 Laura Moser, potential congresswoman. In the 2018 race for congress, an intense democratic primary is coming to an end. In the Texas 7th district, Laura Moser is running a tight race against 4 other democratic candidates as the anti-establishment candidate. This year's races for congress are a big deal for the DNC due to the potential of flipping the house to the democrats control. The DCCC (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee) has made it clear that it will not have any fighting. The DCCC has warned for months that it will interfere in crowded primary fields, which is what it has done in Texas's 7th congressional district. Calling Laura Moser on their website “a journalist and activist who grew up in Houston, then moved home from Washington in the last year — a carpet-bagging opportunist who "begrudgingly moved" back to run for office.”
Laura Moser is the clear underdog in this primary, especially now that the DCCC has come out against her. When we asked her campaign for comment they did not respond. Laura Moser is now begging her potential constituents for votes, asking them to bring a friend to the polls. She does seem to have hope joking, “I would usually ask for money, but the DCCC has set us up for a while”. The 7th district is currently held by Rep. John Culberson, a republican who is a staple of congress. Update March 7th 2018: Laura Mosser and her rival have both failed to reach the required 50% of the vote win, meaning both will advance to a runoff on May 22nd. Story by Franklin Bester-Sproul Source for picture: https://www.texastribune.org/series/texas-elections-2018/?page=2  On Wednesday, February 21st, at 7:33 am; Billy Graham passed away peacefully. Billy was 99 years old and was going to turn 100 in November.
Billy was born on November 7th, 1918 in Charlotte, NC. His real name was William Franklin Graham, Jr. and his parents were William and Morrow Graham. He was raised on a dairy farm with his three other siblings. At the age of 16, he was already going to evangelist meetings. For education, Billy went to Bob Jones College in Tennessee after high school. He felt he didn't really connect with Bob Jones College, so he transferred to Florida Bible Institute. Billy then joined a Southern Baptist Convention Church and got ordained in 1939. He then graduated from Florida with a bachelor's in theology, and moved to famous Wheaton College in Illinois. There he met his wife Ruth McCue Bell, and they got married on August 13, 1943. Ruth and Billy had five children and 19 grandchildren. Billy pastored the First Baptist Church in Western Springs, Illinois, and then left to join Youth for Christ (teaching young people about God). In 1947, Billy Graham became president of Northwestern Schools, Minnesota. In 1948, he resigned from Youth for Christ. He stayed with Northwestern Schools until 1952, which then he resigned to solely focus on preaching. In 1992, Billy announced that he was diagnosed with hydrocephalus (similar to Parkinson's Disease). William Franklin Graham III was chosen to take over BGEA after his dad's retirement. In 2005, Billy and Ruth retired to their home in Montreat, North Carolina. In 2007, Ruth passed away from pneumonia and degenerative osteoarthritis. Billy was awarded the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Freedom Award, the Congressional Gold Medal, the Templeton Foundation Prize for Progress in Religion, the Big Brother Award, the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion, the Speaker of the Year Award, and was given the Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Billy Graham will always be remembered. Story by Margaret Derry  On May 2nd, 1973, Assata Shakur and two of her close friends (also part of the black liberation army), were stopped by two police officers. A few years later, Shakur was convicted on a murder charge of Trooper Forrester; one of the cops that died on the turnpike. According to the Guardian, she escaped from prison in 1979, and was given political asylum in Cuba. She was born in Queens, NY and grew up with her grandparents in Wilmington, North Carolina. She was constantly taught to maintain her pride and to remember that she was just as good as anybody else. She dropped out of high school to get a job. In 1964, her interest in civil rights really took off. Assata was accused of a number of alleged crimes, none of which had any value or truth. There is a collection of evidence that proves that Assata had not received a fair trial when she was convicted, and that the people involved were previously influenced. Before her conviction, Assata was part of the Black Panther Party and wanted to become a revolutionary. She traveled all over the country to escape the constant surveillance it seemed that she was under.
Assata Shakur is an incredible individual who has faced years of political persecution, physical and mental abuse, torture, unimaginable living circumstances, and extreme racism. She was targeted by COINTELPRO for years before her conviction, and it is extremely obvious that she did not commit the crimes she was accused of. It is clear that the only reason she was charged was due to the extremities of the racist culture in the U.S. In 2013, Assata Shakur was added onto the FBI’s most wanted terrorist list. She is the first female who has been added. Because of the lack of evidence in her case, the severely bias judge and jury, and the progression this country has supposedly had since the 60’s and 70’s, it seems that she would be welcomed back into America with open arms and apologies. However, this is not the case and the government refuses to remove Assata from this list. On top of this, there is a 2 million dollar reward for her. It is hard to believe that Assata is in her 60’s, and still is thought of as a criminal instead of an inspiration. Hopefully within the next few years she will get the recognition that she deserves and this country will recognize how incredible she is and that the way she was treated was beyond horrible. Story by Willow Schenk  Many teenagers all around the United states are ditching traditional cigarettes, and switching over to Juul. A Juul is a small vape that contains the addictive Nicotine chemical. The devices have things called ¨pods¨ aka the juice that produces the smoke and have many appealing flavors like mango, creme brulee, and chocolate. Although this product sounds harmless and was made to help people quit smoking, the Juul is not all that good. Studies have shown that regular exposure to Nicotine from these vapes can cause your body to be resistant to insulin, and that can cause type 2 Diabetes. Nicotine can also damage brain development in teens, and make it possible to develop bad impulse control and ADD.
