THE
Lewiston High School, 1114 9th AVE., Lewiston, ID, 83501
Bengal’s Purr
Since 1927
Idaho SAT scores drop, page 6
Vol.92 N0. 2
Hauntings of Lewiston High, page 7
Photo courtesy of Scout Larson Foliage art by Kylee Johnson, Harleigh Haddow and Cara Jeppsen
Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019
Hot Shots Cafe falls short, page 15
Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019
Opinion 3
Racism resurfaces at LHS following band incident
By Josie Hafer Opinion Editor Following recent events at a Lewiston High School football game, many concerned parents are asking for the implementation of a anti-discrimination policy here at LHS.
According to the Lewiston Tribune, multiple students in LHS marching band uniforms were seen giving the Nazi salute before chasing a minority classmate while yelling racial slurs. This is far from the first racially charged incident that has occurred while students were at LHS or representing the school. At a Lewiston School Board meeting Monday, Oct. 14, many parents spoke out about racially-charged incidents that they or their children have experienced in and outside of school. Just last April, multiple LHS students were involved in a racially-charged incident in which a Hispanic student’s car was tied to another student’s truck. As The Bengal’s Purr reported in June, the owner of
the truck had posted on social media the night before, “Unpopular opinion but: people that are from Mexico and come in to America illegally or at all really piss me off. ” Administrators handled the incident last spring, but it affected the student body nonetheless. According to the Tribune, Lewiston School Board President Brad Rice expressed his apologies at the Oct. 14 school board meeting, saying, “If there are things we can do to make the environment better, whether it’s policy things, diversity training, or what have you, I think our board would have an interest in looking into that.” Superintendent Bob Donaldson has noted that
the reporting of this issue aligns with the district’s bullying policy. But according to the Tribune, Donaldson was unable to specifically comment on the existence of a diversity policy within the Lewiston School District. According to the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, racially diverse classrooms go hand in hand with academic accomplishment: “Studies suggest it also leads to less racial prejudice and better life outcomes down the line.” Further studies showed that diversity in a classroom leads to many benefits for all ethnicities. Sixth-graders were were assessed in three specific emotional domains: Feeling safe at school, social exclusion and loneliness.
Results showed that students in more diverse classrooms scored the highest in these measures. These results proved that in a racially balanced classroom, students feel safer, less bullied and less lonely. It must be acknowledged that Lewiston is a predominantly white city and racially balanced classrooms may be difficult to achieve. However, the lack of diversity should not discount the possibility of a discrimimation policy at Lewiston High School. In fact, it may be counted as further evidence for the need of one. Minority students here have admitted to feeling unsafe at times, and a discrimination policy could be an extra assurance to ease such anxieties.
Pay to Play receives mixed reactions upon passing
By Isaiah Schmidt Sports Editor As the month of September ended, the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, signed a revolutionary bill. The Fair Pay to Play Act (FPTPA) is a bill that will forever change the world of college sports. Although college level athletics may not seem like a particularly touchy political subject, this bill involves money. Hence, controversy. So what exactly does this bill do? Well, it’s fairly straightforward in concept. The FPTPA allows college athletes to make money off of their image,
just like professional players, through means of sponsorships and endorsements. Despite the fact that college players are still strictly forbidden to receive salaries for their playing by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), this is bill is big. Locally, this doesn’t affect Vandals fans and Cougs fans. California passed the bill, not the federal government. So if someone buys all the college gear they want, so long as it doesn’t pertain to a Californian player, that money will still go to the NCAA. On top of that, the bill only will come into effect in 2023. However, for those college hopefuls in California, this still complicates things. The NCAA has threatened to ban Californian universities from participating in NCAA championships if the bill is passed, as NPR reports. So, most universities aren’t exactly fans of FPTPA. Currently, the NCAA is profiting off the names of players, as well as the universities that they play for, and they manage the deals involving the players’ sponsor-
“While millions are spent on coaches, staff, stadiums and more, players don’t see a dime of that money.”
ships. Still, Larry Scott, the Pac-12 Commissioner, criticized the bill. (The Pac-12 is a conference of college sports teams in the west, including California.) According to the Los Angeles Times, he stated that the bill would only benefit male players. He also argued that this would take away funding from other sources, since colleges would lose a lot of money from this bill. Despite this, many former college athletes have praised the bill including Bill Walton, who played for the University of California, Los Angeles, and Lebron James, who skipped college altogether for the NBA. One pro athlete who not on the list of supporters is Tim Tebow. Forbes magazine reports his argument is that college football is the last chance to
play for a team, not the money. As altruistic as it sounds, there may be warrant to the argument. However, for the vast majority of players at the college level, from football to basketball to soccer, college will be the only time to play, much less make money off of sponsorships and endorsements. It’s tempting to consider this conflict as only that of the athletes and a greedy corporate scheme, without any other story. The thing is, it’s not so cut and dried. There are logistics that complicate things. California might attract all the players who are good enough to get paid. There are other valid arguments against the bill, such as the fact that college players already get paid in that of a free education. In some cases students save more than $100,000 to play for the col-
lege. But in the end, the profits that come from the players doing their jobs don’t go directly to them. While millions on top of millions are spent on coaches, staff, stadiums and more, the players don’t see a dime of that money. Despite this, the universities make millions in sponsorships, forcing the student athletes to give up control of that aspect of their college career in sports. Though the FPTPA may not be perfect, it might be a step in the right direction.
What do you think? Let us know with an email to bengalspurr@ lewistonschools.net. (Letters to the editor must be 250 words or under. Any over this limit are subject to editing.)
4 Opinion
THE BENGAL’S PURR Detrimental effects of cell phones apparent in youth
By Lexi Lane Reporter Cell phones are part of almost everybody‘s daily life. But should they be? The average person uses their smartphone for over 4 hours per day, experts report. By using their phones like this every day, people have a tendency to forget the more important things that they that could accomplish in life. These days, it seems like people would
rather share stories on Snapchat more than share quality time with their loved ones. Everyone has the ability to get bored, and constantly being on a cell phone reduces the likelihood of boredom. When a person feels bored, the mind activates something called default mode, which is where people do most of their creative thinking, best problem solving and “autobiographical planning,” according to Manoush Zomordori, the host of the podcast Note to Self. In default mode a person is able to analyze themselves and their position in life. It allows the brain to look back on life, taking mental notes, creating a personal narrative, and setting personal goals. Through the Note to Self podcast, Zomordori conceived a test, called Bored and Brilliant to see how many people could stay off of their phones for a
“ ‘I tried keeping my phone out of my hand all day but I could hardly do it. It’s like I have an itching feeling to grab it.’ ”
whole day. Amanda, a participant in the test, stated, “I tried keeping my phone out of my hand all day but I could hardly do it. It’s like I have an itching feeling to grab it.” Another participant said the relationship he has with his phone feels like the relationship a baby has with a favorite toy. This highlights another problem, when an adult describes his phone as a toy, not a resource. The human brain has a limited supply of oxygenated glucose. When a person constantly shifting attention from one thing to another, the brain uses up this supply. As Zomordori put it, “A decade ago we would shift our brains every three minutes. Now it’s every 45 seconds and it’s all day long!” Many researchers have learned that multitasking can reduce productivity by
as much as 40%, which leaves only a 60% chance of performing well at both tasks. Some would still argue that cell phones help people stay connected, and they can help people improve their processes for learning and working processes. However, being on a smart phone all of the time affects a person in many ways, some of which people don‘t even notice. Sherrie Carter, Psy.P., writes, “Being by yourself with no distractions gives you a chance to clear your mind, focus, and think clearly. It is an opportunity to revitalize your mind and body at the same time.” Being alone can increas the strength of a person’s mental health,
initially. Kevin Roose, another participant, explains that after being on his phone for far too long his mental health actually decreases, along with his passion for learning. If people would focus more on the wider variety of things available to them in life, such as nature and the power to learn, it is likely that the percentage of people who have depression and anxiety would decrease immensely. Cell phones should not be over-used as much as they are today. When was the last time you truly took time to focus on your mind instead of sending a streak?
