Beach Weekly S10E13: Future U Project, Japan's first casino & more

In Season 10: Episode 13 of Beach Weekly, Lei Madrigal discusses Long Beach, national and international news. A conversation with Hannah Shields, the news editor for the Daily Forty-Niner, gave insight on the rise of anti-Semitism and its effect on Long Beach State students. After a man who shot two men at an LA synagogue this February was proven to be the same man who lingered on campus with a gun last summer, university administration still has not released a statement to Jewish students. The center for Jewish life on campus at Long Beach State, Beach Hillel, strives for communal inclusion of Jewish students. ASI is hoping to complete their proposal for the Future U Project, a plan to upgrade the student union to meet student needs, by the end of the semester. The new student union would have expanded food services, more seating and study spaces, wellness counseling, and more. After turning himself into authorities, a former Long Beach State student is facing misdemeanor charges for taking hundreds of photos and videos of men in public restrooms and showers on campus. He has not been allowed back on campus since the incident and is set to appear in court on May 4. An equipment malfunction caused a sewage spill to dump 250,000 gallons of waste into the L.A. river that flows into the ocean in Long Beach. Contaminated water prompted beach closures in Long Beach on the area’s hottest weekend of the year until water quality is tested and deemed safe. Last Thursday, SpaceX launched their Starship for the first time, but the rocket exploded mid-flight before reaching space. The rocket was 394 feet tall, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. The explosion can be seen as a success since just getting off the ground at all was significant progress. Japanese officials have approved a plan to open the country’s first casino in Osaka in 2029 as a way to encourage tourist spending and create jobs. The project has an investment of 1.8 trillion yen and is projected to bring in over 20 million visitors and 500 billion yen every year. Trillions of gallons of water sit beneath the Mojave desert in the Fenner aquifer that stretches hundreds of square miles. It could be a way to relieve California of its water shortage, but the idea of tapping this aquifer is opposed by conservationists and the Chemehuevi tribe. The site of the aquifer is an important location for one of the tribe’s spiritual ceremonies. Host: Lei Madrigal Editor: Andy Nguyen Producers: Leila Nunez, Isabel Silagy Like, comment, and follow us on your favorite platform for more content! Apple Podcasts ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beach-weekly/id1488484518?uo=4⁠ Google Podcasts ⁠https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9kMzEwMjEwL3BvZGNhc3QvcnNz⁠ Spotify ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/4HJaqJep02kHeIQy8op1n1⁠ Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1488484518/beach-weekly