1. Seventeen students and adults were gunned down at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The carnage began after a fire alarm was pulled and students started leaving classrooms. That’s when police say 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, a former student armed with an AR-15-style firearm, began shooting. He was arrested after reportedly trying to hide among fleeing students. It’s at least the fourth school shooting this year and is among the top 10 deadliest shootings in modern US history. It happened in a place voted the safest city in Florida. (CNN)
2. Two prominent members of the committee charged with studying Wells High School’s Native American-themed Warriors mascot called for the imagery to be retired. “My recommendation, at 5 o’clock on the 14th of February, is to keep the name and retire the Indian imagery. We don’t even need a mascot. We’re the Warriors,” said Jim Daly, superintendent of the Wells-Ogunquit school district. The next meeting of the advisory committee is scheduled for March 7 at 4:30 p.m., with the purpose of making plans for a public forum and deciding when to survey the high school students. (Press Herald)
3. Bangor police on Wednesday seized several batches of homemade cookies after employees of a local daycare center said they suspected the baked goods were laced with marijuana. Police were called to Watch Me Shine on Gilman Avenue around 10 a.m. when daycare staff reported a parent provided the baked goods. Several staff members reported “a feeling of marijuana intoxication,” police told NewsCenter Maine. No children ate the cookies. Police and management from Watch Me Shine contacted all parents to notify them of the situation, according to NewsCenter. The daycare was closed for the remainder of the day. (Press Herald)
4. The Asian American Journalists Association’s MediaWatch group has shared the correct way to say Pyeongchang, the name of the South Korean city hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics. Their video explains that it should be pronounced “Pyeong-ch-ah-ng,” like when a doctor tells you to open your mouth and say “ah.” As AAJA MediaWatch co-chair CeFaan Kim further explains, it is not pronounced “Pyeong-ch-ay-ng” like fang. (Life Hacker)
5. A couple that met at the Atlanta Hawks’ promotional Tinder “Swipe Right Night” three years ago is now having their wedding hosted and paid for by the team. The Hawks announced on Valentine’s Day that Ben McCleskey and Avery Armstrong will get married at center court of Philips Arena on Saturday, March 3. Armstrong said in a statement. “Philips Arena is where it all began and it just seems fitting that the next big milestone in our lives together happens there.” In addition to announcing their wedding plans, McCleskey and Armstrong also welcomed a baby girl last year. (ESPN)
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