Category: News Briefs

By RYAN VENEGAS

The United States and Russia made a prisoner exchange on Dec. 8. 

Brittney Griner is a professional basketball player who was captured by Russian forces in Russia. Victor Bout is an arms dealer  captured by U.S. forces.

The U.S tried to include Paul Whelan in the trade but couldn’t do so. Paul Whellan is a former veteran who was captured by the Russians. 

“Everything is possible,”Putin said when communicating with American officials. 

He is talking about possibly trading someone else we have for Paull Whellan. The Russians really want Vadim Krasikov.

When he heard the news that he would not be included in the prisoner exchange, Whellan told CNN that he is “greatly disappointed…I don’t understand why I’m still sitting here.”

Paul Whellan has been captured and held in Russia for four years. While Griner hasn’t been there for less than one year.

The prisoner exchange has given people mixed feelings towards the decision government officials made. Some are happy that the U.S. got back an American from Russia custody. Others are upset that we gave away an arms dealer nicknamed “The Merchant of Death.”

Many people are happy to see Brittney Griner return to her home. MAny people also are upset and think the U.S. got the worst part of the deal.

By RYAN VENEGAS

With the end of the midterm elections Donald Trump announced his 2024 presidential campaign. 

On Tuesday night Trump presented a speech with the announcement at one of his estates in Florida which will be the head office for his campaign.

“In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States,” Trump stated.

In Trump’s speech he recalls his first-term as president and states all of the accomplishments he made. While also contrasting those accomplishments with the economy and current policies with Biden’s presidency.

Trump claimed about inflation, “As we speak, inflation is the highest in over 50 years.”

Trump referred to the withdrawal from Afghanistan as “perhaps the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country, where we lost lives, left Americans behind and surrendered $85 billion worth of the finest military equipment anywhere in the world.”

Though the United States did leave lots of military equipment worth billions, Trump’s criticism with the US withdrawal of Afghanistan is false. Estimated by the Defense Department it was actually estimated to be about $7.1 billion.

In Trump’s speech he also comments on the high prices of gas.

“We were $1.87 a gallon for gasoline, and now it’s sitting at five, six, seven and even eight dollars, and it’s gonna go really bad.”

The 2024 election will be the first presidential election after electoral votes are redistributed with the 2020 census.

By MEANNA SMITH

Every year on Halloween day, children go door to door collecting various types of candy which typically last a few weeks. This year many people wonder if Halloween candy will last children more than a few days.

Inflation has been on a heavy increase since early last year and is now carrying noticeable effects in citizens everyday lives. Inflation has been on an 8.2 percent increase since September of last year, vastly exceeding the Federal Reserve’s target of 2 percent. 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Halloween candy prices are now 13 percent higher than last year. This marks the highest yearly jump the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has ever recorded. To understand the magnitude of this jump, it is necessary to note that in the past it has taken nine years for candy prices to jump 13 percent.

The inflation surrounding Halloween candy is largely due to the increase of prices on sugar and flour. The price of flour alone has gone up by 24 percent in just the last year. 

Many US citizens are wondering how these large percent increases directly affect the prices of candy in a way that is relevant to them. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans are predicted to collectively spend about 3.1 billion on Halloween candy during this year’s Halloween season. At a 13% increase, a fifteen dollar bag of the most popular assorted Halloween candy adds about two dollars onto the price.

Each classic Halloween candy has been affected in price differently by inflation. Here are the updated prices of some frequently purchased Halloween candy packs according to the US addition of Bloomberg:

Twix: $7.60

Skittles: $4.43

M&M: $4.62

Reses’s Peanut Butter Cups: $8.01

The prices of these candies are extremely expensive compared to the price of the same candy last year. The candy with the highest price jump is Recese’s Peanut Butter Cups jumping from $5.92 to this year’s price of $8.01. 

Feature image: MIA CALIVA/Ethic News image

BY MEANNA SMITH

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s first launch of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission was a success. The DART mission’s goal of testing a method of planetary defense against near-Earth objects was achieved. 

According to NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office, DART was designed to prevent a potential doomsday meteorite collision with Earth. This space mission was not only NASA’s first planetary defense test, but also the world’s first successful planetary defense test.

The spacecraft was roughly the same size of a standard vending machine. The spacecraft crashed into an asteroid called Dimorphous on Sept. 26 at 7:14 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). 

This photo taken by the DART spacecraft pictures Didymos (a larger body which Dimorphous orbits) in the top left and Dimorphous in the bottom right corner. This photo was taken about two and a half minutes before the collision. (NASA John Hopkins APL)

Asteroid Dimorphous is about the same size as two football fields. Dimorphous is estimated by NASA officials to weigh roughly 11 billion pounds.

