Category Archives: National

National, News

The great Jesse Jackson 

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By: Sema’Jae Tate

Image by: Brianmcmillen via Wikimedia Commons

Jesse Jackson was an African American male born in Greenville, South Carolina on October 8th, 1941. He went to a racially segregated school, Sterling High School and Jesse said growing up with the Jim Crow segregation law he was taught/told to go to the back of the bus and use a  separate water fountain. He had to accept it and it was rough.

Jesse Jackson was also bullied growing up because of his out- of-wedlock birth. He said “Being bullied growing up motivated me to succeed.” 

After he graduated high school in 1959, he rejected a contract from a minor professional baseball team so he could attend the University of Illinois on a football scholarship, but after his second  semester at the predominantly white college, Jesse Jackson transferred to North  Carolina A&T, a historically black university. He said the reason he transferred was  because “Racial prejudice prevented me from playing quarterback and limited my playing.”   

At A&T Jackson played quarterback and was elected student president. He became active in local civil rights protests against segregated libraries, theaters and restaurants. During that time, he graduated with a B.S. Degree in 1964.

He then attended the Chicago Theological Seminary on a scholarship. He left the seminary in 1966, three classes short of earning his master’s degree, to focus full-time on the civil rights movement.

He was ordained a minister in 1968 and was awarded a Master of Divinity degree by  Chicago Theological Seminary in 2000, based on his previously earned credits and  his subsequent work and life experience. 

In 1965, Jesse Jackson participated in the Selma to Montgomery march, where he met and worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He subsequently joined the SCLC and despite everything that was going on  Jesse still wanted to push harder to make a difference.

After King was assassinated, it was a tragedy, but things couldn’t just stop there so Jesse Jackson started his own organization People United to Save Humanity (PUSH),  focusing on economic empowerment and, later, political advocacy.

Jesse Jackson died on February 17, 2026.

Football, Local, National, News

The life and legacy of Rondale Moore

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By: Fred Gallatin

English: Purdue Boilermakers wide receiver Rondale Moore. Date: 26 August 2019
Source: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFseeuoyBAs. Author: FOX Sports. Via Wikimedia Commons

In a society where negative mental health impacts the lives of millions, it is easy to assume that money, fame, and achievements will keep these issues at bay. However, this was not the case for former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Rondale Moore.

Born five weeks premature in New Albany, Indiana, Moore was the youngest of four children born to a single mother. Financial struggles and family issues highlighted his childhood, but he found an outlet in sports. At just 5 foot 7, Moore faced both mental and physical adversity throughout his athletic careers in both football and basketball.

Eventually, Moore chose to dedicate himself to football, a decision that led his family to move to Louisville, Kentucky. While navigating the uprooting of his life, Moore led Trinity High School to an undefeated season en route to earning Kentucky’s Player-of-the-Year title.

Highly sought-after due to his passion and freak athleticism, Moore chose Purdue University, in his home state of Indiana. As a true freshman, he was thrust into the national spotlight and did not disappoint. He recorded 114 catches, 12 touchdowns, and 1,470 yards in the ultra-competitive Big Ten conference.

In addition to dominating on the field, Rondale excelled in the classroom, graduating from Purdue in just three years. Teammates, coaches, and professors gushed over Moore’s work ethic, passion, and dedication in all aspects of his life.

After earning his degree, Moore declared for the 2021 NFL Draft. He was chosen in the second round by the Arizona Cardinals and cruised into the starting lineup. His lifelong dream had been accomplished, but he was not yet satisfied. His dedication drove him to expect perfection from himself whenever possible.

After his rookie year, injuries began severely affecting Moore. Although most were minor, he suffered a severe knee injury after being traded to the Atlanta Falcons in early 2024. After fighting through a grueling and isolating rehabilitation process, Moore earned another chance with the Minnesota Vikings in 2025.

In his first preseason game with Minnesota, while returning a punt, Moore was awkwardly tackled and pinned, bending his knee at an excruciating angle. He had completely torn his ACL, ending his 2025 campaign before it even started. The heartbreak caused by consecutive season-ending injuries is uncharted for most people, and was yet another difficult obstacle for Rondale.