Student safety benefits from later school start time
By Braitton Beckstead Reporter Awake and ready, bright and early -- that is the life for students all over the country. But, according to many studies, being awake and ready by 7:30 a.m. for a teen is the equivalent to an adult being awake and alert by 5:30 a.m. Only 12% of the adult population is awake by that time, but every day high school and middle school students are re-
quired to be ready for school by 7:30 a.m. By doing this we are going against own own biology. As many as 80% of American schools start before 8:30 a.m., but they need to move the start time to at least 9 a.m. According to cdc.gov, the surgeon general issued a statement saying that they should start at 8:30 a.m., but this would still not be enough. With changes to circadian rhythms, reports sleepfoundation.org, many teens naturally sleep as late as 11 a.m. So 9 a.m. would be a happy medium. There are a multitude of benefits waiting for students once they get enough sleep. Teens are especially sensitive to these benefits, as well as to the negatives of missing out on sleep. Many of these effects are psychological. It has been shown that students who get the right amount of sleep are more alert and ready to learn
at school. They also have improved memory, attention and cognitive-processing ability, according to startschoollater.net. One study in Seattle showed that students who slept an average of 34 more minutes scored 4-5% higher on tests. This oftentimes could be the difference of a letter grade -- which could mean going from failing to passing -- just because of sleep. All these impacts may even double for disadvantaged students. But letting a student sleep for just 30 more minutes each day could increase their total life earnings up to $50,000, reports time.com. That is equal to more than a year of work for a lot of people. Students who get the right amount of sleep also see many physical benefits. People who are sleep-deprived are 30% more likely to be obese. De-
“If all schools started later, it’s estimated that teens would experience 16.5% fewer fatal car accidents.” pression also shows up 10 times more in people who don’t sleep enough, and anxiety appears 17 times more often, according to sleepfoundation.org. Stress goes along with all of these conditions, and sleep deprivation is a major contributor to stress. At the same time, car accidents are the No. 1 cause of death for young people in the U.S., and drowsy driving is part of more than 25% of those accidents. If all schools started later, schoolsstartlater.net estimates that teens would experience 16.5% fewer fatal car accidents. One such instance ruined a Missouri teen for life. Rusty Burris was a high school se-
nior when he stayed awake for 36 hours straight. During his 30-minute drive home he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed, according to KRCGTV. com. This paralyzed him from the legs down. Much of his sleep-deprivation was due to school schedule and demand. Some of the worst things that can happen to a person are financial trouble, depression, anxiety and death. All of these problems already impact teens too much, and school does not need to make things worse. Changing the start time for school would eliminate or improve all of these situations.
News
Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019
5
New high school on track for fall 2020 opening By Abby Bower News Editor
Lewiston citizens approved the bond to build a new high school in March 2017. Since that day, construction workers, along with school district and city officials, have been hard at work designing and building this new school so that it can educate students for years to come. Those officials, along with students and everyday citizens, have also input many requests as to what they would like to see in the new school. One of the biggest concerns about the current high school is security. LHS currently has over five entrances to the main building, and this has many members of the community worried about how easily a threat to students and staff could enter the building. Dr. Robert Donaldson, district superintendent, made sure to take this into account as the new high school was being designed. “There are only two entrances to the main building,” Donaldson said about the new school, “one right off the student parking lot and one that faces the career technical building.” In addition to that, all of the doors in the main building are egress doors, which according to secura. net are doors that allow for easy evacuation in case of an emergency. They are also magnetic, meaning they can be locked down in seconds with the push of a button. In order to maximize campus safety, 90 cameras will be placed around campus to document campus behavior. Sports and student athletes were another one of the main focuses when designing the new school. There are new facilities located on campus for almost every sport; this includes a softball quad, tennis courts, a baseball field, four
Dr. Donaldson, Lewiston School District Superintendent, leads tour around the construction site for the new highschool. Photo by Abby Bower.
practice basketball courts, a performance basketball court, three soccer fields, a practice football field and a performance football field that is surrounded by a track. Two of the four practice basketball courts are located on the first level of the twofloor gymnasium, and the performance court is also located on this floor. However the courts can’t be used at the same time. The other two courts are located on the second floor, and when they aren’t in use bleachers can be pulled out in order to see the performance court below through a viewing space. When necessary the gym can seat up to 2,000 people with seating on the upper and lower levels. In addition to these state-of-the-art facilities, competing athletes will have separate locker rooms from students. At the current school students, student athletes, and athletes from competing schools have to share the same locker rooms. The new school has two locker rooms for girls
and two for boys, which will be split among P.E. students and athletes on a daily basis. They will be shared among LHS athletes and visiting athletes when necessary. The new high school also has many improvements for all students and teachers. Classrooms are bigger than those at the current school, according to Donaldson, and the standard classroom will be around 900 square feet. Science classrooms will be around 1,200 square feet in order to allow for a lab in each science classroom. These classrooms are approximately 300-600 square feet bigger than the smallest classrooms at LHS (which are about 600 square feet). The new school was also designed with expansion in mind, and the campus has room for 16 classrooms to be added to the building when needed. The cafeteria, gym and auditorium can all hold more people than is currently necessary. Donaldson and the design crew wanted to make sure that the new school was not only functional, but also
nice to look at. This idea was implemented in many ways, one being the color of the school. Most walls are painted a purple-grey color, but each classroom has an accent wall that is painted either gold or a deeper shade of purple. Another visual aspect that was implemented is natural light. Each classroom has at least two windows, one on an outside wall that lets natural light into the classrooms, and one on the opposite wall to let that same light into the hallways. The music department will also get some much needed improvements. The new band and choir rooms will each have two practice rooms and an office. The band room will also have an additional two rooms, one for storing uniforms and one for storing instruments. The new high school will have a state-of-the-art auditorium for the performing arts programs at LHS. Unlike the current auditorium, the one at the new school does not have a balcony, but still seats around the same number
of students that the current one does. This new auditorium also includes a catwalk around the entire room, and a pit where the orchestra can be seated during musical theater productions. Located right down the hall from the auditorium are two dressing rooms for student actors, a green room, and a storage room for costumes and sets. Earlier this year P1FCU made a generous donation, according to lewistonschools. net, this donation went entirely to this auditorium in exchange for naming rights. As changes occur for LHS students, everyone else in the district will experience them as well. Every elementary school in the district will start to house grades K through 5 instead of grades K through 6. The 6th-graders will attend one of the two current junior highs, which will be referred to as middle schools. And starting in the fall of 2020, 9th-graders will attend the new high school.
