Dust storm causes 80-car pileup in Illinois, kills 6: May 2 rundown

KARAH RUCKER: COMING UP – DRAMATIC IMAGES DEPICT THE LOW VISIBILITY ON ILLINOIS ROADWAYS YESTERDAY AFTER A DUST STORM CAUSED A DEADLY HIGHWAY PILEUP OF DOZENS OF CARS.

AND – WRITERS IN HOLLYWOOD ARE OFFICIALLY ON STRIKE. WHAT THIS COULD MEAN FOR SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE SITCOMS. AND WHAT SHOWS WILL HAVE IMMEDIATE IMPACTS. THE DAILY RUNDOWN STARTS NOW. THIS IS STRAIGHT-ARROW NEWS. BRINGING YOU UNBIASED, STRAIGHT FACTS.

I’M KARAH RUCKER.

DUST STORM CREATES 80-CAR PILEUP

WE BEGIN WITH THE LATEST ON A DUST STORM IN ILLINOIS THAT CREATED AN 80 CAR PILEUP ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY. SIX PEOPLE ARE DEAD FOLLOWING THE CRASHES AND DOZENS MORE WERE SENT TO THE HOSPITAL.

THESE ARE IMAGES OF THE DUST COATING THE SKIES AND BLOCKING VISIBILITY — CREATING A MAJOR HAZARD ON MONDAY ON INTERSTATE 55 NEAR SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS. ACCORDING TO STATE POLICE – THE RARE AND THICK DUST STORM IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY HIGH WINDS BLOWING UP DIRT FROM NEARBY FARMS.

IN THE MIDST OF THE CAR PILE UP — MULTIPLE 18-WHEELERS CAUGHT FIRE IN THE COLLISIONS. IT WAS ROUGHLY A TWO-MILE-STRETCH OF CARS WRECKED ALONGSIDE BOTH DIRECTIONS OF THE HIGHWAY THAT CREWS TIRELESSLY WORKED TO CLEAR AS THE AIR QUALITY IMPROVED.

Kevin Schott | Montgomery County director of emergency services: “This is a difficult scene, something that is very hard to train for, something that we really haven’t experienced locally. We’re very fortunate to have the quality of responders that we have both all police, fire and EMS responders. We have a very professional force.”

TEXAS SHOOTING SUSPECT PREVIOUSLY DEPORTED

WE’RE LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE SUSPECT ACCUSED OF SHOOTING AND KILLING 5 NEIGHBORS IN A TEXAS COMMUNITY. 38-YEAR-OLD FRANCISCO OROPESA IS A MEXICAN NATIONAL PREVIOUSLY DEPORTED BY IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT FOUR TIMES – AND EACH TIME ILLEGALLY RETURNING TO THE U.S.

THIS IS A PICTURE OF OROPESA. WHO — ACCORDING TO REPORTS — HAS BEEN DEPORTED FOUR TIMES FROM TEXAS BACK TO MEXICO — TWICE IN 2009, IN 2012, AND 2016. OROPESA ALSO SERVED JAIL TIME FOR DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED 11 YEARS AGO IN A NEIGHBORING TEXAS COUNTY.

THE MAN IS ACCUSED OF SENSELESSLY MURDERING 5 NEIGHBORS RANGING FROM 9 TO 31 YEARS OLD IN A NORTH HOUSTON SUBURB LATE FRIDAY NIGHT. OROPESA IS STILL ON THE RUN FROM AUTHORITIES. THERE IS AN 80 THOUSAND DOLLAR REWARD FOR INFORMATION THAT LEADS TO HIS ARREST.

MISSING TEENS AMONG 7 FOUND DEAD

EDDY RICE | OKMULGEE COUNTY SHERIFF: “We’re not going to discuss any of the facts of the case or anything like that, but we are no longer looking. We believed to have found everything that we were seeking this morning. Our hearts go out to the families and friends, schoolmates.”

A SEARCH FOR TWO MISSING TEENS IN OKLAHOMA IS NOW OVER AFTER THE SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT UNCOVERED SEVEN BODIES ON A RURAL PROPERTY ABOUT AN HOUR SOUTH OF TULSA. MEDICAL EXAMINERS ARE STILL TRYING TO IDENTIFY AND CONFIRM THE REMAINS FOUND – BUT AUTHORITIES HAVE CALLED OFF THE SEARCH FOR 14-YEAR-OLD IVY WEBSTER AND 16-YEAR-OLD BRITTANY BREWER. 

THE TWO WERE LAST SEEN TRAVELING WITH JESSE MCFADDEN — A REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER —  WHOSE BODY WAS ALSO BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN FOUND ON THE OKLAHOMA PROPERTY. IT’S UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME WHO THE OTHER FOUR SETS OF REMAINS ON THE PROPERTY BELONG TO.

