6,000 dead pigs found in Chinese river
Believed to be the work of police campaigns against the illicit trade of pork products harvested from diseased pigs in the Zhejiang Province, nearly 6000 dead pigs were found in a Shanghai river. The Shanghai municipal government said that 5,916 pig carcasses had been recovered from the Huangpu River by 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Mar. 12. Authorities also said that the city had taken proper measures to dispose of the carcasses safely and that the water plants were increasing efforts to disinfect public supplies. Additionally, the plants would be testing for six common swine viruses.
Sinkhole endangers Florida neighborhood
In early March, a sinkhole opened in the middle of a Seffner, Fla. home. Six people in the home at the time were preparing for bed when the ground suddenly opened up directly underneath one of the bedrooms. Five of the six residents were able to get out, but one resident, 37-year-old Jeff Bush, was swallowed by the sinkhole.
Bush’s brother Jeremy Bush jumped into the sinkhole and tried to find his brother amidst the rubble, but was unsuccessful and had to be rescued by a sheriff’s deputy. Jeremy Bush said, “I jumped in the hole and tried to get him out. I couldn’t get him out. All I could hear, I thought I could hear him screaming for him, hollering for me to help. I couldn’t do nothing.”
Upon further investigation, one of the surrounding homes was also found to be in danger of being swallowed by the sinkhole. It is still unknown exactly how large the sinkhole is or if it is connected to other tunnels or caverns throughout the rest of the neighborhood. Engineers say that the sinkhole is complex and it is continuously evolving and sinking further. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, to continue the search for the missing resident. “I just want my brother out,” said Jeremy Bush, “I don’t care what they do.”
Larry Madrid, an engineer looking into the sinkhole’s properties, said, “We’ve determined that there was an initial collapse, followed very shortly by another collapse, and we have noticed movement in the ground since then.” Madrid would not be surprised if the entire house collapsed.
According to Jeremy Bush, an inspector came to the home a few months previously to check for sinkhole and similar problems. The inspector informed the family that there was nothing wrong with the house.
Rescue crews have been combing the area with sensitive equipment that should detect any noise from Jeff Bush, but have heard nothing. Bush’s grandfather Buddy Wicker owns the home and said, “He is in God’s hands. That’s all I can say. He’s in God’s hands.”
Six teenagers killed in crash
Sunday, Mar. 9, brought shock and sadness when a single car crash claimed the lives of six teenagers. This crash was the deadliest car accident in Ohio in over three years. At approximately 7:00 a.m., a sport utility vehicle in Warren hit a guardrail and flew out of control. The car stopped in a nearby pond.
Those killed in the crash were 19-year-old Alexis Cayson, 14-year-old Andrique Bennett, 17-year-old Brandon Murray, and 15-year-olds Kirklan Behner, Daylan Ray, and Ramone White. The other two teenagers, Brian Henry, 18, and Asher Lewis, 15, were able to escape from the vehicle and find help. The teenagers were driving the Honda Passport at normal highway speed, but hit the guardrail when the speed limit decreased to 35 mph. The vehicle was only meant to hold five individuals.
Investigators do not know where they were coming from or going to. Additionally, the car involved in the crash did not belong to any of the teenagers, but was registered to another owner in Youngstown, Ohio. It is yet unknown as to whether the teenagers knew the car was stolen. Additionally, the stories about where the victims were before the crash are only speculation. Lisa Williamson, one of the mothers described the teenagers as good kids who weren’t troublemakers.
Chris Jones, a fellow classmate said, “They’re not always the best kids. They’re not out there looking for straight A’s. But none of these kids should be where they are today. This should have never had happened.” Drug use or alcohol was not obvious. Specific reports are pending on a toxicology report.
Catholic church chooses new pope
A cloud of white smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel two Wednesdays ago indicated that the Catholic Cardinals had chosen a new pope. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a cardinal from Argentina, is the first South American to lead the church. Bergoglio, now the 266th pope of the Catholic Church and has taken the name Pope Francis I. His Argentinean heritage makes him the first non-European pope in over 1200 years. Additionally, he is the first member of the Jesuit order to lead the church.
Francis I is 76 years old and had previously been the archbishop of Buenos Aires. “I would like to thank you for your embrace,” said Francis I from the white balcony on St. Peter’s Basilica. “My brother cardinals have chosen one who is from far away, but here I am.”
Francis I is known as a humble man who was born to Italian immigrant parents and was raised in the Argentine capital. Immediately after being chosen, Francis I spoke to former Pope Benedict XVI on the phone. Reverend Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman, called the phone call “an act of great significant and pastorality.”
In a message released by the White House, President Barack Obama said, “As a champion of the poor and the most vulnerable among us, he carriers forth the message of low and compassion that has inspired the world for more than 2000 years – that in each other we see the face of God.” Obama continued saying, “As the first pope from the Americas, his selection also speaks to the strength and vitality of a region that is increasingly shaping our world, and alongside millions of Hispanic Americans, those of us in the United States share the joy of this historic day.”
Radiation belt found around Earth
Last year, a new ring of radiation surrounded the Earth for a short period of time before being annihilated by a powerful interplanetary shock wave. This phenomenon was found by NASA’s twin Van Allen space probes. The probes are named after the first radiation belts that were found in 1958. The Van Allen radiation belts are zones of magnetically trapped, highly energetic charged particles.
The Van Allen probes were launched in 2012 and were covered in sensors that analyzed the plasma, energetic particles, magnetic fields, and plasma waves in the radiation belts. These probes discovered a new radiation belt that was made of super-high-energy electrons that were embedded in the outer Van Allen belt. This outer belt is located 11,900 to 13,900 miles above the Earth’s surface. The new ring formed on Sept. 2 and lasted for over four weeks. The interplanetary shock wave that got rid of the new radiation ring caused a spike in solar wind speeds that disrupted the belt.