DART was first launched on Nov. 24 of 2021 weighing a total of 1,260 lbs. Although DART was significantly smaller than Dimorphous, speed is more important than size in space. DART was traveling at hypersonic speed when it crashed into the distant asteroid Dimorphous. 

The collision was videotaped by NASA’s Demonstration Rocket For Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) satellite camera. DRACO was able to record minutes before and minutes after the collision. 

Dimorphous posed no real threat to Earth however it provided the perfect opportunity to test the abilities of DART. Although it can’t be determined for another two months whether DART was actually able to alter the path of the asteroid or not, the collision is still considered a huge success because it hit its intended target. 

The success of the DART mission creates protection for Earth against the possibility of a tragic asteroid impact. Although this first-time success is only a small step in the direction of total safety, it proves that humanity is no longer powerless in the event of an asteroid and Earth collision natural disaster.   

By RYAN VENEGAS

This past week Hurricane Ian flooded Florida, destroying resident’s homes and causing people to feel through boats and air transportation.   

As many rescuers search for survivors Florida counts the death toll. According to Florida’s Medical Examiners Commission the death toll has risen up to at least 100 as of Oct. 3. 

“It’s just not the coast of Florida that’s been impacted. We’ve got impacts all the way through Orlando, up to the East Coast. Places like St. Augustine had devastating flooding,” said Craig Fugate, agent of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Florida is not the only place to be hit by Hurricane Ian as Fuagte stated. North and South Carolina have also contributed to the death toll from the hurricane.

“Ian could financially ruin thousands of families in Florida. There’s no better way to say it,” said Mark Friedlander of the Insurance Information Institute.

There are 1.8 million households in the counties of Florida and 1.3 of them do not have federal flood insurance. This means the Hurricane will financially affect Floridians in a very negative way.

The Insurance Information Institute, an industry-funded research group, estimates that Ian has caused at least $30 billion in damage. That would make it roughly the 12th-costliest U.S. disaster since 1980, according to the Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters.

Featured image is from the United States Census Bureau website.

BY NADIA CENICEROS

Former England ruler Queen Elizabeth II died on Sep. 8 at the age of 96.  The announcement was made to the public a few hours after her death by Buckingham Palace, Scotland. According to the palace, she had died peacefully at Balmoral Castle earlier that afternoon from natural causes after being bed sick just a few days earlier. The queen’s eldest son, Charles Windsor, acceded the throne that same day becoming King Charles III of England. 

Illustration of Queen Elizabeth’s II crown (Nadia Ceniceros/Ethic News Photo)

Queen Elizabeth II was born Apr. 21, 1926 and became queen of England Feb. 6, 1952 at the age of 27 until her death this year. Queen Elizabeth II reigned for over 70 years, becoming the longest serving British monarch in history. Just a year before in April of 2021, Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth’s husband, passed away due to his age.

Her funeral was held on Sept. 19, twelve days after her death for operation “London Bridge is Down”. The operation is a plan that once the queen passes, there would be an announcement of her death by Buckingham Palace, ten days for the people of Britain to mourn her death, and her funeral.

The funeral was held in the late morning. Members of the Royal family, such as her children and all of her grandchildren, attended the funeral. United States President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden attended the funeral along with many more countries’ royals and presidents. 

Many people said their last goodbyes to the queen and honored her and what she did for England and her people. During the funeral, her casket was carried by the courtage twenty-eight miles from London to Windsor in a car and was carried out by guards with her crown resting on top to get as many people to gather and say their final goodbyes.

By RYAN VENEGAS

California’s gas prices are going down everyday and it seems like it’s going to keep lowering.

California’s gas prices have been one of the highest in the nation, but it seems like car owners are finally getting a sense of relief.

According to the Automobile Association of America, the overall national average gas price per gallon has dropped to $4, which means it has been the lowest since March of this year. On August 12 the average U.S. price for a gallon of gas was $3.98.

Other than the national average price for gasoline, California’s average regular gas price has gone down by 11.5% compared to last month’s average.

There are a couple of reasons why gas prices are falling. 

AAA spokesperson John Treanor has said “Prices in California, Like the rest of the country, are dropping due to decrease of demand.”

According to Treanor, AAA has done a survey on drivers and learned that 67% of drivers have changed how much they drive due to gas prices being on the rise. 

“The demand for gas goes down as people drive less, thereby lowering the overall cost of gas,” said Treanor.

The decrease in gas prices are not officially set since the demand for gas can go high at any moment which means gas prices can go up again. 

Gas prices can be very flexible and can change fast depending on the demand.

By EMILY PRINSTEIN

After a little over a month since the election took place, California has officially certified its votes securing the election, for now, President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris. The certification of California’s fifty-five electoral votes puts President-elect Biden nine votes above the two hundred and seventy vote threshold needed to win the election. 

