Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was pulled over for what Memphis police said was an alleged traffic violation Jan. 7. According to AP, officers chased Nichols down, punched and kicked him, hit him with batons and celebrated afterward, while Nichols was on the ground calling out for his mother. Five officers face criminal charges; at least two others face disciplinary action.
After dropping her opening set in the No. 3 singles match, fourth-year Amy Kaplan came back to take the second and third sets with 6-4 scores. The win secured a 4-3 victory over Louisville for the first time in program history and earned Kaplan the Pridemark Construction Student-Athlete of
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Jan. 30: A mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan, was attacked by a suicide bomber Jan. 29. As of Jan. 30, over 100 people were killed in the bombing, with at least 225 injured. 300 people were at the mosque. For almost 24 hours, workers attempted to remove bodies from the rubble, as the roof of the building caved in from the attack inside a highly secured police compound.
Jan. 31: Through notching her best all-around performance of the season in Ball State’s quad meet Jan. 29, third-year Hannah Ruthberg was named the MidAmerican Conference (MAC) Gymnast of the Week. Ruthberg tied the seventh-best all-around score in program history with a 39.275 as the Cardinals swept Pitt, Southeast Missouri and Fisk in the four-team meet.
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A cooler end to the week with winds and temperatures picking up over the weekend. Warm start to next week, with warmer temperatures continuing throughout the week. Showers expected mid-week.
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Waking Up with Cardinal Weather is Ball State University’s first and only morning mobile show focused on getting your ready for the day through local news, weather and lifestyle trends. Waking Up with Cardinal Weather airs every Friday morning at 8 a.m. at @cardinalwx live on Facebook.
On Jan. 31, Ball State’s Student Government Association announced two tickets: Presidential Nominee Joesph Gassensmith with Vice Presidential Nominee Monet Lindstrand and Presidential Nominee Skylar Ellis with Vice Presidential Nominee Taylor Perry. The Presidential debate is Feb. 14, and the Vice Presidential debate is Feb. 15.
Three people were killed and four wounded in a shooting around 2:30 a.m. in the Beverly Crest neighborhood Jan. 28. The three dead were in a vehicle, and the four wounded were in a multimillion dollar rental home. All four victims were transported to a hospital, two of which were in critical condition. Police believe the attack to be targeted, but they’re still searching for suspects.
Bill SB136, which would create a system to quickly bring criminal justice background data to police in the field, moved forward Jan. 31. If passed, the bill would allow more information to be available to officers on whether gun rights have been suspended. The bill was advanced 7-0 by the Senate Committee on Corrections and Criminal Law.
Though only one public school corporation in Delaware County’s meals are free to all students after the pandemic, the economic climate still makes it necessary for some families. 06A plate with dollar bills and change sits in the Photojournalism Studio Feb. 1 in the Art and Journalism Building at Ball State. AMBER PIETZ, DN Lila Fierek Lifestyles Editor and Copy Director
In the corner of Hailey Maupin’s second-grade classroom, shelves of light blue buckets filled with books sit under a bench, waiting for children to take the opportunity to travel into another world.
Twenty minutes before the school day at South View Elementary School ended, students celebrated their Friday free time. Excitement radiated off the students as jokes and giggles filled the room while they listened to music on their tablets and looked through these shelves.
The books “Black is a Rainbow Color,” “Mixed Me,” “Too Many Tamales” and “You All Matter” were placed along Maupin’s personal library.
“I try to find books that will help them see themselves represented,” she said. “I want to provide books for students of color where the whole book isn’t around them being a person of color … also books that will help kids who don’t have those experiences … I want to give them a way to see someone else’s point of view, so that way they can have that experience and put themselves in someone else’s shoes.”
Though Ball State University and United Way help donate, Maupin said she buys most of her classroom’s books. She purchases books based on what her students are interested in.
One year, Maupin said she had multiple students who had lost parents.
“It’s hard to find children’s books about someone dying, but they’re out there, and they’re helpful,” she said.
Maupin said reading these stories can be critical for students who have gone through those experiences to feel seen. It also helps students understand what an “unconventional” family looks like.
For the 2022-23 school year, Maupin didn’t buy any books. She listened to her students, or “friends” as she calls them, and waited to see what they liked, so she could surprise them with more later in the year.
Similarly to Maupin, Erin Eads, kindergarten teacher at South View, buys her own books. Eads said it can be difficult with interests constantly changing, especially for students at such a young age. Either way, she said it is important for all students to be represented. As a child, having a brown-haired Barbie meant a lot to the brunette teacher.
One book Eads pointed out was “The Proudest Blue” by Ibtihaj Muhammad and S.K. Ali. The cover of the book illustrates a woman in a blue hijab who is connected to a wave carrying a little girl in a paper boat.
Eads has two students from Afghanistan who came to the United States as refugees, so when she saw this book, she knew it was perfect.
