There’s a missing owl in Upper Manhattan named Flaco. See if you can spot him. Editor’s warning: Mentions of death.
Happening in the World: Two powerful earthquakes, only hours apart, have hit Gaziantep, Turkey, causing thousands of buildings to collapse and a death toll to reach more than 1,600 people across both Syria and Turkey. Earthquakes are no stranger to the area, but this earthquake has by far been the most powerful and the deadliest the country has seen in over than 20 years. Turkey has since requested international assistance, and countries including Greece and India have been quick to respond, sending rescue teams and offering other aid. (NYT)
Happening in the US: As cold fronts swept the nation over the past week, it has left some cities struggling to recover, even after temperatures returned to normal. Austin, TX is one of those places, where more than 30,000 customers remained without power on Sunday night. Many Austin residents have been without lights, heat, electricity, and water since Wednesday. These power outages, for many, were a reminder of the outages that swept across Texas in 2021, where more than 4 million customers lost electricity because of the power grid failure. Governor Abbott maintains that the state’s power grid has an “ample supply” and that these outages were solely caused by fallen trees and power lines. Austin is expected to be hit with additional bad weather this week, which is expected to impact the restoration process, still leaving thousands of people without power. (NYT)
Happening in NYC: Rescue efforts continue in New York City, after Flaco, a Eurasian-eagle owl escaped from the Central Park Zoo after the exhibit was previously vandalized Thursday evening. The owl has quickly turned into a micro celebrity, with people actively following him through the city with the help of twitter. Since his escape, Flaco has been spotted in various locations around upper Manhattan. Flaco’s followers are starting to worry about his wellbeing, as they suspect that he has not eaten since his initial escape. The efforts to bring Flaco back to safety continue and it’s a developing story. (Gothamist)
Happening in Our Community: Join Columbia Law School’s Center for Gender and Sexuality Law for a free screening of The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks followed by a Q&A session with Director Yoruba Richen. The screening will take place Wednesday, February 8 from 6:30 to 8:45 pm in Jerome Green Hall, room 104, 435 West 116th Street. Registration is required and dinner will be provided.
Owl via Wikimedia Commons