National Hurricane Center Hurricane Dorian as of September 2
All eyes are on Hurricane Dorian as people in three states are ordered to evacuate their homes.
Comedian Kevin Hart and two others escaped with their lives after a terrifying car crash in Malibu.
And a Catholic school in Tennessee is banning “Harry Potter” books due to a concern that the spells included in the fantasy series are real.
Here’s what you need to know in the daily roundup.
TOP STORY: Evacuations Ordered as Hurricane Dorian Closes in on the United States
Tropical-storm-force winds are mostly likely to start in Georgia early on Wednesday, in South Carolina late Wednesday, and in North Carolina early Thursday. Follow the latest #Dorian forecast at t.co/tW4KeFW0gB
More than one million people in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina have been ordered to evacuate their homes as Hurricane Dorian closes in on the United States. Florida is expected to feel tropical-storm-force-winds beginning Monday night. Meteorologists are watching to see if Dorian will continue west, which would mean a direct hit on Florida, or if the storm will shift north and stay offshore.
The storm, which was downgraded to a Category 4 Monday afternoon, has been pounding Grand Bahama Island. The National Hurricane Center warned people to stay hunkered down as Dorian’s eye passes over, describing conditions on the island as “life-threatening.” Wind gusts there have reached 200 miles per hour with storm surge reaching up to 23 feet above normal tide levels.
The National Hurricane Center is forecasting that Georgia will experience Dorian’s powerful wind gusts beginning early on Wednesday. The storm will affect the Carolinas late Wednesday into early Thursday. Evacuation orders in South Carolina include Beaufort and Charleston counties as well as coastal counties, NBC News reports. In Georgia, people living along the coast east of Interstate 95 have also been ordered to leave.
Click here for interactive maps of evacuation zones and routes for Florida.
WHAT’S BUZZING THAT HAS EVERYONE TALKING: Kevin Hart & 2 Others Survived Frightening Crash in Malibu
BUZZ BITES: @KevinHart4real Car Crash! Police have confirmed Kevin was not driving at the time of the accident. There were 2 other people were in the car. Kevin and the driver both suffered “major back injuries.” The third person did not require hospital treatment.
Comedian Kevin Hart along with his friends Jared Black and Rebecca Broxterman escaped a nasty car accident on September 1. Images from the scene are gruesome and it’s been described as a miracle that all three of them are going to be ok.
Police said Black was driving Hart’s Plymouth Barracuda at the time. Hart was the passenger and Broxterman was in the backseat. The car crashed down an embankment off the Mulholland Highway and slammed into a fence. The roof of the vehicle was crushed.
Hart managed to get out of the vehicle to find help. Black and Broxterman were trapped inside. Firefighters had to saw off what was left of the roof to free Black. Hart and Black suffered from “major back injuries” and were hospitalized. Broxterman walked away with only minor injuries. Police said Black was not under the influence at the time of the crash; it appears he simply lost control of the vehicle. Read more here.
OFF-BEAT: ‘Harry Potter’ Books Banned at Tennessee School Due to Risk of ‘Conjuring Evil Spirits’
Harry Potter books removed from St. Edward Catholic School due to ‘curses and spells’ t.co/EKUdN3oeFg
It’s been more than 20 years since the world was first introduced to Harry Potter as he began his schooling at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But a Catholic school in Nashville has now decided that a new generation of students should not have access to the popular fantasy series, at least not at the school library.
The Tennessean was the first to report that Reverand Dan Reehil, the pastor of St. Edward Catholic School in Nashville, has banned the books. He wrote in an email to staff that after speaking with “several exorcists,” he believes the books contain real spells that could be dangerous.
The email included, “These books present magic as both good and evil, which is not true, but in fact a clever deception. The curses and spells used in the books are actual curses and spells; which when read by a human being risk conjuring evil spirits into the presence of the person reading the text.”
DAILY NEWS ROUNDUP
GettyA damaged police vehicle and U.S. Postal Service van blocked off with tape near the Cinergy Odessa movie theater following a deadly shooting spree on August 31, 2019 in Odessa, Texas.
- Police in Odessa, Texas, identified the gunman responsible for Saturday’s rampage that claimed the lives of 7 victims. The gunman was shot and killed by police.
- More than two dozen people are missing after a reported boat fire off the coast of Southern California.
- A student pilot in Australia, during his first lesson in a two-seater Cessna, avoided a tragedy and managed to land the plane after the instructor passed out.
- Stores such as Walmart and Target are open for Labor Day but don’t expect deliveries from FedEx or UPS.
- Berlin Zoo celebrates the birth of two giant panda cubs.
CHECK THIS OUT
Country star Keith Urban entranced fans with a gorgeous rendition of Taylor Swift’s new song “Lover.” He chose to sing it at the Washington State Fair on Saturday night and the video is embedded above.
Urban shared the performance on Instagram with the caption, “Every now and then you hear a song that you love and wish you’d written…. and a HUGE thx to my band as well- we didn’t get to rehearse so…. this is us fully winging it.”
One of the people delighted by the cover was Taylor Swift herself. She shared in her Insta story that she thought Urban’s rendition was flawless. “I am screaming. This is so beautiful.”
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