Buried under study guides? Too immersed in research for your paper due next week? Frantically packing up the contents of your room? Don’t fret! For those who were extremely busy during this first week of finals, here’s a recap of some of this week’s top news stories.
First Openly-Gay NBA Player Comes Out
Jason Collins, who played for the Boston Celtics and the Washington Wizards this past season, came out in the most recent edition of Sports Illustrated magazine. Collins represents the first active openly gay male athlete in the four major American pro-sports leagues – the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL. Collins received much support and praise from the public; his Twitter followers grew from 3,500 to 85,000 upon the disclosure of his sexuality. Support and praise for Collins came from his former coaches (such as Larry Drew, Randy Wittman, and Lawrence Frank), personal phone calls from President Obama and Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton, Howard Stern, Charlie Sheen, and RuPaul. The Human Rights Campaign stated that “Jason Collins has forever changed the face of sports.” Collins told Sports Illustrated a few days later that the only drawback of publically coming out was that he was too busy to go to the gym.
To read Collins’s column in Sports Illustrated, visit this website.
Updates on Boston Marathon Bombing
Federal prosecutors say that two close friends of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (the younger of two Boston Marathon bombing suspects), both of whom were from Kazakhstan, have been charged with concealing evidence to hinder the federal investigation in the Boston Marathon bombings. Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov have been in jail since last week and, if later found guilty, could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Tsarnaev’s American friend, Robel K. Phillipos, was charged with lying to law enforcement in regard to the investigation into the Boston Marathon bombings. If Phillipos is to be found guilty as well, he could face up to eight years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
To learn more about the latest developments in the Boston Marathon bombing investigation, visit this website.
Mine Collapse in Darfur, Sudan
A gold mine in the town of El Sereif in Darfur, a western Sudanese state, collapsed this past week, killing many people and leaving many unaccounted for in a 40-foot shaft. The state-run news channel, Ashorooq TV, reports that the collapse killed more than 60 people and was a result of people digging in dangerous areas of the mine. State officials in Darfur stated that the search is still going on, but that people who are currently unaccounted for are presumed dead. The mine will remain closed until the search is concluded and authorities declare that it is safe for mining again.
To learn more about the Sudan gold mine collapse, visit this website.
Pennsylvania Woman Resurfaces After 11 Years
Brenda Heist vanished from Lititz, Pennsylvania without a trace eleven years ago leaving behind her ex-husband and young daughter and son. On Thursday morning, authorities in Florida said that Heist approached them last week to reveal her true identity and how she left her old identity in Pennsylvania behind. Heist explained that after dropping her two children off at school one day, she joined three strangers on their venture to hitchhike Interstate 95 to south Florida. Using a pseudonym and avoiding all forms of contact with anyone, Heist was able to get by in Florida by living in tents and under bridges, rummaging through restaurant trash, and working odd jobs. Her ex-husband, Lee Heist, believes that their divorce and her financial troubles is what triggered her disappearance to Florida. Details are still being worked out in regards to reuniting the family and insurance policies, considering Brenda Heist was issued a death certificate after remaining missing for so long.
To learn more about the Brenda Heist story, please visit this website
Reese Witherspoon on Good Morning America
After her arrest two weeks ago, Reese Witherspoon appeared on Good Morning America to address her most recent bout with the law. She stated that she and her husband, Jim Toth, went to a restaurant in Atlanta and “had one too many glasses of wine”. Toth was charged with a DUI and Witherspoon was charged with disorderly conduct. Witherspoon, who is often regarded as one of the sweetest and charming stars in Hollywood, asked the Atlanta police officer whether he knew who she was or not, in the hopes that her celebrity status would release her and her husband from any charges. Witherspoon admitted on Good Morning America that she had no idea what she was talking about and that she was very disrespectful to the police officer, especially because she has many police officers in her family. When asked why she and Toth didn’t just take a cab, Witherspoon stated that “it was poor judgment and I think we made a mistake.” Witherspoon expressed that the most difficult part of this ordeal was telling her two oldest children, Ava and Deacon (ages 13 and 9 respectively; younger brother, Tennessee, is only seven months old).
For more information about Reese Witherspoon’s Good Morning America appearance, please visit this website.