News Round Up: Stories From This Past Week

The Ramapo News staff was off this past week for Thanksgiving break, but the holiday didn't prevent it from being a busy news week. Here's what you missed while we were gone.

Metro Derailing: On Sunday morning, a Metro-North train derailed from the tracks in the Bronx. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the area is "dangerous by design," because of the curve that has a 30 mph speed limit compared to about 70 mph limit of the straight tracks, but he said the bend in the track alone could not be blamed for the crash, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Paul Walker Dies: "Fast and Furious" actor Paul Walker, 40, died in a car crash outside Los Angeles on Saturday. The New York Times reported that Walker was on his way to a charity event for his organization Reach Out Worldwide when he was killed.

Black Friday: This year, more Americans shopped on Thanksgiving compared to waiting until the following day. Although sales dropped 13.2 percent from last year's Black Friday season, ShopperTrak research concluded both days combined contributed to a rise of 2.3 percent of sales, as reported in the San Francisco Chronicle. However, numbers from Cyber Monday still await. BlackFridayDeathCount.com, a website that has been running since 2006, reported that there have been one death and 15 injuries during the sales this year.

Obamacare: The new Healthcare.gov 2.0 has been officially up and running as of Sunday and appears to be more effective the second time around, compared to the launch on Oct. 1. However, the White House administration seeks to improve the site more in the future and sees this version only a temporary fix to troubleshoot, according to the Christian Science Monitor.

NJ DREAM Act: MSNBC reported that Governor Chris Christie rejected the NJ Dream Act last week, otherwise known as the Tuition Equality Act, despite previous campaign pledges to support undocumented immigrants' pursuit of an in-state college education. Currently, 16 other states have similar legislation already in action.

Weekend Blockbusters: Fox News said "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" earned $75 million at the box office, while "Frozen," a 3-D musical for children, opened with $67 million. The two films have the new title for the Thanksgiving weekend record holder, behind "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," which earned $57.5 million in 2001.

dcorcion@ramapo.edu