1. Oscars honor Ukraine
On March 27, the Oscars committee honored the Ukrainian community with a moment of silence and a plea for peace.
According to AP News, the tribute started with a speech from actress Mila Kunis followed by Reba McIntyre’s performance of the Oscar-nominated song “Somehow You Do” from the drama “Four Good Days.”
“Recent global events have left many of us feeling gutted,” Kunis said. “Yet when you witness the strength and dignity of those facing such devastation, it’s impossible to not be moved by their resilience. One cannot help but be in awe of those who find strength to keep fighting through unimaginable darkness.”
After McIntyre’s song, “a large video screen hovering over the stage displayed a tribute and a plea as the 30-second moment of silence began,” reports AP News.
Other attendees chose to honor Ukraine by wearing yellow and gold ribbons.
2. Firefighters work to contain Colorado fires
A Colorado wildfire which forced approximately 20,000 residents to flee is approximately 35% contained as of Sunday, March 27, according to Boulder Fire Rescue officials.
The fire, which began on Saturday March 26, spread to within 1,000 yards of homes in west Boulder.
A quick attack “combined with all of the fuels mitigation treatments that we’ve done in this area is one of the reasons that we’ve had such great success,” Incident Commander Mike Smith said Sunday.
According to AP News, “The evacuation area was reduced late Saturday to cover about 1,700 people and 700 residences, down from about 8,000 homes earlier in the day.”
According to Smith, no homes were lost and no injuries were reported.
3. Saint Peter’s ends their Cinderella run in the NCAA Final Four
On Sunday, March 27, the Saint Peter’s men’s basketball team ended their NCAA tournament run after their 69-49 loss against the North Carolina Tar Heels.
The New Jersey team was “only the third 15 seed in the men's tournament history to advance to the Sweet Sixteen and the first to advance to the Elite Eight,” reports NPR.
According to NPR, “they gained national attention after knocking out the second-seeded Kentucky in their first game before moving on to defeat seventh-seeded Murray State, advancing to the third round of the tournament, which is known as the Sweet 16.”
Next Saturday, April 2, the winning North Carolina Tar Heels will meet their rivals, the Duke University Blue Devils, in the NCAA Tournament National Championship.
