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Rip currents: What to know about the dangers and how to escape
If you're heading to the beach this summer, it's important to be aware of the dangers of rip currents. Here's what you need to know about rip currents and how to stay safe: A rip current, which flows out toward the ocean, can quickly pull a swimmer away from the shore. Rip currents usually reach a speed of 1 to 2 feet per second, but some can clock in at 8 feet per second, which is faster than an Olympic swimmer, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Evacuation orders issued for latest California wildfire amid scorching heat wave
Evacuation orders have been issued due to a wildfire in central California, the latest among more than a dozen blazes burning in the state amid a scorching heat wave. The French Fire near Yosemite National Park in Mariposa County has burned more than 900 acres since erupting Thursday and was 20% contained as of Friday evening, according to fire officials. Residents of parts of Mariposa County have been ordered to evacuate due to the fire, impacting approximately 1,100 people, according to the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office. Fire crews worked to establish a fireline around the eastern side of the community of Mariposa overnight and are focusing firefighting efforts on that side, Cal Fire said.
Employment gains continue as economy adds more than 200k jobs
The economy appears to be holding steady, with the arrival of the Labor Department's latest jobs report. Employers hired 206,000 workers in June, making for 42 consecutive months of growth, according to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Still, the unemployment rate ticked higher to 4.1%, reaching that level for the first time since November 2021. The strongest gains last month, occurred in government as well as the health care, social assistance and construction industries.
Three dead, seven injured after suspected drunk driver plows into New York City park on 4th of July
Three people are dead and seven others have been injured after a suspected drunk driver plowed his vehicle into a park on New York City's Lower East Side on Thursday night, police said. The driver of a gray Ford F-150, Daniel Hyden, 44, struck multiple pedestrians in the park at 8:53 p.m. on Thursday night, police said. The man was driving eastbound on Water Street when he sped through a stop sign, jumped the curb and crashed into Corlears Hook Park, police said. The pickup truck was on top of four of the victims when authorities arrived. Good Samaritans held the driver until police arrived, authorities said. Hyden, from Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, has been charged with three counts of driving while intoxicated and one count of aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, according to police.
Shark believed to have injured four people in waters off South Padre Island on Fourth of July
Four people are believed to have been injured by the same shark while in waters off the southern coast of Texas on the Fourth of July, officials said. Texas Game Warden Capt. Chris Dowdy told Weslaco, Texas, ABC affiliate KRGV that four separate incidents involving the shark, including two bites, were reported off South Padre Island. In one of the incidents, the South Padre Island Police Department said it received a call reporting a "severe" shark bite to the leg at around 11 a.m. local time Thursday near the 4100 block of Gulf Boulevard. First responders from the South Padre Island police and fire departments provided treatment at the scene before the man was transported to Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville, police said.
Laura Day speaks out on drowning murder of her stepson
In an encore 20/20 airing July 5 at 9 p.m. ET, the show, which originally aired in 2022, revisits the case of Laura Day, who was convicted of murder in the 2012 death of her 6-year-old stepson. In 2013, Laura Day was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole for the drowning death of her 6-year-old stepson. Serving nearly 10 years of her life sentence, she maintains that the boy's drowning death at a Texas beach was an accident. Day said now is the right time to tell her story. "A tragic accident happened. I tried to save him," Day told 20/20 in her first interview.
Shark attacks man in water off South Padre Island on Fourth of July
A man was attacked by a shark on the Fourth of July while in the waters off South Padre Island in Texas, police said. The South Padre Island Police Department said it received a call reporting a "severe" shark bite to the leg at around 11 a.m. local time Thursday near the 4100 block of Gulf Boulevard. First responders from the South Padre Island police and fire departments provided treatment at the scene before the man was transported to a nearby hospital, police said. A police spokesperson did not provide an update on the man's condition. Footage from a beachgoer who witnessed the incident showed a shark swimming near the shore in the vicinity of the attack.
Retired military dogs reunite with their former Marine Corps handlers after years apart
Two military service members -- U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Isaac Weissend and Marine Corps veteran Dalton Stone -- have been reunited with the dogs they handled in service overseas. Weissend and Stone first connected while serving in Japan with one another as military dog, or K-9, handlers. They built a strong bond with each other and became best friends. They also created strong connections with their respective German shepherd counterparts, 6-year-old male Poker and 6-year-old female Aida. Poker and Weissend even protected President Joe Biden during a special mission in Korea, where they swept flights, hotels, vehicles, and buildings for explosives. "Every day with Poker was a great day," Weissend said, according to American Humane, an animal-welfare organization that helped reunite the men with their K-9s.
Suspect fatally shot by park rangers at Yellowstone National Park after allegedly making threats
An armed suspect who was allegedly making threats in Yellowstone National Park is dead following a shootout with rangers, the National Park Service said. A Yellowstone law enforcement ranger was also injured in the incident, NPS said. The "significant law enforcement incident" occurred at Canyon Village in the central part of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming overnight and Thursday morning, NPS said. "Rangers responded to a report of an individual with a firearm who was making threats," NPS said in a press release. "When rangers contacted the individual there was an exchange of gunfire between the subject and law enforcement rangers."
Hatch Baby recalls nearly 1 million sound machine adapters due to shock hazard
This story has been corrected to specify that the power adapters are being recalled. Hatch, a popular sleep aid device company, has recalled more than 900,000 Rest 1st Generation sound machine adapters due to a shock hazard. "In partnership and compliance with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Hatch has issued a voluntary recall for power adapters issued with some Hatch Rest 1st generation devices, which were primarily sold between 2019 and 2022," the company stated in an online recall notice. "The recall is specific to power adapters issued by Jiangsu Chenyang Electron Co. after learning that the white housing of these power adapters can come off when removing them from the power outlet, leaving the power prongs exposed and posing a shock hazard to consumers," the statement continued.
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