MCFADDEN WAS CONVICTED OF FIRST-DEGREE RAPE IN 2003 AND RELEASED IN 2020.

HE WAS SUPPOSED TO STAND TRIAL ON MONDAY ON CHARGES OF SOLICITING SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH A MINOR AND POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY.

POTENTIAL DEFAULT ON NATION’S DEBT ONE MONTH AWAY

NOW IN THE MONTH OF MAY — TREASURY SECRETARY JANET YELLEN IS WARNING CONGRESS THERE IS ONLY ABOUT ONE MONTH LEFT BEFORE THE U.S. COULD DEFAULT ON ITS DEBT IF NO ACTION IS TAKEN BY LAWMAKERS TO RAISE THE DEBT CEILING. YELLEN HAS STOOD BY A DEADLINE OF JUNE FIRST BUT IS URGING LAWMAKERS NOT TO WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE OR THERE COULD BE REPERCUSSIONS FELT IN THE U.S. ECONOMY.

IN A LETTER TO LAWMAKERS YESTERDAY, YELLEN SAID THAT “WAITING UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE CAN CAUSE SERIOUS HARM” TO THE ECONOMY. HOUSE REPUBLICANS PASSED A BILL LAST WEEK TO RAISE THE DEBT CEILING IN EXCHANGE FOR SPENDING CUTS – BUT THAT’S EXPECTED TO GO NOWHERE IN THE SENATE.

Karine Jean-Pierre | White House press secretary: “Look, it’s not a plan. It’s a recipe for economic catastrophe. That is what they have put forward. They’re putting the wealth and the foreign bondholders, including billionaires and banks in China, over working Americans. You know, Treasury Secretary Yellen said their proposal is effectively a default.”

EPIDEMIC OF LONELINESS AND ISOLATION

THE U.S. SURGEON GENERAL HAS RELEASED A NEW ADVISORY TODAY – CALLING ATTENTION TO A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS OF LONELINESS, ISOLATION, AND LACK OF CONNECTION IN THE UNITED STATES.

U.S. SURGEON GENERAL DOCTOR VIVEK MURTHY SAID LACKING CONNECTION INCREASES THE RISK FOR PREMATURE DEATH TO MORE THAN 60 PERCENT —

WHICH HE SAYS CARRIES THE SAME WEIGHT AS SMOKING 15 CIGARETTES A DAY.

THE REPORT CITES RESEARCH SHOWING THAT APPROXIMATELY HALF OF U.S. ADULTS EXPERIENCE LONELINESS DAILY. THAT RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED BEFORE THE PANDEMIC. A LACK OF SOCIAL CONNECTION HAS ALSO BEEN LINKED TO AN INCREASED RISK OF HEART DISEASE, STROKE, ANXIETY, AND DEMENTIA – ACCORDING TO THE STUDY.

THE SURGEON GENERAL’S REPORT LAYS OUT GUIDANCE TO INCREASE SOCIAL CONNECTION WITHIN THE WORKPLACE AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES – A STRATEGY THAT HAS NEVER BEEN IMPLEMENTED IN THE U.S. BEFORE.

HOLLYWOOD WRITERS STRIKE, TV PRODUCTION TO SLOW

THOUSANDS OF WRITERS IN HOLLYWOOD ARE OFFICIALLY ON STRIKE. THIS MARKS THE FIRST MAJOR WALKOUT IN FIFTEEN YEARS. THE STRIKE IS LIKELY TO SHUT DOWN PRODUCTION ON SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE TELEVISION SHOWS, STREAMING SERIES, AND POTENTIALLY SOME FILMS – UPENDING THE INDUSTRY.

SOME IMPACTS WILL BE IMMEDIATELY CLEAR — LIKE LATE NIGHT SHOWS EXPECTED TO GO DARK.

AMERICAN AIRLINES PILOTS AUTHORIZE STRIKE

HOLLYWOOD WRITERS GOING ON STRIKE COMES AS 15 THOUSAND AMERICAN AIRLINES PILOTS HAVE AUTHORIZED A STRIKE MANDATE – MEANING IF THEIR CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS FAIL — A STRIKE IS POSSIBLE. SOMETHING THAT CARRIES EXTRA WEIGHT THIS TIME OF YEAR AS AIRLINES PREPARE FOR A BUSY SUMMER TRAVEL SEASON.

PILOTS ARE ASKING FOR BETTER PAY AND BETTER SCHEDULING IN THEIR CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS.

THESE ARE YOUR TOP STORIES. THANKS FOR WATCHING THE DAILY RUNDOWN.

WE’RE ON A MISSION TO BRING BACK TRUSTWORTHY JOURNALISM BY SERVING ONLY YOU — NOT AN AGENDA. BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MORE OF OUR WORK AT STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS DOT COM. WE’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE TOMORROW.

UNTIL THEN I’M KARAH RUCKER. HAVE A GREAT DAY!