Current Events
Look at the events around the world. 2/5/15
The Earth May Quake
6.2 and 6.1 those are the magnitude of the two earthquake that hit Ecuador this past Wednesday. As of right now at least 480 deaths, with more than 4,000 injured. Rescue crews and aid from Latin America and beyond have poured into the South American nation since the earthquake, which caused widespread damage throughout the country, but especially on the coast. “The earthquake is the deadliest to hit Ecuador since March 1987 when 1,000 people died in a 7.2-magnitude temblor, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Another earthquake in 1949 killed 5,000 people,” Patiño told reporters Tuesday. Those who had escaped the first tremor fled again, and rescue workers had to put down tools to make sure those around were safe. Hundreds are still without shelter. The government is trying to provide the basics and reassure survivors that the worst is over. The victims are grateful they survived, but uncertain of what to do next. The government is going door to door, conducting initial inspections and looking for survivors and victims. Those who survived are getting by as best they can, putting up tents and collecting basic supplies furnished by the government on top of helping with the clean up.
Circuit Court
Incidentally, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals also covers North Carolina. That means Grimm's victory sets a precedent for students who might challenge North Carolina's new law prohibiting transgender people from using public restrooms for the gender they identify with. "This opinion is binding in all the states in the 4th Circuit," constitutional lawyer Page Pate said. Those states include Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. While the country's other federal appeals courts aren't obligated to follow this court's ruling, they're supposed to consider it when deciding similar cases, said Pate, who was not directly involved in Grimm's case. Grimm, a junior at Gloucester High School, was diagnosed with gender dysphoria; he was biologically born a female but identifies as male. The teen had hormone replacement therapy at the end of his freshman year but has not had sex reassignment surgery, court documents state. In 2014, Gloucester school officials allowed Grimm to use the boys' bathrooms for seven weeks. But after some parents complained, Gloucester County School Board prevented Grimm from continuing to use the boys' restrooms.