“And when they saw the book, they were so excited that it looked like their mommy,” she said.
“They were like, ‘It looks like me. It looks like my mommy.’ … I love that one. That one’s amazing.”
We are going to be bigger than any challenge that they ever face. We just have to work together to get there because if we’re not, then we’re wasting time for our kids.”
-Eads said one of the best moments about this process is seeing the students light up and realize a book is like them or someone they know.
“To show them these different things like, ‘Hey, this is possible, this is a thing,’” she said. “It kind of opens their little world. They’re more considerate of other people and their situations.”
According to Humanium, representation is important for children in literature and media because it provides them with models, helps them understand reality, allows them to discover other cultures and helps them develop empathy.
Research shows a lack of representation can cause negative psychological outcomes for people who are underrepresented or portrayed negatively.
A study in 2012 on Research Gate by Nicole Martins and Kristen Harrison showed there was a negative correlation between TV exposure and
low self-esteem for elementary-aged Black boys, Black girls and white girls, but there was a positive correlation for high self-esteem for white boys.
“What we’ll see in videos or books sometimes are just stereotypes,” Maupin said. “Even the bad character in the story being a person of color, small things like that. I always try to point things out sometimes and say, ‘Okay, hold on, is this true every time? Why do you think that the author did that? Why would the illustrator do that? What makes you think something differently? What is your opinion on that?’ It kind of builds their critical-thinking skills and allows them to think for themselves.”
According to Northfield Hospital Clinics, “reading regularly with young children stimulates optimal patterns of brain development which helps build strong pathways in the brain and in turn builds language, literacy and social-emotional skills that can have life-long health benefits.”
Both Maupin and Eads said they try to read to their students a lot, at least one book a day, in order to help this.
Because South View’s library is under construction, when students want to get a book outside of class, they have to visit the library next to the school.
South View Principal Anthony Williams said it’s important for both students and staff to be able to see themselves represented. The school also tries to show representation through its lesson plans. He said the curriculum for elementary school students has developed throughout Indiana and the U.S. to become more representative of all students.
HAILEY MAUPIN, Second-grade teacher at South View Elementary
How teachers are using books in classrooms to help elementary students feel representedBooks sit on a table in Hailey Maupin’s classroom at Southview Elementary School Jan 20. JACY BRADLEY, DN
Today, the teachers at Yorktown get sensitivity training and discuss adverse childhood experiences with professionals.
Deanna Harshman, fifth-grade teacher at Yorktown Elementary School, said because she grew up in an all-white, conservative school, she doesn’t remember seeing books or videos with students in wheelchairs, many people of color or families that weren’t just a mom and a dad.
“It is widely becoming important to our administration now too, which is something I don’t think used to be the case in the past,” Harshman said. “In old schools, people just came as they were. You’ve got teachers who have been teaching a long time, but they are kind of shifting their mindset too, so that’s kind of cool to see.”
Today, Maupin tries to face important issues head on and allow the lessons and stories learned in class to be played out in real life.
For instance, one day, Maupin decided to have the students come up with a list of things they would like to see changed in the world.
The top of these posters read “Changes We Want to Make,” and the list included “having freedom,” “every single person is nice and not racist,” “not being taken away from your family” and “ban guns from the world.”
The students enjoyed the activity so much, they ended up filling three posters.
Both teachers said they try to instill leadership skills in their classrooms to build confidence for the kids by calling them future leaders. However, Maupin said it can be a lot of pressure to make sure she is teaching the kids the things that matter.
“You’re going home thinking, ‘Today was horrible. I didn’t do anything right, they did not get anything at all,’ but just knowing we have 180 days, and I tell them all the time, when you leave here, I want you to be able to read and write and do math, but I also want you to be a better person,” Maupin said. “And today, if all we learned was how to be a better person, then I’m okay with that.”
Harshman said during the 2021-22 academic year, a book called “Stone Fox” was in the curriculum and though it was a good book, it portrayed Native Americans in a bit of a negative way.
“Sometimes, you have to watch that when you’re including those books in your plans,” she said. “You have to make sure you read it before you teach it, so I really try to consider whenever I use a book, I don’t just [say], ‘Oh, this is about this subject’ and pull it out. I like to preview it and look at it first.”
Similarly to Eads and Maupin, Harshman collects books and puts them out based on what the children like to read that year. Because of book fairs and discounts, Yorktown Elementary School gets most of its books from Scholastic. Before that, though, Harshman bought a lot of the books herself.
She said the students are able to have tablets in school, so they can also read on a site called Epic. Epic allows them to read a variety of books throughout the school day, so they are open to topics that may not be discussed in class.
Harshman said because they are in a dominantlyconservative area, some parents are unhappy by some of the books made available for students to read, say a book with two dads, for example. Therefore, the teachers have to be careful to not read them to the whole class but still have them accessible for students.
She said one year, parents questioned her after the students read “Because of Winn Dixie” in school, though the book was required. The book discusses the Civil War, slavery and a parent who is an alcoholic.
