The Summer Scoop

LADUEPUBLICATIONS.COM | 08.23.21

NEWS | 05 THE SUMMER SCOOP

Panorama recounts the biggest stories of summer 2021

RHEA PATNEY

editor-in-chief

2021

LIVE BREAKING NEWS Stories as of Aug. 10

CONDO COLLAPSE

Champlain Towers South, a 12-story condominium in the Miami suburb of Surfside, Florida, partially collapsed June 24, killing 98 people. Authorities discovered the building’s concrete and steel supports had been corroded, likely caused by saltwater ooding. A former employee claimed that the building ooded with up to two feet of seawater every month. The issue was rst reported in 2018.

Originally surfacing in India, the delta variant of COVID-19 quickly spread across the U.S. and is now the dominant variant in the country. The CDC has deemed the variant up to 60% more contagious than the original COVID-19 strain. In response, St. Louis County reinstated an indoor mask mandate for all individuals at the end of July. However, the controversial mandate is now on hold a er legal challenges. DELTA VARIANT illustration by | RYAN TUNG The 2020 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team Trials were held June 24-27 at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis. A er four days of competition, the Tokyo 2020 U.S. Gymnastics Teams were selected, including six women and ve men for the artistic team. The nal day of competition had an average of 5.287 million television viewers, topping the average viewership of every other Olympic Trials competition. Over 20,000 people attended the event in person. OLYMPIC TRIALS

TOKYO OLYMPICS

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics nally materialized after a year-long delay. Although no spectators were allowed at any competitions, the U.S. brought home 113 medals, including Caeleb Dressel’s ve gold medals in swimming. Additionally, gymnast Simone Biles sparked heavy controversy when she withdrew from ve nal competitions due to mental health concerns. However, many praise her for shining a light on prioritizing well-being, especially amongst the top athletes in the world.

GULF FIRES

Flames appeared on the waters of the Gulf of Mexico July 2. The so-called “eye of re,” fueled by a leaking underwater pipeline owned by Mexico’s Pemex petroleum company, began at 5:15 a.m. and raged for ve hours. Pemex claimed that a lightning storm ignited the gas leak and that they took immediate action to contain the disaster. Environmental damage claims are now being investigated.