April 13, 2023

Scholars Serving Time showcases artwork

By CARLY BAHR Staff Writer

Minnesota State University students are wrapping up their spring semester, including those who attend from behind bars.

MSU’s Scholars Serving

Time program allows incarcerated people in Minnesota the opportunity to earn an Associate of Arts Degree during their incarceration. Faculty instructors and two former students presented poems, essays and artwork created by the students on their behalf and spoke about the program’s significance.

Currently, only Associate Degrees are offered through this program. Program Coordinator Vicki Hunter does an information session for anyone in the facility who is interested in doing coursework during their sentence. Then they go through an application process to determine their skill level and whether they will be successful in college.

“They don’t have to have perfect grammar or anything like that. It’s more for us, we’re really looking at how excited they are about being in this program because we want people who are driven, highly motivated and ready for this experience,” Hunter said.

Former student Johnny McCallum, a transgender woman who served time in a male corrections facility, took a variety of courses during her time in the program from August 2021 through September 2022, including a Women’s Studies course with her fellow male inmates.

According to her, many inmates were resistant to the material at first but “came to understand that it wasn’t just about women’s issues” and it was “interesting seeing people develop and grow their own perspectives.”

McCallum said this and other sociology courses helped her understand her own gender.

“A lot of that was re-

Election results are in

Roiger and Mesta to be the 91st Student Government Leaders

By JULIA LIN Editor in Chief

Tuesday’s election results named Sierra Roiger president and David Mesta vice president of the 91st Student Government.

A neck and neck race for the leader position concluded as Roiger and Mesta who ran under Maverick United won with a majority of 53% over Destined Sehgbean and Ruth Asmamaw who ran with Representing Mavericks.

Soon-to-be president Roiger said during the campaign that it was important to meet the student body face to face.

“From like, 8:30 a.m. on I walked through every single academic building and Res Hall. Everywhere I was just nonstop. I actually tracked over 25,000 steps,” Roiger said. “We actually went out to where the students are instead of making them come to us.”

Mesta said speaking to various RSOs also helped.

“We met with the Hmong Association, LatinX, the Mav Machine, student ambassadors and Greek Life to really get the voice out,” Mesta said. “(On) election day we did tabeling and going around campus talking to students getting them to vote and hear about the referendum.”

This year’s voter turnout was almost double last year’s. Nearly 2,000 students voted for next year’s student leaders as well as passed a Student Activity Fee in-

crease of 8.96% and an Intercollegiate Athletics Fee of 8.79%.

This means the fee increases will go into effect next fall with an 84 cents increase per credit for the Student Activity Fee.

Ecstatic the elections are over, both leaders felt honored the student body chose them.

“It’s a sense of relief, mainly because I was looking at the referendums. The biggest thing for me was getting those refer-

endums passed to support the students,” Roiger said. “I’m just so excited, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity.”

Roiger and Mesta said they look forward to working with students next semester. They said they’ll support increased hours for the Maverick Food Pantry and take a stance against LockDown Browser and their required use of webcam access.

With over 10 senators from

the 90th Student Government transitioning to the 91st Student Government, their experience could be beneficial.

“We have a collective group of current student senators coming back and then also new senators that are going to bring a fresh perspective,” Mesta said. “Having a well-rounded group of students from every part of campus will help with our de-

Big Ideas Challenge brings out best in business

By EMMA JOHNSON News Director

Students applied the Minnesota State mission “Big Ideas. Real World Thinking” as six finalists took to the stage as a part of the Big Ideas Challenge Wednesday afternoon.

Administered through the College of Business, the Big Ideas Challenge is a competition where students and alumni within two years of graduating can submit their business ideas for projects, services or organizations. Over $18,000 was distributed to use as funds for their business.

The categories were split into food and agriculture, high-tech division and an open category for miscellaneous ideas. Students

were judged upon their business and marketing plan — which they submitted to the judges a week ahead of time — and how their pitch came across.

The winner was Zach Finholdt for Fin’s Finest Labs, an app for diagnosing disease in animals while assisting in finding solutions to treat them. With $8,000, Finholdt said he’s going to stow the money away for now.

“I want to see what happens and hopefully take the business around Owatonna,” Finholdt said.

Second place went to LouieLabs, a subscription box of STEM-based projects for those with visual impairments. Third place and the People’s Choice

Courtesy Sierra Roiger Election results are in announcing Sierra Roiger to be the president and David Mesta the vice president of the 91st Student Government. Their inauguration is to be held Wednesday in the CSU Ballroom at 5 p.m.

DYLAN ENGEL • The Reporter Zach Finholdt (left) accepts his first place prize in the Big Ideas Challenge from Dean Brenda Flannery for his business, Fin’s Finest Labs.

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ally helpful, to be able to get engaged in the discussion of gender identity and stuff inside the prison environment. Even though they really weren’t aware that I am transgender. So it was enlightening to engage in those conversations without having to expose myself,” McCallum said.

She and the prison staff kept her transgender identity from the other inmates due to safety concerns. McCallum plans to get a Ph.D in sociology to better advocate for incarcerated people and transgender issues, a path she said, had she not been incarcerated, she likely would not have chosen.

“Just because I wouldn’t have seen the need,” McCallum said. “Until you’re actually incarcerated, you don’t see how prevalent the oppression and division is in that environment, and experiencing that myself kind of gives me a lot of empathy for other people that

Lawmaker Pearson to return to House

By ADRIAN SAINZ The Associated Press

The second of two Black Democrats expelled from the Republican-led Tennessee House will return to the Legislature after a Memphis commission voted to reinstate him Wednesday, nearly a week after his banishment for supporting gun control protesters propelled him into the national spotlight.

are going through it.”

Carol Glasser, organizer of this showcase and other speeches in the Sociology Department’s Social Justice Lecture Series, teaches Animals and Society in the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Shakopee.

Although hers and other courses are MSU standard courses, this format requires restructuring as the students are not allowed the same access as on-campus students.

According to Glasser, her students cannot access the internet, including the library databases, and she must go through “a lengthy process of approval” with the facility to access certain resources.

She chooses to show documentaries on DVD rather than MSU’s Kanopy service, which also requires an approval process from film distributors and assistance from the library faculty.

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Hundreds of supporters marched Justin Pearson through Memphis to the Shelby County Board of Commissioners meeting, chanting and cheering, before entering the commission chambers, where officials quickly voted 7-0 to restore his position.

“The message for all the people in Nashville who decided to expel us: You can’t expel hope. You can’t expel justice,”

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award went to 2022 graduate Brady Barr for Allergy Aware, an app that allows users to preview menus and identify potential food-allergy issues.

Barr said he plans to use his $4,000 prize to begin working on the app and hire workers right away.

“We don’t know how to write it all down and keep track of everything, so we’re gonna pay someone to do that. We’ll probably try to get more funding and create the app,” Barr said.

Barr said his idea was in the making for two years before he decided to apply.

Pearson said at the meeting, his voice rising as he spoke. ”You can’t expel our voice. And you sure can’t expel our fight.”

“I’ve been a little shaky for the last three months but I’m glad to be done with the speech part and that I’ve won some money,” Barr said.

Director for the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Shane Bowyer said the Big Ideas Challenge has grown the past eight years, specifically in the high-tech division.

“Apps weren’t real big eight years ago and you saw a different type of entrepreneur. The technology is really playing a factor into a lot of these,” Bowyer said.

Bowyer said events like this are important to host at MSU because it helps with their funding and the skills needed to

pitch business plans.

“It shows all the other students in the audience that might someday say, ‘I want to be up there’ or ‘I can run a business five years from now’ or keep it in the back of their mind,” Bowyer said.

Barr said students should get involved with the Big Ideas Challenge because it allows students to put themselves out there.

“It just shows that people in the community want to give money to people that will go ahead and make businesses or have cool ideas,” Barr said. “It makes me think the people in the audience think there are good ideas to have.”

•

CARLY BAHR • The Reporter Scholars Serving Time students presented poems, artwork and essays on Tuesday and spoke about the program’s significance.

Pearson is expected to return to the Capitol on Thursday, when the House holds its next floor session.

CHRIS DAY • The Associated Press Justin Pearson celebrates with supporters after being reinstated to the Tennessee House of Representatives by the Shelby County Board of Commissioners building in Memphis, Tenn., on Wednesday, April 12.