“There are kids in our classrooms who haven’t been in slavery, but they may have ancestors who
have been,” she said. “There may have been kids in our rooms whose parents have been alcoholics, and they can relate to that. And the other kids are so concerned when they hear that in the book, it kind of breaks their heart, so it almost makes it real for them to realize that kids actually do go through this.”
Harshman said students are mind blown when they hear about segregation because it’s “unheard of” today. She said their innocence regarding topics and how they perceive the world can be a lesson to learn from, especially with adults arguing so often.
“Kids need to see somebody that looks like them every day, not just in the classroom, but in a book, in a video,” Harshman said. “They need to hear things that they can relate to, a variety of religions, a variety of sexual identities, a variety of family structures. So, I think representation is just realizing that these kids all have their own unique backgrounds when they come into school and just making sure that we are not living in our own narrow [minds].”
Harshman said she is a religious person, but she doesn’t bring that into the classroom. She sets her beliefs aside and tries to be completely neutral about everything.
“Just be kind, be a kind human,” she said. “I want them to know how to do certain things, but … in the real world, they just need to learn how to be kind and respectful.”
While Harshman is managing perceptions of
There may have been kids in our rooms whose parents have been alcoholics, and they can relate to that. And the other kids are so concerned when they hear that in the book, it kind of breaks their heart, so it almost makes it real for them to realize that kids actually do go through this.
parents and families tied directly to her classroom, Maupin and Eads are confronting issues of a different kind.
“Because we are on the south side of Muncie … [families] have a bad [reputation] of not caring about their kids, about being addicted to drugs,” Maupin said. “That is far from the case … I have never met a parent that doesn’t love their child ever in this building. That love might look different from something that I experienced when I was a child, but that doesn’t mean that they still don’t love them.”
Maupin said because of this false reputation, the school isn’t seen for how it really is. It isn’t given the credit it deserves, and the students aren’t seen for who they are.
“A lot of people look down on people from the Southside [of Muncie automatically], so the odds are stacked against our kids … and some have already realized that … life is really hard,” she said. “They will grow up in school hearing ‘You’re a bad kid,’ … and when our kids hear negative things about them all the time, it’s what they become, so we’re preparing them to have self worth and to know they are good people even if they have done things that aren’t so great.”
Eads said she wants her kids to know resilience, how to keep pushing through hard times and still come out being a good person.
Yorktown teacher Deanna Harshman poses for a portrait in her classroom Jan 20. AMBER PIETZ, DN - DEANNA HARSHMAN, Fifth-grade teacher at Yorktown Elementary Southview Elementary students watch videos on their laptops in Hailey Maupin’s class Jan. 20. JACY BRADLEY, DNWhen Deb Huston was growing up in Muncie, Indiana, oftentimes, someone not related to her would eat dinner and stay overnight in her family’s house. From a young age, Huston’s parents were doing what they could to help at-risk members of the community.
Huston said her childhood instilled a passion in her early on. She wanted to help children have the best quality of life. This passion drove her to create Panther Pantry in 2015 as a weekend backpack program at Muncie Southside Middle School to provide families with extra food during the school year.
“If I can help a kid be a kid, that is my purpose in life,” Huston said. “When I’m gone, hopefully my family will be proud. But here’s the thing: I don’t care if people know that, that doesn’t matter to me. I don’t need recognition. If I could [run Panther Pantry] anonymously I would, but I can’t. It’s not about me. It’s about the kids; it’s about the volunteers.”
Huston has been involved with Muncie Community Schools (MCS) in some form for 25 years. The Muncie native got choked up when talking about why Panther Pantry was a dream of hers and what it means for her to be able to live out
“A child should be able to be a child,” Huston said. “A child shouldn’t have to worry about eating; a child shouldn’t have to worry about anything like that … Teachers care. Schools care.”
While Panther Pantry aids families with feeding their children on the weekends during the school year, school breakfast and lunch at MCS are also free to all students, the sole public school corporation in Delaware County in which this is the case. By comparison, from March 2020 to May 2022, all eight corporation’s meals were free in an effort to aid families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, though COVID-19 is mostly behind the general public, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average annual cost of groceries for a family of four in Muncie is $7,923, averaging approximately $152 per week.
“I think, even for people who have good jobs and that can afford the lunches, it’s tough right now because of how expensive everything is,” Alyssa Dowling said. “... I think some people are afraid to voice that they’re struggling.”
Dowling and her husband have two children in the Delaware Community School Corporation, a first-year at Delta High School and a third-grader at Royerton Elementary School. She’s a hairstylist, running a salon out of her home, while her husband is an ironworker for the union.
She said her family can afford paying for school meals, but Dowling said an approximate $300 a week grocery bill, plus approximately $6 a day, five days a week for school meals adds up and forces their family to keep a tighter budget. Before COVID-19, she said her girls didn’t eat breakfast at school, but they ate lunch. However, while breakfast and lunch were free during COVID-19, they got used to eating both at school, so they want to continue to do that. Most days now, her daughters eat breakfast at home.
