Georgia has been having a lot of crazy weather lately. Last week it was insanely hot, and this week a hurricane moved through. I just want a week where we have normal weather. While you are staying dry, read these KICs. This week includes a deadly crash over Australia, Hurricane Idalia retiring the name, colleges closing due to the hurricane, a gun found at East Coweta High School, and a Fulton County judge greenlighting the idea to televise the Trump case.
World – Deadly aircraft crash over Australia claims lives of Marines
Sunday morning, 23 U.S. Marines were involved in a fatal aircraft crash. The accident left three dead and 20 injured. Eight of the Marines remain hospitalized.
The aircraft was found in flames in a tropical forest, and all 20 survivors were flown out to a hospital immediately. The first five Marines that arrived were in critical condition, and 1onehad to undergo emergency surgery. A day later, 12 were discharged.
The chief minister of the Northern Territory will not disclose any information on the conditions of the eight still hospitalized. Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy continues to investigate the cause of the crash, but it has not been determined yet.
National – Hurricane Idalia predicted to be the next retired “I” storm name
When hurricanes become extremely destructive and deadly the name is retired and removed from the list of possible names and is replaced with another. Upcoming Hurricane Idalia is predicted to be the next hurricane starting with an “I” to be added to the retired list.
Tropical storms starting with “I” are the most common retired storm names in the Atlantic Ocean region in history. Fourteen names are already retired which equals about 15% of the list. Hurricane Ian was the last to be retired.
Idalia is now considered a hurricane and is speculated to be category three when it hits land on Wednesday. As the storm progresses, the National Hurricane Center will keep watch on Idalia and will decide if it will be retired or not after she hits.
State – Georgia colleges closing down due to Hurricane Idalia
Many southern and coastal Georgia colleges are closing down due to Hurricane Idalia. With winds at almost 130 mph, the storm is becoming a very dangerous hurricane crossing through southeast Georgia and into South Carolina.
Governor Brian Kemp has issued a State of Emergency for all of Georgia from today until September 8. Due to this State of Emergency, many colleges have switched to online classes and closed their campuses. Colleges directly impacted by Idalia include College of Coastal Georgia, Georgia Southern University, and Valdosta State.
Hurricane Idalia is getting dangerously close to college students and staff. Closing down the campuses is planned to keep everyone safe.
Local – Gun found on student at East Coweta High School
On Thursday morning, a gun was found on a student at East Coweta High School. Administrators of the school received an anonymous tip around 11:45 a.m. stating that a student on campus may have a firearm.
The school resource officers found the student quickly and sent him out of class to investigate. He was found to have a pistol on him, which was confiscated. The student was then removed from campus. According to the principal, he will face extreme and appropriate consequences.
At this time, the school does not believe the gun was tied to any immediate threats, but it was extremely dangerous to student safety.
Politics – Fulton County judge gives greenlight to televise Trump’s case
The Fulton County judge who is overseeing the 2020 election interference racketeering case with former President Trump and the other 18 co-defendants has given permission to allow the case to be televised and live streamed. The ruling itself, however, is still subject to change and would not be applied to any parts of the case that are in federal court.
In the court hearing Thursday, Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who had been assigned to the case, said that he would make all hearings and possible trials available to be broadcast on the Fulton County YouTube channel. McAfee also said that he would allow broadcast media to have a camera section for groups of news organizations to combine their resources and share camera access. Neither the defense nor prosecutors appeared in court Thursday to deny the media’s request for cameras.
McAfee’s ruling also allowed media personnel to be able to use cell phones and computer electronics in the courtroom for non-recording purposes. His ruling only applies to the Fulton County case.