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Miami Herald
27-05-2025
- Miami Herald
Carnival Cruise Line gives passengers Titanic-like warning
Although a disaster like the sinking of the Titanic is highly unlikely to happen today thanks to significant advancements in technology, ship construction, and other factors, it's a tragic event that the world will likely never forget. Naturally, anytime ice is mentioned in relation to a ship, some minds undoubtedly gravitate to the Titanic. Related: Carnival Cruise Line answers controversial tipping question That's where many Carnival cruisers' minds went recently when they learned that one of the cruise line's ships was about to face treacherous icy waters on an adventurous voyage to the world's biggest island (and one of the iciest). Carnival Pride left Baltimore on May 25 to sail a 14-day Greenland and Canada cruise - one of the cruise line's specialty Carnival Journeys sailings - but shortly before passengers set off on their bucket-list adventure, they received a worrisome notification. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise. "Captain Vito Giacalone and the entire Carnival Pride team are looking forward to welcoming you aboard for a voyage that will take you to the majestic landscapes of Greenland and Canada," the cruise line began in an email to Carnival Pride passengers. Carnival wanted to notify passengers of precautionary measures being taken due to extra icy sea conditions present along their intended route. "Ahead of embarkation Sunday, May 25, we are sharing the steps that are being taken to ensure your comfort and safety throughout the voyage. At present, in areas along our intended route, there is a significant presence of sea ice which could impact the itinerary," the cruise line explained. Related: Carnival Cruise Line passengers targeted by more travel scams The cruise line assured passengers that their experienced captain is aware of the conditions and well equipped to handle them. "With support and guidance from our Fleet Operations center, Captain Giacalone has been closely monitoring real time sea conditions and weather forecasts for the region," Carnival continued. "He has much practice sailing the waters in the area, but he will also have experienced local pilots from Greenland on board." Carnival also wanted passengers to know that the captain may need to alter their cruise itinerary as a result of the sea ice. "Should any changes be necessary, Captain Giacalone will communicate them promptly. We appreciate your understanding and flexibility as we navigate this remarkable part of the world." Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings, and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald also addressed the icy situation on his popular Facebook page where he responds to hundreds of cruiser questions and concerns each day. "Obviously we will see how the situation unfolds, but for now, the brilliant Captain Vito will do his very best to make sure guests get to Greenland where the locals are ready to welcome them," Heald wrote. "There is no better Captain to do this than my friend Captain Vito, but he will never ever put the ship's safety in jeopardy." A few cruisers who made this awe-inspiring journey to Greenland with Captain Vito in the past also commented on the post to help reassure and encourage Carnival Pride passengers. More Carnival cruise news: Carnival cruisers eat way more of one food than Guy Fieri burgersCarnival Cruise Line cruisers debate controversial elevator issueCarnival Cruise Line warns passengers about sleazy onboard scam "We were on this cruise last year, and Captain Vito and his ice pilots could not get us to land, but we were able to navigate a magnificent fjord in Greenland. We also were fog-bound in St. Anthony and were unable to shuttle to shore. But our stops in Corner Brook and Sydney were lovely, and Captain Vito (who may be the funniest man in Carnival's employ!) kept us safe and informed," Jim Lee wrote. "Qaqortoq was amazing. A Journey cruise is like sailing on an adventure to the New World but with all of the comforts of home and more. Sailing in style that explorers could only dream of," Chris Idenouye added. "Go with the flow, savor every moment, accept the unexpected with grace and dignity. You are experiencing something that millions can only dream of." Passengers making this year's voyage seem to be well prepared to embrace the adventure - and its challenges. "We have been told from the beginning that there is a chance we might not make a port or two. We understand safety comes first. I'm sure it will be a wonderful 14 days, no matter what," Lilly N Dave's Adventures noted. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me's Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@ or call or text her at 386-383-2472. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Yahoo
NY has most dangerous public transit in America — but California tops the most deaths, data shows
