Chicago Closing 54 Schools

On Thursday, Chicago Public Schools announced that they will be making closures to decrease their budget deficit.

Fifty-four programs and sixty-one school buildings will be shut down, after this school year.

The move will affect thirty thousand children, and result in over a thousand teachers and staff being fired.

CPS faces a deficit of more than one billion dollars, this summer, while their planned closures will save them one hundred and thirty-seven million, over the next ten years.

This is the same district that agreed to increase teacher's raises, in September, in order to end a strike.

House Passes Ryan's Balanced Budget Proposal

With a vote of 227-201, the House of Representatives passed Paul Ryan's budget proposal.

It marks the third year in a row that the Republican controlled House has passed a budget that would guide the government to a balanced path.

While balancing the federal budget, over the next decade, Ryan's plan relies mostly on cuts, specifically in the form of repealing Obamacare.

Now it will head to the Democrat controlled Senate, where it is expected to be ripped apart and blocked from passing.

The Senate's Democrats are working on their own budget proposal, the first one they will make since President Obama took office.

Their proposal works almost completely on raising taxes.

Snows Cause 200 Vehicle Pileup and Other Accidents in Alberta

Over one hundred people were injured in a massive pileup near Leduc, Alberta, on Thursday.

Nearly two hundred vehicles ended up involved in the incident, which shutdown Highway 2, near Highway 13.

Three people were killed and two injured, near Flatbush, on Highway 44.

Sections of Highway 16 were closed due to various accidents, throughout the day.

In Edmonton, one hundred and thirty-three collisions were reported, nine of which involved injuries.

The snow, which is being blamed for most of the accidents, dropped between four and ten inches in the province, on Thursday alone.

Expectations are for the snow to cease by dawn on Friday.

Italy Still Without a Fully Formed Government

Three and a half weeks after the elections and Italy still does not have a government.

The vote was so split that no coalition was able to gain a controllable majority in either the house or senate.

Slowly they have been managing to agree upon minister, but they still have not been able to elect a new prime minister.

However, the deadlock hasn't kept legislation from beginning to be debated.

Adding to their troubles, the President's term is up on May 15, and Parliament has only til April 15 to begin the electoral process to fill that position.

It is doubtful if this Parliament will be able to agree on a President, since they can't agree on a Prime Minister.

EU Threatens to Cut Cyprus Off

On Thursday, the EU gave Cyprus until Monday to agree to their terms or see the EU pull it's money out of the country.

If that does happen, the Cypriot economy will collapse.

The EU went one more step when they also threatened to expel Cyprus from the community, if the deal isn't reached, so as to limit the impacts on the rest of their economies.

Cyprus previously rejected the terms, on Tuesday, in hopes of getting more favorable ones from Russia.

However, Russia will not likely agree to any deal for at least another week or so.

Suspect In Tom Clements Murder On Life Support

In Decatur, Texas, a high speed chase ended in a crash into a semi truck, and a shootout.

Initially, the suspect was pulled over by a Texas deputy, who he then shot several times. The chase and crash followed, with the suspect firing at police during the chase.

Deputy James Boyd's wounds are said not to be life threatening. The suspect, identified as twenty-eight year old Evan Spencer Ebel, is on life support for "organ harvesting", brain dead, and not expected to live. Ebel, a parolee, allegedly has ties to a prison white supremacist group, 211.

He is considered a suspect in the murder of Colorado DOC director Tom Clements, who was murdered on Tuesday.

A possible connection to the shooting of a pizza delivery driver, Nathan Leon, who was shot sometime on Sunday, possibly at a delivery in a commercial area of Denver, is also suspected.

Key Syrian Cleric Among 42 Killed in Suicide Bombing

A suicide bomber struck the Iman Mosque, in Damascus, on Thursday.

Sheikh Mohammed al-Buti was one of the forty-two victims of the attack.

Another eighty-four were reportedly injured.

Al-Buti, eighty-four, was one of the remaining major supporters for the Assad regime.

Most notably, he was also a Sunni cleric, and Sunnis have been almost completely involved in fighting against the Shiite regime.

