DECEMBER 2019 NEWS RECAP
LOCAL NEWS:
Maxima Gift Center pop-up shop opens in Lexington center
Jelena Babic and Brian Phillips, the owners of the original Maxima Gift Center in Arlington, recently opened a pop-up shop in Lexington center on November 2nd, just in time for the holiday season. The shop was a temporary extension of the original in Arlington and stayed until the end of the year. The store sold gifts ranging from kids’ toys, knick knacks, and candy, to modern jewelry, scarves, and other locally made products.
Lexington Public Schools’ first snow day of the year
On December 3rd, Lexington Public Schools had their first snow day of the year. According to CBS Boston, Lexington reportedly received 14.6 inches of snow.
School committee finalizes town-wide redistricting plan
A new redistricting plan has been finalized and is expected to take effect in the fall of 2020. This plan is an attempt to accommodate the rising school enrollment numbers and uneven spread of students throughout the schools. Bridge and Bowman Elementary Schools will be the most affected; they are currently facing overcrowding issues.
LHS hosts annual Fall Jam
Lexington High School hosted its annual Fall Jam on December 6th. There were performances from all nine a capella groups, including the all-girls groups Onomatopoeia, Euphoria, and Guacamole, the all-boys groups, Rock Paper Scissors, Gents, and Pitchpipes, and the mixed groups, PB&J, Mixed Nuts, and Noteworthy.
Governor attends opening of Thermo Fisher Scientific facility in Lexington
Thermo Fisher Scientific celebrated its grand opening and partnership with Girls Inc. Massachusetts in Lexington on December 4th, with remarks from Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker. The facility will work on manufacturing life-saving gene therapies for its customers. The site is expected to create approximately 200 new jobs.
BIG HEADLINES:
Trayvon Martin’s killer files lawsuit against family
In 2012, George Michael Zimmerman fatally shot Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old African American in Sanford, Florida. The trial against the U.S. Department of Justice led to no persecution due to lack of evidence, though it ultimately disproved self-defense. On December 4th, Zimmerman filed a lawsuit against Martin’s parents for 100 million dollars on grounds of witness fraud and obstruction of justice. This latest update was met with national outrage.
Consulting company accused of aiding ICE policies at border
McKinsey & Company, a management consulting company, works with the Trump administration by managing spending for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. The international firm, originally brought in by President Obama, worked to organize funds carrying out the deportation of undocumented immigrants. However, some of the company’s money saving suggestions negatively affect these detained immigrants, proposing policies like cutting food and medical care funds. In early December, new documents emerged that suggest McKinsey broke ethical and legal rules in attempting to increase profits by deducting necessary care costs for ICE.
Robbery ends in shootout with UPS car chase
On December 12th, the robbery of Regent Jewelers in South Florida led to a police chase involving a UPS truck which ended in a fatal shootout, with four people dead. The two men that fled the scene hijacked a UPS truck, taking the driver as hostage. 40 police cars had been involved by the end of the chase an hour later.
16-year-old boy dies in border patrol custody
Carlos Vasquez, a 16-year-old undocumented immigrant, recently died in a holding cell after he was diagnosed with the flu with a fever of 103 degrees. After an investigation, it was found that the Border Patrol’s “commitment to health, safety, and humane treatment” was absent in the overcrowded center. A nurse who checked on Vasquez earlier stated that he should put in the emergency room, but instead he was placed in a cell under quarantine. Activity logs revealed that the officers checked three times on Carlos before he passed.
Navy sailor begins shooting at Pearl Harbor
Gabriel Romero, a U.S. Navy sailor, fatally shot two defense workers and injured one other on December 4th moments before taking his own life. Romero joined the navy two years prior to this incident at Pearl Harbor Navy Shipyard. An investigation is currently underway regarding the motivation of Romero’s actions.
Three dead in Pensacola shooting
A mass shooting occurred on December 6 at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. The shooter, Mohammed Al Shamrani, was a lieutenant in the Saudi Air Force before killing three people and injuring eight others with a handgun. Local deputies are currently investigating the motive behind his actions.
Juice WRLD passes away
Jarad Anthony Haggin, more commonly known as Juice WRLD, passed away on December 10th. The famous American rapper died at 21 years old after experiencing a seizure due to alleged drug ingestion on Sunday night at the Chicago Midway International Airport. His sudden death led to a wave of grief throughout the world by fans and other celebrities.