After trudging through adversity, working for everything, and dedicating his entire life to football, Moore felt further from fulfillment than ever. Although dreading the hard work and emotional challenge, he chose to endure another rehab cycle in hope of returning to the field at some point.

After supporting his teammates from the sidelines in crutches for the second year in a row, Moore entered the offseason alone, in pain, and hopeless. His lifelong, seemingly invincible flame was flickering.

Back home, nursing his ACL, Moore could no longer bear the emotional and physical burdens of his injuries. On February 21st, 2026, Rondale Moore was found dead in his hometown of New Albany, Indiana. His cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was only 25 years old.

Rondale’s death left a void in the lives of teammates, coaches, fans, and family members. A contagious smile, competitive atmosphere, and high character followed Moore wherever he went. Additionally, he was a star in his community, purchasing a house for his mother and leading youth football camps around Indiana.

Although a tragic story, Rondale Moore’s legacy will be one of determination, grit, and hope. He will be remembered for his character and will, without a doubt, be honored by Trinity High School, Purdue, and the 3 NFL teams who were lucky enough to work with him.

Mental health is not something that should be ignored. Moore’s story demonstrates that wealth, fame, and achievement do not correlate to true happiness. Resources are out there for everyone, and it is important to seek help before hopelessness becomes overwhelming. Moore will be a motivation for many, and his tragic passing will serve as a reminder that mental health matters.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline:

Anyone can call or text 988 if you need help or if you are worries about a friend or family member. 988 is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You are not alone, reach out for support.

National, News

What is a government shutdown?

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By: Alayanna Bouwens

Photo by Tom Fisk on Pexels.com

A government shutdown happens when Congress doesn’t pass funding bills in time; funding bills or “appropriation bills” act like a budget plan and are  designed to fund the government until the end of each government year or “fiscal year” which ends on September 30. During a government shutdown, essential services related to national security and public safety, like emergency medical care, air traffic security and control, law enforcement, and border security, continue to function, though they may face disruptions. 

During this time government workers like air traffic control workers, senators, military employees, FBI workers, border control, etc. are paid something called “back pay” which is a pay check they receive of money that has been stored in case of a shutdown. Workers that are essential to the functioning of our government are required to work without pay while workers that are deemed not essential like department of education workers, NASA employees, national park services staff, etc. are sent home for the remainder of the shutdown. 

This government shutdown affects us because it interrupts government services, delays things like loans, makes longer lines and more delays at airports, national parks and museums close as they have a lack of funding. Lots of small business struggle as loans come to a halt, and causes financial uncertainty for government employees. Overall, it doesn’t affect our day to day lives (if you don’t work for a government agency) but it is still an important subject to know about as a shutdown is a big thing and affects government functions and staff heavily.

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Local, National

The other results of last week’s election

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By: Nathaniel de Sam Lazaro

Image Credit: Wikipedia commons

By now, you probably already know that Donald Trump has won the 2024 US Presidential election. What you might have missed, however, are the other races that defined this election.

The president cannot make laws and do things all on his own. He needs to work together with both houses of congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate.

These two chambers are responsible for creating the laws that the executive branch is in charge of putting into place. In addition, the president often has to petition congress in order to get his agenda passed and put into effect. For this reason, it is much more difficult for the president to enact their agenda if the party in charge of congress does not align with the president’s party.

Each state has two senators, who serve six year terms. Every two years, roughly a third of the senators are up for election.  In this election, one of Minnesota’s senators, Democrat Amy Klobuchar, was up against Republican challenger Royce White. The Associated Press has called this race for Klobuchar, but they have also declared that Republicans will take a majority in the senate, having flipped a number of other Democratic seats. This is good news for president-elect Trump, since it means the senate will align with him as he attempts to enact his agenda as president.

