Ripped from the Headlines: April 2024: This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for March 30–April 5, 2024

After 20 years of decline, the U.S. honeybee population is at an all-time high. According to the latest Census of Agriculture, which collects data about farms, there are a million more farmed bee colonies than there were five years ago. This apian boom is contradicted by the annual honey report, which shows a drop in production. The discrepancy is likely due to small scale beekeepers who weren't included in the report. Apian is from the Latin apis, "bee."

A data breach at AT&T leaked the personal information of 73 million customers to the dark web. Confidential data including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and email addresses was released two weeks ago, according to a company spokesperson. A technical error probably caused the breach, rather than a deliberate cyberattack. The root of breach means "to break."

A new study shows that coffee grounds may be useful for cleaning up water contamination caused by agricultural runoff. Researchers found that combining the coffee grounds with zinc chloride activated carbon molecules that successfully removed 70 percent of a common herbicide from contaminated water. Runoff of chemicals used on large farms, which occurs when rain washes them off fields and into surrounding streams, rivers, and ponds, is one of the major causes of polluted water.

On March 31, tens of thousands of Israelis joined demonstrations calling for a cease-fire in Gaza and immediate elections. The protestors demanded a deal to free the hostages still held by Hamas militants and an early vote, with the goal of removing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Without an early election, Netanyahu won't face another vote until 2026.

Two of college basketball's biggest stars, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, met up in the women's NCAA Elite Eight finals on April 1. The University of Iowa, led by Clark, beat Reese's LSU 94-87. It was a highly anticipated face-off that drew more than 12 million viewers, ESPN's largest audience for any college basketball game. Clark and Reese are both extraordinary players; Clark, the all-time high scorer in the NCAA, finished with 41 points, helping to usher her team to the Final Four.

Authorities evacuated about 1,600 people who were stranded when chunks of California's Highway 1 fell down a cliff during a landslide. Tourists and residents were trapped in Big Sur overnight while engineers gauged the safety of the road's remaining lane. On March 31, rescue crews guided the evacuees to safety, clearing people from roads and state parks in the area. The Latin root of evacuate is evacuare, "to empty."

Police raided the home of Peruvian President Dina Boluarte over the weekend, searching for luxury watches. Boluarte has frequently appeared in public wearing expensive Rolex watches and has refused to explain where they came from. Laws in Peru require elected officials to declare all assets worth more than about $2,500 and disclose any extravagant gifts. Luxury has a Latin root, luxus, "excess or extravagance."

Fans of a friendship between a dog named Peggy and a magpie named Molly are urging authorities to reunite the animals. The terrier bonded with the noisy black and white bird, the two becoming inseparable pals until officials found their owners didn't have a permit to keep a wild bird. Originally called pies, magpies got the mag as a nickname for Margaret. Giving a raucous bird a woman's name came from the antiquated idea that women are idle chatterers.

About 500,000 hourly employees in California started receiving a higher minimum wage on April 1. A new law requires employers to pay fast-food workers no less than $20 per hour. For many who work at restaurant chains like McDonald's, KFC, and Starbucks, this means their paychecks will increase as much as 25 percent. While U.S. salaries have grown in recent years, fast-food pay has not kept pace, and the new state minimum wage is a step toward equity.

The Tropicana, one of the oldest Las Vegas resorts, closed permanently on April 2. The building will be demolished to make room for a new ballpark to house the relocated Oakland Athletics. The Tropicana, built in 1957, was one of the city's most lavish and luxurious resorts, with a hotel, casino, and venues that hosted famous jazz musicians and cabaret performances. It was the setting for a James Bond film and a hangout for Frank Sinatra and other members of the Rat Pack.

Recent African immigrants have helped to revitalize a small, remote mining town in Quebec, Canada. Before new laws loosened restrictions on foreign workers, the community of Rouyn-Noranda faced a severe worker shortage. Grocery stores, once forced to close on weekends, are now open and fully staffed. A beloved poutine restaurant threatened with closure is now owned and managed by a couple from Benin. There is also a vibrant African community that many credit with reinvigorating the town.

For the 13th year in a row, a migrating stork stopped to visit a Turkish fisherman — it's an ongoing friendship that's been captured by a local nature photographer and has captivated an online audience. Since the majestic, long-legged water bird first landed on Adem Yilmaz's small boat in 2012, it comes every spring to eat fish and sit beside him. Stork is derived from a root meaning "stiff," a reference to the bird's rigid stance.