Deadly tornadoes on Wednesday, February 6, 2008 left destruction and displacement in five states. In Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Mississippi a total of at least 55 people were killed and a few hundred were injured. The storm began on Tuesday night throwing around trailer homes and destroying other buildings such dorms at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. Arkansas and Tennessee suffered the most destruction with 31 deaths in Tennessee and 13 in Arkansas. Governor Phil Bredesen of Tennessee said 1,000 houses were destroyed. President Bush is expected to visit the state on Friday, February 8. In Arkansas, chief deputy of the Pope County Sheriff’s department, Maj. Dillard W. Bradley, reported that 60 to 80 buildings were totally blown away, leaving nothing but pieces behind. According to meteorologist Greg Carbin, winds exceeded 150 miles per hour.
The tornadoes in the South are not only prevalent but they impacted the lives of many people who lived through the storm as well as their families in other regions. Crews in Jackson, Tennessee rescued students trapped in the rubble at Union University. The front page picture displayed a man, James Devaney from Alabama, at the site of his daughter’s home where she and her family were killed. In Atkins, Arkansas one couple and their 11-year-old daughter were killed after the tornado directly hit their house. Hundreds of others were affected by the deadly tornadoes and will have to rebuild their entire lives from scratch. (The New York Times, 2/7/08, p. A1 and A 24)
The most intriguing story of the past week covered the theft of four 19th-century masterpieces at a museum in Zurich, Switzerland on Sunday, February 10, 2008. Three men with their faces covered in ski masks walked into the private museum during the day. One of the men pointed a handgun at a staff member while the other two took the four paintings off the wall. The paintings are worth an estimated $163 million and included a Cezanne, a Degas, a van Gogh, and a Monet. The museum does not check visitors’ bags and has no metal detectors, according to the museum’s director Lukas Gloor. This is the second multimillion-dollar art theft in less than a week in Switzerland. (The New York Times, 2/12/08, p. A6)
Mitt Romney withdrew from the presidential race on Thursday, February 7, saying that the war in Iraq and terrorism made it vital that the Republican Party unite. (The New York Times, 2/8/08, p. A1 and A16) On Tuesday, February 12 Barack Obama beat Hillary Clinton in the primary elections in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. (The New York Times, 2/13/08, p. A1 and A21) Military prosecutors decided to seek the death penalty for six Guantanamo prisoners in connection to their roles in the September 11th terror attacks. (The New York Times, 2/11/08, p. A1 and A18) Congress approved a $168 billion economic rescue package which included rebates for taxpayers and tax breaks for businesses. (The New York Times, 2/8/08, p. A1 and A13) Fighting in Chad between government troops and rebels heightened tensions with Sudan. (The New York Times, 2/7/08, p. A1 and A12)