In addition, the nation is divided into 435 congressional districts, each having one representative. These districts are distributed roughly proportionally to population, and redrawn every ten years in order to better represent groups of people as demographics shift. Highland Park is a part of congressional district MN-4, which has been represented by Democrat Betty McCollum since 2001. She has been elected to her thirteenth term in congress, easily defeating Republican challenger May Lor Xiong. AP has also projected that Republicans will win the house, having officially secured the 218 seats required for a majority. This is good for President elect Trump, as the house aligns with his party making it easier for him to pass legislation he wants enacted.

In addition to the federal government, each state also has their own government, which passes laws that only affect us in that state. Minnesota’s government works similarly to the federal government, with a governor and two chambers of congress. The Minnesota House of Representatives has elections every two years, while the Minnesota Senate holds elections every four years, with election years being the non-presidential even years.

This year, state senator Kelly Morrison stepped down from her position to run for US congress in district MN-3, which she has now won. This caused a special election to occur in her district, which had the potential of flipping the state senate. The Minnesota Star Tribune has called this race for DFL candidate Ann Johnson Stewart, meaning the DFL will retain control of the senate in Minnesota. Meanwhile, the state’s House of Representatives appears to be deadlocked with both major parties having 67 seats, but a recount of two seats could narrowly give the house to the republicans. If this occurred, it would make things difficult for our democratic governor.

There were also a few ballot measures in Minnesota and across the country. In Minnesota, the state asked whether state lottery funds should continue to be used to protect the environment, which passed with 77.5% of the vote.

Here in Saint Paul, two additional referendums were included. The first asked whether city property taxes should be increased to pay for childcare funding. This failed with 59.9% of the vote, according to the Star Tribune. The other ballot measure, asking whether city elections should be moved to presidential years, passed with 60.7% of the vote.

National, News

About Hurricane Milton

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By: Siri David

Florida coast Photo credits: me

Hurricane Milton is affecting the environment and people all over the world. Hurricane Milton hit Florida’s central west coast on October 9th. It was marked as a category 3 hurricane. It had winds up to 120 mph. Earlier Wednesday morning the national weather service found at least around 4 tornados on the south west coast of Florida. This all led to a massive category 5 storm on October 7th with winds hitting speeds of 180 mph. Milton rained so much in areas of Floridas that it is qualified as a 1 in 1,000 year rainfall event.

Hurricane Milton has affected so many people. Over 3.2 million people have lost power in Florida. There have been at least 14 deaths confirmed since the storm has passed through Florida. Many people have lost their homes and all their belongings. Which leads to lots of people being homeless now. A lot of small companies were also destroyed which led to job losses, because not everyone can recover all of that damage. There were 1,200 people rescued by the National Guard. A total of around 6,500 troops were asked to come into work.

The hurricane also left a large effect on the environment. It killed many animals and destroyed a lot of their ecosystems. This causes them to not be able to repopulate as well because their environment has been ruined. Another thing that affects the environment is with all of the things being destroyed, all of that trash is being spread all over, so that isn’t good for the environment either.

This hurricane is something that will change our country forever, so here are some ways you can help. If you are someone who doesn’t live near states that were affected you can donate to foundations and help raise money. There are a lot of organizations that are taking donations, just make sure you do your research to make sure you don’t get scammed. If you do live near states that were affected you can sign up with the Red Cross to become a volunteer or could work to make meals and help get homes for people through other organizations.

To recover from a disaster like this everyone needs to participate to help the people and the environment. It takes all of us.

Local, National

Beth El gathering

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By: Mira Kaufman

On Tuesday, October 10th, St. Louis Park’s Beth El synagogue hosted a public gathering by JCRC to support Jewish people and Israelis who have experienced loss of murdered relatives due to Hamas in the “Simchat Torah War”. The gathering took place in their main sanctuary but had such a big turn out of around 1,700 people that they had to use the mini sanctuary. Hundreds of people waited in line to give support and they eventually had to turn people away due to the lack of space. It was supported by many local Jewish organizations such as CRC, Minnesota Rabbinical Association, Minneapolis Jewish Federation, Saint Paul Jewish Federation, Minnesota Cantors Association, and TC Jewfolk.

The gathering consisted of speeches, songs, blessings, and more. Local rabbis and cantors grouped together to sing and pray for the healing and lives lost. Speeches were given by Amy Klobuchar, Governor Tim Walz, many local Israelis, and an Israeli defense forces soldier from Minnesota.

