Hurricane Florence, a major hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean with winds of up to 125 miles per hour, is set to make landfall on the East Coast. Florence is expected to severely impact much of the South Carolina and North Carolina coast. Florence is expected to impact parts of the northern Georgia coast and southern Virginia coast to a lesser degree. In parts of South Carolina and North Carolina, mandatory evacuations were ordered for coastal residents. Some universities and colleges in South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia have canceled classes and sent students home.
Even areas on the East Coast that are not directly hit by Hurricane Florence may see remnants of the storm, which could include gusty winds and heavy rains. The risk of high surf and rip currents are also expected to pose a danger to coastal communities. The storm has already begun to produce increased surf conditions as of Sunday evening on parts of the East Coast. As the storm begins to impact the region, residents are being warned to avoid going on beaches and use extreme caution when viewing the surf until ocean conditions become safer again.
Forecasters are not yet exactly sure where the eye of the storm will pass. As of late Wednesday night, some weather model predictions showed the possibility of the storm stalling once it makes landfall, which would increase the amount of flooding seen in the hardest hit areas. The possibility for the hurricane to make “multiple landfalls” also exists. Forecasters are warning that the areas hit hardest by the storm could see “catastrophic damage” that would take months to repair.
At one point Florence was downgraded to a tropical storm but warm ocean temperatures helped the storm to grow back into a hurricane. Florence peaked as a category four hurricane and was downgraded Wednesday to a category two hurricane, which is still qualified as a major hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, according to the Weather Channel.
Local News-
The boil water advisory that was in place for South Kingstown and Narragansett for over a week was mostly lifted on Saturday, Sept. 8. The boil water advisory was put in place on Friday, Aug. 31 after routine testing discovered E.Coli contamination in the water. Residents on four of the five impacted water systems were cleared to begin using their water again after three straight days of E. Coli bacteria tests came back negative. The Rhode Island Department of Health said that water sampling must come back negative for E.Coli for at least three straight days before the boil advisory can be lifted. As of Sunday night, customers on the Narragansett – North End system in Point Judith are still under a boil water advisory, according to WPRI. Traces of E.Coli in the water were found during testing on Wednesday, Sept. 5 and Friday, Sept. 7.
A 15-year-old boy was shot and killed outside of the Providence Career and Technical School last week. The boy, William Parsons, was a Central High School Student. Teachers and friends all said what a “sweet boy William was, [and] how he loved to play basketball,” according to The Providence Journal. Parsons was said to be an innocent bystander to a fight that broke out between two other students and was hit by a stray bullet. The suspect in the shooting was found shot at another location several streets away. The suspect was treated at the hospital and is now facing a murder charge, according to the Boston Globe.
According to WPRI, Rhode Island will receive close to $26 million in federal funding for road maintenance. The funding will go towards “resurfacing Routes 78 and 6, street maintenance and sidewalk improvements along Route 44 and safety improvements along Interstate 95 in Pawtucket.” A recent study over the summer determined that Rhode Island had the lowest quality road conditions in the Country.
National News-
Congressional hearings for Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh began last week. Tensions were high between Republican and Democrats, and several protestors had to be removed by security. Democrats fear that Kavanaugh will help to overturn longstanding precedents on several highly controversial issues, such as the Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion Nationwide. If Kavanaugh is confirmed as a Justice to the Supreme Court, he will join Neil Gorsuch and become the second Justice appointed to the Court by President Trump.
An individual claiming to be a high ranking member of the Trump Administration wrote an anonymous Op-Ed in the New York Times in which they claimed to be a part of “the resistance” from inside the president’s administration. The author claimed, “like-minded colleagues and myself have vowed to thwart parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.” Following its publication, numerous high ranking officials in the Trump Administration have said that they did not write the piece. CNN reported that not even the top editor at the New York Times knows who the author of the anonymous piece was. There is currently no proof that the Op-Ed was definitely written by a member of the Trump Administration.
International News-
A 6.7 Magnitude earthquake in Northern Japan killed 37 people and injured over 400, according to authorities. Two people are still reportedly missing. According to CNN, Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said that they are currently holding 5,788 people in evacuation centers. Authorities reported to BBC that the number of people killed or injured by the earthquake continued to rise in the days following the earthquake, which occurred on Thursday. The earthquake reportedly “collapsed roads and caused landslides that buried homes and other buildings.” Nearly 40,00 people are helping in the recovery efforts.
NBC News reported that two alleged Russian Intelligence officers who used a nerve agent to poison an ex-Russian spy and his daughter in London are unlikely to ever be arrested. Despite over 200 British police officers and intelligence officers conducting a six-month investigation to determine who was behind the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Russia has an article in their Constitution that bars extradition from Russia to another state. However, NBC reports that U.K officials have obtained a European Arrest Warrant, which means if the two suspects ever voluntarily enter the European Union, they can be arrested. Russian President Vladimir Putin previously denied having any knowledge of the attack ad denied Russian involvement.