1 dead, 15 hospitalized in Chicago after wrong-way crash involving CTA bus

Police confirmed that one woman was killed, and more than 20 others were injured in a fiery collision between a Chicago city bus and an SUV driving the wrong way on Sunday morning.

The woman was a passenger in a Dodge Journey SUV traveling the wrong way in the 4500 block of South DuSable Lake Shore Drive, with two others in the vehicle. According to the Chicago Transit Authority, the SUV hit a number 6 bus as it was heading north just before 6 a.m., causing the car to catch fire.

When first responders got to the scene, they found the vehicle on fire; the Chicago Fire Department tweeted that more than 20 people were triaged at the scene of the crash. The female passenger of the SUV was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead, while the male driver of the SUV was hospitalized in critical condition, as well as the third passenger, a woman, also listed in critical condition. The bus driver and 12 passengers were taken to a local hospital with unspecified injuries, officials said. None of the victims have been identified and an investigation is ongoing.

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Mass shooting in downtown Cleveland leaves 9 injured

A mass shooting in downtown Cleveland, Ohio early on Sunday left nine people injured. According to reports, police responded after receiving calls of shots being fired at West Sixth Street and Johnson Court at about 2:30 a.m., after the suspect fired into a group of people before fleeing the scene. Victims were hospitalized at MetroHealth Medical Center, with at least one person listed in critical condition.

Ohio Congresswoman Shontel Brown said in a statement: “Gun violence is devastating Northeast Ohio and Clevelanders deserve to be safe. This epidemic is tearing at the fabric of our communities, and it will not end without significant legislative action.”

Police Chief Wayne Drummond said during a press briefing that the outcomes for the victims would have likely been worse if not for the quick response from police, who provided aid until paramedics arrived, and added that police are interviewing the victims and reviewing video of the incident. Mayor Justin Bibb added: “It truly shows the massive gun problem we have, not just in Cleveland, not just in Ohio, but across this nation. Every weekend we have a large police presence right here in the Warehouse District. Our first responders did a fantastic job to provide aid to all of the victims last night.”

Police are interviewing the victims and reviewing video of the incident. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Cleveland Police Department at 216-623-5318 or leave an anonymous tip with Crimestoppers at 216-25-CRIME. A $5,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest.

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American Frances Tiafoe defeated by Grigor Dimitrov, who advances at Wimbledon

World No. 24 seed Grigor Dimitrov easily defeated 10th seed Frances Tiafoe in a rain-delayed, third-round match at Wimbledon on Sunday. Dimitrov, who reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2014, won the match 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 against the American Tiafoe.

Said Dimitrov, who had led Tiafoe 6-2, 6-3, 1-2 overnight in London: “He’s such a dangerous player, I knew I had to be very focused  He’s a player that has a lot of flare around the court. Great serve, great return, so I was just looking after my game, to be honest. The past weeks have been amazing weeks for me, out here in England. I’m just enjoying every single day.”

The 32-year-old also reached the third round of the Australian Open and the fourth round of Roland Garros this year, but is still looking to break his six-year title drought since his win at the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals. The Bulgarian said: “For me, I’m not looking at any [external factors] right now. I’m just focusing on my side of the net and looking after my game. I really enjoy coming out here and am really enjoying playing at the moment a lot. I think the older I get, the more I enjoy it, which is interesting.”  When asked about facing Danish sixth seed Holger Rune in the fourth round, Dimitrov said: It’s going to be one of those matches. I have to take it like any other match. Of course he is young, talented and a very dangerous player, but so am I. Minus the young part!”

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Max Verstappen wins sixth consecutive race at Formula 1 British Grand Prix

Defending champion Max Verstappen won his sixth consecutive race at the British Grand Prix on Sunday, after the Red Bull driver lost the lead to Lando Norris at the start before reclaiming the top spot. Norris landed in second place after battling it out against seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen extended his overall lead to 99 points over teammate Sergio Perez; first place in a race earns 25 points. Verstappen said of the win: “It’s very confusing, to be honest, because every single race it’s someone else.”. Added Norris: “It was an amazing fight.”

