Comments spark WNBA controversy

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Erykah Davenport

By ERYKAH DAVENPORT

“Me being heterosexual and straight, and being vocal in my identity as a straight woman, was huge,” Wiggins said in the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I would say 98 percent of the women in the WNBA are gay women. It was a conformist type of place. There was a whole different set of rules they [the other players] could apply.”

This statement was made by a former WNBA star, Candice Wiggins. News sources said that she said the lesbian culture broke her spirit. Wiggins told the Union-Tribune that the WNBA had a “very, very harmful” culture and that she was bullied throughout her WNBA career from 2008 to 2015. Wiggins allegedly was mistreated because she was straight.

This controversial stand made by Wiggins about the LGBT community was covered by Bleacher Report, ESPN, Pioneer Press, Sports Illustrated and the New York Post. Immediately after her comments were released to the news media, other reliable outlets shared the news as well.

Wiggins branded the WNBA culture as “toxic.” Many people, not only players and coaches were stunned, but fans as well. Maintaining a certain image for the WNBA is vital and from a media standpoint, Wiggins degraded it.

Even the WNBA president wanted her voice to be heard. In response to Wiggins’ remark, Lisa Borders released a statement about her experience in the league.

“When I first read the comments from retired WNBA player Candice Wiggins, I was stunned and disappointed,” Borders said. “In my time with the league and my capacity as a fan before that, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know a group of highly competitive women who are driven to succeed at the highest level on the court and constantly striving to help create opportunity for all members of their communities.”

Wiggins received so much attention and publicity from the media that she was asked to do a follow-up story. In the Union-Tribune, Wiggins said she used the figure of 98 percent to be “illustrative.” “It was my way to illustrate the isolation that I felt personally,” Wiggins said. “I felt like the 2 percent versus the 98 percent. It felt that way to me. And it’s not just the players. It was the coaches. It was the leaders.”

Oscars try to shake things up

Posted on February 21, 2017 by Chelsea Lovell

By CHELSEA LOVELL

In 2016, a trending hashtag was #OscarsSoWhite.

Well, you might have noticed you haven’t seen it any more. This is not because the hashtag just went out of style. This is because the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’s voting board made some major changes. Along with the voting board being shaken up, this year’s nominees are showing a lot more diversity.

In 2015, all the acting nominees were white. “Selma” a drama about civil rights received nothing for its cast or for its director, Ava Du Vernay. Activist April Reign responded by tweeting “#OscarsSoWhite they asked to touch my hair.” This tweet catapulted a hashtag movement bringing a light to Hollywood’s diversity problems that the Academy could not turn a blind eye to.

For best actor Denzel Washington accepted his seventh for “Fences.” This nomination extends his record as the most-nominated black actor.

Oscar nominees Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone and Viola Davis at the Oscar nominees luncheon in Beverly Hills on Feb. 6, 2017 (Photo by Aaron Poole, courtesy of AMPAS).

His co-star Viola Davis was nominated for best supporting actress. With three nominations, she is now the most-nominated black actress.

Other black actresses getting their acknowledgements are Octavia Spencer for “Hidden Figures” and Naomie Harris for “Moonlight.” Mahershala Ali landed a nomination for supporting actor as well for “Moonlight.”

Also recognized in supporting actor was Dev Patel, a British actor of Indian descent, for “Lion.”

In the lead actress category, Ruth Negga was nominated for her work in “Loving.”

Acting wasn’t the only category where colored people got acknowledged. “Manchester by the Sea” was nominated for best picture. Kimberly Steward is only the second black female to be nominated for producing. The first was Oprah Winfrey for “Selma.”

The Oscars will take place on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center. It will be aired live on ABC.

NBA logo honors Black History Month

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Erykah Davenport

By ERYKAH DAVENPORT

Black History Month, or African-American History Month, is a time for influential people and change makers to be recognized for their impact on the world. Initially labeled, “Negro History Week,” this annual celebration has manifested over time. Evolving into an entire month of historic celebration, black Americans and their achievements are recognized.

This second month of February is responsible for such a prestigious time. Hebru Brantley is responsible for redesigning logos for every basketball team in the NBA in honor of Black History Month.

“Everything the happens historically doesn’t necessarily translate within one small design,” Brantley said. “History is long and long-winded sometimes so it’s hard to pick apart a moment and make it clear from an aesthetics standpoint, but I looked at pivotal moments and certain individuals that can be represented with these teams and logos and become sort of the re-branded version of this team.”