Dowling said her youngest daughter is more aware of school meals no longer being free because when they were free and she always ate breakfast at school, she could sleep in longer
Dan Brown and his wife also have two children in the “DelCom” school corporation. Normally, Brown said his children only eat lunch at school, though sometimes his daughter, a third grader at Royerton, will grab extra breakfast food if she’s hungry for it.
Even during the two-year period school meals were free, his daughter didn’t eat breakfast consistently at school, but the Brown’s weren’t concerned if she grabbed extra food at breakfast because it was complimentary. Now, they have to tell their daughter to be mindful of her budget and not to buy more food than she needs.
Brown said his daughter took that conversation well and understood, even at her young age. They stressed to her that if she needed extra food, they could provide it at home, and it wasn’t something she needed to worry about. Given their second child is a kindergarten student at Royerton, the family was only used to paying for one child’s school meals, and that was only for a year before COVID-19 hit.
Brown is a product owner, while his wife is an education specialist and instructional designer. Brown said his family has to always be mindful of their children’s respective meal balances, and that’s an added stress now that meals are no longer free. However, Brown recognized this issue may affect other families more than his own.
“It [isn’t] a terrible strain on our budget, but knowing some of the other children and knowing some of my daughter’s friends and their situations, it probably is a little bit more of a struggle,” Brown said. “So [I’m] a little disappointed that it went back from something that, in the long term, seemed like it was more beneficial to all the students, that way [they] didn’t have to worry about not being able to eat.”
Similarly, Dowling said there is a certain level of guilt she carries because she knows while she can afford the meals, many families struggle to find the resources to do so consistently. For Brown, he said he does the family’s grocery shopping, and he often will go to three or four different stores to find the cheapest items due to how high prices have gotten. As an added wrinkle, his son normally packs his lunch from home to eat at school.
42% of students in Indiana qualify for free meals. Source: PublicSchoolReview.com
“The payment might even be a little cheaper at school than doing packed lunches all the time,” Brown said. “So, sometimes that actually adds to the cost of lunch because he doesn’t eat there as much versus her eating at school. Even if the lunches were free, I don’t know if he would eat there often, but we might push it more to him, try to push him to try more things at school.”
Things aren’t looking to get easier for families, as according to the United States Department of Agriculture, grocery prices are expected to increase 7.1 percent in 2023, though not as much as the 9.9 percent in 2022. That’s why even for MCS, Panther Pantry is still necessary to provide help for the two days of the week breakfast and lunch can’t be had at school.
“They’re grateful. Any little bit that we can help, it helps them,” Huston said. “Maybe it’ll help somebody pay a light bill, maybe it’ll help them with something else. I don’t know, it just helps them. Does everybody need to be on the program? No, but I want them on the program if they want to be [because] you have to have it open to everybody. It doesn’t discriminate.”
Two parents of children in the Delaware Community School Corporation explain why there may always be a need for free meals in public schools.Volunteer Kyleigh Phillips ties bags of food for Panther Pantry at Southside Middle School Jan. 26. JACY BRADLEY, DN
With a 69-52 win on the road over Ohio, head coach Brady Sallee earned his 200th career win with the program. Sallee is 200-136 (68 percent win percentage) and has taken the Cardinals to seven Women’s National Invitation Tournaments (WNIT), a WNIT Final 16 appearance, a Mid-American Conference (MAC) West Division title (2014) and eight MAC tournament appearances.
The Cardinals, who finished fifth in 2022, will host five series in the 2023 season, all to Mid-American Conference (MAC) opponents. Ball State will host:
• Central Michigan March 24-25
• Northern Illinois March 28-29
• Toledo April 7-8
• Buffalo April 15-16
• Miami April 25-26
The Cardinals finished with one event win, one heat win and six topfive performances. In the 60-meter hurdles, third-year Jenelle Rogers and fourth-year Charity Griffith finished first in second (8.802 and 8.805 respectively). In the 400-meter, second-year Jenna Orianai ran a 57.16 time to win the heat and set her personal best.
On Feb. 7, students will have the opportunity to meet with recruiters from Penske Entertainment in the Indiana Connection Lounge in Lucina Hall. Penske Entertainment is famous for owning the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event will last from 2-4 p.m., and it will be followed by an ice cream social with Penske at 6 p.m. on Ball State’s campus in Botsford-Swinford.
The World of Musicals is coming to Emens Auditorium Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m. The production tells the emotional journey through the great world of musicals that will leave the audience spell-bound. Some of the musicals featured will be “Phantom of the Opera,” “Mamma Mia,” “Les Miserables”
February is Black History Month, so to kick off the month, Minnetrista and the Martin Luther King Jr. Dream Team will be hosting a free community event Feb. 4 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. This year’s theme is “Hidden Heroes.” Those who attend the event can participate in activities and learn about history
Minnetrista sells out their stained glass workshop.
