’The blob’ is believed to have mass murdered a million birds at sea

Indiana’s oldest state employee, Bob Vollmer, will be retiring at the age of 102. A surveyor for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Vollmer will is retiring after nearly six decades on the job. Recently, he was presented with the Sagamore of the Wabash, one of the state’s highest honors for his government service.

A pickup truck slammed into an Illinois Starbucks, injuring five people and causing massive damage to the store. The driver and four people inside the cafe were injured. Two people are said to be in a critical condition. Authorities continue to investigate the matter, saying the vehicle ran off the roadway in McHenry and struck a vehicle at the drive-thru window before colliding with the building.

A German Shepherd in Canton, North Carolina, has delivered a green puppy among the litter of puppies. Shena Stamey, the owner of the dogs, said everything, except for the color of the pup, named Hulk, was fine with the dog’s litter. As per a vet, the sack inside the mother holding the dog contains meconium, which can stain their coat. That may explain Hulk’s color.

37 people who have been accused of sending cocaine and other drugs from Puerto Rico to other parts of the United States have been charged by federal prosecutors. The same was confirmed by authorities on Thursday. The accused used the US Postal Service to transport the drugs.

Jimmy Meders, 58, had been scheduled to receive a lethal injection at 7 pm Thursday at the Georgia state prison in Jackson. But the State Board of Pardons and Paroles released its decision granting him clemency around 1 p.m. The board commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment without parole. Meders was convicted in the 1987 slaying of a convenience store clerk during a robbery.

The Washington DC Fire Department has launched an internal investigation into a photo taken last year of a group of recruits flashing what some believe to be a racist hand gesture. An investigation by the military into a similar case ruled that cadets making the same gesture were participating in ’the circle game’ and not showing a racist gesture.

A record number of firearms were discovered at US airport security checkpoints last year, 87% of which were loaded, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said. TSA announced that 4,432 guns were seized at checkpoints last year, a 5% increase from the previous year, the most in the agency’s 18-year history. Atlanta airport had the highest number of gun catches with 323 discoveries.

A sheriff from Alabama announced that a mother, a grandmother and a grandfather from southeast Alabama who have been accused of locking children in wooden cages have been arrested. The arrested trio lives in the Smiths Station, a small town situated near the Alabama-Georgia border.

WWE Hall of Famer Rocky ’Soul Man’ Johnson, father of Dwayne ’The Rock’ Johnson, has died at age 75. No cause of death was given. Johnson - born Wayde Douglas Bowles - began his wrestling career in the mid-1960s but only found fame a couple of decades later when he joined the WWE in 1983. He retired in 1991. A host of pro wrestling stars took to social media to pay tribute to Johnson.

An arrest warrant has been issued against Odell Beckham Jr. for slapping the butt of a male police officer during the celebration of LSU’s national title win. A video of the incident was posted on social media on Monday night.

Bruce Springsteen and his wife Patti Scialfa attended the swearing-in ceremony for their son, Sam, as one of New Jersey’s newest firefighters. Sam, 25, joined the Jersey City Fire Department on Tuesday, along with 15 others.

A 16 year old boy has been charged with manslaughter for the killing of his friend in the ROTC room of Bellaire High School in Houston. District Attorney Kim Ogg described the act as reckless rather than intentional. An investigation is ongoing regarding where the gun came from and how it got into school. The gun is yet to be found, officials say.

President Trump and the First Lady were met with thunderous applause and chants of ’USA’ as they entered the Mercedes-Benz Superdome Monday night for college football’s National Championship game between LSU and Clemson. The continuous ovation subsided only when Louisiana-born Christian music artist Lauren Daigle began to sing the national anthem.

The House of Representatives voted to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate on Wednesday. This has cleared the way for the Senate trial of President Trump to begin, nearly one month after he was impeached by the House. Speaker Nancy Pelosi also announced the seven lawmakers who have been appointed as managers in the Senate trial.

Prosecutors have released emails and call recording logs related to the case of Lori Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, who allegedly paid $500,000 to a scamming mastermind, in order to have their daughters pose as USC athletes. On the basis of the emails, prosecutors say that the couple were offered a ’legitimate approach’ for the admission but instead chose to indulge in the scam.

A Texas inmate with a history of violence against women was executed Wednesday evening for fatally shooting his wife. John Gardner, 64, received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, becoming the first inmate put to death this year in the United States. Asked if he had any last words, Gardner apologized to his wife’s son, daughter, and mother.

A federal judge from the United States overruled an executive order by President Trump that mandated resettlement of refugees in a state only after getting a go-ahead from state and local officials. A coalition of refugee resettlement groups had filed a lawsuit in November in an attempt to block the executive order which was signed by the President in September.

A Kentucky high school freshman was expelled from her school after a photo of her celebrating her 15th birthday with a colorful cake was uploaded on social media. Kenney Alford’s mom said that she received an expulsion email from Whitefield Academy’s head of school saying that the picture Kenney posted demonstrates a posture of ’morality and cultural acceptance contrary’ to the school’s beliefs.