New York state's public transit is the most dangerous in the US, a new analysis found. Between 2021 and 2023, mass transit in the Empire State saw 23 deaths, 1,641 violent incidents and 1,759 injuries – for a hair-raising average of 17.5 perilous incidents per 100,000 riders, personal injury attorneys John Foy & Associates found in its analysis of US Department of Transportation data. Illinois was No. 2 on the list of most dangerous public transit systems, with 13.3 incidents per 100,000 riders, followed by Minnesota (11), Massachusetts (8.1) and Pennsylvania (4.9). California – which was the only state to record more mass-transit deaths than New York, with 31 – saw 4.4 perilous incidents per 100,000 riders. The least dangerous transit states were Arizona and Washington each, with 2.6 dangerous incidents per capita. In New York City — home to the MTA, the largest public transportation agency in North America — subways alone saw a daily ridership of 3.2 million from Jan. 5 to Jan. 8. Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant, recalled the frightful period in the Big Apple's underground. 'Over that three-, four-year period between 2020 and 2024, we had just as many murders as we had done in the previous 20 years in the New York City subway system,' recalled Giacalone, an adjunct professor at Penn State University-Lehigh Valley. In 2022, the city subway system saw 10 murders – the highest number in 25 years. There had never been more than five murders underground in a single year between 1997 and 2020, according to NYPD data. During the morning rush on April 12, 2022, madman Frank James, 62, lit a smoke bomb and opened fire in a packed subway car in Brooklyn, shooting 10 people and injuring a total of 29. James was sentenced to life in prison for the planned, race-fueled attack aboard the N train in Sunset Park – which petrified the city just as pandemic restrictions had eased. More recently, an illegal migrant allegedly torched a woman to death on a Brooklyn subway. Guatemalan native Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, 33, is accused of setting on fire a sleeping Debrina Kawam, 57, then watching her burn, during the terrifying Dec. 22, 2024 attack on an F train. So far this year, the city's transit system has seen 50% more rapes – with three, compared to two at this point last year – and a 7% spike in misdemeanor assaults (409 vs. 382). Overall, crime is down 18% — the second-lowest level of subway crime in 27 years, according to the NYPD's latest transit crime report and a department statement last week. For the first time in seven years, there were no murders in the transit system during the first quarter of 2025, the statement said, citing 'a surge in NYPD patrol of subway platforms and trains to combat crime and violence.' Within a three-day period last month, three men – one of whom was believed to be homeless – died after being struck by trains in Manhattan. 'The city subway system has definitely taken a hit over the past several years, and a lot of that is to lay at the feet of [former mayor] Bill de Blasio and [former city council speaker] Melissa Mark-Viverito and a couple other city council members, who basically decriminalized a bunch of things and removed police from doing their jobs – ultimately turning [the transit system] into a big homeless shelter,' Giacalone told The Post.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Yahoo
Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger penned essay showing he knew how to cover tracks
Idaho prosecutors have unveiled a college essay from student murders suspect Bryan Kohberger that shows he knows his way around a crime scene, new court filings reveal. In the missive, written in 2020 during finals for a 300-level criminal justice course, Kohberger described how crime scene investigators use "fiber-free" overalls, gloves and booties to avoid contaminating the location with their own DNA and fingerprints. At 1122 King Road, where he allegedly killed four University of Idaho undergrads in November 2022, police have revealed little evidence aside from a Ka-Bar knife sheath found under one of the victims that allegedly had Kohberger's DNA on the snap. Before the FBI identified him as a person of interest through investigative genetic genealogy, his name was unknown to detectives. Idaho Weather From Night Of Student Murders Clouds 'Moon And Stars' Alibi He went into other aspects of a crime scene investigation, but repeatedly referenced measures police should take to protect the location, shared his thoughts about circumstantial evidence, identified domestic partners as potential suspects and warned that crime scenes could be staged. Bryan Kohberger's Family Could Be Asked To Testify Against Him: Court Docs Read On The Fox News App "Prosecutors are going to talk about this when they bring up the lack of forensic evidence left by the killer," said Joseph Giacalone, a former NYPD cold case investigator and a criminal justice professor at Penn State-Lehigh Valley. "They're going to say, 'Look how much he knew about this. He talks about fiber-free clothing.'" Kohberger mentioned fiber-free overalls, shoe covers, gloves, hair nets and more when talking about protective gear an investigator should wear to avoid contaminating a scene. "This is not helpful for him," Giacalone said. Bryan Kohberger's Amazon Records Are 'Catastrophic' For Defense, 'Smoking Gun' For Prosecutors, Experts Say "The same way he talks about this fictitious cop about not leaving evidence behind…we might have a little insight into how, or at least an answer