6
THE BENGAL’S PURR
News
Marching band participates in annual competition By Elsa Munster Features Assistant The LHS marching band competed at Martin Stadium in Pullman Oct. 26, with 58.6 for the group’s final results. The show’s theme was based on the 1970s, with a peace and hippie vibe. The props included peace signs, disco outfits, tie-dye, flowers and bright, vibrant colors. The theme piece for the performance was called “Chase,” which was a funk-jazz show. The 1970s band named Chase inspired the show with three movements: “Open Up Wide,” “Handbag and
Gladrags” and “Get It On.” The marching band put a lot of time into getting prepared for the competition. Brendan Burns, the band instructor, stated that the band spent two months preparing for the competition, including rehearsal times, a week-long band camp, and five to 10 hours a week in class this fall. The band’s goal is to improve every year, both in the score and in confidence, Burns said. “[We want] more people confident in their music, more people confident in their drill marching, so that we have a more confident overall perfor-
mance,” said Burns. The 2019-2020 marching band is the largest one thus far compared to previous years, making its sound louder, Burns said. The group has also worked on getting more organized and perfecting its movements in sync with the music. “It will be visually and auditorily more appealing to the audience and more exciting for the judges, which results in higher scores,” said Burns.
according to argusobserver. com. The board estimates each student who meets these benchmarks will have a 75% chance of attaining a C average or better in their first semester of college. But Idaho students are struggling to improve scores and majority of students are failing to meet these criteria. According to Idednews.org: • 58% of 2019 graduates met the readiness benchmark in reading and writing. • 34% of students met the math benchmark. • Only 32% of students met the benchmark in both portions, down 1% from 2018. • 40% of students didn’t meet either benchmark in
reading and writing and math. Normally, high schoolers take the SAT for the first time in the spring of their junior year. The students take the test for free at the cost of taxpayers and, according to KOZE.com, they invest about $1 million each
Adviser’s note: Kim Neri, news assistant, contributed to research for this story.
Marching band participants compete in annual competition for the 2019-2020 year. Photo courtesy of Melinda Pals.
SAT scores in Idaho get lower and lower each year
By Wendy Guo Features Assistant Idaho’s SAT scores are on a decline, according to data released by the College Board on Sept. 24.The scores for Idaho’s class of 2019 met a lower average than the previous year, decreasing by eight points and scoring an average composite of 993 out of 1600 points. This marks the second year of scores decreasing. The College Board, based in New York City, provides a benchmark for students who are considering college. If they meet the benchmarks in both the math (540) and language (480) portions, they are considered college and career ready,
Graph shows the decline rate of SAT scores in Idaho over the past four years. Image courtesy of Idednews.org.
year. “I feel that it’s extremely important to take [the SATs] seriously because you can save a lot of money and time, especially in college,” said Kaylin Roby, the college and career counselor.
Idaho is one of the few states that reports more than 95 percent of its students participate in the SATs. Compared to other states with high engagement rates, Idaho ranks ninth out of 10 states, with Delaware at the bottom.
Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019
Feature
7
LHS buildings spook staff New Ping-Pong club emerges at LHS By Wendy Guo Features Assistant
Lewiston High School looms over its students as Halloween approaches. Photo by Lexi Lane.
By Kimberly Neri Features Assistant The doors of the LHS main building first opened 92 years ago. And some say that due to its age, the buildings here are haunted. Some students say they’ve heard voices reverberating in the halls when the school is almost empty. Along with that, the staff have encountered various animals roaming LHS. Dave Cornelia, a math teacher whose room is in Booth Hall, is plagued by what he calls “the ghost of Booth Hall.” He, along with his students, have seen the door to his classroom open and close without interference from anyone. “The question is: If the ghost opens the door, do you leave it open or do you close it?” Cornelia asked. “No one knows whether or not the ghost is going out, or if you’re closing the door with it in the room.” Another story involved a snake and Patrick Shannon, a former LHS teacher and Bengal’s Purr adviser. According to Sonya Currin of the LHS
maintenance team, a student kept a snake in a computer desk in Shannon’s classroom without his knowledge. “[Shannon] didn’t know for about four or five months that there was a snake in his room,” Currin said. Shannon only found out about it when the maintenance staff came in to ask the student if he was taking the snake home for Christmas break. She also shared a story about Jeff Karlin’s snakes escaping from the science building a couple of years ago. The last snake wasn’t found for about a month. Currin has worked at LHS since 1995, and she said that the scariest experiences she’s had in the school involve the weird animals she has encountered. Staff have seen bats flying around the ala carte kitchen of the main building. “I had to ask Mr. Karlin to come get it because one of the bats was lying on the floor and was still alive,” Currin said. Bats have also been spotted in the hallways and one even got into Davey Steele’s classroom on the third floor of the
main building. “I guess he’s scared to death of bats,” Currin said about Steele. “After that, he opens his door very slowly to look out for them.” At one time pigeons roosted in the ceiling of the auditorium’s sound booth, entering through a vent. “It kept dropping little things down on the sound board,” said Currin. As for supernatural experiences in the buildings, Currin said that she has heard sounds echoing in the hallways. “You hear things, but you really don’t know if it’s [supernatural] or it’s just the building being old,” said Currin. “[The building] makes different sounds in the walls.” The LHS main building was built in 1927 by Curtis Richardson, and Booth Hall opened in 1963. Throughout the years, staff and students alike have reported various unusual experiences in the school. “After you’ve worked here for so long you just get used to [it],” Currin said. “You feel like there’s something, but it is an older building and people are easily spooked, especially at night.”
A newly formed LHS club, The Ping-Pong Players of America (PPPA), has recently popped up at Fenton Gym next to Vollmer Bowl. Duke McFarland and Noah “Jimmy” Williams, both juniors, are co-founders of PPPA. McFarland is the president, and Williams is the vice president and treasurer. After talking to James Silvestri, the AP Language and Mock Trial teacher, the friends were inspired to make their own club. Silvestri had his own club in high school called, “The Gang.” In addition to their love of tennis, with both playing on the varsity team, the friends wanted to share the joys of PingPong with the rest of the school. “I love the social aspect of Ping-Pong Club with meeting and talking to new people I’ve never met before,” said Wilson Sheppard, a club member. The club meets every Wednesday from 2:30-4 p.m. Due to it being so new, there are no competitions scheduled, so nobody has to commit. The current goal of the club is to keep recruiting members and create a fun atmosphere where people can enjoy themselves, McFarland said. “We hope to have more and more people show up and eventually start having tournaments,” Williams said. “Hopefully, we’ll have a cool plaque with the names of the winners.”
