-Shawntel Tulpan
On March 26, the senior class of 2015, attended the Senior Breakfast. Each year, Overhills puts together a breakfast gathering for the seniors to reminisce on the school year. Guest speaker, Ms. Jones, has worked for Harnett County for around 10 years. She gave the seniors an encouraging speech about the future events that will occur in their lives. After the uplifting speech, a slide of pictures (created by Jasmine McNeill) was shown. The seniors had a great time at the breakfast and are counting the days down to graduation!
-Shawntel Tulpan In a San Francisco Elementary School, fifth grader Ivy Swing spent a day in a first grade classroom filling out worksheets and helping them read because the class had no substitute teacher. School officials say the shortage worsened as the unemployment rate improved. In Washington State, a prelimintary survey late last year by the office of state Actuary found 84 of 94 school districts that responded had trouble finding substitutes. West Virginia lawmakers voted in 2013 to require central office administrators to fill in for absent teachers three days a year because of the shortage. Schools in Fishers, Indiana say that this year they are able to fill about 93% of its openings, down from 97% last year.
-Katelyn Goodell Nearly a thousand British paratroopers are spending most of March and April on Fort Bragg for a historic training session. They will be living and working on post for the next seven weeks and in the up and coming weeks will cover all sorts of activities and field exercises. The ultimate goal is for British and America troops to not just work beside each other as in the past, but to be completely integrated with each other. Shervington, the head of the American and British military, said they have been planning this integration for about two years. He also expects similar training sessions in the next few years.
-Chloe Cunningham Exercise is essential for the health of many. Daily things such as walking are made difficult or are forgotten. The simple bicycle is slowly becoming extinct in the changing exercise realm. Motor vehicles are running the streets of London, making the air polluted and causing traffic jams. But, by the year 2016, London plans on having many bike highways spanning across the city. The approximate amount of money they plan on using is $1.4 billion or 900 million pounds. The name of this particular path is East-West Cycle Superhighway. It would be connecting Acton in West London to Barking in the east and is 18 miles across. Many in London think it is a good decision due to what bikes can do to the community. Bikes can reduce the pressure on roads, clear the congestion in bus and rail networks, lower air pollution and help people to live a more generally healthy life. Another bike way that is planned to be built is Sky Cycle. This highway will connect Batter sea with the Docklands. The architect firm for the project is Norman Foster. The pathway would be floating on the Thames river and anchored to the river bed. In general, there will be 10 routes that are 221 km or 136 miles long that can have 12,000 cyclists per hour on it. Not everyone thinks that this is a good idea though. The Licensed Taxi Drivers Association released a statement that the paths will take up space from motor traffic. Instead of making separate paths for bikes on the surface, London thinks that they could finally put some use in their 18 "ghost" tunnels and stations underground metros. They stretch 250 miles across the city. The simplest of machines, such as bicycles are slightly becoming more prominent all around the world.
-Ebony McPherson Malcolm Jacob, a 20-year-old man living in the Bronx, was stabbed to death after accusing his mother’s boyfriend of stealing his shoes. The event occurred within their apartment on Merriam Ave. near W. 170th St. in Highbridge at approximately 10:10 p.m., while Malcolm was visiting his biological mother. He had lived with his foster parent beforehand.
At the time of the stabbing his biological mother was present, unexpectant of what the argument was to come of. Malcolm’s foster parent is reported to be very pained by the situation and full of anger towards Malcolm’s biological mother’s ex-boyfriend. An exclusive interview can be found with Malcolm’s foster parent on the NY Daily News website. Crocker, Malcolm’s biological mother’s boyfriend, had been no stranger to crime. In the start of 1991 he served three years of jail time for a robbery. Malcolm, according to his foster parent, never seemed to be a fan of Crocker. Assumptions can be made that the two had problems in the past and perhaps it boiled down to a dramatic turn of events. -Isabel Hernandez A Canadian tourist was killed after a small inflatable tour boat collided with a whale off the coast of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The victim was identified as Jennifer Karren, 35, from Calgary, Canada. The inflatable boat, designed for recreational diving, was carrying nine people and was returning from a snorkel tour when the side of the craft collided with a whale. Karren fell in the water, and a tour guide and another passenger jumped in and brought her back in the boat. She was rushed to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead, according to the prosecutor's office.
