July 14, 2021

What A Week   (7/5- 7/11)

Intro: (Cue intro music) 

Hey everyone, welcome back to What a week!, I’m your host, Olivia Lee, here to deliver your weekly dose of the news. Let’s get started!

In Local News: 

https://www.kgw.com/article/news/crime/mailbox-explosions-northeast-portland-oregon/283-db5e6692-41e5-4bc2-a2a5-29586d0c622fPortland police are investigating explosions of a neighborhood library exchange box and a mailbox in Northeast Portland over the weekend. The explosions happened this past Saturday and early this past Monday, about 5 miles from each other. There was debris of wood and books spread around the scene. Flying debris appeared to have caused minor damage to at least two residences, but nobody was injured. Police said at this time they have no suspect information or evidence that indicates the two explosions are related.

In-state news:

https://katu.com/news/local/oregon-reports-more-than-500-new-coronavirus-cases-over-the-weekendOregon recorded 506 new confirmed and presumptive coronavirus cases over the last three days, the state's health authority reported this past Monday. The latest report brings the statewide total cases to 210,729 since the pandemic first began. The Oregon Health Authority also reported five new fatalities related to the virus. The latest update brings the state's COVID-19 death toll to 2,797. More than 2.2 million Oregonians have completed their vaccination series. Since the state hit the governor's 70% vaccination goal and the economy has fully reopened as of June 30th, the OHA will no longer report new cases over the weekend.

In National News:

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-07-11/record-breaking-temperatures-set-as-heat-wave-continues-across-californiaAfter a major record breaking heat wave swept through the Pacific Northwest a few weeks ago, the wrath of the sun is now setting new heat records throughout the state of California. The rapidly rising temperatures have made it difficult for forecasters to keep up with new record setting temperatures. Death Valley, California was expected to reach record-breaking temperatures this past Sunday with a high of 130 degrees, which equals the hottest temperature recorded on Earth in nearly a century, but that record came two days early, this past Friday afternoon.  More than 30 million people in the West are under excessive heat alerts. The heat alerts stretch from northern Washington state down to the Arizona/Mexico border. Forecasters said a noticeable cooling will likely happen this coming Wednesday as temperatures decline across the region throughout the week.

 

CDC fully vaccinated students and teachers don’t need masks

In International News: 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/italy-wins-european-soccer-championship-3-2-penalty-shootout-n1273643https://www.wsj.com/articles/italy-england-european-championship-shootout-11626040786 This past Sunday night, Italy’s men’s soccer team earned its first major title in 15 years with a penalty shootout win over England in the Euro 2020 final. The winner was determined by a penalty-kick shootout after extra time that kept the score even at 1-1. Italy won the shootout 3-2 after England's final shot was blocked. In a highly anticipated lead up to the game hosted by England in Wembley stadium, English fans were seen chanting the phrase “It’s Coming Home” all over live television as well as on social media.  For the vast majority of English fans in attendance, this was something they had never experienced in their lifetimes. The incredible representation of national pride seen throughout the country leading up to the finals is partially due to the fact that it has been 55 long years since England was last in a major international final and fans to have known only heartache and disappointment since that World Cup triumph in 1966. 

Lastly here is the wildcard news for the week:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-57773472https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/09/asia/china-giant-pandas-endangered-scli-intl-scn/index.htmlAs of last week, Chinese officials announced that Giant pandas are no longer classified as endangered but are still vulnerable species. The classification was downgraded as their number in the wild has reached 1,800. China has spent half a century attempting to boost the population of its famous animals, creating sprawling panda reserves across several mountain ranges in an effort to save them from extinction. China considers pandas a national treasure, but has also loaned them to other countries as diplomatic tools. The new classification comes years after the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had already removed the animal from its endangered species list and re-labelled it as "vulnerable" in 2016. At the time, however, Chinese officials had disputed the decision, saying that it could mislead people into believing that conservation efforts could be relaxed. Last week's announcement by China's environmental ministry is the first time the animal's status was changed on its own endangered species list, which uses similar standards as the Swiss-based IUCN.

 

Closing:  Well that wraps up What a Week! Stay safe and see you guys next week.