Trump cancels Eagles’ visit

Georgia Pappas and Eric Locke
Staff Writers

President Trump suddenly called off the Philadelphia Eagles' visit to the White House after the team’s Super Bowl win. After President Trump demanded the entire Eagles team to stand during the National Anthem, many of the players and coaches of the team stated they would boycott the visit.
     In a statement President Trump released on Monday, June 4:"The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow," he continues, "They disagree with their president because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in hour of the great men and women of military and the people of our country."
     White House officials stated that fewer than 10 members of the teams were planning to attend the event on Tuesday in spite of the weeks of planning. Instead of the team being present at the ceremony, President Trump said that the 1,000 fans originally invited would still be allowed and welcomed to the White House, but instead the celebration would honor "our great country, pay tribute to the heroes who fight to protect it, and loudly and proudly play the National Anthem."
     In terms of athletes skipping the White House victory ceremonies, it is not uncommon. After the New England Patriots' win, a distinct number of players from the team skipped the celebration. Michael Jordan, of the Chicago Bulls, was not present at the White House celebration with President George H. W. Bush in 1991. However, it is rare that a conflict between the president and the  players reaches such an extreme level.

Guatemala volcanoes claim dozens

Garrett Hoffman & John Devaney
Staff Writers

You may of heard about the terrible volcanic eruptions in Hawaii, but they’re not done yet. Just yesterday, news went viral about another volcano erupting in Escuintla, Guatemala. The unstoppable flows of lava and ash have left people trapped in their homes. In the town of El Rodeo, the ash has covered many homes since Sunday’s eruption. Reports from CNN have said that there at least 75 people dead and they are expected to find more remains in El Rodeo. “Smoke rose from the volcano Wednesday morning, and Ramirez's colleagues parked their vehicles facing downhill -- in case Fuego erupted again and they had to flee” Firefighter Rigoberto Ramirez said.
     Over the past few days, the death toll and number of people affected by the volcano has risen.
     “The Fuego volcano on Sunday unleashed fast-moving pyroclastic flow -- a nasty mix of ash, rock and volcanic gases -- that buried nearby towns such as El Rodeo before many could flee.” There are at least 192 people missing, it's hard for rescuers to find people because they “face hazardous conditions as they navigate hot, rocky debris.” Reporters say that they think that this eruption is probably not over. The Fuego volcano sent “ash over 16,000 feet into the sky and temporarily halting search operations.” Near the town of San Miguel Los Lotes, Miriam Juarez and her husband, Jose Amigar, waited Wednesday, hoping authorities would let them pass so they could retrieve some belongings. “An emergency medical team from the hospital has been treating the injured on the ground after being deployed Monday to Guatemala,” it said.

In 7-2 ruling, SCOTUS finds for baker in cake case

Lauren Walinski

Co-editor in chief

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a baker who refused to make a cake for a gay couple on June 4, 2018, on the grounds of making such a cake being a violation of his religious freedom. The vote was 7-2, with Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Sonia Sotomayor as the dissenting voices.

     The case itself dealt with a couple who tried to buy a wedding cake in 2014. The baker did not want to be involved in what he believed to be a sin and refused. He believed that making the cake would be seen as endorsing being gay and his refusal prompted the couple to take legal action. The Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which reviewed the case, ruled in favor of the couple.

     The case was thought to be one of freedom of speech and religion versus equality. Many of those in the majority of the Supreme Court voted, however, with a third factor influencing their vote. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who wrote the majority opinion, ruled on the basis that the original commission which had dealt with this case had done so unfairly. The Supreme Court ruled that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which had ruled in favor of the couple, had made hostile remarks in the case which had compromised the fairness of the ruling. The Court struck down the ruling on this basis.

     The dissenting judges did not see the ruling this way. There was concern that this would set a precedent for future rulings which would encourage discrimination against the LGBTQ community. Additionally, even if the ruling is narrow and only applies for the case at hand, there is always the risk that others who are hateful will feel emboldened by this ruling to discriminate just the same. Even if the case ruling is narrow, other businesses may still take it as a sign they do not need to serve LGBTQ individuals, either.

