Category: BuzzNews (anglais)

Authorities in Wichita have made significant progress in their investigation into the theft of the bronze statue of baseball icon Jackie Robinson, a story that has gone viral.

Wichita police announced the arrest of Ricky Alderete, 45, after several weeks of investigation.

45-Year-Old Man Arrested, Allegedly Stole, Destroyed Jackie Robinson Statue | Click to read more 👇 https://t.co/349xV4i18G

— TMZ (@TMZ) February 13, 2024

On January 25, the statue that proudly paid tribute to Jackie Robinson in McAdams Park was discovered as Wichita firefighters found remnants of the statue that indicated it had been burned after the theft.

Police said the criminal act was captured on surveillance cameras, which revealed that at least three people were involved. Alderete faces several charges, including felony theft, identity theft and criminal damage to property.

The Wichita Police Department was able to narrow down the suspects thanks to information provided by the videos and community support.

Overnight, @League42ICT Jackie Robinson statue at McAdams Park was stolen. Someone cut it just above Jackie's shoes and hauled it off in a truck. Our community is devastated. pic.twitter.com/MWbJvwga0k

— Wichita Police (@WichitaPolice) January 25, 2024

Jackie Robinson transcended baseball and became a symbol of progress and equality. Robinson’s stellar career, which earned him the National League MVP award in 1949, the batting title that same season and the World Series championship in 1955, is celebrated not only at McAdams Park, but in the hearts and minds of civil rights activists and fans across the country.

The community unites to reflect the spirit of indomitable determination that Robinson represented. GoFundMe quickly mobilized to raise nearly $200,000 to replace the statue, whose story sounds like something out of an episode of The Simpsons.

Major League Baseball has offered to help build a replacement statue that could be completed by summer.

Alaska has reported its first Alaskapox-related death. This virus, which was first identified in 2015, has become a major concern. An elderly man living in a remote part of the Kenai Peninsula succumbed to the disease in January after being hospitalized since November.

Alaska confirms first fatal case of Alaskapox https://t.co/kb7lC12cme pic.twitter.com/3hGSVwSs3w

— New York Post (@nypost) February 11, 2024

State health officials said the severity of the elderly man’s illness may have been exacerbated by anti-cancer treatment and drug-induced immunosuppression, given that the disease had previously been considered mild.

Alaskan health authorities had received only six reports of Alaskapox prior to this one.

All were from Fairbanks, and all had only mild symptoms, which did not require hospitalization.

Symptoms included rashes and swollen lymph nodes, as well as joint or muscle pain. The man from the Kenai Peninsula, on the other hand, suffered serious complications that led to his death. In particular, he suffered from delayed healing and malnutrition. He also suffered from acute renal failure and respiratory insufficiency.

In the most recent case, a cat is suspected of having scratched the deceased. This led to the hypothesis that the scratches could have been a vector for spreading the virus. Despite multiple tests, the cat tested negative for Alaskapox. However, researchers want to determine whether the virus could have spread through contact with small animals in the environment, or through the pet’s activities.

Alaskapox shows no signs of human-to-human transmission, and no cases have been reported outside Alaska.

Alaska has reported its first death from the Alaskapox virus. The man who died was from the Kenai Peninsula and was immunocompromised.https://t.co/JejtuJsuvE

— Alaska Public Media News (@AKpublicnews) February 10, 2024