Internationally, there was a major outbreak of the Zika virus in Brazil. The WHO determined there were a total of 86 countries and territories that housed virus-infected mosquitos. Although there is a vaccine for the Zika virus in development, no approved version was available for those in infested areas.
Nationally, Donald Trump was elected for his first term of presidency. Despite the fact that Democratic Hilary Clinton won the popular vote with 48.5% votes, Republican Trump won the election with 306 electoral votes.
Locally, the state of New Jersey backs up Somerville’s landfill cleanup plan. The idea was to clean up the landfill and create an area or park similar to Central Park in New York City. Because there is a stream that runs through the abandoned landfill, leakage from garbage contaminates water that runs into the Raritan river. There are plans to remove all the contaminated water and soil from the area, and create environmentally-sensitive passive recreational areas such as walking and biking paths.
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