#1: July 4 Parade Mass Shooting:
On July 4, another mass shooting occurred, in a country that loves its guns. At least six people died, and 31 or more were wounded, in a shooting from a rooftop at a 4th of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, about 25 miles north of Chicago. A rifle was recovered on a roof. The shooting occurred at around 10 AM, and people fled the parade gathering when gunshots were heard. The shots were mistaken for fireworks by some. Police closed down the downtown area and multiple law enforcement agencies began looking for the suspect. In later developments, a “person of interest,” Robert E. Crimo III, 22, was apprehended and in custody Monday night.
#2: Listeria Outbreak:
One person has died and 22 hospitalized in a listeria outbreak allegedly related to a Florida ice cream brand, Big Olaf Creamery in Sarasota, the CDC said on Sunday. The ice cream brand is sold only in Florida, The creamery recalled all its products from local retail stores voluntarily, although it hasn’t been proven that the brand caused the outbreak. Listeria is a bacterial infection that can cause intestinal symptoms. It is usually not serious but can result in more invasive illness and can be deadly, causing fever, vomiting and diarrhea. Symptoms can start right away or can take several months to appear. Cases can be treated with antibiotics. Anyone who has the product should throw it away.
#3: California Welcomes Floridians:
In a new campaign ad this weekend, California Governor Gavin Newsom (Democrat) invited Floridians to move to California if they value their freedom.
“Freedom is under attack in your state,” Newsom said in a 30-second political video that will air on Fox News. “Your Republican leaders, they’re banning books, making it harder to vote, restricting speech in classrooms, even criminalizing women and doctors. I urge all of you living in Florida to join the fight or join us in California where we still believe in freedom,” he said. “Freedom of speech, freedom to choose, freedom from hate and the freedom to love.”
Newsom is running for re-election as governor of California.
#4: NYC Offers Free Paxlovid:
New York City is starting a new program called “Test to Treat.” Some mobile COVID-19 testing centers in NYC will have a clinician on site who will be able to prescribe antivirals, such as Paxlovid, for free to eligible New Yorkers. Paxlovid, made by Pfizer, is authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for early-stage treatment of COVID-19. The program was announced on Thursday by the mayor’s office. The program will start at three mobile testing sites and hopes to expand to 30 locations in the city by the end of July. The city has partnered with local pharmacies so that individuals can pick up the prescribed antivirals. In the future the city hopes to stock Paxlovid at the mobile testing sites.
#5: Alexander Hamilton:
A letter that was written by Alexander Hamilton in 1780 to the French aristocrat, Marquis de Lafayette, will be on display at the Commonwealth Museum in Massachusetts. Hamilton was an American revolutionary, statesman and founding father of the United States. The letter was stolen from the Massachusetts State Archive during the second world war by an employee. The letter was sent to Lafayette during the end of the Revolutionary War. Lafayette was on the side of the Americans in their fight against England. In the letter, Hamilton warned Lafayette about danger to his French troops in Rhode Island from British troops. The FBI discovered the letter in 2019, after it had been auctioned at the end of 2018.
The exhibit at the museum will also display other documents, including a letter from John Hancock to the Massachusetts Assembly announcing independence, and a letter from George Washington to the Massachusetts General Court, which included a copy of the Declaration of Independence.
