Current Event 4/29 TUBMAN $20 BILL

The nation waits as the $20 bill will be changed from the face it currently holds being Andrew Jackson, our seventh president, too the abolitionist black women Harriet Tubman. 

Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew announced to the public of this change in the nations currency and how it would soon be inserted into action. It was his thoughts to possible change the face of the $10 bill, Alexander Hamilton, but that did not seem to fit at the time. 

"this remaking may well have captured a historical moment for multicultural, multiethnic and multiracial nation," said New York Times. "Moving continuously through the early years of a new century."

This raises memories on how once in our own American history black people were once forbidden from working and restricted life, even more so towards women. 

American people believe this is not suitable for how the American currency is a place to honor people of historical influence and do not believe Harriet Tubman portrayed that. Others would disagree and see Harriet Tubman has a women who stood up against what was the cruelest time in American history. 

Harriet Tubman is not the only black face that will be presented to the public in the near future. Others such as, Martin Luther King Jr., Marian Anderson and Sojourner Truth are all up for debate to be implemented into the currency in some fashion. 

More abolitionist are also being talked about such as, Eleanor Roosevelt and Susan B. Anthony, all whom devoted their lives to standing up for a cause that looked like it would never change. 

This change will change more than just the face of a bill, but will push more and more changes to happen and some might not be so welcoming. 

Current Event 4/22

Emergency forces are still at work in Houston, Texas recovering whatever is left from the 1,000 homes destroyed from flooding this month. 

Creeks and river beds continue to rise in the Cypress area of Houston, which is only resulting in more and more people having to leave their homes to reach safety. 

"More than 8.8 trillion gallons of water have fallen on Texas only this month alone," said CBS. 

That amount of water has resulted in many homes destroyed and many left helpless in Houston with no escape. More than 6,500 residents were without power for longer than a week this month only resulting in even more desperate attempts to get out. 

The death toll is also rising with how fast the rescue team works in finding the cars that have been found underwater in lower parts of the highways. 

The weather is to delivery another one to three inches more of water to the Cypress area over the next day. With most of the lightening gone from the area the power should be restored to most resident that are still able to enjoy its luxury. 

More than $5 billion of damage as already been accounted for and that number is only rising. 

current event 4/15

Search parties continue in Japan after a 7.0- magnitude earthquake hit late Thursday afternoon. 

The earthquake hit Kumamoto for about 20 seconds and devastated many buildings,  19 homes, two railways, and one hospital. It is said that not the magnitude of the earthquake caused so much disaster but it was the 6.2 miles of depth the earthquake reached that caused so much damage. 

With Japan sitting right on the "ring of fire" no one in Japan is surprised a earthquake hits again in Japan, but with over 9 people killed from the disaster everyone is helping with the search and rescue. 

The Japan Meteorological Agency was worried of a tsunami hitting, but soon lifted that danger after it died down miles off of the shores. 

'Many after shocks followed the 7.0 earthquake, but none that damaged anything more than it already was" a Japanese police officer said. 

Lucky no power plants were disturbed, which could have killed all the power in Japan making the rescuing and saving of lives nearly impossible. 

The last earthquake that hit Japan was not even a year ago and much larger than the one that hit at 9:26 p.m. last night. 

Search and rescue continues into many more hours and will hopefully not turn up anymore bodies that are deceased keeping the death count at only nine, but the searches will continue for many more days along with the rebuilding of the destruction that occurred as a result. 

Current event 4/8 "Mississippi's Religious Freedom Bill"

This past week the Mississippi lawmakers passed the bill that will possibly invite discrimination back into Mississippi. The "Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act" is always for businesses and restaurants, or any company, to refuse service to gays, blacks, or different religions if they don't want to. 

It is said that the bill, "allows state employees to refuse to issue same- sex-marriage licenses and protects private companies and religious groups from being punished for denying a range of services to LGBT people," NPR said. 

Governor Phil Bryant of Mississippi was urged to not sign the bill because people agreed with the fact that it would send Mississippi back many decades of progress and it could turn on the state very easy. 

On the other side, Georgia decided to not sign the bill for they were worried they would lose much of their income coming from movie productions that have become popular in Atlanta along with Coke Company. Even though the decision for Georgia was decided in a way that was more focused on the money than what they thought was morally right, Georgia still stood behind Mississippi before the signing in the hopes the Governor would not sign. 

In the years to come the nation will see if this bill destroys or grows the state and continues its path away from how the state was not too long ago.

Story #3 Virginia Kennedy

https://youtu.be/8UTj8v-OEt8