 You might be wondering what a caucus is with the 2020 presidential elections coming up. A caucus is a meeting at which local members of a political party register their preference among candidates running for office or select delegates to attend a convention. Caucuses select election candidates, to be frank. These last couple of weeks have been the Democratic presidential caucuses.
How were caucuses invented? The system was introduced after George Washington had announced his retirement upon the end of his second term when the Democratic-Republican Party and Federalist Party began contesting elections on a partisan basis. Both parties may have held informal caucuses in 1796 to try to decide on their candidates. What are caucus states? Caucus states are states that held caucuses. The most famous one this season was Iowa. In Iowa, Pete Buttigieg won with 13 delegates and Bernie sanders close behind with 12 delegates. All states either have a Caucus or a Primary. Either the Democratic or Republican has a primary or caucus in one state. Kentucky is a little different where the Democratic party and Republican party have a caucus. You´ll have to watch the news for the rest of the updates on the caucuses. I hoped this helps you understand the caucus system. After all, they will decide who gets to the primaries then who becomes our president. I suggest you say posted. I know I will. Story by Rowan Lindsey Sources: Source 1) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/04/us/politics/what-states-caucus.html Source 2) https://billofrightsinstitute.org/engage/student-resources/think-the-vote/primaries-and-caucuses/ Source 3) https://www.businessinsider.com/primaries-caucuses-differences-between-which-states-2019-3  The Super Bowl is just around the corner! On February 2, 2020, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, FL. The San Francisco 49ers are going to be taking on the Kansas City Chiefs. This will be the 54th Super Bowl and the 100th NFL anniversary. The 49ers leader on the offense is Jimmy Garoppolo and for the defense is Richard Sherman. The Chiefs will have Patrick Mahomes on offense, according to NFL.com. ESPN reports that neither coaches Kyle Shanahan or Andy Reid have won a Super Bowl ring.
Super Bowl ticket cost from anywhere between $4,000-$5,000. The Super Bowl year is predicted to be exciting according to CBS Sports. Both teams have a good chance of winning. ESPN has reported that the main problem for the Chiefs is this 49ers offensive of line. Raheem Mostert is a big problem as well his average yards per carry 7.6, according to NFL.com. Hopefully, the Chiefs’ defensive line can handle them. Patrick Mahomes is going to have to step up and show his true potential. If he can do this successfully then they have a chance of winning. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is working behind a doctor. CBS Sports says that Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is the first-ever doctor to play football. He is a Canadian medical graduate and football guard for the Chiefs. He also was the lead blocker against the Huston Texas. Which put the Chiefs closer to the Super Bowl. If the Chiefs and the 49ers can make it to the Super Bowl, Maybe your team can make it next year; best of luck to both teams!  In 2017, on October 30, the Houston Astros looked like the best team of the decade. Then it all fell apart. Not only did they lose the game, they are now knee-deep into one of the most major scandals that Major League Baseball has ever seen. It was reported on November 12 that the Astros stole signs during the championship game. A camera in the Astros’ home stadium relayed a live feed of the catcher to a monitor situated in a recessed area where an Astros player was sitting near home plate. That player figured out the opposing team’s signals, then banged on a trash can to inform the hitter what the coming pitch would be.
According to The Atlantic, two team officials were suspended by MLB and then fired by the team for the scandal. Current Oakland Athletics pitcher Mike Fiers, who played with the Astros for parts of three seasons, went on record against his former team when the scandal broke out, saying that the team had been “sign-stealing” back in 2017, when he was playing with them. The Astros were fined $5 million as a penalty, which is the largest amount of money allowed under MLB’s Constitution. The Astros also must forfeit their first and second draft picks for the next two years. According to CBS Sports, it is common for teams to steal signs; it’s part of the game, but the issue in this instance is how the Astros did it. The Astros players took this too far, and they became too greedy for their own good. Alex Cora, Red Sox Manager and bench coach for the Astros was not punished for the scandal. The Astros have taken on an entirely new reputation in Major League Baseball, going from a powerful empire to a cheating, non-authentic group of baseball players. Story by Maddie Tate  Clemson lost to LSU in the College Football National Championship by a landslide 25 (Clemson) to 42 (LSU). This ended Clemson’s 29 game win streak and completing LSU’s National Championship title. LSU’s win streak of 15-0 was finished at the end of the championship with the win. Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow's six-touchdown performance, Ed Orgeron's top-ranked Fighting Tigers of LSU earned the title 2019 National Champions.