The Ping-Pong team plays at Fenton Gym. Photo by Isaiah Schmidt.
8
Sports
THE BENGAL’S PURR
Powderpuff raises money for Safe and Sober party
The Powderpuff cheerleaders hype each other up before their halftime performance. Photo by Josie Hafer.
Dalton Hart, Challis Adams and Devon Molina show off their muscles. Photo courtesy of Dalton Hart’s Instagram.
Julia Williams chats with a team mate while standing on the sidelines. Photo by Josie Hafer.
Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019
Fall athletes finish up seasons By Isaiah Schmidt Sports Editor The fall season is coming to an end, and so are the sports that accompany it. Though not all seasons are quite finished, here’s how the Bengal varsity teams are doing so far:
Football
The varsity Bengals football team just finished the 2019 season with a 3-5 record. What stood out the most about the team this season, according to coach Mike Jones, was that the players were especially young for a high school team. This year’s team has an unusually large number of juniors, which will be helpful for coaches next year.
Volleyball
The Lewiston Bengal’s Volleyball team currently has an overall record of 6-6. Further information was not available at press time.
Girls Soccer
The varsity girls Bengal soccer team finished the year with an overall record of 4-13. The coach, Richard Gayler, mentioned that the team started with an impressive record of 4-1, but were unable to carry that winning streak on to the end of the season. A season highlight was winning the Border Battle Trophy with a win against Clarkston High School.
Boys Soccer
The boys varsity soccer team ranked fourth in the conference. Further information was not available at press time.
people improved over the season and a lot of people broke records from last year,” said Haden Keener, a junior on the varsity team.
Sports 9 Man on the Street:
“What was the most memorable moment from your senior season?”
Cross Country
Bengals cross country runners have been on a roll this season. The boys team won first as district champs, with Caden Byrer placing first overall, and with four Bengals placing in the top eight spots. This weekend the boys team will compete at the state level in Pocatello. The girls cross country team placed fourth in the district, with Athene Leonard leading the Lady Bengals, placing 19th.
Caden Byrer, cross-country: “Definitely the team. It’s always been a close team on cross country.”
Mitchell Reese, swim: “The swim meets when everybody’s at the end of the pool cheering each other on.”
Lindsey Flowers, soccer: “The bus rides, because we pretty much get to sing our hearts out. “
Carver Behrens, football: “Beating Clarkston.”
Swim
The Bengal swim team sent 23 members to regionals last Wednesday. Despite losing dominant players from last year’s team, the Bengal’s varsity swim team has managed to compete well during the 2019 season. “I do feel like a lot of
Paige Boudreaux (left) and Sara George share a laugh on the sidelines of the 2019 Powerpuff game. The Powderpuff game is a fundraiser benefitting the Lewiston High School Safe and Sober committee.
Find more details on Bengal sports at: lewistonschools.net/lhs > Athletics > Fall Sports 2019
10
Happy Halloween! Local theater’s haunting history
Anne Bollinger now rests in Lewiston’s Normal Hill Cemetery. Photo by Josie Hafer.
By Josie Hafer Editor-in-Chief Like any small town, Lewiston has a fair share of hauntings and ghost stories. Plenty of Lewiston’s historic buildings are over 100 years old and share their pasts with numerous spirits. The Anne Bollinger Performing Arts Center, also known as the former home of the Lewiston Civic Theatre, is a 112-year-old sandstone building that was originally constructed for the Lewiston Methodist Church. The building is named after the worldfamous opera singer and Lewiston native, Anne Bollinger. Shortly after construction, the Civic Theatre shared the space with the congregation, and the building’s reputation as a performing arts center only grew. The Lewiston Civic Theatre purchased the building from the Methodist Church in 1972. However, the Anne
Bollinger building has an eerie past. A serial killer roamed in and around the valley in the 1980s, and during that time three valley residents went missing from the Bollinger building. Stepsisters Kristina Nelson, 21, and Jacqueline Miller, 18, as well as Steven Pearsall, 35, all vanished the night of Sept. 14, 1982. Pearsall was a janitor at the Bollinger building and had gone to the building to do some laundry and practice his clarinet on the night he went missing. Nelson and Miller lived mere blocks from the Bollinger building and walked past it on their way to buy groceries on that same night. It is believed that they stopped at the Bollinger building to visit Pearsall, of whom both girls were close with. The bodies of Nelson and Miller were found in Kendrick, Idaho, nearly two years later. Pearsall was never found. Since the building is over 100 years old, there
are said to be numerous spirits that roam the premises. The ghosts of Kristina Nelson and Jacqueline Miller are said to be seen running up and down the stairs of the building. Spirits from the Methodist Church are also spotted in the Bollinger building. In 1972, the year that the Lewiston Civic Theatre purchased the building from the Methodist Church, a man was seen walking through the theater seats where the church aisle used to be. A spectral bride has also been spotted in the building after she was left at the altar. Even Anne Bollinger herself was spotted in the wings of the stage when the theater building was still functional. Lewiston has an undeniably dark past. Spirits seem to linger in the imagination of city›s residents as well as in its historic buildings. Is it all folklore, or are there others among us?
Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019
11
The Addams Family remains classic
Happy Halloween! Traditions date back 2000 years
By Ellie Hafer Entertainment Editor
By Elsa Munster Features Assistant
Almost 28 years after the original film, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released the latest remake of The Addams Family on Oct. 11. In a new spin of events, an animated movie has joined the previous live-action versions. The animated film features a great cast, with voice actors such as Charlize Theron, Oscar Isaac, Chloe Grace Mortez and Finn Wolfhard. With the 1991 version of The Addams Family still playing in TV reruns, it only feels right to compare the iconic characters. Morticia Addams: Here, Anjelica Huston’s 1991 interpretation takes the cake. She’s a true example of why the original should never be messed with. Huston plays a beautiful Morticia with a certain air of dark confidence that is untouchable. This isn’t to say that Theron doesn’t do a good job, but Huston is timeless. Gomez Addams: Again, the original movie retains the title for the best. Raul Julia is a brilliant example of the perfect husband. He is endlessly patient and completely devoted to his wife and family. Now, had the animated version shown a live-action Gomez, there might have been more competition. Isaac is the spitting image of a young Julia. Pugsley Addams: In the original, Pugsley is barely considered a character. He has no character arc and doesn’t really make any impact in the film. But in the new movie, Pugsley is a strong part of the plot. For this character, Wolfhard’s newer version is the best, perhaps in spite of the animation style. Wednesday Addams: She might be the fan favorite of all the Addams. Christina Ricci’s version has been a popular costume since the 1991 movie debuted. And there is a reason her version is consistently favored. Ricci is known for playing dark characters, particularly in gloomy historical films and Tim Burton classics. While Mortez does a fine job as Wednesday, she just doesn’t reach the bar that Ricci set. When both movies are compared side by side, the live-action Addams Family (1991) film stands the test of time. Either way, they’re both creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky.
