📰 Other News 🌎

Lemons

By Seth Seymour

The lemon is a yellow fruit both inside and out. It is like an orange but slightly more oval shaped and pointier at the top and bottom. They are very sour and loaded with vitamin C. The lemon, like all citrus fruits, came from the Himalayas, 8 million years ago. You can eat them many ways; raw, juice squeezed on top of food for sourness, in a fruit salad, in your dinner, or you could just drink the juice as lemonade. There are many ways to eat this sour fruit, but the most popular ways are baking with them, and adding the juice or rind to drinks. They are all over the world, either bought at a farm freshly plucked off the tree, or bought at a supermarket or grocery store. I think that they are a bit too sour when eaten raw, but in other foods, they are very good. Such as lemon cake or lemon tarts or even lemonade. 

Why the Crown Vic is the best car ever

By Trevor Odolinski 

The Ford Crown Victoria may not seem like a great car on the outside however it is truly one of the best semi affordable vehicles on the road today. The Ford Crown Victoria (Police Interceptor) was used by law enforcement all over North America, The Middle East and is still used even today 11 Years after production ended why is that you may ask. The Crown Vic used proven technology that, whilst being obsolete, it continues to just not die. (ex New York City taxis have reached over 500,000 Miles and continue to run even after retirement). 

 The Crown Vic is far more reliable than most new vehicles including newer police Vehicles such as the Dodge Charger Enforcer the new Ford Police Interceptors (Explorer and Taurus), the Crown Vic was dependable with its body on frame construction keeping repair costs low parts were cheap and plentiful. The Crown Victoria was a popular fleet vehicle for Police and Taxi use, New York city had a special Long Wheelbase variant with its own VIN code P70 (later P7A) with a 6 inch stretch in the frame. The Crown Vic was so popular as a fleet vehicle it went to all fleet sales in 2008 as it really didn’t do very well as a civilian car,````` that reliable out of date technology well people didn’t really want that the main buyers of the late panther platform cars were older people and they didn’t want a Ford they wanted a Mercury the mercury was about 75% of panther sales to the general public it didn’t help the Crown Victoria's case that ford didn’t show it on their website they showed the Mercury the Crown Victoria was more successful as a civilian car in the middle east.  

The crown vic was popular for the police as it could be used as a wide range of Policing uses such as undercover work as the SAP (Street Appearance Package), K9 work ,Traffic units and General Patrol units. Then once they were retired, taxi companies would buy them and use them for a few hundred thousand miles. And finally the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor was powered by a 4.6 litre SOHC engine producing 250 horsepower (15 more horsepower than the Civilian models 235) the Crown Vic Police Interceptor featured an improved transmission, heavy duty suspension.  

Unfortunately Crown vics are getting harder to find for reasonable prices as you can’t get former RCMP cars (due to the fear of police impersonators and a repeat of the NS 2020 mass shooting) and people seem to think vics are a collector car now and price gouge them plus inflation isn’t helping the prices however people still sell them but for much inflated prices (sometimes more then the vehicles are worth and with tacky extras like touch screens and awful aftermarket radios and the crap you would expect a 20 year old to think is cool). Also there is a group of weirdos who make their cars look like in service unmarked patrol cars called Whackers and now the police seem to be pulling over these Whackers and are ordering this police equipment to be removed . 

What is a second?

By Noah Ollmann

What is a second? How do you define it? It seems simple, a second is 1/60 of a minute, 1/86,400 of a day, and so on. But what does it all mean? One second is a part of time, time is a constant, so if a second is constantly moving forward in the path of time, how do we know what a second is? How do we know what a minute is? An hour? One entire year?? One second is the time that elapses during 9,192,631,770 cycles of the radiation produced by the transition between two levels of the cesium-133 atom. Or in other words, cesium-133 is an atom that produces radiation when it changes levels. What that actually means is a whole other thing, but the point is that this atom produces radiation in the exact time a second has passed. This is how atomic clocks work to get the exact time of day. Since 1972 there have been approximately 27 leap seconds added to the clock, but why were they added? The speed of which the Earth rotates changes daily, thus, over time it slows down. To keep the time as accurate as possible, every time it goes down by a second, a leap second is added. This same reason (although on a wider scale) applies to leap years as well.  

