$17M Ransom: Kidnapped Americans' Lives Hang In Balance In Haiti

ACROSS AMERICA — Good morning! It's Wednesday, Oct. 20. Before you head out, catch up on the stories we're following:

• The lives of 17 Americans — including an 8-month-old baby and four other children — hang in the balance in Haiti after they were kidnapped by the 400 Mawozo gang, which is demanding $17 million, or $1 million per person, for their safe return.
• Colin Powell, the first Black person to lead the United States military as Joint Chiefs chairman, died Monday from coronavirus complications.
• President Joe Biden is deciding whether to deploy the National Guard to help with the supply chain backlog in California.
• All 21 people aboard a plane that crashed upon takeoff in Houston survived.

In Lawless Haiti, 17 Americans Held Hostage

The 400 Mawozo gang, which kidnapped a missionary group working in Haiti, is now demanding $17 million in ransom, according to reports. Seventeen missionaries, including five children, were abducted Saturday. They were building an orphanage in Haiti, according to Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries. The group's abductors now want $1 million per abducted person, according to The Wall Street Journal. The five kidnapped children are 8 months, 3, 6, 14 and 15. » Ransom Set For Kidnapped Missionary Group From Ohio: Report, via Cleveland Patch

Colin Powell's Military Much Different From Today's

Colin Powell, the first Black person to lead the United States military as Joint Chiefs chairman, died Monday from coronavirus complications. Powell was a trailblazer. He joined the Army in 1962 and quickly rose through the ranks. He became chairman of the Joints Chief of Staff in 1989 and the next year led forces during the Gulf War to liberate Kuwait from Iraq — perhaps the highlight of his career. The racial makeup of the military that Powell oversaw in the 1990s has changed as the United States has become more diverse. In 2015, racial and ethnic minority groups made up 40 percent of Defense Department active-duty military, up from 25 percent in 1990, according to the Pew Research Center, a U.S. nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., that bills itself as nonpartisan. » Colin Powell And Diversity In The Military Today, via Across America Patch

National Guard May Help With Supply Chain Backlog: Report

Members of the Biden administration may deploy the National Guard to help address the growing supply chain backlog in the United States, according to a report from The Washington Post. While it's unlikely the idea will come to fruition, it underscores the level of concern among members of the administration and how top officials are coming up with out-of-the-box solutions to address the supply chain slowdown. Driven by a surge in demand and changing economic behavior due to the pandemic, the supply chain backlog is threatening to put a damper on the upcoming holiday season. » National Guard May Help With Supply Chain Backlog: Report, via Across America Patch

Plane Crashes, Bursts Into Flames Near Houston

A plane crashed while taking off from Houston Executive Airport on Tuesday morning. All 18 passengers and three crew members survived the crash and were able to evacuate the plane before first responders arrived, Waller County Office of Emergency Management officials said in a news conference. The plane, which was headed to Boston, failed to take off from the runway, and the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating, according to authorities. Most of the passengers are back in the airport, and two were taken to a hospital as a precaution with minor injuries. » Plane Crashes, Bursts Into Flames Near Houston, via Houston Patch

Where Is Brian Laundrie?

It's been more than one month since Brian Laundrie, a person of interest in the death of his fiancee, Gabby Petito, fled his parents' home in Florida. Authorities on Tuesday reopened to the public a park in North Port that had been at the center of the search there. » Brian Laundrie Search: The Latest, via Sarasota Patch

Real Estate

The section of Palisades, New York, commonly called Sneden's Landing features a $5.5 million cottage-style mansion. >> $5.5 Million Cottage In Sneden's Landing For Sale via Nyack-Piermont Patch

This Day In History

On this day in 1947, Congress started investigating so-called "Communist influence" in Hollywood during the Red Scare.

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