Hurricane Ida kills dozens

Battered

At least 50 people in the Northeast United States died after the remnants of Hurricane Ida swept up the Eastern Seaboard on Sept. 1 and 2, making it the deadliest hurricane in four years. Floods trapped people in cars and kept firefighters from getting to multiple fires, likely caused by gas leaks from the flooding, according to authorities. In Louisiana, where Ida made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Aug. 29, crews had restored power to nearly 70 percent of the New Orleans area a week after the storm. But outside of large cities, efforts to restore electricity will likely last almost all of September. “I was six weeks without power and water after Katrina, using the neighbor’s hose for a bath,” remembered Debra McLean, a Tangipahoa, La., resident. “This may be worse.” At least two utility workers were electrocuted to death while trying to restore electricity in Alabama.

Died

Decorated and versatile actor Ed Asner died on Aug. 29 at age 91. Asner was born in Kansas City, Mo., and moved to New York after serving in the U.S. Army’s Signal Corps during the Korean War. He eventually claimed 390 film credits, including as Santa Claus in the movie Elf. His liberal politics often flavored the characters he played. With his portrayal of Lou Grant in the Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spinoff Lou Grant, he became the only actor to win Emmys for both comedy and drama playing the same role. Asner married and divorced twice. He is survived by two sons, two daughters, and 10 grandchildren.

Sued

Seven U.S. Capitol Police officers sued former President Donald Trump, accusing him of intentionally sending a violent mob to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 to disrupt the congressional vote certifying Joe Biden’s election as president. The lawsuit, filed on Aug. 26 in federal court in Washington, also names as defendants Trump ally Roger Stone, the Trump campaign, and members of two far-right groups, the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. The officers allege the former president and his allies conspired to commit acts of domestic terrorism in an attempt to stop Biden from taking power. The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages for physical and emotional injuries the officers received during the riot. Democratic lawmakers have filed two other similar cases in recent months.

Died

Willard Scott, the goofy Today Show weatherman who gave shout-outs to people celebrating their 100th birthdays, died at age 87 on Sept. 4. He joined Today in 1980 and retired in 2015. He never had training in meteorology or in any sciences. A Baptist who often said if he hadn’t become an entertainer he would have been a preacher, he loved people: “I’m like a dog. You just open the door and I go, ‘rrrr, rrrr,’ and then I lick everybody’s face.” Early in his career, he portrayed titular character Bozo the Clown on local, syndicated versions of the show and Ronald McDonald for local McDonald’s franchises.