A school shooting at a Florida high school has left 17 dead and an additional
16 injured. The shooting occurred in Parkland, Florida at Marjory Stoneman
Douglas High School. According to CNN, both students and teachers are among
those killed. The school has an estimated enrollment of 3,100 students.
The suspect, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, was taken into custody. Cruz was
taken to the hospital, and was soon released into police custody. Cruz is a former
student who was dispelled for “unspecified disciplinary reasons.” According
to CNN, police are looking into his online profile, which has yielded “very, very
disturbing” results.
The investigation into the shooting and the suspect is ongoing. Parkland had
been rated in the past as the safest city in Florida by the National Council for
Home Safety and Security.
Local News
Nearly three dozen kids from 14 different Rhode Island schools had an allergic reaction this past week after eating kiwi. Health officials believe the “solution the fruit was washed in” likely was the cause of the allergic reactions. All of the kiwi was traced back to Roch’s fresh foods in West Greenwich, which was ordered to throw away any remaining kiwi. All of the kids who had allergic reactions to the kiwi are expected to be fine. The health department is lab-testing the levels of peracetic acid in the solution that was used to clean the fruit.
A Central Falls man was killed in a shooting Sunday night. Christian Huertas Hernandez, 22, was shot around the corner from his home as he was walking home from work. Central Falls Mayor James Diossa tweeted that Hernandez worked in the city’s summer youth program. Hernandez, he said, “impacted many young people’s lives.” Police are still investigating the shooting. No arrests have been made yet.
Construction began this week on the first of 14 truck toll gantries on I-95. The state DOT started construction on two tolls Monday. One is located on the town line of Richmond and Exeter. The other is located on the town line of Richmond and Hopkinton. Advocates of the truck tolls say that they are needed because of the amount of damage trucks do to roadways. Opponents of the tolls say are harming drivers who are delivering goods to stores and fear companies may transfer the cost of the tolls onto customers.
National News
Two Ohio police officers were killed on Saturday after responding to a 911 hang-up call. The two officers were from the Westerville, which is just north of Columbus. The officers, Anthony Morelli and Eric Joering, were fatally shot and killed while responding to a domestic incident. Joering, 39, was a 17-year veteran of the department and Morelli, 54, was a 30-year veteran of the department. Both officers were described as “two of the departments best” who “are true American heroes”.
The suspect, Quentin Lamar Smith, was wounded and hospitalized. Police had several “dealings” with Smith in 2017. He reportedly threatened to kill his wife and daughter in November. The Columbus police department is investigating the shooting. Fourteen police officers have reportedly been killed in the line of duty in 2018.
President Donald Trump submitted his budget to Congress on Monday. The budget features $4.4 trillion in spending. Trump’s proposed budget outlined cuts to domestic programs and increased funding for military spending. The budget is estimated to add $984 billion to the federal deficit next year. The blueprint, however, is said to have little to no chance of getting passed as it currently is, meaning that the proposed budget would need to be revised in order to be approved.
Vanessa Trump, the wife of Donald Trump Jr., was taken to the hospital Monday after opening a letter containing a white substance. The letter was addressed to Trump Jr. She was taken to the hospital as a precaution and was reported to be fine as of Monday afternoon. Authorities now say the envelope contained “harmless corn starch.” Authorities are still conducting further analysis on the substance.
International News
A Russian airliner carrying 65 passengers and six crew members crashed minutes after departing from a Moscow airport on Sunday. The crash killed all 71 people on board. The cause of the crash is still unclear, as investigators continue to examine the crash site. Officials said one of the flight recorders has been recovered.
The Olympics are officially underway, with the first events starting lasting last Thursday. Red Gerard, 17, won the first gold medal for the United States in the men’s snowboarding slopestyle competition. North Korea has participants in this years Olympics, and have a joint women’s hockey team with South Korea. North and South Korea marched together has one Korea in the opening ceremonies.