by Amy Bass In June of 2013, Tokyo’s bid to host the Olympic Games in 2020 ranked first in the International Olympic Committee’s technical assessment, something that went a long way a few months later when it emerged victorious as the “safe pair of hands” the IOC was looking for in a host city. What that
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By Nicquel Terry Ellis Jeniffer Hall was hesitant to get vaccinated until early July when a Detroit pastor convinced her that she needed the shot to protect herself and her brother — who she has cared for since he suffered an aneurysm — from Covid-19. After surviving Covid-19 herself in 2020, Hall said she decided
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By Alaa Elassar Target has announced that it will begin paying the college tuition and textbook expenses for its US-based part-time and full-time employees who attend select schools. The retail giant is following the lead of other large US companies offering more benefits to attract and retain talent in a tight job market. Starting as early as
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Analysis by Maeve Reston The back-to-school season is turning into a frightening one for parents and children as they find themselves in the middle of political skirmishes over mask and vaccine mandates, leaving students’ safety determined more by geography and the political whims of governors than the science that should be guiding best practices. In this
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By Paul LeBlanc The massive $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package is poised for a final vote in the Senate this week after clearing the last procedural hurdle following months of furious negotiations. The chamber on Sunday evening voted 68-29 to invoke cloture on the underlying legislation, setting up a final vote after the 30-hour post-cloture time expires
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By Ben Church and Hannah Ritchie Allyson Felix became the most decorated US track and field athlete in Olympics history after helping Team USA win the women’s 400m sprint relay on Saturday. It was Felix’s 11th Olympic medal and her seventh gold, overtaking sprint legend Carl Lewis’ haul of 10 medals. She remains one short
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By Alaa Elassar An FBI agent in Puerto Rico is believed to be the first Black woman to be selected to train for any of the bureau’s SWAT teams. The newly chosen agent, who has only been identified as Tai, will be undergoing New Operator Training School (NOTS), a 10-week course that prepares selectees for
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By Kay Jones, Gregory Lemos and Susannah Cullinane Rising cases of Covid-19 in Louisiana have led to the cancellation of the New Orleans Jazz Fest for the second year running, organizers announced Sunday. Louisiana broke its own record for Covid-19 related hospitalizations on multiple days last week, with 2,421 individuals hospitalized with the virus on Friday. The
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By Jen Christensen Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine is currently only authorized for emergency use in the United States, but its full approval by the US Food and Drug Administration could happen within weeks. The ramifications could alter the course of the pandemic in several ways. First, full approval of a Covid-19 vaccine could persuade more people to
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