Hacker NewsMar 9
Violent and sudden. What a firing squad execution looked like through my eyes
https://apnews.com/article/south-carolina-firing-squad-eyewitness-account-sigmon-427cccb55be58954af4434e89bcc41d8
#ycombinator #Brad_Sigmon #Crime #Capital_punishment #South_Carolina #Legal_proceedings #Prisons #Utah #General_news #SC_State_Wire #U_S_news #Marion_Bowman_Jr #Richard_Moore #Associated_Press #Freddie_Owens
Firsthand account of what a firing squad execution looked like

An Associated Press journalist has served as a media eyewitness to the execution of Brad Sigmon by firing squad Friday in South Carolina. He reports that the firing squad is both faster and more violent than lethal injection. A hood was put over Sigmon’s head, and an employee opened the pull shade shielding where three prison system volunteer shooters were. About two minutes later they fired. There was no warning or countdown, and the abrupt crack of the rifles startled those in the room. A white target with a red bullseye that had been on his chest disappeared instantly as Sigmon’s whole body flinched. Soon a doctor came out to examine Sigmon, and he was declared dead at 6:08 p.m.

AP News
 Hacker NewsOct 9, 2024
How Waffle House helps Southerners and FEMA judge a storm's severity
https://apnews.com/article/waffle-house-index-hurricane-milton-e0547ca1fb11ddcadab50035a0da7819
#ycombinator #Hurricanes_and_typhoons #Natural_disasters #General_news #NC_State_Wire #SC_State_Wire #GA_State_Wire #TN_State_Wire #MO_State_Wire #FL_State_Wire #Trending_News #Business #Oddities #Climate_and_environment #Hospitality_and_leisure_industry #U_S_news #Climate
Waffle House Index helps Southerners and FEMA judge a hurricane's severity

For some residents of storm-prone Southeastern states, the best indicator of a hurricane's severity can be found at the local Waffle House. If the Georgia-based restaurant chain stays open in town, neighbors are reassured that the coming storm is unlikely to cause devastation. A closed location of the dependable diner chain has come to indicate impending disaster. What might sound like silly logic has become one of the most reliable ways for Southerners and even federal officials to gauge a storm’s severity and identify communities most in need of immediate aid. The Waffle House Index was created by a federal emergency management official and is still used today.

AP News
 Hacker NewsOct 1, 2024
Dockworkers at ports from Maine to Texas go on strike
https://apnews.com/article/port-strike-ila-dockworkers-begins-e5468e760f46a64e4322d1702beb1f72
#ycombinator #Strikes #General_news #MD_State_Wire #ME_State_Wire #GA_State_Wire #LA_State_Wire #MA_State_Wire #TX_State_Wire #FL_State_Wire #NC_State_Wire #SC_State_Wire #VA_State_Wire #AL_State_Wire #NJ_State_Wire #NY_State_Wire #Business #Labor #Texas #Compensation_and_benefits #U_S_news #Maine #U_S_News
US port strike: Over 45,000 dockworkers from Maine to Texas hit picket lines

Dockworkers at ports from Maine to Texas have started walking picket lines in a strike over wages and automation that could reignite inflation and cause shortages of goods if it goes on more than a few weeks. The contract between the ports and about 45,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association expired at midnight, and even though progress was reported in talks on Monday, the workers went on strike early Tuesday. The strike is affecting 36 ports. The U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents the ports, said Monday evening that both sides had moved off of their previous wage offers, but when picket lines went up just after midnight, it was apparent there was no deal.

AP News
 Hacker NewsApr 24, 2024
Cicadas are so noisy in South Carolina that residents are calling the police
https://apnews.com/article/noisy-cicadas-south-carolina-police-39f2bd760a51c8c1d28d88b12473840e
#ycombinator #Animals #Cicadas #SC_State_Wire #Climate_and_environment #Oddities #Climate
Cicadas are so noisy in a South Carolina county that residents are calling the police

Emerging cicadas are so loud in one South Carolina county that residents are calling the sheriff’s office asking why they can hear sirens or a loud roar. The Newberry County Sheriff’s Office sent out a Facebook message Tuesday letting people know that the whining sound is just the male cicadas singing to attract mates after more than a decade of being dormant. Some people have even flagged down deputies to ask what all the noise is about. Trillions of red-eyed periodical cicadas are emerging from underground in the eastern U.S. this month. The broods emerging are on 13 or 17 year cycles.

AP News