By: Sofia Patricio Mateo and Evelyn Solano Ruiz
Monthly Archives: May 2026
USA history
By: Abreham Debele
The American Revolution was a war that was between the 13 American Colonies and the Great British Army. The colonists were angered with the fact that Great Britain kept making them pay taxes, even though they had no representation in the British government. Because of these unfair rules and regulations, the colonists started protesting. Over time, these arguments and disagreements grew more tense and led to serious conflict between the two armies. This led to a war that would rage on from 1775 to 1783.
In 1775, the war would have officially begun, and the colonies formed their own army calling it the Continental Army. It was led by its commander-in-chief George Washington. The first battles took place at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. At Lexington, the colonists were sadly outnumbered and had to retreat. However, at Concord, the colonists fought back and eventually forced the British troops to retreat back to Boston.
The colonists mostly wanted independence so they could govern its own land. On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed and adopted mostly by Thomas Jefferson. This document was created so people understood their reasonings for retaliating against the British army and gave everyone basic rights.
The war lasted several gruesome years and was difficult for the colonists. Throughout the war, the colonists dealt with many diseases such as smallpox, malaria, and pneumonia. This ultimately happened because the conditions throughout the war were very poor and soldiers often didn’t possess clean water, food, or proper shelter.
During the war, the colonists received important aid from France, who gave them aid such as money, soldiers, and ships. These supplies were very beneficial because it benefited them during the final battle at Yorktown.
The war eventually ended in 1783 with the Treaty of Paris. This agreement recognized the United States as its own independent country and gave them the ability to form its own government.
Why gas prices are so high
By: Simon Pluger
Since the beginning of 2026, the biggest question is when are the gas prices going to go down? Really, we don’t know but we can statistically track when they will.
Ever since Trump helped Israel launch several bombs to Iran it hasn’t been good. Many people have died mainly in Iran. We bombed hospitals and places with kids but that’s not what we are talking about today.
Since Trump has been very violent towards Iran recently they have been cutting ties and trying to close the Strait of Hormuz which is a narrow body of water in Iran. 20% of the world’s crude oil is passed through the Strait of Hormuz, making it really important. Because of the closure, the ships that are carrying the oil have to redirect and go different routes making it take longer and using more gas and oil itself.
It is not the gas itself that is expensive but it is expensive right now because it is taking more time and importantly, more work, for the oil to arrive where it needs to be. Even if we go to real war with Iran, gas will stay relatively the same price because we will most likely just switch providers of where we buy our gas from and different ways to ship it. As soon as our conflict with Iran stops though, the gas prices will steadily go down as shipping boats are able to go through the Strait of Hormuz. People would think that it would become cheaper very fast, but it won’t because there will still be ships that are going the new alternative ways.
Also, it’s not just the physical shipping that costs money. Other countries need oil too. The supply and demand goes up everywhere so that makes prices go up as well. Since companies don’ t know when they might get their oil, they charge higher prices as they still need to make money, and they are having to spend more.
The hardest part to understand is why things won’t get better the second the fighting stops. The change won’t be rapid, but instead will be more slow. Ships are going to still be stuck at the Strait, or they are going to still be going around Africa. It’s going to take a while for the shipping routes to get back to normal, so we probably shouldn’t expect cheap gas for a few months after peace starts.
Minnesota Timberwolves game 6 playoffs 2026
By: Sema’Jae tate
Game 6 was honestly a tough but impressive showing from the Timberwolves. Even though the final score was 110–98, you can tell Denver didn’t just roll over—they competed the whole way. Jaden McDaniels really stepped up big time with 32 points on 13-25 shooting, carrying a lot of the offensive load and showing he can be that guy when needed (Anthony Edwards, the Wolves’s star player, was out). Julius Randle added 18, and Terrence Shannon Jr. chipped in 24, which gave the team some solid scoring balance. Naz Reid also gave a strong 15 off the bench.
It wasn’t perfect—some guys struggled with efficiency, because they weren’t used to playing with each other, and we didn’t get a ton from the bench overall—but there was still effort and fight all game.
What makes it even more real is that we weren’t even at full strength. Not having our star players out there definitely hurt (aside from Ant, they were also missing DiVincenzo), especially when it came to closing the gap and controlling momentum. You could feel that missing presence late in the game when we needed a bucket or a leader to take over. Still, the way the team battled without them says a lot.
My overall feedback about the game is that I feel like our back-up players came out and showed out carrying us to the victory with guys like Naz Reid coming off the bench and dropping 15 strong, Jaden McDaniels dropping 32 points and being the lead scorer (this being one of his best games so far in the playoffs), and Terrence Shannon Jr. dropping 24 points. It was kind of rocky the first quarter but we came back strong in the 2nd half.
If we keep it up, we should be ready for the Spurs because they are coming off some hot wins. They have Victor Wembanyama, the Defensive Player of the Year, coming off of scoring 17 point/14 rebounds, De’Aaron Fox scoring 21 points, Julian Champagnie scoring 19 and etc. They knocked the Trailblazers out of the playoffs so these are going to be some tough and competitive match ups, but we’re going to see who takes it all home.
