FLORIDA BRACES FOR SEVERE WEATHER AS A POTENTIAL HURRICANE APPROACHES.

AND WHY PAPER STRAWS MAY NOT BE THE BETTER OPTION OVER PLASTIC AFTER ALL

THE MORNING RUNDOWN STARTS NOW.

THIS IS STRAIGHT-ARROW NEWS.

BRINGING YOU UNBIASED, STRAIGHT FACTS.

TODAY IS MONDAY — AUGUST 28TH

THANKS FOR JOINING US.

I’M KARAH RUCKER.

FLORIDA IS BRACING FOR IMPACT AS TROPICAL STORM IDALIA IS INTENSIFYING AND BARRELING ITS WAY TOWARD THE GULF COAST.

IT’S PROJECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL AS A **HURRICANE —

TUESDAY NIGHT — INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING — ANYWHERE BETWEEN TAMPA AND PANAMA CITY.

FLORIDA GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS PREPARING RESIDENTS AND STATE RESOURCES AHEAD OF ITS LANDFALL.

“The Gulf is very, very warm. And so that will provide some fuel for this thing to to pick up some more speed so…”

“In terms of resources. We have mobilized 1100 National Guardsmen and they have at their disposal 2400 high water vehicles, as well as 12 aircraft that can be used for rescue and recovery efforts.”

FORECASTERS ARE PROJECTING BECAUSE OF THE RECORD-WARM GULF OF MEXICO —

THE STORM SYSTEM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO UPGRADE INTO A CATEGORY **TWO HURRICANE.

DESANTIS WARNED THAT FLOODING ALONG WITH THE LACK OF ELECTRICITY DURING POWERFUL STORMS ARE TWO MAJOR THREATS TO RESIDENTS IN THE STORM’S PATHWAY.

RESIDENTS IN FLORIDA ARE TYING DOWN BIG OBJECTS IN THEIR YARDS, FILLING UP SANDBAGS, AND STOCKING UP WATER AND FOOD.

STORMS GIVEN NAMES THAT BEGIN WITH THE LETTER “I” — LIKE IDALIA — ARE OFTEN A BRUTAL FORCE – AS THEY OFTEN COINCIDE WITH THE PEAK OF HURRICANE SEASON.

PORTIONS OF FLORIDA ARE STILL RECOVERING FROM LAST YEAR’S HURRICANE IAN.

AS MUCH OF FLORIDA PREPARES FOR THE IMPENDING HURRICANE, ONE CITY IS TRYING TO COPE WITH THE LATEST MASS SHOOTING IN THE COUNTRY.

A VIGIL WAS HELD ON SUNDAY TO REMEMBER THREE VICTIMS WHO WERE KILLED AT A DOLLAR GENERAL STORE IN JACKSONVILLE THE DAY BEFORE.

JACKSONVILLE SHERIFF T.K. WATERS SAYS THE SHOOTING WAS RACIALLY MOTIVATED – ALL 3 VICTIMS WERE BLACK. THE SHOOTER WAS A 21-YEAR OLD WHITE MALE.

ACCORDING TO AUTHORITIES, THE SUSPECT – RYAN CHRISTOPHER PALMETER – LEFT BEHIND SEVERAL MANIFESTOS DETAILING HIS HATRED FOR BLACK PEOPLE.

“One to his parents, one to the media, one to federal agents. Portions of these manifestos detail the shooter’s disgusting ideology of hate. Plainly put this shooting was racially motivated and he hated Black people.”

OFFICIALS SAY THE SUSPECT HAD TRIED TO ENTER NEARBY EDWARDS WATERS UNIVERSITY, A HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE BUT WAS TURNED AWAY BY A SECURITY GUARD —

BEFORE HEADING TO THE DOLLAR GENERAL.

AUTHORITIES SAY PALMETER HAD PURCHASED HIS GUNS LEGALLY – AND HAD NO CRIMINAL HISTORY.

THEY SAY HE WAS INVOLUNTARILY COMMITTED FOR A 72-HOUR MENTAL HEALTH EXAMINATION IN 20-17.

THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SAYS IT IS INVESTIGATING THE SHOOTING AS A HATE CRIME.

THREE U.S. MARINES HAVE DIED IN A MILITARY HELICOPTER TRAINING EXERCISE IN AUSTRALIA.

5 OTHERS REMAIN IN SERIOUS CONDITION — AFTER THE “OSPREY” AIRCRAFT CARRYING 23 MARINES WENT DOWN.

AUTHORITIES IN AUSTRALIA HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE SHORTLY AFTER THE INCIDENT.