Black history is so empowering and inspirational that more news outlets should have made it more of a priority to make people aware of this creative logo enhancement done by Brantley. Although covered by CNN, the overall awareness of this shift was not awarded with a justifiable amount of credibility.

“Still wanting to capture the feeling of what these teams are about and say as I can from a historical context within this very small design”, as Brantley mentioned, he designed some very intricate logos.

For example, the Atlanta Hawks logo pays tribute to two very important and historic institutions in Atlanta. Formerly referred to as “the richest Negro street in the world,” Sweet Auburn is home for the Hawks. In the logo, the idolized bird is wearing sunglasses similar to those of Ray Charles, the music legend.

Fox News’ Smith criticizes Trump

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Amanda Prats

By AMANDA PRATS

Fox News anchor Shepard Smith surprised many with a biting criticism of President Donald Trump on his show Thursday. Smith’s comments were in response to the president’s continued criticism of the news media, most recently during his Thursday press conference, which Smith described as “absolutely crazy.”

During the press conference, President Trump berated CNN’s Jim Acosta, averting his question and going on an extensive, dizzying rant about the news media.

Smith was critical of the president’s response to the question, defending Acosta and the news media as a whole.

“We’re not fools for asking the questions and we demand to know the answer to this question. You owe this to the American people,” Smith said on his show, pressing the president to take reporters’ questions seriously.

“We have a right to know. You call us fake news and put us down like children for asking these questions on behalf of the American people,” Smith said, referring to the president’s habit of referring to widely regarded organizations as “fake news.”

Smith’s response is only the latest in the saga of conflict between the president and the news media. Throughout his campaign, President Trump has repeatedly alleged that a plethora of news outlets are dishonest, ineffective or failing. The only program spared from the criticism seems to be the morning show “Fox & Friends,” for which the president has previously expressed his praise, and which he specifically mentioned during the press conference for being “very honorable people.”

Despite the president’s many attempts to discredit CNN, the news organization has not suffered, according to CNN President Jeff Zucker. In a state-of-the-company luncheon on Thursday, Zucker and other top executives from CNN and Turner announced that ratings are high, no advertisers have pulled out, and there has been no harm to the CNN brand.

Penn State bans alcohol for greeks

Posted on February 10, 2017 by Alison Goebel

By ALISON GOEBEL

A 19-year-old student, Timothy Piazza, who attended Penn State University, died on Feb. 3 after falling down a set of basement stairs at a fraternity party.

It was reported that he fell down the stairs around 11 p.m. on Feb. 2, but the police weren’t notified until 11 a.m. the next day. Piazza was eventually taken to a medical facility and died later that morning.

The former student had recently accepted an invitation to join Beta Theta Pi where the tragic incident took place. It was announced that in response to the death of Piazza this week at a fraternity, university officials have placed a moratorium on all social gatherings at on- and off-campus fraternities and sororities.

This being said, all of greek life is being revealed in a very negative light now that this happened. Several news articles focus on the actual incident that happened and the current investigations that are currently taking place due to the fact that the police were called nearly 12 hours after the accident.

The next big problem with this situation is that all of greek life is banned from having any social events. I have a friend who knows a lot of people at Penn State and she was describing to me how greatly impacted they were due to the death.

The news, I believe, does a great job of covering what the news organizations can do with this story. But even with these news stories and incidences occurring, it doesn’t seem to actually effect the greek life at other schools whatsoever.

So, I come to this conclusion that although there are very tragic deaths due to alcohol and hazing, fraternities still partake in these sort of events because, well, they always have.

Unfortunately, even with all the coverage of this accident, the news media and journalists have not been able to change this aspect of greek life or perceptions and mindsets about hazing.

There was only one article that I saw that covered the other side of the story, not what happened directly to Piazza but how it affected other students in other fraternities. I found this to be interesting.

All in all, I think journalists covered this breaking story well. Negative perceptions of outside greek life members will prevail and inside greek life students will have the same mindset as always; the more booze, the better it is.

Journalists confront Trump’s claims

Posted on February 10, 2017 by Amanda Prats

By AMANDA PRATS

In response to the White House’s list of 78 terror attacks that President Trump said were unreported by the news media, journalists have taken a direct approach in shutting down Trump’s claims.

The list included events that were reported nearly ad nauseam, including even the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting and the November 2015 Paris attacks. These events and many of the others listed dominated news coverage for weeks, filling hours of air time and countless articles in print and online.