-Shawntel Tulpan Two Secret Service Agents are under investigation for allegedly driving under the influence. The two agents were returning from a farewell party, however it is still unclear when the agents were stopped and what have the officials the image that they weren't entirely sober. When the agents arrived it was said that they did not appear to be behaving erratically. The agents were not an issue at the initial checkpoints, it wasn't until later checkpoints. The two agents are still under investigation.
-Shawntel Tulpan Suicide bombers attacked two mosques in Sanaa, which is Yemen’s capital. Some reports say nearly 200 civilians were injured or killed, while others reported the toll to be around 100. According to the Ministry of Information in Yemen, 120 people were killed and 150 people were injured.
Among those people were two religious leaders: the imam (one who leads prayers) for one of the mosques and an Shia religious leader. The ones who claimed to be responsible for the attacks was the infamous terrorist group ISIS. They most likely targeted those two specific mosques as they were used by supporters of a rebel group. Dozens of families are mourning the losses and even more are hoping the injured will heal. - Isabel Hernandez The National Technical Honor Society, NTHS for short, is doing great things. Summer Rehm talked with me about the society saying the ultimate goal is raising money for Leukemia and Lymphoma. The requirements to join the program are to have a 3.0 GPA, pay a $30 entry fee and to have been part of another organization such as Beta or ROTC. Some of their accomplishments so far are hosting and running the blood drives. NTHS also plans to place 'Pasta for Pennies' boxes in all classes after spring break. The fourth period class who raises the most money will have a pasta party hosted by Olive Garden. They also have other ideas to raise money like a pie throwing contest. NTHS is all about raising money so if you have great ideas and want to help with a great cause then join the club. -Jamie Huymaier You most likely have a box of Kraft mac and cheese sitting in your pantry but what you may not know is that Kraft foods is pulling back 6.5 million boxes of its macaroni and cheese product after it was found out that some of these boxes contain small pieces of metal. The affected products were shipped all across the united states; as well as Puerto Rico, South America and the Caribbean. Kraft has received only a few phone calls, and luckily no injuries have been reported. If you have purchased a recall product, you can easily return it to the store fro a refund or exchange. You an also contact Kraft for a refund at 1-800-816-9432.
-Chloe Cunningham A 5 year old accidentally shot his 6 year old brother after finding an unsecured pistol in their Harris County, Texas, home, according to the police. the child crime happened on March 2, when the officers found the 6 year old with one gunshot wound to his lower abdomen, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office. The injured boy was rushed into surgery in critical condition and was taken to Memorial Herman Hospital. On Feb. 27, the police said a 3 year old boy shot and killed himself with a gun he found in his home. On March 1, a 4 year old died under similar circumstances. The authorities suggested that both of these cases are under review. Authorities are urging residents to do more to keep guns out of the hands of children, as this is the third gun incident in involving children.
-James McRae More than 400 miles from Cairo in the city of Luxor lies a newly discovered tomb. The tomb holds 3000 year old art and sates all the way back to Egypt's 18th dynasty, which reigned from 1543 to 1292 BC. Washington Post said, Many of the scenes represent the tomb owner and his wife in front of an offering table and a view of a goddess nursing a royal child as well as scenes of the daily life." King Tutankhamun - Tut - ruled this dynasty and is one of the most famous kings in history. Egyptians in this time period honored the god of all gods. Amun was the one who ruled over Zeus, Odin, Big Kahuna, Jupiter and many others. But this tomb was dedicated to Amenhotep, the nobleman and guardian of Amun. The colors of the tomb were in bright greens and browns. Though there were beautiful sections of art, names, and hieroglyphics, scenes of gods and Amun were erased. Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities and the American Research Centre of Egypt (ARCE) are still deciding what to do with the artifacts.