This is LSU’s fourth national championship title and some people say is arguably the best team ever. LSU made its pitch to stand among the greatest teams in 150 years of college football. Joe Burrow transferred to LSU in 2018. The head Tigers Coach said he was “smart, tough, and he has accuracy.” Turns out he was a star quarterback of the team and really was crucial to the team. Clemson won it’s previous over 741 days. Clemson won three NCAA national championships in 1981,2016,2018. Clemson fans are disappointed with this loss but not many people have lost faith and are still supporting the team. LSU’s coach was proud of the Clemson team because of its 29 win streak. Clemson’s response to the loss of there 29 game win streak was “Those receivers — man, they made some incredible plays. And that’s what you’ve got to do to win these types of games. You give them credit. I thought they played a heck of a game and deserved to win the game. They were definitely the better team tonight, for sure.” - Swinney Story by Jasper Grein  A grandmother from says she thought she was going to die when a man with a knife forced his way inside her home while she was taking care of her little granddaughter.
NYPD officers swarmed Tottenville, NYC January 14, 2020 around 9 a.m. Monday after receiving reports of burglary inside a home on Manhattan Street and a grandmother who was scared f for her life.“The grandmother’s name was Vota and she said she was inside, holding her little granddaughter when the doorbell rang. She says she looked out to see who it was and thought she knew the person because It looked like someone who did work on her house. But when she cracked the door open, she says chaos broke loose.“ He grabbed her on her stomach and pushed his way in and comes into the house. Vota was fearing her safety and more importantly her granddaughters safety so she fought back she started punching him and then he started grabbing her and then she started punching his face and kicking him she said her fight instant came from her granddaughter she said her granddaughter was behind her and she knew she had to protect her. She says her fight instinct came from her granddaughter. She said she managed to open the front door and scream for help. The perp fled, running through the kitchen and out the back door. Police scoured the neighborhood, but the suspect got away. He hasn’t been caught yet Police scoured the neighborhood, but the suspect got away. He has yet to be caught.“I came back in. The baby was screaming, so I ran in to get the baby. When I looked down, there was a gigantic steak knife there that he had dropped,” she said. She says thankfully, besides some bruises and soreness, she is OK and her granddaughter was not injured. She believes could’ve been so much worse. Vota says she hopes police catch the suspect so he can’t attack anyone else. Story by Serenity Gardner  This flu season might be the worst it’s been in years! The CDC(Centers for Disease Control) estimates that 9.7 million people have gotten the flu so far this season, which started on September 29. There are 3 different types of flu viruses; A, B, and C. Influenza B is driving the virus this year. The B strain isn’t usually seen at this time of year though, so it was unexpected. It is most common in young children and older adults, so those people have been affected tremendously more. The flu may have peaked this year. Of the 9.7 million cases of the flu, 6600 have died, 32 of whom were children. And there are more cases and deaths to be expected from until the end of Spring! Doctors highly recommend getting vaccinated to protect yourself from further illness. Though the vaccine this year was made of influenza B strains, they vary so it doesn’t work for everyone. The majority of cases have been of the B virus this season. Lots of healthy people have died in days from the flu or illnesses caused by the flu. Though the flu is bad enough itself, the effects can be worse. The flu virus can lead to other illnesses that can then result in death. Pneumonia, ear/sinus infections, organ failure, and others are some of those illnesses. All of this happens because your immune system is weakened. If you get the flu and you already have heart problems, asthma, diabetes, obesity, or another existing medical condition, it will most likely get worse. With your body fighting these issues, things like organ failure and even death can occur. More people die from the effects of the flu than the virus itself. We still have more time to go in this deadly flu season. Be on the lookout for flu-like symptoms and make sure to wash your hands frequently. The last thing you’d want is to be part of the 9.7 million in danger of being in the 6600 that have died. Don’t let the flu sneak up on you! Stay safe and germ-free this season. Story by Sarah Comer  Joe Burrow, the senior Quarterback from Louisiana State University, known by LSU to most people. The LSU tigers had a record breaking, undefeated season, winning the college national championship. Burrow won the offensive MVP award (Most Valuable Player) who as an individual, had a record breaking season scoring first place in total QB touchdowns, scoring 60 touchdowns this season, also Burrow scored first place in total QB rushing yards, rushing for 5,671 total QB rushing yards.To add to his season stats he also received the Heisman trophy award for the 2019-2020 college season.