Criminal probe focuses on school where boy shot teacher

By BEN FINLEY and DENISE LAVOIE The Associated Press

Prosecutors in the Virginia city where a 6-year-old shot his teacher in an elementary school classroom are investigating whether the “actions or omissions” of any school employees could lead to criminal charges, according to court documents released Tuesday.

Howard Gwynn, the commonwealth’s attorney in Newport News, filed a petition for a special grand jury to probe if any “security failures” contributed to the shooting at Richneck Elementary in January that seriously wounded teacher Abby Zwerner.

Gwynn wrote that an investigation could also lead to recommendations “in the hopes that such a situation never occurs again.”

Gwynn’s petition was released a day after his office charged the boy’s mother with felony child neglect and a misdemeanor count of endangering a child by reckless storage of a firearm.

The child used his mother’s 9mm handgun to shoot Zwerner. Police say the weapon was legally purchased.

Last week, Zwerner filed a $40 million lawsuit against the school system, accusing school

officials of gross negligence and of ignoring multiple warnings from teachers and other school employees that the boy had taken a gun to school on the day of the shooting.

Zwerner also alleges that school officials knew the boy “had a history of random vio-

lence” at school and at home, including that he “strangled and choked” his kindergarten teacher.

“Our lawsuit makes clear that we believe the school division violated state law, and we are pursuing this in civil court,” Diane Toscano, an attorney for

Zwerner, said Monday.

The prosecutor’s decision to investigate school employees for any criminal activity is the latest fallout from the shooting, which sent shockwaves through Newport News, a shipbuilding city of about 185,000 people near the Chesapeake Bay.

Days after the shooting, school officials revealed that Richneck administrators suspected the child may have had a weapon, but they didn’t find it despite searching his backpack.

Parents and teachers lambasted administrators, saying students who assault classmates and staff rarely face consequences, and that Zwerner’s shooting could have been prevented if not for a toxic environment in which teachers’ concerns are ignored.

It is not the first school shooting to spark a criminal investigation into school officials, although they are quite rare, experts said. Civil suits are far more common, but have varying degrees of success.

For instance, authorities in Florida accused a former school resource officer of hiding during the Parkland school massacre in 2018. Scot Peterson was charged with n egligence for not entering the building during the rampage that left 17 people dead. Peterson has said he did the best he could; his trial is scheduled to start next month.

In 2021, the families of the people killed in Parkland, most of the wounded and others reached a $25 million settlement with the Broward County school district in a negligence lawsuit.

BILLY SCHUERMAN • The Associated Press

A Virginia teacher who was shot and seriously wounded by her 6-year-old student filed a lawsuit Monday, April 3, 2023, seeking $40 million in damages from school officials , accusing them of gross negligence.

US names veterinary drug, fentanyl mixture ‘emerging threat’

Juul Labs agrees to pay $462M settlement

By KAREN MATTHEWS The Associated Press

Embattled electronic cigarette-maker Juul Labs Inc. will pay $462 million to six states and the District of Columbia, marking the largest settlement the company has reached so far for its role in the youth vaping surge, New York Attorney General Letitia James said Wednesday.

The agreement with New York, California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Mexico and Washington, D.C. marks the latest in a string of recent legal settlements Juul has reached across the country with cities and states.

By GEOFF MULVIHILL

The Associated Press

The U.S. has named a veterinary tranquilizer as an “emerging threat” when it’s mixed with the powerful opioid fentanyl, clearing the way for more efforts to stop the spread of xylazine.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy announced the designation Wednesday, the first time the office has used it since the category for fast-growing drug dangers was created in 2019.

Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of the drug policy office, said xylazine (pronounced ZAI’luh-zeen) has become increasingly common in all regions of the country.

It was detected in about 800

drug deaths in the U.S. in 2020 — most of them in the Northeast. By 2021, it was present in more than 3,000 fatalities — with the most in the South — according to a report last year from the Drug Enforcement Administration.

“We cannot ignore what we’re seeing,” Gupta said. “We must act and act now.”

Xylazine was approved for veterinary use in 1971. Sometimes known as “tranq,” it’s been showing up in supplies of illicit drugs used by humans in major quantities in only the last several years.

It’s believed to be added to other drugs to increase profits. Officials are trying to understand how much of it is diverted from veterinary uses and how much is made illicitly.

The vaping company, which has laid off hundreds of employees, will pay $7.9 million to settle a lawsuit alleging the company violated the state’s Consumer Credit and Protection Act by marketing its products to underage users, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced Monday.

Last month, the company paid Chicago $23.8 million to settle a lawsuit.

Minnesota’s case against Juul went to trial last month with the state’s Attorney General Keith Ellison asserting that the company “baited, deceived and addicted a whole new generation of kids after Minnesotans slashed youth smoking rates down to the lowest level in a generation.”

Like some other settlements reached by Juul, this latest agreement includes various restrictions on the marketing, sale and distribution of the company’s vaping products.

For example, it is barred from any direct or indirect marketing that targets youth, which includes anyone under age 35. Juul is also required to limit the amount of purchases customers can make in retail stores and online.

“Juul lit a nationwide public health crisis by putting addictive products in the hands of minors and convincing them that it’s harmless,” James said in a statement. “Today they are paying the price for the harm they caused.”

James said the $112.7 million due to New York will pay for underage smoking abatement programs across the state.

District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb said in a statement that Juul “knew how addictive and dangerous its products were and actively tried to cover up that medical truth.”

A spokesperson for the

Washington D.C.-based Juul said that with Wednesday’s settlement, “we are nearing total resolution of the company’s historical legal challenges and securing certainty for our future.”

The spokesperson added that underage use of Juul products has declined by 95% since 2019 based on the National Youth Tobacco Survey.

According to the CDC though, since surveys were administered online instead of on school campuses during the pandemic, the results cannot be compared to prior years.

In September, Juul agreed to pay nearly $440 million over a period of six to 10 years to settle a two-year investigation by 33 states into the marketing of its high-nicotine vaping products to young people.

That settlement amounted to about 25% of Juul’s U.S. sales of $1.9 billion in 2021.

ALEX BRANDON • The Associated Press

Dr. Rahul Gupta, the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy named a veterinary tranquilizer as an “threat.”

BRITTAINY NEWMAN • The Associated Press New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks about how electronic cigarette-maker Juul Labs Inc. will pay $462-million to six states.

Small business owners feel the credit crunch

By MAE ANDERSON and ANNE D’INNOCENNZIO The Associated Press

When Nat West, owner of cider-making company Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider, decided to supplement his wholesale business by opening a taproom in a bustling neighborhood in Portland, Oregon, he thought getting financing would be a breeze.

After all, he was only seeking $50,000, has been in business for 11 years, and takes in more than $1 million in annual revenue.

In February and March, West reached out to three lenders he had previously gotten financing from, including one where he has an existing line of credit. To his surprise, he was rejected.

“I feel like it’s really weird, it’s such a small amount of money for a business that has so much ongoing, sustained revenue and has been in the same community for a long time,” he said.

West isn’t alone. Borrowing for small businesses was already constrained due to rising interest rates. Following the recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, some lenders – particularly the small and midsize banks that serve small businesses -- may be forced to tighten credit further, since

they’re seeing an outflow of deposits, which means they need to retain capital. And banks are being more cautious in general due to uncertainty about the economy.

“It’s hard to read how severe this is going to be, but it’s cer-

tainly going to be significant and when you look at how things play out, small businesses are hit the hardest,” said Ray Keating, chief economist for the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council.

According to the latest Biz-

• DSS's primary role is to provide the appropriate supports tailored to the needs and desires of each individual. Staff will work with individuals with special needs. Cares can include finances, cooking, cleaning, shopping, transportation, medication administration, etc.

• Candidates must be 18 years of age, have valid driver's license, and pass a DHS background study.

2Credit Small Business Lending Index released in February, the approval rates of small business loan requests at big banks have fallen for nine consecutive months. The larger banks approved just 14.2% of applications in February, down from

28.3% in February 2020. Small banks granted about 20% of loan applications this February, but they were approving about half of all requests back in early 2020, before the pandemic hit.

An overall tightening of credit will help slow down the economy and ease inflation, which is what the Federal Reserve hopes to achieve by hiking interest rates, said Rohit Arora, CEO and co-founder of Biz2Credit. But that means that small businesses -- a big job creator and source of innovation for the economy -- will be left in the lurch.

