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(03/05/18 9:54pm)
By Alexis Bell
Staff Writer
The stage in the Brower Student Center was washed in the signature purple hue of CUB Alt’s lighting on Feb. 27, as the growing crowd eagerly awaited the appearances of three featured performers — Laura Stevenson, Major Pursuit and Fire is Motion.
Indie band Major Pursuit took the stage first. Olivia Bellito, the band’s main vocalist, introduced the group. Bellito started the show with a few solo songs, but was later accompanied by the rest of her band.
“I’m really excited to be here,” Bellito said. “I see the shows you have here all the time and I always think ‘I should go to that school.’”
Major Pursuit is from Nazareth, Pennsylvania. The band’s debut album, “We Don’t Make Mistakes, We Have Happy Accidents,” was released in June 2016, and features mellow songs with soft, melodic instrumentation and at times wistful lyricism.
Fire is Motion followed up Major Pursuit’s set with harmonic vocals, as more students trickled in and the audience grew.
The indie rock band drew the crowd in by performing various pieces off its albums such as “Still, I try,” “Flowers in Kawameeh Park” and “Days 1-7.”
Fire is Motion was formed in Union, New Jersey, and is fronted by lead singer and guitarist Adrian Amador. The band’s latest project, “Still, I try,” was released in November 2016, mainly featuring songs with cozy and laid back acoustic instrumentation.
“I haven’t listened to any of their music coming into it but I’m a fan so far and definitely will be listening more after the show,” said Sondra Nieradka, a senior communication studies major and a CUB live event coordinator.
Headliner Laura Stevenson was the final act to take the stage as the crowd waited excitedly for her folk rock, indie and power pop songs.
“I know a few good songs from the headliner Laura Stevenson so I’m excited to see her play,” said Christopher Ratanski, a junior chemistry major and CUB executive board member.
Stevenson, who hails from Long Island, New York, captured the crowd’s attention with her upbeat, high-energy set. With each succeeding song, the audience’s applause progressively grew louder.
Stevenson promoted her latest album, “Cocksure,” at the event and announced her upcoming tour dates across the country. “Cocksure” is her fourth overall album, and Stevenson said that this album had influences from Liz Phair, The Lemonheads, Weezer and The Smoking Popes.
“I’ve never listened to the bands before, but after watching, I definitely will be checking them out on Spotify. (The performances were) a nice surprise,” said Chloe Yelle, a senior urban education and English double major and member of CUB.
Though some students may have been unfamiliar with the bands, the concert’s energetic atmosphere made the event an enjoyable experience.
“I know a little bit about the bands but not a whole lot,” said Christopher Rose, a junior communication studies major. “I’m always excited to hear new music and see what different types are out there.”
As Stevenson left the stage, the crowd’s approval for her performance shone clear as the audience enthusiastically applauded the singer.
(02/19/18 10:33pm)
By Alexis Bell
Staff Writer
The typically tranquil Social Sciences Atrium was bursting with loud laughter, rap music and cheerful vibes on Feb. 12. What appeared to be a lively gathering of friends was actually a “Family Reunion,” a commemoration and tribute to Black History Month hosted by the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.
The goal of the Family Reunion was to have a gathering for all of the multicultural fraternities and sororities on campus in a safe space, with a casual and comfortable atmosphere resembling reunions or parties held by their own families.
“The purpose of this event is to have a program for our fraternity to honor Black History Month, but we want all people to come...and enjoy themselves,” said Dejon Ricketts, vice president of Alpha Phi Alpha and a junior urban elementary education and history double major. “We have food and games, so I hope everybody has a good time.”
Heads Up, Scattergories, giant Jenga and Monopoly were just a few of the games students enjoyed at the event.
“I like having a safe and relaxing social event to go to with my friends and the other multicultural Greeks,” said Cidney Robinson, a member of Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority and a sophomore interdisciplinary business major. “Events like this really bring us together when it comes to socializing and playing games.”