about, the lack of forensic evidence was left behind," Giacalone told Fox News Digital. "He doesn't mention it by name, but Locard's Exchange Principle, the theory of transfer between all evidence, he does talk about transfer of evidence a number of times throughout this." But Kohberger also made some mistakes in the piece, Giacalone said. SIGN UP TO GET True Crime Newsletter "He said staging is common," Giacalone told Fox News Digital. "It's not common. You know, most of the things that happen at crime scenes are mistakes or just panic mode." He also doesn't believe that Kohberger, if he committed the crimes as alleged, would have had time to stage the scene after killing four people in roughly 15 minutes, then running into an eyewitness on the way out, who he did not attack. Follow The Fox True Crime Team On X "I think there's no way that he didn't see her," he said. "So the staging part of this, I don't find it plausible for him in that scenario." Kohberger, who, through his attorneys, has argued there was blood and DNA evidence at the victims' home that could point to potential alternate perpetrators, wrote in his essay that crime scene investigators don't have the responsibility of vetting potentially planted evidence. GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE True Crime Hub "Even if there was an item introduced to the scene by an offender to throw off investigators, it is not the job of the criminal investigator processing the crime scene to jump to conclusion," Kohberger wrote. Giacalone said if Kohberger turned in the paper for one of his classes, he'd probably give it a B. "He knows a lot, but you can get this out of any academic book," Giacalone said. "You can learn about this, but putting it into practice and doing it are two other things." Read Bryan Kohberger's essay Kohberger graduated from DeSales University with a master's degree and then went on to Washington State University to pursue a Ph.D. in criminology. The school is just 10 miles away from the University of Idaho, where he is accused of entering a house at 4 a.m. and killing four of the six students inside on Nov. 13, 2022. The victims were Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. The three young women were all roommates. Chapin lived nearby and was dating Kernodle. Kohberger's trial on four charges of first-degree murder and another of burglary is set to begin on Aug. 11. Jury selection is scheduled for July 30. A previous judge entered not-guilty pleas on Kohberger's behalf at an arraignment in May 2023. He could face the death penalty if article source: Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger penned essay showing he knew how to cover tracks
Fox News
28-03-2025
- Fox News
Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger penned essay showing he knew how to cover tracks
Idaho prosecutors have unveiled a college essay from student murders suspect Bryan Kohberger that shows he knows his way around a crime scene, new court filings reveal. In the missive, written in 2020 during finals for a 300-level criminal justice course, Kohberger described how crime scene investigators use "fiber-free" overalls, gloves and booties to avoid contaminating the location with their own DNA and fingerprints. At 1122 King Road, where he allegedly killed four University of Idaho undergrads in November 2022, police have revealed little evidence aside from a Ka-Bar knife sheath found under one of the victims that allegedly had Kohberger's DNA on the snap. Before the FBI identified him as a person of interest through investigative genetic genealogy, his name was unknown to detectives. He went into other aspects of a crime scene investigation, but repeatedly referenced measures police should take to protect the location, shared his thoughts about circumstantial evidence, identified domestic partners as potential suspects and warned that crime scenes could be staged. "Gloves to protect the scene from contamination, this will enable that I avoid leaving my latent fingerprints." "Prosecutors are going to talk about this when they bring up the lack of forensic evidence left by the killer," said Joseph Giacalone, a former NYPD cold case investigator and a criminal justice professor at Penn State-Lehigh Valley. "They're going to say, 'Look how much he knew about this. He talks about fiber-free clothing.'" Kohberger mentioned fiber-free overalls, shoe covers, gloves, hair nets and more when talking about protective gear an investigator should wear to avoid contaminating a scene. "Protective clothing: boot covers, eyewear, fiber-free overalls, face masks, hair nets, gowns, and anything that will prevent me from contaminating the scene with things I bring in with me." "This is not helpful for him," Giacalone said. "The same way he talks about this fictitious cop about not leaving evidence behind…we might have a little insight into how, or at least an answer about, the lack of forensic evidence was left behind," Giacalone told Fox News Digital. "He doesn't mention it by name, but Locard's Exchange Principle, the theory of transfer between all evidence, he does talk about transfer of evidence a number of times throughout this." But Kohberger also made some mistakes in the piece, Giacalone said. "Crimes of passion are rooted in