On Oct. 31 each year, people from all over come together to celebrate everything scary, from death to gore, or anything considered supernatural. Today there are some very distinct traditions for celebrating Halloween, each of which has its own place of origin. Halloween started around 2,000 years ago, when a feast called Samhain was celebrated by the Celts in Ireland, Britain, Scotland, and Wales, according to bu.edu. Samhain took place Oct. 31, the night before their new year that took place on Nov. 1. Since the cold was associated with darkness and death, they believed that ghosts and spirits would come out to haunt. To make peace with the spirits, according to history.com, the Celts would give them treats and wear costumes that were usually made of animal heads and skins. The Celtic priests (Druids) believed they could predict the future due to the roaming spirits; they would build bonfires and the others would burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the spirit world. During 43 A.D., the Roman Empire conquered the majority of the Celtic territory.
Posters from both the 1991 and 2019 The Addams Family movies display the iconic family with similar taglines for each. Images courtesy of IMDb.com.
The Romans then incorporated elements from their culture, such as celebrating Panomia and Feralia. According to bu.edu, Panomia was the goddess of fruit and trees, which is where the tradition of bobbing for apples came from. Feralia was celebrated in late October, and the day commemorated the passing of the dead, according to history.com. During the 19th century, according to goodhousekeeping.com, the Irish immigrated to America due to the potato famine, according to. Since Halloween was most celebrated by the Irish, they brought the tradition overseas. Jacko-lanterns were brought over, and Americans started dressing up in costumes to go from house to house to ask for food and money; which would later turn into trickor-treating. At the start, Halloween was most popular in Maryland and the southern colonies due to rigid protestant beliefs. Later in the 1800s, Halloween became less about ghosts, pranks, and witchcraft and more about neighborly parties. By the 1950s, trickor-treating became a life-changing tradition for Americans, and today over 179 million American celebrate the holiday and spend about $9.1 billion per year, according
A carved turnip for Halloween. Photo courtesy of irishcentral. com.
to goodhousekeeping. com. As this traditional holiday came to the states, different versions made their way around to other places in the world. China has a festival called Teng Chieh, where people place food in front of pictures of family members who have passed with bonfires and lanterns. England carved designs out of beetroots and called them “punkies.” The children would carry the punkies and sing songs as they ask for money from neighbors. In the Philippines, their version of Halloween is called Pangangaluluwa, and the children would go from door to door in costumes to sing and ask for prayers for those who they believed that got stuck in purgatory. Nigeria has a festival called Awuru Odo that celebrates the return of departed friends and family by feasting and wearing masks, and it can last up to six months but only occurs every two years.
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Steel Magnolias tells story of fortune and tragedy
By Taysia Mendenhall Features Assistant
The Lewiston High School theatre program presented Steel Magnolias as one of two non-musical plays this fall, delivering a heart-warming show with relieving humor. Steel Magnolias is a 1980s drama about a group of southern women consisting of a young diabetic, her mother and their friends, who all spend time together in a beauty salon. Together, they face good fortune and tragedy over time, all while maintaining beautiful hair and flawless nails. These events lead to stronger bonds of friendship and family. Directed by Mel Syverson, LHS drama adviser, and assis-
tant directed by Jazmyne Hartogh, an LHS senior, the show ensures both humor and tragedy in a short amount of time. Shelby, the young diabetic, was played by Trinity Weigand, junior, who brings a fun-loving and care-free character to the stage. Her mother, M’Lynn, played by Ani Galeano, senior, perfectly portrayed her caring and kindness, bringing tears to many members of the audience. Ellie Hafer, senior, played the stylist, Truvy, giving a spectacular performance with sass and confidence. The production had issues with timing of sounds and set changes. But overall, the execution of the show was impressive and the actors brought warmth and laughter
The Odd Couple delivers mediocre performance By Taysia Mendenhall Features Assistant
Melissa Syverson and the drama club presented The Odd Couple as one of their two non-musical plays this October. The show ran Oct. 10, 12, 16, 18, 19, and 20 in the LHS auditorium. The Odd Couple is a dramatic comedy from the late 1960s about a fussy man, named Felix, who becomes suicidal over his divorce and later finds himself moving in with his messy best friend, Oscar. While Felix sulks in sadness, Oscar attempts to cheer him up with a double date, but their clashing personalities lead to a test of their friendship. With many comedic lines and the perfect use of props, the show promised laughs and entertainment. As Oscar, Noah Kowatsch, senior, displayed a fun-loving and easily-annoyed character exceptionally well. Kooper Baldwin, senior, played Felix as a perfect compulsive, neat, and dramatic man. Baldwin also worked on the production as assistant director. Overall, the show had witty dialogue and the directors made good use of real food as props. The set was creative and was displayed nicely on the stage. However, set changes were lengthy and the actors lacked in fully presenting the dynamics of their characters. Given the set change times and the acting, the show deserves a 6/10.
to the audience. Even when there were unexpected bumps in the road, such as untimely barking, the actors almost never broke character and maintained southern accents throughout the show. For the wonderful performances and smooth transitions, the actors and overall show deserve an 8/10.
The cast of Steel Magnolias shares a touching moment after a show. Photo courtesy of LHS Drama Club.
TikTok controls Top 100 charts
By Sophie Hunter Entertainment Assistant
Released globally in 2017, the popular app TikTok has skyrocketed to over 500 million active monthly users. The app, formerly known as the lip-syncing app Musical.ly, was rebranded into what it is now. The app has filled the niche that was previously taken up by Vine and Musical. ly with short videos of comedy and songs. Since its demographic is mostly kids in Generation Z, the trends of the app heavily influence many industries, primarily in music. Due to trends and challenges surrounding music, many songs gain new popularity from the massive amounts of free exposure that TikTok users provide. Hearing a 15-second clip from TikTok could lead to downloading a full song on a streaming platform, sharing it with friends, and listening to other music by that artist. Songs that would not normally hit the Top 100 are becoming globally known. One of the best examples of this is the song “Old Town Road” by rapper Lil Nas X. The song
was at first a trend. But it quickly blew up on many social media platforms, mainly TikTok. After going viral, the song became a meme, went through controversy, and then began to get radio play. Remixes of the song now feature artists such as Billy Ray Cyrus, Mason Ramsey, Young Thug, Diplo and BTS. Another notable song that took off with TikTok is Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts.” At its release, the song was a hidden gem. Thanks to TikTok’s #DNATest, where users created short clips to the opening line of this song, the hashtag has over 184.9 million views as of Octo-
ber 2019. With a never-ending cycle of new trends, new artists (especially rappers) are getting more exposure than ever before. Streaming services that were dominated by the same artists are flooded with a new wave. With this crowd-based music discovery, there is a sense of community that comes from discovering a small artist and watching them blow up into an international star. Artists are going mainstream fast, and the music industry is adapting to a new culture of music born out of virality.
Artists such as Lil Nas X have risen to fame due to the growing popularity of video sharing apps such as TikTok.
Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019
Entertainment 13
Joker succeeds despite surrounding controversy By Ellie Hafer Entertainment Editor On Oct. 4, Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment released the gritty origin story, Joker. The joker is the most famous DC villain, and the arch-nemesis of Batman. The movie follows a mentally-ill Gotham resident, Arthur Fleck, through a dark series of events that eventually create his alter-ego, the Joker. This is not DC’s first R-rated film, but it is the first to come to the main screen. Despite the controversy surrounding the film, it is succeeding massively at the box office. One of the aspects that gives this movie its disturbing factor is the implications of its time period. The story takes place in 1981, before the invention of social media and behind screen abuse that happens today. This means all the abuse Arthur Fleck receives from society is on an entirely personal basis. He is brutally beaten up multiple times and continuously harassed for his uncontrollable laughter, among other things. This film reveals that Fleck suffers from pseudobulbar affect, or PBA. This neurological condition causes uncontrol-
lable outbursts of laughter or tears in situations that are inappropriate for those reactions. The film uses this condition extremely wisely. For example, at the beginning of the movie, Fleck laughs when he is upset by how others treat him. By the end, his mental state has deteriorated so severely that he laughs because he genuinely finds suffering humorous. This smart detail plays beautifully into the film. The cast of the movie was extremley well chosen. Joaquin Phoenix, who plays Fleck, is a seasoned actor with more underground films. The film also ised actors such as Robert De Niro and Frances Conroy, who both played their characters beautifully. But this subject matter has brought a lot of controversy. Some viewers worry that the film would inspire sympathy for a domestic-terrorist type character like Fleck. In an age where shootings are unfortunately frequent, the fear of this film inciting more of them is understandable. For example, the Century Aurora theatre in Colorado chose not to show Joker this year after a mass shooting oc-
Arthur Fleck sports his new look as Joker, with dyed green hair, his face made up like a clown, and a colorful suit to match. Photo courtesy of IMDb.
curred there during a showing of The Dark Knight Rises in 2012. According to The Vulture, the shooter, James Holmes, referred to himself as the Joker to two federal officials. Some
Joaquin Phoenix, as Arthur Fleck, listens carefully to Joker director Todd Phillips. Photo courtesy of IMDb.
parents of his victims requested that Warner Bros. Studio donate to gun control organizations. The studio issued a statement saying, “Warner Bros. believes that one of the functions of storytelling is to provoke difficult conversations around difficult issues. Make no mistake: Neither the fictional character Joker nor the film is an endorsement of real-world violence of any kind. It is not the intention of the film, the filmmakers, or the studio to hold this character up as a hero.” But the studio also donated $2 million to the victims and survivors of the Aurora massacre. While Joker was a well done movie, it didn’t seem to be anything spectacular. No significant complaints were raised, but it just doesn’t seem to live up to the hype. There was some drawn out moments that seemed unnecessary, but nothing that truly tarnished the integrity of the movie. So far, this film is crushing it at the box office. According to
Box Office Mojo, it has made over $700 million since Oct. 25. It broke the record for the best October opening, previously held by Venom in 2018, according to Wired. Joker is also projected to break the record for the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever. Due to the violent and graphic nature of Joker, the film is definitely not appropriate for younger viewers. Although it is an enjoyable movie for fans of the character, it isn’t anything fantastic. It’s good for viewing casually, it doesn’t really deserve the hype surrrounding it. For these reasons, Joker gets a 6/10.
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Danny Brown changes directions on new album By Eli Thomas Co-Entertainment Editor
Lotus, who provides one of the most head-bopping, groovy instrumentals Detroit rapper Daniel amongst the 11 songs. Sewell, better known by his This song also features stage name Danny Brown, JPEGMAFIA, who’s vocals on released his fifth studio the hook are unsettling but album, uknowhatimsayin¿, yet perfect. It would have Oct. 4. Since Brown hit the been nice to hear him rap mainstream about a decade especially since Brown and ago, he has had some of the his abrasive, experimental most idiosyncratic deliveries, styles go together pretty flows, and beats of anybody well. JPEGMAFIA continues in the industry. On his pre- to contribute by producing vious album, Atrocity Exhi- “3 Tearz” featuring Run the bition, Brown’s voice and in- Jewels. This track sounds strumental choices made for like something by the most one of the most challenging gangster and braggadocious and difficult to make sense rap group from the 90’s. of hip hop albums of the de- This level of confidence and cade. The experimental edge swagger can also be found of this album did not neces- in the song “Savage Nomad” sarily benefit it completely, which features Brown flowing but thankfully Danny toned over an electric guitar sample things on for his latest record. that matches the classic hip This change in style may hop aesthetic of the song be due to the fact that this perfectly. The instrumentals album saw an array of new on this album are not all producers such as Q-Tip, hard-hitting, however. the producer for legendary There are some relaxed Hip-Hop grou; A Tribe Called and atmospheric beats like Quest. There is also Jazz and on the title track where the Electronic legend Flying euphoric synths and vocals
Danny Brown performs in Portland. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.org
from, Nigerian s i n g e r , Obongjayar make for a high mark on the record. Perhaps the second best song on the album is the closer, “ C o m b a t .” Q - T i p ’ s saxophone d r i v e n production makes it feel like an old Tribe Called Quest beat. The only real dud instrumentally is the penultimate song, “Shine.” The song itself is pretty sleep inducing and is too minimal The album cover for uknowhatimsayin¿. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.org. to live up to the standard that the other his last album was centered 10 songs have set. around themes of chaos, The sound of the music is the insanity, and drug abuse. real highlight of the whole Unfortunately, there is not album. That is not to take a lot of things here that link away from the lyrical content these tracks together. of theses songs, in fact Brown Despite the fact that Danny sticks out from a songwriting Brown did not come through perspective when it comes to with a more focused cohesive a Rap industry where most project, uknowhatimsayin¿ half heartedly phone it in is still a solid collection of on a consistent basis. Brown good and sometimes even actually provides a lot of great songs. It was nice to interesting and well thought hear Brown embrace a more out lyrics about everything friendly sound on this record from dealing with fame on and try something new. For the stripped-back opener, these reasons, uknowhatim“Change up” to trying to be an sayin¿, gets an 8/10. optimist about his position in life on the string infused “Best Life.” Almost all of these songs have their own lyrical themes, which is a good and bad things. It shows great song-writing skills by Brown to be able to write this many focused songs. However, it would have been nice to have maybe one or two overall themes or concepts on this album. Brown is certainly capable of this as
Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019
Entertainment
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New Hot Shots cafe unable to meet expectations By Eli Thomas Co-Entertainment Editor Hot Shots is a local chain of drive-through coffee huts that has been giving Lewistonians the caffeine they need for years now. On Oct. 7 the chain had a soft opening for a new location at 631 Bryden Ave., except this one was not just another hut. This opening marked a new chapter for Hot Shots coffee chain with its first sit-down cafe. The addition of this indoor coffee shop made many wonder if a drive-thru coffee chain could successfully run a coffeehouse with quality products like other chains such as Starbucks. The atmosphere of the Hot Shots cafe is arguably the biggest factor in whether this location will stand out, not only from other Hot Shots locations, but from all coffee shops across the valley. The inside is typical for a cafe, but Hot Shots fails to make it unique. This is a shame because it would be nice to see the chain embrace its Lewiston roots somehow in the decor, which is something that national chains such as Starbucks cannot do. Hot Shots does not fail to
deliver a clean environment, however. The tables and floors are spotless and employees quickly attended to them almost as soon as customers left. Still, on this day, nothing stood out about the service. The cashier was not very friendly or talkative like baristas at coffee stands such as Dutch Bros always are. The wait for food was a little longer than expected, which was understandable considering that the cafe had just opened and wwas relatively busy at the time. But the manager did check to see if there was any way he could help during the wait. As far as the actual food and drink, there were far more cons than pros. The bacon and egg breakfast sandwich is perhaps the biggest disappointment from a culinary standpoint. Not only was the flavor of the egg completely bland, it might have been the driest breakfast sandwich ever made. The super-crunchy, borderline-burnt bacon did nothing but make this worse. Trying to wash down that kind of dryness is hard when the beverage is just as hard to stomach, literally. The Hot Shot Blast is just not a good drink,
despite its popularity. The citrus from the orange juice makes this drink way too tart to enjoy at all. And at this visit, the avocado bagel was rough and hard, with the avocado tasting so unusual that it was hard to finish. It is nice to see that a local coffee stand chain such as Hot Shots is willing to venture into operating walk-in cafes. But the execution of this could be a whole lot better. The overall aesthetic of the Hot Shots cafe is nothing to make a visitor want to read, work, study, relax or do anything that people usually tend to do in cafes. The insipid and underwhelming food and drink in no way make up for this. For these reasons, Hot Shots cafe gets a 3/10.
