April 2013 Current Events: U.S. News
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Here are the key events in United States news for the month of April 2013.
Louisville Beats Michigan in Men's N.C.A.A. Title Game (Apr. 8): Louisville wins their first national title since 1986 and their third overall by beating Michigan 82-76. Louisville Cardinal Luke Hancock is named the Final Four's outstanding player. Louisville's win makes it the fifth time in N.C.A.A. history that schools from the same state have won titles back-to-back. Louisville follows rival school Kentucky's win last season.
UConn Beats Louisville in Women's N.C.A.A. Title Game (Apr. 9): The University of Connecticut wins the N.C.A.A. women's championship game with a 93-60 rout over Louisville. With the win, Connecticut claims its eighth national title. Coach Geno Auriemma now has the same number of championships as Pat Summitt, his past rival. After the victory, Auriemma calls Summitt "the greatest women's basketball coach who ever lived."
Multiple Bombs Explode during the Boston Marathon (Apr. 15): Multiple bombs explode near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Two bombs go off around 2:50 in the afternoon as runners finish the race. At least three people are killed. One is an eight year old boy. More than 170 people are injured. Another explosion happens during the afternoon at the JFK Library, but officials confirm that the incident is not connected. Later in the day, President Obama says from the White House briefing room, "We still do not know who did this or why, and people shouldn't jump to conclusions before we have all the facts, but make no mistake: We will get to the bottom of this. Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice." (Apr. 18): President Obama speaks at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston's South End. After the service, both the president and First lady Michelle Obama visit those injured in the explosions who are still recovering in the various hospitals throughout Boston. Later in the day, the FBI releases photos and video of two suspects in the hope that the public can help identify them. "Somebody out there knows these individuals as friends, neighbors, co-workers, or family members. Though it may be difficult, the nation is counting on those with information to come forward and provide it to us," says FBI special agent Richard DesLauriers upon the release of the photos and video. Just hours after the FBI releases the images, the two suspects rob a gas station in Central Square then shoot and kill a MIT police officer in his car. Afterwards, the two men carjack a SUV and tell the driver that they had set off the explosions at the marathon. Police pursue the vehicle into Watertown. During the shootout, a MBTA officer is shot and one of the suspects, identified as Tamerlan Tsarnaev, age 26, is killed. A suicide vest is found on his body. (Apr. 19): The other suspect, Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, age 19, remains at large for several hours, causing a massive manhunt and lockdown for all of Boston, Cambridge, and many other surrounding communities. The manhunt ends that evening when he is found alive, but seriously injured, hiding in a boat behind a house in Watertown. The two suspects are brothers and had been living together on Norfolk Street in Cambridge. They have lived in the U.S. for about a decade, but are from an area near Chechnya, a region in Russia.
Letters Containing Ricin Sent to Congress, President Obama (Apr. 15): Paul Kevin Curtis of Tupelo, Miss., is arrested for sending letters contaminated with poison ricin to President Obama, a Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker, an a local judge. The letters are intercepted by mail-sorting facilities. (Apr. 23): Charges against Paul Kevin Curtis are dismissed. Curtis is released as the investigation turns toward a new suspect. (Apr. 27): A new suspect, J. Everett Dutschke, is arrested in the ricin case. Dutschke has been charged with developing, producing, stockpiling, transferring, acquiring, retaining and possessing a biological agent to use as a weapon.
Texas Plant Explodes, Killing a Dozen, Injuring Hundreds (Apr. 17): An explosion at a fertilizer plant in the town of West, Texas, kills 12 people and injures around 200 others. A section of the town is destroyed, including 50 homes. West, Texas is 80 miles south of Dallas. The explosion happens twenty minutes after a fire breaks out at the plant.
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