Houston Police Shared Safety Concerns With Rapper Before Concert

Good morning! It’s Tuesday, Nov. 9. Today, Patch continues its 30 Days Of Gratitude series with a story that focus on the positive benefits of volunteer service.

Here are some of the other stories we’re following:

• Houston police expressed safety concerns to rapper Travis Scott’s team before the Astroworld concert where eight people were killed and dozens more were injured.
• A witness who was shot in the arm in Kenosha, Wisconsin, racial justice protests last year testified Monday he thought Kyle Rittenhosue was an active shooter.
• The COVID-19 virus passed from people to deer, according to a new study that raises troubling questions about how the virus is transmitted.
• Elf on a shelf? Not in this Georgia town.

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said Monday he met with rapper Travis Scott and expressed concerns about safety before the Astroworld music festival. Eight people were killed in the crush of fans and dozens more were injured.

High-energy, chaotic performances are part of the rapper’s trademark. He has a reputation for encouraging his fans to participate in raucous activities involving mosh pits, crowd-surfing and stage diving. That atmosphere has gotten Scott into trouble before.

In 2017, Scott was arrested after he encouraged fans to bypass security and rush the stage, leaving a security guard, a police officer and several others injured during a concert in Arkansas. In a separate incident, he was sentenced to one year of court supervision after pleading guilty to reckless conduct charges stemming from a 2015 incident in Chicago at the Lollapalooza music festival.

It could be weeks before the investigation is complete. Questions linger about what the Houston police and fire departments did before, during and after the crowd surged toward the stage. Investigators also are looking into whether the concert promoter and others behind the festival adhered to the plans that were submitted for the event. » Police Chief Held Astroworld Safety Briefing With Travis Scott, via Houston Patch

• More: ‘A Terrible Loss’: Memorial High School Student Killed At Astroworld | Here Are The 8 People Who Died In Travis Scott Fan Crush | Astroworld Promoter Delays Ticket Sales For Billy Joel Concert

I ‘Thought I Was Going To Die’

A witness in Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial in Wisconsin testified Monday he thought Rittenhouse was an active shooter. Gaige Grosskreutz, who was shot in the arm.

Rittenhouse, now 18, is on trial on charges of killing two men and wounding Grosskreutz with an AR-style semi-automatic rifle. The one-time youth police cadet from Antioch, Illinois, has said he went to Kenosha to protect property after violent protests broke out over the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by a white Kenosha police officer.

Grosskreutz raised his own gun at Rittenhouse, saying that he didn’t intend to shoot him, but thought “that I was going to die.” » Witness Thought Kyle Rittenhouse Was An Active Shooter, via Mount Pleasant-Sturtevant, Wisconsin, Patch

Deer Get COVID From People: Study

White-tailed deer are likely contracting the coronavirus from humans and rapidly spreading it among themselves, according to a new study that raises troubling questions about how the virus is transmitted. The study focused on deer in Iowa, but its authors say there’s no reason not to think the same thing is happening in other states with white-tailed deer. » Deer Caught COVID-19 From People, Study Says, But Questions Loom, via Across America Patch

Judge Shelves The Elf

Cobb County, Georgia, Superior Court Judge Robert Leonard’s order doesn’t have any teeth, but weary parents are sure to appreciate that he banned the Elf on the Shelf Christmas tradition, saying that when weary parents forget to move them, “it leaves our children of tender years in states of extreme emotional distress.” » ‘My Gift To Tired Parents’: Judge Bans Elf On The Shelf, via Marietta, Georgia, Patch

Around ‘The Patch’

Unvaccinated Patient Apologizes: A Seattle man who nearly died from COVID-19 complications returned to the hospital and apologized to the staff for not getting vaccinated sooner, via Seattle Patch.

State Farm Keeps Rodgers, But …: State Farm hasn’t ditched Aaron Rodgers as its spokesman, but TV viewers will see less of him, via Milwaukee Patch.

Laundrie Case Handling: Almost 4,000 people have signed a petition calling on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to start an internal investigation into how police handled the Brian Laundrie investigation, via Sarasota, Florida, Patch.

An Offer You Can’t Refuse: According to gangster lore, Chicago mobster used this Florida home, originally listed for $3.8 million now up for auction with a $1.2 million starting bid, as his vacation getaway, via Clearwater, Florida, Patch.

More News

• Happy Reunions At Newark Airport, Others As U.S. Travel Ban Ends, via Newark, New Jersey, Patch
• Rutgers Grad Student Studies Bee Population, via New Brunswick, New Jersey, Patch

National News

Stay current on the latest national news on Across America Patch.

• Jan. 6 Panel To Subpoena 6 More Trump Associates
• High Court Struggles With Government Secrets Case
• Obama Hits Russia, China For Lack Of Urgency On Climate
• How To Find The Best Medicare Part-D Drug Plan

Today In History

On Nov. 9, 1990, the Internal Revenue Service seized Willie Nelson’s assets. The beloved country music star was struggling to repay a $16.7 million tax debt, via History.com.

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