News

Blind Brook Shocked After Recent Shooting Threat

By Sydney Anmuth

Last month, Blind Brook stood in unison as the community faced a shooting threat. Following the chatter amongst students, an announcement broke over the intercom “we are now going into a complete lockdown.” As the speaker fizzed off into the background, the effects of the loudspeaker of the shooting threat radiated in our school district for the next twenty-four hours. The news broke out on campus and echoed quickly throughout our entire community. “Hey mom, by any chance can you pick me up from practice, it’s an emergency.” “Can anyone take me home by any chance if I live near… ?” “Does anyone know where my son is?” “I need a ride home.” exclaimed parents and students. Confusion and chaos occurred in front of their eyes as sirens pulled into school at 3:45 pm on this Wednesday afternoon. In a time where the community seemed like it could have been divided, it became closer than ever. Parents arrived at the school and fit as many kids into their car as possible, teachers calmed down students, and coaches put on a smile to show students that everything was going to be okay. Afternoon activities quickly came to a halt as a false threat was on the horizon of our district. Thursday morning the doors to Blind Brook Middle and High School were open as usual. Students were greeted by the Rye Brook Police Department to provide reassurance to everyone entering the main building. Panic was alleviated as teachers checked in on students throughout the day and minimal people were allowed outside of the building. School shootings have become an anxiety inducing subject for students across America which is why Blind Brook practices lockdown drills regularly as a precautionary measure. Westchester County has committed to creating safer schools along with a team of educators in order to prevent violence from spreading throughout our community. Our school participates in the Sandy Hook Promise Organization which advocates against gun violence in an effort to protect American children. Therefore, the county can decrease shootings by making itself aware of warning signs that indicate a potential school shooter and report that person if need be. In fact, every 4 out of 5 school shootings that occur have been discussed with another person who knew about the plan of attack, but failed to report their idea to authorities. The school has emphasized the importance of mental health by highlighting available resources to help students as a result of the recent incident. Blind Brook guidance counselors, teachers, and administrators have reached out to students in an effort to dilute the fear running through the building. Junior Jordyn Shohet, a BBHS SAVE Promise Club leader said that she feels “even more confident coming into school every morning knowing that the Blind Brook faculty is supporting us.” Anyone can make an impact at Blind Brook High School which is why a wake up call like this one has united the district together. Students can take part in the Sandy Hook Promise by participating in the SAVE (Students Against Violence Everywhere) Club which has a chapter at the school. Its goal is to keep friends, schools, and communities safe, and empower students to seek help in order to prevent them from hurting themselves or others. The Blind Brook community was shocked by the recent threat, but it did not let fear get the best of it.

Photo Courtesy of Greg Austin

By Emily Tian

Progress Continues to Reduce Bridge Strikes on King Street

A truck recently hit the King Street Bridge, spilling thousands of cans across the parkway. County police spent several hours investigating the crash, and several workers were even seen cleaning up the cans of energy drinks from the roadway. Furthermore, heavy traffic encircled the northbound side of the Hutchinson River Parkway and all lanes were closed in the morning and early afternoon due to the crash. This was no surprise as the bridge has suffered over 130 strikes from 2008 to 2018. The King Street Bridge on the border of Greenwich and Rye Brook has been experiencing a rather strange occurrence. It has been hit by trucks more times than any other bridge in New York state, suffering over 20 strikes just in 2018. Although the number of hits this year are becoming fewer and fewer, it is still a major issue that many officials and local resi dents are concerned about. These bridge strikes have been causing serious traffic issues on King Street. Sometimes traffic is even diverted off of the parkway and onto local streets which causes a major inconvenience to motorists and other local residents. This issue has also been affecting many students and teachers who drive near or on the Hutchinson River Parkway to get to school. The bridge trouble is impacting students’ education. One Blind Brook student states, “Sometimes I’m late to school since I have to go under the bridge, and there’s lots of traffic.”. Many others are having similar experiences and have been struggling to get to school on time due to the traffic. “As you can imagine it is very frustrating every time a truck hits the King Street Bridge,” says Mayor Paul S. Rosenberg.

