By: Kerrigan McVicker
Texas crash leaves 13 dead, two injured
According to CNN, a head-on collision of a church bus and a pickup truck on March 29 left 13 people dead and two injured in southwest Texas. The victims of the collision included senior citizens from the First Baptist Church of New Braunfels, Texas and the driver of the pickup truck. Two people on the bus and the driver of the truck were critically injured. However, one of the bus passengers died on March 29. At least three witnesses in the area called law enforcement to report reckless driving prior to the collision. Highway 83, where the accident took place, was closed for several hours after the accident occurred.
North Carolina repeals bathroom bill
According to CNN, North Carolina lawmakers have come to an agreement to repeal its “bathroom bill” after harsh controversy has risen in the past year. Governor Roy Cooper explained that the bill has “stained our reputation, discriminated against our people, and has caused great economic harm in many of our communities.” The new bill to repeal the bathroom bill was approved by the state’s legislative bodies after a controversial debate. As of March 30, people of any gender are allowed to use the bathroom they believe they belong in. =
The “Angel of Death” dies
The New York Times announced that Donald Harvey, a healthcare worker who admitted to killing hospital patients in the 1970s and 1980s, was killed in his jail cell on March 30. Mr. Harvey was 64 when he was assaulted by another inmate on March 28, at the Toledo Correctional Institution in Toledo, Ohio. Harvey was found guilty of killing at least 37 people over the course of 20 years in Kentucky and Ohio when he was on trial in 1987. Mr. Harvey poisoned most of his victims with toxic substances including cyanide, rat poison and petroleum distillate. He also suffocated patients in their beds and refused to refill oxygen tanks. Investigations have begun to find out who murdered Harvey.
Israel approves new settlement
According to BBC, Israel has approved the establishment of its first new Jewish settlement in the West Bank of the country, which has not been done in 20 years. The new homes will be built atop a hill known as “Geulat Zion” near the Palestinian city of Nablus. The Israeli Security Cabinet agreed to build and allow families into the new settlement. They also approved tenders to build 1,992 homes at four other existing settlements. Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, commented, “Israel’s relentless efforts to expand its illegal settlement enterprise with the aim of displacing Palestine and replacing it with ‘Greater Israel’ should send a strong message to governments worldwide that they need to intervene immediately and to undertake concrete measures to hold Israel accountable with serious punitive measures.”
