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At least 4 dead in Denver-area shooting spree, latest on flight delays: 5 Things podcast

Taylor Wilson
USA TODAY

On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: At least 4 dead in Denver-area shooting spree

The suspect was also killed. Plus, travel reporter Eve Chen has the latest on flight delays around the country, Apple temporarily goes pick-up only in New York City, extreme cold and heat hits different regions and the NHL returns after a COVID/holiday break.

Podcasts:True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here.

Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

Taylor Wilson:

Good morning, I'm Taylor Wilson and this is 5 Things you need to know Tuesday, the 28th of December 2021. Today, a Colorado shooting spree, plus extreme cold and heat and more.

Here are some of the top headlines.

  1. The jury at Ghislaine Maxwell's trial will continue deliberations today. There was still no clear signal yesterday that jurors were close to a verdict on charges that Maxwell recruited and groomed underage girls for Jeffery Epstein to sexually assault.
  2. The CDC has cut the isolation time and recommends that people should isolate after testing positive for COVID-19 from 10 days to five. The change comes amid staffing shortages at hospitals, airlines and businesses around the country because of positive cases.
  3. And three people have been charged with murder in Greece after the deaths of 16 migrants who were killed when a boat traveling from Turkey to Italy capsized.

A shooting spree has left five people dead, including the shooter in Denver. Authorities believe the suspect, who they have not yet publicly identified, fired a firearm in at least seven different locations across Denver in Lakewood, Colorado last night. After three shootings in Denver, police identified a car associated with the suspect, leading to an exchange of gunfire between police and the suspect. The suspect was able to then disable a police vehicle in Denver, before heading to the suburb of Lakewood. The suspect opened fire on Lakewood police before fleeing on foot. The suspect later entered a Hyatt Hotel and shot the clerk there. Authorities say the suspect was shot dead in Lakewood, but police don't know if an officer killed the suspect, and it's not clear what the motive was in the shooting. For more on this developing story, stay with USATODAY.com.

Travelers hoping to get back on track after a holiday weekend of flight cancellations faced yet another round of disappointment yesterday. Travel reporter Eve Chen has the latest on a chaotic week in the skies.

Eve Chen:

The airlines have blamed multiple factors for the weekend long cancellations and delays. Part of it has been omicron related staffing issues. Delta told us on Saturday that that was one of the factors that was a driving force behind the cancellations, but they also mentioned the winter weather. Winter storms have been affecting the Western states. There have been thousands of cancellations and delays and Southwest told us that their delays have all been tied to the weather.

The US Department of Transportation actually requires airlines to offer refunds to travelers whose flights have been canceled, and they also have to offer refunds if their flights have been significantly delayed. The trick with the significantly delayed part is that each airline can define what that means to them differently.

Cancellation, you can get a refund. You might not be offered it right away, you might have to ask for it, but you're supposed to be able to get a refund. If you have a delay, your airline may offer a flight credit or something different because they may not count whatever your delay is as being a quote unquote significant delay, you just have to check airline by airline with that. All the airlines are saying check directly with your airline for flight status before you head out.

Taylor Wilson:

For more, including disruptions to cruises because of COVID-19, head to the travel section on USATODAY.com.

Apple is temporarily not allowing customers to shop inside its retail stores in New York City with COVID-19 cases back on the rise there and as money and tech reporter, Terry Collins tells us, New York City is not alone.

Terry Collins:

They temporarily shut down a series of stores all across America, from Miami, Atlanta, Houston, New Hampshire, they previously closed one, Miami, Dade County for a bit, and then some they've reopened, just been taking very cautious measures. They've been not as open about what they've been doing, other than to say that if it's related to either employees contracting the virus or just out of an abundance of caution. They've been keeping things close to the vest. I'm hoping that we all learn more, especially those who are continuing to shop during this holiday season or may want to return something or may want to buy something. I hope they're a little bit more open with disclosing the nature of why some of the stores are temporarily shut down and reopening for the sake of public knowledge.

Terry Collins:

Last year they shut down several times during last year because of the rise and spike in COVID cases. Now some stores are open, some stores reopened, some stores, like what's going on in New York, have pickup only, and I just want to get a sense because it's just seemingly inconsistent in other parts of the country, just want to get a sense of what's happening and where. And the rest of us have a good sense of what's going on with Apple. It's one of the largest retailers in the country and especially around this time of the year. I'm hoping to just get a little more clarity and transparency into what's happening with their retail stores nationwide, and across North America for that matter.

Taylor Wilson:

To read Terry's full story, check out a link in today's episode description.

Some extreme weather is hitting different corners of the country differently this week. The West has been hit with record cold in some places, that includes usually mild Seattle, which will see below freezing temperatures the rest of the week and more snow on the way early this morning. That's wreaking havoc on the city's homeless community, which is used to cold, but relatively mild winters there. Homeless resident, Katie West.

Katie West:

We got a tent right down the street only a block and a half away and I'm not even willing to stay in it right now, it's just so difficult.

Taylor Wilson:

Meanwhile, a region that is very used to snow will get tons of it today, the Sierra Nevada. Higher elevations in the mountain range could get up to three feet of snow. But it's a different story in places farther south and east. Record warm temperatures are again expected today in parts of the Central and Southern US, like a high of 77 degrees in Dallas today and into the 80s in Houston and New Orleans. Several cities already broke records on Sunday, including Charlotte, which recorded a temperature of 77 degrees.

The National Hockey League season will resume today after an extended holiday break because of COVID-19. The league already postponed what was supposed to be a 14 game return yesterday for COVID testing reasons, and a game scheduled for today between the Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets has already been wiped off the board along with more games tomorrow and Friday. The league has been in constant flux since the latest coronavirus surge slammed players around the sport and another controversial decision was made not to send its players to compete in next year's Beijing Winter Olympics. USA TODAY sports Chris Bumbaca has more.

Chris Bumbaca:

The odds NHL players would attend the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing have been dwindling with each passing day and week, as variants popped up and case counts across the league rose. But Wednesday morning, the Player's Association and league made it official, jointly announcing that players will not be going to the Beijing during the scheduled three week break in February. Instead, players from international rosters and amateur leagues and college players will compose the US roster and the other 11 teams competing in China during the men's tournament, meaning that it's going to be a tall task for new GM, Bill Guerin, and his assistant, Chris Drury, to compose that roster in the coming weeks. But they were prepared for such a situation as this because the NHL had a January temp opt out date without incurring any financial penalty, hence the timing of this decision.

It's definitely a loss for the players who fought in their most recent collective bargaining negotiations for this break, so that way they could go represent their countries, and it's a win for the 32 owners and Gary Bettman, the NHL commissioner. The league does not see much benefit, and definitely financially, from sending players during this break, but it will be unknown how much of the 50 games that have already been postponed this year they will be able to make up in the time they gained back since arenas had already booked up.

Taylor Wilson:

For all the latest on NHL, NBA, NFL and more COVID postponements, stay with USATODAY.com/sports.

And you can find new episodes of 5 Things seven mornings a week, all year long, right here wherever you're listening right now. Thanks as always to PJ Elliot for his great work on the show, and I'm back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from USA TODAY.

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