The recently opened Hot Shots cafe sits open in the morning sun near the intersection of Bryden and Seventh Avenue. Photo courtesy of Hot Shots Facebook page.
The avacado bagel, Hot Shot Blast and bacon and egg sandwich prepare to be eaten. Photo By Eli Thomas.
Performances riddle band and choir schedule By Jazmyne Hartogh Business Manager
Lewiston High School bands and choirs engaged in a series of performances throughout October with highlights including Future Vandal Game day and marching band competition. Starting off the month Oct. 4, the marching band played during the home football game versus Moscow. The performance included multiple different numbers throughout all quarters of the game. The next day, a select few juniors and seniors from the marching band went to the University of Idaho for Future Vandal Game day. This event allows band students from North West schools to learn routines and music with the UI marching band. The marching band on Oct. 18 played during the football game vs Post Falls. This was also the band’s senior night and the group performed its entire competition routine. The following day the LHS marching band went to UI’s homecoming events in Moscow to play in the parade and perform during the pregame show. The event included multiple bands from across the northwest. Both choirs, orchestras and jazz bands held two concerts Oct. 21 and 22 at LHS. The first night the jazz groups presented a jazz concert, and the second night the orchestra and concert choir groups gave their fall concert. To end the month the marching band band traveled to Pullman to compete in fifth annual Marching Band Championships at Washington State University Oct. 26.
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In the Tall Grass confuses viewers with patchy plot By Sophie Hunter Entertainment Assistant
Directed by Vincenzo Natali, the Netflix original movie In the Tall Grass is one of the latest in the psychological thriller genre. Released Oct. 4, this film arrived just in time for the annual surge of Halloween and horror movies. The film follows the storyline of the popular novella with the same name by Stephen King. The movie explores the idea of an endless tall field in Kansas that runs on an independent time and space loop. Cries for help lure people in, but as soon as they enter, they can never leave. In the middle of the field is a large rock, which is essentially the “brain” of the field. If someone touches the rock, it tells them everything about the grass and gives them power. The rock teaches that person to talk to the grass since the grass knows where everything
Travis, Becky, and Cal stare apprehensively at the looming mass of grass. Photo courtesy of Robert Egbert.
in the field is. The knowledge and power of the rock corrupt some people, while others use it
to help the innocents out of the field. The movie also plays with the idea of life and death, as someone could die and then be wandering the fields the next day. In this movie, death is never final. Anything dealing with space and time in the grass is fair game. A few days in the grass could be months to the outside world. Even though the infinite grass adds suspense, its limited visibility becomes disorientating. Since the camera angles and setting do not allow for details to be revealed without the characters themselves knowing of them, there is no dramatic irony. Still, the cinematography achieved here is impressive, considering that all the film producers had to work with was one setting of a never-ending field of tall grass. Some of the best shots are wide-angle aerial shots of the grass, close-ups of eyes, and CGI that gives the sense of the grass being alive. Unfortunately, though, with limited options, the scenes quickly seem gimmicky and repetitive. As Noel Murray
of the Los Angeles Times said, “In the Tall Grass runs too long and repeats itself too much to be as gripping as its source material. Turns out, there’s a limit to how scary weeds can be.” With this repetition, the movie feels sloppy and boring at points. One major flaw with this film is that any rule introduced in the plot can be manipulated at any time. This makes it extremely difficult to follow. Some of the changes to the rules of the grass are subtle. If the viewer doesn’t pick them up immediately, it is easy to fall behind. One of the more frustrating elements of the film is that as the characters turn on each other, they are simultaneously trying to work out trivial sibling relationship problems. The bickering doesn’t add to the story other than wasting time and setting the characters back. Since the grass tries to disorient people , almost all of the 90 minutes of the movie involve the characters aimlessly wandering and calling each other’s names -- as if doing so would make a difference. With a 40% rating from Rotten Tomatoes and a
5.5/10 from IMDb, it is safe to say that the movie doesn’t meet the high expectations of its audience. On top of everything, the acting is, at best, subpar. The actors and their characters feel replaceable and seem as though they are only reading off a script, not embodying a role. It feels difficult to get attached to the characters and to know who to root for or against. The underwritten roles of the characters don’t hold any substance in the film. While this movie is good enough to hold interest for 90 minutes, it isn’t memorable. The premise of the movie itself is more interesting than the actual film. For these reasons, In the Tall Grass deserves a 5/10.
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Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019
Halloween Crossword Spooky playlist By Skylar Raymond Features Editor
“This is Halloween”
• -- The Citizens of Halloween
“Thriller”-- Michael Jackson • “I Want Candy” •
Michael Jackson
-- Bow Wow Wow
“Monster Mash”
• -- Bobby Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers
“Somebody’s Watching Me” -- Rockwell • “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” -- Blue Oyster Cult • “Season of the Witch” •
Rockwell
-- Lana Del Ray
“Witchy Woman” -- Eagles • “I Put a Spell on You” •
Down: 1. Kids do this on Halloween to get candy 2. Fruit with a sweet coating 3. What sound does a ghost make? 7. These animals hang from the ceiling 8. You walk through these homes to get scared 11. Worn to trick or treat 13. These creatures suck your blood 15. The undead who eat brains Across: 4. A human turns into this during a full moon 5. A witch rides this 6. A pumpkin with a candle inside and carved face 9. Kids get bags full of this for Halloween 10. Spooky, Scary, ________ 12. To dress up as one, many people throw a white sheet over their head 14. Famous Halloween movie about three witches 16. What holiday is on October 31? 17. This spooky place is where people are buried.
-- Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
“Ghostbusters”
• -- Ray Parker Jr.
Lana Del Rey
“Addams Groove”
• -- M.C. Hammer
“Abracadabra” -- Steve
• Miller Band
“Time Warp”
• -- Little Nell, Patricia Quinn and Richard O’Brien
Ray Parker Jr.
“Love Potion No. 9”
• -- The Searchers
“Spooky, Scary Skeletons”
• -- Andrew Gold
Andrew Gold
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Dear Abby continues to give help to the helpless By Skylar Raymond and Abby Bower Co-managing Editors
Listen to your parents DEAR ABBY, For Halloween this year, I wanted to dress as a scandalous fish. But my mom won’t let me go trick-or-treating with that costume unless I put a long-sleeve shirt underneath it because it’s “too cold.” This is going to ruin my whole look. How do I please my mom, but also wear a revealing fish costume?? -- THE NOT-SO-LITTLE-ANYMORE MERMAID DEAR NOT-SO-LITTLE-ANYMORE MERMAID Unfortunately, I don’t think I am going to give you the advice you want. If you’re young enough to go trick-or-treating, you are too young to wear a costume that has the word “revealing” in its name. You are STILL a little mermaid, actually. My advice is to wait a few years and wear that costume to a party. Actually, scratch that -- a revealing fish is a really weird costume. So do NOT wear it to a party… you will get laughed at. This year, try going trick-ortreating in something that will keep you warm and covered, while still making you look cute. Maybe a bear costume? SINCERELY, ABBY
Do what is obvious DEAR ABBY, How do I disguise myself as a child so I can still go trick-ortreating without judgement from all the other adults? Why do the children get all the can-
dy for free? We both know that as soon as those kids pass out from sugar comas, the parents are snooping through their candy baskets and eating all the good stuff. I’m a broke college student. This just isn’t fair -- all I want is a pumpkin-shaped Reese’s peanut butter cup for the low price of nothing. All I want is for no one to call the cops on me when I “scare” Karen’s kids. (Karen, I was just running up behind them and asking for some candy in exchange for a few bucks. Stop freaking out.) --CONCERNED COLLEGE STUDENT DEAR CONCERNED C OLLEGE STUDENT, I think you are missing the obvious solution here. Dress up as a little kid for halloween. If your costume is convincing enough, there is no way anyone will be able to tell you’re in college. Problem solved -- no cops, no Karen and plenty of free candy! Also, I totally agree with your declaration that kids don’t deserve candy as much as students or even adults. I think if you pull this off, it could eventually become a nationwide thing. One day the discrimination could end and people of any age might be accepted as trick-or-treaters. Be safe and have fun treating yourself to a fun time. SINCERELY, ABBY
When in doubt, get a kitchen knife DEAR ABBY, My neighbors have a really scary ghost outside their house. Every morning as I’m walking to school, and I get too scared to walk by it. So instead I walk an extra mile to get around it. Every day I dread this long walk because I’m too
scared to face this blow-up ghost. He has orange light-up eyes and a spooky smile and it’s just too frightening. How can I end this madness? -- SCARED AND CONFUSED DEAR SCARED AND CONFUSED, I totally understand your problem -- ghosts are terrifying. I would usually advocate against violence but I want you to get to school on time, so here’s my advice. Tonight, once you are sure your neighbors are all asleep, take the biggest knife you have in your kitchen and go across the street. Once you’re there, run up to the ghost balloon and stab it. I know it might be scary but you’ll have to be brave. Once this ghost is popped there is no way they will be able to inflate it, thus your problem will be solved. If they happen to patch the hole, or get a new ghost, just keep stabbing it until they finally give up. Trust me, this plan is foolproof. SINCERELY, ABBY
Keep up the good work DEAR ABBY, For the past month, I have kept a real pumpkin in my car. All I wanted was to be festive in the autumnal season. But it’s become rotten. Now there’s mold everywhere, and pumpkin mush everywhere, and I can’t even drive my car because of the intense smell. Will I ever get rid of this festive rot? Help me please. -- FESTIVE DRIVER DEAR FESTIVE DRIVER, First of all,I would like to give you props for diving head-first into the Halloween season. That is quite the pickle you’ve found yourself in, but don’t be embarrassed. I’m sure you aren’t the first person who has
accidentally left a squash to mold in their car. The solution is an easy one: just pull your car up to any spigot with a hose on it. The higher the water pressure, the better. Then simply spray down the inside of your car! I hope this helps. SINCERELY, ABBY P.S. Walmart and The Dollar Store sell fake pumpkins to help people avoid this exact situation, so try one of those next time.
There’s no time like the present DEAR ABBY, Even though it is the Halloween season, I cannot keep myself from listening to Christmas music. I just love the Christmas season and I am too excited for it to come. Don’t get me wrong -- I love Halloween --
but Christmas is just the best. And Sia’s Christmas album? I mean come on, how am I supposed to wait that long to have my ears blessed by the queen of Christmas herself? What do I do? -- MERRY HALLOWEEN DEAR MERRY HALLOWEEN, You do you. There is absolutely nothing wrong with listening to Christmas music during October. I don’t care what anyone else says to you, I am right. Christmas music is festive and can help put you in a good mood any time of year. Don’t let a single grinch steal that from you. And you are totally right -- Sia’s Christmas album... exquisite! SINCERELY, ABBY
Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019
Meet the Staff
Variety
On the Cover:
19
Lewiston High School’s art teacher, Scout Larson, assigned a foliage project to her art students thid fall. This project consisted of the students collecting leaves and arranging them into colorful or creative patterns. Students Kylee Johnson, Harleigh Haddow and Cara Jeppsen collaborated and created this beautiful symmetric pattern.
Solutions from page 17 Editor-in-Chief..............................................................................................Josie Hafer Managing Editors..........................................................Abby Bower, Skylar Raymond News Editor.................................................................................................Abby Bower Features Editor....................................................................................Skylar Raymond Opinion Editor..............................................................................................Josie Hafer Entertainment Editors...............................................................Ellie Hafer, Eli Thomas Sports Editor...........................................................................................Isaiah Schmidt Copyeditors...................................................... Abby Bower, Wendy Guo, Josie Hafer, Elsa Munster, Skylar Raymond Business and Distribution Manager................................................Jazmyne Hartogh News Assistants....................................Krystal Barber, Wendy Guo, Jazmyne Hartogh, Taysia Mendenhall, Lindsey Sexton Features Assistants.................................Elsa Munster, Kim Neri, Taysia Mendenhall Opinion Assistant...................................................................................Krystal Barber Entertainment Assistant.......................................................................Sophie Hunter Business and Distribution Assistant...................................................Lindsay Sexton General Assignment Reporters ..................................... Intro to Journalism students Adviser.....................................................................Charity Thompson Egland
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Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019
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