One minute is 60 seconds, but how do we know that? Why isn’t it 50, or 70 seconds? Why, and more importantly how do we know that it is 60 seconds? This idea that not only one minute is 60 seconds, but also that an hour is 60 minutes, came from the Babylonians. They used something called a sexagesimal (counting in 60s) system to do mathematics and learn more about astronomy. Although, this was not an original idea, as they took it from the Sumerians of which were using it as early as 3500 BC. 

What about days? Days, or 24 hours, are measured by the time it takes for the Earth to have a full rotation around the sun, however as previously mentioned, time changes. About 650 million years ago, a day was about 22 hours, rather than the 24 we are used to. About every 100 years, the Earth's rotation lengthens by exactly 1.8 milliseconds. Milliseconds. What are they? If we know what a second, hour, and day are, why do we need milliseconds too? Were seconds not enough? Scientists back in 1901 found that a thousandth of a second was equal to a millisecond, or 0.001 seconds. This is why it is named what it is. Due to the way a millisecond is found, they fittingly named it milli – second. Milli is deriving from the Latin word for thousand (mille), and second is from the Latin word Secundus meaning “following, next in time or order.” In conclusion, if you do not track time, it will blend in. Either way, time is a constant and that is that.  

Great fox-spider reappears in the UK

By Logan Kampen

The Great Fox-Spider was thought to have gone extinct due to not being spotted since 1998. They were rediscovered in 2020, finding 13 mature males, 1 mature female, and many unmature spiderlings. For those uninformed of the Great Fox-Spider it is a the biggest of the wolf sider family and it has great camouflage, speed, and vision allowing it to pull off things that others of it’s family can’t. One example is, its ability to stoke its prey untel it finds the best time to strike. It is not named after the fox because it looks like one, but because it acts like one. The Great Fox-Spider only lives in the UK because it likes it there. They have two venoms; one is paralyzing, the other is used after your paralyzed to melt your insides. Do not worry though because it can’t harm humans or any bigger animals. A unique trait that the wolf spiders have (including the fox spider) is their eye placement, with two big eyes in the front, two big eyes on the sides and four smaller eyes making a line over the mouth. 

Indoor swimming pool coming to Agassiz

By Willow Cuvilier

Agassiz has had an outdoor pool since 1978, but it has never had a year-round indoor pool. However, an indoor aquatic center has been in the plans since 2019. 

An indoor pool costs a lot to be maintained, repaired, and run. However, this new aquatic center would benefit everyone local. First of all, children could swim not just in the summer but take swimming lessons year-round, and knowing how to swim is a very important skill that protects you and other people. By having a pool year-round, kids who aren't around in the summer could still take lessons, and knowing how to swim could decrease the amount of drowning, especially in Harrison Lake. 

Another community the indoor swimming pool would benefit are the seniors. It can be difficult and dangerous for elders to exercise. In the summer, we often see senior groups doing water yoga in our outdoor pool. By exercising in the pool, there's a much lower risk of being hurt, and seniors can enjoy better health and more years of independent living.  

The new aquatic center would also provide more jobs for people in Agassiz like lifeguards, cleaners, swimming instructors and more. The pool also influences the PE classes swim season at AESS and KES. With more possible swim time AESS could have a longer swimming unit in gym class and maybe even an after-school swim team for people interested. 

If Agassiz could have an indoor pool, it would influence everyone in a positive way. But to build a pool and maintain it costs a lot of money. We have already received 13 million dollars from different governments and our goal is to rase one million in our community and we currently have raised 117 thousand. 

If you're interested in donating or would like to learn more go to https://www.kentbc.ca/en/explore-and-play/about_the_project.aspx 

Cross country skiing

By Max Gross

Cross country skiing is a well-known sport, although not very many people do it. Cross country skiing is a winter sport in which participants use skis and poles to push up hill and glide downhill. Cross country skiing has a perfect balance of fun and work, and it allows you to get some cardio in during the uphill and fun in during the downhill. 

