This week has gone from one extreme to another. What started as a blazing fire has now ended with torrential downpours. That may sound like a strange sentence, but this week literally started with fire and ended with water. On Monday, the week began with the burning of one of the world’s most iconic cathedrals. However, now we end with H2O — and plenty of it — as rain has created the worst flooding and traffic the Mill has ever seen. Thankfully, our weekly “Keeping It Current” column is consistent. So with a house fire, an even bigger fire, and fire in the eyes of PTC residents, The Prowler has the stories.

Notre Dame cathedral on fire (4/15)

On Monday evening, the doors of Notre Dame were shut without explanation just before the last group of tourists was trying to get in. A few minutes later, clouds of white smoke started rising from the 295-foot spire, the highest part of the cathedral.

About 500 firefighters battled the fire for close to five hours. By 11 p.m Paris time, the fire chief, Jean-Claude Gallet, said that the structure had been “saved and preserved as a whole.” The two towers that are above the skyline had been saved, but two-thirds of the roof was destroyed.

The officials said that no one was killed, but a firefighter was seriously injured. The cause of the fire was not exactly known, but the officials say it appeared to have started in the interior network of wooden beams.

Famous Lombard Street might start being tolled (4/16)

San Francisco is home to the crookedest road in the world, Lombard Street. Some natives of San Francisco must use this road for their daily commute, but since the road is famous, the street has become an overcrowded tourist attraction.

This crowdedness has caused the citizens of San Francisco to write complaints to their local government. Due to their complaints, the San Francisco city officials have proposed a bill to toll Lombard Street $10. This fee would cause the traffic to lessen on the street while benefiting the community.

They would use the money collected from the toll to pay for more traffic control officers, police officers, and tourism ambassadors. Additionally, the toll would lessen the amount of idling that would occur in the area, which would also benefit the environment. The toll system will not be imposed before 2020.   

Georgia mother saves babies from a house fire (4/17)

Devin Dehart, a Georgia mother, saved her two infant children in a house fire that engulfed their belongs and two dogs. Unfortunately for the family, Adam Dehart, the husband of the Cobb County residence, was on a night shift when the fire began.

In the darkness of night, the fire erupted while Devin and her two daughters were sleeping. The mother came to her senses when she heard her dogs barking. By this time, the fire had already spread extensively throughout the home, yet because the Dehart’s had made a fire escape plan, Devin was able to successfully evacuate the premises uscathed.

While the family escaped with their lives, they are currently mourning for the loss of their two pets and all of their destroyed possessions. As a result, a Go Fund Me has been created to help raise money for them.

Council proposes a ban on free speech (4/18)

In Peachtree City, it may soon be legal for the city government to sue individuals if something bad is said about them. If a city council member is defaced on social media, the city could use tax dollars to pursue legal action.

Contrary to popular belief regarding the proposed plan, this is constitutional. The U.S. Constitution protects the federal level of legislation. Unless the Peachtree City charter states “Freedom of Speech,” it, by law, can be voided. If the county were to sue someone, they would be using taxpayer dollars.

City officials planned to discuss the legitimacy of the rule and how they will use tax dollars at Thursday night’s meeting.

Senator overcomes cancer (4/19)

Senator Michael Bennet recently had surgery for his prostate cancer and it ended successfully. Due to the success of the surgery, Bennet does not need any further treatment.

Bennet announced that he had prostate cancer just two weeks ago, and he has had mass amounts of support from citizens of Colorado and various other people throughout the U.S.

When he announced that he had cancer, he said that if he was cancer-free after his surgery, he would join the quickly growing group of Democratic presidential candidates. Bennet hopes that his journey through politics while having cancer will be inspirational for his children as well as his grandchildren.