In Klobuchar’s speech, she showed support to the Jewish community and showed true emotion to the lives lost. According to Samie Solía, on KARE 11 News, Amy Klobuchar shared that Hamas is; “Trying to instill fear. They are trying to make you turn away. They are trying to destroy Israel. We will not let that happen.”

Tim Waltz showed empathy and his speech gave a tone of ardency to the Jewish people. According to Lev Gringauz on TC Jewfolk, Waltz said; “If you did not find moral clarity on Saturday morning, and you find yourself waiting to think about what you needed to say, you need to reevaluate where you’re at.” He made the claim that many need to reevaluate their thinking on politics and gain empathy for all lives lost and murdered in this war.

The local Israelis that spoke were Tal Dror Rouche, Shai Avny, and Ben Ribnick. They each spoke of personal stories, family, bravery, and more. Tal Dror Rouche spoke about an elderly woman whose home was broken into by Hamas terrorists but survived by spending over 20 hours distracting them until help came. She fed them, told them about the meaning of life, mended their injuries, and more.

The gathering gave community and allowed mourning to those suffering, for Hamas is not just trying to take the land of Israel but they are actively taking the lives of the innocent civilians. Their goal is to murder Jews.

National

With the U.S. facing a looming debt default, the race is on to raise the debt ceiling before the June 5th deadline

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By Aeden Evenson-McDermott

Photo by Photo By: Kaboompics.com on Pexels.com

After the past few weeks of going back and forth between reaching the settlements and negotiators hunkering down, Biden and McCarthy’s teams finally struck a deal to raise the debt ceiling.

There were many consequences to the situation and if a deal wasn’t reached it would be quite catastrophic for the U.S. but also the world markets and economy overall. As for the U.S., inflation would continue to rise, prices for almost everything would be higher, health and social security benefits would be in limbo, and military personnel could go unpaid along with millions of jobs being lost.

Thankfully, in recent days, Biden and McCarthy struck a deal to avoid a default but still need the house and senate on board. Moderate Democrats and many Republicans are against the deal as they feel they lost important things in the bill. When you have two sides hammering out measures, both sides won’t be able to get everything, it’s just a part of the process which is inevitable.

With the deal being passed, it would create some time until after the next presidential election in 2024, and in 2025 it would expire.

Some of the issues at large that were in the deal will be examined. Caps on spending would be in the ballpark of $1 trillion less and no budget caps are in place after 2025. Defense spending would slightly increase and more protections for medical care of military veterans would also increase. Unspent COVID funds from the pandemic would be returned and are estimated to be at a value of $30 billion. Welfare of food stamps were protected but stricter work requirements were instituted. Further funds to tax the rich resulted in $80 billion for IRS funding. Energy projects would become more mainstream and projects would begin faster.

A few important clauses that were not included in the deal were student loan relief, tax hikes, and clean energy.

Overall, both sides came together at the bargaining table and got somewhat of what they bargained for. It remains to be seen on how the deal will be passed through the house and senate but both sides seem optimistic.

Editorials/Student Voice, National

Tennessee passes bill that limits marriage equality

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B:y Mya Olson – Williams

In early March, the Tennessee House of Representatives passed a new bill that allows a person to refuse to conduct a marriage based on their religious and personal beliefs. This bill was presented by Representative Monty Fritts (R – Kingston).

Many believe that this law will make things easier for officiants to discriminate against same-sex, interracial, LGBTQ+, and interfaith (people of different religions) couples.

According to theamm.org, these are the exact words written in House Bill 878:

“(m) A person shall not be required to solemnize a marriage if the person has an objection to solemnizing the marriage based on the person’s conscience or religious beliefs.”

There was already a law in place seeming pretty similar, but this one lets people refuse on any grounds.

Tennessee is not stopping here. They are moving to block online ordained ministers from conducting weddings. If that becomes the case, it would make it almost impossible for any interracial, same-sex, LGBTQ+, or interfaith couples to get married in the state of Tennessee.

