This week, News Editors Ira Buch ’25 and Katharine Ellis ’26 take readers beyond the Scoville Gates for a preview of noteworthy local, national, and international recent events.
Local: Freeze on Federal Funds Threatens Community Health Centers
On January 27, President Donald Trump ordered a freeze on domestic and foreign federal aid to reconsider funding for causes that don’t align with his agenda.
Seventeen community health centers in Connecticut now face funding delays. According to The CT Mirror, on Friday, February 28, a community health center in Torrington stopped offering dental services due to limited state funding.
As critical services become inaccessible and thousands of community health center workers consider relocation, over 440,000 patients in Connecticut and millions of patients across the country face limited access to health services.
National: President Trump declares English is the official language of the U.S.
For the first time in U.S. history, English has been declared the official language of the country through an executive order signed on Saturday, March 1.
From now on, government organizations and those that receive federal funding are not required to provide language assistance to non- English speakers.
According to the White House, the order will provide “unity” and “efficiency” in government operations.
International: Kurdistan Workers’ Party declares a ceasefire after a 40-year insurgency.
After 40 years of military confrontations, conflict between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the government of Turkey halted on Thursday, February 27.
PKK was founded in 1984 by Abdullah Oculan with the goal of establishing an independent state of Kurdistan. The party was based on Marxist-Leninist ideas. According to the Crisis Group, approximately 40,000 people have been killed in clashes and terror attacks since 1984.
Oculan, who has been imprisoned in Turkey since 1999, has repeatedly urged the PKK to declare a ceasefire and make peace with Turkey. The Firat News Agency, a Kurdish News Agency, published a PKK peace declaration. “None of our forces will take armed action unless attacked,” it proclaimed on Saturday, March 1.
