The facts of the McDonald’s coffee lawsuit
Photo via CAOC through the creative commons license
The elderly woman burned herself and then went on to face public scrutiny for wanting McDonald's to pay for her medical bills.
In 1992 McDonald’s faced a lawsuit because there was a mishap with the temperature of their coffee. A woman believed it was too hot, sued, and won the trial. People to this day use it as an example of people suing over stupid, pointless things, but the damages are much more severe than people believe.
79 year-old Stella Liebeck bought a cup of coffee in the McDonald’s drive through. The car she was in was parked, and she was in the passenger seat. Many believe that she was driving with coffee in her lap, when she was not driving and the car was parked. She had the coffee in her lap, when she opened the coffee to put in cream and sugar, she spilled the coffee on her lap. The coffee
Photo via JAMES COLBURN/IPOL INC/GLOBE PHOTOS INC under the creative commons license (/ImageCollect)
served was around 180 degrees, which is hot enough to cause third degree burns in seconds. In an interview with RetroReport, she says that she remembers trying to get out of the car, while screaming in pain. She went into shock and was rushed to the hospital.
The doctor said he had never seen burns so bad. According to FindLaw.com, she had third degree burns across her thighs and genitalia, as well as deformation. She spent a week in the hospital, and the bills came out to be around $2,000. She wrote a letter to McDonald’s asking them to cover the bills and her daughters lost wages, but McDonalds refused to pay over $800. A McDonald’s employee testified that they had also gotten roughly 700 reports that the coffee was too hot and was causing burns, but they refused to do anything about it. Liebeck didn’t want to go to court, but McDonald’s refused to offer compensation for what had happened to her.
They eventually went to court and the jury decided on a fine of 2.7 million dollars from the corporation, but the judge reduced it to $640,000, which was still above what Liebeck initially wanted. McDonald’s also had to reduce the temperature of their coffee, in order to make it safe for customers.
The story has much misinformation spread about it, including the incident and the amount of money she received. She didn’t become a millionaire, she wasn’t driving, she even admitted it was her fault that the coffee spilled. It wasn’t a greedy woman looking for a quick payout, it was a woman who was traumatized and deformed from nearly 200 degree coffee.
Raven is a senior at Sartell High School. His favorite SZA song is "Doves In The Wind." His plans after high school are to be rich and famous for his music...
Major League Baseball plans to re-open near July 4th, but at what cost?
Photo via Flickr Creative Commons License
MLB players await new guidelines as MLB officials plan to re-open near July 4th of this summer.
Major League Baseball has come out with new information as to what their modified season may look like due to coronavirus. The MLB told their players and teams that their prorated salaries would contribute to an average loss of around $640,000/game over and 82-game season with no fans present in empty ballparks. This information was obtained from a presentation given by the MLB commissioner’s office to the union that was gathered by The Associated Press.
Major League Baseball games have become one of the most captivating sporting events in our country and with the new proposed layout of the season, this $10 billion industry is being shuttered by the virus. According to Kare 11 News, the 12-page document titled “Economics of Playing Without Fans in Attendance” was dated on May 12th and sparked the initial negotiations of starting the delayed baseball season around the Fourth of July.
Teams have now begun discussing the losses among individual ball clubs and have sparked more conversations about the reopening plan. Organizations are saying that even if they do start a delayed season, it would still cause a $4 billion dollar loss and give players 89 percent of the revenue gained. This figure is astronomically different from what other years of the league have looked like.
Players and teams are contending that they think they will lose more money with more games being played, while the players’ union believes differently. They believe that clubs would actually lose less money with the more games played, and clubs also have stakes in their regional sports networks, and playing more games would benefit their organizations.
Owners voted Monday to propose salaries be based on a 50-50 split of revenue, framework players say is tantamount to the kind of salary cap they will never accept. Teams gave the players’ association their virus-testing plan Friday and have waited to make their economic proposal.
The specifics of what the public and organizations are seeking are the numbers and figures that would be primarily affected by this adjusted opening. The organizations that are most popular may be the ones that fall the most.
The New York Yankees alone would have $312 million in local losses when calculating their earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. New York’s figure includes about $100 million toward the bonds that financed the new Yankee Stadium, money that already has been paid for 2020.
With the Yankees being one of the most loved and hated ball clubs in the nation this is a huge hit to the ecological standing of their organization.
