FEMA to take control of Greensboro Immigrant Facility
FEMA has announced that it will soon take control of the currently vacant Greensboro Influx Care Facility at the site of the former American Hebrew Academy. The facility is currently operated by the Department of Health and Human Services. However, both sides are in the process of signing an agreement to transfer operations to FEMA. In a statement on its taking over operations at the unused Greensboro Influx Care Facility, a FEMA spokesperson stated that it “continues to lead a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach to assist communities impacted by Hurricane Helene.” On Oct. 4, U.S. Rep. Kathy Manning (D-Greensboro) came to the media and disclosed that the unused Greensboro Influx Care Facility could be used for victims of Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina. “The federal government has a contract to use that influx care center,” Manning said on Oct. 4. “It was a former boarding school, and it was to be used for unaccompanied minors, but thanks to the Biden administration’s new border policy, there’s been a drop in the number of unaccompanied minors coming here.”
In June 2022, plans became official to transform the former American Hebrew Academy property, which closed in 2019, into a transitional facility for immigrant children under the management of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The site, now known as Greensboro Influx Care Facility, was planned to house unaccompanied immigrant children temporarily — about two or three weeks — while family members and sponsors were located. The facility was intended for children ages 13 through 17 and has a capacity of up to 800 beds. The Greensboro ICF was designated operational starting March 15 but had its operational status changed on June 28 when the DHHS announced that operations were being “ramped down.” No children have been housed in the facility at any point, and the June status change led to a decrease in staffing.
Tornado touches down in southern Florida as Hurricane Milton approaches
People in Florida are quickly running out of time to head to higher ground ahead of Hurricane Milton making landfall along the state’s western coastline, an event now expected as early as Wednesday night. The situation is especially dire: “Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida,” the National Hurricane Center said on Wednesday. Heavy rain was spreading over southwestern and west-central Florida early Wednesday, bringing some of the hurricane’s first direct effects to the U.S. With conditions deteriorating as the day wears on, people in the storm’s path are being urged to finish any preparations — and evacuate if ordered to do so. Forecasters warn that Milton will get bigger as it approaches Florida — adding emphasis to their frequent advice not to focus on where landfall occurs, as perils from water and wind often occur far from a hurricane’s center. That’s particularly true with Milton: while its storm surge and rain is predicted to bring extremely high water levels to a broad part of the Gulf Coast, the hurricane’s “wind field is expected to grow considerably in size while it moves across Florida,” the NHC said on Wednesday. Milton became a hurricane on Sunday after its wind speeds increased over very warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico. Milton’s arrival comes just under two weeks after Hurricane Helene brought catastrophic levels of storm surge, rain and strong winds to Florida.
Pioneers in Artificial Intelligence win the Nobel Prize in Physics
John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton won the Nobel Prize in physics Tuesday for helping create the building blocks of machine learning that is revolutionizing the way we work and live but also creates new threats for humanity. Hinton, who is known as the godfather of artificial intelligence, is a citizen of Canada and Britain who works at the University of Toronto, and Hopfield is an American working at Princeton. Hopfield, whose 1982 work laid the groundwork for Hinton’s, told The Associated Press, “I continue to be amazed by the impact it has had.” Hinton predicted that AI will end up having a “huge influence” on civilization, bringing improvements in productivity and health care. The Nobel committee also mentioned fears about the possible flipside. while it has “enormous benefits, its rapid development has also raised concerns about our future. Collectively, humans carry the responsibility for using this new technology in a safe and ethical way for the greatest benefit of humankind.” Hopfield, who was staying with his wife at a cottage in Hampshire, England, said that after grabbing coffee and getting his flu shot, he opened his computer to a flurry of activity. “I’ve never seen that many emails in my life,” he said. A bottle of champagne and bowl of soup were waiting, he added, but he doubted there were any fellow physicists in town to join the celebration. Six days of Nobel announcements opened Monday with Americans Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun winning the medicine prize. They continue with the chemistry prize Wednesday and literature on Thursday. The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced Friday and the economics award on Oct. 14. The prize carries a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor ($1 million) from a bequest left by the award’s creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel. The laureates are invited to receive their awards at ceremonies on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death.