-Kelly Wolvington Comic Con is one of the most famous and largest conventions known. This convention is recommended for people who do not mind crowds or would like to meet a celebrity that they’re fans of. VIP tickets are available for several of the special guests and those with VIP tickets can receive an exclusive The Walking Dead comic book with a variant cover as well as a three day pass and other VIP-exclusive things. Honorable mentions regarding guests include David Tennant (Doctor Who), William Shatner (Star Trek), Ian Somerhalder (The Vampire Diaries), Tyler Hoechlin (Teen Wolf), Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings), Sarah Wayne Callies (The Walking Dead) and more. The convention is located in Raleigh at the Raleigh Convention Center. Some of our fellow Overhills High students were at the convention, including Hayden Motes, Dylan Doyle, Aaliyah Kuglin, Justin Paris and myself (Isabel Hernandez).
An interview was arranged with Dylan Doyle, as he explains his experience and perspective of the convention through a first-time convention attendees’ eyes. This was your first convention… how was it? What was your first impression of it? It was good, it was fun on-site and I wish I had stayed longer. What did you think the convention was going to be like initially? Give your honest opinion. I thought it would be bigger and have more food. Maybe themed, like have some Harry Potter based food. Something along those lines. What did you do at the convention? I hung out with this girl the whole time. We bought some stuff and went to the gaming section later on. What are some pros of the con? There was a bunch of stuff to do. Gaming and the vendors were really big and a lot of people were there to see celebrities like David Tennant or Ian (Somerhalder). Would you ever go back? Yeah, I would. It was a lot of fun and going with friends makes it all the better. This convention was hosted through Mar. 13-15 and several thousand people attended. There were over 50 panels at the convention, including Q&A sessions with celebrities. A surprise gig was made by Wake and District Public Safety Pipes and Drums and played bagpipes as a tribute and salute to Leonard Nimoy, one of the main characters in the famous sci-fi show Star Trek. - Isabel Hernandez On March 3, the chief of Nepal's Mountaineering Association said that human waste left on Mount Everest has become a serious situation and is causing pollution and threatening to spread disease. More than 700 climbers and guides who spend around two months on the slopes each climbing season have large amounts of feces and urine, and the issue has yet to be addressed. "Climbers usually dig holes in the snow for their toilet use and leave their waste there," Tshering said. At a base camp, there are toilet tents that are used to dispose waste properly. Nepal's government has not come up with a plan to help eliminate this problem, but starting this season they are taking serious caution to monitor waste on the slopes. -Shawntel Tulpan Space is the empty void that we humans are trying to figure out more about. Our galaxy is very old. In fact, it is 13.7 billion years old! Why is this relevant you may ask? Well, earlier this year, a group of researchers in China had discovered a black hole that is 12 million times bigger than the Sun. It was expected to have formed 900 million years before the Big Bang. The name of this black hole is SDSS J010013.02. Xue-Bing Wu of Peking University and some of his co-workers saw the black hole through a telescope in Yunnan, China. Telescopes were set up all over the world so it was easier to view. Quasars are the beacons of light that take in material. This black hole was created differently from other black holes. Instead of the collapse of a very large gas cloud, it is the collapse of a single star.
-Ebony McPherson An expedition team of scientists and archaeologists have discovered- or rather unearth- the ruins of an ancient civilization in the Honduran jungle. The lead archaeologist- Christopher Fisher- also received quite the welcome. A feisty spider monkey decided that Fisher was intruding on his territory. The monkey then proceeded to throw leaved and branches at him. This happened just moments before he was able to see what he had looked so hard for. One of the first things he saw, was finely carve Jaguar, decorated with serpents. That were once ceremonial seats. This is just one of the many gems located in the Honduran city. All of the items were left and simply documented. In the future Fisher wishes to go again, hoping there is a collection of cities all around the area. It won't be long before he is back in the jungle.
-Chloe Cunningham When applying for any job or scholarship or internships, you must keep in mind that the decision-making already begins before you even walk through the door. Employers do look at applications and resumes, but the biggest factor of the decision-making process is googling the applicant. Through googling the person's name, all of their online activity becomes the deciding factor.
