On April 24, a protest titled “Unite For Freedom” was organized in London, England to show objection towards the current public health precautions such as lockdowns. They were also protesting against COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine passports. Thousands of people attended this protest and some attendees were seen wearing the yellow Star of David symbol in the form of pins or printed designs on clothing with the phrase, “No COVID Certificates” written in the star.

In order to be more inclusive, the television network American Broadcasting Company, better known as ABC, is choosing to decline scripts for new programs because they are not diverse enough. This past week Dana Walden, the chairman of entertainment for Walt Disney Television, the parent company of ABC, stated, "For the first time we received some incredibly well-written scripts that did not satisfy our standards in terms of inclusion.” These scripts were rejected because they either did not include a diverse cast or it was not written by people from underrepresented groups.

On Tuesday, the Japanese government made the decision to release 1.3 million tons of water that has been contaminated with radiation into the Pacific Ocean. The radioactive water has been accumulating since 2011 due to the massive earthquake and tsunami that occurred in March of that year. It is currently being stored at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and its storage is expected to reach capacity in the next year.

James Charles, one of the top YouTube content creators popular for makeup and beauty-related videos with 25.5 million subscribers. On April 1, Charles uploaded a video to his channel titled “holding myself accountable”. In the video, Charles admits he is responsible for engaging in sexual activity with underage boys over the internet. The video currently has over 7 million views and has been receiving a lot of attention considering this is the second time Charles has been involved in a scandal of sending explicit pictures and messages to minors.

After an entire year into the COVID-19 pandemic, factors of pre-pandemic life are coming back. A popular northern California convention has made its comeback this past weekend. SacAnime is typically a semi-annual convention for anime fans and vendors that takes place over a span of three days. It is usually held at Cal Expo in Sacramento, but this year they have decided to switch venues to Roebbelen Event Center in Placer County to accommodate new safety guidelines considering the pandemic. However, the Roebbelen Event Center is currently being used as a COVID-19 vaccination site. For the three days of the event, the vaccination site was shut down to host the 2021 SacAnime Swap Meet.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals are receiving stimulus checks as a way to continue providing necessities, such as groceries and bill payments for their households as they did before the pandemic. This has been extremely helpful for those who have lost their jobs or for those who are facing financial difficulties because of the pandemic. However, there are companies that are utilizing these stimulus checks and COVID-19 related bonuses as advertising strategies to entice people to spend their newly received money on items that are not necessities.

Living in this ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused many individuals to crave the idea of normalcy. Traveling is an aspect of the pre-pandemic lifestyle that after a year, people are wanting to go back to. However, traveling during this time has been the cause of controversial conversations as to whether it’s safe or not. So, with the development of a vaccine passport, there may be a safe way to pave travel even during the pandemic.

As the COVID-19 vaccine continues to be distributed worldwide, Sonoma County is coming across some setbacks with their rollout because they are running out of dosages. Vaccine appointments are getting canceled because of the shortage in supply. This mainly includes appointments for school employees, as they are the group next in line.

In addition to the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, a third single-dose vaccine has now been approved by the FDA. Johnson & Johnson, the corporation that is best known for creating Tylenol, has produced a vaccine with new advantages.

Breaking a bone or needing an x-ray is stressful for most people, therefore, having someone that is compassionate as well as detail-oriented is extremely important. Radiology Technicians specialize in making the x-ray process go as smoothly as possible. At the Sonoma State University Student Health Center, the Radiologic Technologist is Ms. Noelle McGowan.

When thinking about health care positions, nurses and physicians tend to come to mind first. However, there are so many other roles that are more behind the scenes, but are equally as important to helping a healthcare facility succeed. One of these lesser known roles is the Clinical Laboratory Scientist, and the CLS at the Sonoma State University Student Health Center is Ms. Paula Coffaney.

Becoming a nurse takes a lot of hard work and dedication, and the nurses at the Sonoma State University Student Health Center work extremely hard to make sure that all students are assessed correctly. Among these nurses is Ms. Jessicca Lee.