Communities in Dallas woke up to a scene of destruction Monday morning after a tornado touched down, destroying homes and businesses and leaving tens of thousands of people in the dark.
A last-minute settlement is reached in the landmark opioid case that had been scheduled to begin in an Ohio courtroom today.
And social media users are spreading warnings about a graphic video that went viral over the weekend.
Here’s what you need to know in the daily roundup.
TOP STORY: Severe Weather Slammed Parts of the South Overnight & a Tornado Touched Down in Dallas
Whoa… Insane view of Dallas tornado, that moved through moments ago.
Multiple homes and businesses were destroyed or damaged after a tornado slammed into Dallas overnight. The National Weather Service says the twister touched down just after 9 p.m. Sunday and left a path of destruction that stretched for several miles. Winds were reported to have reached more than 110 miles per hour. See a roundup of images and videos of the storm here.
Forest and 75 @HomeDepot in wake of the #DallasTornado. 🤯 #Tornado @wfaaweather @wfaa @dallasnews #dallasweather
At least three people were hospitalized but no deaths have been reported. As many as 175,000 customers were without electricity early Monday morning. Emergency crews were going door-to-door in impacted areas to check for anyone who may have been trapped. Several schools were closed today due to safety concerns and power outages, Dallas city officials said.
NORTH DALLAS DAMAGE: Homes badly damaged near the Dallas North Tollway and Royal Lane — close to St. Mark’s School. #wfaaweather
The severe storms stretched into Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Oklahoma overnight as well. The Weather Channel reported that passengers at Memphis International Airport were ordered off of planes due to the risk of a tornado touchdown there. Communities experienced damaging hail and powerful wind gusts, causing damage to structures. At least one man was killed near Rogers, Arkansas after a tree fell onto his house.
WHAT’S BUZZING THAT HAS EVERYONE TALKING: Settlement Reached in Landmark Opioid Case
Breaking News: The 3 major drug distributors and an opioid manufacturer reached a settlement to avoid the federal opioid trial that was set to begin today
A last-minute settlement was reached hours before the federal trial concerning the opioid crisis had been set to begin. The case combined more than 2,000 separate lawsuits filed by cities, states and counties. The crux of the case centered on deciding who should pay to fix the addiction epidemic fueled by opioids. More than 400,000 people are said to have died due to opioid addiction since 1999, according to federal data.
The breaking news Monday morning was that four companies had reached a deal with lawyers representing Summit and Cuyahoga counties in Ohio. The deal involved drug distributors McKesson Corp, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen, as well as drugmaker Teva Pharmaceutical. The fifth company involved, Walgreens, was not part of the initial settlement announcement. According to the New York Times, the three drug distributors will pay $215 million to the two Ohio counties, while Teva “will pay at least $20 million in cash and donate $25 million worth of addiction treatment drugs.”
This does not put an end to the legal battle. The drug companies, as well as other defendants that included hundreds of doctors and pharmacies, are still facing thousands of other lawsuits. But the federal trial in Cleveland had been viewed as a “bellwether” to help determine how all of the cases might proceed.
Over the weekend, the possibility of an overall settlement had been floated. The drug companies had offered to pay $50 billion to settle all of the more than 2,000 lawsuits filed against them.
OFF-BEAT: Social Media Users Are Warning Others About a Gruesome ‘Curse’ Video
“Video 1444” is a viral Youtube clip that social media users are warning each other about due to its disturbing content. The 17-second clip appears to show a man shooting himself in the head while sitting on a couch.
The video was live for about 16 hours before it was deleted from YouTube. The account that first put it up, called “Gore,” has also been deleted. It was not immediately known if the video was real or some kind of elaborate fake. Viewers were also warned that they would be “cursed” unless they replied to the video with a version of the date October 20, such as 20-10-19.
A spokesperson for YouTube said in a statement to Heavy reporter Tom Clearly, “YouTube has a clear policy that prohibits content promoting self-harm, and we quickly remove videos violating this policy.” You can read more about this story here.
DAILY NEWS ROUNDUP
GettyMitt Romney
- Senator Mitt Romney said he had a secret Twitter account and online sleuths discovered he used the name “Pierre Delecto” for the private account.
- A deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease has been linked to a hot tub display at a North Carolina fair.
- Players from a high school girls soccer team were penalized for wearing shirts adorned with the hashtag “Equal Pay.”
- A search is underway for a West Point cadet who went missing on Friday.
- Here’s how pilots will stay awake during the 20-hour flight from New York to Sydney, Australia.
CHECK THIS OUT
The new theme park dedicated to all things Nickelodeon is on tap to open its doors this week! Nickelodeon Universe is located at the American Dream mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
It spans more than 8 acres, making it the largest indoor theme park in North America. It will officially open to fans on Friday, October 25. Nickelodeon Universe includes more than 35 rides and attractions, as well as costumed characters like Spongebob and Dora the Explorer.
The American Dream mall and theme park have been in the works for more than a decade. An ice rink will also open on Friday. And in November, the mall will also launch the DreamWorks Water Park, complete with more than 40 waterslides.
Missed Yesterday’s Roundup? Click here.