A tragedy in Louisiana has left two high school cheerleaders dead and a police officer arrested; speculation grows over NFL player Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest and incidents of children eating cannabis edibles spike. These stories and more highlight your midday rundown, aimed straight down the middle, for Jan. 3, 2023.
Louisiana officer arrested after deadly chase
Maggie Dunn and Caroline Hill tragically died over the weekend when their car was struck by a police cruiser. Officer David Cauthron was in a high-speed pursuit of a home invasion suspect.
The suspect had stolen a car in the chase which sometimes reached speeds of 110 miles per hour and ran red lights. That officer has now been booked on charges of negligent homicide for pursuing the chase that killed the two teens.
The suspect that the police were chasing has also been charged for two counts of homicide in the girls deaths.
Speculation on NFL player’s cardiac arrest
Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin remains in critical condition after collapsing mid-game on Monday due to cardiac arrest.
As the 24-year-old is in a Cincinnati hospital, some on social media are speculating about the cause of the incident, questioning whether it had anything to do with the COVID-19 vaccine. This theory is nothing new. It has circulated as several athletes have died unexpectedly since the vaccine was introduced.
Straight Arrow News reporter Shannon Longworth spoke with a cardiologist last year for clarification.
The cardiologist said that young people sometimes have unexplained, abnormal heart rhythm, which can be life threatening. These cases are categorized as “sudden adult death syndrome,” and they occurred even before the COVID-19 vaccine.
So far, there’s no clear correlation between the two as the theory is lacking enough supporting data.
Iranian chess player faces scrutiny
An Iranian chess player has received warnings not to return to Iran after competing in a chess tournament without wearing a head covering. According to the report, the female chess player competed in an international chess tournament in Kazakhstan where she was not wearing a headscarf. Wearing a headscarf is mandatory under Iran’s dress code for women.
It comes at a time when Iran has faced backlash from its own people over its treatment of women.
The chess player could face prosecution from Iranian officials.
Spike in children eating cannabis edibles
More than 20 states have legalized marijuana, some as recent as the last midterm election. While legalization becomes more prevalent, so has the number of accidents with children getting their hands on edible cannabis.
In the span of five years, the number of young children who ate edibles rose 1,375%. There were more than 3,000 cases in 2021, compared to 200 cases in 2017.
These cases of kids eating edibles are only counting children six years or younger. The cases also account for nearly half of all poison exposure emergency calls.
Many edibles come in the form of candies, cookies, brownies, chocolates – all things which appeal to toddlers. Combine that with more products readily available through legalization, it is creating more exposure to children according to the study authors.
Human composting legal in New York
With a new year comes new laws, and one that is widely talked about this year is human composting, which has just been legalized in New York. New York becomes the sixth state to allow the controversial alternative method to traditional burial or cremation.
Human composting is essentially when a body is placed into a casket with natural materials like wood chips and hay. Bacteria breaks down the human body into soil within about a month, creating human compost that families can use to plant things in honor of their loved one.
