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:
Last weekend the city of Portland put out more officers on the street to respond to an increase in shootings while city leaders continued to call for an end to gun violence. Despite these efforts, there were two shootings this past Sunday which left a woman dead and a man seriously injured. While it’s unclear if the two shootings are connected, they come amid an acknowledged gun violence problem in Portland. Last Sunday’s shootings represented the fifth shooting homicide that police responded to this month and at least the 15th injury shooting.
In-state news:
https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2021/05/gov-kate-brown-outlines-path-to-reopening-when-70-of-oregon-gets-partially-vaccinated-shell-lift-most-covid-19-restrictions.html
https://www.kgw.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/oregon-governor-kate-brown-covid-vaccinations-reopen-economy/283-1052dde7-0285-4bb6-86a8-509c1e8528b7
Last Tuesday Gov. Kate Brown laid out a specific roadmap for fully reopening Oregon’s economy and making a big step toward normalcy: When 70% of the state’s residents 16 and older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, she’ll eliminate most statewide restrictions meant to reduce the spread of the disease. That includes the lifting of capacity limits on restaurants, bars, stores, gyms, sporting venues, movie theaters and limitations on the number of people who can gather indoors or out for events such as road races and festivals. No counties will remain under the current “risk level” tiers based on their rates of infections.The statewide mask mandates on indoor public spaces and physical distancing requirements could, however, remain for some time. The governor said she’d continue to follow recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in determining when to lift mask rules.
In National News:
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tasneemnashrulla/cdc-masks-covid-guidance-vaccinated-people
https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/13/health/cdc-mask-guidance-vaccinated/index.html
Last Thursday, the CDC announced new guidelines stating that fully vaccinated people in the US can go without a mask and stop socially distancing in almost all indoor and outdoor settings. This marks a milestone in the coronavirus pandemic that has been ongoing in the country for more than a year now. CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a White House Covid-19 briefing"If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic...We have all longed for this moment when we can get back to some sense of normalcy."
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/10/health/pfizer-vaccine-children-kids.html
Last Monday, the Food and Drug Administration authorized the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech
Covid-19 vaccine for
12- to 15-year-olds in the United States a crucial step in the nation’s steady recovery from the pandemic and a boon to millions of American families eager for a return to normalcy. The authorization caps weeks of anticipation among parents, who have been grappling with how to conduct their lives when only the adults in a household are immunized. The Pfizer-BioNTech
vaccine is already available to anyone ages 16 and older.
In International News:
https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/16/middleeast/israel-palestinian-conflict-intl/index.html
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/janelytvynenko/photos-pro-palestinian-protests-global
Last week, media outlets captured thousands of people across the world showing their support for Palestinians in protests amid some of the worst fighting between Israelis and Palestinians since the 2014 Gaza War, with demonstrators from Canada to Japan waving flags and chanting quote "Free Palestine". The violence first began when Israeli security forces raided Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan two weeks ago, injuring many worshippers and causing Hamas to retaliate with rocket fire. Israeli police also violently clamped down on protesters demonstrating against the expulsion of Palestinians from their homes in the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. Most recently, Israel bombed the house of Hamas' Gaza leader and obliterated a family's home in Gaza as Hamas launched more than 100 rockets toward Israel this past Sunday, marking the deadliest day of
the week-long conflict so far, according to data from the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza and Israeli authorities. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said this past Sunday morning that it had bombed the house of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' leader since 2017. IDF spokesperson told local media that Sinwar had been unhurt in the airstrike. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, two Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed at least 43 Palestinians this past Sunday. With the latest casualties, the death toll in Gaza has climbed to a total of 197, including at least 58 children and 34 women, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Since the beginning of the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza last week, at least 1,235 Palestinians have been injured, with the number expected to rise, the health ministry said, as paramedics continue to carry out search operations. Ten Israelis have been killed by rockets fired from Gaza, according to the IDF.
Lastly here is the wildcard news for the week:
https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/10/media/golden-globes-nbc-diversity/index.html
Last week, NBC will not be airing the Golden Globes next year temporarily ending a decades-long relationship between the network and the
Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the nonprofit responsible for the awards. The network announced that it would not carry the show in 2022 after
controversy surrounding the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's lack of diversity and ethical questions related to financial benefits given to some members along with forms of bribery.
Well that wraps up What a Week! Stay safe and see you guys next week.
