Flipping through news channels and news apps, it is hard to find any non-COVID-19 coverage, as the disease causes turmoil among Americans. All this news can be tiring, and it feels as if it is starting to get repetitive.

Despite the pandemic shutting much of the country down, there is still plenty of newsworthy events taking place that many people aren’t aware of due to the heavy COVID-19 coverage. Here is a recap of news that was overshadowed by the pandemic.

Local

Despite COVID-19 concerns, the Minnesota fishing season opened May 9, but this popular event has not received its usual coverage.

This is in part due to the fact that the annual Governor’s Fishing Opener was canceled, an event that usually attracts attention toward the opening of the season.

However, Gov. Tim Walz has allowed the participation of some recreational activities, including fishing, in Executive Order 20-38, meaning the fishing season was permitted to open.

Sophomore Brady Truett said he thinks the opener should get more attention due to its popularity in Minnesota.

“I think it should be publicized more because it’s a big deal in Minnesota,” Truett said. “It’s the ‘land of ten thousand lakes.’”

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn), who represents Minnesota’s 5th district, including St. Louis Park, will have not only an opponent in the general election, but also the primary election for the Democratic nominee.

Her primary opponent Antone Melton-Meaux said in a Star Tribune article he decided to run against Omar, citing her poor attendance record in Congress, claiming she has missed more votes than 94% of Congress from October 2019 to December 2019, which can be confirmed by GovTrack.

If Omar is able to win the nomination from the DFL, she will face Lacy Johnson, who has already been endorsed as the Republican nominee for the 5th district.

Johnson has received the endorsement from President Trump, who wished him luck in a Tweet.

According to the Star Tribune, a Republican has not won the 5th district since the 1960s.

The Minnesota State Senate unanimously passed a bill that would raise the legal age of marriage to 18 May 6, according to KSTP. The bill passed 66-0, after passing the House of Representatives 127-0 last year.

According to the Star Tribune, Gov. Walz is expected to sign the bill into law making Minnesota the third state to ban child marriages, along with New Jersey and Delaware.

According to KSTP, the purpose of the bill is to prevent minors from being forced into marriage, especially young women who experience negative impacts on their health and education due to young marriage.

National

In 1993, Senate staffer Tara Reade accused then Sen. Joe Biden from Delaware of sexual assault, according to the New York Times. Biden, who is now the assumed Democratic nominee for the presidency denied these accusations in an interview May 1.

According to ABC, Reade now wants Biden to drop out of the race in her first public statement since Biden’s denial.

While both the allegation and denial has gotten attention from the media, it has been largely overshadowed by pandemic news, according to FiveThirtyEight.

After leaks of videos appearing to show UFOs led to much speculation, the Pentagon officially declassified and released the clips April 28. The Department of Defense then confirmed these objects as unidentified, according to BBC.

Videos captured by U.S. Navy pilots show unusually-shaped objects flying through the air at abnormal speeds. According to the Washington Post, the videos have been popular among alien enthusiasts.