A man has been arrested after shots were fired with a shotgun outside a synagogue in Albany‚ New York‚ on Thursday afternoon‚ just as the Jewish holiday of Chanukah was to commence. According to FBI spokesperson Sarah Ruane‚ Mufid Fawaz Alkhader has been arrested and charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person‚ NBC News reported. Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins said Alkhader fired two shots at Temple Israel; he added‚ “We were told by responding officers that he made a comment ‘Free Palestine.’” No one was injured in the incident‚ in which Al Khader fired two shots from a shotgun outside Temple Israel around 2 p.m.‚ Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins said. “We were told by responding officers that he made a comment ‘Free Palestine‚’” Hawkins said — Chloe Atkins (@chloe_aatkins) December 8‚ 2023 “Thanks to the swift coordination between the ATF‚ FBI‚ and our partners at Albany Police Department and New York State Police‚ Mufid Fawaz Alkhader has been arrested and charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person‚” FBI Albany wrote on X. “More information will be provided by the United States Attorney’s Office following an initial appearance scheduled for tomorrow at U.S. District Court in Albany.” Federal update to the Temple Israel shots fired incident:@ATFNewYork @Albanypolice @NYSpolice pic.twitter.com/XUz2CX84Ir — FBI Albany (@FBIAlbany) December 8‚ 2023 According to New York Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul‚ Alkhader is a New York state resident; Newsweek reported he is a resident of Schenectady‚ New York‚ and is a U.S. citizen who was born in Iraq. “He allegedly said that ‘events in the Middle East have impacted him‚’ according to the Bureau of Alcohol‚ Firearms‚ Tobacco &; Explosives task force‚” Newsweek reported‚ adding‚ “New York Governor Kathy Hochul said that Alkhader has a ‘rap sheet.’” Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said that at the time of the incident‚ children were at a preschool inside the building; Hochul said the temple went into lockdown mode. “This feels sadly inevitable as we’ve repeatedly seen antisemites target synagogues and Jewish people &; businesses as ‘retribution’ for Israel‚” Amy Spitalnick‚ CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs‚ stated. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Chanukah‚ which means dedication‚ celebrates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the second century after Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks) were forcing the Jewish people to accept Greek culture and beliefs and Jews led by Judah the Maccabee defeated the powerful Greek army‚ drove them out of the land‚ and reclaimed the Temple so it could be used for Jewish observance again. According to Jewish tradition‚ when the Jews returned to the Temple they found only a single jug of pure olive oil to light the menorah traditionally kept in the Temple; but when they lit the oil it miraculously lasted for eight days until new oil could be prepared.

A driver reportedly upset that a road was closed backed up his truck rapidly through an alleyway‚ injuring three men who were preparing to watch the Bakersfield‚ California‚ Christmas parade. The 72-year-old man‚ who was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol‚ was arrested after he allegedly drove his Ford F-150 into men ages 21‚ 42‚ and 77‚ all of whom were transported to a hospital and are reportedly now in stable condition. According to one resident who was attending the parade‚ the truck hit the first man‚ then rolled over him before hitting the two other men‚ finally crashing into a wall erected for a perimeter around the fire station. “He never slowed down‚” the woman said. Prior to the impacts with the three men‚ the driver hit a Poppi’s Pastrami food truck. Misti Cole‚ owner of the truck‚ said she was taking orders outside the truck when it was hit. “That’s how I support my family and some drunk idiot just smashed my truck‚” she stated‚ adding of the children there to see the parade‚ “These poor kids just watched people get hit. It’s a mess down here. You don’t know if these people are dead.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Prior to the parade‚ the Bakersfield Christmas Parade had noted‚ “This event is a CHRISTMAS THEMED FAMILY ORIENTED parade. It is not an appropriate venue for political ideology‚ campaigns‚ or social statements. The Committee continues to plan for a ‘live’ parade‚ however‚ we remain under direction of state and county health department directives for outdoor mega events.”

Hundreds of employees at The Washington Post went on strike Thursday‚ citing “record-level inflation‚” even as the paper itself ran articles insisting that the economy is doing well under the Biden administration. About 750 Post staffers walked off the job for a 24-hour strike‚ and they are asking readers not read or engage with any Post content‚ Axios reported. “We still lack a contract that keeps pace with record-level inflation and guarantees workers a living wage‚” the union‚ the Washington Post Guild‚ wrote in its announcement of the strike. Workers @washingtonpost have been in contract negotiations with our bosses for 18 months. But the company is refusing to pay us what we’re worth or bargain in good faith. So on Dec. 7‚ we’re walking off the job for 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/GCraL1I0nm — Washington Post Guild (@PostGuild) December 5‚ 2023 Meanwhile‚ the Post called it “a miracle year for the U.S. economy” in an editorial published on Saturday‚ citing falling inflation. “In many ways‚ this is the year the economy finally returned to something close to normal. But many people seem to have forgotten what normal looks like after a traumatic few years‚” the editorial read. A Thanksgiving week editorial called for “gratitude” and said that the “typical U.S. family’s cup runneth over” compared to families in places like Ukraine‚ Gaza‚ and Afghanistan. “Voters seem to be giving President Biden little or no credit for the modicum of economic and geopolitical stability over which he has presided‚” the editorial said‚ although it admitted that the cost of housing‚ fuel‚ and food “remain elevated compared with their pre-pandemic levels.” The Post worker strike comes after 18 months of contract negotiations. The Post is facing a $100 million loss this year. In response‚ the paper is trying to get rid of 240 jobs‚ but only about 120 employees have accepted voluntary buyouts‚ according to Axios. Last week‚ The Post warned that it may have to start laying people off if more employees do not accept voluntary buyouts. Meanwhile‚ soaring inflation is making life difficult for Americans. The inflation rate has slowed slightly since 2021‚ when it spiked to the highest levels in four decades‚ but many American families say they are struggling more financially now than they did before the pandemic‚ CBS News polling from September showed. According to one analysis‚ Americans need over $11‚000 more this year to keep the same standard of living they enjoyed at the beginning of 2021. Less than half of Americans‚ 47%‚ say they cannot live comfortably and have little money left over after meeting their expenses‚ down from 56% who said so in 2019‚ according to the polling. Meanwhile‚ more than half‚ 53% of Americans‚ say they either have just enough or cannot meet their expenses‚ up from 44% in 2019. Wages have grown‚ but they have not kept up with inflation‚ as the Post staffers appeared to acknowledge in their strike announcement. The average hourly wage has increased 13.6% since January 2021‚ but inflation has outpaced that growth with a 17% spike‚ government data shows.

