South
‘Fire incidents’ cited by Southwest in new policy applying to wheelchair travelers
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Southwest Airlines will be making a change to its boarding process that impacts travelers with wheelchairs and scooters.
In a recent message sent to employees, Dave Hunt, vice president of safety and security at the airline, said there will be a new safety requirement regarding lithium-powered mobility devices.
“Beginning Sept. 25, customers will be required to take out removable lithium batteries from their mobility device(s) before boarding and carry them into the cabin,” according to the memo.
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“These batteries will not count as a customer’s carry-on or personal item.”
A new size requirement will be put in place by Jan. 11, 2026, restricting lithium batteries to 300 watt-hours or fewer.
Southwest Airlines is changing the boarding process for mobility device users due to fire risks associated with lithium batteries. (iStock)
“Lithium batteries have become one of the most common sources of smoke and fire incidents on aircraft,” the memo states.
“While these events are rare, quick access and visibility are critical to keeping everyone onboard safe.”
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The Texas-based airline said it will be among the first U.S. carriers to adopt these standards.
A spokesperson for the airline told Fox News Digital it has begun notifying the affected customers with travel planned for Sept. 25 and onward.
The new policy by Southwest requires that passengers with wheelchairs or scooters must remove lithium batteries before boarding, starting Sept. 25. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
“While this change applies to less than 0.1% of our customers, we remain committed to supporting each individual who may be affected,” the guidance also said.
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Earlier this year, Southwest updated its policy requiring portable chargers to remain visible while in use during a flight.
A new size requirement will be put in place by Jan. 11, 2026, restricting lithium batteries to 300 watt-hours or fewer. (iStock)
Passengers may bring up to 20 spare batteries on the flight with them, according to Southwest’s website.
In July, a lithium battery exploded in a passenger’s bag on a Delta flight from Atlanta.
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The flight, which was headed to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was diverted, with flight attendants extinguishing the device and declaring an emergency, as Fox 5 and other outlets reported.
Mississippi
Your Mississippi forecast for Friday, May 15 – SuperTalk Mississippi
It will be a beautiful start to the weekend with sunny skies and highs in the 80s. Here’s your statewide forecast from the National Weather Service.
Northern Mississippi
It will be a sunny Friday with highs in the mid-80s. Friday night will be mostly cloudy and warmer with lows in the mid to upper 60s.
Central Mississippi
Friday will be sunny with highs in the mid to upper 80s. Friday night will be mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s.
Southern Mississippi
It will be a sunny Friday with highs in the mid-80s. Friday night will be partly cloudy with lows in the lower 60s.
North Carolina
North Carolina couple accused of causing vulture invasion sued by furious town: ‘Not good neighbors’
A North Carolina couple accused of luring hordes of vultures to their home and unleashing chaos on neighbors for years is being hauled to court by fed-up town officials desperate to end the feathered frenzy.
The Town of Hillsborough slapped residents Kenneth and Linda Ostrand with a civil petition, seeking a court order to shut down their relentless bird-feeding habit, blamed for allegedly drawing dozens of winged scavengers to their home and terrorizing their small town for the past two years.
“They’re a little spooky to be frank,” concerned neighbor Holden Richards told WTVD.
“Everybody thinks they’re ugly and stuff but they’re not good neighbors. They have sharp talons, so they’re not great animals to have perching on your house. I watched them pick tiles off my neighbor’s roof and I found tiles from my roof in my front yard, so I have a feeling that’s exactly where they came from.”
The bird-brained couple is accused of leaving out food scraps for vultures, allegedly reeling in the feathered predators that have swarmed and roosted near their house, leaving foul-smelling droppings on neighbors’ homes and vehicles and causing widespread property damage deemed a risk to public safety.
The complaint, filed in March, also claims the twisted pair named the birds of prey – with eerie photos submitted to the court showing dozens of vultures circling their Queens Street home, the outlet reported.
“I’m pretty sure that every one of my neighbors has probably called,” Richards said, pointing to a flood of complaints made to town officials since May 2024.
The Ostrands reportedly filed a motion to dismiss the town’s case last month, denying the accusations.
Linda Ostrand, a longtime wildlife rescuer, told WTVD she is being unfairly targeted by her community and claimed the circling creatures were already an issue before she moved into the neighborhood.
“It’s sort of, it’s ridiculous, is what it is,” Linda said, noting the town changed an ordinance after the initial wave of complaints to ban wildlife feeding beyond standard feeders.
“If people didn’t have vultures around here you would hear them screaming bloody murder about the town not cleaning up the animals that have been hit by cars, because that’s what they do, they are nature’s garbage disposal,” she continued.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, tell the vultures that this is a no-feed zone. I just don’t know.”
No court date has reportedly been scheduled for the couple’s fight with the town.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma becomes latest state to sue Roblox over child safety concerns
Oklahoma filed a lawsuit against Roblox on Thursday, becoming the latest state to take legal action against the popular gaming platform over child safety concerns.
“Roblox marketed itself as a safe place for children but turned a blind eye as predators targeted and exploited minors on its platform,” Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in a press release on Thursday.
In the 51-page lawsuit filed in Cleveland County District Court, Drummond claims that Roblox failed to implement basic safety controls, prioritizing user growth over child safety, and that the platform “facilitated the systemic sexual exploitation and abuse of children across Oklahoma and elsewhere in the United States.”
The platform’s design, the suit alleges, prevents parents from being aware of their child’s activity, resulting in exposure to “dangerous adults” and to encounters involving violence and sexual content.
In September, according to the lawsuit, an Oklahoma mother sued Roblox after her then-12-year-old daughter was coerced into sending explicit photos and videos to a man in his forties posing as a teenager on the platform.
Over the last year, a swath of lawsuits have sprung up across the country alleging an online environment within Roblox that facilitates child exploitation.
A CBS News investigation last year found at least a dozen instances of hate speech on Roblox targeting minority groups and dozens of swastikas in one game where users were able to bypass safety moderations.
Oklahoma’s suit alleges violations under the state’s Consumer Protection Act, claiming that Roblox made misrepresentations to consumers by not disclosing “the true nature of the risks of harm posed to children.” Oklahoma is seeking civil penalties for each violation of the act and permanent injunctions prohibiting deceptive practices and requiring the implementation of “meaningful and lasting” safeguards.
The platform hosts over 150 million active daily users, according to Roblox, and as many as two-thirds of U.S. children between 9 and 12 years old have accounts, Oklahoma’s lawsuit claims.
Roblox says on its website that the company applies “rigorous build-in protections and tools” and leverages partnerships with child safety experts. It announced last month that it will launch expanded parental controls for users under 16 in June.
In a statement to CBS News, Roblox Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman said the company has built a multilayered safety system for user protection that deploys AI-powered detection, human moderation and filters designed to prevent the exchange of personal information.
“We share Attorney General Drummond’s commitment to child online safety,” Kaufman said. “With that said, we are disappointed that he has filed a lawsuit that both fundamentally misrepresents how Roblox works and fails to take into account the extensive, industry-leading proactive measures the company is taking to set a new standard in online safety.”
The company said it is the first online gaming platform to require age checks for all users accessing chat features, and noted that it does not allow the exchange of images or videos in chats.
Kaufman said Roblox works closely with law enforcement when it identifies violations and that “while no system can be perfect,” the company is constantly strengthening user protections. “We look forward to working constructively with Attorney General Drummond to help keep kids safe online,” he said.
At least nine states including Oklahoma have sued Roblox and at least three others have reached settlements with the platform.
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