“It will be the small companies that suffer the most if this continues,” he said.

Basic Fun, a Boca Raton, Florida-based maker of such toys as Care Bears and Lincoln Logs, had to temporarily scuttle plans for an acquisition due to the crunch. CEO Jay Foreman said he was ready to go with non-binding agreements with 12 of the prospective 23 lenders lined up in late February and early March. But that number shrank to two after Silicon Valley Bank failed and triggered the recent banking turmoil.

“It’s just not the right timing now as lenders appear unclear about the broader credit markets and seem to be clutching the purse strings tightly at this point,” Foreman said.

MARTA LAVANDIER • The Associated Press

Jay Foreman, CEO of Basic Fun!, stands inside his toy company, Thursday, April 6, 2023, in Boca Raton, Fla. Foreman had to temporarily scuttle plans for an acquisition due to the credit crunch.

Making the most of warmer weather

Julia Lin Editor In Chief Emma Johnson News Director Joey Erickson Variety Editor

Alicia Reed Sports Editor Dylan Engel Photo Editor

Seasonal Happiness

During spring break last week, Minnesota State University, Ma Minnesota natives know the highs and lows of the spring season.

In the land of 10,000 lakes, shoveling your driveway from the blizzard on Sunday is not uncommon, then laying out at the beach on Thursday. Like many northern states, the brutal six-month-long winters can take a toll on you and your mental health.

The minimal hours of sunlight between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and the blue-toned filter cast almost everywhere can surely start bringing your spirits down after the first couple of months.

However, as the sun has started to shine more and the grass peaking through, it is finally starting to feel like spring.

Although Minnesota’s spring is as indecisive as a kid in a candy shop, you can’t help but appreciate the four seasons.

Remembering to take a break once in a while and enjoy the outdoors is a luxury that we as students often times take for granted. Being able to walk out of your apartment and not being knee-deep in a pile of slush is something we regularly forget about.

Walking outside is a great tool to grab a whiff of fresh air and clear your mind. It is scientifically proven that exercise mixed with nature is a recipe for happiness and the release of endorphins.

Especially when you pair that with being able to socialize with your friends, it is hard to be sad when you are surrounded by so much light and warmth.

Spring is also a time that symbolizes new beginnings. Not only with mother nature but with graduation just around the corner. Nationwide many students are gearing up to walk across that stage and receive their diplomas.

This time of year many students start to see the light at the end of the tunnel of their academic career.

We as students have so much to look forward to as this week marks week 14 of the spring semester.

Although this is a crazy time as students are starting to wave goodbye to their time at college, we cannot forget that many of us still have to focus on our academics and graduate in order to move on to the plans we have made.

Springtime is a time when we can embrace new adventures and say goodbye to the cold winter. So go on a hike with a friend, go hammocking between some trees and enjoy an ice cream cone outside.

We as students should take advantage of this weather because guess what? It is supposed to snow on Sunday.

Pulse

By ANDREA SCHOENECKER Staff Writer

These past few weeks in Laramie have been filled with nicer weather and I have been soaking up every moment in many ways, some as simple as enjoying my walks to class without a jacket, or reading in parks. The spring sun always feels refreshing. Although there have been scattered snow storms, the weather has stayed consistently warmer.

I am quite excited for this change in weather. When I arrived in January, it had been cold — but it was not as snow covered as Minnesota. As the semester progressed, the weather got harsher, filling the rolling hills and mountain tops with snow, creating a beautiful winter wonderland.

I enjoyed a few winter hikes and trips over the mountains to explore Fort Collins, Colorado, where the weather is usually warmer. But I am very excited to have the opportunity to start exploring more of the areas a bit closer to Laramie.

There is a recreational area called Vedauwoo where there are some gorgeous trails, but due to the weather I haven’t been able to explore it. With the change in temperature, I think it will make a wonderful Saturday activity.

I am also excited to see the rolling prairie land surrounding the area. I love the landscape; seeing it in full bloom before I leave would be a dream come true.

Unfortunately, I have yet to make it to some of the national parks that I would like to see. I am hoping to find a

sliver of time to make it to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. Although I am not sure I will quite make it to the western part of the state. I am planning, however, to drive up to Devil’s Tower and pass through the Black Hills on my long drive back home at semester’s end.

I am sad to know that I am leaving this beautiful state in just a little over a month. I have found myself quite at peace. The mountains are calming.

There is a part of me that wishes I could stay a bit longer, and I have a feeling that this is somewhere I will keep close to my heart and visit later on in life.

One thing I know is I will take in every last moment here, fill my weekends with fun activities and explore as much as I can.

“What would you invent?”

BRETT MORAN, JUNIOR

“A teleporter because traveling anywhere unrestricted sounds sweet.”

JULIA S. STEVENS, FRESHMAN

“Sonar equipment to map the ocean’s depths and find the unknown creatures.”

MAX MCMANON, SOPHOMORE

“A regenerating pen/pencil to save the planet one writing utensil at a time.”

JAEGWANG LEE, JUNIOR

“A time machine that goes back in the past to relive my past memories.”

HANNA RISSMAN, SOPHOMORE

“A machine to deep clean fruits and veggies to get rid of microscopic bugs.”

STELLA NEOPHYTOU, SOPHOMORE

“A teleport machine so I could skip the long flights home as an international student.”

Courtesy Andrea Schoenecker

I have been enjoying the warmer weather in many ways, but my favorite so far has been reading outside.

Editorials represent the opinions of The Reporter editorial board. The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of the college, university or student body.

EPA pollution limits aim to boost US electric vehicle sales

Industrial fire prompts evacuation order in Indiana city

By MATTHEW DALY and TOM KRISHER The Associated Press

The Biden administration is proposing strict new automobile pollution limits that would require as many as two-thirds of new vehicles sold in the U.S. to be electric by 2032, a nearly tenfold increase over current electric vehicle sales.

The proposed regulation, announced Wednesday by the Environmental Protection

“It’s frustrating in a sense, but everyone in the program is very dedicated to making sure the educational experience is the same, that the students will have the exact same degree with the same amount of rigor,” Glasser said. “You can teach the same class online as in person, and you might teach it differently to students in that way. It’s interesting pedagogically to put something together, but one of the things that makes it not frustrating is that the students are more interested in being students as a whole than your average person on campus.”

Glasser said part of this is because incarcerated students do not have other obligations to distract them from doing their work or completing readings before class.

Glasser read an essay written by her student, Amanda Peltier, titled “Caged: Taking Animals and Society While Incarcerated,” in which she said, “Had I taken this class outside of this setting, having not had the experience of imprisonment, I wouldn’t have the power to reach the depth of empathy that I currently have for non-human animals.”

Agency, would set tailpipe emissions limits for the 2027 through 2032 model years that are the strictest ever imposed — and call for far more new EV sales than the auto industry agreed to less than two years ago.

If finalized next year as expected, the plan would represent the strongest push yet toward a once almost unthinkable shift from gasoline-powered cars and trucks to battery-powered vehicles.

Sociology doctoral student Justice Greene said she would “love to” teach in a program like this.

“I think that it’s incredible. I think it’s really beneficial to students in this setting.”

None of the current students from the Scholars Serving Time program could come to campus to present their own work because Minnesota correctional facilities only allow inmates to leave for court dates.

Hunter said the Department of Corrections “kind of laughed at us” for the idea of allowing their graduating students to attend commencement under officer supervision, as some other states allow.

“Incarcerated people can’t even go out for funerals, even if it’s a child or a parent, they won’t let them out,” Hunter said. “I think what might be possible at some point would be maybe to have them read their poetry and be recorded, like a video or audio recording, but that’s probably as good as it’s going to get, at least for now.”

According to McCallum, the biggest challenges after being released from prison are finding employment and housing.

Q. What is the EPA proposing?

A, The proposed tailpipe pollution limits don’t require a specific number of electric vehicles to be sold every year, but instead they mandate limits on greenhouse gas emissions. Depending on how automakers comply, the EPA projects that at least 60% of new passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. would be electric by 2030 and up to 67% by 2032.

“You can apply anywhere you want, and you don’t have to check the box anymore if you’re a felon, but places still do background checks and have requirements,” McCallum said. “I think it’s an important thing for people to realize that if you don’t inform yourself on your laws and the justice system, you’re endangering yourself to become a victim of it.”