The list seems to have been primarily released in an attempt to support Trump’s repeated assertion that the media is dishonest and ineffective; the focus on terrorist attacks that were apparently influenced by radical Islam seems to be an effort to validate Trump’s recent policies regarding Muslim-majority countries.

In response to the list, journalists from news organizations across the nation and abroad have chimed in. CNN’s Anderson Cooper clarified on air that many of the attacks mentioned in the list he personally reported on, playing clips of him reporting from San Bernadino, Orlando and Paris, among many more.

On screen, the lower third read “WH releases list of undercovered attacks,” and in parenthesis, “(We covered many).” The New York Times published the list from the White House along with links to its own articles on nearly each attack.

Business Insider Australia reported on the five Australian incidents mentioned on the list, one of which was the fatal stabbing of two Australian backpackers. The incident was never determined by Australian police to be related to terrorism.

The family of one of the deceased reacted to the list with an open letter to Trump on Facebook, in which she shared that she began blogging to dispel what she called the myth that Islamic fundamentalism was the driving factor behind her daughter’s death.

The victim’s mother ended the post by denouncing Trump’s actions and framing of the attacks, writing “This vilification of whole nation states and their people based on religion is a terrifying reminder of the horror that can ensue when we allow ourselves to be led by ignorant people into darkness and hatred.”

Simple works best for Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 10, 2017 by Chelsea Lovell

By CHELSEA LOVELL

Valentine’s Day is on the way. Feb. 14 holds an annual VIP spot on the calendar. Many people exchange cards, candy, gifts and flowers with their “valentine.”

This day of romance dates all the way back to the 5^th century and was named after the Christian martyr St. Valentine. That’s a fun-fact that a lot of people, especially college students, don’t know. In fact, for most college students, especially freshmen, Valentine’s Day is a huge gray area. Everyone has only known each other for a short amount of time and probably have not been dating their valentine for long either.

This can lead to students wondering what exactly is appropriate to do and buy for their valentine. Do they do the standard dinner and a movie? Well the day of love falls on a Tuesday this year so that isn’t ideal. What about gifts? What is too much and what is not enough?

No need to worry. Here are a few ideas for a perfect Valentine’s Day, college edition. First off is to keep things simple, but special. Food is the key to everyone’s heart.

Candy and chocolate are easy and thoughtful. Because Valentine’s Day falls on a Tuesday it is a good idea to plan the actual celebration for the weekend. “Fifty Shades Darker” has opened in theaters. There are always the classic movies you can watch in your dorm room such as “Sleepless in Seattle,” “The Notebook,” “Titanic” or even “50 First Dates.” You can find these all online and have a romantic movie night without spending money.

If you really want to make someone feel special you can have your school send them a Valentine’s Day gram. Some fraternities are even willing to serenade your special someone.

These are simple ways to make your college Valentine’s Day thoughtful and romantic on a college student’s budget.

Super Bowl Ads send a message

Posted on February 10, 2017 by Chantal Alba

By CHANTAL ALBA

If you watched the 2017 Super Bowl LI, then you probably saw how some of the Super Bowl commercials took a political stance. It’s clear that President Trump’s policies and his overall views on politics, sparked ideas for many big-name companies to show which side they stand on.

Audi used its 60-second commercial spot to speak about gender equality. Starting the commercial off with the words “What will I tell my daughter?” with an image of the narrator’s daughter in a soap-box car race.

The commercial continues on with the young girl racing against boys and her “dad” doing the voiceover asking questions like “Do I tell her despite her education, her drive, her skills, her intelligence, she will automatically be valued as less than every man she ever meets?”, to bring up key issues with gender equal in America.

The commercial then ends with him saying “or maybe I’ll be able to tell her something different” and Audi stating their stance on equal pay by letting viewers know that “Audi of America is committed to equal pay for equal work.”

Airbnb decided to highlight Trump’s anti-immigration ban and show that they are against it. The commercial shows the faces of real human beings of different gender, race, sexuality, and religion with the words “We believe no matter who you are, where you’re from, who you love or who you worship, we all belong. The world is more beautiful when you accept.” When Airbnb originally purchased its ad-spot, it had a different concept in mind. But because of Donald Trump’s travel ban, they were inspired to take a stance and send the message “We Accept” to everyone watching the Super Bowl LI.

Despite everything that is going wrong in America, it is comforting to know that companies we know, love and trust, do not share the same views with a president who causes so much hate and mistrust in a country that is suppose to be free and full of love.

