COVID-19 continues to be a major concern across the world, so hopefully a little story about whales will perk you up today.
Happening in the World: Two killer whales migrating along the Portuguese and Spanish coasts have been a cause for concern to sailors in the area––they push rudders and bump into hulls, behavior that marine scientists view as playfulness. This level of interaction is relatively uncommon for killer whales, leading scientists to worry about what might come next if the whales continue to play rough. (BBC)
Happening in the US: Special prosecutor, Rosemary Khoury, announced that the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Officer Dejoure Mercer would not be indicted or accused of a crime following the death of Dreasjon Reed which resulted from Mercer firing 13 shots at the man fleeing after a car chase in May. Khoury, emphasizing her identity as a black woman with two sons, expressed her empathy for the mother of Reed during the news conference and also for Officer Mercer. (CNN)
Happening in NYC: Mayor Bill de Blasio warned parents in NYC to be prepared for a shutdown of schools in an interview on Friday, confirming his prior benchmark of 3% infection rate requiring school closings. The city, which has seen rapid growth in cases, is poised to grow to a 3% infection rate by the end of the weekend, meaning as early as Monday, schools could be closing down. (Gothamist)
Happening in the Community: Interim Provost, Ira Katznelson, announced that there would be stronger enforcement of COVID-19 testing for visitors to campus buildings in an email on Friday. Katznelson also reminded students of guidelines, including the Health Compact, social distancing, and travel.
Film of the Week: Ten Inch Hero (dir. by David MacKay)
whale via Wikimedia Commons