Ohio transgender bathroom ban heads to governor’s desk
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(COLUMBUS, OH) — A transgender bathroom ban has been sent to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk after passing through the state legislature.
The bill would require students in the state’s K-12 schools, as well as colleges and universities, to use the restroom or facility that aligns with their gender assigned at birth. The bill notes that it is not intended to prevent schools from building single-occupancy facilities and does not ban someone of the opposite gender from entering to help another person.
The Republican-backed bill passed 60-31 in the House and passed on party lines in the Senate, 24-7.
Supporters say their concerns lie in student’s privacy and protection.
“It protects our children and grandchildren in private spaces where they are most vulnerable. It is us using our legislative authority to ensure schools are, in fact, safe environments. After all, bathrooms, showers, changing rooms should all be safe places for our students,” said Republican state Sen. Jerry C. Cirino ahead of the bill’s passage.
Critics of the bill say that the bill is creating unfounded concerns about transgender students and may instead put trans students in danger of discrimination or violence.
“I am in disbelief that this is a top priority on our first session back from recess,” said Senate Democratic Leader Nickie J. Antonio in an online statement “There are so many other issues we should be working on. There should be no exception to liberty and justice for all, yet here we are telling our children that there are people who are less than. This bill is not about bathrooms. It’s about demonizing those who are different, and our children are watching and listening to the fearmongering.”
Several medical organizations, including the American Medical Association and American Academy of Pediatrics, have opposed policies preventing transgender individuals from accessing restrooms consistent with their gender identity.
DeWine, a Republican, has gone against state Republican legislators on transgender issues before. He vetoed a transgender youth care ban bill, which would have restricted gender-affirming puberty blockers, hormone therapy, or surgeries.
“These are gut-wrenching decisions that should be made by the parents and should be informed by teams of doctors who are advising them,” said DeWine, adding that he did not find any families or hospitals who were seeking or allowing surgeries for youth. “These are parents who have watched the child suffer sometimes for years and have real concerns that their child may not survive.”
DeWine’s office declined ABC News’ request for comment on the bill. He told reporters this past summer that he has to look at “specific language” in the legislation.
“I’m for people, kids, to be able to go to the bathroom with the gender assignment so that they have that protection, but I’ll have to look at the specific language,” DeWine told reporters .
The weather is forecast to be disguised as summer for Halloween in most of the Northeast.
As ghosts and goblins prepare to go trick-or-treating on Thursday, temperatures are expected to feel more like Labor Day than All Hallows’ Eve as an autumnal U.S. hot spell continues.
Potential high temperature records for the last day of October are forecast to be broken in several cities in the Northeast.
In New York City, temperatures Thursday could possibly reach 80 degrees, which would set a new record for the day. Records are also expected to fall in Philadelphia, Boston, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., as those cities are also expected to breach the 80-degree mark.
Even the far Northeast will experience a warm Halloween as Burlington, Vermont, and Bangor, Maine, are forecast to heat up to 76 degrees. Down south, Charleston, South Carolina, could hit 84 degrees, while Raleigh, North Carolina, is forecast to get up to 81.
Temperatures in the Northeast are forecast to be around 30 degrees higher than last year’s Halloween, when New York City, Philadelphia and Boston were in the low 50s.
The balmy weather, however, will be short-lived.
A strong cold front is expected to move through the Northeast on Friday afternoon, bringing an end to record heat.
For the New York City Marathon on Sunday, the high temperature for the day is forecast to be 57, according to the National Weather Service.
The cold front is also expected to bring chilly temperatures, rain and snow to parts of the Great Lakes and upper Midwest. A winter weather advisory issued for Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan includes the chance of measurable snow.
Elsewhere in the nation, a cold front responsible for severe weather from Oklahoma to Illinois on Wednesday is forecast to move east, producing strong to severe storms from western Texas to Little Rock, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee, all the way to Louisville, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio.
As people across the Northeast were breaking out T-shirts and shorts amid record-breaking high temperatures this week, several inches of snow blanketed the mountaintops of Hawaii.
As firefighters in Colorado battled wildfires and meteorologists issued red-flag fire danger warnings, high elevations of Hawaii’s Big Island resembled the Rocky Mountains in winter.
Several inches of snow blanketed the summits of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, the tallest peaks in Hawaii and part of the state’s Volcanoes National Park.
“Due to winter weather conditions, the summit is currently closed for both day and overnight use, and permits for Mauna Loa Summit Cabin are temporarily on hold,” the Volcanoes National Park said in a statement on its Facebook page.
