Weekly wrap-up: Man sentenced to life in prison for son’s death in a hot car; Blizzard buries North Dakota
A Georgia man was sentenced to life in prison on Monday following the death of his toddler son in a hot car in June of 2014.
Jurors found last month that Justin Ross Harris, 36, intentionally left his 22-month-old son, Cooper, in the vehicle. Ross was convicted of malice murder and other charges, according to the Associated Press.
Harris' sentence comes without the possibility of parole.
Authorities made two arrests on Wednesday in connection with the deadly wildfires that killed 14 and injured more than 175 others in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The suspects, both juveniles, were charged with aggravated arson, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported.
Blizzard conditions developed in North Dakota this week, forcing the city of Bismarck to declare a snow emergency on Tuesday. AccuWeather RealFeel® temperatures dropped as low as minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit early Wednesday in the city.
Many roads were closed due to snowy travel in North Dakota this week. (Photo/North Dakota Highway Patrol)
Blizzard conditions continued for parts of central North Dakota on Wednesday, leading to treacherous travel. A three-day storm total of 16.4 inches was measured in Grand Forks, North Dakota, early Thursday morning.
Brutal cold lingered across the northern Plains thanks to an invasion of Arctic air. On Wednesday night, Dickinson, North Dakota, experienced an AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® of minus 39, while in Casper, Wyoming, the actual temperature plummeted to minus 33.
Renowned astronaut John Glenn, who became the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962, died Thursday at the age of 95 in Columbus, Ohio. In addition to being a pioneer in the space industry, Glenn served as a fighter pilot in World War II and the Korean War. He later served as a Ohio senator for 24 years.
Over 100 people were killed after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia’s Aceh Province early Wednesday local time.
The Indonesian government declared a two-week emergency period in Aceh, the AP reported. Dozens of buildings collapsed or were damaged following the quake.
A new report released from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature indicates a dramatic drop in the population of Africa's wild giraffe population. The report states that the population has fallen by up to 40 percent in the last 30 years.
The report cites habitat loss, illegal hunting and civil unrest as three of the primary factors that contributed to the decline in population.
Several AccuWeather meteorologists and staff writers contributed content to this article.
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