Greta Thunberg named TIME’s person of the year
Greta Thunberg, climate change activist, was named person of the year by Times magazine. The Swedish 16-year-old’s climate activism received international attention and inspired thousands of schools to follow in her actions. She calls for urgent change against the effects of global warming and the worldwide effects of humanity’s carbon footprint and general pollution.
POLITICS:
Impeachment report released by the House Intelligence Committee
The House Intelligence Committee released a 300-page impeachment report arguing that President Trump solicited help from foreign powers and obstructed inquiry into his actions on December 3rd. The report includes evidence on Trump withholding military aid from Ukraine for political gain, implementing a campaign to obstruct impeachment inquiry, and evidence that Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, executed a smear campaign against Yovanovitch, the American Ambassador to Ukraine.
Two articles of impeachment released by the House Judiciary Committee
The House Judiciary Committee has released two articles of impeachment, abuse of power and obstruction of congress. Both articles passed the House floor on December 18th, largely along party lines. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, however, has yet to hand over the articles to the Senate for trial.
White House doesn’t plan to participate in impeachment proceedings
The White House announced that it does not intend to mount a defense in the impeachment proceedings against President Trump. White House counsel Pat Cipollone wrote in a letter to House Judiciary Committee that the proceedings were “completely baseless” and a waste of the United States’ time.
Turkey waxes as NATO control wanes
Defense Secretary Mark Esper is worried that Turkey is falling out of NATO’s control. Turkey’s purchasing of Russian military hardware and military intervention in Syria is weakening military ties with the United States.
Violence Against Women Act stalled in the Senate
In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed into law the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), protecting survivors of gender violence. The newly updated version of VAWA expanded jurisdiction of Tribal courts over non-Native men abusing Native women. It also updated provisions regarding trangender survivors of domestic violence and attempted to close the “boyfriend loophole” that allowed non-spouse abusers to easily obtain firearms. The bill has passed in the House but is stalled in the Senate by the NRA, which claims that the bill will negatively affect their ratings. In response, a second version of VAWA has been introduced that disregards the boyfriend loophole and excludes protections of LGBTQ survivors and indigenous women.
North Korea’s “Christmas Gift”
The North Korean government has warned that if the United States does not soften its negotiating stance, it will take a “new path” and give the U.S. a “Christmas gift.” Although North Korea has not specified what this “gift” was, policy analysts believed they would return to intercontinental ballistic missile testing. As December 25th passed, American security forces were unable to find evidence of North Korean nuclear activity.
House passes bill revising and restoring federal election oversight in Voting Rights Act, stalled in the Senate.
The House of Representatives has voted to reinstate federal oversight of state election law to increase protections against racial discrimination, advancing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The bill is in response to a 2013 Supreme Court decision that struck down federal oversight. The bill, passed along partisan lines is unlikely to come to a vote in the Senate.
Trump’s executive order on Judaism
President Trump recently issued an executive order to combat anti-Semitism on college campuses by using Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Under this interpretation, Jews would be classified as a nationality or race. However, most polls indicate that Jewish people see being Jewish as a religious or cultural identity.
Iraqi protestors attack U.S. Embassy in Baghdad
Iraqi protesters camped outside the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on New Year’s Eve after deadly U.S. airstrikes on weapons depots in Iraq and Syria. The U.S. Government claimed the strikes were connected to a terrorist group. The protesters stormed the embassy on New Year’s Day and were met with tear gas.
LOOKING TOWARDS 2020:
December polls for early 2020 caucuses and national show where Democrats stand
As of December, presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is leading in New Hampshire at 18%, with Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren following with 17%, 15%, and 12% respectively. Biden is leading in Iowa at 23%, with Sanders, Buttigieg, and Warren at 22%, 18%, and 12% respectively. Biden is ahead nationally, with Sanders second and Warren third.
Kamala Harris and other presidential candidates drop out
Former presidential candidate and senator from California Kamala Harris has dropped out of the 2020 presidential race due to low polling and financial shortages. Leading up to this, Harris’s campaign dismissed staff in New Hampshire and Baltimore. Joe Sestak and Steve Bullock have also dropped out after low polling and failing to qualify in debates.
Trump targets presidential candidate’s business
President Trump’s re-election campaign announced that it will not allow Bloomberg News journalists to attend its political events. This decision is a response to Bloomberg ceasing to investigate Democratic candidates after the company’s owner, billionaire Michael Bloomberg joined the 2020 presidential race.
Pete Buttgieg criticized for working for McKinsey after ICE controversy
On December 10th, Pete Buttigieg released a list of clients he worked with as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company, a consulting firm after his ties to the company were called out. The list includes environmental nonprofits, as well as more controversial clients such as a healthcare firm that raised insurance prices and a Canadian company implicated in a price-fixing scandal.
