The Smoke Signal

By Staff Writers Ian Hsu & Shivani Avasarala

Local — Warm Springs Bart Station to open March 25
After several years of delay, the Warm Springs BART Station is scheduled to open on March 25. The station was originally slated to open in 2014, but issues with the track cables along with other delays forced the opening date to be pushed back. The new station will contain over 2,000 parking spots and 42 charging stations as well as bus connections with Alameda County Transit and Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority.

National — McDonald’s Twitter account hacked
The official McDonald’s Twitter account was discovered to have been compromised on March 16 after a tweet that blasted President Donald J. Trump was published. An hour after the post was published, the company deleted the tweet, although it had already been re-tweeted more than 1,000 times, and launched an investigation. During a CNN Republican town hall on February 18, Trump declared his love for McDonald’s and has tweeted pictures of himself with McDonald’s fries and burgers while riding in an airplane.

International — North Korea tests new high-thrust rocket engine
North Korea conducted a preliminary test on a new model of a high-thrust rocket engine at the Sohae launch site on March 18. The test was aimed towards confirming the power of the high-thrust engine and determining the security of the control system and its overall structure. North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un referred to the test as one of the greatest events in the history of the country’s space and satellite launching program. Officials also mentioned launching more Earth satellites in the future.

Quirky — Family cat saves sleeping family
Gracie, a brown tabby cat from Reedsburg, Wisconsin, is garnering attention as the savior of her human family after alerting them of unusually high carbon monoxide levels in their home. Owner Annette Shanahan and her husband Kevin Shanahan were sleeping when the cat began pounding on their bedroom door, eventually waking the couple. After calling 911 and receiving help, they attributed the source of the deadly gas poisoning to a malfunctioning water heater. The couple acknowledges Gracie as their hero on that day.

Photos by eastbaytimes.com, ggpht.com, huffingtonpost.com, thestar.com