The Los Angeles Dodgers were at $232 million in local losses, followed by the New York Mets at $214 million, Chicago Cubs at $199 million, and Boston Red Sox at $188 million. Detroit would have the lowest negative EBIDTA, which is an accounting measure used to assess profitability, at $84 million, with Baltimore at $90 million, and Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay at $91 million each. Figures exclude distributions from the central office, which projects to collect $1.34 billion in media revenue.
Organization leaders will not be able to fully predict what this new layout might look like for the MLB and there are many variables that could cause the losses to skyrocket or to stabilize. You have to take into account MLB Network purchases/cancellations, viewership on local sports stations for teams on major networks like CBS, MLB, and more. Viewership is going to be a paramount issue and the media needs the fans to continue watching and supporting the league to help them stay afloat.
The figures were calculated by MLB and its clubs, and the frequently skeptical union already has requested a slew of documents from MLB. MLB said 2019 revenue was 39% local gate and other in-park sources, followed by 25% central revenue, 22% local media, 11% sponsorship, and 4% other.
Teams fear a second wave of the coronavirus would devastate finances if renewed government restrictions cause cancellation of the postseason, which brings in $787 million in media money. The document details who pays what: $370 million by Fox, $310 million by Turner, $27 million by ESPN, $30 million by the MLB Network, and $50 million from international and other.
The immense amount of losses for MLB teams is going to be large no matter the proposal because of the absence of fans. The only thing that fans can do is continue their endless support for their local teams and the MLB as a whole.
Dylan Pringle is a senior this year at Sartell High School. He is adamant about his constant involvement in music both in and out of the school day. Dylan...
Netflix’s Stargirl should be on your watchlist
The movie inspires viewers to explore the world around them.
Based on the novel by Jerry Spinelli, Stargirl is a movie about a free-spirited girl who changes the life of a new friend, Leo. They develop a romantic relationship as they discover more about themselves and each other.
Stargirl is funny, sweet, and suspenseful. It is a feel good movie, streamed on DisneyPlus, that will get you attached to the characters in a short hour and a half. Best of all, it includes many life lessons, which makes me believe it is fantastic for high schoolers to watch. These are the main lessons I got out of the movie:
Individuality – Stargirl does not conform to the standards most high schoolers do. She is herself and does not care about being “weird.” She dresses the way she likes, not the way other kids do. Stargirl also does not let herself get soaked up in technology, like most kids today. To listen to music, she uses a record player; she has no interest in cell phones. I think when Stargirl tries to be “more normal” like Leo tells her to try, it shows how special she really is. It is obvious that when she is her unique self, that is the best version of herself. I think that goes for everyone in real life too, and it is an important lesson that teenagers need to see.
Kindness – Stargirl brings a little boy’s bike back to his house after he is injured. She does not knock on his front door, or do anything to show that it was her. She does it out of the kindness of her heart, because she thinks the boy will love having the bike ready for him to ride when he is healed. She also holds a football player’s hand when he gets injured at a big game. She risks being called a traitor by her school by even going in the ambulance with him so he is not alone. She does all this when the rest of the fans just freeze. The fact that doing nice things for others makes her feel good shows how good Stargirl’s character is.
Young love – The innocence of Stargirl and Leo’s relationship in the movie is priceless. Stargirl does not have many friends, but Leo is there for her. He supports her even when she joins the school music group that is “a joke” to the rest of the school. The way Leo seems a little nervous when he meets Stargirl’s mom portrays high school relationships perfectly. Even though Stargirl and Leo are young, they fall hard for each other. They fall in love with each other’s personalities first, something the media is constantly portraying as rare these days. The relationship does not work out, but Leo shares that his memories of her continue to affect him when she is gone. This is like many high school relationships, because even when they do not work out, the individuals usually learn from them. Stargirl and Leo also prove that having one person who is really there for you is better than having a bunch of friends.
Don’t overthink – Stargirl is reckless in the best way possible. When she kisses Leo, it proves that she goes after what she wants, when she wants it. Not many high school girls would run up to the boy they like and make the first move, but she is bold enough to do exactly that. She lives simply, and says yes more often than she says no. Research shows that dwelling over past mistakes and problems increases mental health issues. Once your mental health starts to decline, it is easy to fall into a cycle of unhappiness. Stargirl avoids negative thoughts all together, and she is not hard on herself when she makes a mistake.