There is a variety of sizes and brands making the skiing experience bigger. There is a variety of poles and skis allowing you to get a perfect fit. There are thousands of brands allowing higher quality gear depending on the money you decide to spend. Your classic skis usually have a layer of sticky wax at their base that allows you to grip the snow when you’re skiing uphill. 

There are almost always places for cross country skiing when there is snow, and you can go to them at no cost. Most places for cross country skiing are groomed and ready for use allowing anyone to go at any time. 

Foxes in Canada

By Logan Kampen

There are four species of foxes in Canada. They’re all quite small and cute, as a fox should be. The red, grey, arctic, and swift foxes are the four foxes that can be found in Canada, except coastal BC, none of them live here, which is sad. I would like to have foxes here in BC, but none of them like the warm moist air of the west coast. 

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes), is the biggest of the four living in Canada and are rarely found inW estern Alberta. They eat rodents, insects, frogs, eggs, fruit, eggs, and some poultry. They breed in January and February having between 1 to 10 cubs 52 to 54 days later in a den made of mud and sticks. The cubs leave their parents at 6 months and begin breeding at 2 years of age. 

The grey fox (Urocryonc inereoargenteus), is the second biggest and lives in Southernmost Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. The grey fox shares a similar diet with the red fox being small meats, insects, frogs, nuts, and berries. They make their nest in hollow logs or overhangs. They often climb trees, enjoy sunning themselves and are not strictly nocturnal. They mate in February to March have 1 to 7 cubs about 63 days later becoming independent the following autumn and breeding that next season. 

The arctic fox (Alopex lagopus), is next on the size list, living in the northern areas of Canada and scavenges predators kills for food. They mate in February having 5 to 14 cubs 50 to 57 days later and breed at 2 years of age. Their fur is black in the winter and go whiteish brown in summer. Both the red fox and arctic fox were hunted a lot for their furs until artificial furs reduced the want for real furs. 

Last on the list is the swift fox (V. velox), living from Southern Alberta to Southern Manitoba, eating whatever berries, nuts, and predator scraps it can. They are just small red foxes in habits, food, and breeding. Their colouring is that of a grey fox.

The small amount of foxes in Canada is sad. In fact, I didn’t even have enough content to do a full page. I tried to extend this thing so that I could get a full page, but I enviably fell short. Not having many foxes in Canada is honestly why I chose to do this topic because I knew it would be hard to do. 

New spacecraft going up for ISS crew following coolant leak  

By Harsimran Kaur

The Russian space corporation, Roscomos, told media that they are going to launch a new spacecraft because there is a capsule in space which is now damaged and leaking coolant. The crew that was in the capsule is still there so Roscomos are now sending a crewless, automatic capsule to space to get the crew back to earth on February 20, 2024.

Black holes Explained 

By Liam Mills

Black holes aren't actually black holes. In reality black holes are just a bunch of stuff condensed into a small space creating an immense gravitational pull. This field is so strong that not even light can escape its event horizon. 

Since light cant reflect off of black holes, we have no way to see the black hole itself, however we can see the matter around the black hole and how the black hole effects that matter.                      

Event Horizon 

The event horizon is the point where no matter can escape the black hole’s gravitational pull. 

How Does a Black Hole Pull Things In? 

You might be surprised to learn that the force that pulls things into a black hole is the same force that keeps people on the earth without floating into space, this force is called gravity. The difference between the two is a black hole’s gravity is much stronger. This is because the more mass an object has the greater the strength of its gravity. Then the greater the gravity, the stronger its gravitational pull is.  

How does Gravity Work? 

Gravity pulls things in with less mass than itself, however gravity also warps spacetime. Think of space as a piece of paper that can’t be torn. If we were to place something weighing a pound in the middle of that paper, the paper would start to bend. Now let's think about how this works in space; if we have something with enough mass in the spacetime paper the spacetime paper would start to bend. That bend is the result of gravity.  

