Potential NHL Team in Seattle
Back in February, a private group formally filed an application with the NHL for an expansion team in Seattle. If approved, Seattle could see its first professional ice hockey team in nearly a century. The application reportedly had a $10 million application fee. Seattle sports fans are ecstatic for the potential of having a professional ice hockey team, as seen in the season-ticket deposit drive. 10,000 season tickets were sold within 12 minutes. Due to the high demand, the deposit drive had to be shut down just a mere day after it opened to the public. Selling more season tickets is a major step forward for the future of Seattle ice hockey.

West Virginian Teachers Go on Strike- And Win
Recently, teachers and educators from West Virginia recently went on strike for nine consecutive days to bring attention to the issue of teacher wages. According to the National Education Association, the average teacher in West Virginia makes $45,622, which puts the state in 48th in the nation for teacher pay. The strike ended on March 6, when governor Jim Justice signed a bill that gave a 5% pay raise to teachers and other school staff. This issue regarding teachers wages is not over yet. Similar movements inspired by the one seen in West Virginia have recently stirred in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kentucky.

Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un to Meet Face to Face
President Donald Trump has agreed to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in person, after months of heightened nuclear tensions between the U.S. and North Korea. This is a significant development for relations between the two nations, whose hostile relationship has been largely defined by North Korea’s nuclear weapon testing. No sitting U.S. president has ever met with a North Korean leader. This encounter will involve talks of North Korea denuclearization, a heavily disputed topic in the international realm. Nonetheless, these potential discussions between the two nations could be the beginning of a long diplomatic, and peaceful, process.

Stephen Hawking: Scientific Icon Dies at 76
Last Wednesday, British physicist Stephen Hawking died at the age of 76. He passed away peacefully in his home in Cambridge. Hawking was one of the most influential physicists of the 20th century, with much insight on modern cosmology. He shocked the physics world with his discovery of Hawking radiation, which was the energy that black holes emitted. The release of his 1988 book A Brief History of Time was a bestseller, and catapulted Hawking into the international spotlight. Outside the academia, Hawking was a very popular figure, having numerous television appearances. This brilliant physicist captivated the minds of millions through his (mad?) passion for the universe, and his contributions to the scientific world were truly astounding.