Exploration- Stargirl shows Leo what it is like to try new things, such as meditation. She shows him how amazing it is to get outside and adventure, rather than pretending they are too cool for that like typical high schoolers. Stargirl has a sense of wonder in her that opens Leo’s eyes. He is inspired to explore not just the outdoors, but also the everyday mysteries he never used to think about. The movie brings mental exploration to light and encourages viewers to pay more attention to the world around them.
Growth- Stargirl gives a speech about how real things take time. In the speech, she refers to people as flowers. She says that it takes time to reach your full potential. Her speech indicates that you don’t have to know exactly who you are as you are growing up. Growing up can be hard sometimes, but Stargirl makes it sound beautiful.
Being brave – Leo is the “typical high schooler” in the beginning of the movie. He cares about what people think of him, and he wants to fit in. Stargirl taught Leo to have courage. When he sees how much fun Stargirl has with life because of her bravery, Leo is freed of the pressure he once felt to fit in with his class. Leo even got up on stage at his school dance and sang in front of his whole school. The movie would be so boring if Stargirl and Leo tried to conform to the rest of the kids their age.
Lauren Wensel is a junior at Sartell High School. Her favorite subject is English, and she enjoys reading and playing sports in her free time. Her current...
13 Reasons Why has controversial history; newest season set for June 5th
Screenshot from the Netflix website
This is a screenshot from Netflix.com of the show's description and tags.
13 Reasons Why is a Netflix original show based on the book of the same name by Jay Asher, with its fourth and final season being released on June 5th. When the show was first released, there was much controversy surrounding it and criticisms from the public.
The synopsis of the story is this: Clay Jensen receives a package from Hannah Baker, a classmate who killed herself two weeks earlier. The package contains seven cassette tapes with 13 stories, 13 reasons why she decided to commit suicide, and Clay is one of them. Tapes in hand, he traverses the town he lives in while listening to find out what part he played in her life and her death.
Many mental health professionals had problems with the representation of mental health in the show and the aftereffects it had for some teens who watched it. In the month after the show released, there was a rise of almost 30% in the suicide rates for youth aged 10-17 in the United States, which was deemed statistically significant. This could be attributed to the fact that producers of the show disregarded the advice of mental health professionals telling them not to release the first season and the fact that they described and showed the way in which Hannah committed suicide.
The three-minute segment in the first season that depicts Hannah’s suicide was removed over two years after the premiere of the first season after Netflix had conversations with more mental health professionals. The scene was a cause for controversy for the show from early on in its release, with mental health groups explaining that scenes like the one in question could put teens at risk for copycat actions and triggering experiences. Both these things were seen soon after the show’s release.
A 23-year-old from Peru tragically ended his life and left tapes behind, seemingly replicating the situation that occurs in the book and TV show. In another case, two teen girls from California committed suicide just days after completing the show, both of which were battling depression prior to watching the show.
This situation could also be aided by the fact that Hannah’s final tape is addressed to Mr. Porter, her school counselor. Hannah sought help from him after a traumatic event, but he dismissed her and told her to move on. This demonizes the idea that if someone is struggling with something, they should get help from a trusted adult, potentially preventing them from getting the help they may need.
Another controversial part of the show was the multiple scenes that depicted violent sexual assault. Though many labeled them disturbing and potentially triggering for sexual assault victims watching the show, the scenes were not removed or reedited. Creator Brian Yorkey defended the inclusion of the scenes in the name of showing realistic stories of what young people may be experiencing.
Not only did mental health professionals have critiques of the show, but so did a few friends of mine. I decided to interview them, and their reactions to the first season and subsequent seasons in later years were less than positive.
I think it is important to talk about suicide and rape, but I don’t think they did it in the right way.”
— Junior, Lily Rasmussen
The first person interviewed was my good friend Lily. She said she decided to watch the show because she knew it was controversial, and she wanted to know why. Lily mentioned that Hannah’s suicide felt glorified, making people think that “if they did the same thing, they might get back at the people who hurt them and get the love they may not have gotten otherwise,” which is clearly shown by the copycat actions taken by some after finishing the series. Lily stopped watching after the second season because she felt that the show was being made just to be controversial.
The second person I interviewed was my close friend Maddy. Maddy decided to watch the show because she had just finished the book when the TV show aired its first season. “I was young enough that I didn’t really see the problems with the portrayal of mental illness and suicide.” She ended up finishing the first season without many problems with it but mentioned that the show had made her uncomfortable. As it is a show about deteriorating mental health, this is no surprise. “It was shortly after [the first season aired] when I realized how hurtful it could actually be.”