Glasser prefaced the “Caged” essay with a message to on-campus students:

“If you are a student right now, be really happy that you can go to a library. Be really happy that you can access the internet. Be really happy that you can go to a tutoring center,” Glasser said. “Be really happy that you can meet with other students in the class to work on your classes, because students who are incarcerated do not get all of those benefits so they really are working twice as hard sometimes to get the same education. They have the same access to professors, but they don’t have access to all those other resources that you all have.”

Those who wish to donate to the program can do so through the College of Humanities and Social Sciences website.

Authorities urged people to evacuate Tuesday near a large industrial fire in an Indiana city near the Ohio border that sent massive clouds of black smoke into the sky. The fire occurred at a former factory site in Richmond, 70 miles (112.6 kilometers) east of Indianapolis, that lately had been used to store plastics and other materials for recycling or resale, Mayor Dave Snow said.

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cision-making and a lot of our input that will be beneficial to the Senate next year.”

Both Roiger and Mesta served as senators this year.

“They were under a city order to clean up and remediate that site,” Snow told The Associated Press. “We knew that was a fire hazard the way they were storing materials.”

Snow described it as a “serious, large-scale fire” that apparently started in a tractor-trailer parked onsite and spread quickly. He said the fire had been contained on three sides by early evening. The cause was not immediately known.

They will be inaugurated at 5 p.m. Wednesday in the Centennial Student Union Ballroom. The position for speaker opens April 26 and is open to any student.

PAUL SANCYA • The Associated Press

ZACH PIATT • The Associated Press

The Biden administration is proposing strict new automobile pollution limits that would require as many as two-thirds of new vehicles sold in the U.S. to be electric by 2032.

Smoke rises from an industrial fire, Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at 358 NW F Street, in Richmond, Ind. which prompted an evacuation.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Cheaper gas and food provide inflation relief

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER The Associated Press

U.S. consumer inflation eased in March, with less expensive gas and food providing some relief to households that have struggled under the weight of surging prices.

Yet prices are still rising fast enough to keep the Federal Reserve on track to raise interest rates at least once more, beginning in May.

The government said Wednesday that consumer prices rose just 0.1% from February to March, down from 0.4% from January to February and the smallest increase since December.

Measured from a year earlier, prices were up just 5% in March, down sharply from February’s 6% year-over-year increase and the mildest such rise in nearly two years.

Much of the drop resulted from price declines for such goods as gas, used cars and furniture, which had soared a year ago after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Excluding volatile food and energy costs, though, so-called core inflation is still stubbornly high. Core prices rose 0.4% from February to March and 5.6% from a year earlier.

The Fed and many private economists regard core prices as

a better measure of underlying inflation. The year-over-year figure edged up for the first time in six months.

As goods prices have risen more slowly, helping cool inflation, costs in the nation’s services sector — everything from rents and restaurant meals to

haircuts and auto insurance — have jumped, keeping core prices elevated.

“It’s comforting that headline inflation is coming down, but the inflation story has had some shifts under the hood in the last couple of years,” said Sonia Meskin, head of U.S. econom-

ics at BNY Mellon’s investment division. “Overall inflation still remains much too strong.”

Even so, the March data offered some signs that suggest inflation is slowly but steadily headed lower.

Rental costs, which have

been one of the main drivers of core inflation, rose at the slowest pace in a year. And grocery prices fell for the first time in 2 1/2 years.

Grocery prices dropped 0.3% from February to March. The cost of beef fell 0.3%, milk 1% and fresh fruits and vegetables 1.3%.

Egg prices, which had soared after an outbreak of avian flu, plunged nearly 11% just in March, though they remain 36% more expensive than a year ago.

Despite last month’s decline, food costs are still up more than 8% in the past year. And restaurant prices, up 0.6% from February to March, have risen nearly 9% from a year ago.

Paul Saginaw, who owns Saginaw’s deli in Las Vegas, said nearly all the costs of a Reuben sandwich — his most popular — including corned beef, cheese and bread, have soared.

He charges 10% more for a Reuben than he did 2 1/2 years ago, although he said “our costs have gone up a lot more” than that.

Saginaw is also paying more for paper goods and packaging, just as takeout and delivery orders have become a much bigger part of his business.

One clamshell-style food container has jumped from 43 cents apiece to 98 cents.

NAM Y. HUH • The Associated Press

A man looks at his mobile phone while shopping at a grocery store in Buffalo Grove, Ill., Sunday, March 19, 2023.

On Wednesday, the Labor Department reports on U.S. consumer prices for March.

Mavs men’s lacrosse looking like a boss

By ALI REED Sports Editor

At a school like Minnesota State where the primary athletic focus is on hockey and football, what many don’t realize is that there are many successful club sports on campus.

MSU’s Men’s Lacrosse team has been around for many years and this year, they are currently undefeated in their spring season. However, this is not a well-known fact due to the lack of publicity the team receives.

Maverick lacrosse is run differently than most sports here, being that they are an entirely student run Recognized Student Organization (RSO). Unfortunately, this means they aren’t awarded with the same luxuries as other teams at Minnesota State.

“We play against teams that have coaches, but we don’t have a coach, we’re player led,” said team captain Jack Mullivain. “We practice two nights a week from 9:45 to 11:45 p.m. in the dome. So, it’s kind of like we get the scrap hours of the dome, and we don’t get much backing from the school.”

Lacrosse has two seasons every year, one in the fall and one in the spring. At the end of each season, the team participates in a tournament hosted by the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

“In the fall, we do practices outside and then we have a tournament in Madison,” said Mullivain. “For our spring season, we do regular season games. We have about five weekends of games, two games per Saturday. After that, we go back to Madison and that’s like our national tournament.”

During the regular season, the Mavs play a variety of different club-size teams. Some of these teams include Michigan State, Iowa University and the University of Wisconsin, River Falls.

Being a part of the MSU lacrosse team is more than just playing lacrosse. There are a number of benefits that go along with joining an on-campus club.

“The best part has to be just hanging out with the boys; they’re fun guys,” said Mulli-

vain. “It’s not just kids who are trying to win a national championship. It’s kids who are looking to come and have fun. We hang out outside of practice, so really, the fun stuff is before games and between games.”

The club is very inclusive, as they will put almost anyone on the team that is dedicated

and will show up. They do host tryouts every year, but it’s more of a formality.

Practicing with the team is free and anyone is welcome. However, participating in the games does come with some equipment and funding fees.

With only two regular season games

left, the Mavs are looking to end it all with an undefeated record. Although, most of their minds are focused on the upcoming UW-Madison tournament next weekend.

“We are ready for Madison,” said Mullivain. “We’re looking forward to playing some real competition.”

Women’s tennis regular season coming to an end

By HAYDEN LEE Staff Writer

Although it is heating up in Minnesota recently, the Minnesota State Women’s Tennis team played in a make-up match Tuesday that was canceled due to a snowstorm.

Their matchup with St. Cloud State was originally scheduled to be played on March 31. But, of course, the winter in Minnesota is never-ending, and the game was postponed until Tuesday afternoon.

The Huskies proved to be no match for a dominant Mavs team who picked up their fourth complete sweep of the season, 7-0. With their ninth consecutive win, the Mavs moved to 11-1 on the season and sit comfortably at the no. 2 seed in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

“It was a great match. On the whole, they played at a consistently strong level from beginning to end. That’s important,” said Mavs Head Coach Jeff Thomae.

Consistency has been the key for the Mavs this season, especially when it comes to winning the doubles point. MSU has secured the first point of the match in all of their previous 11 games, and have only dropped two

total sets while doing so. That did not change Tuesday.

Senior Lois Page and sophomore Avery Stilwell kicked it off like usual, winning their no. 1 match 6-1. Senior Chiara Carnuletti and sophomore Freia Lawrence followed suit, winning the no. 2 match 6-1, as well. To finish off the doubles round of action, freshman McKenna DeMarce and sophomore Elizabeth Felderman secured yet another 6-1 win in the no. 3 match.

First point: Mavs. They kept their momentum going into the singles matches, sweeping the Huskies to take home the 7-0 victory.

