Not every state observes Columbus Day, but today is a nationally-recognized federal holiday. Read on for more on what’s open and what’s closed today.
Good news for night owls. California has become the first state in the nation to mandate later start times for public school districts.
And Pope Francis… is a Saints fan? The pontiff had sports fans buzzing when he posted a message on Twitter that appeared to support the New Orleans team.
Here’s what you need to know in the daily roundup.
TOP STORY: What Is Closed On Columbus Day?
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Today marks Columbus Day, a federally-recognized national holiday that always takes place on the second Monday of October. Though not every state observes the holiday, most federal institutions are closed. For example, there is no postal service (though FedEx, UPS and Amazon will still deliver). Most banks are closed today, such as Chase, Fifth Third, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and PNC Bank. TD Bank is staying open.
Most public libraries observed the holiday, as well as federal courts and offices. However, national parks remain open as well as the stock exchange. Grocery stores and other retail chains, such as Starbucks, typically remain open. CVS and Walgreens locations are also open.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt first made Columbus Day a national holiday in 1937, to commemorate Christopher Columbus’ arrival in North America in 1492. It’s also been viewed as a day to celebrate Italian-American heritage. But the holiday has also tended to be controversial due to Columbus’ mistreatment of Native American peoples, and dozens of cities instead celebrate the holiday as Indigenous Peoples Day. Here’s a list of states that have made the switch.
WHAT’S BUZZING THAT HAS EVERYONE TALKING: Pope Francis Is a Saints Fan… Sort Of
Sports fans were buzzing on Sunday over a funny tweet sent out by Pope Francis, in which he appeared to reveal his preferred football team. The leader of the Catholic Church was not actually trying to pick sides.
Over the weekend, Pope Francis celebrated a special mass in which he designated five people as saints. (The proper name for it is canonization). The new saints are Cardinal John Henry Newman, Sister Marian Thresia, Sister Giuseppina Vannini, Sister Dulce Lopes Pontes, and Marguerite Bays.
Pope Francis addressed the canonization mass on Twitter. He wrote, “Today we give thanks to the Lord for our new #Saints ⚜️. They walked by faith and now we invoke their intercession.”
The pope likely did not realize that by using the hashtag #Saints, he would make the logo for the New Orleans team appear. The fact that this was a mistake was fairly obvious. Pope Francis is originally from Argentina, where soccer is the most popular sport, and hasn’t watched television since at least 1990.
But the tweet inspired many hilarious reactions. Matt Miller from Bleacher Report wrote back, “Putting all my money on the Saints today.” Another commenter joked that the pope had misspelled “interception.” The official account for the New Orleans Saints responded as well, to thank the pope for the unintentional blessing following their 13-6 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. “Couldn’t lose after this. #Blessed and highly favored ?⚜️”
OFF-BEAT: California Becomes the First State to Mandate Later Start Times For Public Schools
Newsom signs #SB328, which prohibits California high schools and middle schools from starting school day before 8:30 a.m. and 8 a.m., respectively.
Public school students in California will be heading to class a little later in the future. Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new law on Sunday that mandates that middle schools can’t begin the school day until 8 a.m. High schools need to wait until 8:30 to begin class. Districts have until the 2022-2023 school year to implement the change. According to the California Department of Education, the state has more than 6 million students attending public schools from kindergarten through high school.
State Senator Anthony Portantino, who authored the new law, has argued that later start times will help students perform better in the classroom because they’ll have an opportunity to get more sleep. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that teens get between 8 and 10 hours of sleep per night.
Critics of the law have argued that later start times could negatively impact lower-income parents who have less-flexible work schedules. Others have stated that local school districts should have the ability to set their own start times without having to comply with a statewide mandate. The Sacramento Bee reports that the state will spend “tens of millions of one-time general fund dollars” to make bussing changes and hire new drivers.
DAILY NEWS ROUNDUP
Getty The Hard Rock Hotel partially collapsed onto Canal Street downtown New Orleans, Louisiana on October 12, 2019
- Crews worry about the possibility of a second collapse at the site of the Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans.
- A fake video of President Trump “shooting” members of the media, political opponents and critics was shown at a conference for supporters at his Miami resort over the weekend. A Trump campaign spokesperson said the video was not associated with the campaign and they didn’t know about it.
- Fort Worth Police have released the audio of the non-emergency call that was made before an officer shot and killed Atatiana Jefferson through her bedroom window.
- Queen Latifah has been selected to receive the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal from Harvard, which is given to honorees for their contributions to black history and culture.
- Joker had a huge second weekend at the box office and has made $543 million globally so far.
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
GettyHouses stand partially submerged in floodwater after the passage of Typhoon Hagibis on October 14, 2019 in Marumori, Miyagi, Japan.
Japan is reeling from the aftermath of a devastating typhoon that made landfall over the weekend. Officials say that at least 49 people were killed in the storm and more than 200 others were injured. More than a dozen people were still missing as of Monday morning.
Typhoon Hagibis was the strongest storm to hit Japan in more than 6 decades. The storm caused destructive flooding and landslides, and damaged buildings. A massive search and rescue effort is underway to look for any survivors.
Millions of people had been advised to evacuate before the storm hit. The Guardian reported that as of Monday, tens of thousands of homes remain without running water or electricity.
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