On Sunday, Feb. 4th, Indianapolis Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson was killed in a car accident outside of Indianapolis at the age of 26. Jackson and his Uber driver Jeffrey Monroe were on the shoulder of the road when they were struck by a Ford F-150 that veered into the emergency lane. The pair were dead at the scene.

The driver was identified as 37 year old Manuel Orrego-Savala, an immigrant from Guatemala who had been deported twice before and fled the scene on foot. According to the police, Orrego-Savala was driving without a license and had a blood alcohol concentration 0f 0.239%, far above the legal limit. On Feb. 7th, Orrego-Savala was charged with two counts of causing death while operating a vehicle above the legal alcohol limit and two counts of failing to remain at the scene of the accident. Orrego-Savala also was charged on a federal level of illegal re-entry for a previously deported alien.

In response to Jackson’s death, President Donald Trump tweeted his sympathies toward Jackson and his family tweeting “My prayers and best wishes are with the family of Edwin Jackson, a wonderful young man whose life was so senselessly taken.”

Earthquake in Taiwan

On Tuesday, Feb. 6th, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan’s east coast. According to Taiwan’s Central News Agency, the earthquake has left at least 4 people dead and had also left 225 others injured. There are also 140 people that are unaccounted for in the disaster with rescue operations are underway in the Marshal Hotel, one of the buildings damaged in the event.

“At first it wasn’t that big. We get this sort of thing all the time and it’s really nothing. But then it got really terrifying,” said Chen Minghui, a worker who was trapped in the basement.

“We know there are people who are trapped inside we can see lights inside the hotel. People with phones are shining their lights to let people know they’re there.” Witness Zeena Starbuck said.

Following the earthquake, many buildings have become shelters.

In response to the earthquake, Taiwanese cabinet spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung said rail links are unaffected and the Hualin airport are in tact.

SpaceX Successfully Launches Rocket

On Tuesday, Feb. 6th, space exploration company SpaceX launched its Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center. The rocket rose before the boosters dropped with two arriving back to Earth successfully and the third landing in the ocean.

“What I find strange about this flight is normally I feel super stressed out the day before. This time I don’t.” SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk, said, describing his feelings on the launch the day prior during a press briefing. This rocket is another step in SpaceX’s plan to get to Mars.

The rocket is a supersized version of SpaceX’s normal Falcon 9 rocket, one that has been used to carry cargo to the International Space Station since 2012. This rocket was carrying a red Tesla Roadster, a car from Elon Musk’s car company, Tesla, that is set to orbit around the sun. Originally, Musk wanted it to orbit around Mars.

“I’m really excited about today. I’m really proud of the SpaceX team. They’ve done an incredible job of creating the most advanced rocket in the world, and the biggest rocket in the world.” Musk said following the launch.

“We’re putting a priority on Hualien people being able to return home to check on their loved ones.” Taiwanese cabinet spokesman Kuo-yung said.