If everything is professional and positive it can factor in as a very good possibility for hire. However, the opposite could also occur if you have lots of negative feedback your application can be immediately denied. Even the people you associate with and their profile activities could apply to the decision because it could color you in a different way. Just make sure that before applying for anything your online presence is professional and positive, it matters. -Brianna Boahn A Washington State bus crash between a bus driver, truck driver and an automobile driver happened in Seattle, Wash., at Highway 97 north of Orondo and 150 miles east of Seattle, at 8 a.m., on Thursday, Feb. 5. The Washington State Patrol suggested that the truck driver's name Kenneth Hahn, age 54, of Yakima, fell asleep Thursday before his vehicle crossed the center line of a rural Washington highway and collided with a car and a school bus, killing the car driver and sending dozens of students to the hospital for evaluation.
The authorities said that the car driver named Carmela Cuellar Morales, age 22, of Orondo, died at the scene. A 12-year-old female passenger in her car was injured and taken to Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee. Hospital spokeswoman Steph Grubich said the child was treated and released. Also, they continued that forty-three students were taken to the hospital and sent home after the bus crash. The truck driver, a 36-year-old male passenger in the truck and the driver of the Orondo School District bus, identified as Pamela Robertson, age 53, of Orondo, were reported in satisfactory condition Thursday night at the hospital Pamela Robertson said, "When the truck crashed the bus, the kids and I fell out of the seats." Trooper Darren Wright reported that with a voluntary blood sample from the truck driver, investigators will check for any evidence that alcohol or drugs played a role in the crash. - James McRae On Dec. 28, 2014, 17-year-old transgender teen Leelah Alcorn stepped in front of a semi-trailer, dying instantly. On Feb. 15, 15-year-old transgender teen Zander Mahaffey took his own life as well. Both teens posted very similar suicide notes on their Tumblr blogs before committing the act. Leelah and Zander both claimed their parents were non-supportive and abusive in regards to their gender. Since their unfortunate passing, the hashtags #HerNameWasLeelah and #HisNameWasZander have trended on social media, alongside suicide hotline numbers in efforts to prevent further deaths.
However, these two deaths are no shock to the transgender community. Suicide is very common in transgender individuals due to society's look on trans people. If you don't know or are unsure of someone's preferred gender, politely ask what pronouns they prefer. Avoid backhanded compliments, such as, "You look just like a real man/woman!" or, "I would've never guessed you're trans, you're so pretty/handsome!" Also, under no circumstance, no matter how curious you are, ask about a trans person's genitals or how they have sex. Trans people are real people with real feelings and emotions, so think before you speak, as it may be unintentionally hurtful. - Kat Van Nort The police from Cary reported that a jewelry store robbery was caught on camera at the Jewel Recycle on Feb. 15. The police described the robber as a man wearing a black leather jacket, cargo pants, hiking boots, a face mask and a large camping backpack with pry tools. His height is six feet tall and weight is between 180 and 200 pounds.
The police claim the robber broke the front door. While the jewelry store robbery was caught on camera, the police suggested that the robbery could be connected to other break-ins at any area in Cary. Randall Rhyne, captain of Cary's Criminal Investigations Divisions said, "It's imperative we identify this person, as in the last month, there have been several commercial burglaries reported after business hours in which we've since discovered similar methods of operation." If anyone has any information about the robbery, contact the Town of Cary Police Department at (919)469-4012 or report it to the Cary Crime Stoppers at (919)460-4636. The Cary Crime will pay a $2,500 reward for the arrest or indictment of certain types of crimes. - James McRae Michelle Carter, 18, was indicted on Feb. 15. Carter sent texts that were encouraging her friend to commit suicide. Conrad Roy, 18, was found dead in his car on July 13. The cause being carbon monoxide poisoning. Roy got out of the car and told his friend he was having second thoughts but Carer encouraged him to get back into the car, as many texts were sent back and forth between Roy and Carter. Michelle Carter's pretrial hearing will be held in April. She is being charged for involuntary manslaughter.
