying people beyond Earth. The rocket is also critical to NASA’s plan to return astronauts to the moon.
Earlier this week, Elon Musk said he hoped for at least six more Starship flights this year.
Top Democrat Schumer urges new leadership in Israel
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday called on Israel to hold new elections, saying he believes Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has “lost his way” and is an obstacle to peace in the region.
His speech stunned officials and observers because he is the Democratic Party’s most avid supporter of Israel in decades.
Schumer, the first Jewish majority leader in the Senate and the highest-ranking Jewish official in the U.S., strongly criticized Netanyahu in a 40-minute speech Thursday morning on the Senate floor.
Schumer said the prime minister has put himself in a coalition of far-right extremists and “as a result, he has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows.”
Schumer said, “Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah.”
Israel’s leaders were quick to reproach the senator saying “Israel is not a banana republic but an independent and proud democracy that elected Prime Minister Netanyahu and that his policies are “supported by a large majority.”
Autopsy shows Nex Benedict died by suicide
Daily Moth covered this story three weeks ago on Feb. 22 about a nonbinary teen, Nex Benedict (16) who died under suspicious circumstances after being assaulted in a bathroom at Owasso High School in Oklahoma for being who they were.
There is a new development in the case:
According to the state medical examiner, Nex Benedict’s death was determined to be a suicide. An autopsy showed Nex Benedict took a lethal amount of antihistamines and antidepressants. They died the day after getting into a fight in the girls’ bathroom at Owasso High School. Benedict told police the fight happened after three girls made fun of what they were wearing.
Biden said in a Thursday statement the day after a medical examiner released the cause of their death, “Jill and I are heartbroken by the recent loss of Nex Benedict. Nex Benedict, a kid who just wanted to be accepted, should still be here with us today.”
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Father of Michigan school shooter found guilty of involuntary manslaughter
Jurors found James Crumbley guilty on all four counts of involuntary manslaughter over his teenage son’s mass shooting at Michigan’s Oxford High School in November 2021.
Four students died when Ethan Crumbley, then 15, opened fire that day. Six other students and a teacher were wounded.
Thursday’s verdict came roughly a month after James Crumbley’s wife, Jennifer, was convicted on four identical counts of involuntary manslaughter.
The charges against James Crumbley and his wife are thought to be precedent-setting – the first time prosecutors had sought to hold the parents of a mass school shooter criminally responsible.
Unlike his wife a month earlier, James never took the stand in his own defense.
James and Jennifer Crumbley will be sentenced early next month. Both face a maximum of 15 years in prison.
First Black commercial pilot dies at 89
David E. Harris, who served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force flying B-52 bombers, broke barriers in 1964 when he became the first Black pilot hired at a major U.S. airline, has died. He was 89.
Harris’ family said he died March 8 in Marietta, Georgia. No cause was given.
Harris spent 30 years flying for American Airlines. CEO Robert Isom called him a trailblazer.
Isom said “Capt. Harris opened the doors and inspired countless Black pilots to pursue their dreams to fly.”
Harris flew for the Air Force for more than six years but struggled to find work in the airline industry. He said before he went to work for American Airlines, his job applications were rejected or ignored.
See a report on Family Dollar, the discount chain, closings from Alex.
Nearly 1,000 Family Dollar stores are closing, owner Dollar Tree announces
Thanks, Callie.
Dollar Tree announced that it will close almost 1,000 of its Family Dollar stores due to underperformance in 2023.
Dollar Tree said it would close about 600 Family Dollar stores during the first half of fiscal 2024. Then about 370 Family Dollar and 30 Dollar Tree stores will close over the next several years at the end of their store’s leases.
Dollar Tree has not yet revealed when the store closures are set to begin or what states will be affected.
There are over 16,700 stores under the Dollar Tree company in the U.S. and Canada. These stores include Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree Canada.
Thanks for that report. That is all the top stories for this week. Have a nice weekend and stay with the light!
SpaceX successfully launches Starship for a 3rd time
https://spacenews.com/starship-lifts-off-on-third-test-flight/
Top Democrat Schumer urges new leadership in Israel
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/14/schumer-gives-israel-critics-the-green-light-00147093
Autopsy shows Nex Benedict died by suicide
Father of Michigan school shooter found guilty of involuntary manslaughter
First Black commercial pilot dies at 89
https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/03/12/david-harris-black-pilot-dies/
Nearly 1,000 Family Dollar stores are closing, owner Dollar Tree announces
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/retail/2024/03/13/family-dollar-stores-closing/72955357007/