The death of Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth II died at age 96 after her reign of 70 years, which, in turn, is the U.K.’s longest-serving monarch. She came to the throne in 1952 and is succeeded by her son, King Charles II, aged 73.
According to BBC News, crowds awaited Buckingham Palace in London for updates on the Queen’s health. The union flag atop the palace lowered to half-mast at 18:30 BST (1:30 EDT), and official notice was posted outside, signaling the Queen’s passing.
Members of Parliament will pay their respects to the Queen while taking an oath to King Charles.
Florida sends two planeloads of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard
Martha’s Vineyard, an island in Dukes County, Mass., is now home to a growing number of Latin American migrants after Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida sent over two planeloads of displaced migrants. Following suit, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas sent two busloads to Vice President Kamala Harris’ residence.
According to The New York Times, both acts are a result of governors’ decisions to challenge the immigration policies of President Joe Biden; they also deem that the Democrats share responsibility.
Others are disgusted, believing the governors used the migrants as political props rather than human beings.
George Floyd denied a posthumous pardon
The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles reversed its decision of granting George Floyd a posthumous pardon for a 2004 drug conviction that involved a police officer who has since been charged for falsifying records.
According to The Washington Post, the agency recommended a unanimous posthumous pardon for Floyd in his 2004 arrest; he sold $10 worth of crack cocaine. The board has withdrawn its recommendation after it was sent to Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas.
Public Defender Allison Mathis believed this was a chance for Texas to do one small, good thing but was given no evidence or factual statements as to why the decision was rescinded. Mathis can resubmit the application in two years.
The debate over the flu and COVID-19
Flu season is just around the corner as the weather grows chillier due to fall. Due to this, professional doctors have different viewpoints on whether people should show worry over COVID-19 or the flu.
According to NPR, Dr. Monica Gandhi, alongside other researchers, argue that many people have immunity, either from infection, vaccination or both, to protect them from getting seriously ill due to COVID-19. However, the White House’s medical adviser and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, believes the severity of the two illnesses is really quite clear.
COVID-19 continues to kill hundreds of people daily and has already killed more than a million Americans. A bad flu season kills around 50,000 people.
R. Kelly convicted
R&B singer R. Kelly was found guilty by the federal jury in Chicago. It took over 20 years for Jane Doe to speak of the sexual abuse she suffered from her godfather, and the court believed her testimony of graphic videos filled with her 14-year-old voice.
According to Chicago Tribune, Kelly was found guilty on Wednesday, Sept. 14, for three out of five counts related to the enticement of a minor with the attestant and two other victims. The convicted charges enforce a minimum of 10 years in prison.
The verdict came after a five-week trial with an estimate of 34 witnesses. The jury took about 11 hours over the span of two days before reaching a decision.
The 74th Emmy Awards
On Sept. 12, the 74th Emmy Awards was held to recognize excellence in U.S. television programming. There were many memorable moments from the night.
According to Page Six, the most momentous moment was when Zendaya accepted the award for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series for “Euphoria.” Her win will now be known as a moment in Emmy history, as she is now the youngest two-time winner.
There were many other winners from the night as well.
Phantom of the Opera to be taken off Broadway
“Phantom of the Opera” is Broadway’s longest-running show for over a decade and an icon of American theater, especially in New York City; however, it will close early next year. The show announced Friday it would celebrate its 35th anniversary on Jan. 26, and its final performance on Broadway will be held on Feb. 18.
According to ABC 7 New York, the musical has performed over 13,500 shows to an estimate of 19.5 million people solely at The Majestic Theatre. The production has seemingly employed 6,500 people, including 400 different actors.
No other productions are said to discontinue.
Apple releases iOS 16
This past Monday, Apple released its iOS 16 for all who own an iPhone. By downloading the update, anyone can gain access to new features and customizations.
According to CNET, the new update has the ability to edit and delete sent messages, a customizable lock screen, notifications and live activities, Visual Look Up’s tap/drag photos and more. It even gave users the battery percentage back near the icon.
To learn about more features and their purposes, visit the link above.
Auctioning of Michael Jordan’s “Last Dance” jersey
The jersey Michael Jordan wore in game one of the 1998 NBA Finals has sold for $10.091 million. Before this item, the highest paid-for jersey was Babe Ruth’s for $5.64 million in 2019.
According to ESPN, it is only the second jersey of Jordan’s from the NBA Finals to appear at an auction, as stated by the auction house, Sotheby’s.
It is the most paid-for item of sports memorabilia, surpassing many previous records.
ACHS celebrates its annual homecoming pep assembly
On Friday, students and faculty of Antioch Community High School came together after a shortened school schedule to get into school spirit since homecoming is a week away. The assembly involved performances from the drumline, cheerleaders and dance team, though it could not have been completed without the behind-the-scenes efforts.
“Putting together the assemblies is very stressful, but extremely rewarding,” Sequoit Senate President and senior Brant Becker said. “There are many things to prepare for, like game logistics and writing the script; executing the assembly is just as difficult with so many moving parts.”
The homecoming dance will be held on Saturday, Sept. 24; the theme is Candyland.