ACCORDING TO THOSE OFFICIALS ON THE GROUND —

THE PILOT HAD RADIOED IN AN EMERGENCY JUST MOMENTS BEFORE THE HELICOPTER CRASHED ON A REMOTE ISLAND IN NORTHERN AUSTRALIA SUNDAY MORNING.

THE OSPREY WAS ONE OF TWO TAKING PART IN A 12-DAY INTERNATIONAL EXERCISE INVOLVING TROOPS FROM FIVE COUNTRIES.

INVESTIGATORS SAY THE CAUSE OF THE CRASH IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION.

IT’S THE LATEST DEADLY MILITARY CRASH IN RECENT MONTHS –

LAST YEAR — NINE MARINES DIED IN TWO SEPARATE CRASHES INVOLVING THE SAME STYLE OSPREY AIRCRAFT.

ANOTHER MILITARY AIRCRAFT CRASHED NEAR SAN DIEGO LAST WEEK — KILLING THE PILOT ON BOARD.

U-S COMMERCE SECRETARY GINA RAIMONDO IS IN CHINA WHERE SHE IS MEETING WITH GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS LEADERS IN BEIJING AND SHANGHAI OVER A 4-DAY TRIP.

SPEAKING WITH THE CHINESE COMMERCE MINISTER THIS MORNING, RAIMONDO SAID IT IS IMPORTANT THE TWO COUNTRIES HAVE A STABLE ECONOMIC RELATIONSHIP.

RAIMONDO SAYS HER GOALS INCLUDE BOOSTING POST-PANDEMIC TRAVEL BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES AND STRENGTHENING THEIR COMMERCIAL RELATIONS —

SOMETHING STRAINED RECENTLY BY U.S. RESTRICTIONS OVER CHINESE TECHNOLOGY — SPECIFICALLY U.S. EXPORT CONTROLS OVER CHINESE SEMI-CONDUCTORS.

RAIMONDO TOLD HER CHINESE COUNTERPART SHE WOULD NOT COMPROMISE OR NEGOTIATE ON ANY MATTERS RELATED TO NATIONAL SECURITY.

THIS IS THE FIRST VISIT FROM A U-S COMMERCE SECRETARY IN SEVEN YEARS.

PAPER STRAWS ARE OFTEN USED IN PLACE OF PLASTIC ONES IN THE NAME OF BEING “ECO-FRIENDLY.”

BUT ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY —

THAT MAY NOT BE THE CASE.

ACCORDING TO THE AUTHORS OF A NEW EUROPEAN STUDY —

PAPER STRAWS MAY CONTAIN WHAT ARE CALLED “FOREVER CHEMICALS” THAT CAN BE HARMFUL TO BOTH HUMANS AND THE ENVIRONMENT.

THOSE CHEMICALS WERE MORE OFTEN FOUND IN **PAPER STRAWS OVER PLASTIC STRAWS.

90 PERCENT OF PAPER STRAWS EXAMINED BY RESEARCHERS CONTAINED THE DANGEROUS CHEMICALS THAT REMAIN FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND ARE KNOWN TO CAUSE HEALTH ISSUES.

WHILE PAPER STRAWS WERE MORE OFTEN FOUND WITH FOREVER CHEMICALS —

75 PERCENT OF PLASTIC STRAWS TESTED **ALSO CAME UP “CONTAMINATED”.

STRAWS MADE UP OF “STEEL” WERE THE ONLY TYPE FOUND WITHOUT THE CHEMICALS PRESENT.

FANS OF THE GAME SHOW ‘THE PRICE IS RIGHT’ ARE REMEMBERING ITS LONGTIME HOST BOB BARKER WHO PASSED AWAY ON SATURDAY AT THE AGE OF 99.

ANIMAL RIGHTS ADVOCATES ARE ALSO PAYING TRIBUTE – AS BARKER WAS KNOWN TO SPEAK UP FOR THE CAUSE – FAMOUSLY TELLING VIEWERS AT THE END OF EACH EPISODE TO –  ‘HELP CONTROL THE PET POPULATION – HAVE YOUR PET SPAYED OR NEUTERED.’

THE SEA SHEPHERD CONSERVATION SOCIETY – WHICH BARKER HAD DONATED 5 MILLION DOLLARS TO – SOUNDED ITS SHIP’S HORN THIS WEEKEND IN HIS HONOR.

SEA SHEPHERD USED BARKER’S MONEY TO PURCHASE A SHIP IN 2009 AS PART OF ITS ANTI-WHALING CAMPAIGN. THEY NAMED IT — THE BOB BARKER.

THOSE ARE YOUR TOP STORIES THIS MONDAY MORNING. THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS AS YOUR TRUSTED SOURCE.

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UNBIASED. STRAIGHT FACTS. THAT’S STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS.

WE’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE TOMORROW.

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