146th Kentucky Derby Ran in Louisville 

The Kentucky Derby, the largest horse race of the year, was originally planned for the first Saturday of May; however, it finally ran on September 5. The 2020 Kentucky Derby marks the 146th anniversary of the event. 

 

According to the Kentucky Derby website, the winning horse was ‘Authentic’, earning the three million dollar jackpot. Authentic had a one and one quarter lengths finish over second place finisher ‘Tiz The Law’.

 

Abuse of Synthetic Anxiety Drug ‘Phenibut’ on a Rise

Misuse of the anxiety drug, Phenibut, raised red flags after there were surges in its use from 2015 to 2019. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention released statements about this topic in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published September 4, 2020. The report exposed data revealing that poison control center calls – related to the misuse of phenibut – have been on the rise since 2015. It is believed that this spike could be due to the easy availability of the drug through online retailers.

 

Antioch Walmart Evacuated Following Second Bomb Threat in 24 Hours

The Antioch Police Department responded to a call reporting a potential bomb threat Tuesday, September 8 at the Antioch Walmart located off of route-173. 

 

According to Lake & McHenry Police Scanner, this followed an initial threat on Monday, September 7. An investigation has opened to further dive into the details of the situation. Up to date, the store has been cleared with no trace of explosive devices.

 

Eight Missing Children Found by U.S. Marshals in Indiana

As part of ‘Operation Homecoming’, the U.S. Marshals were hard at work to rescue ‘highly-endangered’ children across three states. The operation ran from mid-August to September 4, with over 72 children rescued as a result of the mission. 

 

According to a statement from the U.S. Marshals Service, the eight children between the ages of 6 and 17 were considered to be ‘the most at-risk’ in the Indiana area. The whole operation recovered kids from Indiana, Ohio and Georgia. It is believed that these children, marked as ‘runaways’, were actually kidnapped to be sold for sex-trafficking. 91 percent of missing children are labeled as ‘endangered runaways,’ with one-sixth becoming sex-trafficking victims.

 

Facebook Censors Conservative Posts

Popular social media page ‘Facebook,’ run by Mark Zuckerberg, has been accused of censoring conservative views on the app. U.S. Congressman Roger Marshall (R) spoke out against this on KNSS News radio, stating that his post giving data and facts about the spread of COVID-19 was removed. Others have complained about this same notion from the app, such as a republican Stanford student and an anti-vaccination group.

 

Germany Presses Russia Over Poisoning of Alexei Navalny

Russian president Vladimir Putin denied all allegations of poisoning Alexei Navalny, who is a strong Russia-opposition leader. Navalny was found in critical condition. It is believed that the nerve agent (poison) Navichok was used to take out Navalny. 

 

Free Democratic Party Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki revealed to German news source Spiegel that the Germans are skeptical to continue progress on a pipeline project with Russia following the attack. There are accusations against the Russian government in meddling with the well-being of Navalny; however, as for any case, they are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

 

In-Person Learning Group Rotations at Antioch Community High School Begin

District 117 launched a return to school plan for students and staff, depicting a three-week, six-group rotation. The cycle began on Tuesday, September 8. Students have reported a better work ethic after getting back into the school environment. 

 

“It’s so much easier to get work done when I’m at school,” ACHS junior Jasmine Ametovski said. “I also liked seeing people occasionally and just not being at home.”

 

While students have the capability to get back inside the building, there are some issues. One example is teachers’ unknowingness in splitting attention between virtual learners and those who are in person. There are hopes that everything will run smoother as everyone accommodates to the current situation.

 

Iran Kept Under Close Eye as Uranium Stockpile Increases

Iran originally reported a 3.5 percent enrichment in Uranium in the second to last International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report; however, in the most recent report that percentage rose to 4.5 percent. This has raised red flags among many countries, as this translates to Iran having the ability to produce atomic level weapons over the next five to 12 months. According to the original 2020 report by the IAEA, Iran has not been cooperating with the Agency in following nuclear peace guidelines, nor answering any questions raised by the Agency.

 

POTUS Donald Trump Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

President of the United States Donald Trump was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize on Wednesday, September 9, by Norwegian delegate Christian Tybring-Gjedde. The nomination came after Trump brokered a peace deal between Jewish-state Israel and Muslim-state United Arab Emirates. 

 

According to a White House press release, this feat is considered to be the most significant step for peace in the Middle East in more than 25 years.

 

Wildfires Continue to Spread Across West Coast

What started out as small fires following lightning strikes on the morning of August 16, has since escalated into an exponentially growing disaster.  Thousands have been forced to evacuate their homes across the West coast, spanning from California to Washington. 

 

According to data reported by the New York Times, upwards of 2.5 million acres of land in California has burned, while hundreds of homes in Oregon have been destroyed and one boy was killed in Washington. Federal reports exhausted a warning of financial havoc. In total, millions of acres of land have been destroyed with an estimated death count of 9 as of Wednesday, September 9.