Section of I-95 in Philly closed for several days after truck strikes bridge

 

• A stretch of Interstate 95 will be closed for several days after a tractor-trailer carrying an oversize load struck a railroad bridge in Philadelphia Monday, April 1.
• The truck was carrying a massive cylindrical object when it struck the Conrail bridge in the city's Port Richmond section.
• The crash has disrupted rail service in the area and caused major traffic delays due to ramp and road closures. The repairs are expected to take several days.

Not again! A busy stretch of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia is closed after a truck crash.

Traffic is expected to be stopped on I-95 northbound for several days after a bridge was struck by a truck carrying a large shipment Monday afternoon, officials said. 

PennDOT said that an oversized vehicle carrying a large cylinder hit an overhead Conrail bridge on I-95 north just before the Betsy Ross Bridge/Aramingo Avenue Interchange around 1:30 p.m. No injuries were reported, however, the damage was done.

"We are optimistic that Conrail’s contractors will complete the repairs efficiently and safely by the weekend," a PennDOT spokesperson said.

Here's your guide to getting around the mess, which is also impacting New Jersey Transit's Atlantic City Rail Line train service.

Closed lanes on I-95 expected to last over several days

Initially, "I-95 North approaching the Betsy Ross Bridge/Aramingo Avenue Interchange was reduced to a single lane for several hours while Conrail bridge engineers conducted their inspection to establish an emergency repair plan," PennDOT said.

However, it was later determined that "I-95 North will remain closed for several days approaching the Betsy Ross Bridge/Aramingo Avenue Interchange while Conrail’s contractor performs the bridge repair," PennDOT said.

The northbound lanes were then entirely blocked starting at 10 p.m. Monday.

PennDOT announced a section of I-95 in Port Richmond will be shut down for the next several days after a truck collided with an overpass. Starting Monday night at 10 p.m. those heading northbound on I-95 in the area are being redirected to an alternate route. NBC10’s Aaron Baskerville has more on how drivers are feeling about the temporary traffic situation.

The closure even prompted Citizens Bank Park's X page to warn Phillies fans leaving Monday night's extra innings game against the Reds about potential traffic troubles.

"Motorists are advised to avoid the closure areas because significant backups and delays will occur on I-95, the alternate routes and surface streets in the vicinity of the work area," PennDOT said.

How to get around the closure of I-95 in Philadelphia

According to PennDOT, northbound I-95 motorists "will be directed to use the Betsy Ross/Aramingo Avenue Interchange (Exit 26), turn right on Aramingo Avenue, and turn right onto Adams Avenue to access the ramp to I-95 North.

"The ramp from Castor Avenue to northbound I-95 will also be closed and detoured during construction. Motorists will be directed to use Aramingo Avenue to access the ramp to I-95 North at Adams Avenue.

"Electronic message boards on I-76, I-276, I-476, and other regional transportation arteries in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey are being used to alert motorists about the closure and provide information about alternate routes."

NBC10 First Alert Traffic reporter Sheila Watko breaks it all down:

NBC10 First Alert Traffic reporter Sheila Watko has the detour to get around the closure of Interstate 95 northbound in Philadelphia after a truck struck an overpass.

How long will I-95 northbound remain closed?

This is tricky as no exact timetable was given outside of the repairs taking "several days," but PennDOT is "optimistic" that repairs would be finished by the weekend.

Sparks could be seen as crews worked in the dark overnight. That work continued throughout a rainy Tuesday morning.

This most recent closure comes months after a section of I-95 in Philadelphia collapsed, causing what was expected to be an extended closure. However, crews came up with an alternate plan to fill in the hole and got traffic moving again in less than two weeks.

Catching a train to the Jersey Shore?

New Jersey Transit suspended Atlantic City Rail Service in both directions between Philadelphia's 30th Street Station and Pennsauken as their trains use the tracks on the struck overpass.

People can grab an NJT bus or ride PATCO to get around the closure:

"NJ TRANSIT rail tickets and passes are being cross-honored by Bus 554, PATCO and substitute bus service is being provided between Philadelphia 30th Street and Cherry Hill stations," NJT said on its website.

