News Day

Lock of Lincoln's hair auction, over $75K at auction. A lock of President Abraham Lincoln’s hair that was removed after his death is being put up for sale, an auction house announced Friday. The two-inch long thatch of hair is being auctioned alongside a bloody telegram that carried news of his assassination, Boston-based company RR Auction  said in a listing that includes a photo of the tresses . The tuft of hair was “clipped from the President’s left temple” during Lincoln’s postmortem exam. The strands — which had blood on them — were wrapped inside a telegram, which is also being sold with the lock. The item called — lot 3013 — goes on live auction at 1:00 p.m. Saturday. But, pre-live bidding had already reached nearly $18,000 Friday afternoon, with 8 bidders, according to the auction house website. RR Auction estimates the relic will sell for over $75,000.  

 Ecuador oldest married couple, Julio Mora, 110, and Waldramina Quinteros, 104. 110 year-old Julio Cesar Mora Tapia and 104-year-old Waldramina Maclovia Quinteros Reyes have been married for 79 years; a marriage that has only become stronger over time. Together they have enjoyed many happy moments, as well as facing challenges and difficulties, like any married couple. However, the love and respect they have for each other has secured them the title of the  oldest married couple , with an aggregate age of 214 years and 358 days. Julio Cesar was born on March 10th, 1910 and Waldramina was born on October 16, 1915. Julio Cesar was born before the RMS Titanic sunk in 1912, and the pair both pre-date the creation of television. Originally from Ecuador, Julio Cesar and Waldramina dedicated their lives to teaching and today they are enjoying their retirement. Their story began when Waldramina, during her school vacation period, went to visit her sister, who lived in the same bu...

RNC coronavirus positives,  Four people who attended Republican convention . Two attendees and two local support staff at the Republican National Convention in Charlotte tested positive for COVID-19, Mecklenburg County and GOP officials announced Friday. The disclosures come after county health officials raised concerns about a  lack of social distancing and mask wearing  during the roll-call vote to renominate President Donald Trump for a second term on Monday — despite strict health protocols that were supposed to be followed. The GOP is defending the safety procedures it had in place. Local health officials said the county instructed those who were infected to isolate immediately, and people who came in close contact with them should also quarantine themselves. A county spokeswoman did not respond to questions on whether the orders were followed. It is not clear how many people at the RNC might have been exposed to the coronavirus. Almost 800 people were tested by the ...

 Andromeda halo, extends 1.3 million light-years from Andromeda. Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have found that a  halo of diffuse plasma  around the Andromeda galaxy, which is located 2.5 million light-years away, extends 1.3 million light-years from Andromeda — about halfway to our own Milky Way Galaxy — and as far as 2 million light-years in some directions. They’ve also found that Andromeda’s halo has a layered structure, with two main nested and distinct shells of gas. This image shows the location of the 43 quasars Lehner et al used to probe Andromeda’s gaseous halo. These quasars are scattered far behind the halo, allowing scientists to probe multiple regions. Looking through the immense halo at the quasars’ light, the team observed how this light is absorbed by the halo and how that absorption changes in different regions. By tracing the absorption of light coming from the background quasars, the astronomers are able to probe the halo’s mate...

 Jacob Blake tasers, Officials say two officers deployed Tasers (Details). Authorities in Wisconsin said Friday that two police officers at the scene deployed stun guns when attempting to arrest  Jacob Blake  before a Kenosha, Wis., officer shot the 29-year-old multiple times in the back. The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) has also identified the two other officers who were at the scene Sunday in Kenosha as Vincent Arenas and Brittany Meronek. Arenas has worked at the Kenosha Police Department since February 2019 while Meronek joined the department earlier this year. Officials said that Arenas and Officer  Rusten Sheskey, a seven-year veteran of the Kenosha PD, both deployed stun guns at Blake but they were "unsuccessful" in stopping him. Blake then went around his car, opened the driver's side door and leaned in when  Sheskey fired on him seven times,  the Wisconsin DOJ said Friday . ADVERTISEME...

 Man killed by polar bear Norway, Foreign visitor was pronounced dead. A man has died after being attacked by a polar bear at a campsite near Longyearbyen in Norway’s  Arctic  Svalbard archipelago. The man, identified only as a foreign visitor, was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital. Longyearbyen is the main settlement in Norway’s Arctic Svalbard archipelago, which is about 500 miles (800km) north of the Norwegian mainland. The bear was shot dead by locals in a car park close to the airport. According to the Norwegian broadcaster NRK, the man was in one of several tents at the campsite when he was attacked. While there have been only five deaths from polar bear attacks in this area since 1971, authorities warn travellers of the risk from polar bears and those venturing away from settlements are required to carry firearms as a precaution. An advice website for visitors says the bears can appear anywhere on Svalbard and urges people to stay as far away as possible ...

 Kamala Harris Blake protests, Harris, citing 'sickening' Blake shooting. A Joe Biden administration would address systemic racism and tackle police reform, Sen. Kamala Harris said on Thursday, invoking the "sickening" shooting of  Jacob Blake  in Wisconsin as further evidence for the need to address  racial injustice  in the U.S. "The reality is that the life of a Black person in America has never been treated as fully human. And we have yet to fulfill that promise of equal justice under the law," Harris said. "We will only achieve that when we finally come together to pass meaningful police reform and broader criminal justice reform and acknowledge, yes, acknowledge, systemic racism." Harris spoke hours before  President Donald Trump  is set to formally accept his party's nomination for re-election at the final night of the  Republican National Convention , pre-emptively criticizing the president for his response to the coronavirus pand...