Why Flags Are Half-staff in Four States Today, This Weekend
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Communities across Florida, South Dakota, New York, and Connecticut, are observing a period of mourning this weekend, as official orders have directed flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of local and national figures.
The Context
The lowering of the American flag is a visible marker of collective sorrow and remembrance. Such statewide and local orders not only honor lives lost but also call attention to public service, community sacrifice, and, in some cases, high-profile tragedies.
Birds fly among American flags at half-staff on January 19, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
Birds fly among American flags at half-staff on January 19, 2025 in Washington, D.C.Florida
Florida will fly U.S. and state flags at half-staff on August 1, 2025, to honor the life and legacy of Terry Bollea, known globally as Hulk Hogan, who passed away on July 24, 2025.
Hogan was born in Augusta, Georgia, but moved to Tampa at an early age, an announcement from the Governor's office noted.
He was inducted into the wrestling hall of fame twice—in 2005 and 2020, it added.
"His larger-than-life personality will be missed, as the 'Hulkster' was an icon for many who grew up in the 80s and 90s as well as today. He was a true Floridian through and through," read the statement.
Orders from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis specify that flags be at half-staff at the State Capitol in Tallahassee and public buildings in Pinellas County from sunrise to sunset on Friday, August 1, 2025.
South Dakota
Governor Larry Rhoden ordered that flags fly at half-staff at the State Capitol in honor of Louis (Lou) Sebert, who served in the South Dakota State House of Representatives from 1999 to 2006.
A funeral mass for Sebert would take place on Friday morning, the announcement said, and flags would remain at half-staff until sunset.
New York
New York State lowered flags on all State government buildings to half-staff beginning July 29, following the deadly attack in Manhattan that claimed the life of NYPD Officer Didarul Islam and others on July 28, 2025.
At least four people were killed in the attack, including Islam, with at least one other wounded, authorities said at the time. The shooter died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Islam "represented the very best of our department," the New York City Police Department (NYPD) said in a statement following the attack.
"He was protecting New Yorkers from danger when his life was tragically cut short today."
"The violence we witnessed at the hands of this individual is sickening, unacceptable and it must stop here," Governor Kathy Hochul said.
"An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us, and we must confront this violence head on. My heart is with our neighbors in Manhattan, the victims and their families—as well as the brave men and women of the NYPD.
Hochul said that flags in the state will remain lowered until all the victims of the shooting were laid to rest.
Connecticut
Connecticut's Governor Ned Lamont ordered flags at half-staff statewide starting July 27, 2025, following the line-of-duty death of Plainville Firefighter Raymond "Ray" Alan Moreau.
A statement from the Governor's office said Moreau died while operating at a fire at a residence in Plainville.
"It is with extreme sadness today that we mourn the life of Plainville Firefighter Raymond Moreau, who selflessly put his life on the line to serve and protect his community," Lamont said.
"Today's tragedy is another reminder about the extraordinary risk that firefighters face as part of their duties, and they are heroes for assuming these responsibilities. On behalf of the entire State of Connecticut, I extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Firefighter Moreau, including his wife Chris and his colleagues at the Plainville Fire Department."
Moreau's funeral is set to take place on Saturday, Plainville Fire Company said.
In an update on Friday, Lamont's office said flags in the state would return to full-staff at sunset on Saturday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a minute ago
- Yahoo
Rwanda agrees to take deportees from the US after migrant deal with UK collapsed
Rwanda on Tuesday became the third African nation to agree to accept deportees from the United States under the Trump administration's plans to send migrants to countries they have no ties with to get them off American soil. Rwandan government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo told The Associated Press in a statement that the East African country would accept up to 250 deportees from the US, with 'the ability to approve each individual proposed for resettlement' under the agreement. Ms Makolo did not provide a timeline for any deportees to arrive in Rwanda or say if they would arrive at once or in several batches. She said details were still being worked out. The US sent 13 men it described as dangerous criminals who were in the US illegally to South Sudan and Eswatini in Africa last month and has said it is seeking more agreements with African nations. It said those deportees' home countries refused to take them back. The US has also deported hundreds of Venezuelans and others to Costa Rica, El Salvador and Panama under President Donald Trump's plans to expel people who he says entered the US illegally and are 'the worst of the worst'. Rwanda attracted international attention and some outrage when it struck a deal in 2022 with the UK to accept migrants who had arrived in the UK to seek asylum. Under that proposed deal, their claims would have been processed in Rwanda and, if successful, they would have stayed there. The contentious agreement was criticised by rights groups and others as being unethical and unworkable and was ultimately scrapped when Britain's new Labour government took over. Britain's Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that the deal was unlawful because Rwanda was not a safe third country for migrants. The Trump administration has come under scrutiny for the African countries it has entered into secretive deals with to take deportees. It sent eight men from South Sudan, Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar and Vietnam to South Sudan in early July after a US Supreme Court ruling cleared the way for their deportations. They were held for weeks in a converted shipping container at an American military base in Djibouti as the legal battle over their deportations played out. South Sudan, which is tipping towards civil war, has declined to say where the men are being held or what their fate is. The US also deported five men who are citizens of Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen and Laos to the southern African kingdom of Eswatini, where the government said they will be held in solitary confinement in prison for an undetermined period of time. A human rights lawyer in Eswatini said the men are being denied access to legal representation there and has taken authorities to court. Eswatini is Africa's last absolute monarchy. The king rules over government and political parties are effectively banned. Both South Sudan and Eswatini have declined to give details of their agreements with the US. Rwanda, a country of some 15 million people, has long stood out on the continent for its recovery from a genocide that killed more than 800,000 people in 1994. It has promoted itself under long-time President Paul Kagame as an example of stability and development, but human rights groups allege there are also deadly crackdowns on any perceived dissent against Mr Kagame, who has been president for 25 years. Government spokesperson Ms Makolo said the agreement with the US was Rwanda doing its part to help with international migration issues because 'our societal values are founded on reintegration and rehabilitation'. 'Those approved (for resettlement in Rwanda) will be provided with workforce training, healthcare and accommodation support to jumpstart their lives in Rwanda, giving them the opportunity to contribute to one of the fastest-growing economies in the world over the last decade,' she said. There were no details about whether Rwanda had received anything in return for taking the deportees. Gonzaga Muganwa, a Rwandan political analyst, said 'appeasing President Trump pays'. 'This agreement enhances Rwanda's strategic interest of having good relationships with the Trump administration,' he said.