Joe Biden calls man “a damn liar” in Iowa
Presidential candidate Joe Biden called an Iowa voter a “damn liar” after the man accused Biden of getting his son a board position in a Ukrainian gas company to increase political ties with Ukraine’s president. Biden also faced an accusation of being “too old to run for President,” in which he responded by challenging the voter to a pushup match, a running competition, and an IQ test.
Hillary Clinton accuses Bernie Sanders of 2016 slight
Hillary Clinton claimed Bernie Sanders’s delayed endorsement for her 2016 presidential candidacy hurt her in the general election. Sanders responded saying that he did everything he could to get Clinton elected president.
December Debate brings up questions of diversity
An initially diverse field of Democratic candidates has been reduced to seven participants for the December debates, of which all but one (Yang) was white and five were men. There were no women of color following Tulsi Gabbard’s refusal to participate and Kamala Harris’s dropping out. Candidates such as Cory Booker and Tulsi Gabbard claim the qualifying metrics prop up billionaire candidates who essentially buy their way in, disadvantaging candidates of color and not truly representing the Democratic Party’s base.
CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT:
Baby Yoda takes over the internet
Baby Yoda went viral after being introduced in a new Star Wars television show exclusively on new streaming platform Disney+, The Mandalorian. The species seen in the series resembles Yoda, but depicts a younger version, named in the series as “The Child.” Hasbro has already released official toys of the creature. The television show first aired in mid-November, now sparking attention from people around the world: in particular, theories have risen regarding its origin and meaning in the Star Wars plot.
Spotify users learn their listening data from Spotify Wrapped
The annual Spotify Wrapped was released on December 5th, summing up the year for over 200 million users of the popular music platform. People can see top songs, artists, genres, and more in Spotify’s infographic-like animation of the year. The end of a decade marks a recap of the past ten years within the platform description.
Harry Styles releases new album Fine Line
Harry Styles released a new album on December 13th titled Fine Line. His sophomore album received massive attention and anticipation from his millions of fans. The new album, preceded by three singles Lights Up, Watermelon Sugar, and Adore You, includes a variety of genres including rock and indie pop. The former One Direction member has already sold over 200,000 copies as of late December.
Last installation in Star Wars trilogy premieres
New movie Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker premiered December 20th in theaters, a third installment in the Star Wars trilogy and the last of the Skywalker Saga. The movie continues from earlier films including The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. This last movie of the famous sci-fi series has brought waves of fan attention with enormous anticipation; fans have been waiting to see if the movie will live up to its expectations.
Six Black women hold the top pageant titles
After Jamaica’s Toni-Ann Singh was named Miss World, this year’s beauty pageant circuit has been closed out by all African or African American women—a historic first. The rest of the winners include Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi, Miss America Nia Franklin, Miss USA Cheslie Kryst, Miss Teen USA Kaliegh Garris, and Ms. International Queen Jazell Barbie Royale.
WHOLESOME NEWS:
#GivingTuesday gives back
Giving Tuesday, or #GivingTuesday on social media, had its annual celebration on November 27th this year. The event was created in response to the booming consumerism around Black Friday and the holiday season; it gives people an opportunity to give back to charitable causes. GivingTuesday.org announced that it raised $511 million this year.
49ers cornerback, Richard Sherman, makes generous donations to clear lunch debts
San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman recently donated $27,000 to help fight lunch debt and childhood hunger. His first donation of $7,491.27 went to Cabrillo Middle School in Santa Clara, California, a school close to the 49ers’ home stadium. He later donated $20,000 to the Tacoma public school system, close to Seattle, where he spent his early career playing for the Seattle Seahawks.
70s children’s book said to have gay main characters
It has been revealed that Frog and Toad, from the book Frog and Toad are Friends, were actually gay characters and in a relationship. Frog and Toad are the two main characters in this popular children’s book written by Arnold Lobel. Lobel’s daughter theorizes that this was the beginning of her father’s coming out.
Five year old boy invites entire kindergarten class to his adoption hearing
Kindergartener Michael Orlando Clark, Jr. invited his entire class to come witness his official adoption at the Kent County Courthouse in Michigan. His classmates supported him by filling the courtroom and waving their handmade hearts. He was one of 37 children to get adopted during the Kent County’s annual Adoption Day.
by EVAN LI, AUSTIN LI, and MICHELLE WU