Current Event and Editorial, 20 November 2015

Terror in Paris

As we all know, it has been one week since the heinous attacks on the French capital, which claimed the lives of at least 129 innocent people. 

It is our time to stand with the French in this time of senseless horror and unprecedented tragedy. Ever since I was a little boy, I have been fascinated with the French Republic. I have felt a rich and profound spiritual connection with the people of France, and that connection, through the events that have occurred as of recent, has grown. I stand in solidarity with my brothers and sisters in the magnificent land of love. We are all French. These terrorist attacks are acts of war. These are the very acts which threaten the stability of the world in which our children will live. These are the very acts which define our time and the people living in it: either we confront the issues where they lie, or we fail our future by further ignoring such heinous acts of injustice. Justice shall reign and prevail on Earth; brute force cannot be allowed to replace the rule of law.

I pray our leaders have the moral conscience to lead us through these times with grace, firmness, and fortitude. I pray the people of all nations unite against these hideous acts of barbarism. I pray that France heals and recovers, as they always have. Long live the Republic! Vive la République! 

Dustin J. Chandler-Hudgins,

Editor



Current Event, 2 November 2015

Kyle Navin was charged with two counts of murder; along with his girlfriend Jennifer Valiante, who was charged with conspiracy to commit murder, on Friday October 30th, after the disappearance of parents Jeanette and Jeffery Navin. Kyle’s parents disappeared on August 4th, and their remains were found on October 30th. Jeffery and Jeanette bought Kyle a house, and he failed to make the necessary payments on the house resulting in Kyle owing them $133,000. He needed to find a way to get the money, and would do so in any way possible.

Both Valiante and Kyle shared text messages that gave police reason to believe that they were behind the murder. Jeffery allegedly had a very emotionally and verbally abusive relationship towards Kyle. Kyle also apparently tried to frame his father, as shown in text messages exchanged between the two. This poses very alarming questions: How well do you know the people around you? Do you know what they are capable of, and if they are a danger to your or others? What would you do if someone you thought you knew, turned out to be the most dangerous person in your life?

If you suspect any suspicious behavior, you are encouraged to report it to school administration or emergency authorities at the immediate.

Tia D. Howard,

Editor



Student Threatens to Shoot Up Russell County High School

On Tuesday, September 22^nd, 2015, Russell County High School was put on lockdown because a student brought a firearm to school and threatened to cause harm to the individuals inside the building. At around 8:30 am to 8:30am, the school security guards heard rumors that someone was planning to shoot up the school. Although they were just rumors, the guards contacted the Sheriff’s office and they arrived at the school within minutes. After searching the student’s personal belongings, they found nothing, but eventually came to the conclusion that he stole his dad’s .22 caliber pistol from a safe in his home, after it came up missing. He was then taken into custody and the weapon was confiscated and taken into evidence. The lockdown was lifted at 11:08 am.

The parents, along with the students, were outraged because they did not receive the details of the incident until a day after. The school did called the parents to inform them that the school was on lockdown, but that it was only a drill.

I contacted two students that were present at the time of the incident, and they identified the perpetrator as Wyatt Strickland. I asked one, who asked to remain anonymous, what her experience with the incident was and she said, “Okay, well none of us really knew the whole story until today (Sept 23). They were just trying to keep the issue contained, you know? Keep from scaring all of us. It was pretty scary, though, from what we were informed of yesterday (Sept 23). All of us were and are still on edge. I mean, who knows what might have happened? We’re just lucky nothing happened.”

Tia D. Howard,

Editor

Current Events

No Need to "Wine"

Those who don't have access to the store no longer need to wine.

Alcohol is now available for members of Amazon Prime! Anybody over twenty-one can now purchase from a wide selection of beer, wine, and any other imaginable alcoholic beverages. Initially, this seems like excellent news, but what can this mean for addicts? Now, not only is alcohol more easily accessible for anybody, but it can also be distributed in unimaginable portions. As it becomes easier to abuse, the number of abusers will likely rise. Surely, nothing good can come from such an unhealthy addiction.

Now, there is one other possibility, the hopeful outcome.

 
As with video games, foods, and, sadly, people, the more easily accessible an item is, the fewer the general public wants it. It's all about scarcity; as a relatable example, think of prohibition. When alcoholic drinks were illegal, production increased drastically. Now that it can be purchased nearly everywhere, people may find less of a need for it... or so we can hope.

Autty R. Koblitz,

Editor

Former News Anchor Shoots Three Innocents

Two of the victims, seconds before the shootings: Alison Parker (Left) and Vicki Gardner (Right).

On Wednesday, August 26th, 2015, two WDBJ Journalists, Alison Parker and Alan Ward, were fatally shot, along with their interviewee who was injured, by coworker Bryce Williams in Roanoke, Virginia at around 6:45 am. Parker and Ward were filming a live news report when Williams appeared in front of the three and shot Parker multiple times, though she tried to flee, he was successful in his attempt. Afterwards, he shot the interviewee but did not kill her; she is now in stable condition at a nearby hospital. He then proceeded to shoot the cameraman (Ward) multiple times; Ward fell to his death, but the camera was still rolling, and got a clear shot of Williams. Williams then fled the scene, and fatally shot himself after posting and tweeting about the video on social media and sending a suicide note to the WDBJ News Station.

What exactly would motivate him to commit such a gruesome act, and why did he film it? It turns out that he developed malice after he was fired from WDBJ, and was infuriated about the alleged remarks about his race and sexuality. He was fired because is performance as a journalist was below average and unacceptable. He also made claims that he was called a ‘monkey’ and was discriminated against, but these claims were not made until he was fired, and were investigated, but there was no evidence that such a thing happened. 

There is already controversy surrounding the incident and no real outrage from social media regarding the victims. There have been claims that the shooter was a white man because his skin appeared to be white when it appeared on the camera while shooting Parker. People seem to think that the media is trying to cover up the story by making the black man go down for the crime. But ask yourself this… would there be much questioning if a white police officer (or a civilian white male) would have filmed himself shooting a black man and his hand appeared to be dark on camera? Or would people have gone with it and made excuses because it fit their agenda?

Tia D. Howard,

Editor