Official withdrawal from Paris Agreement commences
Last Wednesday at an energy conference in Pittsburgh, PA, President Trump officially announced that the administration is preparing to formally withdraw the U.S. from the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. Trump claims that the Paris Agreement “disadvantages the United States for the exclusive benefits of other countries.” The agreement has had about 196 nations sign, vowing to reduce planet-warming emissions. The U.S. was committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28% by the year 2025 based on 2005 levels. The earliest that the administration can start the withdrawal process is Nov. 4 and would go into effect one year later the day after the presidential election of 2020. This means if Trump is re-elected, the withdrawal will certainly go into effect. However, if another candidate is elected, they would have the opportunity to re-enter the agreement on Jan. 20, 2021.
Sheriff of Broward County removed
Florida Senate voted on Wednesday confirming the removal of Scott Israel from his position as Sheriff of Broward County. Israel was charged with incompetence and dereliction of duty for events that occurred before and after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland in February of last year. Governor Ron DeSantis blames Israel for missed signals and systematic failures at the Broward Sheriff’s Office that may have prevented the shooting. In particular, DeSantis cited the inaction of Israel’s deputy, Scot Peterson, who was the school resource officer on duty at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who did not respond to the gunshots fired and never stepped foot into the school that day. Israel announced that he has the intention to run for the position again next year.
Penn State fraternity suspended after teen found dead
Last Tuesday, Penn State University in University Park, PA announced an interim suspension of the Alpha Delta chapter of Chi Pi fraternity after a 17-year-old male, John Schoenig, was found dead in an off-campus house last Saturday at around 9:30 p.m. However, the house where the incident occurred was not the fraternity’s official university campus-house. According to the Centre County Coroner, Schoenig was pronounced dead at the scene and his cause of death is pending toxicology. The university stated that Schoenig was visiting the area and not a student at Penn State. This comes two years after the death of sophomore John Schoenig at Penn State due to a hazing ritual by Beta Theta Pi fraternity.
Photo: C. Karidis
