Sporty week in news

Peachtree City and the Mill have gone through a huge week of athletics giving us plenty of reasons to cheer. A dominant softball win versus Whitewater and nail-biting volleyball matches have set the stage for the first regular season football game at home. In addition to the athletics, the headlines have never stopped rolling in. With the Peachtree City team in the semi-finals of the Little League World Series, a hurricane on its way to Hawaii, and heavy rains injuring tourists, The Prowler has the stories.

Tourists in Italy injured due to heavy rain (8/20)

In Calabria, a region of southern Italy, at least 10 people were killed due to the sudden heavy rain that created a wall of water sweeping away tourists on Monday. This happened at the Raganello Creek, part of the Pollino National Park that runs through a narrow gorge. The gorge is one kilometer deep with sheer rock walls about four meters wide.

Dozens of tourists were exploring the gorge when the storm caused heavy rain upstream. Firefighters and emergency workers rescued the tourists who were injured by this incident. Twenty three people were rescued after being caught by the rush of water and about a dozen were treated in local hospitals.

Before this accident, the meteorologists have already warned about the possible heavy rains in the area. The exact number of tourists who were there is unclear since the gorge is open to the general public. However, the civil protection official thinks there may be up to three people missing.

Peachtree City takes the Little League world by storm. (8/21)

The PTC Little League has proven to be a contender in the LLWS this year. Peachtree City pulled out another win and prevailed through a head to head with Texas. After redeeming themselves against Idaho, the team pulled out another win in Williamsport.

With Peachtree City down four runs to Texas in the sixth inning, the team needed something big to push them toward the win. Then with two runs in the fifth inning the team started to have a come back. With a double home run in the 9th inning, the game was put into extra innings.

The team never dropped their heads and played until the final inning. Wills Maginnis hit the game winning run. This run caused the Southeastern Champions to advance into the next stage of the tournament.

Daughter pushes mom out of way and gets hit by train (8/22)

Katie Wenszell, 28, was run over by a MARTA train after pushing her mom out of the way. The mother, Susan Wenszell, was pushed down and saved by her daughter. Susan suffered from a concussion, fracture to the elbow, and a hairline fracture.

She was knocked unconscious by suspect Christopher Patrick Brooklyn, who was seen hitting other people. There is no known motive for pushing Wenszell onto the tracks. He was charged with aggravated assault and battery.

Katie Wenszell suffered major injuries, including amputation of part of her left foot, her shoulder being torn, and swelling of her brain. Doctors had to drill a hole in her brain to reduce swelling. Despite her extensive injuries, she is recovering well.

Hurricane Lane churns toward Hawaii (8/23)

Hurricane Lane, once estimated to be a category five hurricane, is moving at great speeds toward Hawaiian borders. Since initial reports, however, the hurricane’s power was significantly weakened to a category three by the time it approached U.S shores.

Although the storm weakened it has brought significant damage to the tropical island. Even just the outer bands of this massive storm have caused landslides and floods. This has led to the closing of many roads resulting in a struggle for citizens or tourists to exit the island.

Along with the eye of the storm came the worst amount of damage. With wind gusts up to 125 mph, the eye, the first to hit the coast in over 26 years, made a lasting impression on the people of Hawaii.

Trump stops Pompeo from going to North Korea (8/24)

President Donald Trump stopped Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from following through with his planned trip to North Korea. With this Trump cancelled the second round of negotiations regarding North Korea’s nuclear program.

Trump shared that they are not making enough progress with the de-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Allegedly, China is not giving the support needed for this de-nuclearization because of a trade dispute with the United States. Because of the lack of support from China, Pompeo will go to North Korea for the meeting once the trade dispute has been resolved.

Analysts expect that the U.S. relationship with China has to get worse before it gets better. In addition to the discussions between the United States and North Korea, South Korea also started to make plans with North Korea for more economic cooperation.