Shark Scoop - March 29,2026
- Ethan Chahine
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Shark Scoop is a weekly roundup of five stories that examine developments in local, national, and global news, as well as a top headline in entertainment and sports.
BY: ETHAN CHAHINE / STAFF WRITER
Luna Park opens for the 2026 season
Coney Island’s Luna Park has officially reopened for the 2026 season.
Every year, a ceremony is held beside the famous roller coaster ‘Cyclone’ to mark the beginning of the season. This involves the Brooklyn Borough President, Antonio Reynoso, as well as other park officials, breaking a bottle of egg cream on the coaster to bring good luck for the summer.
To celebrate the rollercoasters’ 99th birthday, the first 99 people to arrive at the event were able to ride for free, as well as receive a complimentary egg cream. The park is currently open on weekends and will open up daily, starting Memorial Day Weekend.
Judge blocks Trump’s defunding of PBS
U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss has permanently blocked the Trump administration from implementing a directive to end federal funding to the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio.
Moss commented during his ruling about the directive with regard to the First Amendment right to free speech; it "does not tolerate viewpoint discrimination and retaliation of this type,” and “[it’s] difficult to conceive of clearer evidence that a government action is targeted at viewpoints that the President does not like and seeks to squelch.”
Moss wrote, "The Federal Defendants fail to cite a single case in which a court has ever upheld a statute or executive action that bars a particular person or entity from participating in any federally funded activity based on that person or entity's past speech." (PBS)
Super Mario Galaxy Movie had a very successful opening weekend
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie released to an almost immediate boom in sales, earning $48 million in sales on its April 3rd release date. It is projected to reach $129.4 million domestically by the end of its opening weekend. (Variety)
There is a stark contrast in the reviews of the film, with Rotten Tomatoes citing a 41% critic score and an audience score of 90%. The first film from 2023 had a significantly higher critic score with about 59%, and it would seem that many critics believe that while the visuals remained intact from the first film, the story took a major dip.
“There’s almost nothing in “Galaxy” that even rises to the level of an attempted gag, and the movie is notably weaker than “The Super Mario Bros,” which was just barely watchable.” - The Wall Street Journal.
India Passes Anti-trans Bill
India’s parliament has passed a bill limiting the rights of genderqueer individuals throughout the nation. This bill removed the rights laid out for transgender individuals in the ‘The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019’. Due to this bill, transgender individuals,as well as non-binary individuals, are no longer allowed to self-identify their gender with any recognized legal status.
Indian trans-rights activist, Akkai Padmashali, had this to say. “These politicians are making laws for us when they don’t even have basic concepts of gender, sex, and sexuality. This new bill criminalizes us and disrespects our right to exist.”
This bill also limits the rights of Hijras in India, a previously widely socially accepted group of intersex individuals in the country, by giving a very narrow and exclusionary legal definition of how the identity is defined; it marginalizes those who do not fall under that definition.(Human Rights Watch)
Luka Dončić Misses out on NBA Awards due to Injury
Luka Dončić is a basketball player in the NBA for the Los Angeles Lakers from Slovenia. He has unfortunately suffered a season-ending injury during a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Dončić received an MRI, which showed a Grade 2 level hamstring sprain. This was his 64th game of the season, which left Dončić one game short of being eligible for postseason awards such as MVP and all-NBA. However, in a twist of fate, a statement from Dončić’s agent, Bill Duffy, stated plans to seek an exception to this rule with an “Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge.”
This policy allows for the application of a player if “it was impracticable for him to play in one or more of the Regular Season game(s) that he missed during such Season.” Dončić had previously missed two games in December to fly home to Slovenia for the birth of his second daughter. If the “challenge expert” rules in his favor, Dončić will be eligible for the previously mentioned postseason awards. (The Athletic)
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