Nickelodeon introduces new princess

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Courtney Adelman

By COURTNEY ADELMAN

Nickelodeon is now one of the top children networks surpassing Disney. The network has now decided to try something they don’t normally do. They are putting their weight behind a princess.

In past years, Nickelodeon has tended to leave princesses to Disney. But the Viacom-owned cable network is now generating $5.5 billion a year in merchandise alone for their new princess “Nella the princess Knight.”

“Nella the Princess Knight,” will be aired on Nickelodeon beginning next Monday in a programming block specifically for pre-schoolers.

There has been negative connotations towards Disney princesses in the past. Academics have used princesses like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty to make points about negative impacts on young girls. Will Nickelodeon now find itself in a similar situation?

“Nella” is a self- empowered girl who isn’t afraid to push boundaries. She is bi-racial with a white mother and a black father.

Studies have shown that by 2020 most children under 12 will be biracial. The character also mashes gender roles.

“Nickelodeon’s princess may strike some adults as subversive, particularly given the surge of conservatism that helped push Donald J. Trump into office. But children see mixed-race families and the blurring of gender lines as normal,” Cyma Zarghami, Nickelodeon’s longtime chief told The New York Times.

“Adults might say, ‘Oh, look — she’s biracial,’ but our viewers just say, ‘that looks like my friend,” she added.

Zarghami said that she led Nickelodeon to ratings strength in 2016 among all viewers. She is super excited about the new series because it is already taking a life of its own.

Texas gets transgender elected official

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Alison Goebel

By ALISON GOEBEL

A Collin County mayor in Texas came out on Feb. 1. This is historically significant given that Texas has never had a transgender elected official, nor did I expect it to any time soon.

The mayor, Jess Herbst, made the announcement that she was transgender in an open letter to the town’s residents.

Most of Texas is known to be very conservative. Issues such as the “bathroom bill” that Republicans proposed was set in place to ban transgender people from using public bathrooms of their choice. With this bill and large numbers of people to support it, it is surprising that the mayor of New Hope is transgender.

Collin County, where New Hope lies, is considered one of the most conservative suburban areas in Texas. To put it into perspective, President Donald Trump won this area by 17 percentage points in the general election.

I think that journalists who covered this story did an exceptional job. I first came across this story on BBC which is known to be a more liberal international news network. Once I read the story there, I searched for it elsewhere. Numerous smaller newspapers around Texas covered the story as well as the Huffington Post, CBS and other news organizations.

I then checked Fox News, already thinking that it might not even have the story about it, or, that it was skewed into something its targeted audience (conservatives) would appreciate.

I was pleasantly surprised when I found the story there with no apparent bias. It was in this moment that I was proud of the news coverage on this story.

Although it was covered well, I did run into an issue as I read the story from all the different news stations. It was a lot of recycled material. The direct quotations were the same, given she had only released just a few, but also the content was very similar as well. This is something people have to keep in mind when reading stories from various news stations.

We have to ask the question, are journalists becoming lazy? Is recycled information the new norm?

The dilemma with ‘alternative facts’

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Amanda Prats

By AMANDA PRATS

Anyone who considers themselves a fan of 1990s television knows it: The truth is out there. In 2017, however, the truth may be harder to find than it was for the “X-Files”’ Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.

For the past 100 years, since President Woodrow Wilson held the first one in March of 1913, the presidential press conference has been at the very least, credible. If the White House press secretary refrained from saying much, the little they did say was of significant news value to the journalists in attendance.

In one of the first press briefings of the Trump administration, new White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer accused the news media of misinformation while distributing misinformation himself. After the briefing, Kellyanne Conaway, one of Trump’s senior advisors, described Spicer’s blatant lies by using a phrase that has become infamous in the days since: “alternative facts.”

For members of the news media covering the Trump administration going forward, reporting on a White House that disseminates these falsehoods poses multiple major issues.

Since the beginning of his campaign, Trump has fueled the narrative that the news media has an inherent bias against him. If the news media chooses to continue to report on his administration’s lies as they are, he will continue to use it as evidence that journalists are against him. By doing their jobs, journalists will unfortunately encourage his narrative and as it is, much of the public already considers the news media to be biased against the president.

The government collects and reports an incredible amount of data, ranging from mundane to critical. While journalists have had to verify and check government data before, for the most part, journalists have never been in a position where questioning and vetting every piece of information from the government was necessary. However, when the line between fact and “alternative fact” becomes blurred, news organizations may have to rely on their own resources more heavily than the government agencies that they relied on in the past.