Why Does a Black Hole Effect Time? 

Some people might be shocked to learn that a black hole can affect time outside of it. To understand how it does this, you first have to understand what time is. Time is always flowing from the past to the future in a straight line that you can’t escape. A black hole bends that line inwards toward the centre of the black hole. Your past is outside of the blackhole, and your future is in the black hole. 

Reading: A foreign act to most teenagers 

By Olivia Williams

Test your memory by thinking back to the last time you picked up a book, and for that matter, actually read it. If it takes minimal effort for you to recall your previous experience with such a thing, you now have the right to pride yourself in being a part of the approximate 20% of teenage society. Recent studies show that on average 20% of teenagers read for pleasure or enjoyment, and have read a book within the past year. Although, with that number in mind, we’re left with roughly 80% on the opposing side. That is a great increase from even just 40 years ago: 40 years ago, only about 40% of teenagers had no interest in reading, while a larger 60% did. Whether the cause is due to more exposure to social media, video games, or other online, technology enrolled activities, people in general, but specifically teenagers, are reading significantly less. 

Not reading enough, or more precisely, not reading at all, has many crucial long and short term effects. 

It can result in the lessening of your ability to comprehend, learn, and take in information, as well as the development of your writing skills. 

There’s no denying that these are all key skills in order to do so many further things, such as having a genuine conversation, listening to others, and remembering the things you read and hear. Basic abilities that people put into action every day can be remarkably increased by reading, although it’s something we seem to have forgotten.  

What will this do to our future as a whole? If this pattern continues, how will it impact our further generations? The concern is to be determined, but expectations as to what is to come can and are being made. Will we save this distant activity from escaping our lives? 

Smoke in Agassiz continues to worsen

By Mikaya Deseron

Scoliosis

By Addison Sawatzky

Unidentified back pains? Scoliosis could be the issue.

Scoliosis can be found in 2-3 precent of the human population. It is most common in women and often develops early on starting with toddlers, young children, and can even develop during puberty. In my experience, I discovered my scoliosis just earlier this year while trying to size my waist for leggings when I had noticed my spine had a slight curve. Just a week later I had consulted a doctor and he had verified that I did in fact have scoliosis. The entire process to get me a proper brace in hopes to fix my back, will take an estimated 2.5 years! In my opinion, the health care system needs to be on top of this. Scoliosis progresses as children grow, delaying the process of getting it fixed can cause it to become worse. Although Scoliosis is not fatal, and you can still do everyday tasks, it can become more devastating. For example, by playing sports, it can cause postural deviation which are overdeveloped thoracic, lumbar curves, or lateral curve, that can include a twist. 

Most people believe that scoliosis is caused due to bad posture but that is not the case. More than 80 precent of scoliosis cases are pronounced unknown, a condition called idiopathic scoliosis. Although these cases are often unknown, some main causes could range from certain neuromuscular conditions (such as muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy), birth defects affecting the development of the spine, injuries/infections to the spine, spinal cord irregularities, or even previous surgery on the chest wall as a baby. Although these are some of the main causes, one I have not yet mentioned is a quite common cause, genetics. It is proven that scoliosis runs through bloodlines, however, the cases are very mild, and some are even unnoticed. One source of scoliosis you may not have heard, since it is not really brought up and most do not know, is that scoliosis can come from emotional trauma. Whether its unresolved past or present emotions or even mild mental trauma as a child. These events can cause a negative cascading effect resulting in shortening of the natural length of certain groups of muscles that continuously experiences pressure on the spine resulting in pulling the spine out of the midline. There are many different ways shapes or forms that scoliosis can come in as well, including idiopathic (the most common case being 80 percent of all cases), congenital (sideways curvature caused by a birth defect), neuromuscular (second most generic form of scoliosis, often caused disorders associating with nerve/muscular systems such as a spinal cord injury, spina bifida, or cerebral palsy), and more. 

