Emily Fowler 

January 16, 2024

On January 15, 2024, Fox aired the 75th annual Emmys, hosted by comedian and actor Anthony Anderson. Originally meant to be hosted in September, the program was pushed back to January due to SAG-Aftra and WGA strikes. The broadcast saw record low viewership numbers at 4.3 million, as it competed with NFL playoffs on ABC and ESPN, and cable news networks' coverage of Iowa Republican caucuses. Host Anthony Anderson’s mother Doris Bowman, reminded award recipients when their time was up, instead of play-off music, to help ensure the ceremony ended on time. The show ran smoothly, unlike the Golden Globes held earlier this month, and wrapped up without any issues. 

The show honored past critically acclaimed series, like the Sopranos, Greys Anatomy, and Cheers, with reunion sketches on stage in-between awards. Hosts like the cast of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Community added to the feeling of “honoring” beloved television shows. Along with these hosts, Christina Applegate received a standing ovation-- to which she joked was “mocking her disabilities”, and Tina Fey & Amy Poehler reunited behind SNL’s Weekend Update desk. 

Fan-favorite shows, like Succession and The Bear, swept the awards, with both taking home six Emmys. It was bittersweet to watch Succession actors Sarah Snook, Matthew MacFadyen and Kieran Culkin win in their respective categories, as the show’s nominations were for its final season. Quinta Bruson, lead actress in Abbott Elementary, and Ayo Edebiri of The Bear, made history as the first black women to win lead/supporting comedy actress awards within the same year. Ali Wong also made history as the first actress of Asian descent to win best actress in a limited series. Better Call Saul, the Breaking Bad spin-off show, broke the record for most nominations with zero wins, as it went home empty handed once again for its final season. Overall, the Emmys proved to be a successful night for many, despite the show's low viewership.

Andrew Shah
January 20, 2023

You have probably heard of FTX’s collapse and how billions of dollars of customers’ funds have been lost. But how did such a catastrophe even occur in the first place, and what did Sam Bankman-Fried have to do with it? 

Established by Sam Bankman-Fried in 2019, FTX was one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange platforms dealing with cryptocurrency transactions between wallets. FTX was a widely reputable platform, with celebrities such as Tom Brady and Stephen Curry endorsing the site; the Miami Heat Stadium was even named after the company as “FTX Arena.” Everything was going well for FTX and Bankman-Fried: at its peak, FTX was valued at 32 billion dollars, and Bankman-Fried had a net worth of over 26 billion dollars. 

However, all turned south when CoinDesk—a cryptocurrency media platform—drew attention to suspicious behavior between FTX and a trading firm known as Alameda Research. Alameda Research was a quantitative trading firm, also co-founded by Bankman-Fried, that, according to CoinDesk, was leveraging FTT (FTX’s native token) as its main asset. CoinDesk claimed that the FTT token was being abused with customers’ funds on the Alameda Research platform, and this accusation was quite alarming. Consequently, Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, sold its $530 million FTT assets. This move by Binance caused a lot of panic in the crypto world. People asked themselves if Binance—the world’s biggest crypto platform—sold their FTT holdings, why shouldn’t I? This caused a domino effect, with thousands of people selling their own holdings. Ultimately, FTX reached a liquidity issue: they did not have the money to provide customers’ money back. In short, FTX and Bankman-Fried were forced to file for bankruptcy.

In analyzing the nucleus of the issue, it relates back to Bankman-Fried. As a result of the fraudulent relationship he established with his two companies, FTX and Almeda Research, FTX collapsed, losing billions of dollars of customers’ funds. This crypto catastrophe ought to serve as a warning that government’s need to do a better job of managing and regulating crypto platforms. We also as customers need to do our due diligence before investing crypto tokens. New crypto technologies bring about many benefits, but they also introduce unintended consequences.

Jack Pasquale
May 6, 2022

Rebecca Shaw was shocked to see the footage on her Ring camera. Not only had a black bear wandered into her yard but it climbed into the pen of her two beloved pigs, which fought it off.  Ms. Shaw told The Echo exclusively that, “Although we have many wild animals here from bears to coyotes, bobcats, foxes and much more, they have never bothered the pigs or entered their pen.”

Ms. Shaw’s pigs’ fearless act has made them Internet famous, with coverage worldwide. Both Mary and her timid little brother Hammy can be seen on Ring’ camera footage headbutting the black bear after it climbed into their pen. Mary was the first to act and then Hammy charged out of their shelter to knock the bear into a corner. The bear can be seen then climbing back over the fence and then running away as fast as possible.  

In the wake of the dramatic incident, Ms. Shaw told The Echo, “They are ok now. They were unharmed except I think Mary was sore for a while, probably because of the impact when she slammed the bear up against the fence. I think they are both still a little scared and traumatized, especially Mary.  I calmed them down by spending extra time with them that night along with extra treats and belly rubs. Although they need a diet, Pop Tarts and watermelon are their favorite special treats. And yes I said belly rubs. They absolutely love belly rubs, especially Hammy. Sometimes all you gotta do is scratch them the right way and they go right down on the ground for a belly rub.”

Hammy & Mary’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/hamletandmary

Ms. Shaw said that she is very proud of the pigs, especially Hammy, who is afraid of his own shadow. She praises her pigs for their kindness and intelligence. She is now working to add increased security to the pigs’ pen in the aftermath of the incident to keep them safe from further intruders. 

Ms. Shaw revealed to The Echo, “I’ve had them for 17 months. They are both 4 yrs old but not related. Hammy is a Vietnamese potbelly pig. Mary is a potbelly and Kunekune pig. They are considered my Grand Piggies, as they belonged to my daughter who had to move from Tennessee to California and couldn’t bring them with her but couldn’t bear to give them up. So, of course here they are with me Grandma.”

If you are interested in helping the pigs out, a GoFundMe was launched. In addition to helping secure Hammy and Mary’s home, donations are being raised to help Ms. Shaw offset the financial burden of travel for personal medical treatments. According to the GoFundMe, she has been out of an income since December because she is taking care of her mother full-time. She has an unspecified B-cell lymphoma and rare blood disorders, which require her to travel back and forth to Uconn for the treatments she needs.

Lillah Keating
March 24, 2022

Adjustments were made to the SATs and will go into effect in a few years. The test, which has always been with paper and pencil, will go all-digital in 2023 for international students and for U.S. students in 2024. Other changes will also be made, including shrinking the test from three hours to two, shortening reading passages, and allowing students to use a calculator on the entire math section. Testing will still take place at a test center or school, but students will be able to choose between taking the test on their own devices or school devices. In the case of Bronxville students, this year’s eighth-graders will be the first to take this newly formatted SAT. 

There are many pros for this new SAT, including the use of calculators, shorter reading passages, and less time. However, this also means that it will be easier to get a higher score making the standard score higher. Additionally, with the shorter time, students will be forced to use their time accordingly. “It’s gonna be so much easier now that we have calculators for the first time,” says Cooper Keating, a current eighth grader.