History: President Trump meets Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un

President Trump meets Kim Jong Un

White House Photo by Shealah Craighead 

Caroline Donado

Editor-in-Chief

As we went to press, President Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un met in Singapore for a summit to begin a process that may lead to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. We surveyed students to get their thoughts. Here are the results:

Question #1: Do you believe the recent summit between President Trump and Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un will be the start of a strong relationship between the two nations?

Yes: 26.9%

No: 25%

Maybe: 48.1%

Question #2: Do you believe Kim Jong Un will continue to make nuclear threats to the US?

Yes: 25%

No: 30.6%

Maybe: 44.4%

Question #3: Who gained more from the summit?

United States: 34.3%

North Korea: 25%

Don’t know: 40.7%

Superintendent Yanni will be sorely missed

Zach Meixler
Staff Writer

Recently, Dr. Yanni has announced he will be departing from the New Hope-Solebury School District. At the end of the school year Dr. Yanni will leave New Hope-Solebury and will become the superintendent of the School District of Upper Dublin.
     The news of his parting has left students and faculty in deep sorrow. Dr. Malone, who has been both the middle school and high school principal and who is currently serving as the Director of Elementary and Secondary education, will become the acting superintendent while the board conducts a search.
   When asked why he decided to leave, Dr. Yanni stated that he thought it was in his best interest to move to a bigger school district.
     “I was looking to grow as a leader, and the ability to lead a bigger district seemed appealing, which made leaving New Hope bittersweet because it was such a great family.” 
     Dr. Yanni also reflected on what he was most proud of during his time as New Hope’s superintendent: “The fact that we got to a place where everyone is accepting of each other is something that is impressive. Five years ago when I started here people didn’t seem as happy, but now everyone is working together to make a positive change.”
   In addition, Dr. Yanni explained that he will miss the atmosphere of New Hope.
     “The comfort level that we have here is great. Everyone here is like a big family. I am hoping to bring that family feel to Upper Dublin, but I will miss that here.”
   Likewise, many of the students will miss him.
   “I’ll miss his funny phone calls the most when we have snow days, but I wish I had gotten to know him better,” said Kayla Paul-Koch.
   On reflecting on his time at New Hope, Dr. Yanni left us with his final message: “Good leaders want to leave a place in a better position than they found it, I want to thank everyone in our community for working together to make New Hope the best place it can be for our students.”

Santa Fe shooter spared those he liked; killed 10, injured 14

Parker Cane and Connor Fitzgerald
Staff Writers

A terrifying school shooting happened on May 18, at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas. Ten people were shot and killed and 13 others were wounded. Of the ten people killed, eight were students and two were teachers. The shooter was taken into custody right after it happened and later was identified by police as Dimitrios Pagourtzis, a 17-year-old student at the school.
   The shooting happened around 7:40 a.m., just as school started. A wounded victim told reporters that when Pagourtzis walked in a classroom, he chose his victims, pointing a gun at a person and announcing: “I’m going to kill you.”
   Students tried to barricade themselves in class so that Pagourtzis couldn’t get in, but he just shot through the doors with a shotgun and then fired at students with his revolver. The whole shooting lasted 25 minutes.
   Pagourtzis did not say much during a court video appearance.  The shooter used a .38 revolver and a shotgun, both very dangerous weapons, which were both legally owned by his father. Students have stated that in Pagourtzis’s previous school time, he was extremely quiet and didn't talk to anyone. He also wore a heavy trench coat. Santa Fe is the twenty-second school shooting of 2018 in the United States.
   New Hope-Solebury students should care about this because you never know when something horrible like this can happen to you. You have to be prepared for the worst. With the ALICE training happening with the staff, students should know what to do if a situation like this occurs.
    Students at New Hope need to realize that a shooting could happen at any school around the world, and everybody needs to be prepared for the worse by working with the staff and being aware of what is happening in their surroundings at all times.