MARCH 2019 NEWS RECAP
LOCAL NEWS:
Town election results
On March 4th, Lexington residents voted in the town election: Suzanne E. Barry and Mark Sandeen, both representing Precinct 6, were elected for Selectmen; Deborah J. Brown was elected for a one-year term as a Moderator; Eileen S. Jay was elected to the School Committee; Robert D. Peters was elected to the planning board; and Melinda M. Walker was elected to the Lexington Housing Authority.
Asian Night
Asian Night, an annual event run by the LHS Asian Student Union, took place on Saturday, March 23rd, from 5 to 9 pm. The event has been held for the past nine years, and featured performances including dancing groups, singers, and more to celebrate Asian cultures.
UNH Jazz Festival
The LHS Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combo both won outstanding performance awards in their divisions at the Clark Terry UNH Jazz Festival on Saturday, March 9th. Middle school and high school jazz bands from all over New England are invited to play for adjudicators and receive feedback in this annual festival.
Lauren Sevian visits LHS
Grammy-winning saxophonist and composer Lauren Sevian joined the jazz bands of LHS for a workshop and concert on Friday, March 15th. The concert lasted from 7 pm to 10 pm and featured Jazz in the Middle, the LHS Septet, Combo, Big Band, and Jazz Ensemble.
TEDxLHS
TEDxLexingtonHS featured talks from entrepreneurs, educators, business owners, and scientists in the community. The student-organized event attracted many students, teachers, and parents. This event took place at LHS on Friday, March 8 from 2:30 pm to 5 pm.
Cary Library’s 150th Anniversary Gala
Cary Library’s 150th Anniversary Gala took place on Saturday, March 23. The sold-out event was sponsored by many local businesses, corporate donors, and individuals. It featured local musician and literary performer Regie O’Hare Gibson as well as the LHS Madrigal Singers.
Vigil for Christchurch mosques
On Sunday, March 24th, the town of Lexington held an interfaith vigil to remember the 50 people who lost their lives in the recent shooting massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand. This event, which took place on the Battle Green, allowed for Lexington residents and those from nearby towns to honor the victims in New Zealand and show their support for the Muslim community.
BIG HEADLINES:
Terrorist attack in Christchurch mosques
On March 15, fifty people were killed with another fifty injured in a mass terrorist shooting at the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Mosque in the town of Christchurch, New Zealand. A manifesto allegedly written and posted online by the perpetrator is being investigated by the police. The manifesto contains far right white supremacists views. Nearly 40,000 people attended a vigil on March 23rd to mourn the victims of the terror attack. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Thursday that the government would ban the semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles used in the shooting. Lawmakers have overwhelmingly backed this bill, and it is planned to become law on April 11th.
Mali massacre
Recently, 157 villagers died in a massacre in central Mali. The attack is likely a consequence of the Dogon Fulani conflict. The Dogon people live in the Bandiagara Escarpment in central Mali. The Fulani are a Muslim ethnic group of nomadic herders spanning across western Africa. The source of conflict likely originates from the simmering tensions between the Dogon and Fulani people—the Dogon people have accused the Fulani of sabotaging their farms. A militant Islamist conflict began in northern Mali recently, bringing more instability to the region. The United Nations have sent human rights experts to further investigate the issue.
College admissions bribery scandal
Federal prosecutors reveal that fifty parents were involved in a college admissions scandal that involved cheating on the SAT and bribing college coaches to recruit students. Actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman were implicated, along with William Rick Singer (CEO of The Key, a college counseling service). The University of Southern California, where the daughter of Lori Loughlin attends, is currently broadening the investigation and looking to revoke the degrees of alums who gained admissions by fraud. Yale University, another college implicated in the scandal, recently rescinded the admission of a student who had been accepted as part of the scandal. Yale also fired women’s soccer coach Rudy Meredith, who provided fraudulent athletic endorsements to tow applicants. On April third, Peter Jan Sartorio, a parent implicated in the scandal, plead guilty just before he was scheduled to appear in federal court.
Therese Patricia Okoumou
Therese Patricia Okoumou, the woman who climbed more than twenty feet onto the base of the Statue of Liberty to protest Trump’s immigration policy back in July 2018, was sentenced to no jail time with probation and community service on March 19th. As Okoumou walked into the court, her face was taped and she was wearing a jacket with “I Really Do Care” on the back, likely as a parody of a jacket worn by First Lady Melania Trump. In June 2018, Melania controversially wore a jacket with “I really don’t care, do u?” printed on the back as she traveled to meeting detained migrant kids in Texas.