Carefully shaping a piece of stained glass on a table top grinder is Taylor Thompson Jan. 28. Artists at the Minnetrista workshop learned to cut, shape, sand and seal pieces of glass in order to fit their chosen shape.
Paying close attention to the shape of his glass piece is Jeff Belter as he learns to navigate a glass grinder at the Minnetrista Stained Glass Workshop Jan. 28. From start to finish, students created their own “flower bouquet” entirely out of stained glass.
Lily Rawson uses a soldering iron to solder pieces of glass together in order to create one solid piece of art Jan. 28. The Minnetrista workshop taught students how to use solder, a fusible metal alloy, to create a permanent bond between their glass pieces.
Lila Fierek Lifestyles Editor and Copy Director
On the corner of South Cherry and West Adams, husky howls and barking can be heard in the air, though usually only for a few minutes. On that corner in downtown Muncie, sits Amy’s Pet Spa. Owner Amy Shears has been busy since she opened in November 2022, and her business is only growing. Kelley Stewart, Shears’ neighbor and owner of Sit-Stay-Play Pet Grooming Kelley Stewart, recently broke her wrist, leaving Shears to help Stewart’s clients in the midst of a pet grooming shortage.
Throughout the time after the pandemic, according to Groomer to Groomer, the pet population increased by 24 to 30 percent in the United States. Though there are plenty of pet groomers, about 310,000 according to IBISWorld, there aren’t enough to keep up with the new demand.
From working at a parrot rescue in Ohio to fostering hundreds of dogs, Shears knows pets. In Muncie, she has volunteered at Animal Rescue Fund, Muncie Animal Care and Services, Action for Animals and Grateful Rescue.
Though Shears primarily works with dogs, she also offers grooming to cats, exotic birds and other small animals.
And if you’re wondering, yes, Shears has heard the joke before. “Amy Shears’ Pets” was a no go. Pet grooming is in Shears’ blood. Her mother was a pet groomer when Shears was a child, so
said. “I was always that weird kid that was sitting over with the cat that doesn’t like anybody, but it was in my lap.”
Shears moved to Wisconsin and became an apprentice for a pet groomer named Jenn Nelson in 2010. Then, when she lived in Ohio, she would visit kill shelters and take home dogs who were supposed to be euthanized that week. Working with all these pets and trainers helped Shears become more confident with animals.
Sophie Richau, friend of Shears and customer at Amy’s Pet Spa, said Shears is a miracle worker when it comes to Richau’s husky, Koda.
“He doesn’t freak out with her, and I’ve never seen anyone be able to do that,” she said.
Though Koda has separation anxiety, Shears was able to calm him. Richau said Koda is always excited to see Shears, and after visiting Amy’s Pet Spa, he was the fluffiest and best smelling he’d
Shears prides herself on being able to take care of animals who aren’t always the easiest to work with.
“The best ones are when people come here as a last resort … and they think no one will take them,” she said. “Being able to do that for the dog and put the people at ease because they’re just trying to take care of their pets, and sometimes, it’s just a little harder than they would hope because of issues they have had before or just
Shears said it helps that she uses what she calls “gentle grooming.” Instead of having a bunch of pets in her spa all at once, she only schedules one animal at a time, unless they are family or live in the same household. This way, the pets don’t have to worry about being distracted or made anxious
“We just take our time and figure out what they like, what they can tolerate,” Shears said. “If they get too stressed out, especially the little ones, then they can have heart attacks or strokes, so you have
Gentle grooming allows Shears to give the pets breaks when they are anxious, leaving the animals
Shears said loud noises like the dryer can be scary for animals. She tries to act calm and upbeat, so the pets can pick up on her feelings.
Animals aren’t the only ones to be concerned with during the grooming process.
When Shears finishes off an appointment and
blow dries the pet’s hair, she puts on a mask or a head net mesh, similar to what a beekeeper wears. Shears said she has to wear the mask to keep from getting animal hair in her mouth.
“It gets in your eyes and in your mouth,” she said. “I’ve had a hair stuck in my ear before, and it’s itchy for like forever.”
Due to all of the hair in the air, pet groomers can develop groomer’s lung. According to Groomers Online, this is when pet hair travels into the lungs and inflames the lung lining, scarring airways and causing a chronic lung condition.
Still, wearing a mask is a small price to pay for doing something Shears loves.
“I love it because I get to help the dogs,” she said.
bathe, trim nails, check ears and glands and blow dry the animal. With full grooms, she performs all of those tasks and cuts the pet’s hair as well.
Marie Jones, returning customer at Amy’s Pet Spa, said she has taken her and her mother’s dog to Shears a few times, and said she could tell how much Shears loved animals from the first time she met her. Jones’ mother’s dog, Zoey, can be a bit tempered, yet Shears is able to calm her down enough to put her to sleep.
