3 Things To Know Today

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1 Forecasters Now Say Idalia Will Be At Least A Category 3 Hurricane Before Making Landfall In Florida Tomorrow

Hurricane Idalia is expected to make landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida near Tampa early tomorrow, and it may be bigger than forecasters thought when it does. The forecast calls for Idalia to become at least a Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale, with maximum sustained winds of at least 120 mph at landfall and wind gusts up to 150 mph tomorrow morning. It’s expected to be the biggest hurricane to hit that area of Florida in a century, and possibly the biggest ever. According to records, no storm more powerful than a Category 3 has ever made landfall in the Big Bend area. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said yesterday that he has spoken with President Joe Biden and Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Deanne Criswell, and that everyone is working together to help the residents of the state in the wake of the storm. Forecasters are predicting up to a 12-foot storm surge as Idalia comes ashore, and according to disaster modeling firm Enki Research the storm could cause as much as $10 billion in damage and losses.

2 University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Faculty Member Killed In Campus Shooting

An active shooter alert on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill yesterday afternoon sent students into a campuswide lockdown while law enforcement worked to find the shooter. A suspect was found and taken into custody about an hour and a half after he shot and killed a faculty member at Caudill Laboratories on campus. UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said in a press conference that classes have been canceled for today, and that resources for students and faculty were emailed out. The slain faculty member wasn’t identified by police yesterday pending notification of their family, and officials also didn’t name the suspect because formal charges haven’t been filed. University police haven’t revealed any relationship between the shooter and the faculty member, nor have they discussed any possible motive. Police also say that the weapon used hasn’t been recovered. UNC Police Chief Brian James said the investigation will take several weeks, and that the FBI is assisting.

3 Trump’s First Federal Trial Date Set

A judge set the date yesterday for former President Donald Trump’s federal trial on charges related to his alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election for the day before “Super Tuesday.” U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan rejected special counsel Jack Smith’s request for an earlier trial date and also refused the request from Trump’s lawyers to delay the trial until 2026, instead setting the start date of the trial for March 4th of next year. Trump supporters called the timing “election interference,” while others said it might not matter to Trump’s campaign. “Super Tuesday” on March 5th is the day when a large number of delegates is won in the Republican presidential primaries, with primaries being held in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia.


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