1. Major News: Purvi Patel, a woman accused of inducing her own abortion in Indiana, will be released from jail following her conviction being overturned.
On Wednesday, Judge Elizabeth C. Hurley ruled that a sentence of 18 months was appropriate for a felony conviction of neglect of a dependent, opening the door for Patel's release on time served. Patel's conviction of feticide was overturned on appeal in July. (Read More)2. ICYMI: Georgetown University has announced it will give students whose ancestors were slaves sold to fund the college "an edge" in the application process.
The admissions decision is one aspect of the university's plans to address its history with slavery. In the early 1800s, over 200 slaves were sold on behalf the school in order to bring down Georgetown's debt. (NPR)AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
3. Must-See: A rocket that was scheduled to transport a satellite created by Facebook exploded on Thursday during a test launch at Cape Canaveral, FL.
The plan was for the satellite to beam an internet connection down to remote, internet-less areas here on Earth as part of the social network's Internet.org initiative. Thankfully, no one was injured in the blast. (Read More)4. Fun Fact: Voters will be able to vote yay or nay on legalizing marijuana in five states in the upcoming November election.
Ballot initiatives on the issue are set to appear in front of voters in Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada this year, according to the Marijuana Policy Project. (Read More)5. In-the-Know: A new study shows strong ties between the decreasing teen birth rate and the increase of contraceptive use by teens.
Laura Lindberg, lead author of the study told The New York Times, "The long-term decline in teen pregnancy and teen births has been brought about by teenagers making considered and responsible decisions.” (The New York Times)6. Just Wrong: Children's shirts carried by Old Navy and Target Australia have been called out as sexist based on slogans printed on the apparel.
Old Navy's Ghostbusters tees are under fire because shirts with the official logo are in the boys' section, and the "Ghostbuster In Training" shirts are in the girls' section. Meanwhile, a Target Australia customer criticized a Batgirl-themed children's T-shirt in the girls' department with a list of domestic chores to do before fighting crime. (Read More)AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
7. Noms: Starbucks has announced the first day you can grab its classic pumpkin spice latte.
To top off all of the limited-edition fall-flavored snacks hitting stores this autumn, Starbucks is officially bringing back the king of them all on Tuesday, September 6. (Read More)8. Here At Home: Over 500 people in NYC have Zika.
According to a new report from the NYC Department of Health, more than 500 people in New York City have the Zika virus. And that number includes 56 pregnant women. (Read More)