Wildfires in California have produced devastating effects in the northern part of the state. Eleven people have been confirmed dead, and an estimated 100,000 acres have been burned, along with 1,500 homes and buildings. Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency Monday.
Due to strong winds that helped fuel the flames, much of the fire remains uncontained. The two largest fires, both of which have burned close to 25,000 acres, are yet to be contained. California Fire Department Spokesperson Daniel Berlant reported that “containment numbers haven’t gone up just yet,” but that they’ve “been able to hold [the] fires and keep them at their current acreage.” Several smaller fires in the region have started to be contained.
Santa Rosa is requiring mandatory evacuations in some parts of the city, with arrests being possible if citizens fail to comply. Urgent evacuations reportedly led to chaos in some areas. Some injuries occurred while evacuations began.
Fire officials hope as more people evacuate and they no longer have as many rescues to conduct, they can devote more resources to fighting the blaze. They noted that containing some of the fires could take days, or possibly close to a week. As of Wednesday, 1,100 firefighters, 14 helicopters, and six planes are working to contain the flames.
Local News:
Two men were shot and killed Monday night in New Bedford. Police received calls of a vehicle being shot at on Central Avenue. The vehicle then crashed into a parked car. A homicide investigation is now underway. Relatives of the deceased pleaded for justice, saying that they want “to see this person caught, in jail”.
Inclement weather did not prevent marchers from partaking in the Autumnfest Parade on Monday. The event offered “live entertainment, food, vendors, and the Autumnfest Parade” in Woonsocket. Organizers said that there was still a “steady crowd” at the annual event.
The Boston Red Sox were eliminated from the playoffs Monday afternoon. Boston lost the first two games of the American League Divisional Series to the Houston Astros on the road. They returned home to Fenway and won Sunday, which kept their playoff dreams alive. However, they lost on Monday, which led to their elimination. The Red Sox finished the season as AL East Champions, but were unable to advance past their first series of the playoffs.
National News:
Turmoil in the White House continued this week. Over the weekend, President Trump and Tennessee Senator Bob Corker argued with one another over Trump’s maturity. Corker claimed the White House is dysfunctional and that they struggle everyday to contain Trump. He also said many of his Republican colleagues in the Senate are frustrated with Trump’s temperament as well.
Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have also had tension rise between them recently. Some reports claimed that Trump was unsatisfied with Tillerson as Secretary of State. Following these reports, Trump said that they were false. However, he mentioned a possible “IQ faceoff” with Tillerson, in which Trump said he would win. Tillerson has said he does not plan on resigning, despite such controversies.
Harvey Weinstein, the co-founder of Miramax and co-chairman of the film studio “The Weinstein Company,” has seen many women come forward and accuse him of decades of sexual harassment. Weinstein has been removed from The Weinstein Company and the board plans to rename the company.
Additional controversy has arose because he was a major donor to the Democratic Party and individuals within the party. This has forced some leaders to be pressured into giving the money he donated to them to charity. Party leaders, including the Obama’s and Clinton’s, disavowed his actions.
In response to comments President Trump made about firing protesting NFL players, many across the NFL kneeled for games several weekends ago. Now, the NFL is considering a rule that would require players to stand for the National Anthem.
Owners will consider the rule change in a meeting later in the season. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones announced this weekend that his team will not allow players who don’t stand for the National Anthem to play in the game.
International News:
Four American military members were killed, and an additional two were injured, after coming under fire in Niger, Africa last week. They were apart of a Green Beret team. The attack is believed to have been conducted by the Islamic State.
The team, which was accompanied by Niger forces in a joint patrol, were outmanned and out armed in the attack. Questions remain as to the support to service members received once under attack. It is believed they were deployed to a “hostile area without adequately assessing the risk,” and that medical support may have been delayed once the attack occurred. Some fear that the troops are not receiving enough resources to deliver aid in dangerous missions.
The four Americans who gave their lives serving the Country have been confirmed as Sgt. Ladavid Johnson (25, Florida), Staff Sgt. Bryan Black (35, Washington), Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright (29, Georgia) and Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson (39, Ohio).
Military leaders are trying to find their attackers and attempt to bring them to justice.
The Catalonian leader has postponed a declaration of independence from Spain. Carles Puigdemont, the leader of the north east region of Spain, says they have “earned the right” to separate from Spain, but that he wanted to separate peacefully. The region recently saw massive riots as a result of attempts to stop separation. Puigdemont wants to form the independent state after talking out differences with Spain in “a respectful manner”.