Stuff YOU Should Know
Boy Scouts Rescue Drowning Woman On June 25, 2021, a heavy storm dropped at least six inches of rain on the city of Columbia, Missouri. The city’s creeks overflowed, and there was widespread flooding. Jay Dix Station Park was deeply submerged under six to seven feet of water. Two local boys–Dominic Viet, 15, and Joseph […]
Haaland Announces Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative
Last month, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland–the first Indigenous person ever to be appointed to this position–announced a federal initiative to formally investigate the history of American Indian boarding schools. Beginning with the Indian Civilization Act of 1819 and continuing through the late 1970s, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and various Christian church denominations […]
Stuff YOU Should Know
Ida B. Wells Monument Unveiled in Chicago Ida B. Wells was an enslaved person who later became a newspaper editor and civil rights activist in Memphis, Tennessee. As a journalist, she travelled the South in a crusade against lynching. Wells published the stories she heard in her newspaper, The Memphis Free Speech and Headlight. She […]
YOU DECIDE: School Social Media Free Speech Case
As a student, what are you allowed to say–and not allowed to say–on social media? That’s the question at the heart of a recent Supreme Court ruling. A high school student from Pennsylvania is at the center of the case. She posted her frustration on Snapchat after not making the varsity cheerleading team. Here, btw […]
House Votes to Remove Confederate Statues
In August 2017, the city leaders of Charlottesville, Virginia, decided to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from a public park. In response, hundreds of white nationalists showed up for a “Unite the Right” protest. They were met by a group of counter-protestors. One of the counter protestors named Heather Heyer was […]
Stuff YOU Should Know
Florida Condominium Collapses On June 24, 2021, a high-rise condo building in Surfside, Florida, collapsed in the middle of the night. Champlain Towers South stood for nearly forty years along the waterfront. The cause of the collapse has not yet been determined. It has been reported that in 2019 five members of the Champlain Towers […]
Tokyo Olympics: Full Speed Ahead?
After cancelling the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games last year, the event’s organizers are ready to go forward with in-person competition in Japan this year. The Games will take place from Friday, July 23, 2021, until Sunday, August 8, 2021. But is it too soon to hold such a large international event? Here, btw takes a […]
Stuff YOU Should Know
Russia and Britain Dispute Black Sea Encounter A few weeks ago, a tense moment occurred in the Black Sea when a high-tech British destroyer ship named the HMS Defender passed through the area. But here’s where the story differs–depending on who is telling it. According to Russia, who claims control over the region, the HMS […]
Juneteenth: A Federal Holiday
This week’s Election Central post examines the creation of Juneteenth as the newest federal holiday. On June 19, 1865, news of the end of the Civil War reached the citizens of Galveston, Texas. This day, known as “Juneteenth,” is now a federal holiday. Here, Election Central takes a closer look at the history and significance […]
Stuff YOU Should Know
A Pilgrimage in a Pandemic The Hajj is a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia that every adult able-bodied Muslim is expected to complete at least once in his or her lifetime. The Hajj journey lasts five days and follows the ancient path of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad to various locations around […]