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According to The New York Times, at the scene, police discovered a hatchet, two more gas canisters and a jammed Glock handgun, which police believe could have saved lives(Image created by Lauren Schweighardt/Graphic Designer).

23 injured in mass shooting at a Brooklyn subway

By Aliyah Siddiqui | Apr. 14, 2022

Ten people were shot and another 13 were wounded after a mass shooting on a subway train in Brooklyn, NY. The suspect, Frank James, was arrested on April 13 and charged with a federal terrorism offense. On April 12, James, dressed in a construction vest and helmet, put on a gas mask and tossed two smoke grenades on the floor of the N train and shot 33 bullets as it neared 36th St. station. He then fled the scene after shooting 10 people, five of whom were critically injured. Thirteen others were injured from smoke inhalation, panic attacks or falling down, according to the BBC. All victims are expected to survive, but the shooting traumatized many New Yorkers who were at the scene.

There is mounting evidence that Russia is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, war crimes can include the intentional attack on civilian populations, civilian objects or non-military buildings(Image created by Lauren Schweighardt/Graphic Designer).

Evidence for war crimes in Ukraine increase as investigations continue

By Aliyah Siddiqui | Apr. 13, 2022

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has labeled Russia’s attacks against the Ukrainian people as war crimes. Given the murder and torture of hundreds of Ukrainian civilians, many countries, including the United States and Britain, have since echoed his sentiment. In light of this, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on April 6 in favor of a bill that proposes an investigation of war crimes committed by the Russian military. Specifically, the bill requests that President Joe Biden send a report to Congress regarding the U.S. Government’s efforts to collect evidence related to Russian war crimes since the start of the war.

It is the first win for the Amazon Labor Union, which was formed just about a year ago by Christian Smalls, a former worker at Amazon’s only warehouse in New York City, who was fired in March 2020 for leading a protest against the company’s pandemic safety procedures(Image created by Lauren Schweighardt/Graphic Designer).

Staten Island Amazon workers vote to unionize in labor milestone

By Matthew Kaufman | Apr. 13, 2022

Workers at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, NY voted to unionize, joining the Amazon Labor Union(ALU) in what is the first time a group of the company’s workers in the U.S. have successfully organized.

The investigation is still far from over, but the committee has already produced a number of revelations about former President Donald Trump’s actions in the lead-up and aftermath of the insurrection, as well as the level of involvement of members of his inner circle in promoting conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election(Image created by Lauren Schweighardt/Graphic Designer).

January 6th Committee probes Ginni Thomas, investigates White House call sheet

By Connor Carlin | Apr. 13, 2022

After several months of subpoenas, testimony and evidence-gathering, the House Committee on the Jan. 6th Capitol Insurrection has cast an ever-expanding net over the governmental and non-governmental figures who played a part in planning, encouraging, or participating in the attack. The investigation is still far from over, but the committee has already produced a number of revelations about former President Donald Trump’s actions in the lead-up and aftermath of the insurrection, as well as the level of involvement of members of his inner circle in promoting conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election. Of these figures, the most potentially consequential has been Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, longtime conservative activist and wife of the senior-most member of the US Supreme Court, Justice Clarence Thomas.

Preparing for the effects of climate change on cities requires rethinking infrastructure. Some policymakers are working to make changes that ensure their cities can endure fluctuating temperatures, flooding and other consequences of global warming(Image created by Lauren Schweighardt/Graphic Designer).

Cities are seeking ways to protect themselves from the effects of climate change

By Octavia Feliciano | Apr. 7, 2022

Residents of Jamaica Bay consider it a great place to live in New York City. They are close to all the offerings of a large urban center and still get to experience the natural beauty of the region. But with ocean levels rising as a result of climate change people may not be able to live in many of the towns in Jamaica Bay for much longer.

According to The New York Times, Australian scientists used aerial photographs to examine the Great Barrier Reef and found extreme bleaching in 60% of the corals(Image created by Lauren Schweighardt/Graphic Designer).

Great Barrier Reef undergoes sixth mass bleaching event

By Aliyah Siddiqui | Apr. 7, 2022

A significant portion of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia suffered through its sixth mass bleaching effect, creating concern that the reef may not recover. Coral bleaching occurs when temperatures rise and the algae living inside reefs leave, causing corals to lose their food source and subsequently turn white. However, if temperatures cool for a long enough time, corals are able to recover.

