Haiti Faces Series of Natural Disasters
In the wake of the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on July 7, 2021, the Caribbean island nation of Haiti has faced political instability and widespread gang violence. Then on August 14, 2021, Haiti–the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere–faced an even bigger challenge when it was hit by the deadliest earthquake in more than […]
Census Results Come In
This week’s Election Central post gives a summary of the new population data gathered from the most recent national Census.. Once a decade, the federal government completes a population count to determine each state’s congressional and state-level representation. The federal government also uses this data to guide the distribution of funding to local communities every […]
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California School Vaccination Requirement As schools start again across the United States, school districts are deciding how to keep students and staff safe during the surge of COVID-19 delta variant cases. While several districts across the country have mandated mask wearing, the state of California has taken precautions a step further. Beginning October 15, 2021, […]
New York’s First Female Governor
The state of New York has never had a female governor before. But that’s about to change. Now that the current governor, Andrew Cuomo, has resigned, Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul has assumed the office. Here, btw takes a closer look at this unique story and its historic outcome. What Happened? Andrew Cuomo has served three […]
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Higher Pork Prices Coming? In 2018, voters in California overwhelmingly approved an animal rights proposition (Proposition 12, the Farm Animal Confinement Proposition). It required more space for breeding pigs, egg-laying chickens, and calves. The law applies not only to California farmers, but to any products imported by California from other states. Only 4 percent of […]
Camacho-Quinn Wins Gold
Now that the 2021 Tokyo Olympics has come to a close, it’s time to look back at some of the highlights from this summer’s Olympic Games. There were many exciting moments and heartwarming stories. One especially inspiring win belonged to Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn. What Happened? On August 2, 2021, Camacho-Quinn won the gold medal […]
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Tokyo 2021 Olympics Update Have you been following the Tokyo Olympic Games so far? Now that the event is more than halfway through here are some highlights. At the end of the second weekend of the Games, China leads the gold medal count with 24, followed by the United States (20) and Japan (17). The […]
A New Name for Cleveland Baseball
In recent years, the names and mascots of several professional sports teams have received criticism for their racist overtones. Now, one team–the Cleveland Indians–is doing something about it. Starting in the 2022 season, the Cleveland Indians will now be known as the Cleveland Guardians. This follows the change the team already made in 2018 when […]
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Can a Giant Laser Control the Weather? Have you ever heard the story of Ben Franklin ”discovering” electricity with a kite and a key in a thunderstorm? Now, scientists in Switzerland are trying something similar (if much more high tech) with a giant laser. A team of researchers led by Swiss physicist Jean-Pierre Wolf has […]
Civil Rights Leader Gloria Richardson Dies at 99
When you think of the leaders of the civil rights movement, you may first think of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, or John Lewis. But there were many other leaders of the movement whose work is less well known. One of these individuals is Gloria Richardson, who passed away last week in New […]