- Jamie Huymaier After about two weeks out of school, you would think mother nature would let off the reins, but that is not the case for this March. Due to the many delays, the first six weeks grading period ends by March 12 and the report cards come out March 19. Cap and gown pictures for seniors have been canceled twice in a row! Boys' pictures are being taken March 13 and ladies, your pictures are taken March 16 - another rainy day! Towards the end of the month, the rain should start clearing up and the temperatures will rise as we head over into April.
- Kelly Wolvington JROTC, or Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, is a military program for high school students, enabling them to learn responsibility and a sense of accomplishment, as well as receive a boost in the military after registering. I interviewed Ashley Taylor to find out more about the inner workings of the program.
VAN NORT: What does ROTC offer students? TAYLOR: ROTC offers three auxiliary teams- drill, raiders and marksmanship team. VAN NORT: What rank are you currently? TAYLOR: I am a Cadet Major. VAN NORT: What are your instructors like? TAYLOR: There’s Command Sergeant Major, he’s pretty cool. If you don’t make it through his class, you don’t make it to the other classes but he’s not scary like he seems to be. Then you have Retired Sergeant First Class Penny. His class is actual class work and he likes it a certain way so it can be a little difficult. Then you reach Ret. LTC Covington’s class, which is like the top of the ROTC food chain. you have so much responsibility in that class, so you do a lot of behind the scenes work. So the instructors are pretty nice you just have to get in their office and talk to them. VAN NORT: What’s an average week in ROTC? TAYLOR: All three classes have a structured week plan. Monday you do drill, leadership lab or admin. tuesdays and thursdays are actual class periods. wednesdays we have inspection, which is why you’ll see us in uniform. And then Friday is when we have P.T. VAN NORT: How has ROTC helped you grow as a person? TAYLOR: It teaches you leadership, which I feel is an automatic effect of ROTC, you don’t leave without becoming a leader. They force you to be one, and sometimes you don’t even realize it. It’s given me a better sense of taking responsibility for what I’ve done and how to be a mentor and a mentee, because that’s a hard thing to do too. VAN NORT: What’s the difference between dress greens and dress blues? TAYLOR: [laughs] We’re slowly transitioning from the old greens to blues because we have less sizes in blues but more sizes in greens. There’s actually no status difference. VAN NORT: How do you get promoted? TAYLOR: Your teachers will recommend you be promoted and different promotion requirements like having all assignments turned in and no demerits VAN NORT: Then how do you get a demerit? TAYLOR: Being late to class, not wearing your beret, being disrespectful and not turning in assignments are some of the ways you can get a demerit. VAN NORT: Why should someone join ROTC? TAYLOR: Join because you genuinely want to, because you have a connection, because you want more responsibility, because you want to be a leader. It’s a great way to get involved with school and it looks great on transcripts. - Kat Van Nort An Italian doctor believes he can improve the lives of people suffering from paralysis and cancer with a head transplant procedure. With a story like this, it almost seems surreal to be able to transfer an entire head or rather brain onto another body. This procedure is hoped to be successful in about two years time. However, this is not a head transplant but actually a body procedure. Before a procedure like this is even attempted, researchers, would need to show that the spinal cord could be made together in humans. The challenges of a head transplant also include getting vocal cords to work. Making sure the trachea and esophagus to function properly. Research is still to be made, so for now, no one's brain will be going anywhere.
- Chloe Cunningham A large pile-up took place Friday, Feb. 27, on North Carolina Highway 87. According to authorities a white pickup truck collided with a large tanker truck after water from a underground spring flowed into the road and froze. The trucks collided and soon caught fire, which ignited the fuel that spewed from the larger vehicle. The driver of the pickup, 30-year-old Saul Vasquez, died at the scene. Authorities had to completely close down Highway 87 down for several hours, re-routing the traffic, as best they could, down Highway 210. When the crash occurred, the owner of the house directly in front of the location notified authorities, and along with a group of soldiers on their way to work, began to retrieve Vasquez from the burning wreck.
The owner of the home, Robert McDermott and his neighbors have been complaining to the county for years about the conditions caused by the underground spring. An attempt was made to rectify the spring, but it did little to help. McDermott said, "Maybe this can bring some resolution to this issue we've been having out here for several years." - Joshua Bowen |
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