Sports have a way of bringing people together. Kellirae Cox‚ who was a massive Eagles fan‚ understood this well. She was deaf and diagnosed with late-stage melanoma and an unknown syndrome. As a result‚ the 21-year-old had a bucket list — at the top of it was seeing a Super Bowl game in person. So‚ with the help of her aunt‚ Suzanne McDonald‚ and the Dream Foundation‚ she was able to secure tickets! Although the Eagles lost‚ Kellirae had the time of her life — and part of the reason why is because of a chance encounter. Facebook During the game‚ Kellirae caught the attention of a man named Rick Santiago. He was sat in a row in front of her‚ and the two of them became fast friends‚ taking photos together. “I had a great time at the game with KelliRae‚” Rick wrote. “I didn’t know her prior to that moment but we shared a good night filled with laughs and excitement. I chose to engage KelliRae because she was above the seats and you could tell‚ like us all‚ she wanted to partake in the up and down reactions a game provides us.” Chance Super Bowl Encounter Leaves a Lasting Impact Although they had a blast‚ the excitement of the game made them forget to exchange names and numbers. Then‚ months passed. And in August‚ three days before KelliRae’s birthday‚ she passed away. As a result‚ Kellirae’s family and loved ones were devastated. In the months that followed‚ they came up with an idea on how they could honor her: By flying to Philly to attend the Eagles-San Francisco game. Facebook But to make this day as special as possible‚ they wanted to try and find Rick. Without even having a first name to identify him‚ Suzanne took to a Philadelphia Eagles Fan Group in hopes someone would recognize the man in the photos. A Miracle Second Encounter Seven minutes. It took seven minutes for Rick’s phone to start blowing up with friends letting him know that someone was in search of him on Facebook. “Making dinner and phone starts blowing up from friends from all different places‚” Rick wrote. “I come to find that I was ‘going viral’ over something that happened at the Super Bowl.” Facebook Once they connected‚ Rick was happy to join KelliRae’s family for dinner after the game‚ becoming fast friends themselves. Plus‚ the late woman’s family was able to gift him a drink coaster that has an inside joke between the two of them. “Until this weekend‚ I felt like I lost the best part of me‚” Suzanne said. “I really didn’t know how I was gonna go on. This was just what the doctor ordered.” Facebook Although folks are praising Rick for his kindness‚ he insists this chance Super Bowl encounter isn’t about him. “A SIMPLE ACT OF KINDNESS made this situation what it is today‚” Rick wrote. “ALL OF US have that power to make an impact on others. You don’t need money. You don’t need fame. You don’t need any material thing to make this type of impact on another person. You simply have the power in you already.” You can find the source of this story’s featured image here! The post Man’s Chance Encounter At The Super Bowl Leads To Even More Unlikely Gift From A Late Friend. appeared first on InspireMore.

You may not know Brenda Lee by name‚ but you’ll recognize her voice the second you hear her 1958 holiday single‚ “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” And‚ while you might be able to recite the lyrics‚ there’s a lot you probably don’t know about the song. For example‚ did you know it wasn’t recorded during the holiday season? Still‚ the producer tried to create a festive ambiance for the singer by bringing in an actual Christmas tree. Here’s another interesting tidbit: Brenda Lee was in her tweens when she was selected to provide the vocals for “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” According to her‚ she still has no idea why songwriter Johnny Marks singled her out. However‚ after finishing “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree‚” he specifically asked for her. Wikimedia Commons “I was only 12‚ and I had not had a lot of success in records‚ but for some reason he heard me and wanted me to do it. And I did‚” said the singer‚ according to The Tennessean. It took a couple of years for the holiday song to take off‚ but once it did‚ it became a staple of the season! In 1960‚ Lee released a hit titled‚ “I’m Sorry‚” the success of which created interest in her earlier Christmas single. She still loves to perform the yuletide anthem today! “That’s the magic of a good song‚ ” she said. “You don’t get tired of singing it.” Watch the video below to see Brenda Lee’s brand new music video for “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post She Was How Old?! Brenda Lee Was Shockingly Young When She Recorded “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.” appeared first on InspireMore.