Jussie Smollett
Prosecutors are dropping charges against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett after the Chicago Police Department charged him for filing a false police report. Smollett first gained national attention on January 22nd, when he claimed he was a victim of a hate crime; however, investigators found this crime was staged by Smollett. Prosecutor Risa Lanier said the decision was influenced by Smollett’s community service and willingness to turn over the $10,000 he had posted for bond. Sixteen counts of disorderly conduct were dropped.
Devin Nunes sues Twitter
Devin Nunes, a Republican representative for California’s 22nd congressional district, is filing lawsuits against Twitter and other individuals for mockery he received on the social media platform. Examples include tweets saying “@DevinNunes your district looking for you? Are you trying to obstruct a federal investigation again? You come home right this instant or not more Minecraft!” Nunes sued for $250 million dollars in damages from Twitter.
POLITICS:
House fails to override veto
The House failed March 26th to override President Trump’s veto after both the House and Senate passed a resolution aimed at overturning his national emergency declaration concerned with the matter of illegal immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border. The vote was 248 to 181, missing the two-thirds majority. Fourteen Republicans voted with the Democrats to support the override.
House of Representatives voting on the Equality Act
The Equality Act was introduced mid-March in order to prevent discrimination of LGBTQ folk both in the workplace and in housing. Currently, twenty-one states have laws that prohibit job discrimination based on sexual orientation, leaving other Americans in the LGBTQ community unprotected. The bill will likely pass easily in the Democrat-controlled house, but will have a more difficult time passing through the Senate and the executive branch. Moderate Democrat Joe Manchin broke with his party by speaking out against the Equality Act, claiming it doesn’t provide clear implementation mechanisms.
Foreign relations
A series of protests are occuring in Algeria demanding that President Bouteflika and his administration step aside. The protests were initially reactionary, against Bouteflika’s announcement that he would seek a fifth term after serving twenty years. Protestors are angry at Bouteflika’s lack of political engagement due to personal health problems, leading them to believe the government is managed by corrupt business and military elite. Protests spanning across multiple cities, many consisting of college students, demand the political system be reshaped in order to hand back power to the people.
State of Mueller investigation
Attorney General William P. Barr submitted a summary of the Mueller report that cleared Trump of further indictments in colluding with Russia during his presidential campaign. Congress is still disputing which parts of the Mueller report should be published, while Democrats are pushing Barr to explain what resulted in the conclusions in his summary of the report.
Trump on the investigation
Advisers and aids of Trump claim that he is planning to weaponize the results of the Mueller report against his political opponents, specifically against the individuals who brought up the accusations.
CULTURE:
Lilly Singh’s Late-Night show
Lilly Singh, the YouTube star “Superwoman,” announced she was hosting a Late-Night show on NBC. She is taking over Carson Daly’s 1:34 a.m. slot. Lily will be the only female host on NBC, debuting in September, and the first openly bi woman and the first woman of color to do so.
J.K. Rowling’s on sexuality
In an interview, J.K. Rowling revealed that popular Harry Potter character, Dumbledore, had an “incredibly intense sexual” relationship with the dark wizard. The relationship was never mentioned in the book series or the movie series featuring Grindelwald. Many were quick to backlash, claiming Rowling was artificially trying to diversify her book series without providing actual representation in her work.
Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel, Marvel’s first female-led film starring Brie Larson, grossed $912 million after only three weekends. The film was released on March 8 and is predicted to reach just under $1 billion next week. It is already one of Marvel’s highest grossing films.
LOOKING TOWARDS 2020:
Beto O’Rourke’s campaign video
On Thursday, March 14th, former Congressman Beto O’Rourke announced his presidential bid in a video and was met with mixed reactions. O’Rourke first garnered national attention in his while others were skeptical of how the video featured his completely supportive and silent wife. Amy O’Rourke sat next to him for the whole three-minute video, silently holding his hand and smiling for the camera. The power dynamics displayed in the video received criticism from several scholars who focus on gender studies. They claimed that there was nothing new or progressive about the video, and that the image of a silent wife does not send the right message.
