Friday, July 23 top stories
Hello! I’m Renca and I will take Alex’s place for today’s top news. It is Friday, July 23rd. Ready to see what’s up?
The 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo, Japan have started today. The Olympics was supposed to happen last year, but it got postponed to this year due to the pandemic. It will be from today the 23rd to August 8th. The opening ceremony was today and there were no fans allowed to enter the stadium, but many fans still came and stood out of the Olympics stadium. Among the fans, there was also a group of people there who protested against the Olympics because of concerns related to COVID. For the opening ceremony, there was a limited number of people who could attend and everyone had to wear masks. The people who attended were athletes, diplomats, and some VIP guests like the First Lady Dr. Jill Biden. USA women's basketball player Sue Bird and USA baseball player Eddie Alvarez were chosen to be the flag bearers for the USA at the opening ceremony. There was one part during the ceremony, 1,800 drones came together to make a glowing globe in the sky. There are athletes from 205 countries that will be participating in this year’s Olympics. You can watch the Olympics on NBC channel.
The New York Jets offensive assistant coach Greg Knapp (58) died yesterday because of his injuries after being hit by a car near his home in San Francisco Bay Area last Saturday. He was riding on his bicycle and was hit by a car on Saturday then was brought to the hospital. He did not regain his consciousness and passed away yesterday. The police said that there were no drugs or alcohol involved. The driver is cooperating with the police as they undergo an investigation. In several articles, they mention that Knapp was a well liked and well respected coach in the NFL. People have commented saying that Knapp has a way of making someone feel special and is a friend to everyone. He was with the NFL for 25 seasons and has worked with the San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, Houston Texans, Denver Broncos, and most recently the New York Jets. He leaves behind his wife and 3 daughters.
There is a remote mining camp near Nome, Alaska and a man (name not disclosed) in his 50’s to 60’s was staying there by himself. While he was there, he encountered a grizzly bear who attacked him, dragged him down to the nearest river, but he managed to escape. The bear kept coming back to the camp and harassed the man every night for a week. The man was not able to get a few days of sleep. A U.S. Coast Guard aircrew in a helicopter was on the way to Nome and noticed an SOS on top of the shack. After circling back, the aircrew noticed a man coming out with a bandaged leg and was waving his arms. The aircrew transported the man to Nome to get medical help. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Games, they said that it is common for Alaska residents to encounter bears and you will never be too far from one. Alaska is a bear country.
Last night around 8:20pm in Washington D.C., there was an open gunfire that injured two people. In the news articles, they said that around 15 to 20 shots were heard. The two people who were shot are okay and are not in critical condition. With the two people who were shot, it seems that one was the target and the other one was a bystander. The police recently released a video online of two people in hooded sweaters running to a parked black sedan and authorities said they are suspects. The police are asking the public for any additional information. The shooting is still under investigation.
California has been struggling with drought for a while and officials say that there has been an increase of people stealing water to cultivate the growth of illegal marijuana crops. Officials call them “water thieves.” They get the water from fire hydrants, secure water stations, drilling into water lines, and rivers. Officials say that this has been a growing problem for a while and has gotten worse recently. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife Marijuana Enforcement Team mentioned that it affects residents, small communities, and Native American tribes in the area.
That’s all for now. Enjoy your Friday and the rest of the weekend. Don’t forget to stay with the light.
Olympics: https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/tokyo-2020-olympics-07-23-21-spt/index.html
NY Jets: https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/22/us/greg-knapp-new-york-jets-assistant-coach-dies-spt/index.html
Bear: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/07/22/bear-attack-in-alaska/8057734002/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jul/22/alaska-man-repeated-attacks-grizzly-bear-rescued
DC: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/washington-dc-shooting-latest-updates-2-wounded/
Water thieves: https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/22/us/california-water-thieves-drought/index.html