Month: September 2023

At least two adults died, with dozens injured – five critically – after a charter bus carrying high school students from Long Island, New York, crashed off a New York highway while heading to band camp in Pennsylvania, state police said. The bus was one of six carrying members of the Farmingdale High School band, which was heading to Greeley, Pennsylvania, for a band camp.

The incident occurred on the afternoon of Sept. 21 on I-84 near Wawayanda, a town outside of Orange County in New York, about 45 miles northwest of New York City, as the vehicle careened down an embankment off the side of the roadway. Aerial footage showed ripped-up grass on the embankment and the bus lying on its left side with its roof warped. A ladder allowed rescuers to reach the windows.

Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus said that 44 people were on the bus — most of whom were high-schoolers — and five young people who were taken to area hospitals in critical condition. As of 5 p.m. on Thursday, twenty-eight passengers from the crash had been admitted to four different area hospitals (Bon Secours, St. Anthony’s, Westchester Medical Center and Garnet Health). The extent of their injuries weren’t immediately clear.

NY Gov. Kathy Hochul said that the accident was likely caused by a faulty front tire but that the cause was still under investigation. New York State’s Department of Transportation said in a statement: “The vehicle operator, Regency Transportation of Nesconset, N.Y., has valid operating authority from the State Department of Transportation and a valid semi-annual inspection. The driver is properly licensed.”

The company has eight vehicles and employs about 14 drivers. The driver behind the wheel was properly licensed, and the company received a satisfactory rating from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. State troopers and federal investigators likely will dig into details of the vehicle’s past in the coming days.

Editorial credit: 365 Focus Photography / Shutterstock.com

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet with President Biden at the White House on Thursday during a visit to Washington, where he worked to gain additional U.S. support for Ukraine in their war with Russia. Zelenskyy shared a message on the war’s progress, but faced new questions about the aid the U.S. has donated for the last 19 months to help Ukraine in the fight against Russian forces. This is Zelenskyy’s second visit to Washington since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Zelenskyy came to the Capitol in private talks with Republican and Democratic leaders. At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin greeted Zelenskyy; and at the Capitol, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy notably chose not to join House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in greeting the Ukrainian president when he arrived. McCarthy also confirmed that he declined Zelenskyy’s request for a joint session of Congress, saying there wasn’t time on short notice. Republican House lawmakers also questioned Zelenskyy on the way forward for Ukraine as the two-year mark approaches without major breakthroughs.

Later, President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden welcomed Zelenskyy and his wife, Olena Zelenska at the White House, where they received a red carpet arrival on the South Lawn followed by time in the Oval Office, an expanded gathering in the East Room, and one-on-one time for the two first ladies. The Biden administration announced hundreds of millions of dollars in additional security aid for the country, including for air defense munitions. The new package of military assistance includes “significant” air defense capabilities to help Ukraine “harden” its defenses, said national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Biden assured Zelenskyy: “The American people are determined to see to it that we do all we can to ensure the world stands with you. That is our overwhelming objective.”

Zelenskyy’s meeting with senators on Thursday took place behind closed doors in the Old Senate Chamber, where the Ukrainian leader received a warm welcome from both parties on his stop in the Senate, with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer flanking him as he walked in. Schumer told reporters afterward one sentence summed up the meeting: “Mr. Zelenskyy said if we don’t get the aid, we will lose the war.” Senate Republican leader McConnell said afterward he was proud to welcome Zelenskyy to the Capitol: “Americans’ support for Ukraine is not a charity. It’s an investment in our own self-interest.”

Editorial credit: Yanosh Nemesh / Shutterstock.com