Cory Booker’s relationship
Presidential candidate and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker gushed about his newly public relationship with actress Rosario Dawson during an appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” Booker said he was “blessed” to be with Dawson and that she “makes [him] a better person.” The two have supposedly been dating since December. Dawson reported that Booker is “a wonderful human being,” and that she is “grateful to be with someone that [she] respects and loves and admires so much.”
Elizabeth Warren’s town hall
Presidential candidate and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren hosted a town hall in Jackson, Mississippi on Monday, March 18th. She took questions from voters and announced that she would support replacing the Electoral College with a national popular vote. Warren also shared an inspiring personal story about her working-class family in Oklahoma. Warren discussed issues ranging from healthcare in America to her views on the technology industry. She also commented on the backlash that followed her claims to Native American heritage.
Early polling
Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders lead the early polling of Democrats in the 2020 presidential election, although the former has not officially announced his bid for the position. Among early primary state voters—according to Vox—Biden has more of a lead with 33 percent support, followed by Sanders at 21 percent, Harris at 11 percent, Warren at 10 percent, Booker at 6 percent, and O’Rourke at 5 percent. Klobuchar and Bloomberg each have 2 percent support. However, it is still early and there is still much campaigning to get through—most of the already-declared candidates are just now making some of their first stops in early primary states. The Democratic National Committee will hold a series of twelve debates starting June 2019.
Joe Biden faces allegations
Lucy Flores, a former Nevada assemblywoman, has accused Former Vice President Joe Biden of inappropriately harassing her at a 2014 Democratic campaign event. Flores wrote about her encounter with Biden in a recently published essay, where she explained how he touched and kissed her without her consent. Biden has denied acting inappropriately but has said he will “listen respectfully” to all accusations.
Dems Skip AIPAC
Several Democratic presidential candidates announced that they will not attend the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s policy conference this year after a prominent progressive group called on them to boycott the event. Warren, Harris, O’Rourke, and Sanders will all ditch the conference. They cited AIPAC’s opposition the Iran Nuclear Deal and alleged support for “anti-Muslim and anti-Arab rhetoric.” All of these Democratic candidates received backlash from Trump, who claimed that they are “anti-Jewish.”
WHOLESOME NEWS:
Taking good notes
A photo of a professor holding a student’s baby so the student could “take good notes” went viral after a student shared the story and image on Twitter. Dr. Nathan Alexander is a 34-year-old math professor at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. Student Wayne Hayer was unable to find a babysitter or arrange for someone to look after his daughter, Assata, so he brought her to class so he would not miss the lecture. Alexander taught the entire 50-minute class while holding Assata and continued to hold her after class while talking to students. “Anything I can do to support you, let me know,” Alexander told the father. “That’s what I’m here for as an educator.”
Iceberg Queen
Judith Streng, a 77-year old grandmother from Texas, struck a pose on an iceberg that washed up on Diamond Beach in Jokulsarlon, while her son took a picture. The iceberg was then dislodged by a wave, sending the “iceberg queen,” as Streng was later called, adrift. “When I got on it, it started to totter and a wave was coming in,” Streng said. “A very large wave came in and kind of made the throne kind of rock, and I could tell that I was slipping off.” She told ABC News that her rescuer was Randy Lacount, a boat captain from Florida who witnessed her float away. She also told the network: “You know, I always wanted to be a queen. I mean, come on, that was my chance.”
Iowa farmers helping flood victims
Iowa farmers have united to bring aid to flooded communities in Nebraska. Images of the flooding led Iowa farmers Robert Broulik and James Garnant to take action: “It’s tough to see them people in that kind of shape,” Garnant said. After a few phone calls to other local farmers, an oversize-load semi-truck loaded with 75 bales of hay was headed to Columbus, Nebraska. Others in the community donated money for fuel and supplies. “When you have livestock and things go wrong, I can only imagine having to feed them after you’ve saved them. Somebody’s gotta help. So that’s what we’re gonna do,” Broulik said.
Morgan Freeman beekeeper
Morgan Freeman is doing his part to help the environment by converting his 124-acre ranch in Mississippi into a giant bee sanctuary. “There is a concerted effort for bringing bees back onto the planet… We do not realize that they are the foundation, I think, of the growth of the planet, the vegetation,” he said. Freeman imported 26 bee hives from Arkansas to his ranch, where he feeds the bees sugar water and plants bee-friendly trees and plants. Freeman added that he never wears a bee suit or a bee hat and has not been stung yet.
by ABBY SULLIVAN & EVAN LI