South-Carolina
What it's like living through a 121 degree day
![What it's like living through a 121 degree day](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e8220b3/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x1575+0+338/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnpr.brightspotcdn.com%2Fdims3%2Fdefault%2Fstrip%2Ffalse%2Fcrop%2F3000x2250%20500%200%2Fresize%2F3000x2250%21%2F%3Furl%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F71%2Fd2%2F9e6640174ebd9a0ee60330a362d8%2Fdelhi-heatwave-1.jpg)
NEW DELHI – If you ask Ansar Khan, he will tell you that the heat killed his baby daughter Ina. She didn’t wake up from her afternoon nap in late May, on the dusty scrap of land she knew as home, with only a blue plastic sheet to shade her.
It was the hottest day he’d ever experienced, and a hot wind blew. It was 121 degrees in New Delhi that day.
“She was crying a bit, so we gave her milk and we all napped. When we woke up, we tried waking her up,” Khan tells NPR. “It was all over in half an hour.”
Heatwaves have been roiling swaths of South Asia since April, including southern Pakistan, where temperatures went over 125 degrees. In New Delhi, one of the world’s largest cities, with a population of over 30 million people, that 121-degree day was the peak.
Inequality in the face of heat
But the heatwave did not impact residents equally. Consider laborers like Ishtiyaq, 24, in the working-class Mina Bazaar in New Delhi. A megaphone rigged to his stall blares: “Drink it cold! Drink it sweet!” It’s an advertisement for lassi, a cooling yogurt drink. Men and women downed cups for about 10 cents apiece on a recent day, when the temperature was 100 degrees.
Ishtiyaq looks busy — but he says he’s in a slump. He expects he’ll only make $7 profit for the day’s work. “People stay home when it’s hot,” he shrugs. Ishtiyaq, who only has one name, says he doesn’t have that choice. He supports his wife, his kids, his parents. If he doesn’t work, there’s no money.
“What can I say brother? The poor must endure it all.”
-“This is what Indian vulnerability looks like,” says Aditya Valiathan Pillai, who studies policy responses to extreme heat at the New Delhi-based thinktank Sustainable Futures Collaborative. “You have 75% of India’s working population, well over 350 million people who are directly heat exposed because of their jobs,” he says, citing World Bank data.
Pillai says it’s not just outdoor workers. It includes people who live in slums — where it’s often hotter than other parts of the city, because those areas typically lack shade-giving trees, and homes are built with materials that can make spaces hotter, like aluminum roofs or even thick plastic. Like the Sanjay Camp, where tiny, jumbly homes huddle near New Delhi’s leafy diplomatic quarter.
A desperate search for water
There’s also no running water in Sanjay Camp. Men, women and kids crowd around a water pump, buckets and plastic tankers at the ready. Resident Ram Babu keeps order. One women in the crowd says she’s come from a nearby slum. “We don’t get much water near where we live, so I come here,” she says. She asks not to use her name because she’s not meant to be taking water allocated to Sanjay Camp. “I’m trying my luck,” she laughs.
Residents say government water tankers also come three times a day to shore up supplies. On New Delhi’s hottest days, one journalist filmed residents chasing one of those government tankers. Men clambered atop the moving vehicle. Women banged on the sides and threw up hoses hoping to drain off water for their buckets and water tankers.
And yet, a 40-minute drive away, to a homeless shelter for women and children, having a reliable water pump or a government water tanker is a dream. “We fight over water here,” says one resident. “There’s no water to drink. To wash. To cool down. Nothing.”
But they’re luckier than other unhoused families. At least, they have somewhere relatively safe to sleep. A few dozen mothers and children get to sleep here, in a large room. One little girl points to the beds crammed inside. “Three kids sleep in that bed,” she says. “And in that one, and in that one.” Two fans sluggishly push around the air. “It’s boiling here,” she whispers.
Children facing the spectre of death
Taranum, who only has one name and guesses her age at 34, sleeps here with her three daughters. She was recently diagnosed with typhoid, an illnessmore prevalent duringheatwaves when water contaminates more easily. She said at the peak of her illness, she felt like she would die. She’s terrified at the thought.
“I can’t die,” she says. “We are homeless. Who will take care of my daughters?” She shakes her head: “But I can’t complain. Other people have it harder. Two babies died in this heat.”
One of the babies was two days old.
Her mother’s name is Salma, and she lives under a tree near the shelter — there’s no space for her inside. On a shaky phone line arranged by a friend, she tells NPR that she pushed together a lean-to near her tree where she gave birth. She says her baby was healthy and began breastfeeding right away. But two days later, the infant died. She didn’t have a name.
Salma says the only shade she could give her baby — and her other children — was a plastic blue sheet that she pitched over them.