While prices have decreased slightly over the past few weeks, the N.J Division of Consumer Affairs has received 92 complaints of price gouging at gas stations in the last month, according to NJ.com(Image created by Lauren Schweighardt/Graphic Designer).

Reports of gas price gouging increase, but higher cost has many factors

By Matthew Kaufman | Apr. 7, 2022

Gas prices have skyrocketed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the average price in New Jersey being $4.15 a gallon as of April 3. While prices have decreased slightly over the past few weeks, the N.J Division of Consumer Affairs has received 92 complaints of price gouging at gas stations in the last month, according to NJ.com. The agency said that amount of complaints is more than it has received in the past two years combined, with 39 in 2021 and 15 in 2020.

Jackson’s presence on the Court would likely provide a balance for the long term between liberals and conservatives. With her, the Supreme Court would remain 6-3, with conservatives outnumbering liberals(Image created by Lauren Schweighardt/Graphic Designer).

Ketanji Brown Jackson likely to become first Black woman on Supreme Court

By Andrew Bellows | Apr. 5, 2022

After days of confirmation hearings, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will likely be confirmed by the Senate. If confirmed, she would become the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court and the third Black justice after Clarence Thomas and Thurgood Marshall. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) broke a 50-50 Senate tie between Democrats and Republicans on March 30, all but confirming Jackson’s position on the Court. According to the New York Times, she has since been joined by Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) in supporting Jackson.. Even if the vote remained a tie, Vice President Kamala Harris would have been the deciding vote, pushing Jackson onto the highest bench in the land.

Student loan payments are scheduled to restart on May 1, following extensions of the pause put into place by the Biden Administration, making the Fed's decision more important to student loan borrowers(Image created by Lauren Schweighardt/Graphic Designer).

Fed raises interest rates, bringing consequences for student loans

By Matthew Kaufman | Apr. 2, 2022

The Federal Reserve voted on March 16 to raise interest rates and schedule six more increases through the end of this year as a response to rapidly rising inflation, which is at the worst it has been in four decades.

The museum began as a nonprofit organization and almost entirely depended on museum admission fees to keep it afloat. Now with the steady decrease of visitors due to the pandemic, the museum is on track to its doors permanently(Image created by Lauren Schweighardt/Graphic Designer).

9/11 Tribute Museum to close down after decrease in visitors

By Hailey Ruane | Apr. 2, 2022

The 9/11 Tribute Museum was one of many places that had to shut its doors due to the onset of the pandemic. Over the course of the six months that it was closed, millions of dollars of debt accumulated — with no visitors to help steady the rapidly increasing costs of keeping the museum running. Opening in 2006, the 9/11 Tribute Museum located in lower Manhattan on Greenwich Street in NYC has made a huge impact on citizens’ lives. Both the general public as well as survivors of the attacks in 2001 have made many visits to the museum, considering it is right down the street from the Ground Zero memorial.

According to the International Space Station Transition Report submitted to Congress, NASA has established a contract with Axiom Space, a U.S. based company, to attach commercial modules to a space station docking port, which will eventually become a low-Earth orbit (LEO) free-flying destination(Image created by Lauren Schweighardt/Graphic Designer).

International Space Station set to retire in 2031

By Aliyah Siddiqui | Apr. 2, 2022

NASA recently announced plans to retire the International Space Station (ISS) by the end of 2030, marking the transition to commercial services after 20 years in space. The news comes as the Biden administration committed to extending the ISS’s operations until 2030 to continue the current research being conducted and to facilitate the transition to private, commercial space travel. The extension will also consist of the advancements in space research and technology in order to send the first woman and person of color to the moon and the first people to Mars.

The bill is named after Emmett Till, the 14-year-old Black teenager from Mississippi who was murdered in 1955. According to the New York Times, it makes lynching, defined as the harming or killing of an individual by a group for intimidation purposes, punishable by up to 30 years in prison(Image created by Lauren Schweighardt/Graphic Designer).

Federal hate crime bill passed and signed by President Biden

By Matthew Kaufman | Mar. 30, 2022

Congress has approved a bill making lynching a federal hate crime, following more than 200 previous attempts over more than 100 years, sending the legislation to be signed into law by President Biden. The bill passed the senate on March 7 with unanimous consent, meaning there was no formal vote on the legislation but no senators objected to its passage, according to the Wall Street Journal. It had previously passed the House with a vote of 422-3, with Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) opposing the measure.

The agreement made by the UN Environment Assembly is a step towards addressing the issue of plastic waste, but it does not yet require nations to make changes to their current methods of disposing of plastic(Image created by Lauren Schweighardt/Graphic Designer).

