By Lillian Collins

9/23/2019

On April 11th, 2019, thousands of tiny, almost indestructible creatures crashed on our moon. No, it’s not aliens. It’s tardigrades. If you haven’t heard of these tiny eight-legged creatures, you should probably go do some research on their internet fame.

The tardigrades were carried on the Beresheet moon lander, which was developed by the Israeli company SpaceIL. They were originally developing the lander for the Google Lunar X project. The project was to land the first private vehicle on the moon. However, the project was discontinued since no company could launch before the March 31st deadline. SpaceIL didn’t end their quest there - they decided to continue working, and eventually launched the Beresheet on February 22nd, 2019. Two months and three Earth orbits later, the Beresheet arrived at the moon. At this time, the Beresheet was supposed to fire its rockets and land gently. Instead, a computer malfunction cut communication between SpaceIL and the Beresheet. The first private moon lander didn’t land.

The Beresheet was also carrying a tiny library. Manufactured and stocked by the Arch Mission Foundation, a coalition dedicated to making “backup earths,” this small DVD-like library contained human DNA, the English Wikipedia, several classic books, and thousands of dormant tardigrades, sealed in amber. Since this library was so small, and sealed in a vacuum chamber, AMF has high hopes that it survived the crash.

By Haley Belcher

9/23/2019

Coos County Got Talent is a local competition for teenagers, age 18 and under, to have a chance of showcasing their talents in hopes of winning a collection of prizes including checks, gift cards, and many more donations made by the community. In the years past, Coos County Got Talent was strictly a singing competition but a few years ago they opened the auditions to all talents which has brought more of a variety to the stage. Another recent change within this competition is that during the 2019 show, instead of doing the elimination method throughout the four competitions, they used accumulative points so every contestant got to participate in all of the shows.

Getting involved in the Coos County Got Talent competition is an amazing opportunity to share your talent with the community and receive tons of support in the process. As a participant, I started out feeling unsure of myself and was majorly lacking in self-confidence to go on stage month after month but somewhere between tech rehearsals, practices, and shows, I realized how much this opportunity allowed me to grow.

By Greg Marshal

Published 9/23/19

To most people in high school, it's all about what you wear and who you hang out with, but this is only the case up until junior year. Once you pass that halfway point, you’ll find that people are starting to add an accessory to their outfit that says more about a person. The lanyard seen on most upperclassmen is a symbol of responsibility, and reflects the car that you drive. But the thing that most people get caught up on is what to drive, and most can't get a straight answer from anyone that knows about cars, and when they ask someone who doesn’t, they don’t know how to respond. There are many great options in today's world for a good first car, and I’ll be trying to cover the top five cars that make for a great first car, and keep you looking good while staying cheap.

Starting off on my list is the 1998 Honda Accord. This mid-sized car can be seen all over towns and especially on school campuses due to its sleek body and cheap price tag. Listing locally for around $1,500-$2,500, this sporty coupe or sedan can easily be seen as the best first car. Don’t let the price fool you, because this car is one of the best in its class for performance, maxing out at upwards of 130mph, although I can’t recommend finding that out yourself. With all submodels of the accord being RWD, (rear wheel drive) you can ruin a couple sets of tires on your driveway with those 200 horses coming out of your rear wheels. This car can not only be easy on your parents bank account, but you can still have all the fun of a rear wheel drive car, and even a manual transmission for those of you who want to stay true to car culture.

On the opposite side of the ring is another classic car that can be seen everywhere, and there’s a reason. The mid 90’s Jeep Cherokee is a great starter car for anybody who likes to cruise the beach or rocky mountain after school without getting stuck. This retro SUV can pull its own weight when compared to the other 4x4’s seen on the streets, and with a price tag of around $2,000, this sporty SUV is pretty easy on your wallet. With a 25mpg average, you won’t need to worry about a gas drinking rock crawler.

Coming in at number four is a car that almost everyone knows, for better or for worse. This of course, is the 1985-1994 Ford Mustang. With this car rising in value over the past couple of years, you can still pick one up for under $3,000, and can even find some decent ones for under $2,000. With up to 240hp going into the rear wheels, it’s pretty clear why most kids want the cheap, powerful, burnout machine. Honestly, the only reason why you wouldn’t want to buy a Mustang is simply because they are just too popular.

Finally, capping off with number five is a true tuner classic and is possibly the most celebrated FWD (front wheel drive) car on the road. The Acura Integra (1990-2001), is a great starter car for anyone that enjoys driving and wants more of a connection with their car. Coming in a manual gearbox and maxing out at just under 200HP, this coupe will turn heads with a price tag of under $2,000. With marketplaces all over the internet, it’s very easy to find great options for under your budget.

By Kaelani Cappadony

Published 9/23/19

Band at the North Bend Middle School- and interview with director Sarah Massey.

This year a lot of new band students are joining the North Bend Middle School band. I decided to interview band director Sarah Massey about the middle school bands this year, what kind of music they will be playing, and how excited they are about it.

Cappadony: What is your opinion about the new band students this year?

Massey: Into the sixth grade band, there is a lot of enthusiasm and excitement. They start playing their instruments next week and so it’s always good at the beginning of the year because their just excited to go, they don’t know a lot yet, and they’re just really excited to start band, so, my opinion is that it’s going to be a good group of kids.

Cappadony: Do you think that after this year the eighth grade band will be ready to join the high school?

Massey: I’ll make sure they’re ready. They are actually doing really well at the beginning of the year, too. I pushed them really hard last year as seventh graders, so I think pushing them even harder this year as eighth graders will definitely make sure they are ready.

Cappadony: What kind of pieces were you hoping on the bands playing this year?

Massey: So in terms of difficulty of music we’re playing, I’m planning on pushing my eighth graders a lot. In high school, you play kind of grade four music, and I’m hoping that my eighth graders play some grade three music this year. For reference, in sixth grade they play grade half, grade one, and by the time they get to seventh grade its one and a half to two, so when they’re in eighth grade I want them to be playing two and halves and threes. My plan is to play some challenging, but exciting music.