July 12th, 2022 - a podcast by PSU Vanguard
from 2022-07-13T00:31:22
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What A Week (7/12)
Intro: (Cue intro music)
Hey everyone, welcome back to What a week! I’m your host, Olivia Lee, here to deliver your weekly dose of the news. Let’s get started!
In Local News:
https://www.oregonlive.com/living/2022/07/portlands-last-big-float-draws-thousands-to-willamette-river-for-float-finale-photos.html- Last Sunday, thousands of people with a wide array of floatation devices spent the day floating the Willamette River in The Big Float, an annual event that has drawn tens of thousands to Portland’s Willamette River since 2011. Sadly, after a two-year pandemic hiatus, this will be Portland’s last Big Float, according to ringleader Willie Levenson. The event first started in 2011 after the $1.44 billion Big Pipe project was completed after 20 years of construction, resulting in a near-total elimination of combined sewer overflows into the river. In response Levenson created the Human Access Project, whose mission is “transforming Portland’s relationship with the Willamette River.” Levenson serves as the nonprofit’s Ringleader. Now, the era of the annual Big Float has come to an end. Levenson stated that putting on The Big Float requires too much energy for the Human Access Project. The project wants to focus on its other goals, like addressing the harmful algae bloom threat at Ross Island Lagoon, replacing swimming docks at multiple public beaches, and creating a new access point on the Willamette as part of the Burnside Bridge replacement. Still, Levenson is holding out hope that another person or group might continue the Human Access Project’s work and revive The Big Float.
- Last Sunday, thousands of people with a wide array of floatation devices spent the day floating the Willamette River in The Big Float, an annual event that has drawn tens of thousands to Portland’s Willamette River since 2011. Sadly, after a two-year pandemic hiatus, this will be Portland’s last Big Float, according to ringleader Willie Levenson. The event first started in 2011 after the $1.44 billion Big Pipe project was completed after 20 years of construction, resulting in a near-total elimination of combined sewer overflows into the river. In response Levenson created the Human Access Project, whose mission is “transforming Portland’s relationship with the Willamette River.” Levenson serves as the nonprofit’s Ringleader. Now, the era of the annual Big Float has come to an end. Levenson stated that putting on The Big Float requires too much energy for the Human Access Project. The project wants to focus on its other goals, like addressing the harmful algae bloom threat at Ross Island Lagoon, replacing swimming docks at multiple public beaches, and creating a new access point on the Willamette as part of the Burnside Bridge replacement. Still, Levenson is holding out hope that another person or group might continue the Human Access Project’s work and revive The Big Float.
In-state news:
https://katu.com/news/local/oregon-department-of-forestry-declares-all-of-oregon-now-in-fire-season-salem-wildfire-fighters-portland-cliff-mass-washington-central-eastern-washington-human-caused- This past Monday morning, the Oregon Department of Forestry announced that all the ODF districts are now in fire season. Officials say that public use restrictions may be in place where you live or where you plan on spending time outdoors this summer. The start of fire season was slightly delayed this year in part to heavy rains in May and June according to officials. ODF officials say they are worried about ground fuels, like grass, that grew with the spring rain but will dry out quickly, and those fuels can become a greater risk for human-caused fires.
- The Oregon Department of Forestry protects over 16 million acres of private and public lands from wildfire. Most fire districts start their fire season around May or June, and the season ends around the end of October.
In National News:
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/clarissajanlim/derek-chauvin-21-years-federal-sentence-george-floyd- Last Thursday, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to violating George Floyd's civil rights. Chauvin is currently serving 22 and a half years after a state jury found him guilty of violating police policy and training when he pinned his knee on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds during an arrest in May 2020, which ended up killing Floyd. Chauvin’s 21-year federal sentence will be served concurrently with the state sentence. Chauvin pleaded guilty to federal charges in December 2021 and faced a sentence recommendation of 20 to 25 years, according to the plea agreement. Three other former police officers who were with Chauvin during the arrest — Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane — were found guilty in February of violating Floyd's civil rights by failing to provide medical care. Their state trial, initially set for June this year, was postponed to early 2023.