*Update: Anthony Edwards came back from his injury and scored 18pts in a game 1 win for the Wolves.
Smoking in schools
By: Janessa Castro Cruz
All over the world, but mostly in the schools of the United States, children under 18 use e-cigarettes, vapes and carts more than any other tobacco product. The smoking begins to start as early as 6th grade. Teachers around the world claim to see it more in middle schoolers and in older students, it’s harder to tell as they get better at hiding it.
Smoking has a huge impact on students’ mental health and they either depend on nicotine or cannabis during the school day. School smoking policies can be difficult to apply to students, and many require proof of possession which has made students more capable at hiding their products. Tobacco and nicotine products are daily issues in schools and in children, and educators report that “it’s everywhere”.
The World Health Organization released 2 statements: to “free schools from tobacco and vapes” and a “nicotine and tobacco free school toolkit”.
The toolkit is a guide for schools to create nicotine and tobacco free environments, and it also contains topics on how to support students to quit and implement policies and how to enforce them.
Some of the guides for schools to implement a nicotine and tobacco free environment are:
- Banning nicotine and tobacco products on school campuses
- Refusing sponsorship or engagement with tobacco and nicotine industries
- Banning direct and indirect ads and promotion of nicotine and tobacco products near schools
- Prohibiting the sale of nicotine and tobacco products near schools
School-wide policies are difficult to enforce when it comes to tobacco use; some schools all over the world have requested for stronger policies and some educators only use the school resources while others demand a social wide shift. A lot of schools worldwide were successful at implementing those policies after the WHO’s statements were released, and were also successful in implementing policies that support tobacco and nicotine free environments. Even though the tobacco use in schools is still big, schools try their hardest to apply those rules.
Legacy of Austin Desanto in NCAA wrestling
By: Brayden Marsh
Austin Desanto was an extremely talented and dedicated wrestler that wrestled for the Iowa Hawkeyes. His career record is 102-23, while at Iowa it was 72-16. He wrestled at 133lbs and placed multiple times in the NCAA Championships; 5th in 2019, 3rd in 2021, 3rd in 2022, and placed at various freestyle events. It should be noted that the 2020 NCAA Championships were canceled due to COVID-19, which he likely would have also placed at.
Austin Desanto is particularly known for his aggressive style that many wrestlers attempt to copy. Many coaches also idolize his style for constantly being one step ahead of his opponents and being heavy on offense. He was constantly aggressive towards his opponents and constantly pushing the pace of the match. He is also known for his snapdown and front headlocks.
However, he had also been known for being too aggressive at times, resulting in injury to him or his opponents. He also became known for having lots of anger issues, which many fans disliked. One very well known example of this is in the 2018 quarter finals when he was placed up against Stevan Micic from the University of Michigan. He was down by 10 points, and famously during the 3rd period with only 5 seconds left, did a cartwheel over Micic’s head and attempted a kimura submission on him. This was obviously an illegal move and he wasn’t able to do much before he lost the match.
Tom and Terry Brands, his wrestling coaches in college, viewed him as a wrestler with great potential and had continued supporting his aggressive style. Both coaches were very invested in what he had to offer, and still to this day try to keep their current wrestlers up to his standard of aggression.
Overall, Austin Desanto may not have been the best wrestler by skill, and hadn’t won the championships, but his aggression went unmatched and he had a constant urge to win his matches. He inspired many wrestlers with his mindset and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
What are Scotties Listening to?
By: Merob Geleto, Dahlia Man and Calvin Weston
Sports schedule for: May 3-9
| ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE MAY 3 – MAY 9 | |||
| SUNDAY | MAY 3 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| Como: 4:00pm Central: 5:00pm | Girls Flag Football vs. Como Park and Central | Cretin-Derham Hall | |
| MONDAY | MAY 4 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| V: 2:20pm JV: 3:20pm | Varsity Girls Golf vs. Como Park JV Girls Golf Conference Match | V: Highland National GC JV: Highland 9 | |
| 3:00pm | JV Boys Golf Conference Match | Como Golf Course | |
| V: 4:00pm JV: 4:00pm | Boys Tennis vs. Harding | V: Harding High School JV: HOME | |
| V: 4:30pm JV: 4:30pm | Softball vs. Washburn | HOME | |
| V: 6:00pm | Baseball vs. Central | CHS Field | |
| TUESDAY | MAY 5 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| 3:30pm | Varsity Boys Golf vs. Central | Highland National GC | |
| Field: 3:45pm Running: 4:00pm | 2:10pm | 8:00pm 2 buses | Track and Field True Team Meet | Mounds View High School |
| 4:30pm | JV Softball vs. Concordia Academy | HOME | |
| JV: 5:00pm V: 6:30pm | Boys Volleyball vs. Edison | HOME | |
| JV: 5:30pm V: 7:00pm | Girls Lacrosse vs. Mahtomedi | Mahtomedi High School | |