As the “X-Files” told us, the truth is out there. Finding the truth while reporting on an administration that completely disregards it, however, may pose a greater challenge than expected.

Get smart about the HPV vaccine

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Chantal Alba

By CHANTAL ALBA

Hey guys! So it’s time to drop some knowledge on you for your sexual health. I’m going to be telling you guys about HPV, otherwise known as the human papillomavirus. HPV is the most commonly sexually transmitted infection (STI).

How common do you ask? Well, so common that nearly half the people who are sexually active will contract the virus at least once during some point of their lifetime. There are different types of HPV too, some cause warts and others can cause cancer. That is why it is so important to get vaccinated.

HPV is spread when you have vaginal, oral or anal sex with someone who has the virus. Sometimes, when a person is infected with the virus, they may not even realize it because they can show no symptoms and may not even show symptoms until years later.

Typically HPV goes away on its own and doesn’t cause any health problems. However, if the virus doesn’t go away, it can cause genital warts or cancer. If you have the virus that causes warts, you experience things like a small bump or a group of bumps, that can be small or large, raised or flat, or cauliflower shaped in your genital area. If you have the type that causes cancer, then you are at risk of getting cervical cancer, cancer of the vulva, vagina, penis, or anus, and oropharyngeal cancer (cancer in the back of throat, base of tongue or tonsils).

It’s a pretty scary virus to think about ever having, especially since most people will have it in their lives. But there are ways to prevent yourself from being a statistic. Make sure you get vaccinated, if you aren’t vaccinated yet.

You usually receive the vaccination around 11-12 years old, but there are “catch-up” vaccines available for women under the age of 27. Currently there is no test that can determine if you have the virus or not. So most people do not know they have it, until they have warts and, for women, if they have an abnormal Pap test result.

So If you are sexually active, make sure you are using a condom, the right way, every single time you have sex because it can lower your chances of getting the virus.

Haute couture becomes political

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Shellie Frai

By SHELLIE FRAI

Protests, bans, inequality and violence. Those are a few of the things that we as citizens of America and the world have witnessed since the year began. Protests in airports and in the streets of the world’s most popular cities. Multiple shootings where innocent people have died for being at the wrong place at the wrong time and an exponentially-growing divide between the nation’s political parties.

In the midst of this chaotic environment, one of the most opulent and lavish events took place: Haute Couture Fashion Week. Haute couture is synonymous with high-end fashion. The clothes are custom-made using only high quality fabric and with extreme attention to detail. Haute Couture Fashion Week has been a part of the fashion industry since the mid-nineteenth century.

This year, the shows took place in Paris just a week after the Women’s March, where thousands upon thousands of men, women and children marched through the streets in cities around the world to protest President Trump. Thus, to have something so glamorous and over-the-top right after a worldwide protest seemed inappropriate and unnecessary to some.

However, the beautiful fabrics and glittering silhouettes was how the fashion industry took part in the protest. The designers created clothing that gave the audience a feeling of optimism and hope for the future of our world.

Elie Saab, debuted a collection of golden, beaded dresses and silky skirts that the designer, Saab, said was inspired by the turn of the 20^th century in Egypt.

During that time the people in Egypt were able to freely express themselves in a progressive and cultural hub. Saab used that idea to embroider his dresses with pictures of city skylines and boats sailing along the Nile River.

The dreamlike dresses gave the audience a sense of wonder. The collection served as a reminder that while the present is chaotic, there is always something to look forward to on the horizon.

Valentino, showcased a collection that depicted a pure and classic aesthetic that is reminiscent of Grecian goddesses and architecture. The smooth lines and flowing cloaks reminded me of the popular saying “less is more.”

The simplicity of the collection was a direct contrast to the complexity of our reality. It served as a much needed simple distraction to the disarray that is so apparent in our daily lives.

The Vetements show was a praise to one’s unique and individualistic attitude, something that seems to be at risk in this political climate. The inspiring collection was modeled by people of different ethnicities, races and ages.

They walked down the runway wearing eccentric ensembles including all leather outfits, long fur coats and silk dresses over hoodies.

Imprinted on some of the outerwear were saying like “Not Your Resident,” which mirrored the popular saying against President Trump, “Not My President.”

While these are just three examples of the way designers used the uneasy political mood as a major theme in their haute couture collections, many other fashion houses did the same like Maison Margiela, Jean Paul Gaultier and Chanel.

