International: 

Supreme Court Refuses Case Against Palestine 

The United States Supreme Court recently refused to receive a lawsuit brought forward by 11 American families against the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat, former chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization and other Palestinian leaders.  

They allege that they were victims of multiple terror attacks from 2001 to 2004 perpetrated by agents of the Palestinian Authority. The attacks involved occurred in Israel and killed 33 people.  

The case was passed to the Supreme Court after the second New York Circuit Court of Appeals threw the case out, saying that the victims could not prove the attacks were intended to hurt American interests. On April 2, the Supreme Court announced its decision to not take the case. 

“I disagree with this decision,” sophomore Mackey Jones said. “I believe the Supreme Court should have let the Americans testify because it is their legal right to.” 

National: 

Stock Market Declines in Wake of Feud 

Economic fears have increased recently as, on April 2, Amazon, Netflix, Cisco and many other companies in the Nasdaq 100, which contains all the largest non-financial entities on the stock market, all saw their value drop.  

This comes amidst recent hostility between President Trump and Amazon, largely over the allegation that Amazon takes advantage of the U.S. Post Office for delivering items.  

“I am right about Amazon costing the United States Post Office massive amounts of money for being their delivery boy,” President Trump tweeted. “Amazon should pay these costs (plus) and not have them bourne by the American Taxpayer. Many billions of dollars. P.O. leaders don’t have a clue (or do they?)!” 

Amazon has not released an official statement on the matter. 

“I believe [the feud] is kind of stupid,” freshman Kalli Yost said. “Some companies exploit other countries’ citizens to make more money, and now they are just getting mad.” 

State:  

Gov. Scott Signs New Military Benefits Legislation 

Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed two pieces of legislation, House Bill 29 and House Bill 75 that increases benefits for military members. This announcement came when Scott was visiting a USAA headquarters in Tampa. 

These benefits include lowering licensing requirements for veterans and allowing public universities to waive fees for active servicemen and women to make higher education more accessible for those in the military.   

The governor’s office stated that $180 million dollars would go towards military members and veterans in the state.  

“I’m not too familiar with this new piece of legislation,” senior Michelle Ferlita said. “But I feel anytime we can honor our veterans, it is a positive impact in our community since they are willing to sacrifice to protect us.” 

Included HB 29, known as the “Don Hahnfeldt Veteran and Family Opportunity Act” is a new holiday: Medal of Honor Day which will fall on March 25 to celebrate those who have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.  

Local: 

Relay For Life Raises Cancer Awareness 

Relay For Life will be held April 20 at Robinson High School at 6 p.m. to raise money and awareness for cancer research. The event is held annually as a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. 

“I hope that Relay For Life raises awareness for cancer and brings people together who have been affected by cancer in some way,” junior Gabby Tapley said. “It is important for people to show up… because it is good to raise awareness of cancer and also to show our support for cancer patients and survivors.” 

Multiple school clubs and organizations will be participating in the event, including most service clubs. Students are encouraged to attend the event both with clubs and independently.  

More information concerning registration and volunteer opportunities can be found at relay.acsevents.org. For those wishing to aid the cause, donations can also be made to the American Cancer Society.