The Update

December news update

By Ethan Holt, Terina Papatu, Jakob Nacanaynay, Evan Kerani, and Rachel Davis • December 17, 2022

A lot happens in a month. From fashion to finance, we are constantly bombarded by headlines from around the world. Here are the Hawkeye’s picks for what you need to know.

Local

Snowy conditions plague the district

By Ethan Holt

Tree on powerline in snowstorm — © HAWKEYE Charli Gilchrist

A massive power outage impacted thousands of people throughout Snohomish County on Tuesday, Nov. 29.

According to the Everett Herald, “Over 28,000 customers were without power.” Public Utility District (PUD) technicians worked throughout the evening and only 11,000 people were without power by Wednesday. The cause of the power outage was a “windstorm that hit the area Tuesday night,” according to MLTnews.com. The Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace area accounted for 62% of power outages.

Edmonds School District stated that no after-school activities would take place on Nov. 29 because of the snow and power outages. Then, the district closed schools the following day due to the snow accumulations.

“All schools are closed today, 11/30, due to power outages and road conditions. This includes all after-school activities and events at district buildings,” a statement from the district stated.

Due to this event, Feb. 21, 2023, previously scheduled as a no-school day, will be a full day of school to make up for the snow day. The Edmonds School District (ESD) also declared a 2-hour late start for Dec. 1 due to unsafe road conditions. The ESD also sent out an alert via ParentSquare that due to continued power outages, Brier and Chase Lake elementary schools would remain closed, along with Alderwood Early Childhood Center because of road conditions at the site. No damage to district property was reported.

International

Peru’s president suddenly replaced

By Terina Papatu

Since Ollanta Humala’s presidency from 2011 to 2016, Peru has had an average of one president every two years, despite presidents being elected for a five-year term. On July 28, 2021, José Pedro Castillo Terrones, better known as Pedro Castillo, was inaugurated as the 63rd president of Peru. But during his 17 months in office, Castillo had six criminal investigations and two impeachment attempts. On Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022, his presidency came to a sudden stop. That morning, Castillo had instituted a nationwide curfew, announced the dissolvement of Congress, and that he would begin ruling by decree that night, which lawmakers described as Peru’s second self-coup since their 1992 president, Alberto Fujimori, carried one out alongside the Peruvian army. Within only a few hours of this announcement Castillo’s lawyer and ministers all resigned, all while Peruvian citizens were confused about the situation.

Not long after his attempt to dissolve Congress became public, Castillo was arrested for breaking constitutional order and was impeached for moral incapacity after Congress voted 101-6 to go through with it. By the end of the day, not only was he abandoned by his political allies, but Castillo’s vice president, Dina Boluarte, was sworn in as Peru’s 64th president, as well as their first female president.

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Over the past year of his presidency, protests were no stranger when it came to the topic of Castillo and his decisions, but have become more frequent since Castillo’s impeachment. For example, on Dec. 11, a protest in Andahuaylas led to a collision between police and protestors, leaving at least 20 injured. Though his impeachment happened very quickly, it wasn’t a rash decision for Peru’s parliament, as Castillo was threatened with impeachment previously before for other reasons.

FTX crash graphic featuring unstonks and computer head frowning man. — © HAWKEYE Charli Gilchrist

The collapse of crypto empire FTX

By Jakob Nacanaynay

On Nov. 11, 2022, major cryptocurrency exchange FTX, once valued at $32 billion, filed for bankruptcy after a 10-day plunge in the stock market. FTX was founded in 2018 by now 30-year-old Sam Bankman-Fried as a cryptocurrency exchange and platform for average investors to buy into cryptocurrencies. On Nov. 2, news site CoinDesk published an article reporting that trading firm Alameda Research, also owned by Bankman-Fried, held a $5 billion position in FTT, a token created by FTX. This raised several financial concerns, and on Nov. 6, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange Binance announced it would sell its entire position in FTT, worth over half a billion dollars, leading to a plunge in FTX’s stock price.

National

democrat donkey on plus sign background — © HAWKEYE Lucas Barquin

Raphael Warnock wins Senate race, again

By Evan Kerani

Incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock won Georgia’s runoff Senate election, giving the Democratic party a 51-49 majority in the Senate. Warnock’s win will give Democrats a majority on every committee and prevent the need for Vice President Kamala Harris to break ties on votes entirely along party lines. Warnock defeated challenger Herschel Walker by 3 percentage points, becoming the first African-American in Georgia to win a full term to the U.S. Senate in state history. He won by running up margins in the Atlanta Metro Area while minimizing gains compared to the general election in the northeast corner of the state by Herschel Walker.

