May 22, 2019

WEDNESDAY MAY 22, 2019

New app allows for bi-partisan readership

Gnomi is an innovative app that elimates bias when searching for news

MICHAEL MCSHANE STAFF WRITER Media bias has always bogged journalism.

Its mission to bring news to the general public and the technology has both helped and hindered the process of sorting out the fact from personal agenda in news articles.

A relatively new app, gnomi, is one of the examples of a technological invention that shows users before they even read the article what kind of bias, whether from the left or from the right, the article is written in.

Using the app, users can scroll through dozens of

Photo Courtesy of gnomi Faceboook

recent articles from multiple different news sites such as Business Insider, The Hill and BBC News.

The app allows users to choose what types of topics are in their feed whether

that be immigration or the environment, etc., users will only be given articles that pertain to their specific interests, but are given the chance to read from both sides of the political spectrum.

Each article is graded on both whether an article is written with a liberal or conservative bias and on how strong of a bias it is.

“News readers today are demanding more

transparency than they are able to get from current news outlets,” gnomi’s website said. “Now our readers and users will be able to decipher exactly what the bias is and have a clear understanding of the news they are consuming.”

Gnomi isn’t just about reading the news and seeing what bias each article has stamped on it, but it also allows users the ability to visually see what kind of bias they themselves have by looking at what articles they read over others.

In such a technologically advanced age of information, apps like gnomi are trying to employ new ideas into the news industry now that it is being threatened by fake news spread throughout the internet.

GNOMI page 3

Welcome letter from new Editor in Chief

MADISON DIEMERT EDITOR IN CHIEF I have worked at the MSU Reporter for over two years now, and am very excited to begin my journey as Editor in Chief.

The MSU Reporter has been a huge learning opportunity for me to expand my journalistic career and has also been an opportunity for me to find what interests me. The experience I have gained from this organization has helped me in all aspects of my life, making me very

proud to continue my work here.

With the Reporter I hope to give not only the students who work here a great experience with journalism and news, but also the students outside this organization.

Providing quality and relevant news stories regarding both happenings on and off-campus is important and with this new position I hope to only improve the content the Reporter provides.

Along with being an opportunity for learning, the Reporter has also been a home-away-from-home for me, as well as many other editors, writers and photographers.

The community and support the Reporter has

provided for us students is immense and has helped me grow in so many ways.

As a writer and News Editor I have gained many friends and relationships with the people I work with.

“Working at a place that I love so much, with people I really enjoy being around has been one of the best things in my college career.”

These friendships will most likely follow me throughout my life, as well the memories I have made.

IN THIS ISSUE: Losing Your First Pet................................... Page 3 School is Over, Now What?........................ Page 4 Highland Park Theatre................................ Page 5 Detective Pikachu Review........................... Page 7

Working at a place that I love so much, with people I really enjoy being around has been one of the best things in my college career. If you are a student at any college, joining an organization or

a club can be one of the best decisions of your life.

Not only do you develop a family right here on campus,

but you also gain learning experience and have a level of responsibility put upon you the moment you join.

My goal for the Reporter has always been to improve it, one day at a time. But the longer I’ve been here I also realized that I want to help develop the people within it, as well. I think we all have a lot to learn from each other, although the days here can be long and hard.

In all, I really hope for this to be one of the best years the Reporter has seen and my wish is for the community we have built within its walls continues to grow and flourish. Here’s to a new era of the Reporter staff, and a great start to the legacy.

WEATHER OUTLOOK: WEDNESDAY (5/22)

H: 64 L: 48 A little morning rain.

THURSDAY (5/23)

H: 65 L: 54 Partly sunny; pleasant.

FRIDAY (5/24)

H: 77 L: 54 Morning rain; then a t-storm.

SATURDAY (5/25)

H: 74 L: 51 Partly sunny.

SUNDAY (5/26)

H: 76 L: 52 Mostly cloudy, comfortable.

Have a story idea?

