Local News-
The North Smithfield Town Council voted unanimously to repeal the resolution that asked town departments to no longer purchase Nike gear following their release of an advertisement featuring Colin Kaepernick. John Beauregard, the council’s president and a former state trooper, said that he has not changed his opinion on the issue, but offered an apology for having brought so much attention to the town. Following the 3-2 passage of the original resolution last week, the town had been met with both local and national outrage. The Rhode Island American Civil Liberties Union and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People had both offered their criticisms of the resolution, and the ACLU had stated that they were prepared to take the issue to court.
The Garrahy Judicial Complex in Providence has been having a bedbug problem over the past month. The courthouse has been treated several times since the discovery of the bedbugs on Aug. 9. However, the problem is not totally resolved, with the most recent being found on Monday, Sept. 24. The bedbugs have caused allergic reactions in some visitors to the courthouse, and the building has remained open despite various calls by unions and court visitors alike to shut the building down until the issue is taken care of.
A convicted sex offender was arrested in Narragansett, specifically in the Eastward Look area, on Monday, Sept. 24. Brett Z. Black, who has lived in the area for around eight years, is also currently a burglary suspect. URI students received an email from the school informing them about the arrest.
National News-
In addition to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, two other women have now accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault. One of the other women is named Deborah Ramirez, who says that Kavanaugh allegedly exposed himself to her while they were at a party at Yale University. Both were students at Yale at the time. The third accuser was identified on Wednesday, September 26 as Julie Swetnick. Swetnick alleged that she attended many house parties where Kavanaugh was present and witnessed him grope and otherwise harass numerous girls, as well as help spike their drinks. She also alleges that he was present while she was gang-raped at one of those parties. Swetnick is being represented by Michael Avenatti, who is known for representing adult film star Stormy Daniels earlier this year. Dr. Ford is supposed to testify this upcoming Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the allegations, however, there is a chance that could change; and in light of the new allegations, many are calling for a full FBI investigation. As of right now, a vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee in regards to Kavanaugh is to be held Friday morning.
International News-
The UN General Assembly is meeting this week. Several major things have happened so far, including:
The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, brought her three-month-old daughter with her to the event.
The humanitarian response to the ongoing crisis and famine in Yemen was discussed.
Donald Trump addressed other world leaders and spoke about North Korea, Iran and China and was laughed at by other leaders in the room.
The UK’s Labour party, who have been historically opposed to Brexit, announced this week that they may back a new vote on the issue if Parliament doesn’t approve the deal proposed by the government. Party lawmakers are divided, however, as to whether or not a proposed new vote should include the option to have Britain remain in the European Union, as some are saying that the country already chose to leave and that that decision should be respected and others disagree. This comes after the plan proposed by conservatives in the country was rejected by EU leaders at a summit in Austria last week. Britain officially leaves the EU on March 29, 2019.