From the start, Verstappen was overtaken off the line by McLaren’s Norris, but took back the lead on lap five and held on until the end. Red Bull has won all 10 races this year—11 in a row including the final race of 2022—matching the record of McLaren with 11 consecutive wins in 1988.

Hamilton had started seventh, and said of placing third: “I didn’t do it; the crowd did … I felt the energy. I felt the support. This is the reason we got back up there.” McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri was a career-best fourth ahead of Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate, George Russell. Perez was off the podium for the fourth time in five races, finishing sixth after starting 15th, with seventh place going to Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and an impressive eighth for Alexander Albon of Williams.

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Jordan Davis achieves multi-week No. 1 with ‘Next Thing You Know’

Jordan Davis has achieved his sixth career No. 1, and also his 3rd multi-week career No. 1, on the Mediabase/Country Aircheck chart with his latest hit single, “Next Thing You Know”. “Next Thing You Know,” written by Davis with Greylan James, Chase McGill and Josh Osborne, appears on Davis’ sophomore album, Bluebird Days.

Davis is one of only five artists to spend multiple weeks at No. 1 on the Mediabase/Country Aircheck radio charts in 2023. “Next Thing You Know” is the follow-up to Davis’ platinum-selling, multi-week No. 1 “What My World Spins Around,” as well as his two-time platinum, multi-week No. 1 single “Buy Dirt” (feat. Luke Bryan).

Davis will launch his headlining “Damn Good Time Tour” in Atlanta this summer, which also includes stops in Nashville, New York, Boston, Philadelphia and many more cities across the U.S.

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Maddie & Tae release new song ‘Heart They Didn’t Break’

Maddie & Tae have shared their new track, “Heart They Didn’t Break,” which tells the story of true friendship in times of heartbreak. Written by Benjy Davis, Anna Vaus and Ryan Beaver and produced by Corey Crowder, the country duo take turns on lead vocals and showcase their signature harmonies.

Maddie Font & Taylor Kerr shared of the song: “Our friendship has gotten us through so many phases of life. We feel like this song captures that sentiment so beautifully, and we are excited to share it.”

Maddie & Tae are currently on the road for headlining shows and festival appearances this summer, and currently have tour dates scheduled through August 12, when they play the Uptown Theater in Kansas.

Take a look at the video for “Heart They Didn’t Break” – here.
To stream “Heart They Didn’t Break”, head here.

Maddie & Tae Share Ode to Female Friendships with “Heart They Didn’t Break”

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2024 Grammy Awards and nominations dates revealed by Recording Academy

The Recording Academy and CBS Network revealed that the 66th Annual Grammy Awards will air live beginning at 5 p.m. PT on Feb. 4, 2024, airing live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Additionally, nominees will be revealed on Nov. 10. Songs and albums released between Oct. 1, 2022 – Sept. 15, 2023, will be eligible for nominations at the 2024 show. The first round of voting will take place Oct. 11-20, while the final round of voting is Dec. 14-Jan. 4, 2024.

The announcement follows recent rule changes and clarifications from the Recording Academy beginning at the 2024 ceremony, including reducing the number of nominees in the four top categories (album, song and record of the year, and best new artist) from 10 to eight. Other recent changes include the addition of three new categories for the 66th Annual Grammy Awards including Best African Music Performance, Best Alternative Jazz Album and Best Pop Dance Recording.

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‘The Morning Show’ Season 3 coming to Apple TV+ in September

Apple TV+ shared first-look photos and the premiere date, Sept. 13, for Season 3 of The Morning Show. 

Based on the Brian Stelter book ‘Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV’, The Morning Show follows the cast and crew of the fictional ‘The Morning Show’, a morning news program at UBA network. The new first-look photos feature series stars Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston as their characters, Bradley Jackson and Alex Levy. Karen Pittman and Greta Lee also return as Mia Jordan and Stella Bak. Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Néstor Carbonell, Nicole Beharie and Julianna Margulies also star; and Jon Hamm will be joining the cast this season as Paul Marks, a corporate titan who sets his sights on UBA network.

