Weekly News Briefs: Nov. 27

Local

Sheriff issues warning statement on DUIs
Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman published a statement on Facebook last Friday warning drivers of the punishments to come for driving under the influence. The sheriff’s statement came about a week after two officers were hit by two suspected DUI drivers, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I don’t want to see you in jail, lose your license, or spend thousands of dollars in fines and fees, but that is exactly what we will happen if we find you DUI,” the sherriff said in his post. He called the situation very serious, after two other officers were injured on Nov. 17 and 18.

National

House passes sexual harassment training requirement
The US House of Representatives has passed a resolution that requires staff members to undergo sexual harassment and discrimination training. The training requirement is currently voluntary for all members, congressional staff, interns and fellows but will now be required within the first 90 days, according to The Washington Post. The resolution also entails that all members put up a poster in their office created by the Office of Compliance outlining employees’ legal rights and the reporting process in case of workplace violations.

Global

Boat capsizes in Mediterranean Sea, 31 dead
At least 31 refugees, including children, died Saturday trying to cross the Mediterranean to get to Italy. When the first boat capsized off the coast of Libya, 60 people were rescued, and another 140 were picked up by a second boat. Since Thursday, the Libyan coastguard has rescued 250 migrants, and the Italian coastguard has rescued 1,100 people. Over 33,000 have died or gone missing in the past 17 years while trying to cross the Mediterranean. According to BBC, close to 3,000 have drowned in the journey this year alone.