Compiled by Mary Lou Masters
Sam Perez opened the show with some news about Student Government elections. In breaking campus news, the 2020 Student Government Election have just been announced. The Unite and Forward tickets will be competing in a run-off election. The polls will open Feb. 27 at 8 a.m.
All UGA students can vote until the digital ballot closes at noon on Feb. 28. Unite, comprised of Asim Ahmed, Cheryl Kwapong, and Carson Kuck, has a platform centered around sustainability, accountability and visibility. Dyer WHitehurst, Grace Green, and Kristen Dunning are running for Forward, which centers around perspective, inclusion, and sincerity.
The third ticket, Beyond, must remove all campaign materials by 5 p.m. tomorrow. Students can visit the involvement network, sign in, and scroll down on the home page to cast a vote.
Mary Lou Masters then reported on the arrest of a UGA football player. According to The Athens Banner-Herald, a University of Georgia football player was arrested late last night. Devonte Wyatt, a defensive lineman for UGA, was arrested at 11:35 p.m. on multiple charges. He was put in Clarke County Jail last night and remained there this morning with a bond listed at $1,500.
On Friday there was an argument between Wyatt and a female, leading him to kick in the door of her McWhorter Hall dorm room, which caused nearly $500 worth of damage. The incident was reported by an unknown individual. UGA police found the two walking out of her dorm room when they brought the female into Vandiver Hall for questioning. Wyatt later walked into the lobby where they detained him for questioning, as well. This led to the three misdemeanors he was charged for: criminal trespassing, damage to property, and family violence.
Michael Doti delivered information about a bank robbery in Dekalb County. The incident occurred outside a Wells Fargo bank on Druid Hills street in Dekalb County. A woman was leaving the bank with a bag full of a considerable amount of cash, when a robber tried to steal it out of nowhere. However, the woman decided to make a desperate high risk decision and fight back.
Security camera footage shows the man jumping for the bag as the woman is about to enter her car, and the two get caught up in a five second wrestling match that ends with the woman losing her grip on the bag and the robber getting away. This attack occurred at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
The police did determine that the robber was in the bank shortly before the attack, but the reason was unknown. The police said the reason she had so much cash on her was because she was getting change for a Grub Burger restaurant located close by. Police confirmed the woman is safe and as the robber was seen leaving in a dark sedan heading northward.
Jamie Baker discussed national politics as we look forward to Super Tuesday on March 3, when 15 U.S. states and territories will hold primary elections. Candidates took the stage in Charleston, S.C. on Tuesday night for the presidential primary debate.
As of this afternoon a Clemson University poll has put former Vice President Joe Biden in the lead for the South Carolina primary with 35% of the vote. Behind Biden are billionaire Tom Steyer at 17% and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders at 13%. Senator Elizabeth Warren and Mayor Pete Buttigieg follow with 8 percent each and Senator Amy Klobuchar trails behind with 4%.
This morning, South Carolina Representative Jim Clyburn, the highest-ranking black member of Congress, publicly endorsed Joe Biden. AP News reports that the endorsement may greatly boost Biden’s polling on Saturday. During the debate Biden also expressed confidence in winning African-American votes.
Fresh off a strong victory in the Nevada caucuses last week, Bernie Sanders received the bulk of the debate’s criticism from his fellow candidates. Biden attacked Sanders’ previous stances on gun control, and Buttigieg criticized remarks Sanders made to CBS last Sunday in which Sanders applauded the Castro Regime’s education programs.
If Sanders wins the South Carolina primary vote on Saturday, it will be his third consecutive victory. Like previous debates, Elizabeth Warren also criticized Michael Bloomberg for his treatment of women and his wealth. Bloomberg will not be on the ballot on Saturday for the South Carolina primary. The candidates will not return to the debate stage until mid-March.
Perez reported on tension in India. Riots have broken out in India’s capital after the government revoked disputed majority Muslim territory Kashmir’s statehood. The government also reportedly rounded up Muslim leaders there and enacted a law giving preference to non-Muslim migrants naturalizing as citizens, according to The New York Times.
This comes as President Donald Trump is visiting the area to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, “We did talk about religious freedom, and I will say that the prime minister was incredible on what he told me,” President Trump told reporters.
Earlier today, Delhi’s chief minister called for the army to be deployed. He has also called for a curfew to be imposed over flashpoint northeastern districts.
Michael White delivered the financial segment, which focused on the impacts of the coronavirus COVID-19. The Dow Jones has experienced a massive selloff Monday and Tuesday, falling nearly 2,000 points over the two days. Fears of a larger economic impact related to COVID-19 expanded after countries outside of China, namely Iran, South Korea, and Italy, have experienced widespread outbreaks of the virus. With more than 80,000 cases in 30 countries, investors are worried about an impact to the global supply chains.