Meanwhile, in the actual Rockies, a major storm system moving in is expected to bring up to a foot of fresh snow. But elsewhere in Colorado, firefighters were dealing with what investigators suspect is a “human-caused” wildfire that spread to 166 acres near the town of Divide and was 80% contained on Wednesday.
The wintry weather expected for the Rockies was countered by record-breaking temperatures this week across a large part of the nation from Detroit, where it got up to 77 degrees on Wednesday, to Laredo, Texas, where the temperature was expected to hit 94, tying a daily record.
(SAPELO ISLAND, G.A.) — The “catastrophic failure” of an aluminum ferry gangway caused the deaths Saturday of seven people who were attending an annual cultural event on historic Sapelo Island off the coast of Georgia, officials said Sunday.
Three other people were critically injured and remained hospitalized Sunday afternoon, Commissioner Walter Rabon of the Georgia Department of Natural Resouces said during a news conference.
Among those killed was 77-year-old Charles Houston of Darien, Georgia, the chaplain for both the DNR and the Georgia State Patrol, Rabon said.
Rabon said the aluminum gangway, which was installed at the Marsh Landing Dock on Sapelo Island in November 2021, gave way in the middle under the weight of people boarding the ferry to leave the island.
“One end of the gangway was in the water. One end of the gangway on the landward side was still attached,” Rabon said, adding that the gangway was supported by two standing platforms, and that at the time of the incident, the ferry Annemarie was moored to a stationary dock next to one of the platforms.
In addition to Houston, those who perished were identified Sunday by McIntosh County Coroner Melvin Amerson as Jacqueline Crews Carter, 75; Cynthia Gibbs, 74; Carlotta McIntosh, 93; and Isaiah Thomas, 79. They were all from Jacksonville, Georgia. Also killed, according to Amerson, were William Johnson, Jr., 73, and Queen Welch, 76, both of Atlanta.
Rabon said it remains under investigation how many people were on the gangway when it collapsed. He said at least 20 people ended up in the water and another 20, including DNR staff and good Samaritans, jumped in to try to save people.
Rabon said that while the gangway was routinely inspected, “I can’t say that we get up under it and inspect it daily.”
“The initial findings of our investigation at this point show the catastrophic failure of the gangway causing it to collapse,” Rabon said.
In a statement Sunday, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources confirmed that the gangway was inspected less than a year ago, in December 2023, by Crescent Equipment Company.
On Saturday, the number of visitors to the island swelled to more than 700 from a normal daily average of less than 100, Rabon said. He said the Gullah Geechee people, descendants of enslaved Africans who were brought to the southeastern United States, were holding an annual cultural day on the Island on Saturday when tragedy struck.
Rabon said a second ferry and additional runs were added on Saturday to accommodate the large crowd.
When asked by reporters if the extra stress from the added ferry runs could have been a factor in the collapse, Rabon said, “At this time, I would not rule out anything as being a possibility.”
As part of the investigation, officials were reviewing the maintenance records of the gangway, he said.
“What I can say is that it is a structure failure. There should be very, very little maintenance to an aluminum gangway like that, but we’ll see what the investigation unfolds,” Rabon said.
During Sunday’s news conference, J.R. Grovner, a Sapelo Island resident and tour guide, spoke up, claiming that four months ago he complained to one of the ferry captains about the condition of the gangway.
“I brought it up to one of the ferry captains that the gangway wasn’t stable. I brought up concerns about the railing on the boat, that the railing is not locking properly down in the slot,” Grovner said, adding that he also complained to the U.S. Coast Guard about ferries being over capacity.
Rabon said, “At this time, I’m not aware of any complaints.”
Authorities received the first 911 call about the gangway collapse at the visitor’s landing dock at about 3:50 p.m., officials said. The incident sparked a large emergency response that included local authorities, the Georgia State Patrol, the U.S. Coast Guard, and sheriff’s deputies from McIntosh County and neighboring Camden County, as well as the McIntosh County Fire Department.
Emergency crews used boats equipped with sonar and helicopters to attempt to find and rescue people who fell into the water.
Everyone who went into the water has been accounted for, Rabon said Sunday.
An engineering and construction team was expected to help in the investigation.
The White House released a statement late Saturday from President Joe Biden.
“We are heartbroken to learn about the ferry dock walkway collapse on Georgia’s Sapelo Island,” Biden said in the statement. “What should have been a joyous celebration of Gullah-Geechee culture and history instead turned into tragedy and devastation. Jill and I mourn those who lost their lives, and we pray for the injured and anyone still missing. We are also grateful to the first responders at the scene. My team is in touch with state and local officials, and we stand ready to provide any assistance that would be helpful to the community.”