Both rebel and opposition forces denied any part in the attack.

It is unclear if Al-Buti's death will cause a loss of support for the regime, or if they can portray him as a martyr and use his death to gain support.

Tornado Kills 24 in China

A very rare tornado struck Guandong province, China, on Thursday.

At least twenty-four people were killed and over two hundred and seventy-two were injured by the storm.

High winds, heavy rains, and egg sized hail accompanied the twister, in at part of the world that practically never sees them.

Over the last week southwest China has been dealing with winds and severe weather.

More than two hundred thousand people have been forced to evacuate, because of the storms, which have destroyed nearly ten thousand hectares of crops.

UN to Investigate Claims of Chemical Weapons Being Used in Syria

Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the UN, announced that the body will investigate claims of a chemical weapon being used in the Syrian Civil War.

Twenty-six people were killed in a rocket attack, on Tuesday, that Syria's government says used a chemical weapon.

The government and the opposition blamed the attack on each other.

No confirmation has been made by the US or Europe, however Russia did initially back Syria's claims that rebel forces made the attack.

Seventy-five thousand people have been killed in the two year long civil war.

The use of chemical weapons would mark an extremely dark turn in it.

USMC: Lance Corporal David P. Fenn II

USMC Lance Corporal David P. Fenn II, twenty of Polk City, Florida, died on March 19.

He and six other Marines were killed during a training accident at Hawthorne Army Depot, in Nevada.

David joined the Marines in June of 2010.

Fenn was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

His awards include the Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and NATO Medal-ISAF Afghanistan.

USMC: Lance Corporal Mason J. Vanderwork

USMC Lance Corporal Mason J. Vanderwork, twenty-one of Hickory, North Carolina, died on March 19.

He and six other Marines were killed during a training accident at Hawthorne Army Depot, in Nevada.

Mason joined the Marines in June of 2010 and served overseas twice.

Vanderwork was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

His awards include the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and NATO Medal-ISAF Afghanistan.

USMC: Private First Class Joshua M. Martino

USMC Private First Class Joshua M. Martino, nineteen of Clearfield, Pennsylvana, died on March 19.

He and six other Marines were killed during a training accident at Hawthorne Army Depot, in Nevada.


Joshua had joined the Marines in July of 2012 and was set to marry his fiancee.


Martino was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

His awards include the National Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

USMC: Lance Corporal Joshua C. Taylor

USMC Lance Corporal Joshua C. Taylor, twenty-one of Marietta, Ohio, died on March 19.

He and six other Marines were killed during a training accident at Hawthorne Army Depot, in Nevada.

Joshua joined the Marines in June of 2010.

Taylor was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

His awards include the Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and NATO Medal-ISAF Afghanistan.

USMC: Lance Corporal William T. Wild IV

USMC Lance Corporal William T. Wild IV, twenty-one of Anne Arundel, Maryland, died on March 19.

He and six other Marines were killed during a training accident at Hawthorne Army Depot, in Nevada.

William had joined the Marines in October of 2010 and had been deployed once to Kuwait and twice to Afghanistan.

Wild was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

His awards include the Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and NATO Medal-ISAF Afghanistan.

USMC: Lance Corporal Roger W. Muchnick Jr.

USMC Lance Corporal Roger W. Muchnick Jr., twenty-three of Fairfield, Connecticut, died on March 19.

He and six other Marines were killed during a training accident at Hawthorne Army Depot, in Nevada.

Roger joined the Marines in June of 2010, he had served two tours in Afghanistan, and was considering going to college.

Muchnick was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

His awards include the Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and NATO Medal-ISAF Afghanistan.

USMC: Corporal Aaron J. Ripperda

USMC Corporal Aaron J. Ripperda, twenty-six of Madison, Illinois died on March 19.

He and six other Marines were killed during a training accident at Hawthorne Army Depot, in Nevada.

Aaron had joined the Marines in September of 2008, and had been scheduled to leave the service in May, so that he could become a chef.

Ripperda was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

His awards include the Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Unit Commendation, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expedition Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, NATO Medal-ISAF Afghanistan.