UN Environment Assembly takes first step towards reducing plastic waste

By Octavia Feliciano | Mar. 30, 2022

175 nations committed to develop a treaty that would address global plastic waste pollution. The agreement was made on March 2, during the fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, NBC reports. "Today marks a triumph by planet earth over single-use plastics," said Inger Andersen, the executive director of the U.N. Environment Program, in a statement reported by NBC. "It is an insurance policy for this generation and future ones, so they may live with plastic and not be doomed by it."

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds praises restrictive transgender legislation while other states explore similar measures(Image created by Lauren Schweighardt/Graphic Designer).

Iowa Governor signs restrictive Transgender sports bill into law as other states continue to pass anti-LGBTQ legislation

By Andrew Bellows | Mar. 22, 2022

Last year, numerous states passed bills restricting transgender girls from participating in girl’s high school and college sports. Iowa has now joined that long list. According to the Associated Press, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has paraded the bill as a “victory for girls sports.” Reynolds reiterated that this bill would assure a level-playing field and protect girls that play sports.

Fighting between Russian and pro-Russian forces and the Ukrainian Armed Forces is ongoing across several dozen Ukrainian cities(Image created by Lauren Schweighardt/Graphic Designer).

Nations respond to Russian military invasion of Ukraine

By Connor Carlin | Mar. 22, 2022

The international community has been thrown into turmoil since Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Fighting between Russian and pro-Russian forces and the Ukrainian Armed Forces is ongoing across several dozen Ukrainian cities. Countries across the world have been reacting to the situation as it unfolds, attempting to navigate perhaps the greatest geopolitical crisis since the end of the Cold War.

If the temperature surpasses 2 degrees Celsius, between 800 million and 3 billion people would face chronic water scarcity due to drought, and crop yields would decrease(Image created by Lauren Schweighardt/Graphic Designer).

United Nations warns of extreme dangers if climate change is not rapidly addressed

By Aliyah Siddiqui | Mar. 22, 2022

The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report on Feb. 28 highlighting the dangers of climate change unless rapid measures are taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The report is part of a series of reports on climate science and follows a report released in Aug. 2021 that examined how human activities heat the planet.

CDC changes Covid-19 precaution recommendations for those in low and medium risk communities(Image created by Lauren Schweighardt/Graphic Designer).

New CDC Covid-19 guidelines relax mask recommendations for most of the country

By Octavia Feliciano | Mar. 15, 2022

Guidelines released by the CDC on Feb. 25 suggest around 70% of Americans can stop wearing masks, The New York Times reports. The CDC obtained this figure by evaluating the risk of Covid-19 in each U.S. county. In counties with a low or medium community risk, the CDC no longer lists mask-wearing as a recommended Covid-19 prevention behavior.

As coronavirus cases have dropped across the nation, several states have announced dropping indoor mask mandates in the coming weeks(Image created by Lauren Schweighardt/Graphic Designer).

States ease mask mandates as Covid-19 cases decline

By Aliyah Siddiqui | Mar. 15, 2022

As the number of Covid-19 cases has dropped across the nation, several states have announced dropping indoor mask mandates or school mask mandates in the coming weeks, including New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, California, Delaware, Massachusetts, Illinois, Nevada, Washington and Oregon.

One of the first and only studies that have been performed involving illuminated fishing nets creates new opportunities for fishing companies to protect sea life(Image created by Lauren Schweighardt/Graphic Designer).

LED lights have potential in preventing fish net entanglement

By Signal Correspondent | Mar. 8, 2022

Jesse F. Senko, an Arizona State University marine conservation biologist, recently performed a study on attaching green LED lights to fishing nets in gillnet fisheries and how it affects the amount of bycatch, or unwanted aquatic life, that is produced when actively fishing. NPR interviewed Senko about this global ecological issue and how his study affects it.

According to Al-Jazeera, Honduran authorities surrounded Hernández’s residence in the country’s capital of Tegucigalpa on the night of Feb. 14 after the U.S. requested his arrest and eventual extradition earlier that day(Image created by Lauren Schweighardt).

Former Honduran President to be extradited to US on drug trafficking charges

By Signal Correspondent | Mar. 5, 2022

Juan Orlando Hernández, a former Honduran President, was detained on Feb. 15 after the U.S. Embassy requested his extradition. The extradition warrant was issued as a result of U.S. authorities charging Hernández with participating in weapons and drug-trafficking from 2004 to 2022.