In April, Apple TV+ already renewed The Morning Show for Season 4.

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Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi, which slows disease progression, gets full FDA approval

The Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) announced they have fully approved the first drug shown to slow down Alzheimer’s disease. Leqembi, whose generic name is lecanemab, should be widely covered by the federal Medicare health insurance program, which primarily serves adults age 65 and older – meaning more people who are in the early stages of the disease will have access to the drug, and will be able to afford it.

Leqembi comes from the Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai, and its U.S. partner Biogen. The companies have said Leqembi will cost about $26,500 a year. In studies reviewed by the FDA, Leqembi appeared to slow declines in memory and thinking by about 27% after 18 months of treatment. It also dramatically reduced the sticky beta-amyloid plaques that tend to build up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s.

In January, the drug received what’s known as accelerated approval from the FDA, based on its ability to remove the substance beta-amyloid from the brains of people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. Full or traditional approval reflects the FDA’s assessment that Leqembi also helps preserve memory and thinking. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced in January it would broaden coverage of Leqembi on the same day the drug received full FDA approval. That should mean the drug will now be covered for most Medicare patients with early signs of cognitive problems and elevated levels of amyloid. Under the expanded coverage, a million or more Medicare patients are potential candidates for the drug. Leqembi requires an initial test to determine amyloid levels in the brain, intravenous infusions every other week, and periodic brain scans to detect side effects.

Dr . Sanjeev Vaishnavi, director of clinical research at the Penn Memory Center, said: “It’s not something that’s going to stop the disease or reverse it. But it may slow down progression of the disease and may give people more meaningful time with their families … It’s very exciting that we’re targeting the actual pathology of the disease.”

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Houston man found after 8 years was ‘never missing’ and at home

Houston police said that the 25-year-old man who was ‘located safe’ after allegedly disappearing eight years ago was never really missing, and has been living with his mother most of this time. The man, Rudolph “Rudy” Farias, was found alive at a Houston church roughly 8 miles from his family’s home over the weekend, after he seemingly vanished as a teenager eight years ago. However shortly after the news broke, community members began to raise questions about whether he was ever truly missing.

Police said on Thursday that Farias’ mother, Janie Santana, reported her then 17-year-old son missing on March 7, 2015. While he returned home the following day, on March 8, his mother continued to deceive police by claiming he was still missing. Lt. Christopher Zamora of the homicide division’s missing persons unit at the Houston Police Department said at a news conference Thursday: “During the eight-year time frame where he was missing, investigators followed up on many tips, leads, collected evidence proving that Rudy was not missing during the eight-year period. Many of these facts included contacts and statements with relatives, friends, neighbors and medical professionals.”

Zamora told reporters that there were multiple times when police officers spoke with the young man and he allegedly gave them fake names: “He made contact with patrol officers out on the street. However, during these contacts, fictitious names and dates of birth were given misleading officers, and Rudy would remain missing. In fact, both Janie (Santana), Rudy’s mother, and Rudy himself gave fictitious names while interacting with various patrol officers. After investigators talked with him yesterday, it was discovered that he returned home the following day, on March 8, 2015.”  When Farias was seen coming and going from the house over the years, Santana identified him as a nephew and not her allegedly missing son.

Santana said in a statement after Farias was ‘discovered’ that he was nonverbal and unable to communicate, adding that a good Samaritan discovered him and immediately called authorities. Zamora added: “Rudy is safe. He is with his mother by choice. He’s a 25-year-old man.” Police Chief Troy Finner said he doesn’t know why Farias’ mother allegedly maintained that her son was missing all of this time, and when asked if Farias was a victim or a potential suspect, Chief Finner declined to say: “The investigation is still going on … and I’m not going to say if he’s a victim or not.” 

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