Given the size of the Juul it makes it very easy for teens to sneak them into schools and other public places. Many high schools all around america have confiscated hundreds of these vapes, but many are still out there. The slick design can be confused with a USB flash drive, and can even be plugged into a computer to be charged. Juuls and pods cane bought on their website where you have to confirm your age and ID information when buying. Many teens are using prepaid cards and lying about their age in order to buy them. Story by Callie Judson Sources:https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/nation-now/2017/10/31/juul-e-cigs-controversial-vaping-device-popular-school-campuses/818325001/ https://www.metro.us/body-and-mind/health/what-juul-does-juuling-cause-cancer  Image from DailyMail.com You have probably noticed that some of our staff and students have been out of school recently, that's because the flu (influenza) has been going around. Here are some ways to avoid it!
Flu symptoms: Fever Chills Muscle aches Cough Congestion Fatigue Sneezing Throwing up or Nausea Sore throat Loss of appetite Headaches If you are showing a combination of these symptoms, you should stay home. Story by Virginia Pharr  DACA stands for : Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
DACA protects a group of teenagers and adults who are illegal immigrants that want an education in the United States. They are allowed in the U.S. by Barack Obama. Since he is not president anymore, Donald Trump, Republicans, and Democrats have been changing the DACA rules. This change has been difficult for immigrants and has messed up the DREAMers reputation. This was all caused by the election; since Donald Trump was elected president he started being racist to black people and Mexicans. For example, Donald Trump says things like this: “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” He is also saying things like: ”They are not our friend, believe me.” Then the people started to talk bad about Donald Trump because he wouldn’t stop saying these crazy things about the Mexicans. Donald Trump is both right and wrong, because Mexicans can be bad or good. He doesn’t understand that there is different types of Mexicans in this world; just like there are good and bad people of any color. Why is this important to you? This is important to you because if DACA isn’t decided on soon the government said that they would shut down. Meanwhile the president made his decision, after that he made up his mind that he would give undocumented people papers but you had to have some requirements in order to get your papers. There has been some disagreement, but the president said this :"If we don't change it, let's have a shutdown," then the president said this "We'll do a shutdown and it's worth it for our country. I'd love to see a shutdown if we don't get this stuff taken care of." If they shut down the government, schools won’t be able to go on any field trips and the schools will have to pay for the whole field trip, and most schools get about half of the field trip money from them. As you can see the government is struggling but I personally think that Donald Trump should give DACA his support. What would you do? Story by Mariela Grijalva Vasquez Sources: http://time.com/4473972/donald-trump-mexico-meeting-insult/ https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/29/politics/daca-bipartisan-deal-problem-solvers/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/02/politics/daca-explained/index.html  Every single state, excluding Hawaii, is suffering from a especially brutal flu season. This years dominant strain is called H3N2 (this is the same strain that was responsible for all of the people hospitalized in 2009). Part of the reason why it is so widespread this year is because the vaccinations are the least effective for this strain. Hospitals all over the country are scrambling to provide enough nurses, doctors, hospital beds, and rooms to accommodate their unfortunate patients. People generally forget how dangerous the flu can be. 53 pediatric deaths have already been reported during this flu season, and this strain has a record for lasting between 16 and 20 weeks. {Washington Post Article:The Flu Season is on Track to be the Worst in Nearly a Decade}
On the graph here, the red line indicates the severity of the flu this year. It has clearly surpassed the other years and the inclination rate is much higher. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, in the 2014/15 flu season, approximately 34 million Americans were diagnosed with the flu, and just under 1 million were hospitalized. By the end of this year’s flu season, these numbers are predicted to be exceeded. Anyone elderly, pregnant, or a young child is especially susceptible to this particular strain. It’s still not too late to get a flu shot to try and avoid this underestimated sickness. Keep in mind that washing your hands really does make a difference, especially in public areas. It is wise to see a doctor if you think you may have the flu, in order to prevent it from getting worse. {NY Times: This Flu Season Is the Worst in Nearly a Decade} Story by Willow Schenk  As of January 20th, 2018, at 12:00 noon, Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, officially became president for one year. Trump said he would do a lot in his first year. But did he? Here’s a rundown.
