Boeing CEO Under Fire During D.C. Hearings on the 737 MAX

Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg faced his first round of Senate hearings in Capitol Hill this past Tuesday, Oct. 29, following failures that led to two fatal crashes of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Muilenburg’s defense in the hearings was raising concerns on whether or not the fatal crashes were a result of Boeing’s flight control software or the competence of the pilots who flew the planes. Muilenburg was faced with hostile comments from Senators questioning whether or not Boeing was aware that their software was not up to par. Muilenburg said Boeing is in “the final stages” of evaluating and reprogramming MAX and that a certification flight with the FAA would happen soon.

California Wildfires Continue to Affect Homes and Utilities

California fires have sparked all over the state and departments of power and utility services are now saying that equipment could be one of the main causes. Early on Monday Oct. 28 a fire broke out near the J. Paul Getty Museum. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power utility and the Fire Department issued a statement after preliminary findings stating that the fire began after high winds blew a eucalyptus branch onto an electric line that then ignited dry grass and destroyed dozens of homes. The uptake in California wildfires this time in the year has led to drastic but cautionary power outages to prevent any more devastating fires.

The Baghdadi Raid Led to ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s Death

The U.S. military operation meant to target ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi began in northwest Syria at 5:01 p.m. ET on Saturday. Baghdadi’s death was communicated by the special operations forces when they declared “jackpot” at 7:15 p.m. ET. President Donald Trump joined the national security team in the situation room when the operation began. Casualties of the raid included six enemy fighters and 11 children were safely removed from the house and given to a “responsible” party. The tunnel where the ISIS leader detonated his suicide vest partially collapsed and the forces on the ground had to recover the remains from the rubble. Once U.S. forces were no longer in any danger, Trump tweeted that good news was coming.

Northlake Tiny House Village Losing Funding

On Oct. 29 employees from the Low-Income Housing Institute (LIHI) made their way to the Northlake tiny house village to tell the formerly homeless residents that their village will close in December. Arguments and obscenities led to a physical tug of war fight at the village front gate between the villagers and LIHI. In April, the Northlake Tiny House Village locked their doors against the city and only a few people have been let in since. After this stalemate, the city has announced that they will not continue funding because they are out of compliance with their contract. Three homeless people have been permanently banned from the village and a bedbug problem has gotten so bad that one of the tiny houses is uninhabitable. Councilmember Kshama Sawant wants to save the village with a budget proposal that would keep Northlake open and establish 20 additional tiny home villages in Seattle.

Homecoming at Texas A&M University Ended in Gunfire and Two Deaths

Brandon Gonzales was arrested and charged Monday in connection with the shooting that left two dead and 14 others injured during a party on Saturday Oct. 26 following the Texas A&M University homecoming. County Sheriff Randy Meeks stated that Gonzales would be charged through a capitol murder case rather than a mass shooting. Gunfire began at 11:45 p.m. on Saturday at The Party Venue, an event center that a Texas A&M University-Commerce fraternity rented out for a Halloween-themed party. A vigil for the victims took place on Sunday and was interrupted by gunfire. Officers responded to the fired shots and found that the shooting took place as a result of a disturbance during the vigil. No persons were hurt but vehicles were damaged.

Katie Hill Resigns after Allegations of Inappropriate Relationships

The website RedState is where allegations first surfaced about Representative Katie Hill. They reported that Hill and her husband had been involved in a sexual relationship with a staffer who worked on Hill’s campaign. The story also included explicit images of Hill and the staffer. RedState also reported that Hill was having an affair with her legislative director, Graham Kelly. Last week, Hill denied having inappropriate relations with Kelly but confessed that she did engage in sexual relationships with her campaign staffer. On Sunday Oct. 27, Hill announced her resignation from her position, naming that it was the hardest thing she’s ever had to do. Hill has also come forward stating that the photos that were published on RedState were published without her consent. When announcing her resignation on Sunday, Hill also noted that she would work to stop revenge porn after leaving office.

Myrea can be reached at [email protected]