Good morning Her Campus! With a break-neck news cycle, there is no possible way for you to stay on top of every story that comes across your feeds—we’re all only human, after all.
But, life comes at you fast. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this quick and dirty guide to stories you might’ve been sleeping on (like, literally. It’s early.)
The Man Behind a Disastrous Gender Reveal Party Forced to Pay $220,000
In April 2017, an off-duty Border Patrol agent accidentally started a 47,000-acre wildfire in Arizona while hosting a gender reveal party for his wife. On Friday, he was finally ordered to pay $220,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of “causing a fire without a permit.”
According to The Arizona Daily Star, 37-year-old Dennis Dickey shot a target that contained “Tannerite,” an explosive substance that detonates when shot by a high-velocity firearm. He apparently intended for colored powder to appear — thus indicating the baby’s gender — but instead, an explosion occurred and fire quickly spread. Dickey’s attorney Sean Chapman told The Star that his client “immediately” reported the fire to law enforcement officials and admitted he started it, but 40 MPH winds prevented firefighters from stopping the blaze before it spread.
For more than a week, nearly 800 firefighters worked to put out the fire. By the time it was under control, the state had suffered around $8.2 million in damages; however, there were no injuries reported.
Dickey will reportedly keep his job since he was only charged with a misdemeanor. “It was a complete accident,” he said in court. “I feel absolutely horrible about it. It was probably one of the worst days of my life.”
More Than 1,600 Migrant Children Moved to “Tent City” in Texas
The New York Times released a report on Sunday that detailed the transportation of more than 1,600 migrant children to Tornillo, Texas where they’re being held in a detention center dubbed “Tent City.” Prior to the move, most children were living in private foster homes or shelters, sharing a room with only one or two or kids, receiving formal schooling, and regularly visiting legal representatives. Now, the NYT reports that children are sleeping 20 to a room, and going without school and legal services.
This is happening as the federal government is dealing with the largest population of detained migrant children ever: 13,000 (which has increased more than fivefold since last year). The camp in Tornillo was originally meant to house up to 400 people, but it was expanded earlier this month to have a capacity of 3,800.
“In order to avoid escape attempts, the moves are carried out late at night because children will be less likely to try to run away. For the same reason, children are generally given little advance warning that they will be moved,” the NYT reported on behalf of several shelter workers who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The Texas facility is expected to remain open “at least through the end of the year.” Migrant children used to spend around 24 days in custody, but the average length of time has nearly doubled to 59 days now.
Nearly 1,000 Dead After Indonesian Earthquake and Tsunami
A 7.5 magnitude earthquake and a tsunami with an 18-foot wave hit the city of Palu on the Indonesian Sulawesi island on Friday. The death toll is currently at 832, which may grow since rescuers are still trying to reach outlying communities and anyone trapped. “We don’t know for sure what is the impact,” said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.
Some smaller villages are really suffering, like Boya, whose residents say the entire village has “disappeared.” Every single building in the tiny fishing village was destroyed.
Authorities are currently training to obtain things like food, water, medicine, tents, and baby supplies since they’re all in short supply. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has since offered the continent’s assistance.
What to look for…
A new month! It’s finally October, which means Halloween is right around the corner. Check out some of the best horror movies here to prepare.