A lot has happened in the world over the past week. Let’s catch up on the major news headlines:
New Jersey Hall of Fame Inductees 2023
Over the weekend, the New Jersey Hall of Fame (NJHOF) welcomed 14 new members to the list of great New Jerseyans. The list of 2023 inductees includes athletes Tiki Barber and Sue Wicks, producer David Chase, and musicians Tony Orlando and Patti Scialfa. Barber played for the New York Giants of the National Football League for 10 seasons and was voted into three Pro Bowls. Wicks, who started her career at Rutgers University, went on to play five seasons for the New York Liberty in the Women’s National Basketball Association. Chase, who grew up in Clifton, was the creator of “The Sopranos,” which went on to win 21 Emmy Awards in six seasons. Orlando, who is most known for being a part of the ‘70s group Tony Orlando and Dawn, spent much of his youth in Union City and is a Grammy-nominated artist. Scialfa is the wife of fellow NJHOF member Bruce Springsteen and was inducted for her work as a member of the E Street Band.
Weekend Violence Near Rowan University
The Rowan University community is on high alert after a string of unrelated incidents, involving the injuries of multiple people, occurred near the campus over the weekend. On Friday, three people were stabbed at the intersection of Whitney Avenue and Oakwood Avenue directly outside the campus. All three victims are expected to recover, and a suspect was taken into custody.
Around 1:45 a.m. on Sunday, multiple shots were heard on North Main Street by Rowan students, and one student was shot in the foot. This shooting comes just one week after another shooting near the Glassboro campus left one dead and one injured.
Lewiston, Maine Shooting
Last Wednesday, a man opened fire at two locations using a semi-automatic rifle in Lewiston, Maine, killing 18 people and injuring 13 others. The first event took place at the Just-in-Time Recreation bowling alley, where 10 people were killed during a youth bowling league event. The second event took place four miles south of the bowling alley at Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant, where eight people were killed.
The shooter, later identified as 40-year-old Robert Card, was enlisted in the United States Army Reserve and had an active military ID. It was reported that in July, Card reported mental health issues to law enforcement and was committed to a mental health facility for two weeks over the summer.
After the shooting, a manhunt ensued to find Card, which concluded with police finding his dead body on Friday night in Lisbon, Maine due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It was the 10th-deadliest shooting in United States history, the deadliest in Maine’s history and the deadliest of 2023.
Matthew Perry Dead at 54
On Saturday, television star Matthew Perry was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home, with the cause of death still being investigated. Perry, 54, was most known for his role as Chandler Bing on the hit show “Friends,” and as an advocate for substance abuse rehabilitation. Perry had been open about his struggle with alcoholism throughout his time as a star, most notably in his 2022 memoir “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.”
In a statement to People Magazine, Perry’s co-stars from “Friends” wrote, “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family… There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.”
New Sickle Cell Disease Cure Is Coming
On Tuesday, a panel of experts told the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that a new treatment for sickle cell disease is safe for clinical use. Before this breakthrough, the only cure for sickle cell disease had been through a bone marrow transplant. If the FDA approves the treatment, it would be the first gene therapy from CRISPR ever to hit the United States market.
The therapy, called “exa-cel,” works by changing the DNA in a patient’s blood cells to free patients from the debilitating and fatal aspects of the disease. During the testing phase, Vertex, the maker of the treatment, said that all 30 patients who participated in treatment for 18 months avoided hospitalization for the entire time frame, and 29 reported being completely pain-free. Federal approval of the treatment is expected by Dec. 8.
wjackso2@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @mattyperry4, Instagram