COVID-19 Crisis Affects Blind Brook

By Jordan Escrow

In March of 2020 Blind Brook Students were told to take home 2 weeks worth of books and supplies. Over a year and a half later, the world is still continuing to search for normalcy since the pandemic started. People were forced to slow down which some might say they enjoyed. This was a time for people to come together and unite, despite differences in views. But the world has become more divided than ever due to COVID-19: fighting variants, searching for treatments, hoping that everyone, including young children, will have the ability to be vaccinated if they choose to do so. Blind Brook has made a lot of progress since students returned to school after months of quarantine. In the 2020-2021 school year, they went to school for two days a week, and remote for two days each week. Although it was upsetting to some that classes were split into two cohorts, having small class sizes in person gave them a chance to be more engaged in learning. The pandemic took a toll on many kids’ mental and physical health. Many chose to go to school online full time beecause cause they felt unsafe at school, but as a result, they were struggling with virtual learning. Finally in April, the school allowed all Blind Brook students to return to school together. They ended off the year more normally, hoping the following year would resemble life before the pandemic. This school year has been similar to pre-covid school years. If people are exposed to others with COVID but are fully vaccinated, they don’t have to be quarantined, which is a relief for many. Students can once again participate in extracurricular activities; the athletics program is back up and running, and so are many clubs, which give students the opportunity to socialize and explore areas of interest. Although these activities have resumed, the school has taken safety measures to reduce the spread of the virus. Students and staff are required to wear masks at all times when inside. How do we know if being double vaccinated is enough? With the delta variant, even being double vaccinated isn’t a fool proof way to prevent the spread of COVID. It is clear to most that many will need a booster shot in order to fight this very contagious virus. As of now, people who are 65 and older, have underlying medical conditions, live in long term care facilities, or work in high risk facilities are eligible for the Pfizer-BioNtech or Moderna booster. In order to become eligible for the Johnson and Johnson’s Janssen booster, it is required that you are 18 years or older and have had the first dose at least two months prior. Although this is true, the question still remains of when young children will become eligible to receive their first dose. On October 26, a panel of scientists met and agreed that for the 5-11 age group, the benefits outweigh the risk. The next step is for the FDA to consider extending emergency use authorization which will allow children in this age group to receive their first dose. When this is approved for children, it potentially will bring us one step closer toward living our pre-covid lives.

Photo Courtesy of Amanda Mustard/New York Times

By Kunjal Kothari

Families, teachers, bosses, hoarders, everyone: all Americans consume everyday. Deliveries aren’t made in time, COVID tests are unavailable in certain stores, and tension continues to build. Unfortunately, the surge of orders during this new phase of the pandemic is difficult to maintain. Individuals have experienced numerous instances where they’ve entered chain stores for a simple consumer good, yet instantly redirected to another location for a specific product. Same day delivery isn’t always possible anymore. Essentially, there’s an “everything shortage” and an increased demand for limited supplies means that prices will dramatically increase. Such shortages may even continue to have an impact on the upcoming holiday season in November and December. Many people have been pre-ordering their items as soon as possible, afraid of an extensive delay. As pandemic checks rolled in, many Americans had the tendency to use the money to buy crucial home goods and essentials, such as furniture and kitchenware. People began new home

Supply Chain Shortages Causing Problems

renovation projects, bought improved office wear to become comfortable in their homes, and even spent money on gym equipment. However, these products are often imported through East Asian countries which are heavily impacted by the Delta variant. The variant is extremely dangerous and has caused shutdowns at semiconductor factors. The semiconductor shortage led to a shortage of chips which impacted large tech companies and made it increasingly difficult to produce high-quality vehicles without raising prices. Just recently, Apple lost the equivalent of 6 billion dollars due to these chip shortages. Other effects of the supply chain crisis can be noticed through the cargo container traffic jam near California ports. Items continue to pile up in these containers. Shipping parcels are much more expensive, as well. According to the New York Times, in 2000 it cost $2,000 to send a container ship from Shanghai to LA, however, this estimate soared to $25,000 by 2021. The shutdown of the Suez Canal after a ship got stuck doesn’t help the process either. A lot of these container ships also are getting stuck in the wrong place. China supplied regions in West Africa and South Asia large amounts of pandemic gear like masks and hospital gowns since it was crucial they received them. However, some of these places don’t send a lot of products back to China, so the container ships kept on piling up. A shortage of truck drivers also contributes to this traffic at different ports. The IMF itself downgraded the U.S.’s 2021 growth forecast by one percentage point, which is a significant signal to show the supply and demand stress on the economy. Factors cannot simply produce more since components of goods must be transported from other countries. In addition, the worsening relationship between the U.S. and China make it difficult to “ensure smooth operation,” according to Moody Analytics. This rivalry over security concerns is a threat to supply chain stability and structure. Many analysts believe that these shortages will pass, however it may not be anytime soon and it may dramatically change the way people view the economy.

