‘This Was All Taken From Us’: Amazon Sued Over Deadly Tornado

Good morning! It’s Wednesday, Jan. 19. If you’re like millions of Americans, you may have chosen to start your day with Wordle, a fun little internet game that tests your logic and spelling skills. And if you’re reading this, it means your survived the ginormous asteroid that buzzed Earth (this was expected).

Here are some of the stories we’re following:

• The family of an Illinois man killed in a tornado late last year is suing Amazon, saying employees were forced to continue working despite the company’s knowledge of dangerous weather.
• Americans can order up to free four rapid COVID-19 antigen tests on a government website that went live in a soft launch Tuesday.
• The FBI called the 10-hour standoff at a Texas synagogue Saturday was “a terrorism-related matter, in which the Jewish community was targeted.”
• Deployment of the 5G network would cause more problems for airports than originally thought, airline officials say.

The family of one of six people killed in a deadly December tornado that leveled an Amazon warehouse in southwest Illinois is suing the online retail behemoth, saying it put “profits first during this holiday season instead of the safety of our son and the other five families who lost loved ones.”

The lawsuit was filed by the family of 26-year-old Austin McEwen, who drove for an Amazon delivery service partner and was one of numerous people who were required to work during peak season.

“Austin was a wonderful son. He was only 26 years old. We looked forward to seeing him get married, have children of his own, and celebrate life's milestones in the years to come,” McEwen's parents said in a statement issued by their lawyer. "This was all taken from us. We hope, along with the other families who lost loved ones, to get the answers we deserve. We know those answers will only come by filing a lawsuit.”

Wordle: 5 Things To Know

Amazon said in a statement the lawsuit “misunderstands key facts,” including those about the differences in severe weather and tornado alerts, and that severe weather is common in the area and isn’t always an imperative to “close down.”

“We believe our team did the right thing as soon as a warning was issued, and they worked to move people to safety as quickly as possible,” the statement continued. » Family Of Edwardsville Man Killed In Deadly Tornado Sues Amazon, via Chicago Patch

How To Get Free COVID-19 Tests

The federal government website to register for rapid coronavirus antigen tests went live in a soft launch Tuesday, a day before the rollout of the application process for 500 million tests purchased by the Biden administration.

The tests are free, including shipping at no charge, as the White House faces criticism for a shortage of tests and long lines at testing facilities. » What To Know: Government COVID Tests Available To All U.S. Households, via Across America Patch

• 'We Are Winning': NYC Sees Omicron COVID Decline, via New York City Patch
• California Hits Over 7M Coronavirus Infections, via Across California Patch
• Wrong COVID-19 Vaccine Dose Given To 3,900 Kaiser Patients, via Walnut Creek, California, Patch
• Oregon National Guard COVID-19 Hospital Deployment Starts Tuesday, via Portland, Oregon, Patch

Hostage Situation A ‘Terrorism Matter’: FBI

The Texas synagogue rabbi held hostage with three others for 10 hours Saturday let Malik Faisal Akram, the 44-year-old British citizen later identified as the hostage-taker, into the Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue because he appeared to need shelter. Akram spent about two weeks at a Dallas shelter before the attack.

Once inside, Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker told “CBS Morning,” Akram wasn’t menacing at first, but Cytron-Walker later heard a gun click as he was praying. The hostages were able to escape when Cytron-Walker threw a chair at Akram, who was killed after the hostages escaped.

The FBI called the attack on the synagogue a “terrorism matter” and said the Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating. » Texas Synagogue Hostage-Taker Spent Time At Area Shelters, via Dallas Patch

• Photos: Texas Hostage Situation Called ‘Terrorism-Related Matter’

5G Plans Scaled Back

“To be blunt, the nation’s commerce will grind to a halt” unless 5G service is blocked near major airports, airline CEOs wrote in a letter Monday to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and other federal officials. Interference from 5G with airline systems will be greater than they originally thought, they said, making many flights impossible.

For their part, AT&T and Verizon said they will delay launching new wireless service near key airports after the nation's largest airlines said the service would interfere with aircraft technology and cause massive flight disruptions. » AT&T, Verizon Pause Some New 5G After Airlines Raise Alarm, via Across America Patch

Around ‘The Patch’

Take a moment to adore this baby giraffe named Betty White, born Monday at the San Diego Zoo. The baby’s name is a tribute to the late comedian, actor and animal-rights advocate on what would have been her 100th birthday.

Naked And Busted: Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Malik McDowell has been accused public exposure and attacking a sheriff’s deputy after witnesses reported seeing a naked man walking near a school, via Shaker Heights, Ohio, Patch.

Ex-NY Post Editor Sued For Sexual Harassment: Col Allan kept power at the Post despite years of abusing, sexually harassing and propositioning a woman editor, a bombshell lawsuit states, via New York City Patch.

Why Colbert Mocked VA Gov: "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" ripped into Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's use of a Martin Luther King Jr. quote to defend an executive order that bans the use of critical race theory, via Falls Church, Virginia, Patch.

'Gender Queer' Pulled: In Virginia, Loudoun County schools removed the book "Gender Queer" from its high school libraries days before Glenn Youngkin's inauguration as governor, via Falls Church, Virginia, Patch.

7 Hikers Rescued: From Malibu Creek State Park: Seven young hikers were rescued from Malibu Creek State Park Monday afternoon in a three-hour operation, via Calabasas, California, Patch.

CA Hits Over 7M Coronavirus Infections: The past week saw the fastest accumulation of infections since March 2020, with 1 million in the past week, via Across California Patch.

6 Otherworldly Deep-Sea Creatures: These captivating animals will be featured in an upcoming Monterey Bay Aquarium exhibit. View must-see photos and videos, via Watsonville, California Patch.

Photos: America Celebrates MLK Day: In marches, parades and other events, America remembered the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, via Across America Patch.

Today In History

Poet Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston on Jan. 19, 1809. Both of his parents had died by the time he was 3, and he was left in the care of his uncle, John Allan, a wealthy tobacco merchant. He enrolled in the University of Virginia in 1826, but he only lasted eight months and was so far in debt from gambling that his uncle insisted he enlist in the U.S. Army. He served for two years and won a military academy appointment, but Allan cut him off financially after another argument, and Poe got himself expelled from the academy, via History.com.

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