Each week, Ben Hopkinson looks back at a serious, crazy, and happy news story from the past week.
Serious News
Jamal Edwards, the founder of SB.TV passed away on Sunday 20th February, aged 31. Edwards helped create the careers for artists such as Ed Sheeran, Jessie J and Emili Sande through his platform during the early days of YouTube. It all started when he was 15, as he was given a camcorder and filmed his friends rapping and performing. Edwards was awarded an MBE in the 2105 New Year Honours from Queen Elizabeth for services to music. An inspiration to many, both inside and outside of the music industry, his legacy will live on. In 2012, he Tweeted saying: “We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.” and he has certainly done that.
Crazy News
A farmer from Israel has gone into the Guinness World Record books as he holds the record for the largest strawberry. Chahi Ariel spent a year farming the 289g strawberry which was picked last year and has since been stored in a freezer. Ariel says: “We waited for a year for the results. We kept it in the freezer for a year. It’s no longer as pretty as it was”. The strawberry has shrunk to half of its original size since it was picked. Before this, the previous record belonged to one that weighed 250g in Japan.
Happy News
After missing for more than 12 years, Zoey has been reunited with her owners. The dog was sadly dumped from a vehicle near Stockton and was found by a passer-by who called the police stating that the dog looked old and ill. After scanning the microchip, it was discovered she was missing since 2010 and had even been classed as dead since 2015 due to the length of time she was missing. Missing 60 miles from her home, owner Michelle was ecstatic with the news: “I definitely didn’t expect this to ever happen so I’m really excited. We got her and her twin sister from the pound when they were six months old, she was with us for about six months. I’m excited to hopefully bring her back, get her healthy and let her live the rest of her life”.
