Wednesday, December 22 top stories
It is Wednesday, December 22. Here are today’s top stories.
A perfectly preserved dinosaur embryo in an egg was found in southern China. The egg is about 66 million years old and it likely got covered by a mudslide. A scientist said it is the “best dinosaur embryo ever found in history.” The dinosaur is thought to be an oviraptorosaur, which looks like a mix of a bird and a dinosaur. Scientists believe that modern-day birds are descendants of two-legged dinosaurs and this egg discovery will help with clues of that link.
A physics professor at City College of New York in Harlem said he was looking through a pile of office mail when he found a small cardboard box that was very heavy. The box was sent November 10, 2020, but it was unopened all this time due to campus closures because of the pandemic. When the professor opened it, he discovered that there were bundles of $50 and $100 bills that added up to $180,000. There was a typed note that said the cash is a donation for physics and math students who were in financial need. The donor used what seemed to be a fake name and wrote that they were grateful for their education at City College because it led to a long, productive, and rewarding scientific career, and wanted to give back. The college said they contacted law enforcement to be sure that the cash didn’t come from any kind of criminal activity, but it was cleared. It’s a nice belated holiday surprise for the college.
President Biden announced that the freeze on federal student loan payments would be extended until May 1. The freeze started under the Trump administration as a part of a series of actions to support those financially impacted by the pandemic. Biden has extended the freeze and the latest extension was set to expire January 31, but now that’s moved to May.
A 19-year-old college student in Utah, Madelyn Allen, was reported missing on December 13 after she vanished after leaving her dorm room at Snow College. She was found alive in the basement of a suspected kidnapper’s home on Saturday. Police said the student first met the suspect, Brent Brown, on an online chat group and when they met in person, Brown took her to a city almost 90 miles away and put her in the basement of his parents’ home in a coal storage room. Police were able to track down the student through her cell phone’s location information and saw her through a basement window. Police said Brown answered the door but refused to allow police entry, but the officers were able to obtain permission from his parents to enter, and once in the basement, they found Allen naked, covered in coal, and her hair cut. Allen said she was sexually assaulted. Police arrested Brown and charged him with obstruction of justice, aggravated kidnapping, and rape. A family spokesperson for Allen said they are overjoyed that she is safe but said she has a long road to recovery from her trauma.
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An Israeli government panel has recommended giving a fourth dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine for those aged 60 and over and for healthcare workers. The Israeli Prime Minister Bennett said he supports a fourth dose and believes it will help the country get through the Omicron wave.
California Gov. Newsom announced that healthcare workers in California will be required to get a Covid-19 booster shot.
The National Hockey League (NHL) announced that no NHL players would participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China out of concerns with coronavirus. The NHL announced on Monday that it would temporarily pause its season through the Christmas break due to multiple teams dealing with Covid-19 outbreaks, and now they say no players will go to the Olympics so that there will be no further disruptions to the NHL season. ESPN said there will likely be a collection of amateur players and pros from other leagues that will make up the countries’ rosters.
Today the FDA authorized a new Covid-19 pill made by Pfizer to treat people who have a high risk of severe illness from the virus. The pill is called Paxlovid. Pfizer said their data shows that the pill reduces the risk of hospitalization or death by 89% in high-risk adults, such as those who have health issues or are overweight. Those aged 12 and up can take the pill, which is available by prescription only. AP News explained that “health experts agree that vaccination remains the best way to protect against Covid-19, but with roughly 40 million American adults still unvaccinated, effective drugs will be critical to blunting the current and future waves of infection.”
That is all the top stories for today. Check out our other videos. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-59748281
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/21/nyregion/city-college-mystery-donor.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-59749967
https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/32922360/what-olympic-hockey-rosters-look-nhl-players
https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-pfizer-medication-f5f65e7e61d6aa9c7dfa193053e8878a