Former Supreme Court Justice receives U of L Award
At a ceremony and lecture at the Seelbach hotel on Thursday, April 18, retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens received the 2013 Brandeis medal. The medal honors people who practice personal freedom, public service and concern for the disadvantaged, all ideals in which both Brandeis and Stevens lived by. Past honorees include Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sandra Day O’Connor, and harry Blackmun. Stevens has a similar legacy to Brandeis, who is the school’s namesake and is also a former U.S. supreme court justice from Louisville. Originally nominated for assistant justice of the Supreme Court in 1975 by President Gerald Ford, Stevens retired in 2010 as the oldest of the court, and the third longest serving justice in the history of the court.
Explosions rock finish line at Boston Marathon
On Monday, April 15, as runners cross the finish line at the 117th Boston Marathon event, two bombs exploded near the finish line sending thousands of spectators and participants into a panic. Reports indicate that three people were killed from the blasts, and at least 170 were injured. Many reports have been made of heroic runners who crossed the finish line and either went back to help, or continued to run straight to the hospital to donate blood for the injured. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was aprehended by authorities on Friday afternoon after a shootout killed the other suspect, his older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Several Louisville citizens and U of L students were at the event including former runners Wesley Korir and Michael Eaton as well as cross country-track and field head coach Ron Mann, all of which have been located safely and are well.
Fertilizer plant explosion in Texas injures hundreds
A 30-minute blaze at a fertilizer plant ignited on Wednesday, April 17, in West, Tex. sending a mushroom cloud into the sky. The massive explosion registered as a magnitude 2.1 quake 45 miles away and leveled most of the towns homes and downtown businesses. Several firefighters who were already on the scene were killed in the explosion and as many as 170 people have been sent to area hospitals. The focus of the police and fire department has entered into a search and rescue mode and have been assured by environmental specialists that no further explosions or poisionings are a threat from potential large ammonia released into the air.
Jay-Z drops Kevin Ware’s name in newest single
In his most recent single, “Open Letter Pt. II,” Jay-Z makes quite a few comments that have stirred up controversy. Not only does he reportedly overstate his relationship with President Obama in reference to his recent trip to Cuba, he wrote a lyric which drops University of Louisville men’s basketball champion name in the line, “Media saying s*** that isn’t there / But we fall down and get back up, Kevin Ware.” The line is rapped by Common, another popular hip-hop artist.
[email protected]
Photo by Val Servino/The Louisville Cardinal