The details of the bridge strike are still under investigation.

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/transportation-and-transit/truck-strikes-bridge-on-i-95-in-philly-officials-say/3818670/

Chicago Police Called To Illegal Immigrant Shelter Hundreds Of Times In 2023, Records Show

 by Samantha Flom via The Epoch Times,

Chicago police were called to an illegal immigrant shelter hundreds of times over the last year, in many cases to investigate allegations of violent crimes, records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request show.

The documents, obtained by resident Terry Newsome and reviewed by The Epoch Times, reveal that police were dispatched to the Inn of Chicago, a hotel now serving as a shelter for illegal immigrants, more than 250 times between January 2023 and February 2024.

While many of those calls were for parking and traffic violations, a significant portion were for alleged crimes such as aggravated assault, domestic battery, child abduction, and child abuse, including sexual assault.

In one case, a 4-year-old victim reported being “inappropriately touched” multiple times by an unknown offender living in the shelter. Another heavily redacted case involved three child victims who were transported to Lurie Children’s Hospital after alleged domestic battery and prior sexual assault.

The increase in criminal activity at the Inn of Chicago has not gone unnoticed by residents of the hotel’s Streeterville neighborhood. The complaints have been numerous, prompting Ward 42 Alderman Brendan Reilly to call for the shelter’s closure.

“I have heard from hundreds of neighborhood residents voicing their concerns about the ongoing issues related to the migrant shelter operating at the Inn of Chicago,” Mr. Reilly wrote in an email to constituents in October last year.

Mr. Reilly said he and other residents had witnessed “a host of criminal activities” at the site, including narcotics sales, retail theft, and “apparent sex trafficking,” to name a few. He also said piles of trash and human excrement had accumulated in the alleys around the hotel.

“The ‘experiment’ of housing 1,500 migrants at the Inn of Chicago has been an abject failure,” he wrote. “The conditions there are deplorable and the property is not safe for the migrant families living there who are co-mingled with hundreds of single, young adult males. Not only do I worry for the health and welfare of these young migrant families, I also worry for the safety of my constituents and thousands of tourists and visitors who come to the area every day.”

That concern was shared by Mr. Newsome, who noted the hotel’s proximity to the city’s bustling commercial district along North Michigan Avenue.

“It’s only a block off the Magnificent Mile. People fly in from all over the country, or world, to go shopping,” he told The Epoch Times.

Mr. Newsome, who lives in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove, added that the costs associated with responding to the emergency calls would only add to taxpayers’ already hefty burden of housing and feeding the thousands of illegal immigrants in the city.

“We have to pay for the police to come off their beat, we have to pay for the ambulance, we have to pay to take them to the hospital, put them through emergency [care]. That’s hidden costs that we don’t even have a clue,” he said.

The Inn of Chicago’s illegal immigrant housing contract with the city was due to expire on Dec. 31, yet it remains closed to patrons. According to the hotel’s website, it will remain “temporarily closed” until July 2024, though attempts to book anything after July 1 online produce a “This site can’t be reached” message. The hotel’s phone number produces a busy signal, and an emailed request for comment received no response.

The City of Chicago reports having taken on more than 37,000 illegal immigrants since August 2022. In total, the city has spent nearly $300 million accommodating them.

Chicago’s Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson enacted a 60-day maximum stay policy for illegal immigrants in temporary shelters last month amid overpopulation concerns. The policy was originally slated to take effect in January, but inclement weather pushed back its rollout.

The Epoch Times has contacted the Chicago Police Department and the mayor’s office for comment.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/chicago-police-called-illegal-immigrant-shelter-hundreds-times-2023-records-show

US FDA approves Basilea Pharmaceutica's antibiotic

 The U.S. health regulator approved Basilea Pharmaceutica's antibiotic for bacterial infections including multidrug-resistant strains, the FDA said on Wednesday.

The Switzerland-based company was seeking approval of its antibiotic ceftobiprole for the treatment of three conditions - Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB), acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections, and community-acquired bacterial pneumonia.

The approval expands options for patients who may have developed a resistance to currently available antibiotics. More than 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections occur each year in the U.S., according to government data.