Building a wall and getting Mexico to pay for it No Progress - Before the election, Trump said that he would build a wall along the Mexican border, and getting Mexico to pay for it. After the election, Mexico confirms that they still will not pay for it. Tax cuts Completed - Before the election, Trump promised for major tax cuts for working Americans. The Republican tax plan, passed in December 2017, pushed the tax down from 35% to 15%. The image here shows who is impacted by these tax cuts. (Image from taxfoundation.org) Deporting all illegal immigrants No Progress - Before the election, Trump said that the 11.3 million illegal immigrants “have to go.” The number of deported immigrants were actually lower than they were in 2016. Banning Muslims Some Progress - Before the election, Trump promised for a ban on Muslims entering the country, a “total and complete” shutdown. The law got repealed. He did release two new travel bans in his first year. (Countries banned: Libya, Syria, Iran, Yemen, Somalia, Chad, North Korea, Venezuela). Obamacare Some Progress - In his first year in office, Trump was able to repeal parts of the law, but not all. His goal before the election was to completely take away Obamacare and replace it, although he has tried, over 70 times, he hasn't quite done that yet. Opinions I went around and asked some Asheville Middle School students their opinions on Trump’s first year in office. “He is going to kill us all.” - Juvae, 7th Grade Journalism Student “I think his first year in office was okay, minus that whole nuclear war thing that’s been going on” - 7th Grade Journalism Student “He got a lot of things done. He has held up on some of his promises, like the tax cuts, and he has generally made a ton of impact. But, he seems to be going nowhere now. He has not followed through on many of the promises he made during his campaign, like "ridding the country of illegal immigrants". I think he should either start focusing on the important problems, like the environmental crisis, or gun control, or start following through with his own promises. 3 MORE YEARS, GUYS!” - Isaac Richmond, 7th Grade Student Story by Ryan Oast Source: BBC News (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37982000) Source: Tax Foundation (https://taxfoundation.org/final-tax-cuts-and-jobs-act-taxpayer-impacts/  Image from dw.com Miss the State of the Union? Here's what happened. Trump addressed some policy: Calling for the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to remain open, vowing to lower prescription drug costs, again dangling infrastructure as something both parties could work on, Trump also promised to rebuild America's Nuclear Arsenal, and threatened to cut off foreign aid to other countries. Afterward, Trump delivered a line that started a lot of controversy saying that Americans were dreamers too. All in all, it has seemed that Trump was doing a lot of bragging about how much he had done for this country, including his “record low” unemployment of minorities.
At President Trump's state of the Union Address, he claimed many things that he has done for the United States. The first of these things is that he claims that since the election America has created 2.4 million new jobs. In truth, since his inauguration, Americans have only found 1.8 million jobs which is actually the averaging slowest rate since 2010. According to the Guardian, a second thing President Trump claimed at his address was that “African American unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded, and Hispanic American unemployment has also reached the lowest levels in history.” Here we have done well because in truth African American unemployment right now is at a record low at 6.8% and Hispanic American Unemployment just nearly there at 4.9% the record low being 4.8% according to Alan Yuhas from the Guardian. Many other topics were covered that day, but finally Trump spoke of Tax cuts saying “We enacted the biggest tax cuts and reforms in American history. Our massive tax cuts provide tremendous relief for the middle class and small businesses.” In truth, this is a large tax cut but only the eighth largest. It is misleading as well to claim that this is helping everyone, seeing that overtime this disproportionately helps the wealthy save money. All in all, it is found that Trump does stretch the truth but he has done some good it seems. After the Donald J. Trump's 128 minute long speech, the democrats offered a considerably shorter speech of around 20 mins. As democrats often do, the speech was more emotionally driven with words like ”Bullies may land a punch, they might leave a mark. But they have never, not once, in the history of our United States, managed to match the strength and spirit of a people united in defense of their future." The speech was widely considered inspiring and refreshing, and given by Joseph Kennedy III. Many wonder if Joe Kennedy III plans to run for president come 2020. If he did, he would follow his great uncle's footsteps. Like his great uncle he would be a historically young president. While it remains unclear whether he wants to run, it would be unprecedented due to his young age and relative inexperience, only being a congressman. Whatever the case, Joe Kennedy would enjoy support from many democrats. Story by Peter Hornaday and Franklin Bester-Sproul  An Eagles player with his daughter. On February 4th, 2018, the Philadelphia Eagles played off against the New England Patriots in the 52nd Super Bowl. Each team had a great game and even broke records. The score ended up being 41-33 with the Eagles on top. Eagles were led by head coach Doug Pederson and Patriots were led by Head coach Bill Belichick.
Many records were broken on both teams. The Patriots had a total of 613 yards. Both teams broke the record for combining for most yards in a Super Bowl and most first downs. It also had the fewest punts which was just one. Even though the Patriots were favored to win the game, the Eagles came in with pride and took the game over. This was the Eagles first Super Bowl win, which especially in Philly is a BIG deal. This year no one could really predict who was going to be in the Super Bowl until late playoffs. So who knows maybe your team will make it next year. Story by Winston Sloan Picture and Text source: https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2018/2/5/16972206/super-bowl-records-broken-patriots-eagles |