The table of food was swarmed with students vying for the last of the mac and cheese, hamburgers, hotdogs and other snacks.
“The food is really good and this whole thing is a really good idea,” said Nakyiah Horne, a sophomore criminology major. “I thought it was a great way to get people out and get them to mingle. When you’re at school, a lot of time you don’t get enough time to interact with other people, but this is a good turnout. It was a really great idea to get people to be more social.”
Loud music blasted from portable speakers as the students sang and danced along to popular rap songs.
“Good friends is what made me come. It’s going amazing and it’s a great turn out,” said Sam Serrato, a member of Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity and a junior Spanish and African American studies double major. “It’s something so simple that brought all people from different walks of life together.”
The liveliness of “Family Reunion” could be felt upon walking into the room. There was nothing but positive energy as people from all different ethnicities, cultures and backgrounds came together for a night of leisure, friendship and entertainment.
(11/14/17 5:52am)
By Alexis Bell
Staff Writer
President Donald Trump landed in Japan on Sunday, Nov. 5, which marks the first stop of his trip to Asia. The 12-day trip will be the longest a U.S. president has spent in Asia in the last 25 years, according to Fox News.
After Japan, Trump will visit South Korea, China and Vietnam. The trip will conclude in the Philippines, according to The Washington Post.
Shortly after Trump arrived in Japan, Trump addressed U.S. and Japanese service members at the Yokota Air Base on the outskirts of Tokyo, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
President Donald Trump landed in Japan on Sunday, Nov. 5, which marks the first stop of his trip to Asia (envato elements).
“We dominate the sky,” Trump said, according to ABC. “We dominate the sea. We dominate the land and space. Not merely because we have the best equipment, which we do, and by the way, a lot of it's coming in. You saw that budget. That's a lot different than in the past. A lot of beautiful brand new equipment is coming in. And nobody makes it like they make it in the United States. Nobody.”
The president promised the troops that they will have the necessary resources to maintain peace and fight for freedom, according to BBC. Trump also told Japanese Prime Minister Shinz? Abe their two nations have never been closer.
The trip is a major test of international diplomacy. Trump is looking to reassure concerned Asian allies that his “America First” agenda will not cede power in the region to China, according to Fox News.
The trip coincides with extreme tension between the U.S. and North Korea, involving nuclear weapons and missile tests, according to BBC.
Jonathan Pollack, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, criticized the trip’s timing.
"The trip comes, I would argue, at a very inopportune time for the president. He is under growing domestic vulnerabilities that we all know about, hour to hour," Pollack said, according to Fox News.
The grand reception awaiting Trump in Beijing was superfluous and extravagant in an effort to impress the president, according to The Guardian.
Trump appeared to have started off the trip in good spirits at Yokota, according to NBC. Trump signed photos and dollar bills as he walked in. Once he was on stage, Trump switched into a Pacific Air Forces bomber jacket a commander handed him.
"(The trip’s) going to be very positive and very historic," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One during the flight from Hawaii, according to Fox News. "It's grueling, they tell me, but fortunately that's historically not been a problem for me. One thing you people will say, that's not been a problem."
(09/05/17 3:47am)
By Alexis Bell
Staff Writer
While the residents of Houston await rescue amidst devastation and flooding, another Texas city succumbed to Tropical Storm Harvey on Wednesday, Aug. 30, according to CNN.
The mayor of Port Arthur, Texas, Derrick Freeman, posted on Facebook, “Our whole city is underwater right now but we are coming! If you called, we are coming!”
As of Wednesday, Aug. 30, Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath has caused at least 37 deaths that have been reported in Texas, according to CNN.
Residents of Houston await rescue amidst devastation and flooding (envato elements).
One of the victims include Houston Police Department Sgt. Steve Perez. The Washington Post reported that the 60-year-old police sergeant drowned in his patrol car while attempting to get to work and aid the relief efforts.