Even though scoliosis is irritating to live with, there are ways to correct it. Scoliosis is most corrected by bracing or surgery whether your diagnosis is moderate or large. The surgery is often offered when the curve in your back is immense. The surgery consists of placing two pieces of bone into the spaces between the vertebrae to be fused together. Bracing on the other hand, is a slower but easier procedure. The brace is moulde in a specific way, fitted to your waist in a way that will keep your spine from growing a larger curve. You may ask, “How does the brace straighten your curve?” the answer is quite simple. The brace holds your spine in a straight and unrotated position. This process takes about 6-18 months, depending on the curve, until you either move to wearing a corrective brace to a traditional supportive brace, or just end bracing for good. However, getting the surgery takes about 3-6 months to fully recover from and start getting back to your everyday activities.  

So next time you have back pain, make sure you analyse it, see if you can find any curves, and talk to your doctor because the sooner its discovered, the sooner you can resolve it. 

The Trina Hunt mystery: will she get justice?

By Holly-Rae Myrden

2 years ago, Trina Hunt’s husband, Iain, was the last person to see her as he left for work. The next day there were half a dozen officers searching the area and they continued for many days. It has been 2 long years that Trina’s family have been fighting for justice. Police and detectives have stayed publicly silent, but the offer of $50,000 for any true evidence or suspect still stands. This was all so unexpected, so sudden, but to really understand Trina’s story, we must start at the beginning. I’m Holly-Rae Myrden, and this is my article on Trina Hunt’s unsolved mystery. 

“It made no sense that Trina walked away from her life,” her cousins say, “she was recently retired, and there were no financial, marital, or mental health issues that anyone was aware of.” Hunt’s family has described her as a “bubbly, bright, welcoming, caring, thoughtful, passionate, generous and loyal person.” Trina Hunt was last seen around 6:00 AM on January 18, 2021. Iain alleges that Trina was fast asleep at the time he left the house, unknowing what he’d come back to. Or rather, what he wouldn’t come back to.

Just 3 days before Trina went missing, she had texted a good friend from Ottawa, Canada about setting up a virtual cocktail over the weekend. The next day, Trina and Iain went to Hope, B.C. for the day to visit a campground they used to go to in their 20’s. That same day Trina also received a text message from a former co-worker but there was no reply. The former colleague finally received a message from Trina the next day around 5:00 PM. The text read “Delayed response because I’m trying a digital detox this weekend. Haven’t touched the phone all weekend.” The text after that read “Amen!” Her family members said, “The writing style, curtness, and lack of emojis was unlike Trina.” The second text she sent (“Amen!”) she’d never used before in the past. Family members and close friends said, “It just seemed strange.” The night before Trina disappeared, Iain did not set the house alarm because he was leaving for work early and didn't want to wake her up. Trina was scrupulous about having the security alarm on and windows and doors closed at night. When Iain left that morning, there was no activity on Trina’s phone or laptop all day and she missed a telephone appointment.  

When Iain returned home at 4:30 PM and realized Trina wasn’t there, he called the police at 5:00 PM. The police searched the area and home that night and tried to get as much information as possible. The next two days a ground search began by the Port Moody Police, Search and Rescue, an RCMP helicopter, a canine unit, and numerous volunteers. It wasn’t until February 17th a formal news release was announced by the Port Moody Police. It stated, “Numerous investigative resources have been utilized in our search for Trina including RCMP Air Services, Coquitlam Search and Rescue, the Vancouver Police Marine Unit, and the Lower Mainland Integrated Police Dog Service. We have also contacted our partners at the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT), as part of that team's mandate is to investigate suspicious missing person cases where foul play is suspected. Evidence indicates this missing person case does not meet IHIT's mandate.” 