Ina Khan died too, at around the same time. She too, lived near the shelter, shaded by a wall. Ansar Khan is sure the heat caused her death, but there’s no way of proving that now.
But experts and studies say babies are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat. Their small bodies can easily heat up. They can’t regulate their temperatures well –- they don’t sweat much, for starters. They easily dehydrate. And so they’re more likely to die.
“You can imagine how heat may have played a role in these cases,” says Harleen Marwah, pediatric resident physician at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and an advocate of raising awareness of the dangers of extreme heat in children. “We know that the burden of extreme heat is not shared equally. And already, vulnerable populations tend to shoulder that burden even more.”
Pillai, who studies policy responses to extreme heat, says government institutions haven’t yet figured out a way to collect robust data around heat. “And that’s very simply because [of] this massive black hole we have in terms of understanding heat wave deaths and heat illnesses. I can’t even tell you whether hundreds of people have died or thousands of people have died. I can’t even put an order of magnitude to it.”
That’s because India isn’t ready for climate change-induced heatwaves that are pummeling this region, Pillai says. The infrastructure isn’t in place, including data gathering, even as these heatwaves are likely to occur more often, last longer and be more extreme.
“What we’re seeing today is nowhere close to how bad it’s going to get in the next ten, 15 years,” says Pillai. In fact, some areas of India may become the first places on earth to be exposed to heatwaves so extreme that humans will not be able to survive them without air conditioning or other types of cooling, according to a 2020 study by the consulting group McKinsey.
So far, local and foreign media report that dozens of people have died in India because of the heat but that is likely a vast undercount. The dead included 33 poll workers in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, where citizens were casting their vote in the last stage of India’s six-week elections that ended on June 4.
The toll does not include Ina Khan, 6 months old.
Khan says when he took her to the hospital, no one asked him why she might have died. He says hospital officials simply confirmed Ina was dead, then handed her back for burial.
Her only known cause of death was scrawled on the receipt of her $7 burial at the local Muslim cemetery. It said, “fever.”
Copyright 2024 NPR
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South-Carolina
Sheri Biggs wins South Carolina GOP primary runoff election to succeed Rep. Duncan
![Sheri Biggs wins South Carolina GOP primary runoff election to succeed Rep. Duncan](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/sheri-biggs-south-carolina-primaries-comp.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&1719387732&w=1024)
Sheri Biggs, a nurse practitioner who had the backing of Gov. Henry McMaster, defeated her GOP primary challenger in a Tuesday runoff election to clinch the Republican nomination to replace outgoing GOP Rep. Jeff Duncan in South Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District.
The runoff election between GOP candidates Mark Burns and Sheri Biggs was triggered earlier this month after neither candidate received a majority of the vote in the state’s Republican primary election for the district.
Burns received around 33% of the vote, receiving a little more than 27,000 votes in the June 11 primary election. Biggs received about 28% of the vote in the same election, garnering just over 23,500 votes.
Biggs, a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, ran as a “pro-life, pro-Second Amendment lifelong Republican.”
“I’m running for Congress to continue my lifetime of service and treat Washington’s health problem with bold, conservative, servant leadership,” she said on her campaign website.
Biggs had been endorsed by Gov. McMaster and had also highlighted her commitment to work with former President Trump, despite his endorsement of Burns.
“Sheri Biggs epitomizes the greatness of the people of South Carolina — an unwavering belief in God, a commitment to selfless service and a true resolve to fight for our shared values,” McMaster said in his endorsement.
“While her distinguished military and health care careers are truly admirable, her passion to help heal our nation’s fiscal, mental and spiritual health problems is exactly what we need representing us in Congress. Sheri Biggs will work with President Trump to secure our border, protect tax dollars, defend our conservative values, keep the promises to our veterans and drain the swamp.”
Trump, in his endorsement of Burns on Truth Social, described the pastor as “an America First Fighter” who is “a good man, a hard worker, and will not let you down!”
Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK
The former president cited Burns’ positions on border security, upholding the rule of law, the economy and defending “our always under siege Second Amendment.”
Burns has touted his positions on the border and pushing back against the “woke” agenda. He had also loudly touted his endorsement from Trump on his campaign website.
A former member of the South Carolina National Guard, Burns set up a church in Easley and has embraced the label by Time Magazine as “Donald Trump’s favorite pastor.”
Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK
Duncan decided not to run again for the seat after seven terms.
Duncan’s wife filed for divorce last year, accusing him of several affairs.
“At some point in a career, one needs to step aside and allow others to bring fresh ideas and abilities into the fight for liberty,” Duncan said in a statement in January.
Bryon Best, who manages a Sherwin Williams paint store in Greenwood, won the Democratic Party’s nomination to represent the district in the state’s June 11 primary election, defeating high school science teacher Frances Guldner by more than 2,050 votes.
The district is a mostly rural area in the northwestern part of the Palmetto State.
