American Airlines is canceling hundreds of more flights than originally planned because of problems with the grounded Boeing 737 Max. A pro basketball star gives his little brother a surprise graduation gift and the sweet sibling moment goes viral. And motorized scooters have become a big thing, but would you rent a pogo stick?
Here’s what you need to know in your daily roundup:
TOP STORY: American Airlines Cancels More Flights Involving the Boeing 737 Max
GettyA grounded American Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 sits at its gate at the Miami International Airport on March 13, 2019.
Summer is just beginning, but American travelers should look ahead to Labor Day if they’ve already booked flights. Thousands of fliers may need to make other arrangements because American Airlines is doing a lot of rescheduling right now.
Here’s why: American Airlines had planned to start using the Boeing 737 Max again after August 19, but have now extended cancellations through September 3. The aircraft has been grounded worldwide since mid-March following two crashes that killed 346 people.
Boeing has vowed to fix the software issues blamed for the crashes and get the 737 Max back into the air. But the Federal Aviation Administration and other global agencies have not yet approved the changes, as reported by CNBC.
American Airlines says that 115 flights per day would be canceled through September 3. Even flights that were booked on other types of aircraft could be impacted. American Airlines explained on its website, “A flight that was not scheduled as a MAX flight might be canceled to enable our team to cover a MAX route with a different aircraft. Our goal is to minimize the impact to the smallest number of customers.”
Travelers whose flights were canceled and do not want to reschedule it will receive full refunds. You can request a refund here.
WHAT’S BUZZING THAT HAS EVERYONE TALKING: San Antonio Spurs’ Dejounte Murray Surprises His Younger Brother With a Car On His Graduation Day
THANK YOU GOD For Putting Me In This Position. I’m Lost For Words But More Importantly I’m A Proud Big Brother. This What Making Honor Roll With A GPA 3.8 And Being The Most Respectful Young Man Get You!! I Love You Baby Brother!! 💯😥😓🖤🤘🏽🤟🏽💪🏽 This Is Only The Beginning!! 🎓🎓
San Antonio Spurs point guard Dejounte Murray planned a major surprise for his little brother’s high school graduation and the sweet moment is going viral. Murray decided to reward his brother for earning top grades and graduating with honors by gifting him a purple Dodge Challenger.
As Murray’s brother walks out of the house, clutching his cap and gown, he struggles to hold back tears when he sees the vehicle in the street. It was adorned with a bow. Family members had their cellphones ready to record as Murray handed over the keys and they shared a long hug.
Murray wrote on Twitter, “THANK YOU GOD For Putting Me In This Position. I’m Lost For Words But More Importantly I’m A Proud Big Brother. This What Making Honor Roll With A GPA 3.8 And Being The Most Respectful Young Man Get You!! I Love You Baby Brother!! ?????????? This Is Only The Beginning!! ??”
OFF-BEAT: A Swedish Company Plans to Challenge Scooters By Renting Pogo Sticks
It’s not a joke. At least, the Swedish company Cangoroo insists that it’s for real. This startup is planning to rent out pogo sticks in four European cities this summer, and also bring the jumping craze to the United States by way of San Francisco.
CEO Adam Mikkelsen told NBC News, “We’re not that delusional that we think the pogo stick, per se, is going to compete with motorized e-scooters.” He described Cangoroo as a “marketing exercise” but insisted that they are building an app and getting ready to put pogo sticks on the streets.
Cangaroo received so much skepticism when it first launched that the company issued a news release proclaiming its legitimacy. The company statement, shared by Curbed San Francisco, stated, “We feel the need to underline that Cangoroo is 100 percent real. Our choice of shared pogo sticks as our first product is a planned out strategy in order to stand out in today’s media landscape and build an engaging brand in the generic ‘last mile transportation’ category.”
DAILY NEWS ROUNDUP
Videos showing the extreme flooding in North Carolina:
Connelly Springs: t.co/qLWRlf5rfG
West Jefferson: t.co/cUU7VnJeDp
- Former Boston Red Sox player David Ortiz is recovering after he was shot in the Dominican Republic.
- Parts of the southeastern United States received a month’s worth of rain in a single day and communities are dealing with dangerous flooding.
- Jupiter is moving so close to the Earth that you’ll be able to see its moons with binoculars beginning tonight.
- Tennis star Rafael Nadal has won his 12th French Open title.
- The show “Hadestown” dominated at the Tony Awards last night, winning 8 trophies including for best new musical.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Happy birthday to Maurice Sendak, author of children’s books including ‘Where the wild things are’! This is a whimsical fantasy about a young boy whose imagination transports him away from problems to a land where anything can happen. #AuthorsBirthday #MauriceSendak
How many of you loved Where the Wild Things Are as a child, or have shared the picture book with your own children? It’s the story of a young boy named Max who, after being sent to bed early for misbehaving, escapes to another world of his own making while dressed in his wolf costume. Max becomes the king over the land of the wild things, but ultimately decides he misses home.
The author and illustrator of the beloved children’s book, Maurice Sendak, would have celebrated his 91st birthday today. Sendak was born in Brooklyn on June 10, 1928. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Poland and his family’s experiences during the Holocaust heavily influenced Sendak’s life, according to History.com. Sendak passed away in 2012 at the age of 83.
Sendak published Where the Wild Things Are in 1963. The book earned multiple awards, including a Caldecott Medal and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award. More than 20 million copies of the book have been sold worldwide and it has been translated into 32 languages.
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