“Amy is a dog whisperer,” Jones said.
Jones’ dog was taken from her by an exhusband, so after having to go through nine months of attorneys and the police to get her back, she is cautious of who she takes her dog to.
“I knew there was no else I’d want to trust to take care of my baby,” she said.
Shear said she doesn’t want owners to be ashamed to bring their pets if the animals have difficulties or if the owner’s haven’t brushed them out in a while. Shears said poodles, for example, get matted easily, so sometimes owners are embarrassed to bring in their dogs.
Shears wants to help and do what is best for the pet. She also doesn’t mind letting an owner stay if they are worried about their furry friend.
“It means a lot to me because this is their baby, to leave them with a stranger can be nerve racking,” Shears said. “That’s really rewarding.”
In 2009, Shears started doing pet photography, and she opened Fur in Focus Portraits. She plans to combine this with Amy’s Pet Spa in the spring.
Currently, Shears’ packages at Amy’s Pet Spa are a bath, a bath and trim, a full groom, nails and shed less treatments. Each package differs in price based on the type and size of the animal. The packages range from $15 to $85.
According to Thumbtack, the average pet groomer costs between $60-$90 a session.
As a part of the bath package, Shears will brush,
Shears and Stewart are looking forward to having events where people from the community can bring their pets and learn tips to help them. Shears said they want to have a movie party where guests can bring their dogs, an Easter egg hunt and a “Howl-a-ween” event.
Amy’s Pet Spa and Sit-Stay-Play Pet Grooming will host a dual grand opening to celebrate their businesses March 4.
Contact Lila Fierek with comments at lkfierek@ bsu.edu.
Working with animals comes naturally. I was always that weird kid that was sitting over with the cat that doesn’t like anybody, but it was in my lap.”
- AMY SHEARS, Owner of Amy’s Pet Spa
“He doesn’t freak out with her, and I’ve never seen anyone be able to do that.”
- SOPHIE RICHAU, Customer at Amy’s Pet SpaAmy Shears, owner of Amy’s Pet Spa, gives a husky, Kane, a bath at her business Jan. 27. Shears offers grooming services to dogs, cats, birds and other small animals. JACY BRADLEY, DN Amy Shears, owner of Amy’s Pet Spa, secures her client’s dog, Kane, before giving him a bath at her business Jan. 27. JACY BRADLEY, DN
Editor’s Note: This story contains discussions of gun violence, domestic violence, mental health and suicide.
She looks into his eyes, then down the barrel of the gun.
She stutters through her tears as she tries to talk him down, terrified the slightest move will end her life.
That’s how I imagine my friend’s final moments.
Her laugh was contagious with a smile that lit up the room. When you were in a bad mood, she would make funny faces around silent peers just to lighten your spirits.
Meghan Sawitzke is a first-year journalism major and writes “Acts of Random Kindness” for The Daily News. Her views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper. First-year Meghan Sawitzke poses for a light painting portrait in the photojournalism studio Feb.1 in the Art and Journalism Building. AMBER PIETZ, DNShe was in love with drowning out the world around her with music, and she would share that peace with anyone willing to love her. Every time you passed her in school, she would have her earbuds in; but if you stopped to talk with her, she would offer you one to listen with her. This habit continued outside of school; she would even fall asleep listening to Juice Wrld.
Her hugs were warm and cozy, reminding you of a fire on a cold winter day. She loved her friends like family, leaving her vulnerable to the tragedy that awaited her.
She was a strong and confident young woman with a beautifully kind heart. It’s still hard to believe a simple piece of metal paired with evil took her from us.
Her name was Alyssa Pinardo. She was 18 and excited to go to Cuyahoga Community College to study computer science and technology before starting her own business. 11 days before graduating from Brunswick High School and 18 days before senior prom, her boyfriend, Logan Robertson, shot her in the head.
“I won’t be able to walk her down the aisle and give her off to someone that loved her,” Nick Pinardo, her father, said because he got a phone call every parent dreads…
“We lost our daughter today.”
As a journalist, I want to make a difference through stories that add value to the world. I do not want to write about my friend’s brutal murder to make a point, but I must.
Alyssa’s story is one of so many stories we increasingly hear. They shock and enrage us for a time, and then we fall into complacency without making change. Then, another shooting, and another and another — still no major change. Our government refuses to take action, so we must.
One of Alyssa’s closest friends was Tori Dexter, a survivor of domestic violence herself. She received a phone call from Nick around 5:30 a.m. saying she was gone.
“I didn’t want to believe it. I thought he was lying,” Dexter said. “All she wanted was to be loved and cared for. [Robertson] would constantly verbally abuse her, but that can be just as detrimental as physically… She always said she wanted to escape.”
Within 24 hours, the news was out and people gathered in support of each other.