It had been seemingly forever since Trina went missing until March 19, 2021, the first set of 3 human remains are found in Hope, B.C. 10 days after on March 29th, they find a second set of remains again in Hope. The third set of remains were found in Mission B.C. but happened to be Brandon Sakebow’s from Saskatchewan. Nearly 5 months after Trina went missing, the remains found in Hope, B.C. on March 29th are confirmed to be Trina’s and foul play is suspected. Many are devastated, leaving piles of flowers on the front lawn of Trina’s home. Family members started speaking out “It’s time to put an end to the suffering, the indignity done to Trina. It’s time to come forward and to do the right thing.” What had happened to Trina and why? The even bigger question, who killed Trina? The police quickly focused on one man, Trina’s husband. 

Iain Hunt and his family have been consistently noticeable in their absence helping search for Trina Hunt or her killer. Iain and his family have not and refuse to contribute toward the $50,000 reward and will not put any more effort into finding her killer. There have been many events honouring Trina where he did not show up to: a banner with Trina was hung over an overpass in Port Moody and everyone who was close to Trina came to this event, everyone besides one. Iain. Instead, he made a statement saying that he is going through a challenging time, but he is confident in the police, and he is hopeful that they will bring her home. There was also a candlelight vigil at Rocky Point Park where Iain didn’t attend and left a statement.  

Family members of Trina’s, Colin and Stephanie, mentioned the unusual trip to Hope, B.C. “They would go on long drives with purpose, such as going to the dairy farm, but they went to Hope to revisit a campground they had visited in their 20s,” Stephanie explained. “The part that makes no sense for me is the drive to Hope on Saturday, without cellphones and then she is found in Hope,” Colin said. Another strange thing was Iain moving out of his home to move back with his parents, only to go back numerous times. Police and IHIT soon caught on to this and started conducting multiple search warrants at Trina’s home and Iain’s parent’s home. On June 5th Police were seen using forensic 3D scanning and removing objects such as mail and paperwork. Later that same day, the white Mercedes SUV from Iain's parents' home and Iain's gray BMW at Trina's home are towed away. 

Nearly a year after these investigations were made, police finally made an arrest. Co-host Catlin of the local podcast “True North True Crime” said, “I remember that being the day we were like, 'Finally, we are going to get answers. We are going to get justice. This is it.” The one man police were focusing on since the beginning, Iain Hunt was finally arrested. A wave of relief washed over all family members and close friends. Until suddenly the next day they found themselves in the same position they were in at the beginning. Iain had been released without any charges. 

A criminologist who's a professor at Simon Fraser University and former police officer, Rob Gordon, says he thinks homicide investigators don’t want any questions from the media because they don’t believe a public appeal will help the case. “They’ve got their prime suspect, all they need is a piece of the jigsaw puzzle that is currently being held by the BC Prosecution Service,” Gordon said. His suspicion is that the police thought they had enough evidence to charge Iain when he was arrested, but the crown counsel disagreed and didn’t approve the charge. Though, the crown counsel is predicted to be forced to proceed without an ironclad case. Many agree that counsel is waiting for one last piece of solid evidence, and until that happens it may be a while before we hear any results. 

The two long years will continue, leaving people wondering if they will ever find out who did this to Trina. Many have focused on the evidence leading to Iain Hunt, but it may take a while before the crown counsel agrees and gives Iain the punishment he deserves. Trina Hunt will never be forgotten by her family and friends. Iain, and his family's silence and weak action is deeply noted by all, and most importantly, the memory and family of Trina. 

Agassiz is expanding

By Max Gross

The time has come for Agassiz to expand. The Agassiz community has decided to add a new pool and a skyline gondola to Agassiz. The skyline gondola and pool might be the start of a new Agassiz. 

Agassiz needs an indoor pool, and the Ferny Coombe Pool does not fit the job. The indoor pool will be located by the rec centre in Agassiz. This pool is estimated to cost 21,000,000 dollars. This pool will have a big aquatic centre bigger than the ferny coombe pool. This pool will also have a lazy river, a leisure pool, and a whirlpool.  

As stated There will be a new skyline gondola coming to Agassiz. The proposed Cascade Skyline Gondola Project is a tourism attraction and will be perfect for hikers and sightseers. The gondola plans will finally be approved later this year, allowing construction to begin for an opening as early as Spring 2023. 