The designers took advantage of their stature, the large audiences and publicity of the week to make a statement. That statement being: there is a light at the end of the dark tunnel.

LGBTQ groups on TV is at record high

Posted on November 18, 2016 by Nyah Tennell

By NYAH TENNELL

A recent study conducted by GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, entitled “Where We are on TV,” found that LGBTQ representation on television is at a record-high.

With rising awareness of the under-representation of these groups in the media and on television, a multitude of large news media organizations reported on the study’s findings.

However, a majority of the news media sources that reported on these findings failed to mention the under-representation of other groups. For example, the GLAAD study found that people of color and women are extremely underrepresented on television, especially when compared to the percentage of the population these two groups account for.

While this year’s report marks a record-high percentage of black series regulars on broadcast (20 percent), black women remain underrepresented at only 38 percent of all black series regular characters.

The study also found that, this year, 44 percent of regular characters on prime-time broadcast programming are women, which is an increase of one percentage point from last year but still greatly under-represents women who make up 51 percent of the population.

I realize that race, and sometimes gender, are sensitive subjects, and that the under-representation of people of color in many facets of our society has been a topic of discussion for long enough, which may explain why media outlets such as BBC decided to focus on more positive aspects of the GLAAD annual report.

However, without attention to these issues from large media conglomerates, how is the under-representation of these groups expected to improve?

While still failing to include the GLAAD findings on the under-representation of people of color and women, CNN’s report on the GLAAD study did note that, although GLAAD found “there are more LGBTQ characters on broadcast then ever before,” 25 queer female characters across all platforms (broadcast, cable and streaming) have died since the start of 2016.

“Most of these deaths served no other purpose than to further the narrative of a more central (and often straight, cisgender) character,” Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD president and CEO said in a press release.

“When there are so few lesbian and bisexual women on television, the decision to kill these characters in droves sends a toxic message about the worth of queer female stories,” Ellis would add.

Of the three sources listed, The Guardian was the only one that mentioned the scarcity of women of color on television, noting that “Black women have an especially difficult time breaking into the industry as they make up only 38% of all black series characters. Despite the overall increase, LGBTQ characters remain overwhelmingly white. The report found this was particularly true on cable and streaming services, where regular and recurring LGBTQ characters were 72% and 71% white respectively.”

Although The Guardian gives readers an extremely well-rounded report on the GLAAD study, the reporting done by other media outlets begs the question: Which parts of the study are important to the news media and, more importantly, why?

Florida Amendment 1 fails, 2 passes

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Alex Goldman

By ALEX GOLDMAN

The two prominent amendments on the Florida ballot were Amendment 1, which created an industry monopoly on solar power, and Amendment 2, which legalized medicinal marijuana.

Amendment 1, the Trojan horse of a pro-solar amendment, failed to receive a super-majority, or 60 percent, of votes.

Amendment 2 passed with 71.3 percent approval.

As was the case in past elections, The New York Times had a page detailing the results for each amendment, one for Amendment 1 and another for Amendment 2. Each page had results broken down by county.

Interestingly, every Florida county voted favorably to pass Amendment 2 and legalize medicinal marijuana. For a state that has been so backwards on marijuana categorization, that was a surprise.

As for Amendment 1, a decent majority supported the “yes” vote. Even so, the amendment was still 10 percentage points in the red.

The Miami Herald ran a piece that looked into the efforts that were put forth to defeat Amendment 1. In the article, Mary Ellen Klas quoted Tory Perfetti, chairman of Floridians for Solar Choice, an opposition group.

“We defeated one of the most egregious and underhanded attempts at voter manipulation in this state’s history,” Perfetti said, referencing the misleading nature of the amendment.

Amendment 1 cloaks itself as being pro-solar by protecting individuals’ rights to solar energy, but would effectively eliminate the market for solar energy in Florida by creating an investor-owned utilities monopoly on the energy source.

The Herald also had an article about the passing of Amendment 2. According to the story, Florida became the 26th state to legalize marijuana either recreationally or for medicinal purposes.

According to writer Michael Auslen, questions remain about how the medical marijuana amendment will be implemented.

“The Florida Department of Health has until July 2017 to pass regulations under the new amendment,” Auslen writes, and “by October, the state must start registering growers, dispensaries and other facilities and start issuing identification cards for patients approved to use marijuana.”

I’m interested in how Florida will transition to a medical marijuana state.

Will recreational legalization come next?