Good morning Her Campus! With a break-neck news cycle, there is no possible way for you to stay on top of every story that comes across your feeds — we’re all only human, after all.
But, life comes at you fast. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this quick and dirty guide to stories you might’ve been sleeping on (like, literally. It’s early.)
A Federal Employee, Who Had Been Furloughed During The Government Shutdown, Won The Lottery
As of Saturday, we are currently in the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The shutdown has broken the previous record of 21 days, and it has left hundreds of thousands of federal employees without pay. The president and Congressional leaders still seem no closer to a spending deal that would put federal workers back to work. Now, a wife of a furloughed federal worker won the lottery in Virginia, according to The Washington Post.
The family took home a $100,000 check and a new SUV as part of the state’s Ford Expedition Plus $100K Promotion. “I cried,” Carrie Walls said, according to the Virginia Lottery. “I couldn’t believe it.”
But Wall’s win was timely, as the Virginia resident told the Virginia Lottery that her has was a furloughed federal employee. On Friday, her husband and thousands of other employees weren’t able to pick up their paychecks from the government, but Walls was able to pick up her $100,000 check from the Virginia Lottery.
The Virginia Lottery’s official Twitter account posted a photo of Walls with her $100,000 check and sitting behind the wheel of her brand new SUV. She plans to take her family on a trip to Disney World, according to the Virginia Lottery.
Carrie of #Ashburn has a new set of wheels – AND $100,000. She entered her non-winning ticket in the “#FordExpedition Plus $100k Promotion,” and her ticket was drawn for the top prize! Congratulations Carrie! pic.twitter.com/QHbnsFfEcI
— Virginia Lottery (@VirginiaLottery) January 11, 2019
TSA Workers Will Receive Some Money To Ease The Strains Of The Government Shutdown, But It’s Not Too Much
Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) workers will have some relief coming their way amid the partial government shutdown. TSA workers will receive $500 and one day’s pay to “alleviate some of the financial hardship” they’ve faced.
Administrator David Pekoske announced the move on Friday via Twitter, finding it “legally & financially” allowed. According to CNN, the $500 is actually a bonus “in recognition of [officiers’] hard work during yet another busy holiday travel season, maintaining the highest of security standards during an extraordinary period. The finally pay period of the year still remains on hold. “I’m able to do this because of unique authorities provided TSA in law,” he tweeted.
In addition to this, I have approved awards of $500 for each uniformed screening officer, in recognition of their hard work during yet another busy holiday travel season, maintaining the highest of security standards during an extraordinary period.
— David P. Pekoske (@TSA_Pekoske) January 12, 2019
Pekoske also recognized that workers didn’t deserve to work and not receive their pay. “While I realize this is not what you are owed for your hard work during pay period 26 and what you deserve, I hope these actions alleviate some of the financial hardship many of you are facing,” he tweeted.
A Suspected Mass Overdose in California Has Left One Dead and 12 Hospitalized
One person died and 12 others were hospitalized on Saturday in Chico, California, after overdosing on reportedly synthetic opioid drug fentanyl, police said.
First responders received a 911 call from a resident in the area at around 9:00 a.m., according to BuzzFeed News. One man was pronounced dead at the scene, and 12 others were quickly transported to a hospital.
“Every indication is that this mass overdose incident was caused from the ingestion of some form of fentanyl in combination with some other substance, though that is yet to be confirmed,” Chico Police Chief Mike O’Brien said in a press conference on Saturday.
CPR and naloxone, which is a narcotic overdose treatment, at the scene, O’Brien said. “It certainly would have been far worse without the response and dispensing of naloxone by Chico police officers,” he added.
Four out of the 12 overdose victims remain in critical condition. “Certainly there’s potential for additional fatalities,” O’Brien pressed. “I want to emphasize that.”
“Every indication is that this mass overdose incident was caused from the ingestion of some form of fentanyl in combination with another substance,” Chico police Chief Mike O’Brien said. https://t.co/tI001EScCq
— NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) January 13, 2019
What To Look Out For….
An account on Instagram, @world_record_egg’s, is trying to break Kylie Jenner’s record for the most likes with a photo of an egg. It was published on Jan. 4, and as of Sunday, the post had over 15 million likes. Kylie Jenner broke the record for most likes in February of last year with a photo of her announcing her daughter, Stormi, name. The post has more than 18 million likes.