Welcome to the Terrier News Update. We look at all the top headlines and form a coherent briefing on all of the news spreading across the nation, giving you updates every two weeks. Feel free to contact our editors if you have any suggestions.

Coronavirus strikes back as schools reopen

For many across the United states, the return to school has been anything but ordinary. There are currently over 6 million cases in the U.S, and over 190,000 people have died from the coronavirus pandemic, according to CNN and the John Hopkins University tracker. Several universities, including UNC, have already shut down because of virus related concerns. 

USA today reported that college campuses are a center for new outbreaks in areas that otherwise might have started to control the virus. More schools are taking proactive steps and remaining online and fully remote for the fall semester. 

A recent news spotlight focused on Trump’s knowledge of the coronavirus as a “deadly” pandemic as early as February, according to Associated Press. With the election on it’s way, fears of the virus have also sparked a surge of mail in ballot requests, leading many to debate the effectiveness of mail in voting.

The presidential election heats up with economy set to be deciding issue

For everything that has happened in 2020 so far, it’s no surprise that this year is also an election cycle. Democratic nominee Joe Biden and President Donald Trump both continue to push for votes in online ads, rallies, and visits to memorials and cities in key states. CNN and FOX News Polls both show Biden leading Trump in major swing states by several points. 

Independent studies have found that the economy ranks as the number one issue on voter’s minds, with the coronavirus pandemic coming in as low as third or fourth in some surveys. President Trump has typically had a lead on this issue, according to the Washington Post.

With the election less than two months away, voter concerns on unemployment, health care, the pandemic, and other key issues are likely to intensify, leading to what could be a very close race, says a political journalist from CNN.

Protests continue in several cities

Protests have been another common event in 2020, sparked after the murder of George Floyd by law enforcement officers on May 25, 2020. Protests have carried on with the more recent shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Protests over Floyd, Blake, and other police related violence and brutality have carried on across the U.S, with protests in Portland lasting as long as five months. 

While some politicians have claimed the protestors are “rioters” or “anarchists,” a recent study was done by The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) which analyzed the data, finding that “In more than 93% of all demonstrations connected to the movement, demonstrators have not engaged in violence or destructive activity.”

On Wofford’s own campus, chalk drawings saying “we will not be silenced” and posters  can be found, drawing attention to racial injustice on the local level. 

California, western states struggle to control wildfires

“Climate change is smacking California in the face” says a top scientist According to the New York Times. 

Ever since a series of intense lighting strikes in early August, fires have raged all over the west coast, setting fire to millions of acres of land in California and Oregon, reports CNN. Some living in San Francisco and other cities witnessed an orange sky overhead, with smoke filling the air. Firefighters from all over the country have been dispatched to assist in attempts to decrease the overall damage. 

Check in next time for more updates and current events.