Beyonce sheds tears as she visits victims of Harvey

HOUSTON » Beyonce returned to her hometown of Houston to provide comfort to those affected by Hurricane Harvey, telling them, “This is a celebration of survival.”

Accompanied by her mother and former Destiny’s Child bandmate Michelle Williams, Beyonce visited with evacuees Friday at the St. John’s Church, where she grew up singing.

She wiped away tears as she listened to their stories, including from a family of 16 that fled to Houston after Hurricane Katrina and this time escaped their home through a picture window.

Beyonce told them, “The things that really matter are your health and your children, and your family and your life.”

Among the other celebrities who visited evacuees at shelters Friday were Janet Jackson, comedian Kevin Hart and actress Jennifer Garner.

NYC-heavy 77th Division mustered for WWI

a century ago NEW YORK » A U.S. Army division that included songwriter Irving Berlin among its ranks started mustering on Long Island a century ago this weekend during World War I.

The New York state Division of Military and Naval Affairs says the first 2,000 soldiers assigned to the newly created 77th Division arrived on Sept. 10, 1917, at its headquarters at Camp Upton. It was at the present-day site of the Brookhaven National Laboratory.

The division would grow to 28,000 men, mostly draftees from New York City, along with soldiers from New Jersey and Connecticut. Dubbed the Metropolitan Division, the unit had a shoulder patch featuring the Statue of Liberty.

Some 25 different nationalities were represented in the ranks.

The 77th fought in France and suffered more than 10,000 casualties.

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