Dorothy Abernathy, The Associated Press bureau chief for West Virginia and Virginia, shares the 10 things you need to know Friday, Oct. 17, 2014. Look for full stories on these late-breaking news items, upcoming events and stories in West Virginia newspapers.
1. WHAT OBAMA SAYS ABOUT EBOLA RESTRICTIONS
The president says imposing a travel ban from disease-ravaged West Africa, as Republicans have demanded, would be counterproductive.
2. WHY KOBANI IS KEY TO FIGHT AGAINST IS
Robert Ford, the former U.S. ambassador to Syria, says the fall of the besieged Syrian city to Islamic State extremists would be seen as a “defeat” for the Americans and undermine U.S. credibility in the overall battle.
3. ISRAEL RAISES THE DEAD WITH SKYWARD CEMETERY
With real estate at a premium, Israel is at the forefront of a global movement building vertical cemeteries in densely populated countries.
4. WHAT APPLE IS BANKING ON
The tech giant is making a bigger strategic bet with next week’s launch of Apple Pay — the mobile pay service aimed at turning your iPhone into your wallet.
5. POLICE IN HONG KONG DISMANTLE SOME PROTESTS
Riot police clear an offshoot pro-democracy protest zone, taking down barricades, tents and canopies that have blocked key streets for more than two weeks.
6. BERMUDA BRACES FOR POWERFUL HURRICANE
Gonzalo, a Category 4 storm, roars toward the tiny British territory and residents are bracing for damaging winds and life-threatening storm surge.
7. FBI CHIEF WARNS AGAINST CELLPHONE ENCRYPTION
James Comey says encrypted data could stall murder investigations and suspects could walk free, but privacy advocates and technology experts say the concerns are exaggerated.
8. ONCE IN A MILLION YEARS EVENT
A comet as hefty as a small mountain will pass mind-bogglingly close to Mars on Sunday, approaching within 87,000 miles at a speed of 126,000 mph.
9. DON’T EXPECT A POLAR VORTEX REDUX
The government says the upcoming winter looks pretty average and they don’t expect a lot of extreme conditions like last year’s cold outbreaks when Arctic air dipped south.
10. WHO ADVANCED TO THIRD FALL CLASSIC IN 5 YEARS
Travis Ishikawa’s game-winning home run lifts San Francisco past St. Louis 6-3 in Game 5 and into the World Series against Kansas City
