Monthly Archives: May 2017

Cop suspected in aiding murder working

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By ALEJANDRO GRANDA

Miami Police officer Adrian Rodriguez is working again after refusing to cooperate with homicide detectives in his involvement in a murder and getting fired.

He is suspected of helping set up a robbery at a Miami cell phone store that ended with the death of store manager Yosbel Millares back in 2007.

This is outrageous news, especially for the victim’s family, who is still grieving today. “We’re in shock,” said Magnolia Millares, the victim’s sister. “We can’t believe he was able to get his job back. We’re all very sad and disappointed.”

The reporters of The Miami Herald tried to sound neutral and hopeful about the whole thing by saying he “gets his job back” but “won’t return to patrolling the streets because he remains a suspect in the 2007 killing of Millares. He will most likely be relegated to desk duty – while drawing a paycheck” and “won’t be getting back pay, under the arbiter’s ruling.”

But I believe they should have been more aggressive. Instead, they sound like they’re somewhat in favor of the ruling.

“He exercised his U.S. constitutional right to assert the Fifth Amendment. He was thoroughly interviewed the day of the shooting. It was our position that he shouldn’t have been terminated,” said Eugene Gibbons, Rodriguez’s union-appointed attorney.

But they seem to remain hopeful as they include Miami Police Chief Rodolfo Llanes saying: “I’m disappointed with the outcome and will be meeting with our city attorney to look at our options.”

Tulsa officer receives $35,000 back pay

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By MYLES VALENTINE

Tulsa police officer Betty Shelby was acquitted of manslaughter after fatally shooting an unarmed black man, Terrence Crutcher, back in September. It’s been less than a week since she’s been cleared and she’ll reportedly return to work and receive back pay.

Why would Betty Shelby be receiving $35,000?

The deadly encounter started when Crutcher’s SUV broke down on Sept. 16, 2016. Two other drivers called 911, they were reporting a man running away from the SUV and saying it was going to blow up.

Police helicopter footage later showed Crutcher with his hands in the air as he walked toward his broken-down SUV.

This is were it gets a little bit iffy. As Crutcher nears the driver’s side door, part of the camera’s view is blocked. By the end of the video, Crutcher is on the ground with a large bloodstain on the front of his T-shirt.

Shelby testified that she called for backup and ordered Crutcher to get on his knees.

Crutcher ignored her order and also ignored orders from her and another officer, Tyler Turnbough, who arrived on the scene, Shelby said.

She said Crutcher put his hands on the SUV and then moved to reach into the vehicle. Shelby fired one shot from her weapon while Turnbough fired his Taser, she testified.

An attorney for Crutcher’s family has said that Crutcher’s window was rolled up, making it unlikely he was reaching in it. After everything Officer Shelby was charged by the district attorney’s office six days later.

The incident was caught on police helicopter video and a dashboard camera and footage from the shooting was released later, triggering protests as the latest in a high-profile string of unarmed police shootings in recent years.

According to Tulsa spokeswoman Michelle Brooks, Shelby has been on unpaid leave since Sept. 22 and will be taking home about $35,000 in back pay.

Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan said Shelby will not be working in a patrol capacity, so in other words… she will be working at a desk.

NASA plans to send probe to sun

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By NOELIA GRAHAM

NASA has plans to announce a mission to “touch the sun.”

The Solar Probe Plus is scheduled to launch in 2018, making it 50 years since the idea was first proposed as an initiative to study the sun more closely.

The probe will not initially be launched into the sun’s atmosphere. It is scheduled to fly past in December of 2024, after circling Venus and gathering data.

“Placed in orbit within four million miles of the sun’s surface and facing heat and radiation unlike any spacecraft in history, the spacecraft will explore the sun’s outer atmosphere and make critical observations that will answer decades-old questions about the physics of how stars work,” NASA said in a statement. “The resulting data will improve forecasts of major space weather events that impact life on Earth, as well as satellites and astronauts in space.”

The Solar Probe Plus is planned to operate for seven years, pursuing an orbit that will allow it to reach the sun’s atmosphere 24 times.

The series of elliptical orbits is designed to gradually decrease over time, which will leave the probe only four million miles from the surface of the sun.

In order to achieve this the spacecraft have to travel at a speed of 450,000 miles per hour.
The heat and radiation will be equally immense. To withstand these harsh conditions the probe was fishnets with a 4.5 inch carbon composite shield.

“At its closest point to the sun, the spacecraft will have to survive solar intensity almost 500 times what it would experience orbiting Earth,” said Hannah Osborne, tech and science writer for Newsweek.

