By Jenna Guzman & Kurt Zottl
In local news, Boone will be celebrating ‘Earth Weekend’ this weekend in honor of Earth Day, which is Saturday, April 22nd. According to The Watauga Democrat, Boone will be having different events, such as live music, free giveaways, food samples, and more, in addition to the Boone Clean Up Day. Now called “Earth Third Friday” which is held in Downtown Boone every April, the Earth Day events will kick off at 5pm on Friday, April 21st. People can also visit the Jones House lawn to learn more about programs in Boone that promote sustainability and more.
In state news, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools now require schools to profit on student pictures. The CMS’s new mandate on profiting on student picture packages is a way of fundraising, according to the Charlotte Observer. There have been concerns from families about this policy saying things such as, “How is this equitable for all families?” However, according to the Charlotte Observer, there are regulations being set to protect families from being overcharged.
In national news, South Florida residents are dealing with widespread flooding and damage after a historic rainfall hit. According to Claire Hardwick from the Associated Press, people in Fort Lauderdale lost their cars, furniture, and houses due to the flood. The water in Florida accumulated up to 4 feet over this past week. Cars are still stuck or are being towed through the water, and residents and their families do what they can to recover from all of this damage.
Now onto sports.
The NBA playoffs kicked off this weekend, with lots of surprises already coming early in the first games of the first round. The one seeded Bucks took a loss to the 8 seeded Heat 130-117, even with Miami’s Tyler Herro suffering an injury. But, the Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a back injury as well, the Bucks best player and MVP candidate. The Lakers also defeated the 2 seeded Grizzlies out in the West, with Rui Hachimura and Austin Reeves leading the way for LA. And lastly, the Kings get their first playoff win since 2006, defeating the Golden State Warriors, the reigning champs, 126-123.
In App State news, the Sun Belt Championship has kicked off for the Women’s Golf team. The Mountaineers traveled down to Dayton Beach and are playing at the LPGA International Course. Best of luck ladies!
And the App State tennis team just keeps on cruising, with the Mountaineers defeating the Marshall Thundering Herd in a top four Sun Belt showdown on Saturday, before defeating Radford on Sunday in a shutout, 5-0. That is 5 straight wins for the Lady Mountaineer tennis team.
Today's weather is brought to you by Booneweather.com. Today is a windy day with a high of 55 degrees and a low of 38.