The world has been fighting COVID-19 for over a year. Mask mandates and social distancing are now a part of our everyday lives. When vaccines were created to help fight the virus, companies were quick to ship them out. Over 114 million people have been vaccinated in the United States which is over 34% of the population. More than 1.3 billion vaccines have been administered worldwide. Despite these statistics, many people are still wary. 

According to Pfizer-BioNTech, the Pfizer Covid vaccine shots are safe and effective towards teenagers 12-15. After much testing and research, it was found that the shots showed 100% effectiveness towards the response to the antibodies in this age group.

Just miles away from where former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, was standing on trial for the murder of George Floyd, another Black man was killed at the hands of police. On the Sunday afternoon of April 11, 20-year-old Daunte Wright was shot during a traffic stop in suburban Minneapolis, propelling an already tense city into a state of righteous furor.

Within April, two states in the United States have launched Anti-Transgender Bills. North Dakota’s Governor, Doug Burgum, vetoed a bill that would have restricted transgender girls from participating in public school sports. Florida’s bill, SB 1028, would also ban transgender youth from participating in school sports due to their new identity. 

On Tuesday, April 20, the 12-member jury in the case Derek Chauvin found the former Minneapolis police officer guilty on all the counts he faced over the death of George Floyd. The trial has been one of the most closely watched cases in recent memory, setting off a national reckoning on police violence and systemic racism.

As college students return for the fall semester, many universities have required students to get vaccinated due to the ongoing pandemic. Currently, the United States reports 32,713,675 COVID-19 cases and 581,056 deaths.

Since the 2020 Presidential Inauguration, President Biden has made progress throughout his first 100 days in office. From tackling climate change, to establishing the American Rescue Plan, to working on gun reform, the President has made fruitful efforts to restore the nation and unite Americans.

On April 8, a video was trending on social media from Norfolk, Virginia. The video consisted of a capital lieutenant named Caron Nazario, an African American-Latino man getting pepper-sprayed numerous times by the police at a gas station. During the video, Nazario is shown innocently keeping his arms up so he can demonstrate that he was not a threat. Despite this and repeatedly trying to cooperate with the police, Nazario was forced to feel the sting from the pepper spray.

Since coronavirus has first invaded the country, there have been 562,007 deaths and there are 31,292,106 cases currently. As the year has progressed, the number of COVID-19 infections continues to increase and burden daily lives. As scientists have worked to develop effective vaccines, a new vaccine, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, has since been developed and has proven to be 62% effective.

Nutley's annual Spring Break was last week and while many staff and students chose to stay home or travel locally, some did venture back into the travel arena. A popular, domestic destination was Florida. Spring Break travel to Florida was also popular among college students and now, the state, is seeing a rise of Coronavirus cases.

On March 2, 2021, Governor Greg Abbott issued an Executive Order lifting the mask mandate in Texas, meaning all stores and restaurants are full to 100% capacity and schools are back to in-person learning. Everyone is going back to work and living life normal again, or as normal as it gets. 

Over the last four months, Americans have seen a significant rise in the number of mass shootings across the country. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 133 mass shootings in the United States since January, 2021.

On Thursday March 25, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed the "Election Integrity Act of 2021” into effect. The 98-page series of bills will make changes to how elections are run in the state.

Andrew Mark Cuomo is a politician, lawyer, author, and currently the 56th Governor of New York since the year 2011. He’s a member of the Democratic Party and was elected the same position his father, Mario Cuomo upheld for three consecutive terms. Recently, Governor Cuomo is facing backlash and is currently going through one of the most chaotic events of his political career. Many women have come out and have accused Cuomo of sexual assault/harassment.

Cicely Tyson lived a life full of glamour and grace. The pioneering actor paved the way for current female actors through the way she carried herself, while displaying a level of artistry through her performances. The film world was greatly saddened when they heard that Tyson passed away on January 28. She had an everlasting impact and she inspired many, specifically in the black community.

The second impeachment trial of former president Donald J. Trump has already concluded. This makes Trump the only president in American history to be impeached twice. Trump has assembled a team of lawyers in order to defend himself against the impeachers, who are mostly Democrats but also some Republicans have joined the cause as well.

Throughout the last 11 months, Americans have been faced with multiple challenges: unemployment, the spread of COVID-19, and an unforgettable presidential election. Millions of Americans have lost their lives, jobs, and businesses this year. However, due to the significant unemployment rate, the House of Representatives will pass a new Coronavirus relief bill in the coming weeks. The bill will be passed as House Democrats prepare to implement President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief proposal next week, which will increase the minimum wage to $15.

On January 29, 2021, Johnson and Johnson unveiled their new COVID-19 vaccine that has proven to be 66% effective in preventing moderate and severe disease in a global Phase 3 trial. 

China and Japan have been arguing over the seas that border them, claiming certain seas as theirs. However China brought this to a new level with their most recent foreign policy. This new policy allows Chinese Coast Guard vessels to fire upon any foreign vessel in Chinese waters. This means Chinese Coast Guard vessels can destroy objects placed on reefs in their seas by a foreign power, board and search foreign vessels, and fire on foreign vessels.

Through the year 2020- 2021, the country has taken notice of a lot of things; one of them being racial injustice. Nutley Public Schools and the township have taken their own steps with this.  NHS now offers a new scholarship for African American students. This scholarship has many opportunities for these students available for them.