The advancement of technology has progressed far enough that space travel like this is possible, but there are still people who do not believe that humans have ever gone into space.

However the more persistent argument is why bother going into space at all?

CNN published an article a few years back that mimics this idea called, “Mars can wait. Oceans can’t.”

The idea is that humans need to focus on their direct environment instead of going out and spending money exploring an unknown system.

I think the major flaw in this viewpoint is the disregard to all the advancements in technology that were produced thanks to space travel. A major one is the internet.

It is equally important to protect our environment as it is to explore new ones.

The Sun Probe Plus is necessary in gathering data because its research will help scientists understand space weather events caused by the sun, and how they impact life on Earth.

So the question is, should we focus on space or earth?

I think the answer is both.

Tiger Woods arrested for DUI

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By ISAIAH TAYLOR

Since his career began 20 years ago, Tiger Woods has been involved in multiple scandals including a car crash and adultery. However, his most recent journey into news headlines is by far the worst.

At 3 a.m., on Monday, Woods was pulled over in Jupiter, Fla., and charged with driving under the influence. Woods spent eight hours in custody and released a statement on Monday night explaining the issue.

In his statement, he acknowledges his behavior and assures the public that he was not under the influence of alcohol, but “prescribed medications.” He then apologizes to his fans and thanks the police department and sheriff’s office that dealt with the matter. He also stated that he cooperated fully with them, yet there have been reports that Woods refused to take a Breathalyzer test after the police who arrested him smelled alcohol.

The medications in question were prescribed after he underwent surgery one month ago, for unbearable pain due to back issues. This was his fourth back surgery, yet he claimed in his statement that he had an “unexpected reaction” to the medications he was given.

Whatever the cause of his state, Woods was not the first athlete to get in trouble due to a DUI and he certainly will not be the last, although he may have been the most famous. Other high profile DUIs in the athletic community include Abby Wambach, an Olympic women’s soccer player who won two gold medals, and Bernard Pierce, a running back for the Baltimore Ravens.

Woods had kept mostly under the radar since his affair scandals years ago and hadn’t played competitive golf for months due to his back problems. He is still remembered for his amazing accomplishments, but only time will tell what will happen to his legacy after this arrest.

Shooting may end Urban Weekend

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By ALEJANDRO GRANDA

Over the weekend, there was a dispute that started over a parking spot where 30-year-old Ladarian Tyrell Phillips died, one of the victims of the police shooting.

Shots were fired around 10:35 p.m. in the 200 block along Ocean Drive and two men were injured from all the gunfire, Phillips being one of them.

In the wake of the incident, a Miami Beach commissioner has expressed thoughts on getting rid of Urban Beach Weekend altogether.

In a way, this may be a good idea because fewer people will be injured and killed. But the commissioner must take caution with that decision as Miami and Miami Beach generate revenue through tourism, especially Miami Beach.

In order to go along with this decision, I believe there should be events replacing Urban Beach Weekend. I believe that doing so would save the city from losing money while addressing the safety of others.

If tourists are too scared to come down to Miami, the city will not be able to make as much money as that’s where it makes majority of its money. Replacing the event will not only eliminate the risk of safety but also the risk of losing money that the city makes every year.

Golf great Woods arrested in Jupiter

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By NEYDJA PETITHOMME

Winning 14 major tournaments — second only to Jack Nicklaus, Golfer Tiger Woods was arrested around 3 a.m. Monday morning in Jupiter, Fla. According to Jupiter police spokeswoman Kristin Rightler, Woods was taken into custody in a local jail and was released the same with no bond. According to Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, it was unclear if Woods was tested positive for alcohol consumption.

According to the information that I have been given, it should be necessary to arrest a person due to alcohol or drug assumption. Either a person tests positive or not. In this specific situation, whether a person is successful or not and even famous or not, the safety of the people around us, who are on the road is just as important. Whether Woods tested positive for drugs or alcohol, taking him off the road is just as important.

“I want to thank my doctors for their great work and support throughout this process. I also want to thank the fans for your phenomenal support. It means more than you know. There’s a long way to go, but as I said, words cannot convey how good it feels to be pain-free.” Woods said about his recovery from back problems earlier this year.

For those unaware, Woods has not won a major tournament event since 2008. He has had a rough process since his divorce. According to CNN’s contributor, David Close, Woods took time off from professional golf, to think about his actions towards his fans and family back in 2010.

It’s clear when a person goes through a troubling time in their lives, it can be hard to come back from it. Woods was never the same again after his divorce.

