Intro: 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.oregonlive.com/portland/2021/03/1000-gather-for-stop-asian-hate-event-in-se-portland.html
Last Friday, roughly 1,000 people rallied against anti-Asian racism in Southeast Portland, marking the city’s most recent Stop Asian Hate event. The crowd gathered at Harrison Park for an event featuring speakers and performances, as well as an array of tents where people offered resources and information. The event comes one week after a series of shootings at three Atlanta-area spas. Of the eight people killed in the shootings, six were Asian-American women. Hate crimes targeting Asian people in major U.S. cities rose by nearly 150% in 2020, even though hate crimes overall decreased by 7%, according to a
study by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. Stop AAPI Hate, an organization that tracks and reports bias crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, reported nearly 3,800 incidents from March 19, 2020, to the end of last month nationwide. Bias crimes against Asian American women comprised 68% of the reports. Thirty-five percent of them happened in businesses.
In-state news:
https://katu.com/news/local/oregon-house-cancels-monday-session-after-covid-19-case-discovered
A confirmed case of the coronavirus canceled Monday's session for the Oregon House of Representatives. House Speaker Tina Kotek's office says an individual who was at the Capitol on March 16th has tested positive. Those who were in close contact with that person have already been notified. The speaker's office says the next floor session is expected to be on Tuesday unless they are notified of more cases.
In National News:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/active-shooter-reported-grocery-store-colorado-boulder-police/story?id=76614488
Last Monday afternoon, ten people, including a police officer, were killed in Boulder, Colorado,when a gunman opened fire at a King Soopers grocery store, where residents had gathered to shop and receive COVID-19 vaccines. The victims range in age from 20 to 65, Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said. The suspect suffered a leg wound and was taken into custody that same day. He has been charged with 10 counts of murder.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2021/03/27/covid-19-cases-in-the-us-are-increasing-again/?sh=7d94c6981243
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/covid-19-cases-are-rising-states-are-opening-anyway-n1261912
After several weeks at a plateau, Covid cases in the U.S. are rising once again. The U.S. recorded 77,339 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus on Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University, and the rolling 7-day average of cases nationwide has increased by more than 10% over the previous week, with more than two dozen states trending in the wrong direction, leading to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to warn it is "deeply concerned" about the rising numbers. As of last week, the CDC reported that just 14 percent of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated.
In International News:
https://www.npr.org/2021/03/27/981958889/race-to-free-giant-ship-from-suez-canal-continues
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/juliareinstein/suez-canal-boat-ship-stuck-memes
A giant cargo ship, called the Ever Given, got stuck in the (sooez) Suez Canal last Tuesday, disrupting global trade. A Dutch company working to wiggle the boat free has compared the vessel to a quote "beached whale" and said it "might take weeks" to accomplish, according to
Reuters. The economic implications of this are massive — about 12% of trade transported by sea goes through the canal, according to
CNBC, so each day the ship blocks the route, billions of dollars in goods are unable to reach their destinations. On a positive note though, the stuck container ship has inspired some amazing memes and jokes on the internet.
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2021-03-27/china-announces-sanctions-on-individuals-entities-in-us-canada
This past saturday, the United States condemned China's sanctions against two American religious-rights officials and a Canadian lawmaker in a dispute over Beijing's treatment of (wee-gr) Uighur Muslims and other minorities. China's stand quote "only contribute to the growing international scrutiny of the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in (shin-jaang) Xinjiang. We stand in solidarity with Canada, the UK, the EU, and other partners and allies around the world in calling on (China) to end human rights violations and abuses," U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a statement. Beijing's sanctions followed those imposed by the United States, European Union, Britain and Canada last week for what they say are violations of the rights of (wee-gr) Uighur Muslims and other Turkic minorities in the western Chinese region of (shin-jaang) Xinjiang.
Lastly here is the wildcard news for the week:
https://www.businessinsider.com/krispy-kreme-giving-free-donuts-with-covid-vaccine-card-2021-3
Last week, Donut and coffee house chain Krispy Kreme announced that it will give away a free glazed doughnut to anyone who comes in with a COVID-19 vaccination card through the end of 2021. This means, customers who come with their COVID-19 vaccination card can receive one free glazed donut every day until the end of the year.
Closing: Well that wraps up What a Week! Stay safe and see you guys next week.