- Last Thursday, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to violating George Floyd's civil rights. Chauvin is currently serving 22 and a half years after a state jury found him guilty of violating police policy and training when he pinned his knee on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds during an arrest in May 2020, which ended up killing Floyd. Chauvin’s 21-year federal sentence will be served concurrently with the state sentence. Chauvin pleaded guilty to federal charges in December 2021 and faced a sentence recommendation of 20 to 25 years, according to the plea agreement. Three other former police officers who were with Chauvin during the arrest — Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane — were found guilty in February of violating Floyd's civil rights by failing to provide medical care. Their state trial, initially set for June this year, was postponed to early 2023.
In International News:
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/adeonibada/prime-minister-boris-johnson-resign-conservative-leader- Last week, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation, after several eventful days of UK politics that resulted in 50 members of Parliament officially declaring that they had lost faith in the conservative leadership. Dissent in the party was ignited by the revelation that Johnson was aware of misconduct complaints against former Conservative MP Chris Pincher, who he promoted to a government role, a decision Johnson now says quote "was the wrong thing to do." Fresh allegations of sexual misconduct against Pincher renewed scrutiny of Johnson’s handling of the complaint and called into question the integrity of the party. The 58-year-old conceded that he had been unsuccessful in convincing his colleagues to back his leadership and blamed the power of “Westminster herd instinct” as the driving force behind his downfall. Johnson was confronted last week by senior members of Parliament who called for him to step down after more than 50 resignations from within the party in recent days. Johnson intends to remain as prime minister in a caretaker role until a new leader is selected in October.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-08/shinzo-abe-japan-s-longest-serving-prime-minister-dies-at-67?utm_campaign=instagram-bio-link&utm_medium=social&utm_source=instagram&utm_content=business- Shinzo Abe, the 67-year-old former prime minister of Japan, was fatally shot last Friday. Abe died in a hospital hours after being shot during a campaign event for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Nara, western Japan, according to the Finance Minister. The death was confirmed by a doctor during a hospital press conference. Abe built a legacy during a record-breaking tenure as a foreign policy hawk, but will likely be most remembered for an aggressive economic-growth strategy that bore his name.
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Lastly here is the wildcard news for the week:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-08/musk-says-he-s-terminating-44-billion-deal-to-buy-twitter?utm_campaign=instagram-bio-link&utm_content=business&utm_medium=social&utm_source=instagram- Elon Musk is trying to end an agreement to buy Twitter Inc. for $44 billion and take it private, alleging that the company misrepresented user data and setting the stage for an arduous court brawl. The pullout marks a dramatic turn in a half-year saga that began with Musk building up an equity stake, lining up an elaborate financing plan, and then striking a deal in April. Throughout, Musk has accused the company of misleading the public about the number of automated accounts known as spam bots on its platform, culminating with a termination letter sent Friday. Twitter made “misleading representations” over the number of spam bots on the social network and hasn’t “complied with its contractual obligations” to provide information about how to assess how prevalent the bots are, Musk’s representatives said in the letter included in a regulatory filing
- Elon Musk is trying to end an agreement to buy Twitter Inc. for $44 billion and take it private, alleging that the company misrepresented user data and setting the stage for an arduous court brawl. The pullout marks a dramatic turn in a half-year saga that began with Musk building up an equity stake, lining up an elaborate financing plan, and then striking a deal in April. Throughout, Musk has accused the company of misleading the public about the number of automated accounts known as spam bots on its platform, culminating with a termination letter sent Friday. Twitter made “misleading representations” over the number of spam bots on the social network and hasn’t “complied with its contractual obligations” to provide information about how to assess how prevalent the bots are, Musk’s representatives said in the letter included in a regulatory filing
Closing: Well that wraps up What a Week! Stay safe and see you guys next week.
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