Maddy then went into detail about her experience watching the second season. After reading about the controversy online and reforming her opinions on the show, she still decided to watch the subsequent season, if only for the fact that she is a completionist. “Season 2 took me around 6 months to finish, simply because it negatively affected me so much.” Maddy discussed how the show put her in a bad state of mind and left her feeling disturbed.
It was shortly after [the first season aired] when I realized how hurtful it could actually be.”
— Junior, Maddy Loberg
At this point in time, Maddy has solidified her opinions on the show as something that should not have been produced. “I think it was a massive lapse in judgment that the creators and Netflix had.” She then went on to talk about the negative effects the show had on the mental health of teens around the globe and how she used this to justify her pessimistic view of the show.
Maddy, Lily, and many others were disappointed to find out that there was going to be another season produced, if only for the fact that there is no way to know how the show is going to affect young people who watch it until the damage has already been done.
Emma LeMieur is a junior at Sartell High School. She is involved in band and morning drumline at the school and loves them both. In her free time, she...
The Buzz on Honey Bees
Aww look how fluffy this honey bee is! Perfect for caring pollen from plant to plant!
As summer is just around the corner our helpful little bee friends are becoming ever more prominent. This piece of writing is much different than what I normally write, but bees are so fascinating! I wanted to share some things I’ve learned about these little creatures before I go off and start having fun summer adventures.
I was inspired to start learning about bees not only for a school project but also because of Nicole Tompkins who recently became a beekeeper herself. Which can be a huge undertaking at times, but she seems to be having a ton of fun.
Honey Bees specifically are the type of bee that I will be focussing on in this article because beelieve it or not these little guys have been on the struggle bus lately. Remember earlier this month when Murder Hornets were spotted in the U.S for the first time? Yeah, those guys are extremely detrimental to honey bees. The murder hornets invade the hives, decapitate the worker bees, eat all the larvae and pupae, and leave behind only the weak bees; in just a few hours.
Murder hornets, however, are not the only thing damaging our bee friends.
There are a variety of mites that can be harmful to bees; the varroa mite, for example, attaches itself to the honey bee like a parasite and over time weakens the bee. These mites destroy a hive from the inside out and are only found inside honey bee hives. Honey bees also struggle with a weak immune system, which makes the commercial transport of bees very dangerous, especially for such a delicate insect. Besides murder hornets, mites, and illnesses, the most detrimental thing to honey bees, like most insects, are pesticides. Farmers have gotten better at using bee-friendly pesticides but are never truly finding the safest ones.
Alright, enough about all the bad things happening to our bee friends, let’s talk about some good things, and ways we can help them.
Without the help of bees (and other pollinating insects) we would not have the diverse food choices we have with their help. Most of the food we eat is thanks to bees. Some foods like almonds or apples require the help of bees and other pollinators to reach maturity. Bees also pollinate 80% of the world’s plants. Honey bees are also super hard workers. They are not only taking care of their hives and their queens but our Earth too!
Since bees are going to be super busy this summer, why not lend a hand to help them out?
Like Nicole, you too can become an urban beekeeper. It’s going to take a lot of learning but can be a super fun experience. You can also look into local apiaries to learn or donate. Or maybe the simplest thing you can do is to plant your own organic garden; free of nasty pesticides and full of plants in need of pollination.
Just remember if you do happen to come across a bee anytime in the near future, there is no need to be scared (unless of course you are allergic). They are just going about their honey-making, pollinating bee lives.
Charlie Monson is a junior at Sartell High School. Her hobbies include watching movies, playing video games, painting and listening to music. She is currently...
Humans of Sartell: Summer Edition
05.21.20
Here is an edition to help you all focus on the positives. Happy summer, Sabres.
“My cabin feels more like home than my house does.”
“I am excited for the weather to get super warm and to jam on the lake with my friends.”
“There is absolutely nothing better than a summer day on the lake.”
“I’ve clearly loved going to the lake since I was little.”
“My favorite thing to do at my cabin is going for pontoon rides, spending time in the sun, and enjoying the beautiful sunsets.”
Annette Lahn is a senior at Sartell High School. She plans on attending Arizona State University this fall. Annette loves spending time playing lacrosse...
How the 2020 AP test adapted to the global pandemic
Students prepare for a new kind of AP testing this year this time with notes.
