Chicago’s mayoral race goes to a runoff – Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) lost her bid for reelection Tuesday night. Eight other candidates were in the mayoral race with no candidate receiving 50% of the vote. A runoff between the top two candidates from Tuesday night’s election is scheduled for April 4. Chicago Public Schools CEO and City Budget Director Paul Vallas (D) will face off against Cook County Board of Commissioners member Brandon Johnson (D). Lightfoot finished the race in third place and conceded Tuesday night, telling supporters she is rooting and praying for the next mayor of Chicago.
Passenger and freight train collide in Greece – A passenger train carrying hundreds of people collided at high-speed with an oncoming freight train in Greece on Tuesday. 32 people were killed and at least 85 others were injured at press time. The collision resulted in a fiery scene in north Greece where several train cars derailed with three bursting into flames. The possible cause of the collision was not immediately clear. The regional governor confirmed the trains were traveling on the same track. The crash occurred after the passenger train carrying 350 people emerged from a tunnel.
FBI Director said COVID-19 originated from lab leak in China – Just days after a Department of Energy assessment concluded that COVID-19 was most likely transmitted as the result of a lab leak in Wuhan, China, another intelligence agency shared the same conclusion in a separate investigation. FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a FOX News interview Tuesday the Bureau’s assessment of the origins of COVID-19 concluded with it most likely leaking from a lab in Wuhan, China. While the Department of Energy put a “low confidence” rating on its report, Wray said the FBI had moderate confidence in its conclusion. Wray couldn’t give many details because much of the assessment is classified.
Wray also said the Chinese government tried to thwart the work of U.S. agencies attempting to investigate COVID’s origins. Federal intelligence agencies are divided on the origins of COVID. Four other U.S. intelligence agencies have released their own findings concluding the virus jumped from animals to humans at a wet market in China.
FAA investigating a close call at Boston airport – The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a close call between a JetBlue flight preparing to land and a Learjet taking off at Boston Logan International Airport Monday night. The FAA said the pilot of the Learjet did not have clearance for takeoff. According to the FAA, an air traffic controller instructed the Learjet pilot to line up and wait on its runway. The pilot read back the instructions clearly but began a takeoff roll instead. The JetBlue flight was preparing to land on an intersecting runway.
The JetBlue pilot took evasive action and initiated a climb-out as the Learjet crossed the intersection. The JetBlue flight coming from Nashville to Boston eventually landed safely at the airport.
Iran school girls poisoned by the hundreds – Nearly 700 schoolgirls have been poisoned by toxic gas in Iran since November. More than ten girls’ schools have reported poisoning incidents. There haven’t been any reports of deaths related to the poisonings. Dozens of girls have reported a rotten fish or tangerine smell before falling ill.
Iran’s Prosecutor General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri said he opened a criminal investigation last week. Iran has faced much unrest for months with one of its greatest criticisms being its treatment of women. Some parents of school children believe the poisonings are a deliberate attempt to force girls’ schools to shut down.
Beer and wine sales in Canada drop to record lows – Beer and wine sales in Canada have dipped to a new low. Overall, alcohol sales between 2021-2022 decreased by 1.2 percent, marking the first decline since 2013 and the largest drop in more than a decade. According to Statistics Canada, the volume of beer sold dropped 2.8%. Wine sales decreased by 4%, the largest decrease ever recorded by government data cruncher Statistics Canada going back to 1949. Come April 1, Canada is raising federal taxes on beer by 6.3%, potentially further hindering sales in the beer and wine industries.