Photo Courtesy of Kyle Grillot/Getty Images

Global Warming’s Correlation with Hurricane Ida

By Anna Vnenchak

Earth’s weather patterns are constantly changing due to the detrimental effects of global warming. Unfortunately, global warming is impacting Rye Brook, along with nearby towns and cities across the coast. This is especially evident after Hurricane Ida which caused damaging flooding for many Rye Brook residents. Hurricanes pose a much larger threat in the 21st century than in others before. An excessive amount of greenhouse gas emissions have intoxicated our planet to an unimaginable extent, and many fear the drastic change in weather patterns. These changes will cause more violent and stronger storms in the near future. Despite Earth’s rapid alterications, Rye Brook’s Mayor Paul Rosenburg is taking strides to solve these flooding problems. He is currently working with New York State and Suny Representatives to restore and improve the detention basin at the beginning of the Blind Brook. This detention basin was able to hold back one million gallons of water during flooding, but was recently damaged by Hurricane Ida. Not only did the storm damage the detention basin, but also caused pipes around it to explode. The flawless timing of Hurricane Ida caught the ocean at high tide, which caused an immense amount of backup in the drainage system, making it the “perfect storm.” After Hurricane Ida, Mayor Rosenburg and the Public Works Department began working to fix this problem straight away. Mayor Rosenberg went about improving the detention basin with New York State, while the Public Works Department cleaned and blocked off roads to ensure the safety of all Rye Brook residents. The Mayor discusses possible future storms: “We will absolutely be seeing more of these storms,” he said, “Global warming has probably changed our weather patterns for good.” Mayor Rosenburg went on to explain that the actions he is taking with the Public Works Department at this very moment are preparing Rye Brook for future storms. One of the people directly affected by the storm is Rye Brook resident Catherine Vnenchak. Her home is located right next to the Blind Brook, which rose many feet and broke the house’s garage door. Mrs. Vnenchak explains Hurricane Ida’s impacts on her house: “With five feet of water in our basement and garage, we suffered a great deal of damage to our utilities, electric, etc. Fortunately, we have flood insurance and most, if not all, of the loss will be recouped.” Mrs. Vnenchak’s home was not the only one affected by the flooding. Freshman Natalie Carey experienced something very similar. Carey talks about her and her family’s reaction to the flooding: “I was panicking and

Progress Continues to Reduce Bridge Strikes on King Street

Continued from page 11

He states that he has been working very closely with the state of New York to try to solve this problem. They have put up numerous electronic signs between Interstate 287 and the King Street exit. These signs inform drivers that low bridges are ahead and that trucks are urged to exit immediately. Moreover, the signs were an expensive project for the state and county totaling up to about $1.8 million. Although this project was quite costly, it paid off as there was a noticeable drop in bridge strikes this year. “The state will continue to take aggressive action to reduce the frequency of these crashes and improve the safety and reliability of our roadways.” Governor Cuomo said in a statement. These are also plans to take action on this pressing issue by installing over height vehicle detectors before the bridge. This detector system will include receiver sensors on either side of the highway, accompanied by infrared transmitters that will create an infrared beam on the road. Senator Charles Schumer of New York is also urging GPS apps such as Google and other navigation systems to add information about vehicle restrictions, especially those that are free to the public. Many other officials around the state are also trying to help reduce these crashes, and there’s no doubt that upcoming change will be brought to King Street.

Photo Courtesy of Frank Becerra/The Journal News my family was very stressed out.” Carey then states that her family did not seek outside help with reparations for the storm, but instead fixed it themselves. This is an example of the manual labor some had to go through because of the storm, and what may continue to happen in the future. Global warming’s effect on people’s everyday lives is becoming more apparent as years go on. However, what is truly pressing are the potential repercussions of global warming in the future. More intense storms, frequent changes in weather patterns, and rising sea levels will continue to progress if nothing is done about this phenomenon. Although stopping or even slowing down the impacts of global warming seems like a hefty task, anyone can help. Using mass transit rather than individual cars, recycling to protect Earth’s biodiversity, or looking to support a utility company that uses renewable energy sources to reduce fuel emissions can reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses being released. These small actions can help people to reverse the impacts of global warming, like hurricanes of high intensity or rising sea levels, one step at a time.