Gay Marriage guys — © HAWKEYE Rodney Budden

Congress passes Respect for Marriage Act

By Evan Kerani

The Respect for Marriage Act, which will federally protect same-sex and interracial marriages, passed the House of Representative on Dec. 8, sending it to President Biden’s desk. The bill passed the Senate on Nov. 29 by a final vote of 61-36, with 49 Democrats and 12 Republicans voting yes. The bill then moved onto the House of Representatives where it passed by a 258-169 vote that was mostly along party lines. When signed into law, it will officially repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, otherwise known as DOMA, the 1993 law that denied equal benefits to same-sex couples. It also protects same-sex and interracial marriages by requiring that states recognize them when performed in other jurisdictions, even if the state itself outlaws those types of marriages.

Mustang graphic — © HAWKEYE Rodney Budden

Sunnymead Middle reports overdoses

By Rachel Davis

Four students at Sunnymead Middle School in Moreno Valley, California, were reported to have ingested an unknown substance that put them at risk for an overdose. Of the four, three were rushed to emergency rooms and one was evaluated while still at the school. All students had pale complexions and reports of a stomach ache. The students are believed to have taken cannabis in the form of a candy, presumably gummies. There is currently an ongoing investigation into how many doses of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) may have been contained and how many had been taken.

Local

Construction hat featuring Mountlake Terrace label with dollar bills floating around it. — © HAWKEYE Charli Gilchrist

Mountlake Terrace granted $5 million

By Rachel Davis

The Washington State Transportation Improvement Board gave a $5 million grant to the city of Mountlake Terrace to help with Phase II of construction along 56th, from 236th to 230th streets. The plan is to construct wider sidewalks and two travel lanes with bike lanes on either side. Since the completion of Phase I and beginning of Phase II, Mountlake Terrace is projected to be facing a $18 million funding shortfall. The donation by the improvement board and future plans to pursue more grants through the Researchers and Academic Innovators Success in Entrepreneurship, or RAISE program, shows a hopeful future for the progression of the project.

About the Contributors

Ethan Holt, Hawkeye Staff

HSM staff member Ethan Holt joined in 2022, his sophomore year to improve his writing ability, and interviewing skills, and to participate in another class. This is currently Ethan’s 2nd year in HSM’s journalism program. When Ethan is not in HSM, he plays the bass, enjoys reading/listening to books, and playing with his dog, Luna. Ethan’s favorite part about HSM is the wide diversity of people involved in this program.

Terina Papatu, Hawkeye Co-Editor-in-Chief

After joining in her freshman year (2021), Terina Papatu developed a love for all things journalism. She originally joined on accident to tell the truth, but as of her junior year she is Co-Editor-in-Chief. In the future, she plans to study reporter journalism and become a writer professionally, and currently loves to help her friends with their writing as well. When not working on Hawkeye, she loves listening to music and reports for Ground Zero Radio. This year, Terina plans to make HSM an inclusive space as well as being a representation she didn’t have before.

Jakob Nacanaynay, Hawkeye Staff

Jakob Nacanaynay initially joined HSM to be more involved in the MTHS community and express his opinions. As a member of HSM, he most enjoys learning about different perspectives that stray from the mainstream. Jakob is also an officer of the TSA club, participating in events from video game design to debate. He also enjoys competing in cybersecurity competitions with friends. While he has a wide range of interests, he finds the communication and organization skills learned in journalism transfer well. After high school, he plans on attending a major university to study cybersecurity.

Evan Kerani, Hawkeye Co-Editor-in-Chief

Evan Kerani joined HSM in 2022, after much cajoling by adviser, Vince DeMiero. He hopes that through HSM he will become a better writer and gain journalistic experience. In his free time, he enjoys arguing with people on the internet (and in real life) about politics and also enjoys writing poetry. He also enjoys reading mainly non-fiction books about a variety of topics. After high school he plans to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison and study political science.

Rachel Davis, Design Editor

Design Editor Rachel Davis is a senior and it is her fourth year in Hawks Student Media. Her goal, as always, is to help others learn the journalistic writing style and be confident in their work. She is also working on improving her designing skills and training the next generation to take over once she graduates. In her free time, Rachel likes to go on long walks, write in a creative journal and steal everyone's hoodies.

Rodney Budden, Graphics Editor

Rodney Budden is a senior at MTHS and is the graphics editor of The Hawkeye. He joined in his freshman year in order to expand his horizons, as well as make a few new friends. This year, he aspires to help newer members of the team and hone in on his drawing skills. In his free time, he likes to play the drums and collects band shirts as a hobby. His favorite bands are Mastodon, A Perfect Circle, and Type-O-Negative. He also enjoys traveling to new places around the state.

Charli Gilchrist, Tempo Co-Editor-in-Chief & Graphics Editor

Charli "Rain" Gilchrist (he/they) joined HSM in 2022, their freshman year to learn more about journalism and to continue from where they had left off in their role at the Brier Terrace middle school Bulldog Brief. They serve as a writer, graphic artist and graphics editor, and has recently taken on a major role in designing the TEMPO yearbook as well. In their free time, they usually enjoy studying clouds, listening to music, and scrolling through Pinterest. They plan on going to a university of the arts after graduation, but for now they can enjoy contributing to the school paper.