The U.S. market for the intravenous antibiotic, which will be sold under the brand name Zevtera, is projected to be $5.50 billion and is probably going to be the "lion's share of the market for this drug", said Soo Romanoff, analyst at Edison Group.

She added that the drug is differentiated from the current drugs available in the market which have not been updated for decades.

The indications for the drug include SAB, which is a serious cause of bloodstream infection associated with high death rates, and acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections, which cause swelling of the skin.

The approval was based on data from three separate late-stage studies for each indication in which Zevtera met the main goals and showed improvement in symptoms.

The antibiotic is approved and marketed as Zevtera and Mabelio in several countries outside U.S.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-fda-approves-basilea-pharmaceuticas-193446405.html

Hamas is responsible for the deaths of World Central Kitchen aid workers

 Israel has owned up to the mistaken airstrike that killed seven aid workers in Gaza late Monday, but the real blame still falls on Hamas, which started this war and wages it so as to maximize innocent deaths.

Of course lefties jumped on the tragedy, pretending Israel targets noncombatants, and of course President Biden cynically jumped on the bandwagon, saying: “Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians.”

What’s “enough,” Joe?

The IDF has kept civilian deaths in Gaza to unprecedented lows in an urban-warfare environment, routinely endangering its own troops to that end.

But some civilian deaths are unavoidable when Hamas purposefully operates in populated areas so as to cause the exact kind of confusion that led to Monday night’s deadly error.

The terrorist group wants more innocents dead, to turn the world against Israel.

As for the “horrified” lefties: Let’s not forget how they cheered the Hamas atrocities — filmed by the terrorists themselves — that broke the ceasefire on Oct. 7 and began this war.

That day, Hamas intentionally killed 1,200 innocents, maimed others and took 240 civilian hostages, many of whom have since died in captivity.

The terrorists butchered children, raped women and played games with the corpses.

And the Western left celebrated, touting the terrorists as “heroic resistance” fighters and saying that Israel had it coming; they put Hamas paragliders on their rally posters and social media posts.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lamented the deaths of the “innocent” aid workers “unintentionally” hit by Israeli rockets: “We will do everything so that this thing does not happen again.”

Hamas, meanwhile, is doing all it can to see it does happen again — and, if the terror cadres survive this war, to repeat Oct. 7 endlessly.

Every lefty shouting “genocide” over this war is supporting the side that actually aims to commit that ultimate crime.

https://nypost.com/2024/04/03/opinion/hamas-is-responsible-for-the-deaths-of-world-central-kitchen-aid-workers/

Pro-Palestine Group Attacks UK Defense Factory Producing F-35 Stealth Parts

 The sudden influx of unvetted migrants from around the world into Western nations poses a significant national security threat. Leftist-corporate media outlets are ignoring the mounting risks associated with unvetted migrants. However, citizen journalists on the 'free speech' social media platform X have outlined some of these dangers. 

Let's begin with the latest data from the UK that shows the number of migrants crossing the English Channel soared to a new record high for the first three months of the year, according to BBC News. 

The surge in migrants continues despite Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's pledge to 'stop' the migrant boats - though the latest data shows the PM is not doing enough. 

Labour's shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock said:

 "Despite all the evidence to the contrary, Rishi Sunak keeps on telling the British people that small boat arrivals are coming down and his promise to stop the boats remains on track." 

Kinnock added:

 "It's time to get a grip and restore order to the border."

The latest evidence of national security risks emerging comes after a pro-Palestine group attacked the manufacturing facility of defense company Teledyne Technologies in the town of Baildon. 

X user "Palestine Action" said, "Actionists are reaching every corner of this weapons factory to bring it down for Palestine!"

The pro-Palestine group has called for attacks on at least one Western defense company. These firms are essential for providing technologies to enhance national security across the West. 

There is no word if the attackers were migrants/or citizens. At least one appeared foreign-looking... 

"The site produces components for missiles and F-35 fighter jets used by the Israeli military to commit genocide in Gaza," the group said. 