Los Angeles Times
2 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
NATO to coordinate regular and large-scale arm deliveries to Ukraine. Most will be bought in the US
BRUSSELS — NATO has started coordinating regular deliveries of large weapons packages to Ukraine after the Netherlands said it would provide air defense equipment, ammunition and other military aid worth $578 million. Sweden also announced Tuesday it would contribute $275 million to a joint effort along with its Nordic neighbors Denmark and Norway to provide $500 million worth of air defenses, anti-tank weapons, ammunition and spare parts. Two deliveries of equipment, most of it bought in the United States, are expected this month, although the Nordic package is expected to arrive in September. The equipment is supplied based on Ukraine's priority needs on the battlefield. NATO allies then locate the weapons and ammunition and send them on. 'Packages will be prepared rapidly and issued on a regular basis,' NATO said Monday. Air defense systems are in greatest need. The United Nations has said that Russia's relentless pounding of urban areas behind the front line has killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians. Russia's bigger army is also making slow but costly progress along the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line. Currently, it is waging an operation to take the eastern city of Pokrovsk, a logistical hub whose fall could allow it to drive deeper into Ukraine. European allies and Canada are buying most of the equipment they plan to send from the United States, which has greater stocks of ready military materiel, as well as more effective weapons. The Trump administration is not giving any arms to Ukraine. The new deliveries will come on top of other pledges of military equipment. The Kiel Institute, which tracks support to Ukraine, estimates that as of June, European countries had provided 72 billion euros ($83 billion) worth of military aid since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, compared to $65 billion in U.S. aid. Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said that 'American air defense systems and munitions, in particular, are crucial for Ukraine to defend itself.' Announcing the deliveries Monday, he said Russia's attacks are 'pure terror, intended to break Ukraine.' President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his gratitude to the Netherlands, posting on social media that 'Ukraine, and thus the whole of Europe, will be better protected from Russian terror.' He said the deliveries are coming 'at a time when Russia is trying to scale up its strikes. This will definitely help protect the lives of our people!' Germany said Friday it will deliver two more Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine in the coming days. It agreed to the move after securing assurances that the U.S. will prioritize the delivery of new Patriots to Germany to backfill its stocks. These weapon systems are only made in the U.S. As an organization, NATO provides only non-lethal assistance to Ukraine like uniforms, tents, medical supplies and logistics support. The 32-nation military alliance has mostly sought to protect NATO territory from possible Russian attack and avoid being dragged into a war against a nuclear power. But its support role has expanded since President Trump took office in January, even as his administration insists European allies must now take care of their own security and that of their war-ravaged neighbor. Trump has made no public promise of weapons or economic support for Ukraine. Trump said on July 28 that the U.S. is 'going to be sending now military equipment and other equipment to NATO, and they'll be doing what they want, but I guess it's for the most part working with Ukraine.' Cook writes for the Associated Press. Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, and Kirsten Grieshaber and David Keyton in Berlin contributed to this report.
New York Post
2 minutes ago
- New York Post
Trump walks along White House roof, jokes he's ready to install ‘nuclear missiles' there
WASHINGTON — President Trump was spotted strolling along a roof at the White House on Tuesday morning — and jokingly told reporters he was planning to install 'nuclear missiles' there. The president at first claimed he was 'just talking a little walk' — before saying he was looking to put 'nuclear missiles' there and chuckling and moving his hand to mimic a projectile. Trump has already completed numerous construction projects at the presidential residence and said he is looking to add more, including a privately funded $200 million ballroom in the East Wing that he hopes to complete before he leaves office. 3 President Trump shouts to the press from a rooftop as he surveys the grounds of the White House on Tuesday. AFP via Getty Images The president pointed out Tuesday that he was walking on the west side of the White House, directly on top of the press briefing room — meaning that he was surveying an area not intended for the ballroom. The real-estate mogul did not respond to questions on whether he is looking to add an additional floor to the West Wing area to make additional room for his staff or reporters in the briefing room. He gestured that he may build something circular with his hands before shouting, 'Anything I do is financed by me!' He may have been also checking out the recently completed Rose Garden construction that added a concrete floor to the garden grounds — as it is directly below the West Wing roof. 3 Trump suggests he may build something 'round.' AFP via Getty Images 3 The president has already transformed the Rose Garden and plans to build a $200 million ballroom in the East Wing. AFP via Getty Images The project was initiated to make standing in the garden comfortable for women in high heels, without their stilettos getting caught in the mud. The president has previously walked around the White House grounds several times this term to talk to construction workers and survey the area of his construction projects. He erected two 100-foot flag poles — one on the North Lawn and one on the South Lawn — with American flags billowing from their masts and has transformed the Oval Office to include gold plating on the ceiling, the fireplace and the floor.