The Mavs won all of their singles matches in two games, beginning with Page. She took the no. 1 singles match easily, 6-0 and 6-1. Lawrence did the same in the no. 2 singles, winning 6-0 and 6-1 in her own right. Carnelutti handled the no. 3 match, winning 6-1 and 6-1. Stilwell played her first set relatively close in the no. 4 match, 6-4, but cruised to a 6-1 victory in her second set. DeMarce handled the no. 5 match and had the only true nailbiter of the night in her first set, winning 7-5. But she got back on track in her second

LILLY ANDERSON • The Reporter

Minnesota State’s Men’s Lacrosse team is currently 6-0 on the season with two regular season games left. Next weekend they head to Madison, Wisconsin for their Nationals tournament.

Courtesy MSU Athletics

Minnesota State’s Tennis team picks up their fourth sweep of the season after dominating a makeup match agaisnt St. Cloud State Tuesday. TENNIS on page 10 u

Mavs hit fourth sweep after Gusties upset

OPINION: What is happening

to the Wolves?

By CHARLIE GROEBNER Staff Writer

A wise man once said: Streaks are always meant to be broken, no matter how long they might extend. One of Minnesota State Baseball’s longest streaks has finally been broken during its current home stretch.

Last Monday, the Mavs traveled up the freeway to St. Peter and lost 11-7 against Gustavus Adolphus College, making it the first time the Gusties have beaten them on the diamond since 1986 — a 37-year.

Entering the evening affair, the Mavs started with a home run from Jackson Hauge in the fourth.

However, things quickly turned sour for the Mavs with four runs scored by the Gusties to give them a 4-1 lead. Matthew Fleischhacker notched an RBI double to cut the lead in half but it was followed by four more runs to

set, winning convincingly, 6-0. Felderman then won the Mavs their seventh and final point of the day in the no. 6 singles, winning 6-0 and 6-4.

In a match that did not count for a point, sophomore Brynn Psooy took on Olivia Fredrickson of the Huskies and won 4-1 and 4-2.

“Even in the matches with slower starts, they dug deep, found a way to turn things around, and

make it an 11-2 ball game.

With only two innings left, the Mavs went on a tear with two RBI doubles from Ryan Bachman and Mike Gottschalk, two RBI singles from Tanner Thompson and Louis Magers, and a forced error allowing Hauge to score. However, it wasn’t enough as they lost 11-7, breaking the streak.

However, there’s no rest for the defending champs as they turned around for a Wednesday double header against Upper Iowa.

In the blazing heat, the Mavs took out the brooms and swept them in the process.

Entering game one, the Mavs struggled after two RBI singles gave the Peacocks a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. However, the Mavs then took control after they responded with a Jackson Hauge double and Adam Schneider single tied the game in the first.

After dueling for hours in the

then never looked back,” said Thomae. “With the Conference Tournament in less than two weeks, this is the kind of performance we need.”

Following their win Tuesday, the Mavs have two more matches to look forward to this weekend. The first will be a matchup with the 2-13 Bemidji State Beavers. Despite their record this year, the Beavers have had the Mavs’ number in four of the last five years, with the Mavs only victory com-

scorching heat, the Mavs took control in the sixth. Aiden Byrne sent a sacrifice fly to right that allowed Mikey Gottschalk to score.

An error allowed Hunter Ranweiler to score and be followed by an RBI single from Brock Johnson, giving the Mavs a 5-2 victory to conclude the first game of the series.

Following a small break, both sides took the field for game two. This time around it was a lower-scoring affair. The Mavs got on the board in the fourth after Hunter Ranweilier drew a walk with the bases loaded. A fly out the next inning allowed Jackson Hauge to score on an unearned run.

From there on, the Mavs put the Peacocks in an iron grip until the seventh inning. An RBI single allowed the Peacocks to score but they fell short in a 2-1 loss, giving the Mavs sweep number four of the season and are back into the win column.

ing in a 5-2 victory a season ago.

To conclude the regular season, the Mavs will take on the 7-8 University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles. In the 13 years that the two teams have faced off, the Mavs have swept the Golden Eagles 11 times, with the other two matchups being 8-1 wins.

Both matches will be played in Bemidji, with Friday’s clash starting at 5 p.m. and Saturday’s duel beginning at 11 a.m.

By LUKE JACKSON Staff Writer

The Timberwolves couldn’t outlast LeBron and the Lakers in the Play-In Tournament Tuesday. They took the one and only loss they can afford, unless they want their season to be over. Which is sort of how it feels after Sunday’s drama.

Sunday’s game versus the Pelicans resulted in Rudy Gobert punching his teammate Kyle Anderson in the face mid-game during a timeout huddle, Jaden McDaniels punching a wall for some idiotic reason, resulting in a shattered hand and somehow, someway, a win for the Wolves.

This capped off the 2022-23 regular season play and brought the Wolves into the Play-In Tournament where they were faced with the task of playing LeBron

This is where the downfall continued. The Timberwolves were up for the majority of the game, then fell flat-footed when Karl-Anthony Towns got into foul trouble as he infamously seems to always do.

He had five fouls and had to ride the bench for a while. In turn, in true Minnesota sports fashion, they didn’t rally, they didn’t bring each other up with the loss of Towns and they didn’t do anything. Literally, didn’t do a thing. They froze.

The Wolves went scoreless for six straight minutes in the fourth quarter which allowed the Lakers to come back. Minnesota shot and missed on 11 straight shots which gave the Lakers the opportunity to tie the game. Which

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DYLAN ENGEL • The Reporter

James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers.

MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ • The Associated Press

Minnesota State’s Baseball team sweeps the Upper Iowa Peacocks Wednesday in a double header, placing them back into the win column after a shocking loss to Gustavus.

Anthony Davis is defended by Karl-Anthony Towns during the first half of an NBA basketball play-in tournament game.

TENNIS from page 9

TWOLVES on page 12 u

Women’s golf can’t wait ‘fore’ Wayne State

OPINION: Hawks fly high in the Heat of Miami

By HAYDEN LEE Staff Writer

They. Will. Not. Be. Denied. The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Miami Heat 115-106 on the road Tuesday night.

Even though they won, Trae Young and the boys are breaking my heart. Let’s talk about the game first before I cry writing the rest of it.

Jimmy Butler guaranteed a win on the night, but just like the 2020 NBA Finals, he just couldn’t finish the job. Charles Barkley told Shaq that he would give him $1 billion if the Hawks beat the Heat. All 17 ESPN “experts” predicted that the Heat would claim the no. 7 seed in the East. But you know who didn’t listen?

The Hawks.

The boys from the A came out hot, getting out to an early 36-27 lead after one quarter of play. Trae Young and Wilt Chamberlain’s cousin, Clint Capela, led the way for the Hawks. Young had five points and five assists, and Capela had five rebounds. Although scoring ten points, Jimmy Butler started out rough. Shooting threeof-nine from the field and turning the ball over twice, Butler was showing signs of things to come.

push his point total to 19. Meanwhile Butler’s struggles continued as he only scored one point in the second quarter.

The Heat’s inability to get things going was truly the story of the game, but the Hawks’ bench made a strong case to be the talking point. Saddiq Bey, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Onyeka Okongwu and Jalen Johnson all put together a strong first half, combining for 35 of the Hawks’ 65 points.

before rushing to the Iyaz concert in the CSU Ballroom. I also wrote a story on that one, you should check it out. Haha.

By MOHAMED WARSAME Staff Writer

The Minnesota State Women’s Golf team is back on the green Monday and Tuesday for the Wayne State Invitational. The Mavericks head to Wayne, Nebraska for their third competition in as many weeks.

Last time out, the Mavs competed in the 2023 NSIC Preview where they finished in fourth place with a total team score of 652. The winner of the six-team event was Missouri Western State, with a team score of 623. The Griffons were 19 strokes ahead of second-place Concordia University, St. Paul, which shot a 642.

In preparation for the upcoming invite, the team is looking to take advantage of the balmy Minnesota weather.

“Starting tomorrow we’ll be able to get outside,” head coach Alex Schmitz said. “In the facility they’ve been working on their putting, but short game is still a little bit tougher inside.”

Schmitz said he considered using outdoor fields to work on chipping, but it was still a little bit wet at the end of last week, so that work will get pushed to later in the week.

The team will have four days of moving up and down the greens before setting foot in Nebraska Sunday. Schmitz said he hopes this will be a ticket for his players to stay consistent.

Schmitz said that, while the team will play practice rounds, those rounds won’t necessarily predict how well they’ll play in actual tournaments.

