Random News and Notes 20 October

On this date:

• 480 BC – Greeks defeat the Persians in a naval battle at Salamis.
• 1587 – In France, Huguenot Henri de Navarre routs Duke de Joyeuse’s larger Catholic force at Coutras.
• 1709 – Marlborough and Eugene of Savoy take Mons in the Netherlands.
• 1714 – George I of England crowned.
• 1774 – The First Continental Congress creates the Continental Association, which calls for a complete ban on all trade between America and Great Britain of all goods, wares or merchandise.
• 1803 – The U.S. Senate approves a treaty with France providing for the purchase of the territory of Louisiana, which would double the size of the United States.
• 1805 – Austrian general Karl Mack surrenders to Napoleon’s army at the battle of Ulm.

• 1903 – The Joint Commission, set up on January 24 by Great Britain and the United States to arbitrate the disputed Alaskan boundary, rules in favor of the United States. The deciding vote is Britain’s, which embitters Canada. The United States gains ports on the panhandle coast of Alaska.
• 1904 – Bolivia and Chile sign a treaty ending the War of the Pacific. The treaty recognizes Chile’s possession of the coast, but provides for construction of a railway to link La Paz, Bolivia, to Arica, on the coast.
• 1924 – Baseball’s first ‘colored World Series’ is held in Kansas City, Mo.
• 1935 – Just over a year after the start of the Long March, Mao Zedong arrives in Shensi Province in northwest China with 4,000 survivors and sets up Chinese Communist headquarters. The epic flight from Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist forces lasted 368 days and covered 6,000 miles.
• 1938 – Czechoslovakia, complying with Nazi policy, outlaws the Communist Party and begins persecuting Jews.
• 1941 – German troops reach the approaches to Moscow.
• 1944 – U.S. troops land on Leyte in the Philippines, keeping General MacArthur’s pledge “I shall return.”
• 1945 – Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon form the Arab League to present a unified front against the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine.
• 1947 – The House Un-American Activities Committee opens public hearings on alleged communist infiltration in Hollywood. Among those denounced as having un-American tendencies are: Katherine Hepburn, Charles Chaplin and Edward G. Robinson. Among those called to testify is Screen Actors Guild President Ronald Reagan, who denies that leftists ever controlled the Guild and refuses to label anyone a communist.
• 1962 – “Monster Mash” hits No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, just in time for Halloween.

• 1968 – Jacqueline Kennedy marries Aristotle Onassis.
• 1968 – 21-year-old Oregonian Dick Fosbury wins gold—and sets an Olympic record—when he high-jumps 7 feet 4 1/4 inches at the Mexico City Games. It was the first American victory in the event since 1956. It was also the international debut of Fosbury’s unique jumping style, known as the “Fosbury Flop.”
• 1973 – Arab oil-producing nations ban oil exports to the United States, following the outbreak of Arab-Israeli war.
• 1973 – Solicitor General Robert Bork dismisses Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox; Attorney General Richardson and Deputy Attorney General Ruckelshaus resign in protest. Collectively, the dismissals and resignations become known as the “Saturday Night Massacre.”
• 1977 – Charter plane crashes in Mississippi, killing three members of popular Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, along with their assistant road manager, the pilot and co-pilot.
• 1991 – Oakland Hills firestorm destroys nearly 3,500 homes and apartments and kills 25 people.
• 2011 – In the Libyan civil war, rebels capture deposed dictator Muammar Gaddafi in his hometown of Sirte, killing him soon afterward.

We start the news in Ohio where the Governors race is heating up. A new ad about Dem candidate Amy Acton has hit the air. The ad from Acton’s own mother disputes her stories of a tough childhood, like growing up in a tent, and urges voters not to elect her governor in the tight race against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. A recent poll shows Ramaswamy leading slightly at 51.4% to Acton’s 48.6%, amid mutual attacks on records and backgrounds.

While Acton emphasizes her Youngstown roots and pledges for families and farmers, her mother’s long-standing disputes add fresh tension with Election Day on November 3 just weeks away.

How bad do you have to be?

An AH-1Z Viper from Marine Light Attack Helicopter Training Squadron 303 crash-landed around 10:14 p.m. on October 18 near Lake Havasu State Park’s Windsor launch ramp during routine training. Local firefighters contained a fuel leak with foam, and the crew was taken to Havasu Regional Medical Center for checks. The Marines later confirmed the injuries were non-life-threatening and the crew is in stable condition. Photos show the damaged chopper, with broken rotor blades scattered nearby.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The Department of Justice issued grand jury subpoenas to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office following a September referral from U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond, The referral cited possible perjury, false statements, obstruction, and conspiracy. Court records show the supervisors refused Krasner’s warnings of ‘consequences’ and his push for a ‘false narrative’ to protect the office in a 2009 murder conviction appeal.

Krasner disputes the judge’s findings and plans to appeal, while no charges have been filed and the investigation is in early stages.

A suspect has been arrested in the arson attack on the town hall in Limoges France. RAID – Recherche, Assistance, Intervention, Dissuasion, an elite counter-terror unit of the French national police – arrested 34-year-old Hodei Docampo Ciarra, a far-left activist on the national security watchlist, in connection with the October 17 arson that devastated Limoges city hall. The fire set during nationwide riots caused tens of millions in damage to the 19th-century building. Limoges Mayor Guillaume Guérin labeled the perpetrators terrorists and called for rebuilding funds like Notre-Dame’s restoration.

Prior to his arrest, authorities already had Ciarra on a national terror watchlist due to his ties to a violent radical-left organization. He was previously known to French law enforcement for other incidents of political violence. Authorities are probing if the attack was perpetrated by an organized group. He faces charges for smashing windows to enter the administrative building, setting fire to police vehicles outside, and intentionally setting the historic structure ablaze.

The 2026 World Series is set. Tampa Bay beat Cleveland 7-3 last night to win the ALCS 4-2. They will face the Milwaukee Brewers in the Fall Classic starting Friday at 2000 ET at American Family Field in Milwaukee. It is the first World series appearance for Tampa and the second for Milwaukee who lost to St. Louis in 1982.

Starters and lineups are yet to be determined.