Vice President Kamala Harris is also “praying for all those who were killed or injured in the collapse of the ferry dock walkway on Georgia’s Sapelo Island,” she said in a statement Saturday.
“Our administration is in close touch with state and local officials, and we have offered any federal support the community might need. As always, we are deeply grateful for the heroism of our first responders,” Harris said in the statement.
She added that in the face of this tragedy, they will “continue to celebrate and honor the history, culture and resilience of the Gullah Geechee.”
In a statement posted on X, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said he was heartbroken by the tragedy and asked for prayers.
Sapelo Island is located about 70 miles south of Savannah, Georgia.
The Georgia Department of National Resources manages Sapelo Island, which is home to a research reserve and the Hog Hammock community, a small enclave made up of a few dozen full-time residents who are the descendants of enslaved African Americans.
The Gullah Geechee people are descendants of enslaved Africans who were brought to the southeastern U.S., primarily in coastal areas and who, because of their relative isolation, preserved many of their indigenous African traditions, according to the National Park Service.
Husband and wife Beverly and Irvin Jones told ABC News they were among those on the gangway when it collapsed. Irvin Jones said he felt the gangway slipping and made a split decision to jump onto the floating dock.
“We got almost to the boat and I felt it start to slide, like going backward,” Irvin Jones said. “So, I leaped and jumped. The two girls behind me, they fell in. The whole ramp fell in and collapsed.”
Irvin Jones added, “It happened so fast, people couldn’t react. It was sad. It was so sad. It was horrible. Not even 8 feet from me, I see one guy already drowned. One lady just jumped in to try to save a baby.”
Beverly Jones said she saw people in the water trying to hold on to their children.
“It was just horrific,” Beverly Jones said. “They were trying to hold on. There was nothing to hold on to.”
ABC News’ Laryssa Demkiw, Michelle Stoddart and Faith Abubéy contributed to this report.
(SANTA MARIA, Calif.) — A man allegedly threw an explosive device inside a California courthouse on Wednesday, injuring five people, the same day he was set to be arraigned on firearms violations, authorities said.
The explosion was reported around 8:48 a.m. PT Wednesday at the Santa Maria Courthouse in Santa Barbara County.
The suspect allegedly lunged through the courthouse doors and tossed a small bag past the weapons screening station, and the bag exploded as it hit the floor outside of the local arraignment room, Darrel Parker, the court executive officer, told ABC News.
Five people suffered non-life-threatening injuries from the explosion, including burns, according to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Undersheriff Craig Bonner.
The suspect, identified by the sheriff’s office as 20-year-old Nathaniel McGuire, will be booked on multiple local charges, including attempted murder, using an explosive device and attempting to kill someone, and possession of explosive devices, Bonner said. He will be held without bail, Bonner said.
Authorities believe the explosion was the result of an “intentionally set improvised explosive device,” Santa Barbara County Sheriff public information officer Raquel Zick wrote on social media.
The suspect was detained as he attempted to enter his car outside the courthouse, Bonner said. He was wearing body armor under his jacket, according to Bonner. He also allegedly had weapons and ammunition in his car, Parker said.
The suspect’s alleged motivation in the explosion “appeared to have stemmed from a recent arrest” by the sheriff’s office, Bonner said during a press briefing Wednesday evening.
In that case, McGuire was arrested for firearms violations on July 28, Bonner said. Deputies had seized a “loaded and concealed revolver that was in McGuire’s pants pocket and was not registered to him,” Bonner said.
He was set to be arraigned in that case Wednesday morning, Bonner said. Court records show his arraignment was scheduled for 8:30 a.m. PT at the Santa Maria Courthouse on a charge of carrying a loaded firearm. An attorney for McGuire was not listed in that case.
Detectives are working with Santa Barbara County Fire to see if the suspect is associated with several recent additional arson fires, Bonner said.
Authorities do not believe there are any additional safety concerns at this time, Bonner said.
The FBI is also investigating the incident. The suspect has no known ties to terrorism, authorities said.
Five people were injured in the explosion, Bonner said. They have all since been treated and released from a local hospital, he said. The victims were all civilians, with no court employees among those injured, Parker said.
The courthouse will remain closed on Thursday amid the investigation.
“We will thoroughly review this incident to make sure that we could take whatever steps are necessary to reduce the chance of this ever happening again in the court,” Parker said during the press briefing.
