March 2022

NEW YORK – Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars provoked intense opinions online, especially from comedians who felt it was an assault on their art. “Let me tell you something, it’s a very bad practice to walk up on stage and physically assault a comedian,” Kathy Griffin wrote on Twitter.

LVIV, Ukraine – Ukrainian forces claimed to have retaken a Kyiv suburb and an eastern town from the Russians in what is becoming a back-and-forth stalemate on the ground, while negotiators began assembling for another round of talks Tuesday aimed at stopping the fighting.

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – In late spring, beach vitex plants bloom gorgeous purple flowers that add a bright flash of color to beaches in the Carolinas.

MONTEZUMA, N.M. – At a boarding school in the Rocky Mountains, a group of Eastern European teenagers made crepes to raise money for the millions of people whose lives have been uprooted by Russia’s war on Ukraine.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Monday that forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, a policy that has drawn intense national scrutiny from critics who argue it marginalizes LGBTQ people.

Last month, Olga Kovalenko moved into her first apartment in Kyiv, Ukraine, and got engaged to her longtime boyfriend. Now, she spends mornings cleaning her rifles and pulling people out of bomb-stricken homes.

SANTA FE, N.M. – Two tribal communities have been reassured they’ll be able to take part in New Mexico’s marijuana market opening in April without the threat of federal law enforcement interference, according to agreements with state cannabis regulators signed on Friday.