| JV: 5:30pm V: 7:00pm | Boys Lacrosse vs. Mahtomedi | Two Rivers High School | |
| WEDNESDAY | MAY 6 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| 11:50am | 10:30am | 5:30pm | JV Boys Golf vs. Forest Lake | Tanners Brook GC |
| 3:30pm | JV Girls Golf Conference Match | Cedarholm Golf Course | |
| 3:30pm | Varsity Boys Golf vs. Johnson | Phalen Golf Course | |
| V: 4:00pm JV: 4:00pm | 3:15pm | 5:30pm | Boys Tennis vs. East Ridge | V: HOME JV: Bielenberg Tennis Courts |
| V: 4:00pm JV: 4:00pm | Badminton Conference Tournament | V: Washington Tech JV: Johnson High School | |
| V: 4:00pm JV: 4:00pm | Softball vs. Central | Dunning Field | |
| THURSDAY | MAY 7 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| 2:50pm | Varsity Girls Golf vs. Humboldt | Cedarholm Golf Course | |
| 3:00pm | JV Boys Golf Conference Match | Highland 9 | |
| V: 3:10pm JV: 3:40pm | Boys Golf vs. Roosevelt | Highland National GC | |
| 4:00pm | Varsity Badminton Conference Finals | Washington Tech | |
| 4:00pm | JV Track and Field vs. Southwest and Washburn | HOME | |
| V; 4:30pm JV: 4:30pm | Softball vs. Como Park – Johnson | Como Park High School | |
| JV: 5:00pm V: 6:30pm | Boys Lacrosse vs. Simley | Simley High School | |
| 5:00pm | 3:45pm | 6:00pm | JV Boys Volleyball vs. St. Croix Prep | St. Croix Prep Academy |
| FRIDAY | MAY 8 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| V: 4:30pm JV: 4:30pm | 3:15pm | 6:30pm | Baseball vs. Como Park | V: HOME JV: Como Park High School |
| JV: 5:00pm V: 6:30pm | Boys Volleyball vs. St. Anthony Village | HOME | |
| JV: 5:30pm V: 7:00pm | Girls Lacrosse vs. Simley | Two Rivers High School | |
| SATURDAY | MAY 9 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| Boys Tennis Lakeville Invite | Lakeville North High School | ||
| 9:00am | 7:30am | 4:00pm | JV Boys Volleyball Tournament | New Prague High School |
| 9:00am | Varsity Boys Volleyball Tournament | Benilde St. Margaret’s | |
| 11:00am | Varsity Baseball vs. St. Paul Academy | HOME | |
| 11:00am | Varsity Softball vs. Central | HOME | |
‘Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ review
By: Amir Salaad
WARNING: This review has spoilers and talks about some scenes of the film.
‘Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ is a crime drama mini series made by Ryan Murphy and was released in 2022. This show follows the life of one of the most famous serial killers in history and the people he hurt. This series is rated TV-MA, because it has some violence, gore, sexual content, and some other disturbing parts.
Jeffery Dahmer is a quiet and awkward guy living in Milwaukee who is doing horrible things secretly in his apartment. He targets young guys and even though his neighbor, Glenda Cleveland, keeps calling the police because of the smells and noises coming from his apartment, they never do anything.
The show starts with Dahmer’s final arrest but then it goes back in time to show his childhood and how he became a monster. It’s different from other shows because it focuses on the victims and their families instead of just making Dahmer look like a main character.
As each episode of the series continues, the person watching gets to see how many times Dahmer almost got caught. One of the most frustrating parts is when 14-year-old Konerak Sinthasomphone escapes the apartment, but the police walk the boy back inside because they believed the lie Dahmer told them being together. The tension gets higher and higher as you see the families struggle to get justice while the police just ignore them.
The closer you get to the end of the series, the more you see how much damage was done to the whole community, not just the people that he killed.
The character development is also what sets this show apart from the rest. Evan Peters, who plays Dahmer, is great at the role. He acts weird and sometimes it’s hard to watch. Niecy Nash also gives a great performance in the show as she plays his next door neighbor Glenda Cleveland. She shows how mad she is at the fact that the police don’t really do anything to Dahmer when Konerak manages to escape. He lies to the police and takes him back inside his apartment. One thing this show does a good job at is showing this part of Dahmer’s life because from here you can see how insane it is that he was allowed to just get away with it by lying to the police. And they chose to believe Dahmer over Glenda.
To be honest, watching this really opened my eyes. It’s actually scary how someone could get away with so much just because the police didn’t care about some of the neighborhoods. Like for example, Glenda literally lived right next door and called the police so much to tell them about Dahmer, but they didn’t listen to her. It made me think about how true crime isn’t just entertainment and that these were real people’s lives that got ruined.
Evan Peters was definitely the best choice they could’ve made for this role because he made the character feel human but still totally terrifying. He just had that uncanny look. The ending where he finally gets killed in prison doesn’t even feel like a good ending because I got left thinking about all the people who could have been saved if the cops actually listened.
It’s a very heavy and emotional show, but it’s worth watching if you want to see a different side of Jeffery Dahmer’s story.
I would give ‘Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ an 8.5/10. It’s available to watch on Netflix.
Asking People’s Thoughts on Shorts Weather
By: Story Houghton and Damiya Payne
Plaid Line + PRIZM + Scottie News 