‘Thank you’ cookies sent to North Carolina elections office prompt emergency response

‘Thank you’ cookies sent to North Carolina elections office prompt emergency response
In this photo released by the Raleigh Police Department, a thank-you present of pineapple-shaped cookies delivered to the Wake County Board of Elections is shown that prompted a hazmat response on Oct. 29, 2024, after election workers raised concerns about a suspicious package mailed from Hawaii. Image via Raleigh Police Department

( Raleigh, N.C. ) — No good deed goes unpunished for election workers in North Carolina.

A thank-you present of pineapple-shaped cookies delivered to the Wake County Board of Elections prompted a hazmat response on Tuesday after election workers raised concerns about a suspicious package mailed from Hawaii.

“We are just on high alert with these things automatically,” Wake County elections specialist Danner McCulloh told ABC News, who cited recent incidents of suspicious packages containing powder sent to election offices across the country.

The Raleigh Police and Fire Departments quickly responded to the incident — which was treated as a hazmat situation — and bomb technicians X-rayed the package, according to Lt. Jason Borneo of the Raleigh Police Department.

After the package was deemed to not be a threat, officials opened the package to learn it was full of pineapple-shaped cookies from the Honolulu Cookie Company. The package, which was mailed from a Hawaii address, also included a handwritten thank-you note, according to a Raleigh Fire Department spokesperson.

The operations at Wake County Board of Elections were not impacted during the incident, a county spokesperson said. According to McCulloh, a person who heard a radio story about Wake County decided to send the cookies unannounced to thank election workers.

“It was a kind gesture,” McCulloh said, though he recommended against others sending cookies to his office.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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Giraffes need endangered species protection for the first time, US officials say
Giraffes need endangered species protection for the first time, US officials say
Thomas Halle/Getty Images/STOCK

(NEW YORK) — The tallest animal on Earth is in danger, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which has called for federal protections for giraffe species for the first time.

In the face of poaching, habitat loss and climate change, the agency proposes listing three subspecies of northern giraffes from west, central and east Africa as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

“Federal protections for giraffes will help protect a vulnerable species, foster biodiversity, support ecosystem health, combat wildlife trafficking, and promote sustainable economic practices,” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams said in a press release Wednesday.

“This action supports giraffe conservation while ensuring the United States does not contribute further to their decline,” Williams added.

The subspecies officials say need endangered designation include the West African, Kordofan and Nubian giraffes.

The populations of these subspecies of northern giraffes have declined approximately 77% since 1985, from 25,653 to 5,919 individuals, according to the agency, which notes, only 690 West African giraffes remain.

Additionally, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommends two subspecies of southern giraffes, Angolan and South African, be listed as threatened.

If the proposal is finalized, officials say the designation would reduce illegal hunting and trade of giraffes by requiring permits for import into the U.S. and increase funding for conservation and research efforts.

“Giraffes have been moving towards extinction for years, but their plight has gone largely unnoticed,” Danielle Kessler, U.S. Director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), said in a statement to ABC News.

The IFAW helped craft and submit the Endangered Species Act listing proposal.

Kessler said the decline in giraffe populations is known as the “silent extinction” with subspecies numbers plummeting dramatically by up to 40% over the last 30 years.

“Losing giraffes would be a devastating loss to Earth’s biodiversity,” Kessler said. “We hope that USFWS will move quickly to finalize this decision and safeguard the future of these species.”

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Hurricane Rafael strengthens to Category 3 before landfall in Cuba: Latest track and forecast
Hurricane Rafael strengthens to Category 3 before landfall in Cuba: Latest track and forecast
ABC News

(FLORIDA KEYS, Fla.) — Hurricane Rafael strengthened to a major Category 3 hurricane as it neared the coast of Cuba on Wednesday afternoon.

Rafael is expected to bring life-threatening storm surge, hurricane-force winds and flash flooding to the western part of the island.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for the Florida Keys, where heavy rain, gusty winds and even tornadoes are possible on Wednesday and into Thursday morning.

Rafael will move into the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday and start weakening.

Rafael isn’t posing a major threat to the U.S. Gulf Coast, but some of the tropical moisture could move toward the coast and add to the rain from an approaching cold front.

Most models predict Rafael sitting in the Gulf into next week and possibly moving southwest toward Mexico.

Atlantic hurricane season lasts through Nov. 30.

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FBI announces ,000 reward to help find missing 14-year-old girl
FBI announces $15,000 reward to help find missing 14-year-old girl
Maine State Police

(NEW SWEDEN, Maine) — Authorities are pleading with the public to help them find a Maine teenager who has been missing for months.

The FBI is offering a reward up to $15,000 for information leading to Stefanie Damron’s safe return, or the arrest and prosecution of anyone involved in her disappearance, FBI Boston’s Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kimberly Milka said at a news conference Monday.

“Any detail, no matter how small, could be helpful,” she said.

Stefanie was last seen walking out of her house and into the woods behind her home on Sept. 23, 2024, according to Maine State Police. She was reported missing the next day.

Stefanie was 13 at the time she disappeared; she’s now 14.

Her family is desperately looking for answers, Milka said. They live in New Sweden in northern Maine, about 20 miles from the Canadian border.

Stefanie had a history of running away, police noted.

“This behavior has not been uncommon for Stefanie, which is why I think the family waited a little bit of time” before calling police, Maine State Police Maj. Scott Gosselin said at the news conference.

But “since she hasn’t turned up, we slowly ratcheted up all the investigative resources,” he said.

Police have spent hundreds of hours investigating, including a neighborhood canvas and video search, but there have been no credible sightings, Gosselin said.

Stefanie, who was homeschooled, didn’t take any electronic devices with her and she has no apparent history of mental health concerns, police said.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Maine State Police at 1-800-824-2261 or 207-532-5400, or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

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