By Jacob Solis
Local
GLIDER PILOT FORCED TO BAIL OUT OVER DOWNTOWN RENO
A glider pilot who took off from Minden, Nevada experienced a malfunction and was forced to parachute into downtown Reno on Sunday, April 5. The pilot, who was not identified, was taken from the parking structure he landed on to Renown Hospital, though he seemed to be in good health according to the Reno Fire Department.
The glider’s fuselage landed in a parking lot west of Circus Circus Reno Hotel and Casino, while sections of the wing were found in a park further north.
Reno authorities have contacted the Federal Aviation Administration, who will further investigate the matter.
National
UVA FRATERNITY TO PURSUE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE
On Monday, April 6, the University of Virginia chapter of Phi Kappa Psi announced plans to move forward with a lawsuit against Rolling Stone magazine following the organization’s retraction of its story “A Rape On Campus.” The fraternity has yet to make formal plans for when the suit will be filed.
Rolling Stone’s managing editor Will Dana issued a formal retraction of the story late Sunday night following the release of a report commissioned by the magazine and conducted by Columbia School of Journalism Dean Steve Coll. In the 12,000- word report, Coll details multiple failures at all levels of Rolling Stone’s staff to follow standard journalistic practices, noting specifically problems with the editorial staff’s methodology.
The story itself, published on Nov. 19, 2014, alleges the gang rape of a student, identified only as “Jackie,” by members of Phi Kappa Psi. However, soon after the story had been published, questions began to emerge regarding the veracity of Jackie’s story and criticisms began to be leveled at the author for failing to thoroughly investigate her allegations.
Two weeks later, the magazine issued a de-facto retraction via an editor’s letter as The Washington Post began publishing articles contradictory to Jackie’s narrative. Additionally, Rolling Stone stressed that it was to blame for the situation, not their source, Jackie. Once embroiled in the controversy, the magazine commissioned Coll’s investigation into the matter.
Rolling Stone has published the full report on its website and will print an excerpt in its next issue.
International
KENYA LAUNCHES AIRSTRIKES AGAINST ISLAMIC MILITANTS
Following a terrorist attack on a Kenyan college that killed 148, Kenyan warplanes attacked militant camps in western Somalia throughout Sunday, April 5. The camps belonged to the extremist group al-Shabab, who took credit for the April 2 attack.
According to Kenyan officials, the strikes are not solely a response to the attack, but are instead a part of a long-term offensive against the Somalia-based al-Shabab.
Even so, Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta vowed in a televised address last weekend that “[his] administration shall respond in the fiercest way possible” to the massacre. The attack by al-Shabab was not their first to be conducted in Kenya, but it was the deadliest so far. The extremist group drew the ire of the international community in 2013 when it killed 67 in an assault on the upscale Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi.
Jacob Solis can be reached at jsolis@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @TheSagebrush.
