“Historic Weather Event” Hits New York

^{Photo: Flash Flood in NY Sub-Station}

New York is under a state of emergency – because of the weather. Hundreds of motorists were left stranded in their vehicles in Yonkers, after getting caught in flash floods that pummeled parts of New Jersey and New York, thanks to the remnants of Hurricane Ida. New York City Mayor, Bill de Blasio, declared an "historic weather event", with record-breaking rain across the city leading to flooding and dangerous conditions. The Big Apple’s famous subway stations were all submerged, with services completely suspended late on Wednesday, local time. A flash flood warning was issued for most of the city. The situation is slowly returning to normal, with flights resuming out of New York and New Jersey, but climate experts warn that big cities around the world are going to have to get used to scenes like these.

Twin School Shootings Rock North Carolina

^{Photo: Shooting Incident in North Carolina}

Police in North Carolina have responded to their second school shooting incident this week. Police in the district of Winston-Salem confirmed a tragic shooting incident at Mount Tabor High School on Thursday. The victim was identified as William Chavis Raynard Miller, Jr. He was brought to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Hospital but died of his injuries. The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office reported that a suspect has been taken into custody. It was North Carolina’s second school shooting this week. On Monday, authorities said several students exchanged gunfire at New Hanover High School in Wilmington. A 15-year-old was shot and wounded. He remains in a stable condition. Authorities have arrested and charged a teenager with attempted first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill. The local sheriff says behavior like this cannot be tolerated in America’s school system.

Massive Drug Bust in Colombia

^{Photo: 1.8 tonnes of Cocaine seized in Colombia}

And, a semi-submersible vehicle has been intercepted by Colombian marines. People manning the boat threw themselves into the water and fled into a mangrove forest, abandoning their 17-metre-vessel and its cargo. 90 sacks, containing 1,800 packages of pure cocaine were found. The operation effectively prevented the trafficking of more than 40-million hits of cocaine to neighbouring countries. The drugs have a street value of $60 million. In just the past month, the Colombian Navy has intercepted more than $200 million’s worth of cocaine belonging to a dissident group that was formerly part of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.