January 2018 is over (finally?) and it’s official: this year is already a doozy. It’s not that it’s all been bad, it’s just been…a lot. Below are a few (really, these are only a few) of the topics in employment, politics, and entertainment that made news in the first 31 days of 2018.
In employment
January 2nd ― A woman in Sydney wins a worker’s comp claim against Woolworths for a “savage bird attack.” Might sound crazy until you find out that the bird is responsible for injuries requiring treatment for at least 10 others.
January 12th ― Maryland passes the Maryland Healthy Working Families Act (“The Act”) and now requires paid sick and safe leave for companies with fewer than 15 employees. Maryland is the 9th state in the country to hop on the paid sick leave bandwagon.
January 24th ― Starbucks announced, in addition to giving all domestic employees a raise, it’s giving baristas paid sick leave, stock grants, and parental leave (including for the parent who didn’t give birth).
In politics
January 13th ― Hawaii accidentally (debatable) sends a false ballistic missile alert, sending residents and visitors (i.e. anyone with a cell phone) into a panic.
38 minutes later ―Hawaii issues correction, sending said cell phone owners into false near-death induced soul-searching.
January 20th – The government shuts down.
January 22nd – The government reopens.
January 30th – The State of the Uniom…err Union address. Trump gets the introduction of a WWF fighter (see Fox’s highlight reel) and Democrats hold their applause.
In entertainment
January 28th – The Grammy’s: Where Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar cleaned house, James Corden brought down the house, and Hillary Clinton took yet another jab at the White House. And in a reminder that our culture still has a lot of work to do to get our proverbial house in order, Kesha offered a sharp rebuke to the tune of “Prayin’ and Janelle Monáe said, #Timesup.
January 31st – Super blue blood moon. A beautiful overachievement, 150 years in the making. Just like the month of January, the moon decides to pack all sorts of events into a short timeframe.
January 31st – The nation takes a deep breath, and a nap…before heading into month two. To which February said, “Hellooooo, Super Bowl!”
These are just some of the headlining moments of January. We can only guess what’s next. What makes your list of notable January headlines? Share in the comments below.
About PayReel
Producing multimedia content and executing live events can be chaotic. At PayReel, we make sure our clients are able to hire who they want, when they want and that everyone is paid properly. Leave the details up to the PayReel team so you can focus on pulling off a flawless production. Contact us anytime at 303-526-4900 or by emailing us here.
Relax. We got it.
