After finally being all back together again, due to our new green schedule, our news department is wrapping up the week with yet another batch of KICs. This week, we have a military takeover, the Groundhog Day prediction, DeKalb County returning to school, a former prison worker being arrested for sexual relations with an inmate, and Representative Greene getting removed. 

Feb. 1 – Military takeover in Myanmar 

On Monday morning, citizens of Myanmar were alerted by the army’s televised broadcast that a military coup had succeeded. Commander-in-chief Min Aug Hlaing is now the leading figure in power after detaining the country’s government officials. 

Myanmar, otherwise known as Burma, held parliamentary elections in November, where the military-supported party was not successful in securing a majority of votes. Democratically elected Aung San Suu Kyi, a well-known leader in the National League for Democracy, was arrested alongside other party members. There has been a widespread display of disregard for the military takeover amongst the country’s residents, as well as statements from world leaders such as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson opposing the coup. 

A nationwide curfew has been set in place and replacements for detained government officials are being chosen. As of Monday afternoon, while military troops are spread across Myanmar, there have been no major acts of violence and no clear long-term plans announced by the military. 

Feb. 2 – Punxsutawney Phil predicts 6 more weeks of winter

On Tuesday morning, the annual Groundhog Day ceremony was held at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. This year with the pandemic the ceremony was closed to spectators but was streamed online where 180,000 people joined by early afternoon.

Members of Punxsutawney Phil’s “inner circle” woke Phil up early on Tuesday morning to see if he would spot his shadow. The “inner circle” claims Phil was signaling a longer wait for spring weather. As Phil perched upon his stump, members of the “inner circle” wore top hats and face masks as they gathered around the groundhog. Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s President Jeff Lundy announced at the ceremony Phil has predicted six more weeks of winter.

Lundy also claimed that Phil predicted this spring will be one of the most beautiful and brightest springs we have ever seen. 

Feb. 3 – Dekalb Country returns to school 

DeKalb County teachers returned to schools, for in-person teaching today. Many teachers are concerned for their health because this is their first time back since the beginning of the school year. 

The school superintendent has made changes to keep students and teachers safe in the building. There are hand sanitizing stations around the school and they are passing out personal protective equipment kits to the staff. In addition, officials are tracking when classrooms are cleaned. On the first day back 95% of teachers showed up to work. Teachers protested on Tuesday saying it was not safe to return to school. The teachers are scared of Covid-19 after a local police officer died of the virus. 

Many teachers feel safe returning to schools with the new safety precautions. Some teachers are afraid the new safety precautions will not be enough when the students return back to school. 

Feb. 4 – Ex-jail employee accused of being involved with an inmate 

Former jail employee Nicholas Maddox is now locked up after a month-long investigation proving his sexual involvement with an inmate. He was arrested on Tuesday on one count of sexual assault by the GBI. 

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office reached out to the GBI after receiving an allegation of a relationship between Maddox and an inmate in 2015. It is not clear what evidence led to the charges, but the monthlong investigation by the GBI proved to be effective. 

The Sheriff’s Office reached out to the GBI on May 26, 2020, and on Tuesday Maddox was admitted to the Forsyth County Jail, said GBI spokesperson Nelly Miles. He was released the same day on a $5,630 bond. 

Feb. 5 – Representative Greene slams Votes to strip her of committees

On Thursday, House Democrats and 11 Republicans voted to remove Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene from the House Education, Labor, and Budget Committees. 

Greene slammed the move Friday saying, “When they decided to strip me of my assignments, they stripped my district of their voice.” Greene also shot back at the Republicans who voted against her. “When you have Republicans in the ranks voting against one of their own…that is a big betrayal, and that could cost us the majority,” Greene said according to WSB-TV Atlanta.

Representative Greene had been under watch in the recent weeks prior to false claims of school shootings, her belief in conspiracy theories of QAnon, and calls for violence against Democratic leaders.