Across the Atlantic, the Biden administration's disastrous open southern borders have allowed ten million migrants from around the world into the country - many of whom are unvetted. There have already been reports of known terrorists caught by federal agencies and continued reports of at least one Iranian assassin hunting current and former senior US officials.  

The incident at the Teledyne factory won't likely be the last attack on the West's defense companies as the result of open southern borders allows the enemy to attack from deep within. 

The West is compromised - the chaos is only beginning.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/pro-palestine-group-attacks-uk-defense-factory

Google plans to charge for AI-powered search engine, FT reports

 Alphabet's Google is considering charging for premium features on its generative AI-powered search engine, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the plan.

The tech giant is looking at a variety of options, including incorporating AI-powered search features to its premium subscription services, which already provide access to its new Gemini AI assistant in Gmail and Docs, the report said.

Alphabet's shares dipped about 1% in extended trade.

The move would mark Google's first time in putting any of its core products behind a paywall, as it seeks to gain ground in the fast-moving AI space. Its traditional search engine would remain free of charge and ads would continue to appear alongside search results even for subscribers, the report added.

"We're not working on or considering an ad-free search experience. As we've done many times before, we'll continue to build new premium capabilities and services to enhance our subscription offerings across Google," the company told Reuters in an emailed statement.

Google, which invented the foundational technology for today's AI boom, is also locked in battle with two industry players that have captured the business world's attention - ChatGPT's creator OpenAI and its backer Microsoft.

https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/ALPHABET-INC-24203373/news/Google-plans-to-charge-for-AI-powered-search-engine-FT-reports-46353372/

Top US Egg Supplier "Temporarily Ceases" Operations At Texas Plant After Bird Flu Outbreak

 The largest egg producer in the US has temporarily halted production at one of its facilities after bird flu—also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI—was detected. 

Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. wrote in a press release that HPAI was detected at "one of the Company's facilities located in Parmer County, Texas, resulting in depopulation of approximately 1.6 million laying hens and 337,000 pullets, or approximately 3.6% of the Company's total flock." 

"Production at the facility has temporarily ceased as the Company follows the protocols prescribed by the USDA. Cal-Maine Foods is working to secure production from other facilities to minimize disruption to its customers," the company said. 

Bloomberg said this is the "biggest bird flu casualty" since early December when 2.6 million birds were culled at a commercial egg farm in Ohio after HPAI was found. Cal-Maine also had a Kansas farm cull 684,000 hens the same month.

In a mid-March note, we pointed out that data from USDA showed that Grade A egg prices at the supermarket were soaring again. 

Unlink the previous HPAI outbreak in 2022. There are reports the virus is spreading in dairy cattle herds - and even infecting humans. This raises significant concerns about the potential impact on the food supply chain. 

Infected Texas dairy cattle are experiencing decreased lactation and low appetite, with older cows more likely to be severely impacted. Some herds have reported pneumonia and clinical mastitis — an inflammatory disease — the Texas Animal Health Commission said by email. Most animals seem to recover in as many as two weeks with supported care, albeit with reduced milk production levels.

Some cows may never see their milk production recover to pre-infection levels, in which case they might be culled, according to a HighGround Dairy report Monday. "The longer-term impact on supply is not entirely clear, as farmers are trying to maintain herd inventories in a time of tight cattle supplies," it said. -Bloomberg

There have yet to be any reports that the virus has spread to beef herds, where the US cattle herd is at seven-decade lows, and supermarket prices are at record highs. 

Dave Kurzawski, an analyst at StoneX Group Inc., mentioned in a note to clients that discussions are happening about possible consumer demand risks for dairy products. He further said that significant risks are present, and the effect of the illness on consumer purchasing patterns remains uncertain. 

The US food supply chain faces yet another challenge, as mysterious fires have hit food processing plants in recent years. Additionally, billionaire activists in the WEF cult advocate for a 'reset' in the global food supply chain, moving from beef, dairy, and chicken towards plant-based and insect-based foods. 

Meanwhile, billionaires like Bill Gates have been quietly purchasing America's farmland. 

https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/top-us-egg-supplier-temporarily-ceases-operations-texas-plant-after-bird-flu-detected