Week in Review: Justice, Physics, and Politics

Photo from Chicago Tribune

This Week in Review was written by Senior Editor Jake Whitfield

1. Four years ago, 17-year-old Laquan McDonald was shot in the back 16 times by Chicago Police Department Officer Jason Van Dyke. Today, the trial for Van Dyke ended as the Jury convicted the former CPD Officer of 2nd degree murder. After the cover up following the shooting, which cost former CPD Superintendent Gerry McCarthy his job and likely prevented Rahm Emmanuel from running for reelection, many were afraid that Laquan McDonald’s murder would go forgotten and justice would not be served. The city was bracing for riots had the outcome turned out that way. Many Chicago residents believe that justice was served today, and that it was a long time coming. You can read more here.

2. For the third time in the history of the Nobel Prize, a woman won the Nobel Prize for Physics. Donna Strickland and Gerald Mourou shared the prize with Arthur Ashkin. Marie Curie was the first women to win the prize, in 1903. It has been 55 years since the last women, Maria Goeppert-Mayer, won. Strickland and Mourou developed pulsed lasers that are able to cut materials extremely precisely. You can read more here.

3. Perhaps the most dramatic day in the confirmation process of Brett Kavanaugh (and that’s saying something), the Senate voted for cloture in the debate and moved forward to the final confirmation vote. Highlighting the day was Republican Senator Susan Collins’ speech announcing her support of Judge Kavanaugh. Her announcement has garnered praise from fellow Republicans and disgust from Democrats. One of the four most crucial swing votes, she joins Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia in support while Republican Lisa Murkowski of Arizona announced that she will not vote in favor. To add to the drama, Republican Senator Steve Daines’ daughter is getting married tomorrow and he risks missing the vote. Not to worry though, Montana’s at-large Representative Greg Gianforte has offered Daines his private jet in order to make in back to Washington on time. I’m sure this was exactly the type of situation our Founding Fathers imagined when they were forming our Constitution. You can read more here.

4. Finally, North Park’s Vice President for Student Engagement, Jodi Koslow Martin, is set to begin a new chapter of her career at Triton College. We at Vista are thankful for Jodi and for all her work done for students at North Park and wish her well.