What to Know
-
The most powerful hurricane to hit Florida's Panhandle left destruction and at least two dead and wasn't nearly finished as it crossed GA[hhmc]
-
Health officials say one person has died in connection with the latest cluster of Legionnaires' disease cases in NYC that has sickened 16[hhmc]
-
Selena Gomez recently entered a treatment facility to help address ongoing issues related to anxiety and depression, E! News confirmed[hhmc]
Get the top headlines of the day in your morning briefing from NBC 4 New York, Monday through Friday. Sign up for our newsletter here.
Michael Charges Into Southeast After Slamming North Florida
The most powerful hurricane on record to hit Florida's Panhandle left wide destruction and at least two people dead and wasn't nearly finished as it crossed Georgia, now as a tropical storm, toward the Carolinas, that are still reeling from epic flooding by Hurricane Florence. A day after the supercharged storm crashed ashore amid white sand beaches, fishing towns and military bases, Michael was no longer a Category 4 monster packing 155 mph winds. As the tropical storm continued to weaken it was still menacing the Southeast with heavy rains, blustery winds and possible spinoff tornadoes. Authorities said at least two people have died, including a man killed by a tree falling on a Panhandle home. In Georgia, the Seminole County EMA Director Travis Brooks confirmed to NBC that an 11-year-old child was killed in Seminole County in a weather-related death. Exact circumstances were not immediately available. Search and rescue crews were expected to escalate efforts to reach hardest-hit areas and check for anyone trapped or injured in the storm debris.
Rocket Makes Emergency Landing; US, Russian Astronauts Safe
Two astronauts from the U.S. and Russia were safe after an emergency landing in the steppes of Kazakhstan following the failure of a Russian booster rocket carrying them to the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos' Alexei Ovchinin lifted off as scheduled from the Russia-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan atop a Soyuz booster rocket. Roscosmos and NASA said the three-stage Soyuz booster suffered an emergency shutdown of its second stage. The capsule jettisoned from the booster and went into a ballistic descent, landing at a sharper-than-normal angle. The launch failure marks an unprecedented mishap for the Russian space program, which has been dogged by a string of launch failures and other incidents. They had been scheduled to dock at the orbiting outpost six hours later, but the booster suffered a failure minutes after the launch.
1 Dead in 2nd Legionnaires' Cluster in NYC Neighborhood
New York City health officials say one person has died in connection with the latest cluster of Legionnaires' disease cases in lower Washington Heights that has stricken 16 people. The Health Department said the person had underlying health conditions. It's the second cluster of Legionnaires' disease in the same Manhattan neighborhood where more than 20 people were infected with the disease in July, killing one person. A cooling tower in the Sugar Hill residential development was identified as the source of the Legionnaires' cluster in the same area in July. The Health Department says it has directed building management to clean and disinfect the tower again. Legionnaires' disease is contracted by breathing in water droplets contaminated with the bacterium Legionella. Symptoms can include fever, chills and muscle aches.
DOJ Approves $69B CVS Health-Aetna Merger, With Conditions
The proposed $69 billion merger between CVS Health and Aetna is getting a greenlight from the Department of Justice, with some conditions. The Justice Department approved the deal on the condition that Aetna moves ahead with its plan to sell its Medicare Part D prescription drug plan business, resolving some anti-monopoly issues. Aetna announced last month it'd sell the business for an undisclosed amount. CVS announced plans to buy Hartford, Connecticut's Aetna late last year. The deal is expected to give the Woonsocket, Rhode Island, drugstore chain a bigger role in health care, with the companies combining to manage care through CVS stores, clinics and prescription drugs.
Selena Gomez Enters Mental Health Treatment Facility
Selena Gomez recently entered a treatment facility to help address ongoing issues related to anxiety and depression, E! News confirmed. "Selena has been trying really hard recently to remain focused, and not let her health affect her," the insider explains. "She has been actively writing new music, and moved to Orange County for a change of pace and a fresh breath of air. Ultimately, with all of her arising health issues, Selena started to feel super overwhelmed." According to TMZ, who was first to report the news, Gomez suffered an apparent "emotional breakdown" following two hospitalizations within the last few weeks related to her Lupus and last year's kidney transplant. The outlet reports that Gomez received medical attention at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles after her white blood cell count became increasingly low. A reduction in the number of white blood cells is called leukopenia, and is sometimes common for those with active Lupus.
Rapper Fabolous Faces Domestic Violence, Threats Charges
A grand jury in New Jersey has indicted rapper Fabolous on counts of domestic violence and making terroristic threats. The rapper, whose real name is John Jackson, was charged in connection with two alleged incidents in Englewood in March. The indictment handed up last week in Bergen County charges him with one count of domestic violence stemming from an incident on March 7. He's charged with two counts for allegedly threatening to shoot or kill three individuals on March 28, including the alleged victim from the earlier incident. He also faces a weapons count for allegedly brandishing a pair of scissors with intent to use them unlawfully. Each of the four third-degree crimes carries a maximum sentence of five years. Jackson's attorney didn't immediately return a message seeking comment.
Verne Troyer Death Ruled Suicide by Alcohol Intoxication
Verne Troyer, best known for his role as Mike Myers' comical sidekick "Mini-Me" in the "Austin Powers" movie franchise, died last April of suicide by alcohol intoxication, the Los Angeles County coroner's office reported. Troyer had a potentially fatal level of alcohol in his system and was saying repeatedly that he wanted to die when he was admitted to a Los Angeles hospital on April 3, according to the coroner's report. He died there on April 21 of multiple organ failure. The report concluded that Troyer's death was caused by "sequelae of alcohol intoxication." Sequelae is a term defining an action or condition leading to another ailment or, in this case, death.
[contf] [contfnew] 
USA Today
[contfnewc] [contfnewc]
