As we get ready to head into spring break, here are some news stories highlights from the month of March:

Ammonia Gas Leak in Ukraine Following an Attack by Russia

A Russian airstrike on Mar. 21 caused one of the ammonia tanks to be damaged at a Sumykhimprom fertilizer factory, which is in Ukraine. The effect of the leak was prominent in a 2.5-kilometer radius.

The leak caused by shelling injured one rescue employee who was fixing a damaged pipeline. People who were within a 2.5-kilometer radius were asked to seek refuge in shelters and basements.

Dmytro Zhyvytskyiy, the Sumy regional governor, said in his telegram that “As a result of Russian enemy shelling, a tank with ammonia with a capacity of 50 tonnes was damaged.” He also added that “Ammonia is lighter than air; therefore, shelters, basements, and lower floors should be used for protection.”

Ukraine’s State Emergency Services also posted a message on their telegram, alerting citizens about the same. 

The culprit of “Hoax Kidnapping” Sentenced to 31 Years in Prison

Matthew Muller, an ex-Marine educated at Harvard Law School, was recently sentenced to 31 years in prison for a crime, which for so long was assumed to be a hoax.

On Mar. 23, 2015, Muller broke into Aaron and Huskin Quinn’s home in San Francisco. He forced the couple to drink a sleep-inducing liquid, after tieing them up. The couple was blindfolded, and Muller played a pre-recorded audio clip to make it appear that more than one person was involved in the whole scene. Afterward, he kidnapped Haskin and drove her to his South Lake Tahoe home where he held her captive for two days and sexually assaulted her, before driving her back almost 500 miles, to drop her near her parents’ house in Huntington Beach. 

Prior to the kidnapping, Muller used a drone to spy on the couple, and after the kidnapping, Muller sent an anonymous email to a San Francisco reporter and claimed that the kidnapping of Haskin was the work of a team of elite criminals. 

Due to how bizarre and elaborate the whole story was, the kidnapping was called a hoax by the Vallejo Police Department, where Quinn reported the case and was and was accused of murdering Haskin before she returned. 

Muller’s crime was only identified when authorities searched his house for a similar crime and found evidence of Haskin’s kidnapping–a computer that was stolen from Quinn. 

The couple was later issued an apology for the public humiliation, but Quinn said “They only apologized after major news outlets reached out and our book is being released.”

California Drought May Call for New Restrictions

The recent drought situation in California may call for new restrictions, as California enters its third year of drought. 

The secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency, Wade Crowfoot, said, “California is well into its third year of drought and with winter ending in a very dry way, water conditions will get more challenging in coming months.” He continued by saying that “We all need to do our part to conserve water and use it as efficiently as possible – and make this our way of life.”

The start of this year has been the driest it’s been in a century, and moreover, Californians haven’t been successful in reducing water use by 15% like Governor Gavin Newsom requested, and in fact, in January, it was up by 3% compared to January 2020.

Although there are no current restrictions in place, Californians are highly encouraged to conserve water, in any way they can, as well as plant more drought-tolerant plants. Individuals who overuse and waste water may be fined up to $40,000 if needed. 

More ways to conserve water can be found on the California Department of Water Resources Website. 

The Rise of Gas Prices in California

Even with gas prices dropping in the U.S., California is still seeing soaring gas prices, with the highest being $6/gallon. 

California, in general, has a higher rate of gas than other states, with the average price being $1.20 more than elsewhere, according to Severin Borenstein, an economist from the University of California, Berkeley, who studies fuel prices. 

California has a high gas tax, and there’s a special protocol in place that requires clean fuel to be shipped to the state; the fuel shipped is first turned into gasoline from crude oil, and is cleaner than the gasoline elsewhere. 

Due to that, the price of gasoline coming in is usually 10 cents higher, but recently it’s been 80 to 90 cents higher. Although it’s not clear what exactly the problem is, it can be connected to the disruption in the supply of gasoline.

Borenstein said, “Even as the crude oil price is dropping, it appears that some problem has occurred in the refinery sector to make California-blend gasoline.” He continued by saying, “I don’t know what the problem is or how quickly it will be fixed, but that’s definitely why our prices are more out of line than usual with the rest of the country.”

LA County Rescue Helicopter Crash

A LA County Rescue Helicopter en route to aid a person injured in a vehicle crash, crashed in the Angeles Forest on Mar. 19, due to what is believed to be an “environmental” malfunction. All the passengers were injured, which included one pilot, one co-pilot, one crew chief, two paramedics, and a UCLA physician. 

Out of the six passengers on board, only one suffered critical injuries, whereas two suffered moderate injuries, and the other two suffered minor injuries. Currently, all six people are stabilized and expected to survive. 

Alex Villanueva, L.A. Sheriff said, “They’re pretty banged up, some of them, and I’ll leave it at there’s some fractures, some broken ribs, and some things of that nature.” He also added, “But thankfully nothing that is life-threatening at this time, and they’re in good hands here.”

Photos courtesy of COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG and FLICKR.COM