Compiled by Stella Manning, Grace Sun and Jolie Zhou
Egg Inflation
Inflation and the bird flu sparked an egg shortage in mid- January that is still impacting Americans today. The current flu is the deadliest strain of influenza for birds, and has affected at least 57 million chickens, which have struggled to produce the same amount of eggs as they did pre-influenza. Furthermore, recent inflation has resulted in rising costs for fuel, packaging, labor and chicken feed, thus resulting in farmers being unable to afford the same quality of nourishment for their chickens.
According to a CNN article published on March 29, a dozen eggs cost $3.30 in February, up 109% from $1.61 a year prior. These higher prices have also led to higher profits for egg producers, according to the same article.
Earthquakes
On Feb. 6, Turkey and Syria were hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake and several aftershocks. The earthquake killed over 50,000 people and the two countries have suffered destruction to their infrastructure. The majority of the deaths have come from “pancaked” building collapses, where the top level of a structure collapses onto the lower ones. Although Turkey passed new building codes in 2000, many structures still do not comply with them. This dynamic has caused public anger at the Turkish government: Turkey has been subject to numerous earthquakes over the past decades, yet many believe that not enough improvements have been made to prevent destruction.
State of the Union
On Feb. 7, President Joe Biden gave his annual State of the Union Address to Congress. The address is a yearly speech delivered by the president to describe the current state of the country. In his speech, Biden emphasized unity and improvement, citing bipartisan legislation such as the infrastructure bill along with low unemployment rates.
With these successes in mind, Biden also stated the need to “finish the job” and pass legislation regarding police reform, abortion and aid to Ukraine. With the upcoming 2024 presidential election, some also saw this State of the Union address as the start of Biden’s re-election campaign. Biden has not yet announced whether he plans to run for a second term.
Super Bowl LVII
On Feb. 12, football fans all around the world prepared for the showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, a battle between the two strongest teams in the league. The Chiefs played the Eagles at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The Eagles dominated the first half, leading 24 to 14, but fumbled in the second
quarter, allowing a Chief touchdown. Patrick Mahomes— the star quarterback—and Travis Kelce—a talented tight end—were a key duo that led the team to victory. The close three-point game was sealed by the Chiefs in their stunning last quarter performance, winning them their third Super Bowl Champion title. Their last two wins were in 1970 and 2020.
Willow Project
The Biden Administration formally approved the Willow Project on March 13, authorizing a vast number of drilling sites in Alaska to begin producing oil. Willow is projected to generate up to $8 billion in revenue through the ConocoPhillips energy company. Though economically sound, the Willow Project’s environmental eects have sparked several climate activist protests. Impacts of the project may be felt beyond Alaska, as Willow is slated to release up to 250 million metric tons of carbon emissions over the next 30 years. In response to the backlash, Biden lessened the number of drilling sites and set the Arctic Ocean off-limits.
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