“I’ve played in a lot of tournaments,” he said, “big tournaments and practice rounds, where just because you had a bad practice round, that doesn’t dictate you’re going to play bad during your

tournament, or you’re going to have a really good practice round doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to play a really good tournament.”

Coming off a preview where the team got hit between the eyes with the reality that conditions may not always be favorable, Schmitz said he wants his squad to give themselves as many different looks as they can during the practice round.

“In the practice rounds, instead of going out and playing the hole as it is, dropping a couple extra balls around the greens and throwing a couple balls in the bunkers, hitting a different shot off the tee box than you normally would, hit a normal one, but also maybe hit a three wood, hit a different iron off the tee. Just give yourself different looks on the golf course to be more versatile,” Schmitz said.

The Mavs will lean on the team’s experienced leaders for some knowledge of the course as four of the six women have competed at the Wayne Country Club before.

“It’s really cool when you have the seniors or the upperclassmen that we have, that have played at all these courses,” he said. “They can always talk to the freshman or the gals that haven’t played there before and just get to a point where it’s like, ‘Hey, this hole sets up like this,’ ‘Last year we did this, it worked really well,’ or ‘Last year our coach told us to do this, it was not good.’”

The team will look to take the momentum from the first day of the preview into the Wayne State invite and continue the good habits they built there like not forcing birdies or pars. Staying patient and not forcing things are two points of emphasis for the Mavs as they head into this competition.

Meanwhile, I was restfully sleeping in my bed, by accident, due to chronic sleep loss and lack of love from my parents.

Just kidding mom and dad, I love you guys.

The second quarter saw the Hawks build a wall around their lead, pushing it to double digits with a score of 65-50. This is where the best point guard in the game made his presence felt. Kyle… Lowry? Lowry, who had seven points in the first quarter, scored 12 more in the second quarter to

This is when I woke up. I was very happy to find out that the Hawks were doing exactly what I said they would, but pissed because I missed it.

The third quarter saw the Heat go on a 16-6 run in the first few minutes, but the Hawks were able to pick it up and rebuild the lead. By the end of the quarter, you would have had no idea that the Heat even made a comeback if you didn’t watch.

Which I didn’t either. Does that make me a fake fan? I was scrambling to pick up the pieces

ANYWAYS. And yes, it’s anyways, I don’t want to hear it Ali. If you edit this out I will quit my job and not write any SportsZone stories. ANYWAYS, all the Hawks had to do was waste time in the fourth quarter, which they did. Every time Miami seemed to have something going, the Hawks had an answer. With the final score of 115-106, “my” Atlanta hawks secured the seven seed and the rights to get their asses handed to them by the Boston Celtics. Great. Whatever, I will cross that bridge when it comes time. But despite their win, the Hawks’ front office made sure that no Hawks fan could actually stay happy.

On Monday, the Ringer dropped an article saying the Hawks’ front office has the green light from ownership to consider trading Trae Young. After the

HAWKS on page 12 u

Courtesy MSU Athletics

Minnesota State’s Women’s Golf team prepares for their last invitational before the NSIC Championships.

REBECCA BLACKWELL • The Associated Press Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) works his way through the defense of Miami Heat guard Max Strus (31) and guard Kyle Lowry.

Scores of 10 are everywhere in gymnastics Umpire hospitalized after getting hit in head

By WILL GRAVES The Associated Press

Trinity Thomas spent her entire childhood and most of her teens chasing perfection. No wonder the moment the University of Florida gymnast finally caught it is etched so vividly in her memory.

The second Thomas stuck her uneven bars dismount during the Gators’ meet against LSU back in 2020, the sophomore was mobbed by her teammates. It wasn’t until the videoboard flashed 10.00 — a perfect score — that she fully grasped what had just happened.

After years and years of training, thousands of practices and countless meets, judges had watched Thomas float from bar to bar and couldn’t nitpick a single thing.

“It was so loud you could feel it like in your body,” Thomas said. “Like, it shook the O-Dome. It was an absolutely incredible feeling.”

The feeling hasn’t gotten old for Thomas as the 10s have piled up. The 2022 NCAA all-around champion now has 27, a staggering total that’s one short of the career record shared by Kentucky’s Jenny Hansen and UCLA’s Jamie Dantzscher.

A right leg injury could hinder Thomas’ bid for history when the NCAA championships begin in Fort Worth, Texas, on Thursday. Thomas is more focused on helping the Gators bring home their fourth national title.

Besides, at the rate 10s are being thrown around at the collegiate level, Thomas is well aware the record may not last that long: Nearly 50 years after Nadia Comaneci’s name became ubiquitous with perfection at the 1976 Olympics and two decades after the sport’s governing body at the elite level abandoned the 10-point system, the 10 is having a moment.

Judges have awarded 79 per-

they seized. LeBron then stood at the top of the key, milked the clock down to the last seconds, drove the ball under the hoop and dished it out to wide-open Dennis Schroder who nailed a three with 1.4 seconds remaining.

But wait… there’s more. A miracle happened and the gods of basketball came in clutch for the Wolves.

Mike Conley heaved up a desperation three in the corner off an inbound pass where he missed terribly but Anthony Davis barely touched him after the shot went up resulting in a whistle and three free throws.

A bailout for the Wolves and a

 HAWKS from page 11 game, Young was asked about that article and responded with “It could be false, it could be true, you never know.”

After reading more about it, I started to feel less bad about it. Because at the end of the day, Young hasn’t (yet) expressed that he doesn’t want to be with the team.

fect 10s heading into the national championships, up from 71 a year ago and more than triple the average handed out per season from 2010-19.

While those across the NCAA spectrum all believe the overall level of competition has spiked along with the rise in 10s, there’s also a concern the 10 could lose a bit of its magic if given too often.

“I’m all for the 10,” California co-head coach Justin Howell said. “I think that it’s good for our sport. I hope we don’t get to a place where it is diluted.”

The current NCAA code is aligned closely with one used by the USA Gymnastics development program in part because it is trying to create a level playing field in search of parity.

Routines in college meets also

chance to give them redemption. Conley hit all three free throws with 0.1s remaining as a true veteran should.

Then Minnesota dropped the ball in overtime, losing the game after all that work. Now they look to play either the Thunder or Pelicans where they once again get a second chance.

As a Minnesota sports fan, it is almost comical watching them barely making the Play-In Tournament, losing a big lead, getting bailed out on a call that shouldn’t have been made and then watching them lose anyway in overtime. Now they get second chance, once again and they will play the winner of the Thunder-Pelicans game;

He is just a player, and if the front office wants to trade him, that’s out of his control.

Whether these rumors or if Young actually wants to be traded is true, I don’t know. But hearing these things isn’t exactly encouraging, and I don’t know what to do.

I’m not exactly tied to Atlanta because, shocker, I wasn’t born there, but at the same time, they

are generally shorter and considerably “easier” than in elite gymnastics in an effort to protect the health of the athletes, most of whom compete a dozen times or more in a span of three months. Shorter routines also mean less time to make mistakes and fewer chances for points deductions.

Throw in the uptick in incoming talent — the 2021 name, image and likeness rules allowed stars like 2020 Olympic champion Suni Lee to compete collegiately — and the overall skill level in the NCAA has never been higher.

While nationals will be littered with blue-bloods like defending champion Oklahoma, UCLA and Florida, there is a real sense that programs with a lower profile are closing in fast.

the winner officially goes to the playoffs to face the Denver Nuggets. Maybe they will have a turnaround and have a Cinderella story this year, but I know and I think most know that won’t be happening. For now, we get to watch the least clutch state in all of the sports have a painful season after season just to lose on the big stage. It may be a missed field goal from the Vikings, players fouling out and losing big comebacks from the Wolves, losing in the first round year after year for the Wild, or sadly enough our own Mavericks or the rival Gophers losing in the NCAA Hockey Tournament Championship.

have really grown on me. But the reason I am a Hawks fan is because of Trae Young, so I think that I’ll just have to be a fan of whatever team he goes to. Unless it’s the Knicks. That would be probably the worst possible outcome for this situation. Decisions. Well, for now I’ll just enjoy what I have while I have it, but I know that the day of reckoning is near. Skol.

By TOM WITHERS The Associated Press

Umpire Larry Vanover is expected to be hospitalized overnight after being hit in the head with a relay throw on Wednesday in a “scary” moment during the New York Yankees game against the Cleveland Guardians.