As the first week of AP testing comes to a close, students are beginning to see a few problems with the new system of AP testing.
The pandemic opened the doors for new problems for College Board. One of the main and earliest issues was that of cheating: how do you keep the students from cheating when there is no one to hold them accountable?
One thing College Board did to remedy this issue was making the test open note, however, when researching online, students were unable to use sources from other people, and plagiarism rules were strictly enforced. Students were expected to form their own opinions and stay away from anyone else’s work.
This opened many students up to confusion on the loose terms of someone else’s work. Take the AP United States History test for example, while it was fine to look up dates and straight facts for your essay, any facts from opinion articles could be considered cheating.
While there were rumors of College Board putting false information on sites like Wikipedia, nothing was confirmed. However, this still deterred some students from looking up information to help their studying or test. One student who took the AP United States History exam said, “I heard the rumors and I stayed away from those sites, both during studying and the test.”
This also brought up the question of how College Board was going to enforce these new rules. Because there were no teachers present to watch the students, College Board took a different route.
College Board admits to monitoring social media sites and even posting on social media to deter and catch students looking to cheat.
On student tests, College Board used “plagiarism detection software and post-administration analytics” to ensure the validity of students’ exams. Alongside these students, exams were sent to teachers to try and verify it was the students writing style.
Many students taking a variety of AP exams were faced with different prompts than that of their classmates. While this may seem like a good system, things are different when you take a closer look. Rating the difficulty of these prompts is completely subjective, so that begs the question: are all the prompts given to students the same level of difficulty? How does College Board decide which prompts to use?
Some of the tests such as Literature and Composition and the United States History exams had a variety of questions. This brings up the problem of fairness. While the difficulty of prompts is subjective, some students may have an unfair advantage or disadvantage with certain questions.
Students also had trouble submitting their work once they were finished. College Board has since stated that outdated browsers seem to be causing a glitch in student responses. This makes submitting responses near impossible for the students with outdated browsers.
College Board recommends students use the updated version of Google Chrome, however, at Sartell, some students ran into issues downloading the updated version and were forced to use other browsers.
In Sartell, there are still some students taking their tests within the next week, but of the approximately 385 exams taken 96% of them were submitted successfully. That leaves 4% of exams that had issues in submission, forcing the students to either retake it in early June or forfeit all their work.
College Board is offering retests, however, there is only a 48 hour period after the test to sign up. The students get a confirmation at the end of the retest form and an e-ticket two days before the retest. However, it was easy for some students to overlook this, and without a confirmation email, students are left wondering if their request was accepted.
On top of technological issues, students had to face early wake-up times and unfair disadvantages of 3 AM and 5 AM testing. Because all tests are to happen at the same time, students in countries outside of the United States are forced to wake up at the early hours of the morning to take the test. This leaves these students at a major disadvantage as they are forced to wake up and take the test in the hours when they would normally be asleep.
As College Board rises to the challenge of testing during a global pandemic, some of the new testing protocols taken present new challenges for the students.
Alyssa Haus is a junior at Sartell High School. Her favorite activities include drumline and marching band. Reading and watching musicals are just a few...
Social media affects the confidence and mental health of teenagers
Social Media creates unrealistic expectations and standards for all users.
Social media is a huge part of many teenagers’ lives. There are so many social media platforms, and it can be hard for parents to keep up on restricting their kids from being on those platforms. Some of the most popular social media platforms are Instagram, Snapchat, Youtube, Facebook, and TikTok. Many people go to social media because of the need to feel connected socially to live an acceptable life.
According to Helpguide.org, there have been many studies that have shown that excessive social media use has lead to an increased risk of depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, and even suicide.
Center4Research conducted a study in 2016 and reported that an estimated amount of 44.7 million people aged 18 or older in the US had a mental health illness.
Depression is a massive side effect of excessive social media use.
They also stated that the American Academy of Pediatrics described “Facebook Depression” as a “depression that develops when teens and preteens spend time on social media sites and then begin to exhibit classic symptoms of depression due to the intensity of the online world.” One of the main reasons that social media increases depression is because teens now spend less time connecting with peers outside of social media and more time connecting with peers on social media. The connections they have on social media are less emotionally satisfying which then leads to decreased happiness and mental health.
The Child Mind Institute included in an article that that sleep deprivation is a huge factor in depression in teens and preteens. In the article, they stated that past research showed that 60% of adolescents are looking at their phones in the last hour before they sleep, but among that they also get significantly less sleep than their peers who aren’t invested in social media.
