News Roundup 10/9/18
Photo Courtesy: Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters
By: Kenya Staley
1. Nikki Haley resigns as UN Ambassador
On Tuesday October 9, Nikki Haley announced her resignation as the U.S Ambassador to the UN. According to Haley's resignation letter she will end her term in January 2019 to give President Trump and the Senate time to choose a successor. In her letter she gave thanks to President Trump for giving her the opportunity to serve as UN ambassador. She attributed her resignation to her strong belief that term limits benefit the public. Haley wrote, "Between the UN Ambassadorship and serving in the South Carolina Governorship and General Assembly, I have been in public office for fourteen straight years. As a businessman, I expect you will appreciate my sense that returning from government to the private sector is not a step down but a step up." Trump told reporters that he already knows a few people he'd like to nominate, however; he has not yet released a list of names.
Source: CNN
2. San Bernardino Diocese release list of 34 priests accused of child abuse
The Diocese of San Bernardino released a list of clergy members who had credible allegations of sexual abuse against them, on Monday October 8. The list includes the status of the priests, date of incidents and when the allegations were reported. Bishop Gerald R. Barnes offered his condolences to all victims and anyone affected by the abuse in a letter. Bishop Barnes continued, "While we will always bear the mark of this scandal, our failure to protect children in earlier years has ultimately led us to a new awareness and an illumination of this terrible scourge on all of society." He encouraged members of the Church to come forward and report their abusers.
Source: LA Times
3. Hurricane Michael expected to grow stronger
It was announced Tuesday, October 9th that Hurricane Michael is now a category 3 and likely to be a category 4 when it approaches land. It is expected to make landfall in the Florida Panhandles or Big Bend by Wednesday, October 10. If the landfall is a category 2 or higher it will have the strongest wind speed in decades. Florida's Governor Rick Scott advised anyone being told to evacuate to do so immediately.
Source: CNN
4. Google shuts down consumer version of Google+
Google announced plans to shut down the consumer version of Google+ on October 8th. According to Google, their social media platform never gained the attraction they anticipated. Over 90 percent of their users spend just 5 seconds or less on the app. The announcement comes after a security breach that left 500,000 users vulnerable to hackers in March 2018. The bug was fixed immediately but the company took seven months to let their users know. According to the Verge, legal actions may follow since the company did not immediately notify their users of the breach.
Source: The Verge
5. Limousine crash kills 20 people
In upstate New York 18 passengers and 2 pedestrians were killed on Saturday, October 6. A limousine ran a stop light and crashed into an unoccupied SUV. Among those in the limousine were four sisters celebrating one of their sister's 30th birthday. According to NBC News, the vehicle carrying the victims was cited several times this year for violations. The driver, who was also killed in the accident, did not have the proper license to drive the vehicle. The company responsible for the vehicle, Prestige Limousines, offered their condolences and focused on the families affected by the tragedy.
Source: NBC News