News Wrap Up

Local News: 2022 Pungo Strawberry Festival Canceled

The Pungo Strawberry Festival is an annual event hosted the weekend of Memorial Day in the fields of the Pungo Agricultural District. It is an event full of carnival rides, local vendors, and hundreds of ways to eat strawberries. Unfortunately, this year, the festival has been canceled for the third year in a row. While the event was canceled for the last two years due to the pandemic, according to the event planners, the cancellation for the 2022 festival is due to “unforeseen circumstances and the time constraints to resolve the issues.” Festival organizers apologize for the disappointment of canceling another year but encourage locals to look forward to the 2023 festival. 

State News: Norfolk State And Elizabeth City State Receives Bomb Threat

This past Friday, both Norfolk State University and Elizabeth City State received bomb threats stating that there were bombs located on their campuses. Elizabeth City State evacuated their campus while Norfolk State instructed students and faculty to shelter in place while officials brought in bomb-sniffing dogs and law enforcement to search the campus. Norfolk State received the bomb threat at approximately 9:30 a.m. and was given the all-clear by law enforcement by 12:30 p.m. These two colleges are both historically black colleges and join roughly 50 other colleges and universities that received similar threats, including Hampton University, which received a bomb threat early last week. 

National News: Judge Kentanji Brown Jackson Elected as Supreme Court Nominee 

On Friday, President Biden nominated Judge Kentanju Brown Jackson to replace Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court. Judge Jackson has been serving as a D.C. Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals, where she received bipartisan support, which Biden used as a reason for her nomination. He also pointed out her “independent-minded, uncompromising integrity,” which he said will greatly benefit the Supreme Court. Biden interviewed two other candidates before selecting Jackson as his nominee. According to the press release, VP Harris, President Biden, and former President Clinton were all involved in the nomination process. In her statement following Biden’s announcement, Jackson thanks God and her parents and states that America is “the greatest beacon of hope and democracy.” If she is confirmed to the Supreme Court, Justice Jackson will replace Breyer once the court session ends in the summer. 

International News: Russia Sends Troops Into Ukraine

This past week has been a whirlwind of activity after Russia sent troops into Ukraine and the United States and other European countries decided how to respond. The United States put sanctions in place on Thursday in an attempt to stop Putin from continuing to invade Ukraine. Many government officials worry Russia is planning a cyberattack to try and prevent the U.S. from interfering in their takeover. These officials have been watching Russa for any signs of animosity towards the United States. 

Many people are concerned that the Russian invasion of Ukraine could start the largest war Europe has seen since WWII and would dramatically affect the rest of the world. Both Russia and Ukraine are sources of many natural resources such as oil, neon, and titanium, and a war would cause severe inflation to the world market. Furthermore, major war would displace hundreds of families seeking asylum elsewhere. If Russia and Ukraine go to war, many other countries would need to prepare for desperate refugees seeking shelter within their borders. 

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Emilee Speier

Emilee Speier is a senior studying journalism and criminal justice. In addition to working at the Daily Runner, she has also completed internships with Lifeway Christian Resources and the Virginia Beach General District Court.