The 2020 election has been much different than prior elections in terms of formalities. Even though many have viewed the election to be over and have already seen Biden as President-Elect, the certification of California’s votes makes this clear legally.  According to a law professor at Ohio State University, Edward Foley, “Everything prior to that was premised on what we call projections.” 

In the coming weeks, the pledged electoral voters and electoral voters from other states will be meeting to vote on Dec. 14. According to the Associated Press, “ All states must certify before the Electoral College meets.” These votes will then be sent to Congress where they will be approved most likely on Jan. 6.

 Electoral voters from most states such as California take a pledge to vote for the nominee that receives the most votes in their said state, meaning that Joe Biden will get a majority of these votes. After this President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris will then take office on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20. 

Image of Joe Biden from commons.wikimedia.org

By Tatum Mapes

A brush fire in San Timoteo Canyon has prompted mandatory evacuations for about 50 homes. This wildfire, named the “Bruder Fire,” has burned over 100 acres in South Redlands as of 5:42 this morning, according to the CalFire Statewide Fire Summary. As of that time, it was about 30% contained. 

Both CalFire and the Redlands Fire Department have been working to extinguish the blaze since it started around 9:00 pm Wednesday. Evacuations have been ordered for households south of East Sunset Drives from Edgemont Drive to Puesta Del Sol Street, as well as homes north of Live Oak Canyon Road, according to CalFire. A total of 265 firefighters are dispatched at the scene.

American Red Cross has set up a Temporary Evacuation Point at Redlands High School for those affected. They recommend that households close to the blaze park their car outside in the direction of an evacuation route, close windows and doors to prevent smoke from entering and wear long sleeve shirts, pants and gloves.

The Bruder Fire is the latest fire of this record breaking California fire season. A fire weather watch has been put into place due to high temperatures, low humidity and high winds.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Drone shot of Bruder fire from about 2 miles away Wednesday night (Liam Mapes/Ethic News).

By MAURICIO PLIEGO

The Coronavirus has officially been named a health emergency throughout the world, declared on Thursday, Jan. 30 by the World Health Organization. The virus has spread to multiple nations across the globe, including China, Thailand, Mexico and the United States. The death toll has now “increased to 427 people and is expected to increase” reported by the New York Times.

Redlands East Valley math teacher, Jorge Cecilio answers whiteboard questions. (Alyssa Ornelas/ Ethic Photo)

The United States has quarantined any incoming passengers from Chinese flights to the United States. They are checked upon entry and kept in quarantine for at most 14 days to be tested. The CNBC reported “if they do not show any symptoms they will be released. Ever since the breakout there has been a total of 11 cases in the United States from California to New Hampshire”. 

The recent breakouts of the virus have caused much questioning on what must be done to protect ourselves. The virus has no known cure which causes a sense of fear. CNN reported “WHO has been trying to find new ways to keep it contained but it has been proven to be uncontrollable.” This has caused it to become a world health emergency which can affect almost anybody within any nation.  

Citrus Valley High School counselor Tony Wood suggested visiting the Johns Hopkins interactive map to track the coronovirus in real time: https://www.wavy.com/news/health/track-the-coronavirus-outbreak-in-real-time-though-interactive-map-from-johns-hopkins/.

Featured Photo: At Redlands East Valley on Thursday, January 30 during sixth period, Dr. Melissa Cartagena answers whiteboard question. (Alyssa Ornelas/ Ethic Photo)

By AHLORA SMITH

Both Citrus Valley and Redlands East Valley High Schools have announced the details for their homecoming dances, and the traditional concept of homecoming has been revisited by the two schools.

This year, Citrus will hold its homecoming dance in The Mitten Building in Downtown Redlands, and REV’s dance will be on its own campus, leaning away from the district’s common pattern of leaving town for the dance.

Ticket prices at Citrus have been released and start at $65 with ASB and $70 without for the week of Sept. 3-6. The ticket prices will increase $5 every week until the 27; the dance is Sept. 28 from 7 to 11 p.m.

REV’s ticket prices and details other than location have yet to be announced.

By ELLA FITZPATRICK

Wondering what the thunderous noises booming over Redlands were starting the afternoon of Friday, May 17?

On May 18 and 19, Hangar 24 charities hosted its eleventh annual Airfest at the Redlands Municipal Airport. This Airfest publicizes extreme pilots who execute daring stunts, like spinning in circles and free falling thousands of feet.

Sue Cook, Hangar 24 Charities Air Fest Coordinator sent notification to Redlands Unified School District in advance with information about the AirFest, including: “We have an exciting event planned with the USAF A-10 Warthog Jet Demo Team, USN F-18 Super Hornets, world class civilian performers and much more. Please visit the website http://www.hangar24airfest.com for the full line up of events. “

The event was available to all ages, with scheduled Air Show performers and live musicians throughout the weekend.

The audience was kept at the edge of their seats as they indulged in a variety of craft beers, aircraft displays and live music.