On May 4, 2022, a candle lighting was held at her school parking spot where her family, friends, teachers and community came together to release purple and white balloons in remembrance.
Teachers and counselors came with boxes of tissues as tears fell from the eyes of those who attended. Some of her closest friends wore shirts saying, “Justice for Alyssa,” which continued as a hashtag on social media platforms.
According to Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, “Ohio has weak gun laws and a correspondingly high gun death rate. The state fails to require background checks on gun sales and has very weak protections for victims for [sic] domestic violence and violent hate crimes.”
Much like Indiana, Ohio is a free carry state, supporting other state laws by allowing the purchase and ownership of guns at the age of 18.
The United States has the highest ranking in civilians with guns in the household which directly correlates with the high number of homicides, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. Although this data was taken in 2017 and 2019, the results are astonishing. As gun laws continue to adjust in the U.S., the numbers presumably rise.
We trade the right to own guns for the reality that we shouldn’t walk alone at night. We carry pepper spray and equip our homes with alarms. We can’t honk without fear the driver may pull out a weapon, and we avoid heated discussions because we might anger someone.
Scientific research has proven that the young adolescent mind is not fully developed at the young age of 18, yet we still place guns in their hands with the assumption they won’t harm themselves or others. Furthermore, drinking and purchasing alcohol
Source: American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
from an abusive relationship.
Alyssa used to ride on the back of Nick’s bike when going on rides for the organization, so she received the name Orsetta, meaning little she-bear, from all of the BACA brothers and sisters.
Nick’s passion to help those in need started long before Alyssa’s passing; in fact, he was never aware of her situation until he found pamphlets, a break-up letter and a plan to escape in her book bag following her murder. He taught her how to defend herself whether the other person is armed or not, but Robertson never gave her the opportunity. Nick wants to be able to help others and teach them how to seek the assistance they need.
Source: Gun Violence Archive
under the age of 21 is perceived as unsafe, because it can cause “aggressive behavior, property damage, injuries, violence and death,” according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Society prohibits the purchase and consumption of alcohol, yet they allow minors to acquire a gun. Why is owning a gun any different than obtaining alcohol at such a young age if the outcomes are similar?
The interpretation of the Second Amendment evolves with our gun laws, which can lead people to perceive weapons are less harmful than an alcoholic beverage.
“A lot of people don’t understand that when this amendment was made, it was made so people could protect themselves from a tyrannical government. It was not made so that people could have arsenals,” David Knerem, history teacher at West High School in Columbus, Ohio, and mass gun violence survivor, said.
The Second Amendment has progressed with society’s new perspective; our right to bear arms is now perceived as our right to protect ourselves and our property from harm, rather than to overthrow a government that holds too much power.
The ability to own a gun seems to give minors a sense of control increasing the propensity for violence. Now, we sit and mourn the loss of a
Source: EveryTown
ALEX BRACKEN, DN DESIGN
loved one because an 18-year-old male legally had access to a gun, killing an innocent young woman who tried to escape.
Robertson abused his right of the Second Amendment by using it against a normal civilian simply because the government continues to allow this behavior with inadequate restrictions.
Alyssa’s family did everything they could to allow the Brunswick community to be part of the mourning process with them. This community support came in the form of a service, a vigil, painting her high school parking spot, signing her cap and gown and so much more.
Nick is part of the Ohio chapter of the international group Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA). They have established a strong foundation, and their mission is to help anyone who may be suffering
“Tell friends, don’t hold it in. You are not the only one going through this, and there are many, many others. There’s different ways to get help. So many people want to see you succeed and grow up,” he said.
Death is a natural part of the circle of life, but being murdered is not. It’s been over nine months since she passed, and I am still struggling to process it.
It’s emptiness. It’s feeling helpless. It’s loneliness. It’s fear. It’s a combination of emotions, to each extreme, colliding together in a swarm of consciousness.
We will never gain the ability to forget the feelings that accompany a tragedy, but we do have the ability to make a difference. We find strength in our moments of weakness, so we need to build a better foundation for our community, city, state and nation. We need to set an example of compassion, empathy and love rather than converting to hatred. We need to do something, and we need to do it now, before society bleeds out, before people keep dying in the hands of bloody murders. Inadequate gun laws and mental health should not be the cause of an innocent soul reliving their life before it all goes black nor an excuse for one’s evilly-driven actions.
Gun control has simply gone unchecked by the government and mental health has been dismissed by our society. It’s time to end the helpless feelings and descending hole of fear that surrounds our communities. We must not let violence destroy us. We must rise above and create a safe space to volunteer peace in the midst of war.
If you are a victim of domestic violence or know someone who is suffering, please reach out. The national domestic violence hotline is happy to help; all you have to do is call 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788.
Contact Meghan Sawitzke with comments at meghan.sawitzke@bsu.edu or on Twitter @ MSawitzke.wtvw
We lost our daughter today.”