A Democrat has not won the district since Lindsey Graham flipped the seat in 1994.
Burns and Biggs sparred with five other Republicans who originally sought their party’s nomination in the race for the GOP-held seat. State Rep. Stewart Jones; businessman Franky Franco; and Kevin Bishop, a former staffer for South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, also sought the nomination.
South-Carolina
Pedestrian deaths have fallen for the first time since the pandemic
![Pedestrian deaths have fallen for the first time since the pandemic](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9bac479/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4197x2203+0+472/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnpr.brightspotcdn.com%2Fdims3%2Fdefault%2Fstrip%2Ffalse%2Fcrop%2F4197x3148%20507%200%2Fresize%2F4197x3148%21%2F%3Furl%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F27%2Fa7%2Fe6eec9de4432834c4114f488579b%2Fap388492863568.jpg)
Crossing the street is finally becoming a bit safer. After hitting a 40-year high in 2022, pedestrian deaths decreased in 2023, according to a report published Wednesday by the Governors Highway Safety Association.
The report shows a 5.4% fall in the annual number of pedestrian deaths, the first decrease since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The association’s CEO, Jonathan Adkins, says the progress is a step in the right direction.
“We’re happy to see it going down, but we’re not having a party,” said Adkins.
The number of fatalities — 7,318 — is still far more than in 2019, before the pandemic. But Adkins said there’s some evidence that new safety initiatives could be helping. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also says that overall traffic deaths are trending down so far in 2024.
Road safety advocates have pushed for a variety of measures, including lower speed limits, more sidewalks and better lighting in pedestrian areas. Adkins says that layering multiple methods is the key to preventing deaths.
“There’s a lot of construction going on across the country that’s making the roadway safer. We’re engaging law enforcement in some new and creative ways,” said Adkins. “We’re looking at vehicle technology. So we’re doing a lot of different things, and that’s a different approach to safety in the United States.”
He singled out California, which saw the greatest decrease in pedestrian deaths, for working closely with local governments. “That’s different than, certainly, historically in roadway safety,” he said.
Adkins says that the report’s findings could reflect the start of a new trend in pedestrian safety, as initiatives continue to be implemented across the United States.
“It’s really just started in the last few years. And so I’m hopeful that that’s starting to pay off,” he said.
Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveals many pedestrian deaths in 2023 occurred at night in areas without sidewalks. They were most likely to involve SUVs or other large vehicles.
Copyright 2024 NPR
South-Carolina
Follow the race: Runoff elections expected to make big impact in SC politics
![Follow the race: Runoff elections expected to make big impact in SC politics](https://gray-wistv-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/P6SS6QS5QRBAVH2GPRLAHXYPW4.png?auth=bbeb5f44baf96c2e2c2e72c0d360b2acdd855ccec8d2fceef34c813b6b089fae&width=1200&height=600&smart=true)
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Around 30 runoff elections are taking place across South Carolina — many happening across the Midlands.
These are for races in which no candidate received a majority of votes during last week’s primaries, ranging from local races like sheriffs and county council to seats representing South Carolinians on Capitol Hill and at the State House.
- RICHLAND COUNTY: Rep. Thigpen, Councilman Walker challenge each other again for Senate seat
That is especially the case throughout much of South Carolina, where the vast majority of legislative districts lean heavily toward one party or the other, making them uncompetitive in a general election.
But the South Carolina Election Commission said runoffs are usually low-turnout races, with most garnering single-digit turnout among eligible voters.
MORE: Am I eligible to vote in the runoff today?
Eligible voters can also head to the polls on runoff day, which is Tuesday, June 25.
Polls will be open that day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the counties where there is at least one runoff. Check your sample ballot at scVOTES.gov.
South Carolinians voting in person, or if they are voting absentee by mail and returning their ballot in person, will need to bring a photo ID with them.
Check here for U.S. Senate, U.S. House results in South Carolina
SC Statewide Primary Runoff
Ivory Thigpen (D) | 0 | |
Overture Walker (D) | 0 |
Katrina Shealy (R) | 0 | |
Carlisle Kennedy (R) | 0 |
Chris Smith (R) | 0 | |
Jason Guerry (R) | 0 |
Austin Floyd (D) | 0 | |
Jeffrey Graham (D) | 0 |
Lindsay Agostini (R) | 0 | |
Michael Jones (R) | 0 |
Billy Garrett (R) | 0 | |
Charles Bumgardner (R) | 0 |
Johnny Felder (D) | 0 | |
Jerry Govan (D) | 0 |
Sheri Biggs (R) | 0 | |
Mark Burns (R) | 0 |
Sean Fogle (D) | 0 | |
Montez Haynes (D) | 0 |
Kayla Berry (R) | 0 | |
Abigail Ridgell (R) | 0 |
IncumbentWinner
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