Welcome back to school, Panthers! After you get into the groove of attending school all day and doing homework all night, make sure to check out this week’s KICs. This week includes a Russian evacuation from Ukrainian attacks, heavy rainfall and wind gusts in the eastern U.S. regions, a car crash involving five teenage passengers, thieves arrested for stealing an Uber driver’s firearm, and the Oregon Supreme Court deciding to keep Trump on ballot.
World – Russia evacuates Belgorod region
In the past few weeks, Russia has started to evacuate their residents from the region of Belgorod’s border after Ukraine’s deadly surge of strikes. Ukraine has vigorously been targeting the regions bordering the country.
Since these strikes, Moscow has decided to isolate citizens for their safety. Roughly 300 of Belgorod city’s residents have relocated to centers in surrounding cities in the region. Russian governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has said his office has received around 1,300 applications regarding sending children from Belgorod to other school camps to evacuate them from harm.
On Friday, Gladkov had offered to help any Belgorod residents who were worried about the recent Ukrainian attacks. Russia has since again launched air strikes to Ukraine again on Monday morning killing at least three people and injuring 38.
National – Eastern region U.S. receiving heavy rainfall, gusty
Following a massive storm that swept across the Midwest with blizzard conditions en route to the Northeast, a major storm with heavy rain and strong winds triggered tornadoes in Florida on Tuesday. Multiple school districts in Florida closed due to damage.
There were also plans for early dismissals at several schools in Maryland and Virginia. A spike in delays and cancellations was reported by airports on Tuesday morning throughout the Midwest and Southeast. There was also a thunderstorm across southern Georgia and southeast Alabama that produced baseball-sized hail and wind gusts as high as 70 mph.
With 50 mph gusts predicted, most of the coast is under wind and flood advisories. It is predicted that major cities including New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C., will have more than an inch of rain.
State – 2 teens killed, 3 injured in crash
A crash in Cherokee County last night left two teenagers dead and three others injured. The crash happened at 8:17 p.m. Tuesday night near Towne Lake Hills East.
Deputies say a Mazda 6 left the road and hit a tree while carrying five passengers. One of the teens, age 17, died at the scene and another 17-year-old died at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital. The driver, age 17, and an 18-year-old passenger had non-life threatening injuries. While another 17-year-old suffered serious injuries.
The deputies cannot release the names of the teens that died. Both of the people dead are males. One last attended Etowah High School.
Local – Four riders arrested for theft of Fayette County Uber driver’s firearm
This past weekend, deputies from the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched around 8:20 p.m. after an Uber driver discovered that four passengers had left her vehicle with a fanny pack. This fanny pack contained personal items of the driver, including a firearm that was legally owned by the driver.
The driver stated that as she dropped them off, the four individuals joined another vehicle, and the driver followed them on Hwy. 314 while on phone with a 911 operator. The individuals were stopped on the outside of the highway, and the Uber driver’s possessions were returned following the search of the vehicle. All four suspects, three from Atlanta and one from Stockbridge, face a felony charge of theft by taking. Two of the suspects also face a charge of marijuana possession.
Two of the culprits had warrants from other agencies, one facing traffic charges in Forsyth County, and the other wanted out of Atlanta for robbery while also being on probation. This robbery also comes after a two-hour long chase of a female burglar in Fayette County in late December.
Politics – Oregon Supreme Court keeps Trump on ballot for now
On Friday, the Oregon Supreme Court refused to hear a bid to remove former President Donald Trump from the 2024 ballot due to the 14th Amendment’s “insurrectionist ban.” The court says it is waiting for the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling decision on the matter.
After Colorado and Maine removed Trump from the ballot, the controversy continued in Oregon. Trump was taken off the two states ballots because of his role in the January 6, 2021, insurrection. Despite Colorado’s and Maine’s decisions, further action involving the 2024 ballots have been paused to allow for appeals.
In other states, including Minnesota, Michigan, Arizona and California, Trump has faced similar issues but is still on the ballot. The names on the Oregon primary ballot must be finalized by March 21. The Oregon primary will be held on May 21.