Monty Fritts denied the fact that this bill would only allow refusal of solemnizing same-sex marriages. He believes that there’s a drive to attack “civil liberties and rights”.

There are other states going through very similar things as well. Currently there are laws in place in the states of Kansas, North Carolina, Mississippi, and there could be more coming in the near future.

Unfortunately, the Respect for Marriage Act, put in place in December of 2022, does not protect anyone in those few states. Same-sex couples (married or not) can still live in these places, but they can no longer get married there.

It’s commonly said that we are going backwards in time. There’s so much wrong with these laws, and many are convinced that this inequality will not stop here, but only get worse.

National

Winter storms across the U.S. cause deaths and power outages

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By: Jamine Williams

Around the start of March, the U.S. had faced extreme winter storms. Heavy winds, flooding, and snow began making its way to the United States. The weather advisories were being sent out to states across the country. According to ‘NPR’, several days have passed since the storm started. On Saturday evening, it left more than 850,000 people without power.

The storm moved to the South and Midwest, a minimum of 12 people died, due to heavy winds and possible tornadoes that destroyed buildings. The Northeast region was the snowstorm’s next destination, where there was another warning issued by the National Weather Service because of heavy snow and coastal flooding. On March 4th, hundreds of businesses were closed. Many canceled flights in New York, New Hampshire, and many counties of Maine; due to there being a full foot of snow. Falling trees or branches caused the death of six people in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

In Kentucky, there were five deaths related to weather, and a semi truck flew from the highway. Michigan was hit with the snowstorm on Friday, March 10th. In the afternoon it covered the state with snow. 800,000 homes and businesses lost power and the Detroit Metropolitan Airport was closed for a transitory period of time.

Over in the West, the Sierra Nevada Mountains are topped with a bunch of snow, and some snow on the Upper Great Lakes. But the West has not recovered from the storm and is still covered with snow.

In Southern California, there were people who were trapped in their homes for another week, with all highways that are near the mountains closed. More than a foot, 15 feet of snow, had landed in Yosemite National Park, and it is closed permanently. Half of the Eastern country of California will begin having warm temperatures prematurely.

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Editorials/Student Voice, National

Amazons underperformance on its drone program

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By: Joseph Nelson

It’s been almost ten years since Jeff Bezos announced Amazon’s drone delivery program, but we still haven’t seen any sign of commercial delivery to homes. In fact, Amazon has only made 10 successful deliveries between the two states of Texas and California. Now, why is that number so low and where are our drones?

Now, Amazon isn’t trying to at all hide their underperformance as Amazon spokesperson Maria Boschetti doesn’t deny any of the numbers brought to her in an email from The Verge. But those numbers aren’t completely Amazon’s fault as there is a bigger factor in play than just Amazon, it’s also the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) stating to Amazon that the pilots cannot fly over roads without a pilot or a third party present. That means that the unmanned drones need to be supervised if the drone were to go over any type of road which brings a bigger challenge to the future of drone delivery.

But, this all seems odd right? I mean, we are again almost ten years from the first announcement of the program and now we are still trying to cross the street? The very future of air delivery is being held up by the laws of the roads.

It feels as though the battle between the FAA and Amazon is going at a snail’s pace. In fact, Amazon just last November, got the green light to fly its drones outside of sparsely populated areas. The drones couldn’t fly within one-hundred feet of buildings, and the requirement of drone pilots being required to have a piloting license to fly a plane, just so they can fly a drone, has completely hindered Amazon’s pilot count. Which hurts a lot when you need more than six pilots to fly just one drone.

But these training wheels the FAA put on Amazon might not be completely a bad thing, as of February 1st, there have been five drone crashes on Amazon testing sites. One of these crashes caused a twenty-five acre forest fire on the site.

But Amazon isn’t backing down from the fight whatsoever, they are pushing the FAA every day to get their drones up in the sky and deliver packages to your doorstep. As of the start of February, the FAA had approved more flight areas in Texas and California.

So, as to answer the question on where are our drones? Well, they are being held up by air laws but I still believe that we should see them in the coming years.

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