Coronavirus in Arlington Heights
Illinois has had four people test positive to the highly infectious disease, the coronavirus (COVID-19). An Arlington Heights citizen in his seventies was released from Northwest Community High School, according to Fox 32. On March 5, 2020 officials stated that he was “doing well”. His wife later tested positive for the disease and they are both currently quarantined in their home.
“I am not worried about the coronavirus,” sophomore Hannah Derenzo said. “[Arlington Heights is] pretty far from us and people that have it are being quarantined, which makes me feel safe.”
Arlington Heights is a fifty minute drive from Antioch Community High School.
Democratic Candidates Drop out of Race
There are currently five candidates in the 2020 presidential race. The Democratic runners are: former vice president and senator Joe Biden, senator of Vermont Bernie Sanders and representative of Hawaii Tulsi Gabbard. Those running for the Republican party are current president Donald Trump and former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld. Recently, Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren dropped out of the race although she was once a front runner. Billionaire and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar and Former Indiana mayor Pete Buttigeg also dropped their campaign, according to Business Insider. This means that the United States will continue its past of having a male president.
First African American On the Illinois High Court Dies at 86
Illinois Supreme Court Justice Charles E. Freeman, the first African-American to serve on the Illinois High Court, died at the age of 86 on Monday March 2. According to ABC News, Freeman’s colleagues speak very highly of him, with comments such as, ‘he was a gentleman and truly gracious individual. I never heard him say an unkind word about anyone’ from current Chief Justice Ann M. Burke. Chief Justice Freeman had large impacts on Illinois, making sure every jury heard both the prosecution and defensive arguments for a fair trial.
Illinois is Being Sued Over Voting Rights Abuse Due to ‘Badly Fumbled’ AVR
In an attempt to make the ballot box readily accessible to minority groups and non-English speakers, Illinois enacted the Automatic Voter Registration, however a lawsuit was filed against the execution of the AVR. This system has reportedly caused record-keeping errors and confusion in voters, which strictly violates federal voting rights. According to The Fulcrum, there have been many mistakes with this system, last month 776 ex-felons had their registration cancelled, in January 600 noncitizens were added to rolls, and in previous years the AVR has suggested that 16 year-olds were eligible to vote. The lawsuit was filed by the Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Chicago, Change Illinois, Chicago Votes Education Fund, Common Cause Illinois, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and the Illinois Public Interest Research Group Education Fund.
Illinois Uses Humorous Highway Signs to Keep Drives Under the Influence Off the Road
The use of highway signs to convey news to drivers is widely spread across the United States, although recently some states use signs as reminders for safe driving. Illinois recently legalized marijuana, prompting the reminder to not drive under the influence of the drug or any other substances. According to the National Public Radio, some signs say things such as: ‘Got the Munchies? Get Food Delivered. Don’t Drive High!’ or ‘Puff puff? Pass the Keys to a Designated Driver’, while other signs address safety concerns such as the use of seat belts; ‘Treat Your Kids Like A Fanny Pack, Buckle Up in Back.’ Ideas like this stem from the mind of Guy Tridgell at the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Primaries Soon to Come to Illinois
The Illinois primaries are taking place March 17, 2020. Sanders and Biden are the frontrunners for the Democratic party, with Biden in the lead with the most delegates. Although Super Tuesday ended in favor of Biden, Sanders still has the potential to win California, which would put him in the lead. CNN found that the California delegates will not be tallied for another couple of weeks, but Sanders is assumed to win it.
“[Voting] gives a chance to choose leaders representatives who will do things that are important to them,” senior Chrystian Lisak said.
Those turning 18 before election day on November 3, 2020 are allowed to vote for the primaries even if they are 17 currently.
Residents of Crystal Lake Relieved After Demolishing of House Where Five-Year-Old Was Beaten to Death
Crystal Lake residents were glad to see the home of 5-year-old AJ Freund demolished. Freund was beaten to death by his parents in April of 2019. Proceeding the events, neighbors of Freund vouched for the destruction of the house, as, even just walking by the house brought back memories from Freund’s death. According to the Northwest Herald, the city found it cheaper to demolish the house at the price of $17,000, rather than renovate it to health codes which would cost $103,000. The original plans to take down the house were set for February 28 and 29, but was delayed due to wet conditions. Around 8 a.m on March 4, workers began tearing down the house, with crowds of onlookers gathered on the sidewalk, across the street.
Seven ACHS Students Qualify to Apply For Study Abroad Trip in Germany
Every year, students enrolled in a German language class have the ability to take the National German Exam (NGE) created by the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG). If a student scores in the 90 percentile or above, they have the ability to apply for a study trip in Germany; only 40 kids from across the country receive that experience. After going through a long process, junior Jacob Slabosz won the opportunity to experience German culture while on this study trip last year.
“[A student will] fill out an application and then do interviews with chairmen from the chapter— Antioch is in the Northern Illinois chapter,” Slabosz said. “There are 50 chapters across the country, each chapter selects two students to send to the National Board. The National Board picks about 40 students to send on the trip.”
Seven ACHS students have qualified to apply to represent the Northern Illinois chapter in the decision of the AATG, including Slabosz, although he isn’t allowed to win nor apply for the trip again. This process is highly selective in the sense that not every chapter will have the opportunity to send a student on the study trip, meaning that there’s the possibility that no one from ACHS will be chosen to go on the study trip.
Since the number of students picked to go on the study trip is low, there’s the option to visit the Concordia Language Villages in Beltrami County, Minnesota. In this small town, students will have the ability to further their German skills as it is a German Immersion camp to imitate the experience a student would have in Germany.
Three Killed in Small Plane Crash in Southern Illinois
A plane crashed and caught fire on I-55 in Lincoln, Illinois. The Chicago Sun Times reported three men killed in the crash. The Illinois State Police stated that the men were 22-year-old Mitchell Janssen, 30-year-old Kevin Chapman and 33-year-old Matthew Hanson. The road was closed for nearly six hours from the broken single engine, four seat Cessna 172. The crash occurred on March 3, 2020 at 8:49 in the morning.
Tornadoes Rip Through Tennessee
Tornadoes blew through Nashville, Tennessee on March 3, 2020. The New York Times found that 25 people were killed as the powerful storm took its course. Electrical lines were on the ground and streets were filled with debris. At least 19 people died in Putnam County and six others were found dead in other areas. Authorities reported that 48 structures have either partially or completely collapsed. Nashville is familiar with tornadoes as they have had many dangerous storms in the past decade. President Donald Trump stated that he will be visiting the city on March 6, 2020.
