On Sunday April 21, the London Marathon went off without a hitch. The story of the marathon was the touching tribute paid to those who were killed by two bombs at the Boston Marathon. A moment of silence preceded the race and the organizers of the race donated two British pounds to the One Boston fund for each runner who crossed the finish line. In all the total was around $100,000.
An eight story garment factory located just outside Dhaka, Bangladesh, collapsed on Wednesday and the death toll reached 359 people as of Saturday night. Rescuers are working around the clock trying to free those trapped in the rubble. Over 2400 survivors are accounted for and 29 more people were pulled from the wreckage Saturday. Police arrested four people, two factory owners and two engineers, associated with the collapse on Saturday. A day before the collapse, cracks were found inside the building and police had asked the building’s owners to close down, they refused to close leading to the collapse on Wednesday.
The sports world experienced a big week starting Monday when the New York Jets traded their star all-pro cornerback, Darrelle Revis, to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the thirteenth overall pick in this year’s draft, which they turned into defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson from Missouri, and a conditional pick in next year’s draft. The NBA playoffs started their first round and an injury to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook may derail their chances of winning the title this year. The NFL draft took place at the famous Radio City Music Hall and attracted all eyes of the football world from Thursday night until early Saturday evening. The first overall pick was bestowed upon the Kansas City Chiefs who chose offensive tackle Eric Fisher of Central Michigan. The Broncos chose defensive tackle Sylvester Williams of North Carolina with their first round pick and acquired Wisconsin running back Montee Ball in the second.
George Jones, aka the Possum, a country music legend and one of the greatest country music artists of all time, passed away Friday morning at the age of 81. Born in 1931 in Saratoga, Texas, Jones lived a tumultuous life. In becoming one of the most respected and revered stars in country music, he overcame poverty and an alcoholic father, saw four marriages fail before finally getting it right, had problems with alcohol and drug abuse, and served in the United States Marine Corps. Some of his best known hits include, “He Stopped Loving Her Today”, “She Thinks I Still Care”, “White Lightning”, “Golden Ring (A Duet with Tammy Wynette)”, and ” If Drinking Don’t Kill Me.” Jones was a living legend and will live on through his songs and his influence on countless artists still alive today.
A fire at a psychiatric Hospital in Russia killed 38 people on Friday, and police launched a criminal investigation at the request of president Vladimir Putin to investigate the cause of the fire. Three people escaped the fire that, according to authorities, may have been started by an electric shock.
Israel and Gaza fired rockets back and forth over the weekend. The Israeli military claims to have struck a Hamas target after a Gaza rocket was reportedly fired at Israel the night before. In Pakistan, four people died and dozens were injured when two separate bombs exploded including three children and three women.
Sources: CNN, ABC News, The Associated Press, ESPN