Local
Meadowdale Elementary Shut Down After Water Damage
Entering the third week of January, the Edmonds School District experienced some of its lowest temperatures in years. The weekend of the 13th, Meadowdale Elementary’s pipes burst due to the freezing temperatures. At 15°F, well below freezing, the pipes bursting caused significant water damage. On January 19th, the students had a chance to retrieve materials to proceed with remote learning for some time. Staff planned to relocate on the 30th to Woodway Center, with their usual schedules, until the damages are repaired.
While accommodations are being made for all students, teachers have run into a lack of supplies due to the majority of the classrooms left flooded. Andi Nozfiger-Meadows, president of the Edmonds Education Association (EEA), sent out an email to those in the EEA. The email stated that helping provide Meadowdale Elementary teachers gift cards for Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Fred Meyers, would allow those to obtain the supplies they now need.
Lynnwood Ice Center Recieves New Skates
The Lynnwood Ice Center is one of our oldest local ice rinks, and it has been around for over 30 years. They offer public skate sessions, stick and puck sessions, and even lessons to learn to skate. It is both a fun and community oriented place, but their rental shoes were outdated. That was, until recently when they got a complete new set of skates. The LIC now has both hockey skates and figure skates that are now much easier to lace up, much more comfortable, and have a slick design.
Ian Armstrong, the general manager of the Washington Ice Skating Association (WISA), says that they “purchased new skates in an effort to make them more comfortable for the public.” They also stated that, “We knew that a more comfortable skate would produce a better experience for the skaters and bring more business to the facility.” Considering the colder months are when most people decide to go ice skating, this makes a lot of sense.
So, was this choice in the best interest of the Lynnwood Ice Center? Well, comparing the old and newer skates, it is clear that the new ones have a better feel, more adjustable fit, and a “cutting edge” design.
National
Kansas City Chiefs Win Super Bowl 58 over 49ers
By Evan Kerani
The Kansas City Chiefs won the superbowl over the San Francisco 49ers in a thrilling overtime win. They were able to capitalize on several mistakes made by the 49ers special teams in their victory. With under 2 minutes left in regulation, the 49ers scored a field goal to go up by three, however, the Chiefs were able to march down the field and take the game into overtime on a field goal by kicker Harrison Butker. In overtime, the 49ers struck first by scoring a field goal, but the Chiefs were able to put the game away with a touchdown as the overtime clock an out.
International
Coalition Air Strike Launched Against Houthi Rebels
Following several months of attacks against vessels in the Red Sea perpetrated by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, U.S. and UK forces with support from other countries launched an airstrike against various targets in Yemen, including missile sites and storage units, on Jan. 11. In a letter to President Biden by 27 House members, the attacks were characterized as having violated the Constitution and U.S. statute for lacking Congressional authorization. The Constitution grants Congress the power to declare war, but the President, as Command in Chief, may deploy military forces under a national emergency.
In a statement following the attack, President Biden said, “I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”
U.S. Launches Air Assaut on Targets in Syria and Iraq
The U.S. military launched an air assault against Iran-backed militias in Syria and Iraq on Feb. 2. This comes in response to the deaths of three U.S. troops and over 30 wounded from a drone strike on a U.S. base in Jordan — the first deaths of U.S. troopers since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. Targets included command and control centers plus storage units holding missiles, rockets, and munitions belonging to militia groups. Iran has denied involvement.