Suicide bombing outside Manchester

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By NEYDJA PETITHOMME

At 10:30 p.m. Manchester time, families and friends gathered together to enjoy a time of music and fun at the Ariana Grande “Dangerous Woman Tour.” According to British authorities, during the time of the concert, an armed man committed suicide while detonating a bomb outside Manchester Arena near the ticketing booth, leaving 22 casualties, 60 injured, and others traumatized, scared, and confused.

The night of the explosion, I was coming back from the gym. Following my usual nightly routine, before doing anything else, I tuned into MSNBC in order to get updates on the latest news before eating and then heading to bed. As I began to watch breaking news, my mouth dropped. I was shell-shocked, lost for words. I could not process the information.

The first thing that came into mind, “Why would anyone in their right mind decide to bomb mothers, fathers, and children who are just enjoying themselves, at an Ariana Grande concert?” Andy Holey, waiting to pick his wife and daughter, flew 30 feet from the doors, when the explosion occurred. His first thought was to find his family. When he couldn’t find them, he then proceeded to searching through the bodies for them. He was lucky enough to find his loved ones alive.

Grande responded in a Tweet just five hours after the bombing, “From the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry.” Grande cancelled her remaining 36 shows.

This was a difficult decision for the Grande team to make. This allowed me to feel that Grande is a caring person, who genuinely cares for the safety of her fans.

Manchester bombing inquiry continues

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By ISAIAH TAYLOR

All around the world, news of the Manchester bombing is taking precedence as everyone tries to comfort the affected as well as explain the appalling attack.

On Monday, May 22, thousands of fans attended an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester arena. When the concert ended and the fans were leaving, they were greeted by a loud explosion and debris flying through the air.

Twenty-two people have been confirmed dead and more than 100 others were injured. Those killed in the horrific event range in age from eight years to 51. As of Thursday, May 25, eight men have been arrested as they are believed to have been connected to the attack. The attacker, Salman Abedi, was determined to have been killed when the bomb went off.

Many have shown their support for the victims of the attack, having a moment of silence in St. Ann’s Square in Manchester as well as donating more than 80 percent of the £2 million goal on a fundraising page created by Manchester Evening News, which equates to more than $2.5 million.

Tensions were high after the terrorist attack and a brief hostility occurred after U.S. broadcasters reported information that had apparently been leaked from British officials. The British police temporarily began to withhold information about the investigation from United States agencies, but this only lasted until Thursday evening.

President Trump responded with a statement during meetings with leaders of NATO that promised to launch an investigation of the leaks and punish those responsible “to the fullest extent of the law.”

New information also points to the likelihood that the Manchester bombing was planned at least a year in advance, as receipts show that Abedi opened a bank account and purchased items to make the explosive dating back 12 months. A flat was rented in Manchester as well and it is believed to have been the site of the bomb’s creation.

Currently, the investigation is ongoing as officials believe that conspirators of the attack may still be at large. The motive behind the attack is also still being determined. Many believe that it was a premeditated action with a clear plan to target young children.

This is supported by the idea that ISIS plans to terrorize Western women, children, and elders as theirs were killed. I am hopeful that this new low encourages officials even more to find and disarm ISIS, and other terrorist organizations that harm the safety of the worlds’ citizens before more innocent lives are taken.

Lebron James or Michael Jordan?

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By MYLES VALENTINE

For every professional basketball connoisseur out there in the sports world, there’s always going to be the dreadful question.

Who is the best ever?

I believe the real question here is, who would you rather have on your team? LeBron James or Michael Jordan?

First off there is no right or statistically correct answer to this question. When it comes to Jordan-James statistics, they duel back and forth, like Tom and Jerry. Jordan scores more. James rebounds and passes better. They shoot about the same, block shots about the same and are both fantastic defenders.

I know I said there’s no statistically correct answer, we must keep in mind that LeBron James just passed Jordan as NBA all-time playoff scorer. During the just-ended Eastern Conference finals, it was a three-point shot that gave James 29 points for the game and 5,989 points for his postseason career. That total continued to rise all the way to 5,995 points. Jordan’s mark of 5,987 points stood for 19 years. James is now in the NBA championship game for the seventh consecutive year.

Yes, Jordan needed fewer games than James (179 to 212). But James also reached his point total with fewer field goal attempts (yet more free throw attempts) than Jordan.

Michael Jordan still leads James in several significant categories, including championship rings (six to three), MVP awards (five to four) and regular-season scoring titles (10 to one).

It should be fair to say that Michael Jordan and LeBron James are the two greatest players. They both dominate the game but they both did it in very different ways. I think it comes down to this Michael Jordan was great for his time. But LeBron James is the new and best thing since the iPhone.