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 to be well-informed.
Guns and Roses bassist, Duff McKagan signs a student’s bass. (
©HAWKEYE image credit: Sabin Metallo )
Bassist stops by to rock
By David Cardwell , Distribution Manager On May 21, Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan visited band director Darin Faul’s History of Rock and Roll class at MTHS, detailing aspects of his career to students. One of the Learning Skills teachers is a relative of Duff and secured an appearance for Faul’s class. The bassist discussed many parts of his career, starting with his early introduction to music from his family, who were also musicians. He cited bands like Stiff Little Fingers and James Gang as early inspirations for his musical career, mentioning being drawn to all the complicated elements of the songs he heard from the bands. He explained his early career playing in punk bands around Seattle starting in the late 1970s, moving to California in 1984 to look for a more ambitious musical career. In California, he met the band he is famous for playing in, Guns N’ Roses. He explained how he joined the band based on a flier – something almost unheard of today. Their debut record, Appetite for Destruction , was a smashing success. Their quick rise to fame was astounding at the time – it was a surprise for a band to become big after their first record, it usually took a few years and a few records for a band to gain momentum. Duff explained how record labels in the 1980s and 1990s used to put more time and effort into bands, lamenting the instant-hit thirsty culture of modern labels. While Guns’ N’ Roses is the band that made him famous, his solo work was much more of a topic of discussion. He mentioned a 1993 album that he made during the height of his drug addiction. He pointed out that the differences between that record and his current work was very clear. He described his writing style for students, saying that he lets the music speak to him. “My guitar's trying to tell me what to write a song about,” he said. After telling his story, he took some time to sign student items and socialize with some. Many students took the time to thank him for his appearance, happy to have a famous musician contribute to the culture of music at MTHS.
Edmonds School District appoints new director to board
By Evan Kerani , Hawkeye Co-Editor-in-Chief The Edmonds School Board has a new member after Thom Garrard was picked to replace the vacancy on the board caused by Deborah Kilgore’s resignation. He was picked from a list of two candidates that were interviewed by current members of the School Board during a public meeting on Tuesday, June 4. The other candidate was Rebecca Anderson. A third candidate, Robert Manciu, withdrew before the interviewing process. Garrard will be appointed to the board to fill out the remainder of Kilgore’s term which ends in December 2025. He will be sworn in at a regular business meeting on August 7, 2024.
School District considers pushing back start times
By Evan Kerani , Hawkeye Co-Editor-in-Chief Starting in the 2025-26 school year, the Edmonds School district is considering changing start and dismissal times for students across the district. The school district sent out a survey to gauge the views of students and families to the proposed changes. If the changes went into effect, current high school start times would move significantly later across the Edmonds School District. To compensate for this, elementary school start times would move significantly earlier into the day to accommodate the needed changes in the bus schedule due to later high school start times; middle school start times would remain relatively unchanged.
Courtesy Garfield High School
Seattle School loses a student to gun violemce
By Sabin Metallo , social media manager On June 6, Garfield High School went into lockdown for about 3 hours after a 17-year-old male student was shot near the school during lunch. The student was shot multiple times in the chest near the campus outside Garfield Teen Life center. He was then taken to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition where he passed away. According to deputy chief Eric Barden, the student was trying to break up a fight when the attacker pulled a gun on him and shot him multiple times at close range. The suspect ran from the scene and is still being sought. Police believe the shooter is also a high school aged male. Following the shooting a silent march to end gun violence started June 7. Some parents decided to take action because of this.
Comments on Clark spark controversy
By Soren Ramerman , Sports Editor Pat McAfee, an eight-year NFL retired punter for the Indianapolis Colts and talk show host of “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN found himself in controversy talking about WNBA star Caitlin Clark’s talent. McAfee said, “The white bi*ch for the Indiana team who is a superstar.” McAfee said this in reference to saying that Clark was that person, that top player, basically saying Clark was the top of the top. McAfee the night after he said those words about Clark opened X (Twitter) and said he had realized that there was immense backlash to his comments. McAfee realized that he needed to speak on it, as the next morning he apologized for saying those words about someone he said he truly cares about. He said his word choice was not even close to appropriate. McAfee also added that in his own home he uses these words with his wife to compliment things and he just truly didn’t understand at the moment that saying those words was going to be hurtful. Clark saw these comments and accepted the apology and said there are no hard feelings between them. However, the feminist group Ultra Violet did not see the apology fit as the group responded by saying, “Pat McAfee’s apology for his racist and sexist comments about Caitlin Clark and other WNBA players is insufficient. The simple reality is that even if McAfee meant what he said as a compliment – he should know that referring to any professional athlete with a misogynistic or racial epithet is never a compliment and shouldn’t be done.” Ultra Violet also followed up by saying, “We urge ESPN and Disney to fire Pat McAfee and take action to clean up its newsroom and frankly do a better jo b of covering women’s sports in an unbiased way.”
Justin Jefferson recieves record-breaking contract
By Soren Ramerman , Sports Editor Vikings general manager Kewsi Adofo-Mensah extended star wide receiver Justin Jefferson to a four-year, $140 million contract extension, with $110 million guaranteed. This makes Jefferson the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. The money was long overdue, as Jefferson has the most yards for any player under the age of 24 years old with 5,899 yards. This extension rips the wide receiver market wide open, as multiple other stars like Ja’Marr Chase and Ceedee Lamb are likely both due for an extension soon. It is likely that Lamb and Chase will both get massive contract extensions before the season starts.
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