Dow Jones members Apple, Coca-Cola, and Disney have all announced that 1st quarter earnings will be lower than projected due to COVID-19. Oil prices have fallen to a 12-month low on the back of decreased demand estimates. One of the biggest oil importers, China, has slashed their oil demands amid the outbreak, leading to falling prices globally.
Coinciding with China’s drop in oil demand, Iran’s economy has taken a beating as one of their largest trade partners, China, is not trading at their historical rate. European countries, namely Germany, have seen their economies fall due to closing factories in China. Over 5,000 German companies are facing “severe restrictions on procurement, production, and sales” according to the Federation of German Industries. These increased restrictions are slowing growth across not only the German economy, but Europe as a whole.
Further impacts of COVID-19 can be expected over the coming months, as the CDC expects the virus to spread within the United States.
Baker updated listeners about breaking news in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where multiple people were killed on Wednesday afternoon in a shooting on the Molson Coors Brewing Company campus. The Molson Coors campus where the shooting took place houses both corporate offices and brewing facilities. Approximately 600 people are employed at this location.
Milwaukee’s local news station, WTMJ, reports that there are seven people dead, including the shooter. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett has not confirmed the number of fatalities, but did confirm to reporters that the shooter was among the dead. At approximately three PM police and emergency vehicles responded to what authorities then described as a “critical incident.”
Two hours later the official Molson Coors Company Twitter account tweeted that there was “an active situation at our Milwaukee facility and we are working closely with the Milwaukee Police Department.” According to authorities, it is no longer an active situation. The shooter had not yet been identified.
Mary Lou reported entertainment news about Kobe Bryant’s memorial. A month after the tragic death of Kobe and Gianna Bryant, a memorial service was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. According to The New York Times, “A public memorial for Lakers great Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna was held Monday at Staples Center, bringing celebrities, athletes, and fans together to celebrate their lives…”
Beyoncé, Alecia Keys, and Christina Aguilera performed at the service, along with heartfelt words from Jimmy Kimmel, Michael Jordan, and Shaquille O’Neal. Kobe’s wife, Vanessa Bryant, also delivered a tear-jerking speech, serving as her first time publicly speaking on behalf of this tragedy.
E! News reported that she was unsure whether she would be able to speak, depending on how emotional she felt in the moment. Deciding that she was ready, Vanessa gave the go ahead for Kimmel to introduce her.
Vanessa held it together and shared many personal memories of both her husband and daughter. She talked of her and Kobe’s love story and plans they had for their future. And she paid tribute to Gianna, remembering her unique qualities.
Michael closed the show with sports news. The Dawgs have four games left in the season, including one tonight in Columbia against the South Carolina Gamecocks. That game is currently underway. They are looking for their third win in a row, which they haven’t done since they won their final four games before their SEC schedule. Saturday’s hero Tyree Crump is looking to continue to make an impact for the Dawgs.
The game is much more important for South Carolina though, as they are one of the many teams sitting on the bubble for tournament bids. They’ve mirrored the Bulldogs, losing their past two games to Mississippi State and LSU, making this game tonight, virtually a must win. As for last night’s games, we did see a big upset in one of them. Unranked Wake Forest was able to shock 7 seeded Duke in overtime, 113-101. Oliver Sarr led the team with 25 points.
To the pros, the Hawks kick off a 4 game homestand tonight against the Orlando Magic at 7:30. Currently, the Hawks have the fourth best odds to land the top pick in the draft, which could be UGA’s own Anthony Edwards. For this week’s ESPN doubleheader, the Grizzlies look to keep the final playoff spot in their grip, as they visit the Houston Rockets at 8:00, and afterwards, the Boston Celtics travel to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Jazz.
Also, the MLB is back, as spring training is well under way. All eyes continue to be pointed on the Houston Astros, as the players are still dealing with the fallout of becoming the first MLB team ever to cheat their way to a World Series title by use of technology two years ago. It was on Monday, when Jose Altuve was grazed by a pitch that was thrown by Detroit Tigers reliever Nick Ramirez, and as he walked to first base, he was loudly booed.
Astros manager Dusty Baker took a neutral approach when asked about this after the game. He responded, “He was hit in the foot. That aint nothing, you know what I mean?” He also pleaded to the reporter that the pitch “wasn’t intentional.” Altuve, along with other Astros stars such as Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa and Yuli Gurriel were all constantly booed by opposing fans whenever they were up to bat. The fans did take a moment to cheer for Altuve though, but that was after he was given an error for dropping Alex Bregman’s throw to second on a force play. In the end, the Astros did beat the Tigers that day, 11-1.