The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: National

  • This week in news (Feb. 15 to Feb. 22)

    This week in news (Feb. 15 to Feb. 22)

    By | Iridian Casarez

    Local

    Arcata looks at rising sea levels

    -The Arcata city council strategized a future plan for when rising sea levels take the low-lying side of Arcata.  Arcata will protect and accommodate the encroaching waters where necessary. Eventually they will pull back to higher ground when the rising sea level makes alternatives unavoidable.

    Source: Mad River Union

    Hazard waste violations in Humboldt

    -The Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services, Division of Environmental Health (DEH) recently issued hazardous waste violation fines to four businesses that operate in Humboldt County. The businesses include Antich Automotive, Figas Construction, Hoopa Valley Ready-mix, and Pacific Gas and Electric Company.

    A day without immigrants in Fortuna

    -Centro de Pueblo activists marched through the streets of Fortuna and rallied in front of Fortuna City Hall  for “a day without immigrants” protest. A day without immigrants is a day aimed at showcasing the impact immigrants have on the U.S. economy.

    Source: Lost Coast Outpost

    U.S.

    Tornado hits San Antonio

    -The National Weather Service confirmed Monday morning that a tornado hit San Antonio. Severe overnight storms ripped through south-central Texas, damaging more than 150 homes and injuring several people in San Antonio.

    Source: USA Today

    Utah republican resigns

    -James Green, a Utah county Republican Party official resigned after receiving backlash for criticizing a bill in the state legislature designed to create equal pay criteria.

    Green wrote a letter to the editor published in the Wasatch Wave and The Park Record on Wednesday Feb. 15, in which he argued against requiring equal pay because “if businesses are forced to pay women the same as male earnings, that means they will have to reduce the pay for the men they employ.”

    Source: CNN

    Uber under investigation

    -Susan Fowler, a former Uber engineer, came forward with allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination, claiming that management repeatedly dismissed her complaints, protected a repeat offender and threatened to fire her for raising concerns. The accusations from Fowler, a former site reliability engineer prompted CEO Travis Kalanick to announce an “urgent investigation” on Sunday, Feb. 19.

    Source: The Guardian

    World

    Britain to ban Trump

    – British lawmakers on Monday kicked off a debate on whether to withdraw an invitation to President Trump for a state visit. The debate was triggered after a petition calling on the British government to cancel the state visit amassed more than 1.8 million signatures.

    Russian ambassador dies suddenly

    -Vitaly Churkin, the Russian ambassador to the United Nations, died suddenly Monday, Feb. 20. Churkin was at his desk when he died, the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed. But the ministry didn’t give details about the circumstances of his passing.

    Source: NBC

    U.S. forces to stay in Iraq

    -U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Monday, Feb. 20, he believes U.S. forces will be in Iraq and in the fight against Islamic State militants for a while. Mattis said he is open to any request from his military commanders to aid the battle to retake Mosul.

    Source: Washington Post

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  • HSU students react to new abortion law passed in Arkansas

    HSU students react to new abortion law passed in Arkansas

    By Erin Chessin

    A new Arkansas law will allow the father of a pregnant woman’s child to sue her if she gets an abortion. There are no exceptions that prevent the father from suing, even in instances of rape and incest.

    The Arkansas Unborn Child Protection From Dismemberment Abortion Act was signed and passed on Feb. 16 by Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights.

    Many HSU students are concerned for how the law will affect women’s rights in the U.S. Sara Narajowski is a kinesiology major at HSU.

    “The law is a huge step back for women’s rights,” Narajowski said.

    She also said that all women deserve the choice to get an abortion because it is her body that is affected by the pregnancy.

    “By pro-choice, every woman has the right to protect herself both physically and emotionally from having an unplanned pregnancy,” Narajowski said.

    Abortion laws around the world vary, some countries are more strict about regulating abortion than others. While abortion is legal in the U.S, the new Arkansas abortion law could encourage other states to pass stricter abortion laws in efforts of discouraging women from choosing abortion. Students are concerned this law could cross over to different states and prevent women from having the choice to abort a child in the U.S.

    Another debate that arises from the new law is whether the law is meant to undermine the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, which gave women the right to get an abortion without having to state a reason.

    Jason Martinez, a major criminal justice major at HSU, is shocked the law managed to pass.

    “It’s unfair that a rapist can sue the mother of the unborn child for getting an abortion,” Martinez said. “It undermines how severe the act of rape is because the perpetrator can get money from committing a crime, without caring about the mother or the child.”

    Martinez also said that a mother not being able to get an abortion can mean emotional and psychological consequences for the child’s life in result.

    “People aren’t thinking about the child’s well being,” Martinz said. “If the mother has to have the child when she wasn’t financially prepared or was raped, this could cause psychological consequences for both the mother and baby.”

    Kassidy Hayes is a biopsychology major at HSU.

    “The law supports the subordination of women’s rights,” Hayes said.

    Hayes said that she feels that abortion is not an easy choice, but it is a rightful choice women should have for the safety of her body.

    “It’s interesting how these laws are being passed down by men, who will never know what it’s like to carry a baby,” Hayes said.

    Currently, the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas is seeking to challenge the abortion bill in court before it goes into effect in 2017.

  • Trump watch (Feb. 15 to Feb. 21)

    Trump watch (Feb. 15 to Feb. 21)

    By | Iridian Casarez

    According to the Washington Post, President Trump made comments about Sweden in a rally in Melbourne, Florida on Saturday, Feb. 18.

    “You look at what’s happening last night in Sweden. Sweden, who would believe this?” Trump then mentioned the French cities of Nice and Paris, and the Belgian capital, Brussels. The three European cities were attacked by terrorists over the past two years. The comments were widely perceived in the U.S. as to suggest there was an attack in Sweden Friday night, but there was no attack.

    President Trump named Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster as his new national security advisor on Monday, Feb. 20, replacing Michael Flynn. McMaster is a career Army officer and strategist according to the Los Angeles Times.

    The Trump administration is planning to establish a revised executive order on immigration. The President says will “protect our people” while at the same time pass muster with courts that halted an earlier version, according to CNN. The new executive order will not impact green card holders.

    President Donald Trump announced Thursday, Feb. 16, his plan to nominate Alexander Acosta as Secretary of Labor. Acosta would be the first Hispanic member of Trump’s Cabinet.