Agassiz produce store

By Jordin Walker

The Agassiz Produce Market will be opening this month or next month or more in early April, but if they work as hard as they are right now, they might be able to get the produce store open quicker than the time span that they are assuming. Earlier in the month they do need time to hire more staff, but they already have some of the old staff coming back. Hopefully this store will be open soon! 

They owner of the produce store has rebuilt the whole space by adding more support to the building and more shelfing. New wood to the floor has also been added and the pace has been changed around. In the back with all the flowers and vegetables it is still the same, from which people have seen from the outside of the building. 

All the old workers are overly excited to come back to work! The owners gave the old workers the first application to see if they still wanted to work but some of them had found new jobs. The word is slowly getting around Agassiz that it is opening, and the town is incredibly happy that we will be getting an actual produce store. 

The First Rabies Vacine

By Colin Twigg

Rabies is a virus that isn’t common in British Columbia. If you get bitten by an animal with rabies you will die if you don’t get vaccinated for it immediately. The only animals that usually have rabies here in British Columbia are wild animals like bats, raccoon's, skunks and foxes. You usually get the rabies shot after you get bit by a wild animal. However, if you work with animals, you will get the vaccine before exposure. If you go to a country where rabies is common, you can vaccinate your kids before exposure. Often you don’t know if an animal has rabies or not, but most pets are vaccinated for it, so if you get bitten by an animal it’s best to go see your doctor.  

The first rabies vaccine was made in 1885 by a scientist named Louis Pasteur. The test subject was a child who had got bit by a rabid dog, Joseph Meister. Louis made the vaccine out of a rabbit’s spinal fluid which contained inactive rabies virus. This method for making the rabies vaccine is still used in countries where rabies is prevalent.  

Beaver Blood Moon: 2022’s last lunar eclipse to take place on Nov. 8 

By Baron Dome 

Lunar eclipses are also known as blood moons making this eclipse the Beaver Blood Moons. Blood moons in November are called Beaver Blood Moons because that’s when beavers begin to take shelter in their lodges. A blood moon is a full moon during an eclipse. After Tuesday, the next lunar eclipse will take place in October 2023, but will only be visible from eastern Canada. The next total eclipse visible from all North America will be March 2025. The eclipse will last a maximum of Three hours and forty minutes. 

The new grading system at AESS

By Sophia Striker

The new grading system at AESS is only being lightly used this year but by the next school year, it is going to be our new grading system. No more letter grades! The new grading system is called “The Proficiency Scale” it uses four words as your grade. Those words are “emerging” “developing” “proficient” and “extending.” Most kids are not excited about this change over because they enjoy the letter grades. The letter grading system has been around for quite a long time that most kids are having a hard times navigating the new system, but most of the other students could care less, and the other students like the the new grading system because it is an easier way to get better grades when there is less grade levels.  

How Does the Covid-19 Vaccine Work? 

By Jaymes Gill 

We all know about the Covid-19 vaccine, it’s hard not to, but some are still left wondering “how does it work?”. Diverse types of vaccines work in separate ways, but with all types of vaccines the body is injected with a virus and is left with “memory” T-lymphocytes as well as B-lymphocytes that will remember how to fight that virus in the future. This typically takes a few weeks to provide protection from the virus and the person can still be infected by the virus, don’t be discouraged because it has not worked, give it time to produce antibodies and give your body more “memory” to better fight it. The body can also experience symptoms directly caused by the vaccine; this is very normal because to gain immunity your body must experience the virus to learn how to fight or prevent it again if you encounter it. Hopefully, this article has allowed you to have a wider amount of knowledge than when you came in with. 

California floods 

By Camryn Wood

The California floods started at the beginning of this year. The parts of California that the flood has reached are Southern California, Central coast, Northern California, and Nevada. Northern California has gotten about 10 to 20 inches of water within a week. Not just floods are happening there are abnormal storms, 18 people have died so far due to the insane weather.  A five-year-old got swept away in the water while his mom was stuck in their car, they haven't found the car yet. Hopefully the flooding and storms will stop as soon as possible.