As we get closer and closer to the 2020 NFL draft,Burrow is projected to be the 1st overall pick in the 1st round, drafted first before anybody. The Cincinnati Bengals, have had a 2-14 season record, making them available for the 1st pick of the 2020 NFL draft.The Cincinnati Bengals, have announced that their interested in drafting Burrow, but also on the other hand there is still a ton of talent that the Bengals have said they were interested in such as Tua Tagovailoa, Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs but it definitely would not be surprising if they go with Burrow as their first pick. The presumed number 1 overall pick was asked about returning to his home state during LSU’s visit to the White House and said he’s more than happy going anywhere next season presuming they pay him.Burrow says “Whoever wants to pay me money to play the game of football,I’ll play for them,It doesn't matter to me”, per Josh Wingrove of Bloomburg. Luckily for Burrow it’s been a long time since an NFL team has had trouble making payroll.Barring a surprise from Cincinnati, the reigning Heisman winner should also make the most money in his draft class. Story by Trayson Akbar Sources: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2872099-lsu-qb-joe-burrow-wants-to-get-drafted-by-whoever-wants-to-pay-me-money https://www.pff.com/news/draft-pff-2020-nfl-mock-draft-national-champion-joe-burrow-cements-his-spot-as-first-overall-pick https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2871255-joe-burrow-patrick-queen-win-2020-college-football-national-championship-mvps  Did you know that professional female soccer players are getting paid around $40,000 per season, yet male soccer players are getting showered in $250,000 to $300,000 per season? Yep, it's true. The U.S. Women's National soccer team won the World Cup this year and got paid 30 million dollars, meanwhile, the World Cup for professional men's soccer, in 2018, gave 38 million dollars to the winning team, France. In addition to pay, their complaints include worse playing fields, lack of private flights and less promotion than the men's team. According to ESPN “The U.S. women have been fighting for equality for some time. In 2016, five high-profile members of the USWNT -- Carli Lloyd, Hope Solo, Alex Morgan, Rapinoe and Becky Sauerbrunn -- filed a complaint against the United States Soccer Federation (commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer) with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The complaint remains pending in California.”
When the women returned with their second consecutive world championship and fourth overall, it seemed like they were selling themselves short by simply asking to be treated the same. The men have never made it past the quarterfinals of their World Cup and didn’t even qualify for the last one. According to the Los Angeles Times, “the women’s lawsuit and the equal pay argument focus largely on bonuses and other issues related to national team games. A player on the U.S. men’s national team can make as much as $17,625 depending on the opponent and the outcome, court documents allege. A women’s player would get about half that for a comparable result.” Many people support Equal Pay for women soccer, including many US soccer followers, other women's teams, and the US Men's professional team. The U.S. men's team issued a statement in support of the USWNT, saying, "The members of the United States National Soccer Team Players Association once again stand with the members of the world champion Women's National Team in their pursuit of fair compensation for their work as professional soccer players. The USMNT players were not impressed with US Soccer Federation president, Carlos Cordeiro's, letter made public. The Federation downplays contributions to the sport when it suits them. This is more of the same." All of the players on the women's national team are fighting for this and have things to say about it. “Everyone is kind of asking what’s next and what we want to come of all of this,” Megan Rapinoe said hours after the World Cup final. “It’s to stop having the conversation about equal pay. It’s time to sit down with everyone and really get to work.” My opinion on the matter is that equal pay should be enhanced for women's soccer. I absolutely love to play soccer and think its an amazing sport in general. I would like to be somewhat of a soccer player when I get older. I want that generation to be different than the one for soccer now, which includes equal pay and women get treated the same as men. As of right now, all the women on the national team are having to have two jobs while most men are just playing pro soccer and gaining a larger revenue than the women. The USWNT deserves to be paid the same as men, they are both great teams who are completely equal and payment should be fair. Many other women teams have this problem for soccer but are fixing it. According to Los Angeles Times, “Norway figured that out 18 months ago when its federation became the first to agree to equal pay for its men’s and women’s teams, with the men agreeing to take a cut to make that happen.” So why doesn't the US federation make this leap and create a big jump for the next generation of US soccer stars? Story by Lily Severance  The darker the blue, the higher that state was ranked. There are 50 states in America, and people live in all of them. If you wanted to, you could move to any of them. To help you become familiar with them, I have gathered data from 3 different websites: USA Today, Wallethub and CNBC. I will be going over which five states were ranked highest, which ones specialize in certain categories, and other interesting data about other states.
