Midday rundown: Idaho murder arrest, Southwest delays declining

An Idaho murder suspect has been taken into custody; Southwest Airlines appears back on track after a week of cancellations and chaos; and heavy metals in chocolate. These stories and more highlight the Straight Arrow News midday rundown for Friday, Dec. 30, 2022. 

Suspect in custody for Idaho murders

The arrest comes almost two months after multiple students were found murdered inside their off-campus house on Nov. 13.

Several outlets are reporting the suspect is a man in his mid-20s who is also a college student. He was taken into custody in Pennsylvania. These details are not yet confirmed.

Officials are scheduled to host a press conference later today. Local police had been joined by the FBI and state police as the investigation grew to find the killer.

Southwest Airlines flight schedule recovers

Thousands of flights were canceled every day this week. Today, there have been fewer than 40 cancellations, as Southwest Airlines seems to be resuming normal operations.

But the chaos it’s created to get to this point will linger. The federal government has expectations for the airline to meet–mostly making it up to customers who couldn’t get home and still can’t find their luggage.

Fed research on 2023 recession risk

Many questions surround what the economy will look like in 2023. And many Americans are wondering whether the country’s economy will experience a recession in 2023.

New research from several Federal Reserve branches indicates the possibility of a recession is growing. Reports released this week detail a rising risk that the U.S. economy may fall into a recession in the coming months.

The top two measurements include how states’ economies are performing and what the jobless rate looks like. Based on federal data, 27 states have an economy in decline–a threshold that leans to recession, according to the report. The jobless rate in the U.S. has remained fairly stable, but the report suggests that could change.

As the Fed continues with aggressive rate hikes, the jobless rate could spike to 4.6%, up from 3.7% in November, which is why a recession hasn’t been ruled out for 2023.

Keystone operational after rupture

The Keystone Pipeline is now up and running again. It’s been closed for more than 3 weeks after a line ruptured in Kansas, spilling roughly 14,000 barrels of oil. That’s the largest leak to ever occur in the pipeline.

The cleanup process is still ongoing. So far, about half of the lost oil has been recovered by crews. While the pipeline is operating again, it’s doing so at a lower pressure to ensure everything is running appropriately.

“It would not surprise me at all to learn that that higher pressure is what has caused these large releases. That higher pressure went into effect in 2017, and that’s when we started seeing these. The three largest releases have happened since then,” said Bill Caram, executive director of Pipeline Safety Trust.

Number of Russians seeking U.S. entry grows

Ukrainians have fled their home country for the U.S. after Russia’s invasion. But there’s also been an increase in Russians seeking refuge in the U.S. since the war began, according to new data from Customs and Border Protection.

Since the invasion began last February, more than 31,000 Russians have been encountered at American borders.

Once when Russia announced a military draft in September, the monthly numbers increased. There were 12,000 crossings in October and November.

In all of 2021, only 4,000 Russian migrants were encountered at American borders.

Hershey sued over metal content

Hershey is being taken to court following a consumer report this month that tested its dark chocolate and reportedly found high levels of metal content. A consumer of Hershey’s special dark chocolate is now suing after learning about lead found in its products.

Hershey’s wasn’t the only target in the consumer report. 28 chocolate bars from a variety of companies were found to contain heavy metals.

The lawsuit states Hershey should better disclose information on metal content in its chocolate bars, saying it could pose a “serious health risk.”