Anxiety is also a very common side effect of excessive social media use.
Social Anxiety and Anxiety, in general, leads to loneliness and isolation.
Data has shown that anxiety comes from social media use because when users aren’t on social media or aren’t able to use it, they felt withdrawn which creates anxiety. Psychology today states in their article that social media doesn’t create anxiety in users, it fuels the anxiety due to the withdrawal but also the feeling of needing to be liked or good enough on their social media posts.
Social media has also been known to increase the severity of those who have Social Anxiety Disorder or SAD. Verywellmind.com included a lot of information about this link in their article but the facts that stood out were the following:
- People who suffer from SAD are more likely to be passive Facebook users but will be less likely to leave comments or share opinions due to the anxiety they suffer from.
- People with Social Anxiety are also more likely to suffer from Internet Addiction Disorder. Internet Addiction Disorder is described as not being able to function daily without being on social media sites, video games, and other internet platforms.
- People with SAD are more likely to become addicted to the Internet because they can stay behind the screen and stay at home but still stay connected to the world and other people without facing the anxiety of being face to face with others or being around other people.
Self-Image has been one of the things that have been affected by social media the most. Teens and Pre-teens are constantly looking at pictures or videos of models or social media influencers who have the “perfect body.” To those teens and preteens, they begin to see themselves as not good enough because they aren’t as pretty as them or they aren’t skinny enough. Social comparison which is a very common effect of social media is leading to self-image issues in teenagers which then can lead to eating disorders or body dysphoria.
Eating Disorders have become a huge problem due to social media.
Eating issues and body dysphoria have been linked to social media because there is an ideal “body type” of how girls should look nowadays. The most common eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa, Bulemia, and also Binge Eating Disorder/Purging. Body shamers are on every social media platform and target teens, preteens and even adults. They shame people on the appearance of the body whether they are too skinny or too fat and need to work out.
PolicyLab stated in their article that new photo editing apps are also leading to increased eating disorders because they can edit their body to look the way they want it to. Another piece of evidence they stated is that teens and preteens also look up to many celebrities that have had eating disorders and follow their social media and can also develop eating disorders since those celebrities have had them or have them. Two famous social media influencers who have most of their following on TikTok
Charli D’Amelio and Addison Rae Sterling have been victims of body shaming. Charli D’Amelio has 54.5 million followers and Addison Sterling has 39.2 million followers. Both girls both got their fame from doing popular TikTok dances and that is the main content they produce on their accounts. There have been multiple comments on their videos saying that they are too fat, or they’ve gained weight, then once they start losing weight people comment and say that they’re too skinny or they can see their ribs. Both stars have responded on their social media about these comments and have said that they want those comments to stop and it is their body which is their own business. Charli has responded more than once on her Twitter page both to comments and also to Perez Hilton who has body-shamed Charli more than once. Both stars promote self-love and self-confidence in many of their posts and have still continued to do so.
Kylie Reisinger is a senior at Sartell High School. She plans on going to SCSU for college and is going to major in early education to become a kindergarten...
Native Americans hit hard by virus are getting help from the Irish
Flickr under the Creative Commons License
The Native American people and Tribes are being hit harder than most by COVID-19
Native American tribes are being hit hard by the virus in many ways. It is infecting their members, and they are also needing to rely on Washington for financial aid during these hard times.
There are billions of dollars that are marked for the tribes, but the tribes are being met with red tape and also delays on the funds they are being provided with. This delay leaves tribes uncertain of how they are going to live off of the little money they have and also support their family as well as other families.
USA Today wrote an article about the stress that is on the tribes currently. They stated in the article that the tribes have access to a small business loan program that is called “The Paycheck Protection Project.”
But those tribes or individuals that rely on income from casinos weren’t allowed access to apply for those small loans due to “an error in legislation.” Due to the virus and quarantine rules, many of those casinos have had to close their doors which causes many families and people to lose their main source of income. Over 500 casinos owned by native people have had to close due to the virus and risks which has caused a lot of stress and hardships for those families and people.
The Navajo Nation is being hit hardest by the virus. The Navajo Nation stretches across parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah has reached a very grim and sad milestone of this virus. Around two months ago the nation had their first confirmed case of COVID-19, but as of May 2020 the nation had 3,245 confirmed cases of the virus and among those 103 members have died.
