Kobe Bryant Killed in Plane Crash

A prominent former NBA player, Kobe Bryant, was killed alongside his daughter and seven other people while traveling to his daughter’s basketball game. The cause of the crash still has not been identified, but law enforcement in Calabasas, California found that the conditions the morning of Sunday, January 26, were not suitable for flying. The deaths of Bryant and his daughter Gianna were recognized nationally; all NBA games included 24-second shot clock penalties and at the University of Connecticut a jersey displaying the number two for Gianna. 

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Holocaust survivors, the 6 million Jewish people and 11 million others who perished during the second world war were celebrated on Monday, January 27. This year’s Holocaust Remembrance Day was special as it fell on the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Oświęcim, Poland. According to a presidential message via the White House website, an executive order against anti-Semitism was put in place in December of 2019, to combat any discrimination against Jewish people.

Taliban Claim to Have Shot Down U.S Military Plane

The United States military confirmed that a U.S Military plane did crash in Afghanistan, this crash caused two U.S airmen to be killed. Shortly after the crash, the Iran-funded Taliban claimed to have shot down the plane as retaliation against Qassem Soleimani’s assassination. According to Radio Free Europe, the U.S Military denies the thought of the Taliban being involved in the crash because there was no evidence to support the idea.

The Coronavirus

The coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China, but has spread around the world. New cases have been reported in a variety of countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and many countries in Southeast Asia. With five cases identified in the U.S, citizens have been cautious over where they go, what they do and who they come in contact with. Sophomore Sean Wagner shares his views while keeping himself updated with the latest news on the coronavirus and the efforts to contain the outbreak. 

“I find [the coronavirus] scary,” Wagner said. “ I do, however, appreciate that the U.S is trying to intervene with other countries like China and send them support like supplies.”

There have been some helpful efforts to contain the spread of the virus, including AbbVie Inc. that treats pneumonia present in patients infected by the coronavirus. While the coronavirus has infected thousands of victims and killed dozens, the World Health Organization remains hopeful that the virus can be contained before more serious measures need to be taken.

Trump’s Impeachment Trial

The Senate has taken over the impeachment trial since Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, sent the articles of impeachment to the Senate. It has been released to the press on Wednesday, January 29 that the Senate was in the ‘question and answer’ phase of the trial after seven days of listening to the argument of the officials in favor of impeachment. This was a somewhat interesting event, as the Senate members themselves are not allowed to speak; questions were submitted for the Chief Justice to ask and managers or lawyers to respond to. After this phase ends, there’s expected to be an equally divided debate, which is planned to be executed on Friday, January 31.

Trump’s Middle East Plan

The plan, three years in the making, was finally revealed. President Donald Trump met with Isralaen Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on January 28, 2020. According to the New York Times, this plan is meant to diminish the many generations of conflict between Israel and Pakistan. The plan includes the longtime goal of there being a fully Pakistanian state. Trump has stated that the hope is to allow the settlers and Pakistanians to stay where they currently call home.

Elon Musk Releases Song

Elon Musk, owner and creator of the Tesla brand, has released a song on Soundcloud. The song is called “Don’t Doubt ur Vibe.” Musk wrote and performed the lyrics on the tracks. The four minute and one second song consists of three sentences over and over again. Musk published the song under the name Emo G Records. He brought the songs to everyone’s attention by promoting on Twitter hours before tweeting out the Soundcloud link. The link is included here: Don’t Doubt ur Vibe

Teens Find Loophole In Vaping Ban

Vaping was once meant for adults trying to quit smoking, but has now become an addiction for some of the teenage population. NeoScope found that the Food and Drug Administration tried to extinguish teenagers vaping by banning all fruit and mint-flavored nicotine devices. The only exemption from this ban was disposable products. These products are different from standard nicotine devices because they are not refillable and are only able to be used for a certain amount of time. These disposables come in almost every flavor that the FDA banned. Because of the exemption, teens are now able to use the same products as before even with the ban.

Winterfest Spirit Week

The week leading up to the winter dance included dress days. These included: class colors, music, neon, pink out and black out. These days were meant to unify the school before the dance occurred on Friday, January 31. 

Sophomore Autumn Rizzo dressed up every single day of the week. She personally dresses for all spirit weeks.

“It is a lot of fun and it is good for school spirit,” Rizzo said. “I enjoy trying to be as bold as I can with the themes.”

Both the week up to it and Winterfest itself were full of spirit and that is all thanks to the students.

Coronavirus Affecting ACHS Japan Trip

Students and chaperones at ACHS will be leaving for Taiwan and Japan March 19 2020 for the yearly international trip. The sometimes fatal coronavirus was first found in China, an Asian country nearly 2000 miles away from Japan. 

“I will be keeping a close eye on [the virus] as we get nearer to departure and, if necessary, will include information about symptoms and preventative activities that we should ALL be taking regardless,” international travel club adviser Stephen Rose said.

The group is leaving in two months, so there is a chance that the virus will spread to where they will be going; however, it is also possible that the illness will no longer be a threat by the time of departure. This is the ideal situation so the trip does not have to be canceled.

Honorable Mentions:

• A priest from Michigan accused of bubble wrapping a boy is sentenced to 60 days in jail.
• Mattel created a new line of barbies to create diversity.
• 98.6 degrees is not the actual average body temperature of humans.