‘More Guns, More Shootings’: 11 Killed In 2021 School Attacks

ACROSS AMERICA — Good morning! It’s Friday, Dec. 3. As another week comes to a close, start your weekend off by catching up on these stories we’re following today:

• The shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan is the deadliest school shooting since 2018.
• More U.S. children are being diagnosed with autism and at younger ages.
• One of the best meteor showers of the year is on its way.
• An Illinois hunter captured a true "unicorn" on camera.

Authorities say 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley brought a backpack containing a gun, multiple rounds of ammunition and a journal describing a murderous plan into Oxford High School on Tuesday — carrying out what became the 29th school shooting resulting in injury or death in America this year.

Four students at Crumbley's school are dead. Of the seven others who were shot, three remained hospitalized Thursday, one of them in critical condition. Crumbley is being charged as an adult. His parents may face charges, too.

The school shooting in Michigan is the deadliest since 2018, according to the Gun Violence Archive. In May 2018, eight students and two teachers were slain at Santa Fe High School in Texas.

Mark Bryant, the executive director of the Gun Violence Archive, told the Detroit Free Press he expects more school shootings as things get back to normal.

"It reflects the growing patterns that we're seeing with adults: more guns available, more guns not secured, more guns sold on the streets and that equals more shootings," he said. » Oxford School Shooting: What We Know So Far, via Rochester-Rochester Hills, Michigan, Patch

RELATED: Crumbley's Journal, Phone Videos Showed Desire To Kill: Sheriff | Ethan Crumbley's Older Brother Shocked: Report | After Oxford HS Shooting, Parents Demand Social Media Oversight

Biden Pushes New COVID Plan

With rising numbers of COVID-19 cases predicted this winter, President Joe Biden on Thursday appealed for Americans to get their boosters and get behind his plan to tackle the new omicron variant through wider availability of vaccines and shots, but without new major restrictions on daily life. » Pushing COVID-19 Boosters, Biden Says 'We Need To Be Ready,' via Across America Patch

1 In 44 Kids Has Autism: CDC

New autism numbers released Thursday suggest more U.S. children are being diagnosed with the developmental condition and at younger ages. U.S. autism numbers have been on the rise for several years, but experts believe that reflects more awareness and wider availability of services to treat the condition rather than a true increase in the number of affected children. » New Data Suggests 1 In 44 U.S. Children Affected By Autism, via Across America Patch

Fireballs In The Sky

The upcoming Geminid meteor shower gets top billing as the best of the year, reliably producing anywhere from 50 to 100 meteors an hour at the peak, including multicolored fireballs — but you'll want to get away from streetlights for the best views. » Geminids, 2021's Best Meteor Shower: When To See Fireballs, via Across America

More national headlines on Across America and other Patches:

• Omicron Variant Detected In Minnesota
• 1st Case Of Omicron Variant Reported In Colorado
• First Omicron COVID Cases Confirmed In NYC
• 'The Fire That's Here': U.S. Is Still Battling Delta Variant
• Star Witness Sought Fame, Money: Jussie Smollett Lawyer
• Tesla Headquarters Officially Moves To Texas
• Christmas Tree Buyers Face Reduced Supplies, Higher Prices
• Bill And Melinda Gates Share Post-Divorce Philanthropic Plans

Around ‘The Patch’

True ‘Unicorn’ Spotted: It's not every day a hunter sees a "unicorn" walking toward him through the woods — at least that's what it felt like to Jamie Lambert, who recently spotted a rare white deer as he was hunting on private acreage in Illinois, via Chicago Patch

Bison On The Loose: Speaking of roaming animals, residents living in two Illinois counties are being urged to keep an eye out when they’re on the road — not for a deer but rather a bison that’s been spotted out and about in recent days, via Crystal Lake, Illinois, Patch

More local news:

• Beloved Elvis Chair Lost In Parade Chaos Returned, via Waukesha, Wisconsin, Patch
• Texas Teen Competes For U.S. In World Floorball Championship, via Cedar Park, Texas, Patch
• White Sox 1983 Cy Young Winner Lamarr Hoyt Dies Of Cancer At 66, via Chicago Patch
• Grinch Spreads Cheer, Not Fear, In Maryland City, via Baltimore Patch
• Twin Sisters From NJ To Compete On New Baking Show With SNL Stars, via Hoboken, New Jersey, Patch
• Maryland Sisters Model For Macy's Billboard Thanks To Make-A-Wish, via Hyattsville, Maryland, Patch
• $71M Fund Set Up For Victims Of NY Doctor Charged With Abuse, via Upper West Side Patch

House Hunting

A vacation home would make the ultimate holiday gift, and there's no shortage of California properties that would be a perfect spot for a getaway. From ocean view retreats to rustic mountain cabins, there’s plenty to offer for every budget.

This Day In History

In 1947, Tennessee Williams' “A Streetcar Named Desire” premiered on Broadway, starring Jessica Tandy, Kim Hunter and Marlon Brando.

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