Across the Indian Country which ranges from Arizona to Minnesota, 5,200 cases have been confirmed on reservations. This virus is exposing the underlying fractures of the nation and how neglected those Native American tribes are from the US Government. NBC News stated in their article that those tribes have been underfunded for years and are running low on basic needs such as water, food, and healthcare. 30% of homes in which home roughly 175,000 Navajo members of the reservation do not have access to clean reliable drinking water, and they have to haul it miles from local utilities NBC stated. Also, the medical resources on the reservations are very scarce because they are understaffed, don’t always get medicine quick enough, and rural medicine is hard enough.
Native Americans are more vulnerable to this virus because many members suffer from asthma, heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. Those conditions listed are some of the conditions that make people more vulnerable to the virus and lower survival rates.
Also, the reservations they live on are very crowded and many houses have a large number of people in small houses and spaces which is a prime example of how the virus can be spread. Also, Native Americans aren’t being counted in for the demographic data for COVID-19, and they are being labeled as other rather than being in the other categories. This upset many of the tribes because they count for a large number of COVID-19 cases and the fact that they are just being forgotten about and not even getting a proper label is very demeaning and not okay. New Mexico is one of the only states that are properly labeling and counting the Native American people towards there numbers of COVID-19 and the deaths related to the virus. In New Mexico, they represent only 10% of the population but over 1/3 of their total cases. In Arizona, they make up 16% of the state’s COVID-19 cases.
It is very hard for the tribes to be able to follow the CDC’s guidelines for washing hands when they don’t always have ready access to water and also they don’t have access to many sanitizing products as well. In an article from the NY Times, it was said that in the Dakotas and Montana where it is very hard to find good and affordable housing, those who couldn’t afford to have a house of their own are having to find shelter with others on the reservation which is hitting those tribes very hard.
The Irish people and the Native American people have always been civil and worked together. It all started back in 1847 when the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma sent $170 to Ireland during the Great Famine since they saw they were struggling.
173 years after that amazing act of kindness, Ireland donated and raised over $2 million for the Navajo and Hopi nations who are struggling financially during this pandemic and have been hit the hardest. In the article that NBC wrote about this donating, many people were interviewed and a lot of the Irish people that the reporter talked to said that they thought it was the right thing to do especially to honor their ancestors who had created a strong bond with the tribes years and years ago. Many of the donations had small messages that had the common theme of how the people of Ireland wanted to give back to those who helped their nation survive and stay strong when they were going through a similar issue. The donations received are going to purchasing critical supplies, including food and available water, and also PPE since those living on the reservations have close to no PPE.
Ireland honored the Choctaw Nation and their act of generosity by creating a sculpture of 9 stainless steel feathers that stand 23 feet high. The Prime Minister of Ireland, Leo Varadkr visited the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma and gave his thanks and praises in person rather than over the phone or social media platforms.
Other people have also been donating to help the Native American people out during this terrible time and have been sending their prayers. They are going through such a hard time but having the support from so many people and the people Ireland has helped them out tremendously and hopefully, soon the lives of those in the tribes and on the reservations go back to normal and they will return to their normal daily lives.
Kylie Reisinger is a senior at Sartell High School. She plans on going to SCSU for college and is going to major in early education to become a kindergarten...
Quarry Park closing swimming areas
photo via Wikimedia under the creative commons license
Quarry #2, the most popular among residents for swimming and cliff jumping.
On Thursday, a joint commission of the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office as well as the County Parks Commission formally announced the indefinite closure of Quarry 2 and 11, the most popular amongst visitors. The closure was cited by the Sheriff’s Office as being required due to “limited space for park users to properly social distance.”
Quarry 2 is extremely popular among residents, as its 100+ foot water depth and 40 foot cliffs allow for jumping and swimming during the summer. Quarry Park is normally busiest Memorial Day through Labor Day during the summer, and Stearns County estimates 150,000 people visit during the year.
While these two quarries are closed, the rest of the park remains open to visitors. The two swimming quarries will be closed “until further notice” and will reopen “as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Quarry Park is located in Waite Park, near Menards on Stearns County Road 137.
Josh Harrington is a senior at Sartell High School. After high school his plan is to go to the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities and obtain his Bachelor's...
Treasure hunts, sun-kissed surfers, and murder mysteries? The Outer Banks has it all
"We're the Pogues, and our mission this summer is to have a good time, all the time." - John B
The internet has been buzzing about Netflix’s new action-packed drama Outer Banks since it’s release on April 15th, 2020, and honestly, it’s well deserved.
