Local
Brier Terrace closed Oct. 6th due to asbestos in the vents
On Oct. 5th, 2023 at 5:00 p.m., an email was sent to all parents of Brier Terrace Middle School (BTMS) students, stating the tunnels within the school contained asbestos. “During a routine inspection today of the tunnels where our HVAC controls are located, our maintenance team found damage to some of the pipes. Because these pipes have insulation that contains asbestos, out of an abundance of caution, we have shut off the HVAC system.”
The National Cancer Institute defines asbestos as “a group of naturally occurring fibrous minerals that are resistant to heat and corrosion,” and is known to cause harm and disease to humans such as asbestosis, lung cancer, and other cancers caused by the consumption or inhalation of asbestos.
Due to the asbestos contained within the tunnel systems, with the concern of students and staff in mind, all attendees of BTMS would be required to stay home on Friday, Oct. 6th, 2023. “We do not anticipate any problems with the air quality. However we want to be sure the environment is safe for our students and staff.”
Brier Terrace principal, Scott Morrison, stated in the email sent out to parents that due to the lack of qualified test technicians, the school would need to be called off for the follow
ing day, “We are unable to test air quality until tomorrow morning due to a lack of qualified test technicians available this evening. Because we cannot test this evening, we will close school tomorrow for students and staff.”
On Oct. 6th, 2023, at 3:30 pm a follow-up email was sent out stating that school would be reopened for Monday, Oct. 9th. “I’m pleased to inform you that the air sampling at BTM did not contain concentrations of airborne asbestos fibers above the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “clean air” standard.
Terrace alumna stars in latest Scorsese film
More than 100 Terrace alumni and teachers sold out the 7 p.m. showing of Martin Scorsese’s latest movie “Killers of the Flower Moon” on Oct. 20 at the Cinnebarre Theater in Mountlake Terrace as a show of support for the film’s leading actress – 2004 graduate Lily Gladstone, who is getting strong Oscar consideration.
Gladstone plays the part of Mollie Burkhart, an Osage Native American woman. The film is based on the true story of the Osage tribe in Oklahoma in the 1920s, whose people were murdered after oil is found on their land, and the FBI decides to investigate. Gladstone has top billing along with Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Brendan Fraser, Jesse Plemons and John Lithgow.
State
Kamiak High School student killed at bus stop
The morning of Sept. 8th of 2023, a 15-year-old Kamiak High School student was the victim of a drive-by shooting while waiting at a bus stop in Everett, Washington. The shooting was reported to have taken place at around 6:45 a.m. and security footage shows a black Kia Soul driving past the stop numerous times before shooting the boy multiple times. Later that afternoon, the student was taken to Providence Regional Medical Center, where he was confirmed dead. This shooting was allegedly an act of gang violence by the Everett Police Department (EPD). The EPD arrested 20 year old Uriel Hernandez-Martinez and 19 year old Victor Torres-Zuniga for first-degree murder.
Inslee decides to not run for a fourth term
In early May of this year, Governor Jay Inslee announced that he will not run for re-election after serving three terms as the Governor of Washington state. Instead, he endorsed Attorney General Bob Ferguson in next year’s race.
“I want to say that I don’t do this lightly,” Inslee stated at Washington Hall in Seattle’s Central District, the Seattle Times reports. “To endorse a position that I’ve been able to hold with immense honor for the past decade… is a big deal to me and my grandchildren. He runs such an incredible attorney general’s office. He has led the nation over and over again, and other attorneys general have looked to him over and over again.” Inslee has been the governor of Washington since 2013.
“I’ve never been afraid to take on big fights,” Ferguson wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, in May. “From the Trump [Administration and] gun lobby to anti-abortion extremists [and] corporate interests, I’ve taken on powerful adversaries, and won. That’s just the start. I’m proud to announce my exploratory campaign for [Washington governor].”
International
Israel-Hamas war death toll on the rise
The Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7th, 2023, after a surprise military invasion was launched by the Palestinian military, led by Hamas, against Israel from the Gaza Strip named Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.
This attack is believed to be due to the increasing Israeli military settlements and oppression of Palestinians. Israel has officially struck back, launching air missiles at Gaza and continuing their efforts against Hamas. The death toll of this war has now climbed up to 1,200 as of Oct. 11th, 2023, with 22 Americans reported dead due to this uprising
Spanish football federation scandal
by Evan Kerani
Luis Rubiales, the president of the Spanish Football Federation resigned after kissing Jenni Hermoso, a player for the Spanish women’s national soccer team against their consent live on television after Spain won the Women’s World Cup. After the incident, Ruibales and the Spanish National Teams coach, Jorge Vilda tried to pressure Hermoso into saying that the kiss was no big deal. He went as far as to put out a fake statement from Hermoso saying that she “Didn’t care about the incident.” When Hermoso released a statement about the incident, it was highly critical of Rubiales.
Despite the Spanish Prime minister and every member of the Spanish team calling for him to resign, he refused to do so for weeks. He claimed that he was a victim of a witch hunt by “fake feminists” that were trying to destroy his career. In the weeks after the incident, he repeatedly refused to step down from his position and to apologize for his actions. Additionally, his mom decided to go on hunger strike to protest his mistreatment by the media, eventually being hospitalized as a result of the strike. In response to his refusal to step down, the entire Spanish team decided to boycott the national team until he resigned. This led to him threatening legal action against the players unless they agreed to play for the national team, as players are required to play for the Spanish National Team if they are called up. In response to the whole incident, Hermoso filed a request for a restraining order against him. It was then granted to her by a Spanish court. After weeks of pressure being put, Rubiales finally stepped down from his position as the president of the Spanish Football Federation, ending weeks of controversy
