State Politics
Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse and Recovery
Tuesday, March 26, 2024, began as an ordinary morning in Baltimore, the capital of Maryland; little did the residents imagine that an unforeseen event would unfold—a moment that would etch itself into the city’s collective memory and an event that would soon make headlines. The city’s beloved Francis Scott Key bridge collapsed into the water after a cargo ship, Dali, collided with a support column of the bridge.
The bridge, which had once stretched 1.6 miles for residents to get to and from destinations, had now collapsed. According to officials and other news media, the crash occurred around 1:28 am EDT. The incident made headlines worldwide; however, the weather has caused enormous delays in the recovery and restoration plans.
To aid in the recovery effort of the Baltimore Bridge, the federal government is currently supporting Maryland with 60 million dollars to clean the debris, investigate the collision, and reconstruct the bridge. The U.S. Coast Guard was also activated. While the USCG did find the bodies of two of the construction workers whose lives were lost while on a late shift at work filling potholes, there were a total of 6 other workers who were presumed dead.
The prior record of Dali shows that this was not the first time it had been involved in an accident, although its previous incidents have been comparatively less serious. In 2016, while leaving a port in Antwerp, Belgium, it collided with a loading pier made entirely of stones. Fortunately the damage wasn’t as severe as its most recent collision, but it ended up causing damage to the ship’s stern. Thankfully no one was injured during the crash.
Workers are continuously working behind the scenes to ensure the Baltimore Bridge is refurbished and built more robustly and better than before to make sure that tragic incidents like this don’t transpire again.
In a surprise move by the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Committee, Oklahoma City has been named the host of two events for the Olympic Games. Come Olympic season, OKC will be hosting the Olympic Canoe Slalom and Softball events, as Los Angeles does not have the necessary facilities locally.
LA28 stressed that the Oklahoma facilities were “built to international competition standards,” and that this move allowed the City of Los Angeles to save money on venues they would not continue to use after the Olympics.
Softball has a long tradition in Oklahoma City, which has hosted the Women’s College World Series every year except 1990. They already have these world class facilities in place, as well as an in-built and enthusiastic audience for the sport.
Oklahoma City also recently completed construction on Riversport Rapids, a world class canoeing and kayaking facility, in 2016. They currently offer consumer rafting experiences as well as training facilities for athletes. In preparation for the Olympics, they will also use it to host the Canoe Slalom World Championships in 2026.
While the plan is still awaiting approval from Los Angeles, LA28 has received approval from all relevant international bodies for the move. However it is unlikely that LA will deny the request considering the cost benefits laid out under the plan.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on Tuesday that the infamous Rikers Island prison is “ready” to receive Former President Donald Trump. Trump is currently facing potential temporary incarceration following repeated violations of his gag order.
The judge overseeing Trump’s hush money trial, Judge Juan Merchan, made it clear on Monday that if the Former President continued to violate his gag order, he could be placed in jail. He called Trump’s repeated violations a “direct attack on the rule of law.”
Putting the Former President in jail could prove difficult for the New York City Department of Connection. Due to the high security required for his incarceration, the options could be very limited.
Despite Rikers Island’s poor reputation, city officials could be of the mind that they are best equipped to handle a prisoner of Donald Trump’s stature. Eric Adams told the media that “they’re professionals, they’ll be ready.”
Off the coast of Boca Raton, Florida, two teenagers were caught throwing heaps of trash into the ocean from their boat. The teenagers were partying on their speeding boat with their friends when they committed the offense. Wavy Boats, a social media account, first uploaded the viral video on April 30.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) led the investigation, which the Coast Guard and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection were also involved in. The FWC wanted to send a message that the state of Florida “doesn’t tolerate this” and wants to “protect [their] environment.”
According to a South Florida newspaper, after turning themselves in on Friday, the two teenagers (unnamed) face “felony third-degree charges of causing pollution so as to harm or injure human health or welfare, animal, plant, aquatic life or property, which amounts to $50,000 in fines or up to five years in prison.”