Vanover is being evaluated for a concussion and other injuries at the Cleveland Clinic, where he was taken shortly after a routine play turned into something more.

The 67-year-old Vanover, who was working second base, was knocked down on the infield grass by the throw from Guardians All-Star second baseman Andrés Giménez, who wheeled and fired toward the plate. He accidentally hit Vanover, positioned between second and the mound, on the left side of his head.

Major League Baseball said Vanover is being checked for a head injury “and other potential medical issues. The timeline on his return is to be determined.”

Vanover will have to pass any concussion protocols before returning to the field. He was scheduled to work in Cincinnati on Thursday.

Following New York’s 4-3 win, plate umpire Chris Guccione told a pool reporter that Vanover had “a pretty good-sized knot” on his head and he was going to undergo a CT (imaging) scan.

“They’re going to do a concussion test and it sounded like he was coherent and that he knew kind of what was going on,” Guccione said. “But he did have that glazed look on him. He’s going to be at the hospital for the rest of the night maybe.

PHIL LONG • The Associated Press

GARY McCULLOUGH • The Associated Press

Umpire Larry Vanover is attended to by a Cleveland Guardians trainer after being hit by a throw from the outfield during the fifth inning.

Florida’s Trinity Thomas competes on the uneven bars during an NCAA gymnastics meet against Georgia on Friday.

TWOLVES from page 10

VA RI ET Y

Iyaz gets students pressing ‘Replay’

By HAYDEN LEE Staff Writer

Before he left the stage after his performance Tuesday, singer Iyaz had a message for everyone who attended:

“What did I tell you guys about music man?” he told the Minnesota State students in attendance. “We don’t even know the words but we still having fun with it.”

Iyaz was the headliner in the Student Events Team’s annual Spring Concert Tuesday night in the CSU Ballroom featuring Iyaz and Nur-D.

“College is so stressful, and people pay a lot to be here. The whole purpose of the Student Events Team is to just provide students with free or low-cost events where they can relax and have fun,” said Student Events Team Head of Concert Productions Maggie Driemeyer. “It felt full in there tonight, so I feel like we did our job.”

When it came time, Nur-D was ready. He came through with an energetic performance, getting the crowd involved on nearly every song. He just released his newest album “Crush,” and performed songs from said album, like “Big Boi,” “All My Friends Are So Hot” and the title track.

“We had Nur-D open for T-Pain a few years back,” said Driemeyer. “The crowd loved his performance and so it just worked out to have him back for the spring concert.”

Following Nur-D was 15 minutes of downtime before Iyaz took the stage by storm, coming out to one of his biggest hits, “Solo.” Along with “Solo,”

OPINION: Things to think aboutDisney princesses as cheeses

By JOEY ERICKSON Variety Editor

Another Wednesday, another notorious opinion column from Joey. But as I sit here typing words into a document on my company-allocated computer, I can’t help but wonder: how many more nouns exist in the English vernacular that I haven’t yet covered for my rankings?

he performed his song “Gonna Get This,” which features Miley Cyrus. The song was released in 2010 on the “Hannah Montana” soundtrack and peaked at no. 66 on the Billboard Top 100.

Iyaz also took another approach to performing Tuesday night. He called upon artists like the aforementioned Miley Cyrus, Bob Marley and Rema to show different parts of his life or beliefs. The Caribbean-born art-

ist played the song “Three Little Birds” as an homage to Bob Marley and his birthplace in the Virgin Islands.

Along with that, he played Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” and “Calm Down” by Rema to emphasize the impact those artists had on his life.

Everyone knows his hit song “Replay,” and everyone knew it was coming. But Iyaz teased the hit song all night before ultimately letting the crowd hear

what they came out for. Replay spent 34 weeks charting on the Billboard Top 100, peaking on January 9, 2010. The song also has over 700 million streams on Spotify alone.

Following the Spring Concert, the Student Events Team has two more events to look out for. The first is Second Chance Prom, going on in the CSU Ballroom this Saturday. The other is 1000 Ways to Win happening on April 26.

Students get a second chance at prom

By LAUREN VISKA

Staff Writer

Prom. Fancy dresses. Hair and makeup all done. Spending money on so many accessories for just one night. Not to mention getting a date. The stress of that alone is mindblowing.

Sadly, many who went to high school during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t have the opportunity to dress up and experience prom. Some schools set it up where only juniors and seniors could go to prom, whereas in other schools, it was just for seniors.

If you were one of the many who didn’t get a chance to go to prom, you’re in luck: the Student Events Team is hosting an

event from 7-10 p.m. Saturday, in the CSU Ballroom. This event is not just for domestic students who didn’t go to prom but also for international students. Prom is primarily an American phenomenon, so when international students come to the States, they have not experienced a prom. This event is a way for them to experience it at MSU.

Namita Basnet helped organize this event. She said the theme of this year’s dance is Hollywood glam. The event will include a photo booth, red carpet, and artwork where attendees can see the Hollywood vibe.

Basnet said that she tries to be inclusive and diverse when she creates events.

PROM on page 15

Sure, there are plenty of stones left unturned; plenty of mundane objects lying dormant on thrift store shelves, or collecting dust in never-opened cupboards. But I’m not going to write about the half-empty water bottle on the bedside table that you refuse to throw away, or the fork in the sink you’re pretending to ignore because the dried peanut butter is a pain in the rear to scrub off. Where’s the fun? The vigor? The zeal?

As such, I decided I needed a change of pace. And just like that, in true Edisonian fashion, a lightbulb turned on in my head. An original thought! I haven’t had one of those in a while, I almost forgot what it felt like.

What if instead of ranking arbitrary objects, I ranked Disney princesses? And to go even further, what if I correlated each Disney princess to a type of cheese? Is Cinderella a cheddar type of girl? Is Tiana taleggio? Stay tuned.

For the sake of both my and your time, I’ll be limiting this list to five Disney princesses. This article is already nearing 250 words and I haven’t even started the list, so let’s get started.

The princesses included in this ooey, gooey listing include Cinderella (the O.G. classic,) Ariel (dinglehoppers — I mean, forks — sold separately,) Tiana (beignets ARE included, thank you!) Rapunzel (the original girlboss,) and Snow White (who doesn’t love apples with cheese?)

If any Disney princesses I didn’t include in this article are reading this, no hard feelings, I swear. I’m sure your shifts as a character actor at Disney World are full of fun. Now get off your state-mandated 30-minute break and go sing at wailing kids!

In my mind, Ariel would be ricotta cheese. Ricotta is a whey cheese, a crumbly but

DYLAN LONG • The Reporter

Internationally acclaimed singer Iyaz, pictured above, came to Minnesota State this week, dazzling singers with his renditions of party hits like “Replay” and “Gonna Get This.”

LAUREN VISKA • The Reporter

Second Chance Prom is a chance for many students to finally go to the prom they may have missed in high school due to the pandemic.

Managing stress through movement Spring into better weather

By KENDALL LARSON Staff Writer

With final exams and graduation fast approaching, many students are stressed about end-of-semester projects and job hunting. This stress can get overwhelming, and sometimes you need an outlet. Pakou Lee and Sabrina Mercedes decided to help students with their Movement as Medicine workshop to help combat stress.

“Movement as Medicine is a way that I have personally been able to physically move stress or trauma out of my body through stretching, walking, dancing, or exercising,” said Lee.

The event aimed to inform students how they can help themselves by doing something even as small as a short walk.

“I hope to give tools to others struggling with chronic pain, trauma, or stress. I want people to realize that we have a powerful bond between our body and mind,” said Mercedes.

PRINCESS from page 13

soft mixture made from bringing whole milk to a near-boil. The milk turns into solid curds, which are skimmed from the pot, giving you ricotta.

Ricotta also bears a shocking resemblance to sea foam. In the original “Little Mermaid” tale, Ariel does not end up with the love of her life, Eric. As a result, she dies, turning into seafoam. So every time you put ricotta on your lasagna, know that no matter how hard you try, you will never truly be a pescatarian.

If Cinderella were a cheese, she would be bleu cheese. Many times when someone en-

Stress can manifest itself in different ways. For Mercedes, she would notice her shoulders and neck tensing whenever she was anxious. Lee noticed similar symptoms as well. Each took a slightly different approach to their problem.

