Brigham-Young University reverses decision to deny Medicaid
Brigham-Young University, a private institution in Rexburg, Idaho, decided that it will once again be accepting Medicaid as a form of valid insurance. The university decided earlier this month that students would be forced to buy private health insurance coverage in order to attend the university entirely. The policy was set to take effect Jan. 1, the same day that an expansion of coverage is set to take place all over Idaho, but after outrage and criticism from students and the local community, the university rescinded the decision last week.
Netflix taking over the big screen
This past August, an iconic cinema and movie theatre in New York City called the Paris Theatre closed down after being the last single-screen theatre in the city operating for over 71 years. However, last Monday, Nov. 25, Netflix announced it signed a 10-year lease for the theatre. Netflix has rented out various cinemas in the past in order to qualify their original movies for awards, but this is their first time leasing a cinema for a prolonged period of time.
Three men falsely accused of murder set free
Last Wednesday, Nov. 27, three men by the names of Alfred Chestnut, Andrew Stewart and Ransom Watkins, who spent 36 years in prison for the murder of a 14-year-old boy in 1983, were released and acquitted of their crimes. The boy, DeWitt Duckett, was shot in the neck on his way to class in a Baltimore high school over his Georgetown starter jacket. The three men, who were all 16 at the time, were arrested for the murder on Thanksgiving day in 1983 and were charged with life sentences a year later. The case was reopened this year after Chestnut sent a letter to Baltimore’s Conviction Integrity Unit and provided new evidence uncovered last year. Currently, the state of Maryland does not have the legislation to provide compensation to those falsely convicted of a crime, but instead the Board of Public Works has the authority to direct compensation.
Trump plans to designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorist groups
Last Tuesday, Nov. 26, on an interview with former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, President Donald Trump announced that he plans to designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations. Trump backs this claim by what he said was the high number of Americans killed by drug cartel activities. The violence Trump is referring to gained attention after earlier this month three mothers and six of their children with American citizenship were murdered by a drug cartel in northern Mexico. The designation will take time, however, Trump is adamant about following the process through.
Photo: D. Strickler
