Happy Friday, Panthers! Aren’t you glad it’s finally spring break? We sure are. Before you leave for your favorite holiday destination, make sure to check out this week’s KICs. This week includes Kate Middleton’s cancer controversy, the Baltimore bridge collapse, teens fleeing cops after stealing a car, illegal firearms found during a traffic stop, and this year’s presidential candidates have contrasting campaign strategies.
World – Kate Middleton cancer diagnosis creating controversy
British princess Kate Middleton revealed her cancer diagnosis on Friday, after it was discovered from her abdominal surgery on January 14. The pre-recorded video is now the source of controversy as conspiracy theories are spreading across social media.
The broadcast is a source of dispute amongst the royal family as well. Prince Harry and Meghan were reportedly not told beforehand of the diagnosis and only discovered it from the broadcast. Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams believes this is a sign of growing distrust. Fitzwilliams explained that distrust is growing as they have caused endless conflict.
Following Middleton’s announcements, unexpected claims have arisen with social media users claiming the broadcast was AI-generated. These claims have been met with anger from the royal family.
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National – Baltimore Key Bridge collapses
After a cargo ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, vehicles dropped into the river below. The bridge is a part of Interstate 695 and stretches 1.6 miles over the Baltimore Harbor.
The ship that hit the bridge was a 948 foot-long cargo vessel named Dali that was half an hour into its journey to Sri Lanka. Officials do not know the cause of the strike, but the ship owners confirmed that all crew members are safe. Minutes before the ship hit the bridge, it is reported that the lights flickered on and off.
A state of emergency was declared by Maryland Governor Wes Moore early on Tuesday morning, with the Coast Guard continuing search and rescue efforts. The Francis Scott Key Bridge was built in 1977 and just last year carried over 12.4 million vehicles.
State – Teen flees the cops after stealing car
An Atlanta teen attempted to make a daring escape from the Atlanta Police department after stealing a car. On March 12, the Atlanta Police department was alerted that a black Dodge Charger had been stolen.
The owner believes he left the car running when 17-year-old Jerouis Simpson drove off with the car. The owner was able to track the car and alert the air unit and the auto crimes unit. The police originally failed to pull the car over while going over 100 mph. Simpson eventually pulled over and fled on foot into an apartment building. When Simpson thought the coast was clear he proceeded to get into the back of a white car which was stopped by the police and Simpson was taken into custody.
Currently, the police still have Simpson in custody. He faces fleeting, eluding, and theft charges.
Local – Illegal firearms found at traffic stop, resulting in 3 arrested
On the night of March 25, a cop was doing a late-night-traffic stop. The traffic stop revealed altered firearms, and the officer arrested three people who had homemade designs of firearms.
These weapons were found in the car, and one was stolen and two of them had been altered. The altered firearms were turned into sawed-off shotguns, or essentially turned into automatics. They face felony charges for possession of a dangerous weapon and theft by receiving stolen property.
The three occupants in the car were Kamauri Davis of Fairburn, age 20, Kanell Sprattling of Union City, age 21, and Jahmai Williams of Douglasville, age 19. They also face misdemeanor charges for possession of marijuana.
Politics – Presidential candidates showing very different campaign strategies
In this year’s election season both Biden and Trump are running very different campaigns. Even with Trump being busy in the past week, nothing he has done has resembled a conventional general campaign.
Trump has been hawking bibles, making billions from the stock market, and attacking judges. His refusal to play by the rules is said to be the key to his political appeal among his supporters.This is a big difference from Biden whose campaign reflects the stakes of the upcoming election and is running a more traditional campaign.
Biden has been on a post State of the Union tour in North Carolina, had an event in New York, and put on a Democratic unity show. Biden also went on a swing state tour that saw events with a huge investment into the Intel chip processing plant in Arizona and the launch of a new health care push in North Carolina.