From Trump to terror, lava, fire & Murdaugh
25-year-old Abby Zwerner, mid-lesson. The boy had by all accounts been troubled, and his mother would be sentenced to prison later in the year for not securing the gun properly.
Teachers had raised the alarm about the child and been ignored. Zwerner resigned and is suing the Virginia school district for $40 million.
Norfolk Southern train derailment
In early February, 38 cars on a freight train full of hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, near the Pennsylvania border, sending noxious fumes into the air as the cargo burned. Several lawsuits against freight operator Norfolk Southern stemmed from the incident (photo), which the National Transportation Safety Board deemed “100% preventable.”
Chinese spy balloon
All eyes were on the sky as a suspected Chinese spy balloon was shot down by Air Force planes on Feb. 4. The balloon had been spotted days earlier over Montana but had most likely entered North American airspace over Alaska. The Chinese insisted it was a civilian meteorological balloon that had been blown off course.
Alex Murdaugh double-murder trial
In March, disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh was found guilty in the murders of his wife and son and sentenced to life in prison. The scion of an affluent family that once dominated the legal system in the Lowcountry, Murdaugh was sentenced to 27 years in prison in November for money laundering and fraud after pleading guilty to 22 counts of stealing millions from business associates.
The saga promises to carry over into 2024, as sentences for more than two dozen federal fraud charges are still pending,
and he has won the right to request a new murder trial.
Titan submersible implosion
In June, a desperate search ensued after the submersible Titan lost contact with the ocean surface on its way to view wreckage of the Titanic. When the sub’s remnants were finally located, it was obvious the craft had imploded, having become the victim — along with five passengers (including its builder) — of a faulty design.
Maui wildfires
In early August, the deadliest fire in nearly a century ravaged hundreds of acres on Maui, Hawaii, killing about 100 people and destroying the historic town of Lahaina.
Drought, a faulty warning system and electrical infrastructure that was badly in need of updating were blamed as major factors in the blaze, which was fueled by winds from an offshore hurricane.
Hamas attack on Israel
On Oct. 7, Hamas terrorists flooded into Israel from the Gaza Strip, massacring about 1,200 people and taking another 240 hostage in Jews’ deadliest day since the Holocaust. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war and proceeded to bomb Gaza in a counterattack. A seven-day ceasefire secured the release of about 110 hostages in return for 240 Palestinians imprisoned or detained by Israel, but then fighting resumed.