NEWS ROUNDUP: 2020 census finalized, Philly cocaine seized and Sudan protesters killed
Here are some important stories you may have missed in June from Texas, the United States and around the world.
Texas:
Houston Holocaust Museum reopens – The Houston Holocaust Museum (HHM) reopened June 22. The $49 million dollar expansion started in 2017 and the permanent collection closed January 2018. The expansion features a new three-story building, four permanent galleries and two exhibition spaces. The CEO of HHM, Kelly Zúñiga, stated in a June 20 interview with Houston Matters that though the Holocaust is a major part of the museum, they want to talk about other human rights violations and more recent genocides. “The human rights movement was an outgrowth of the Holocaust,” Zúñiga said. “So, that’s exactly what we do is we talk about that history in our human rights gallery.”
No citizenship question in 2020 census – The Department of Justice confirmed that the Supreme Court’s 5 to 4 ruling will be held up and the 2020 census will not contain a citizenship question. Critics of the question warned it would deter non-citizens and mixed-status families from taking the census. Thus, not being counted. The census determines district maps, the number of House seats a state gets and a state’s funding. Texas having a large immigrant population would have been affected by this addition. Though printing has begun, the Trump Administration is still working to get the question added.
United States:
Flint water crisis charges dropped – Michigan Attorney General’s Office dropped all criminal charges being pursued in relation to the ongoing water crisis that started in 2014 to the residents of Flint, Michigan. These charges ranged with involuntary manslaughter being one dropped. The statement from the officials investigating said that they dropped the pending charges to “in order to conduct a full and complete investigation.” The reactions from the citizens, politicians and country have been mixed. Some trust this is the right move while others like the director of the grassroots group Flint Rising, Nayyirah Shariff, stated they feel this is “a slap in the face to Flint residents.”
Cocaine seized worth billion dollars – Federal authorities, coming from six agencies, seized 16.5 tons of cocaine worth about one billion dollars aboard the MSC Gayane cargo ship, while it was docked in a Philadelphia port June 18. This bust was one of the largest seizures in U.S. history with four men charged so far. Earlier this year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 1,185 pounds of the same narcotic from a Philadelphia port worth $38 million, the highest amount in over two decades until June.
House hears arguments into reparation inquiries – For the first time in over a decade, the U.S. House held a hearing for H.R. 40 – Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act June 19. Reparations are formal acknowledgments of slavery, a national apology and a form of compensatory payment to the descendants of African slaves. The compensation for slaves was in talks after the Civil War but ended with the assassination of Lincoln. If passed, this bill, sponsored by the Texas House Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, would be a study of the subject and proposal for implementation but is not a reparation’s bill itself. The day this was brought to the committee was on Juneteenth, the day celebrated as the end of slavery. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell expressed no interested in reparations.
International:
Sudan protests and Khartoum massacre – Tension between the people of Sudan and the current military rule continued to rise in June leading to a protest in which the Sudanese armed forces fired into crowds and medical facilities. Over 100 people were killed, 70 were raped and hundreds were injured within 2 days. The armed forces were seen dumping dozens of protester bodies into the Nile River. The international community has condemned this attack, The UN temporarily pulled out personal and many on social media started aid networks.
Led by the Sudanese Professionals Association, an umbrella of unions, a three-day general strike disrupted Sudan June 9-11. This act of “complete civil disobedience” resulted in closures in education, finance, transportation, energy, utilities, newspapers and non-emergency medical services.
Starving polar bear wandered in Russian town – For the first time in over four decades, a polar bear was spotted in Norilsk, Russia hundreds of miles away from its natural habitat June 19. Authorities are unsure whether she got lost or was scavenging for food, but she was described as “visibly weak” so instead of returning her to her habitat, she was taken to a zoo in Krasnoyarsk for treatment. Earlier this year, a state of emergency was called after dozens of Polar Bears wandered into populated areas of Russia looking for food and not being deterred by horns or dogs.
Hail falls overnight in Mexico – Guadalajara, Mexico received over three feet of hail overnight June 30 leaving many stranded with buried cars. Though hundreds of buildings and dozens of cars were damaged, there were no deaths. This region regularly experiences hailstorms during the summer to the mountainous region, but the size was unusual and research suggests warmer temperatures lead to larger stones.
On the bright side:
Julie “Hurricane” Hawkins became the oldest woman to compete and win in the National Seniors Game at the age of 103 while racing in the 50-meter dash and nabbing gold in the 100-meter dash June 18. Hawkins began running and breaking records at age 100 after she had to stop biking due to a fall that resulted in a dislocated elbow. The National Seniors Game, formally the National Senior Olympics Organization, was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico this year and aims to “promote healthy lifestyles for adults through education, fitness and sport.”
