Talk of the Town
Shotsie Michael Buck-Hayes pleaded guilty to attempted murder and aggravated malicious wounding in the July 30 attack on Danville City Councilman Lee Vogler.
Court records show Buck-Hayes, upset over his divorce and his wife’s past affair with Vogler, poured a gasoline-based substance on Vogler at his workplace and set him on fire without speaking.
Vogler suffered severe burns but survived. Buck-Hayes was arrested later that day.
The USDA has approved a $7.56 million loan guarantee to a company in Mississippi to restart the idle Pine Products…
(NEW YORK) — Amid red-flag fire danger alerts issued for parts of New York and a forecast of potential flooding for Hawaii, the weather is expected to cooperate for Friday’s historic Artemis II splashdown off the coast of Southern California.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued red-flag alerts on Thursday for several counties in upstate New York, including much of the Hudson Valley stretching from Albany to Westchester County.
The red-flag alerts are expected to last until at least 6 p.m. ET on Thursday as the NWS is forecasting wind gusts of up to 35 mph and relative humidity as low as 20%.
“Any fire that develops will catch and spread quickly,” the NWS said on Thursday, adding that outdoor burning is not recommended.
Elevated fire danger to a lesser extent is also in place for other parts of the Northeast, including sections of Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island and as far north as Vermont.
Hawaii flood threat
Already this week, the eastern nose of Hawaii’s Big Island has recorded a rainfall accumulation of 10 inches to 13 inches. The eastern edges of Maui have recorded 6 inches to 12 inches of rain this week as well.
The soggy weather is expected to continue through at least Friday. An area of low pressure is developing west of the islands, drawing abundant moisture northward as it strengthens on Thursday and into Friday.
The Hawaiian islands are bracing for potential heavy rain and thunderstorms that could produce flash flooding in some areas. Landslides may also occur in areas with steep terrain.
Widespread rainfall of possibly 2 inches to 4 inches is still expected through Friday across the Hawaiian islands, and some areas could receive 5 to 10 inches of rain.
The excessive rainfall could cause streams to overflow and produce significant flooding and property damage in urban or low-lying spots due to runoff, and could lead to road closures in several areas.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said in a statement on Wednesday that President Donald Trump has approved a major disaster declaration for the state ahead of the upcoming storm, freeing up federal resources to respond to the emergency and help in early recovery efforts.
“The recovery from this storm will be long and difficult and will require constant collaboration with the counties and the federal administration — and I am confident that as with other recent disasters, we will benefit from the aloha we share for each other and our collaborative approach with anyone who can offer assistance,” Green said.
Artemis II splashdown weather
The weather forecast remains good for the scheduled splashdown of the Artemis II Orion crew module, according to NASA.
Tentatively scheduled for 8:07 p.m. ET on Friday, NASA says the splashdown site will likely be within 100 miles of the coast of San Diego, California, where the Navy’s amphibious transport dock ship USS John P. Murtha will lead recovery efforts.
The majority of the weather criteria are in order to have a safe recovery mission by sea and by air. Visibility will likely be within the necessary guidelines for the safe flight of recovery helicopters, especially from 50 to 100 miles off the coast.
Weather criteria that need to be met for a safe splashdown and recovery include wave heights of less than six feet, no precipitation or lightning within 35 miles of the splashdown site and winds under 28 mph, with minimal cloud cover and good visibility, according to NASA.
Severe weather in store for Texas and the Panhandle
A new weather pattern will begin to take shape this weekend as stormy weather begins over west Texas and the panhandle.
Moisture flowing in from the Gulf, dry air coming from the Desert Southwest and warm air from the Southeast mixing with colder air from the North are all converging as low-pressure systems move across the region.
The severe weather will likely stretch into next week and spread to Wisconsin and Michigan, possibly peaking on Monday and Tuesday.
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(NEW YORK) — Another winter storm will be affecting tens of millions of Americans this weekend, adding more snow to the harsh weather that has already caused the deaths of over 100 people since last week, according to officials.
Snow began falling in parts of eastern Tennessee, the Carolinas, and southern Virginia on Friday. Parts of northeastern Tennessee have already gotten up to three inches of fresh snow.
Through Saturday, this storm will begin to rapidly intensify over the Atlantic Ocean and offshore of the Mid-Atlantic, with winds quickly increasing as snow continues to fall over the Southeast.
With strong gusts between 35 and 60 mph and heavy snow, blizzard conditions are possible for millions late Saturday afternoon into the evening from eastern Georgia to Maryland.
Both South Carolina and North Carolina are under the Winter Storm Warning for up to a foot of snow and strong winds that will lead to whiteout conditions and dangerous travel.
The snow forecast shows a widespread 6-12 inches across the Carolinas, into western Tennessee and southeastern Virginia. Snow will start tapering off early Sunday morning.
“Major” winter storm impacts are expected for much of the Carolinas into southeastern Virginia.
Dangerous travel conditions leading to major travel disruptions, blizzard conditions, gusts up to 70 mph, coastal flooding, and beach erosion will all be possible with the peak of the storm on Saturday.
As of Saturday morning, more than 1,500 flights have been cancelled.
The storm moves out to sea on Sunday, with models continuing to keep it well off the coast and not bringing any significant snowfall to the Northeast, which was hit with heavy snow last week.
While the snow may be out of the way by Sunday, the freezing temperatures will remain.
A wide swath of America from the Upper Midwest down to the Deep South and out to the east are waking up with dangerously cold temperatures, which will linger into early next week for most.
Cities like Washington, D.C., Detroit and Green Bay had wind chills at zero Saturday morning, while New York City, Nashville and Little Rock had wind chills down into the single digits.
Through the weekend, places like Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Syracuse, New York, are under a Cold Weather Advisory until Sunday for wind chills between -15 and -25.
The New York City area remains under a cold weather advisory this morning for wind chills as low as -10 possible just before sunrise.
The bitter, and in some cases extreme, cold extends all the way to the Gulf Coast this weekend.
In Florida, an Extreme Cold Warning is in place for Sunday morning, where wind chills could reach the upper-teens in West Palm Beach, and Orlando could reach as low as 12. Jacksonville could also see wind chills on Sunday morning down to 9 and Tallahassee down to 10.
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