- NICK PINARDO, Father of Alyssa Pinardo
They shock and enrage us for a time, and then we fall into complacency without making change.”
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“We are an elementary school that’s filled with amazing children who are so talented and so smart in ways that we can’t even imagine, and, unfortunately, that gets buried behind representation,” Eads said. “It’s hard to watch your kids go through that. I’m an adult, I can handle that … but these kids haven’t had their chances yet … that’s really hard. Perceptions and just terrible ideas are some of our biggest challenges, and the kids feel it.”
Eads said she went to a bachelorette party and a fellow teacher apologized to her once she found out she worked at South View. Once Eads said she loved her job, the teacher changed her tone. Eads said it’s important to be an advocate any way possible, to stand up for the school’s students and families.
“Our kids obviously face a lot of challenges, their families face a lot of challenges, but they are
Continued from Page 06
Dowling said during COVID-19 when the children weren’t in school, “DelCom” ran a similar program, offering free sack lunches Monday through Friday to help families out, for any child under the age of 18, no matter where they went to school.
Though meals aren’t automatically free for all students in the seven Delaware County public school corporations other than MCS, Christiana Mann, assistant lecturer of hospitality innovation and leadership at Ball State University, said at the start of every school year, all schools in Delaware County send out papers asking parents to fill out financial information to see if their family qualifies for free or discounted meals and/or textbooks.
According to PublicSchoolReview.com, approximately 42 percent of students in Indiana qualify for free meals. Mann used to hold an administrative role at MCS where she was volunteer coordinator at East Washington Academy and program coordinator at South View Elementary. In her time there, she felt the biggest issue with this system was that not many families replied to these forms being sent out, meaning there was nothing the school corporation could do.
“I think with any social issue with a population, it’s frustrating and disheartening, and it’s sad,” Mann said. “Because ultimately, it’s the child who suffers.”
Regardless of forms, Mann said she believes with the current economic state around the country, as well as meal and textbook fees, it’s hard on families to put children through school. With that, she feels continuing to provide free meals in all school corporations would be a massive help to more than just the families.
“This is hitting everybody, even those people who don’t qualify [for free meals] with food security and having consistent and nutritious means to have food,” Mann said. “It was much easier to
just be able to provide that to everyone … And I gotta believe the logistics of it for the cafeteria workers and the company managing it was much easier as well.”
According to the Indiana Department of Education, more than 40 public school corporations in Indiana offer completely free meals to all students. As a contrast, if the Dowlings are paying $27 per week and the Browns are paying $26 per week in DelCom Schools, just for lunch, this means on average, these families may be paying $179 per week to feed their families when factoring in the average $152 grocery bill, though Dowling said her family’s is normally around $300.
Dowling said she doesn’t feel much has changed since COVID-19 as far as the monetary side of things, and she is confident free meals for all students in all school corporations would benefit any family, regardless of income.
“I think free lunch and free breakfast should be [offered] forever,” Dowling said. “... I think with grocery prices being so high right now, and there’s still a lot of people who seem to be out of work or are making the same pay they were making before COVID[-19], I do think it would be really helpful.”
Contact Kyle Smedley with comments via email at kyle.smedley@bsu.edu or on Twitter @ KyleSmedley_.
Williams said perceptions can be a reality, but it depends on who has the lens.
“As long as [students] know that they are loved, then I think we’ve done our job,” Williams said. “It’s okay to make mistakes. You know, as long as we learn from those mistakes, and as long as we don’t repeat or duplicate those mistakes, then that’s just a part of life.”
Through their experiences of teaching, Maupin and Eads learned important lessons from their students. Eads said the students have taught her how to overcome really tough things and know not to do it on her own. In between tears and complaints about bad-quality tissues, the teachers said the kids have taught them about love.
“There is nothing like being frustrated or having a hard day and having literally almost all of your kids come up to you and surround you in love and hugs and words of affirmation,” Eads said. “They are such amazing little friends. You can have a moment when maybe you aren’t the nicest … and they still say, ‘Teacher, I love you.’”
“It sounds like some cheesy, education movie, but I’m serious. I have never been so loved in my entire life,” she said. “I can lose my temper and feel really frustrated with the kids, but I know that they are so forgiving and understanding … The lessons that life, I thought, had taught me, I didn’t learn anything until I came to South View.”
Contact Lila Fierek with comments at
I think, even for people who have good jobs and that can afford the lunches, it’s tough right now because of how expensive everything is … I think people are afraid to voice they’re still struggling,”
- ALYSSA DOWLING, Mother of two Delaware Community School Corporation students
To show them these different things like, ‘Hey, this is possible, this is a thing,’ It kind of opens their little world. They’re more considerate of other people and their situations.”Kindergarten teacher at South View Elementary Southview Elementary teacher Erin Eads poses for a portrait in her classroom Jan. 20. JACY BRADLEY, DN
KURT KRAUSS; SUDOKU BY MICHAEL MEPHAM