“Unfortunately in the darkness, Sgt. Perez drove into an underpass that’s about 16 1/2 feet, drove into the water and he died in a drowning-type event,” said Chief Art Acevedo, according to NPR. “Steve is one of the sweetest people in this department and I’ve been here only nine months. We have 6,500 employees and I knew who Steve Perez was because he was a sweet, gentle public servant.”
Other victims included a homeless man who drowned in a Walmart parking lot and a woman who died after a tree fell onto her mobile home, according to The Washington Post.
The New York Times reported one mother was swept away into a canal while her child survived. Rescuers in Beaumont on Tuesday, Aug. 29, discovered the toddler in a pink backpack clinging to her mother’s body in the floodwaters. The child was in stable condition with hypothermia.
“Had we been a few moments later, they would have been swept underneath (a trestle) and our boats wouldn’t have been able to get them … a true testament of a mother who put her own life at risk and sacrificed her life to save her child. That was devastating,” said Haley Morrow, a spokeswoman for the Beaumont Emergency Management Office, according to CNN.
More than 30,000 people are currently in 230 shelters across Texas, Federal Emergency Management Agency officials said, but that number is likely to increase dramatically as more people arrive. In addition, 1,800 people have already been transferred from shelters to local motels and hotels, according to The New York Times.
Houston finally has some sunshine in their forecast, after five straight days of rain that totaled up to 52 inches — the heaviest tropical downpour ever in the United States, according to CBS.
The storm isn’t over. Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas held a press conference this Wednesday afternoon to discuss recovery efforts in response to flooding and continuing rainfall, CBS reported.
“The worst is not yet over for southeast Texas,” said Abbott, according to CBS.
About 2,000 more Texas National Guard members have been activated to assist in the efforts, making 14,000 the total number of Texas guardsmen deployed. 10,000 more members of the National Guard from other states are expected to arrive in the state soon and aid the relief efforts, according to Abbott.
(04/16/17 10:50pm)
By Alexis Bell
Staff Writer
A hijacked beer delivery truck in Stockholm plowed into pedestrians and an upscale department store on April 7, killing four and injuring 15, Bloomberg reported.
This was Sweden’s “worst peacetime attack,” the same source reported.
The attack occurred on Drottninggatan, or Queen Street, a popular destination lined with shops in a pedestrian-only section of the street, according to NPR.
In a news conference on April 9, officials identified the suspect as 39-year-old Uzbek national Rakhmat Akilov, who had applied for residency in 2014, but was denied and ordered to leave Sweden, NPR reported.
“We know that he has shown sympathy for extremist organizations like (the Islamic State),” said Jonas Hysing, chief of national police operations, according to NPR.
A hearing occurred at the Swedish capital on Tuesday, April 11. Akilov’s lawyer, Johan Eriksson, said Akilov did not speak in court and will remain in custody pending a trial, CNN reported.
The suspect “confesses to the terror crime, and he agrees with the detention order,” said Eriksson, according to CNN.
According to the same source, Court President Malou Lindbolm said Akilov must be formally charged by May 11.
“We will not bow down to terrorism. Sweden will be an open and safe country,” said Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, according to Bloomberg.
The victims of the attack were honored in a moment of silence and a makeshift candle memorial on Monday, April 10, The New York Times reported.
“Our unity will always be stronger than the forces that seek to tear us apart. Our way of life will never be suppressed. Our democracy will triumph over freedom,” Lofven said, according to The New York Times.
Stockholm is the most recent of several European cities that have been targeted in similar attacks. A terrorist in London drove a car into pedestrians last month, while trucks plowing through crowds killed many last year in Berlin and Nice, France, Bloomberg reported.
Lofven recognizes the demonstration of the strength of Sweden and its people in the midst of the attack’s aftermath.
“In these 24 hours, Sweden has shown itself from its best side. Helping each other, supporting each other, opening their homes to others. And that shows the strength of our country. No one can ever take that strength away from us,” Lofven said, according to Bloomberg.