“I have learned that going for a walk outside, or even sticking my face outside if it’s cold, is a way to release the tension I feel in my shoulders and neck,” Mercedes said.

“I notice that when I’m in a stressful situation, my shoulders tense, and my breathing gets quicker. Just doing a quick breath check can help me to release some of that stress,” Lee said.

While these techniques are simple, they are important. As students, screens surround us, and we often sit down for long periods. These inputs and actions can leave our minds and bodies spiraling.

“We live in a world where we are consumed by screens, and remembering that we can

comfort ourselves through movement, dance, or exercise can be a powerful tool whenever practiced,” said Mercedes. Lee had similar thoughts.

“We live in a fast-paced society, and slowing down to be aware of your breathing and body language can help you stay in tune with yourself.”

But while it is important to move your body, if you don’t listen to it, you could end up hurting yourself.

“I advise you to focus on how your body feels versus how it looks when exploring movement and wellness. Move your body slowly, and if you’re in pain, please stop. We cannot grow stronger if we push ourselves into an injury. Listen to your body and honor that rest is a form of caring for yourself,” said Mercedes.

Students seeking further information on using movement as medicine should contact Mercedes at SafeRelations.Sabrina@gmail.com or follow @ SafeRelations on Instagram.

By MERCEDES KAUPHUSMAN Staff Writer

The reason why Minnesotans are so nice is because we are humbled. Let me explain. For the past several months, my morning routine looked something like this: opening my blinds to my gorgeous view of dirty, stacked up snow, lathering my pale, dry skin with moisturizer, ruining my outfit with a huge winter coat, scraping off my car windows while the wind stings my eyes, and driving to work in my tiny Nissan, white-knuckled and contemplating if my minimum wage job is worth risking my life.

I repeated this routine for what felt like an eternity. After all, Minnesota’s winter is like that one 30-year-old you know

who still lives with their parents; you can’t force it to leave, but you really want it to.

However, this week was different. When I opened my blinds I could see grass and sky. The first ray of sunlight that touched my skin knew how long I had been deprived of a high UV, and I’m starting to roast like a marshmallow. I no longer have to worry about finding a jacket that will match my outfit, and my sunroof can finally roll open while music blasts through my speakers. I shed that crispy, flaky layer of skin that keeps me warm during the winter and I finally feel free.

To me, spring is that distant relative you see once a year who gives the best hugs and al-

SPRING on page 15

counters bleu cheese, their first instinct is to say “ew!” and immediately throw the dish into the waiter’s face, demand for a full refund and leave a scathing review on Yelp. (That may be a bit inaccurate statistically, as I’ve only seen one person encounter bleu cheese in my lifetime, but work with me here.)

However, their “ew” may not be totally wrong. Bleu cheese is indeed made from an ewe, a female sheep. Who else is a female and has a name starting with an E? That’s right.

Ella, comma, Cinder.

Cinderella also rode to the ball in a pumpkin, a vegetable known for going rotten ap-

proximately two minutes after setting them out on your front porch. Bleu cheese follows right in the pumpkin’s footsteps. If you buy a tub of bleu cheese from the grocery store, chances are it’ll be moldy before you even hit the checkout lane!

Rapunzel would obviously be string cheese, without a shadow of a doubt. I don’t even have to begin to argue this point. Moving on.

Snow White would directly correlate to a nice Camembert cheese block. Now, I can already hear the cheese fans writing their letters to the editor, telling me that Camembert

Courtesy Sabrina Mercedes

LILLY ANDERSON • The Reporter

Sabrina Mercedes spearheaded the Movement as Medicine talk. She taught students how to cope with life stress through movement, dance or exercise, and how powerful of a tool movement can be.

Now that spring has sprung, many students are opting to do their homework outside, where the sun is shining.

Renner attends premiere after snowplow crush

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jeremy Renner attended the premiere for his new series Tuesday, capping a remarkable recovery less than four months after the “Avengers” star was nearly killed in a snowplow accident.

Renner was surrounded by family and supporters at the “Rennervations” premiere in Los Angeles, where he posed for photos and did interviews, at times making use of a cane and a knee scooter. At one point he flashed photographers a thumbs up sign while moving down the carpet.

Renner was crushed by his 7-ton snowplow on New Year’s Day while trying to help free a relative’s car at his Nevada home. The actor has said he broke numerous bones and suffered a collapsed lung and pierced liver in the accident.

“Rennervations,” which premieres on Disney+ on Wednesday, follows Renner as he transforms large vehicles into community spaces for young people in India, Mexico, Chicago and Nevada. The purposes range from serving as a mobile music studio to a water filtration

 PRINCESS from page 14

and Brie are the same thing. Here’s where you’re wrong, DairyLover498: Camembert contains 45% milk fat, while Brie has 60%. That’s like comparing apples to oranges, or Variety Section Editor of The Reporter Joey Erickson to superstar Jerry Seinfeld. One is a master of comedy, with thousands of dying fans, multi-season TV deals up

CHRIS PIZZELLO • The Associated Press Jeremy Renner, the host and executive producer of “Rennervations,” poses at the premiere of the four-part Disney+ docuseries, Tuesday, April 11.

truck for a community in India.

Renner said his aim was to give young people access to things they might not already have and present opportunities they might not know existed.

Renner wrote the theme song for the show, something he did while working on another show.

“I use music and piano to write songs and use it like therapy for me,” he said.

Construction and music have been creative outlets for Renner, who is best known for playing

the wazoo, and sold out national tours. And the other is Jerry Seinfeld.

Cheese rant aside, Camembert pairs brilliantly with apples, perhaps on a nicely laid out charcuterie board. As long as the apples aren’t poisonous, we’ll all have a great time.

Our final princess, Tiana, would be a lovely Cherni Vit cheese wheel. Cherni Vit cheese

the superhero Hawkeye in the Marvel “Avengers” films and his own spin-off TV series.

Marvel co-star Anthony Mackie appears in the show, and Renner said the secret to their friendship is they “laugh a lot.”

Renner, a two-time Oscar nominee, told Diane Sawyer in an interview that aired that while he thought he might die from his injuries, he refused to be “haunted” by the accident.

 PROM from page 13

“In this event, we include every single gender. We are giving the same respect and same honor to students of whatever gender you prefer or whatever kind of couple you are, you will be accepted, and even if you’re single, you’re welcome to come,” said Basnet.

Basnet said that everyone should at least experience some kind of prom.

“I believe that it is one of the most beautiful events where you get to dress yourself and some self-care,” Basnet said“Also, if you bring a partner, then you can dress together and show yourself and your partner that you guys are here

for each other.”

Basnet said that one of the other goals of this event is for students to take a break from their school responsibilities and just have fun.

“I think that prom night is really a delicate, beautiful and romantic event that I think adults from college really need to have,” said Basnet. “We’re also coming up on finals week, and I just wanted to try and create this relief and relaxing event to make people more involved.”

This is a free event and is open to all MSU students. So bring your boyfriends, girlfriends, whatever and get ready for a night you won’t forget.

 SPRING from page 14

ways brings gifts. Spring hugs you like a warm blanket and reminds you that living here isn’t always terrible.

is the only cheese that isn’t yellow, but instead green, created in the Bulgarian town of the same name. Many wonder why the cheese is green, not yellow. Did someone slip in a drop of food coloring? No. Did it take a dip in the Chicago River during St. Patrick’s Day and get permanently dyed green? Still no. It’s mold.

Things to think about.

Anywhere you walk in public, you’ll likely run into a fellow Minnesotan saying something along the lines of, “How about this weather, eh?” The shared bond over the excitement of spring is something a lot of other places will never understand. Sunshine and melting snow is like rain in a desert. All the critters come out of their hidden crevices, finally refreshed and rejuvenated, and ready to socialize.

Minnesotans are so nice because we know struggle. We know that feeling of disappointment when big plans are ruined because the roads are

too dangerous. We understand that heightened level of panic when your car isn’t starting, but you’re already running late for work. We also know the physical pain of shoveling a driveway, back crunching and face stinging.

However, for the next six months, these feelings will subside. We can finally breathe fresh air and simply enough, get outside. That warm air is temporary, and it’s so important to take advantage of it. I encourage the entire population of the midwest to dig out their skimpiest pair of shorts, run to the nearest liquor store and buy a pack of cold ones (If you’re of age, of course. But if you aren’t, your secret’s safe with me), and enjoy this beautiful weather.