Update: 3:35 PM EST
A Baltimore TV station is reporting that the blimp is on the ground in an unpopulated area of Millville Pennsylvania.
From WBAL:
“Around 3:15 p.m., NORAD officials told WBAL-TV 11 News reporter Kim Dacey that the blimp was on the ground in an unpopulated area of Millville, Pennsylvania.”
The Baltimore Sun is reporting that a military blimp has come loose from its mooring in Maryland and is now drifting over Pennsylvania.
The blimp is reportedly connected with NORAD’s surveillance of the East Coast of the United States.
Two fighter jets from a nearby National Guard base are tracking the untethered Army blimp according to information from NORAD.
Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, PA has cancelled classes for the day due to a “widespread” power outage. There have been multiple reports that the blimp’s tether knocked out power in parts of the town.
Rise News talked to a spokesperson at the University who said that there was a large outage in the area but could not confirm if it was related to the blimp.
#BUAlert: Classes are cancelled until 4 p.m. due to widespread power outage. More details to follow.
— BloomsburgUniversity (@BloomsburgU) October 28, 2015
The blimp is really more of a stationary helium filled balloon called a Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System aerostat or JLENS. From Raytheon, a company that produces the JLENS: “The helium filled aerostats, each nearly as long as a football field, carry powerful radars that can protect a territory roughly the size of Texas from airborne threats.” WATCH: A video from Raytheon explaining how JLENS work https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8hkpQ8ujyM&app=desktop
Two F16 fighter jets from Atlantic City National Guard base are tracking the untethered Army blimp from Aberdeen Proving Ground–NORAD — cbsMcCormick (@cbsMcCormick) October 28, 2015
Stay with Rise News as this story will be updated
The blimp from @USAGAPG has come off its tether. If you see it on the ground, call 911. Here’s what it looks like. pic.twitter.com/mRHhpJdfHU — Joppa-Magnolia VFC (@jmvfc8) October 28, 2015
@ABC @GMA Landed in bloomsburg right by my school. Knocked out the power at CMVT. pic.twitter.com/WLJydKVf2I — Fisher P Creasy (@FPCreasy) October 28, 2015
BREAKING NEWS: The blimp has been spotted over Bloomsburg, PA. (@JonMeyerWNEP) https://t.co/D36Qx21K9I pic.twitter.com/Phr8LnR1M0
— Breaking News Feed (@PzFeed) October 28, 2015
Cover Photo Credit: Raytheon/ Youtube (Screenshot)
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Martyr No More: Kentucky Clerk To Be Released From Jail Today
NBC News is reporting that Kim Davis, the Kentucky Clerk who refused to marry gay couples will be released from jail.
The New York Times’ Alan Blinder is also reporting that Davis will be released.
BREAKING: Federal judge lifts contempt order against Kim Davis, the clerk of Rowan County. She is to be released from jail. Story soon.
— Alan Blinder (@alanblinder) September 8, 2015
Same-sex marriage was legalized in the whole of the United States in a high profile Supreme Court case in June.
Read the court order releasing Davis from jail from Fox News report Kevin Corke:
#BREAKING #KimDavis ordered released from jail. pic.twitter.com/ofBgQ1hNfh — Kevin Corke (@kevincorke) September 8, 2015
Continue to follow Rise News as we follow this breaking news.
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Millennial Intelligencer: Robert Mugabe Wins Confucius Peace Prize, But What Does That Mean?
You’d be hard pressed to find many more people on planet Earth less deserving of a “peace” prize that Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe. And yet Mugabe was just named as the winner of the 2015 Confucius Peace Prize.
For those unaware, the People’s Republic of China launched the answer to the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010, in response to the Nobel presentation of a Chinese dissident.
Despite the prize being awarded by a private institution, the validity of its intentions has come under question. It is been suggested as targeting those that benefit China’s geopolitical position rather than peacemakers, for example both Fidel Castro and Vladimir Putin.
The same is true in this case, though when questioned about Mugabe’s poor track record regarding political dissent and economic guidance, the chairman of the committee that awarded Mr. Mugabe with the Prize, Qiao Damo, told The Guardian that “Every country’s economy has its highs and lows. Though its economy is lagging behind, [Zimbabwe is] a very stable country [and] stability is precious in the African continent.”
While the Western reaction is well-known, one would likely also have interest in what Zimbabwean opinion is on the matter.
The largest news outlet in the country, The Herald, is a state-owned enterprise according to the Zimbabwean Stock Exchange, and is commonly regarded as the government’s mouthpiece. But it has been remarkably silent on the matter.
While The Herald lacked any specific coverage of the honor bestowed on Mugabe, it did offer a piece somewhat touching on the subject which suggested that Mugabe is trying to downplay the importance of the award.
This may have something to do with his desire to not stir negative public opinion as another Zimbabwean outlet featured a scathing piece lambasting the award.
While this is purely conjecture, it seems that there is a swath of Zimbabwean society that isn’t fooled by international gamesmanship. And the state has seemed to take notice.
Cover Photo Credit: Al Jazeera English/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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NASA Astronauts Complete Unscheduled Spacewalk
NASA astronauts Scott Kelly and Tim Kopra were called into action Monday for an unscheduled spacewalk. The International Space Station’s Mobile Transporter rail car stalled after being moved to a new location by Mission Control in Houston. Kelly and Kopra completed the 3 hour, 15 minute spacewalk at 11:10 a.m. EST. The Mobile Transporter is a… Read More
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