Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Tuesday, March 23, 2021:
BOULDER MASS SHOOTING
A gunman opened fire inside a crowded grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, killing 10 people including a police officer and sending terrified shoppers running for safety. Video showed officers escorting a shirtless man in handcuffs with blood running down his leg from the King Soopers store. He is believed to be the sole suspect and has not been identified, nor have most of the victims. The officer who was killed was identified as Eric Talley, 51, who had been on the force since 2010 and was the first officer on the scene. He had seven children, according to a family statement. This is the second mass shooting in the U.S. in a week; before Atlanta, the country had gone a year without a large-scale public shooting. DENVER POST
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Federal health officials with the NIH released an unusual statement questioning whether AstraZeneca included outdated information from its large-scale clinical trials that may have created an “incomplete” view of its efficacy. The pharmaceutical giant has not yet responded. Meanwhile, more states are opening up vaccine eligibility: Tennessee, West Virginia and Arizona will make all residents 16 and up eligible for shots in the coming weeks, and New York has opened it up to anyone 50 and older. WASH POST
INFRASTRUCTURE WEEK
Democrats are working on a major new spending proposal that will focus on infrastructure. When all is said and done, the bill could eclipse the size of the $1.9 trillion stimulus bill, with money for things like bridges, roads, broadband, renewable energy -- and even measures not so obviously associated with infrastructure, such as free community college and universal pre-K. The White House wants to do infrastructure with some level of bipartisanship, but the proposal is said to include tax hikes on corporations and will require the wealthy to pay for some of the spending, and that is likely to be a non-starter for Republicans. BI
AUSTRALIA FLOODING
Two colliding weather systems have led to some of the heaviest rains and worst flooding in decades for the Australian state of New South Wales, including Sydney. Some locations have seen 40 inches of rain since Thursday, and the worst is not expected to let up until tomorrow at the earliest. Residents are reporting that the trees are filled with snakes and spiders seeking higher ground: SEE IT
HOUSING MARKET
If you needed even more evidence that the housing market is completely out of whack, sales of existing homes fell a shocking 6.6 percent last month. That number usually goes up in February, as people start to list their homes ahead of the spring buying season. The number of homes for sale in the U.S. fell 30 percent year over year -- the largest decline ever -- and it’s not because of a lack of demand. Supply is so tight that there are currently more realtors in the country than there are houses on the market. WSJ
VACCINE FREEBIES
Krispy Kreme will give anyone who shows their vaccination card a free glazed donut, any day, any time, for the rest of the year. It’s one of the more enticing of the freebies that some businesses are offering to promote vaccines. (A Phoenix pot dispensary is giving a free edible to anyone who shows their vaccination cards, and there’s a Krispy Kreme 15 minutes away for once it kicks in). FORTUNE
MARCH MADNESS
MENS: No. 7 Oregon knocked out No. 2 Iowa, No. 11 UCLA beat Abilene Christian, USC knocked off Kansas and Michigan beat LSU to become the sole Big Ten squad to advance to the Sweet 16, compared to four from the Pac-12. The next round starts Saturday. CBS SPORTS
WOMENS: In the women’s tournament, underdogs ruled the second day of play. No. 11 BYU knocked off No. 6 Rutgers for the first big upset, followed by No. 12 Belmont taking out No. 5 Gonzaga and No. 13 Wright State beating No. 4 Arkansas. The second round starts today. ESPN
CALIFORNIA SOBER
Demi Lovato recently spoke out about her struggles with addiction by referring to herself as “California Sober.” That’s a trendy way to describe someone who abstains from alcohol and drugs, with the exception of cannabis. The moniker has gained traction during the pandemic for people who have turned to marijuana to help take the edge off but are otherwise not imbibing. Lovato has a new YouTube docuseries dropping today that follows her recovery. INDEPENDENT
SPOTTED...
…Mt. Fagradalsfjall, a small volcano in Iceland that just erupted for the first time in 800 years. An Icelandic drone pilot recorded incredible up-close video of the eruption in progress: WATCH
...traffic cops returning to the iconic elevated podium in Rome’s famed Piazza Venezia. The square has been closed for repaving for a year: SEE PIC
LEFTOVERS: QUARANTINE 15
The jokes about COVID weight-gain started a year ago, but we’re just now getting an idea of how real it is. A small study of people who regularly checked their weight via Bluetooth-enabled scales found that adults under lockdown orders gained about 1.5 lbs. a month. That suggests people who have been more or less doing their same routine for the last year may have gained nearly 20 lbs. since the pandemic started. A separate study by the American Psychological Association found that 42 percent of Americans reported gaining a median of 15 lbs. during lockdown. MEDPAGE
