Welcome back to another week of Robertson’s Reportings! North Carolina has been hit the hardest by a gas shortage on the East Coast as a result of a cyberattack on Colonial Pipeline, causing Governor Roy Cooper to declare a state of emergency. In Charlotte and Atlanta, well over half of the gas stations have been emptied, leaving many people struggling to find gas for their vehicles. Statewide, about 25% of stations were out of gas in North Carolina as of Wednesday morning since Colonial Pipeline supplies gas to about 45% of the entire East Coast. The FBI determined that the hack was ransomware, meaning the software cannot be accessed until a fee is paid, created by DarkSide, a ransomware gang. As Americans are unsure when the issue will be fixed, massive lines have grown outside of gas stations so people could stock up on gas before more stations run out.

In Washington, D.C., residents are currently banned from dancing at weddings. Many view this as a violation of the First Amendment and a very extreme measure, especially considering the fact that nightclubs and bars in D.C. will be allowed to open to full capacity in a few weeks. Some couples have moved their weddings to Virginia or Maryland, and others have postponed them. One bride-to-be who is hoping that the order will be lifted by her May wedding is in the process of suing Mayor Muriel Bowser (shown in the photo).

As one of the top five competitors, American Idol contestant Caleb Kennedy dropped out of the competition on Thursday when a social media post resurfaced. The video shows him at the age of 12 wearing a hood that has similar features as Ku Klux Klan attire; however, his mom stated that the post was taken out of context, as Kennedy had just seen the movie “The Strangers: Prey at Night” in which a character wears a similar costume. Another contestant, Wyatt Pike, dropped out of the competition for “personal reasons” earlier in the season.

See you next time on Robertson’s Reportings, coverage you can count on!

Photo Credits: WTOP