Stuff YOU Should Know
James Hong is Honored by Hollywood Hollywood’s star-studded Walk of Fame is iconic. Did you know that of the over 2,700 stars, only nineteen belong to people of Asian descent? The most recent honoree is James Hong, who has seven hundred film credits to his name. This includes roles in Blade Runner and Disney’s animated […]
Black History Month: Harry T. Moore
When you think about leaders of the civil rights movement, the first names that come to mind may be Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, or John Lewis. But they didn’t fight that fight alone. This week, btw takes a look at another civil rights leader whose contributions are just as important. […]
Stuff YOU Should Know
Florida Condominium Collapses On June 24, 2021, a high-rise condo building in Surfside, Florida, collapsed in the middle of the night. Champlain Towers South stood for nearly forty years along the waterfront. The cause of the collapse has not yet been determined. It has been reported that in 2019 five members of the Champlain Towers […]
YOU DECIDE: Should Daylight Savings Time Become Permanent?
Spring forward, fall back . . . or is it the other way around? Daylight Savings Time was first developed in the early 1900s to save fuel during World War I. Most states in the United States observe Daylight Savings Time—which lasts for eight months of each calendar year. Standard Time (from November to March) […]
Stuff YOU Should Know
Reparations in Asheville One of the more controversial suggestions for how to improve economic equality between white people and African Americans is the use of reparations. Reparations are direct monetary payments to African Americans as compensation for the fact that their ancestors were enslaved and that past generations of African Americans suffered economic inequality and […]
Coronavirus Outbreak: How are States Responding?
This week’s story update on Election Central provides a quick summary of how some states are responding to the coronavirus outbreak. We are living in unprecedented times. As the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic sweeps the United States–with more than 2,000 deaths nationwide so far–governors of each state are being tasked with coming up with a plan […]
Stuff YOU Should Know
Death of ISIS Leader Raises Questions You might not have heard of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before he was killed at the end of October in Syria, but now his death is making headlines across the world. Baghdadi has spent much of his rule in hiding. But Trump announced that Baghdadi was killed by […]
Hurricane Michael: Seven Months Later
You may remember October 2018, when Hurricane Michael hit the Florida panhandle. This record-breaking storm left a wide path of devastation across Florida and southern Georgia, and now, seven months later, many people are still suffering Michael’s aftermath. Here, btw takes a closer look at the storm, at what happened after, and at the challenges […]
YOU DECIDE: Voting Rights for Ex-Criminals?
In November, Florida voters approved Amendment 4, a ballot initiative that, for the first time, allows Florida residents with felony records to vote. According to the new amendment, anyone who has completed their prison sentence is eligible to vote, though people who have been convicted of murder or felony sex offenses still are not. The […]
Stuff YOU Should Know
Paradise Lost Once again, Northern California is finding itself ravaged by wildfires–and this year is the deadliest and most destructive one yet. The confirmed death toll currently stands at 85, but with at least 249 still missing, it’s expected to continue to rise. Furthermore, after two weeks, the Camp Fire has destroyed more buildings than […]