emotionality and impulsivity: if this is the case, we can likely count on there being latent fingerprints on the doorknob and all over the knife and victim." SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER "He said staging is common," Giacalone told Fox News Digital. "It's not common. You know, most of the things that happen at crime scenes are mistakes or just panic mode." He also doesn't believe that Kohberger, if he committed the crimes as alleged, would have had time to stage the scene after killing four people in roughly 15 minutes, then running into an eyewitness on the way out, who he did not attack. "Surveillance footage is circumstantial evidence but may lead investigators in the right direction and to the apprehension of the suspect." "I think there's no way that he didn't see her," he said. "So the staging part of this, I don't find it plausible for him in that scenario." Kohberger, who, through his attorneys, has argued there was blood and DNA evidence at the victims' home that could point to potential alternate perpetrators, wrote in his essay that crime scene investigators don't have the responsibility of vetting potentially planted evidence. "Checking into the husband or boyfriend and the location of the children based on the crime-scene evidence is warranted." GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB "Even if there was an item introduced to the scene by an offender to throw off investigators, it is not the job of the criminal investigator processing the crime scene to jump to conclusion," Kohberger wrote. Giacalone said if Kohberger turned in the paper for one of his classes, he'd probably give it a B. "He knows a lot, but you can get this out of any academic book," Giacalone said. "You can learn about this, but putting it into practice and doing it are two other things." Read Bryan Kohberger's essay Kohberger graduated from DeSales University with a master's degree and then went on to Washington State University to pursue a Ph.D. in criminology. The school is just 10 miles away from the University of Idaho, where he is accused of entering a house at 4 a.m. and killing four of the six students inside on Nov. 13, 2022. "Staging is common." The victims were Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. The three young women were all roommates. Chapin lived nearby and was dating Kernodle. Kohberger's trial on four charges of first-degree murder and another of burglary is set to begin on Aug. 11. Jury selection is scheduled for July 30. A previous judge entered not-guilty pleas on Kohberger's behalf at an arraignment in May 2023. He could face the death penalty if convicted.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Albany pols push bill honoring families of sanitation workers who died of 9/11-related cancers
Albany lawmakers are pushing a bill that would offer family members of late sanitation workers who cleaned up Ground Zero some of the same benefits provided to loved ones of first responders who died from 9/11-related illnesses. The Ignazio Giacalone Act would give children and siblings of sanitation workers who died from 9/11-related illnesses additional credits on their civil service exam, bringing them in line with firefighters and cops. The bill is named after Ignazio Giacalone, who died in 2021 after a battle with cancer, related to his work at ground zero. 'They gave the city everything. And finally, at least they're getting some type of support. It's nice,' Giacalone's son, Michael, told The Post. Over 100 sanitation department workers have died of cancer tied to their work cleaning up the trade center's site. The younger Giacalone is hoping to follow in his father's footsteps. He currently has a list number and is set to attend orientation and undergo a physical to join DSNY in a few months, but had he gotten additional credit like the bill would provide, he may have been able to join earlier. 'I'm grateful for the [Sanitiation] department. They've helped out tremendously,' Giacolone said. 'My dad said, at the end of the day, that the job gave him his life. It gave him a pension and it gave him everything that he had built up. I'm very thankful for the job, and I'm thankful for the city,' Giacolone continued. Giacalone said the effort to get the bill taken up by state lawmakers has largely been led by former DSNY supervisor Edward Panzarella. 'This bill honors the legacy of sanitation workers like Ignazio who put their lives on the line for New York. But more, this bill's passage is a statement from New York State that we see you, we thank you, and we will never forget your heroism and your sacrifice,' Assemblyman Sam Berger (D-Queens), the bill's sponsor, said. The Assembly unanimously passed the bill earlier this month, and it now just needs to pass in the state Senate before heading to Gov. Kathy Hochul's desk. The legislation is carried in the upper chamber by state Sen. Robert Jackson (D-Manhattan). The legislation has also gotten support from city lawmakers. 'New York's Strongest lost over 130 people due to 9/11 related illnesses, yet we seldom hear about their contributions. It's time that we honor them the same way we honor the First Responders who were there getting the city back on its feet in the aftermath,' Councilwoman Vickie Paladino said.