5. Vermont: Vermont has the 6th lowest unemployment rate, 3rd smallest increase in population change, and it was also ranked #1 in education and health. It is very expensive, but fortunately the weather makes up for it. It has lows in the 10’s in winter, but great cool summers, with highs in the 70s, sometimes reaching the 80’s. 4. Colorado: Colorado has the 4th lowest annual unemployment rate and the 4th highest economy rank. However, it’s not very affordable. It has beautiful mountains with a very high elevation which is great for those who like skiing. Though, it’s cold: it can reach 14 degrees Fahrenheit in January. 3. New Hampshire: New Hampshire has the lowest poverty rate in America. It has a very low crime rate and a great economy, but it was ranked 42nd for affordability. However, the weather never gets too hot or too cold, and it is great for people who love the rain. 2. Minnesota: Minnesota has the 2nd longest life expectancy, the 4th lowest poverty rate, and it was also ranked at 3rd for education and health. It is quite snowy, with annual highs in the 80’s, and brutally cold winters. 1. Massachusetts: Massachusetts was ranked the highest, and for a good reason. It has the 5th longest life expectancy, 2nd in economy, 2nd in education and health, 3rd in quality of life and 4th in safety - its only flaw is its affordability, which got ranked at 43. And if that’s not enough, there are great attractions such as Cape Cod beaches, and activities such as whale watching and the Freedom Trail. It has annual highs in the 70’s, and the winters are in the 20s, so it’s cold, but not hypothermia-cold. After reading about these states, you might have noticed something: they are all quite expensive and up north where it is more chilly. If you prefer the heat, or just don’t want to live in an expensive area, here are some higher-ranked states that are affordable and warm (not in any particular order):
As you can tell by the writing so far, there are categories that states are ranked in, like “education” and “life expectancy”. So, to wrap this up, I will go over every category’s state that ranked highest. Don’t worry, it’s not a lot to read: The smallest increase in population change: Rhode Island. Rhode Island got ranked 15th overall. Lowest unemployment rate: Hawaii. Hawaii got ranked 7th overall. Lowest poverty rate: New Hampshire. New Hampshire got ranked 3rd overall. Longest life expectancy: Hawaii again. Most affordable: Alabama. Alabama got ranked 47th overall. Best economy: North Dakota. North Dakota got ranked 14th overall. Highest “education and health” ranking: Vermont. Vermont got ranked 5th overall. Highest “quality of life” ranking: New York. New York got ranked 16th overall. Most safe: New Jersey. New Jersey got ranked 6th overall. Well, that’s it. I just went over the best states to live in America, and after reading this, I hope you know some states you would like to live in or visit one day. If you are still undecided, feel free to check out the websites on your own by following the links in the first paragraph. Story by Rowyn Esslinger  In the Outer Banks of North Carolina, twenty years ago from June 17th, 1999 to July 9, 1999, the Cape Hatteras lighthouse was moved 2,900 feet farther inland from Hatteras Point. So you may be asking yourself, what would motivate anyone to move a historic lighthouse? Why? How? In fact, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse has changed over time with different styles of architecture leading up to its present design and location.
The History And Older Versions Of The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse The first Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was built in 1803. The lighthouse was built of sandstone and was 90 feet tall. According to Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the 1803 lighthouse was too short and was not able to effectively warn ships if they were in danger or if they needed to know which way the shore was. Also, because the lighthouse was made of sandstone, it blended in with the color of the sand, so it was harder to see than you would expect. In 1853, the Lighthouse Board decided to add 60 feet to the height of the 1803 lighthouse making it 150 feet tall. It was then painted red and white making it easier to see during the day. However, people still complained about the effectiveness of the lighthouse. The construction of the 1870 Cape Hatteras Lighthouse started in October of 1868 next to the 1803 lighthouse. The 1870 lighthouse was completed in December of 1870 costing $155,000 which would cost millions in today’s dollars. The 1803 lighthouse was destroyed in February of 1871. The Moving of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse In 1999, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore decided to move the lighthouse because of the constant erosion of the shore. As you can imagine, moving a lighthouse is not very easy! As described by the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the whole original foundation was temporarily replaced by shoring parts and supports. After cross beams and main beams were set, the temporary supporting parts were then removed. Hydraulic jacks were built into the main beams and were used to make a 6-foot raise so that they could use roll beams and rollers to roll the lighthouse into position. The hydraulic jacks were retracted and they were then able to roll the lighthouse into its new location. It cost $11.8 million to move the lighthouse! Today, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is still used frequently to guide ships in the coast of North Carolina. It is no longer in danger of the eroding shoreline and has withstood many severe storms in the past 20 years. But with the shoreline continuing to erode, how long before they will have to move the lighthouse again? Story by Tate Lloyd |