With summer just around the corner, Outer Banks makes me want nothing more than to be at the beach all day, every day; and I don’t think I’m alone on that. Many teens on social media are showing off their Outer Banks style and wanting to make the most of their summers just like the characters in the show.
@dollhandz Outer banks kinda vibe🐥❤️ #fyp #foryoupage #johnb #outerbanks #duck #cute #viral #keepingactive #spacethings
Speaking of the characters, the show focuses on four teenage friends: John B, JJ, Kiara, and Pope. They all live the island life most of us dream about, out on the Outer Banks in North Carolina. There are two sides to this island, the rich and privileged also known as the Kooks, and the hardworking impoverished known as the Pogues. It’s a classic tale of rich versus poor, and our main characters aren’t exactly living the high life.
John B has been left to his own devices for the summer. His mother left when he was young, and his dad has been missing since his disappearance at sea nine months ago. With no legal guardian around, the Department of Child Services has threatened his summer plans with foster care. Thankfully a visit from Hurricane Agatha keeps the DCS at bay for a little while.
And this is where the adventure begins.
Out fishing after the hurricane, the gang stumbles upon a sunken boat. Upon further diving inspection, they find a motel key and decide to find out who owns the boat. After searching the motel room and coming across an empty room with nothing but a safe full of money and a loaded gun, they start to question what to do next. That is until a lowlife marina known as Scooter Grubbs is found dead that same day.
After investigating, they start to think Scooter was involved in the smuggling of some kind of illegal contraband, which leads them on a wild goose chase to cover their tracks from cops, the Kooks, and other unpleasant outsiders.
Turns out this was a very small piece to a much larger puzzle, one John B was set on solving; a puzzle he couldn’t solve without the help of Kook princess Sarah Cameron.
You see, John B’s dad was set on finding an old sunken wreck known as the Royal Merchant that was known to have had four hundred million dollars worth of gold aboard. John B decides to continue his dad’s search for the gold with the help of his friends, but kids from the poor side of the island can only get so far. Maps and archives John B needed for his treasure hunt were located in places poor kids aren’t necessarily allowed. This is where rich kid Sarah Cameron comes into play.
Turns out they have a lot more in common than just wanting to find hidden treasure.
This relationship, however, could have grave consequences considering where each of them comes from. The Kooks don’t like the Pogues and vice versa. While John B and Sarah were out gathering information, we learn that the rest of the Pogue gang isn’t well-liked among the elites.
After being attacked by Kooks Rafe and Topper, Pope has had enough with being treated poorly. With help from mischievous JJ, they decide to retaliate. Not only adding to the already toxic relationship between the two sides but also creating one heck of a mess for themselves later down the road.
Besides rivalries, treasure hunts, dramatic teen romance, and mysterious murders, Outer Banks has a huge message for what family means. While some families in the show turn out to be extremely toxic, notably the relationship between JJ and his abusive father, we also see that some families just want what’s best for their kids. And we even see how new families can be made just by the likes of friendship and how far that bond can stretch. Relationships between the characters are constantly being tested, turning best friends against each other at times.
This show starts off slow with just a few surfer friends trying to have a good summer and quickly takes a very serious turn. It’s addictive and fast-paced and gives us a healthy dosage of adventure, something a lot of us have been craving lately. It may be just another teen drama on Netflix, but definitely one you should check out. Trust me, once you start watching, the thrill this show delivers makes it hard to put on pause.
Charlie Monson is a junior at Sartell High School. Her hobbies include watching movies, playing video games, painting and listening to music. She is currently...
A series of unfortunate book buds
A photoshop done by Ethan Johnstone for this episode’s topic, middle grade novels.
In this episode, we discuss some of our favorite middle-grade novels, what they are about, and why we like them.
Books Mentioned:
- The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley
- Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
- The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi
- Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snickett
- Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
- The Secret of Zoom by Lynne Jonell
Music by: Purple Planet
Alyssa Haus is a junior at Sartell High School. Her favorite activities include drumline and marching band. Reading and watching musicals are just a few...
Ethan Johnstone is a junior at Sartell High School. His activities include jazz band, marching band, and winter drumline. His hobbies include reading,...
Emma LeMieur is a junior at Sartell High School. She is involved in band and morning drumline at the school and loves them both. In her free time, she...