Email News Editor Maria Ly maria.ly@mnsu.edu

2 • MSU Reporter

News

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

At abortion clinics, new laws sow confusion, uncertainty HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Abortion clinics are facing protesters emboldened by a flurry of restrictive new state laws as they reassure confused patients that the laws have yet to take effect, abortion providers said.

“We have actually had many people calling and say, ‘Are you open? Are you still seeing patients? Is abortion now illegal? Will something happen to me if I come for care?’” said Dr. Willie Parker, one of two doctors providing abortions at the Alabama Women’s Center in Huntsville recently.

Last week, Alabama enacted the nation’s strictest abortion law, making performing abortions a felony at any stage of pregnancy with almost no exceptions.

Women who came through the doors held hands with loved ones or curled into chairs as they waited. A television set to a cable news channel aired a segment about Alabama’s abortion law.

It is one of only three abortion clinics in the state, and the only one that provides abortions when a woman is up to 20 weeks pregnant. Some patients drove from Mississippi and other neighboring states because of a shortage of clinics.

“Our doors are open, and we continue to be here for women in our communities, and we intend to keep it

Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

that way,” said Dr. Yashica Robinson, an obstetrician and gynecologist who provides abortions at the clinic.

Thank you notes from patients, sent on cards or written on yellow and blue sticky notes, dot a bulletin board in the clinic.

“I was so scared on this journey in the Bible Belt, and you put me at ease with no judgment,” one read.

Georgia , Kentucky , Mississippi and Ohio have passed laws that prohibit abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected — about six weeks, before many women know they are pregnant. Missouriand

Louisiana are close to enacting similar bans.

None of the laws has taken effect, and all are expected to be blocked while legal challenges work their way through the courts.

Some lawmakers hope two new conservative justices nominated by President Donald Trump will provide the votes for the Supreme Court to overturn its 1973 Roe v.

Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

That prospect has energized protesters at Mississippi’s only abortion clinic and made them more aggressive, with 100 people gathering on some days

singing and waving signs— double the usual number, clinic owner Diane Derzis said.

“They know they’re winning, and they don’t care what they need to do,” she said.

Messages in pink and blue chalk remained on a sidewalk recently near the hot pink building in Jackson that houses the clinic: “Babies are murdered here” and “Repent.

Turn to Christ.”

Clinic administrator Shannon Brewer took a call from a pregnant woman wanting to schedule an abortion for next week.

Brewer told her about the requirement for two trips to the clinic — the first for statemandated counseling and the second, at least 24 hours later, for the procedure She told the woman that no bags, purses or children are allowed. The ban on bags and purses is because of security concerns and the ban on children is because of protesters, Brewer explained after she was off the phone.

“People are screaming at the women as they come in,” she said. “That’s not good for a child.”

POWER House, a group that offers escorts to women seeking abortions in Montgomery, Alabama, for the first time hired an off-duty police officer to watch over escorts and patients because of the attention generated by Alabama’s new abortion law,

said Mia Raven, the group’s executive director.

Six anti-abortion protesters gathered outside the Montgomery clinic on a recent day, carrying signs reading “Babies Are Murdered Here” and depicting aborted fetuses.

Abortion opponents disputed the claim that protesters were more aggressive because of the new state laws and push to overturn Roe v. Wade.

“We have not really had any reports of any heightened activity in the area of protesting of the clinics or anything like that,” said Zemmie Fleck, executive director of Georgia Right To life.

In Atlanta, doctors who provide abortions are talking about how to practice in accordance with the Georgia law if it’s not blocked in court and goes into effect as scheduled in January, said Dr. Lisa Haddad, an associate professor in gynecology and obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine. Georgia includes an exception to save the life of the mother, but Haddad said doctors will need protocols to determine when to invoke that provision.

She said a doctor who was prepared to provide abortions in Georgia decided against immediately taking the job after the new law passed.

“Many of us are drained by this whole process,” she said

Washington is first state to allow composting of human bodies SEATTLE (AP) — Ashes to ashes, guts to dirt.

Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation Tuesday making Washington the first state to approve composting as an alternative to burying or cremating human remains.

It allows licensed facilities to offer “natural organic reduction,” which turns a body, mixed with substances such as wood chips and straw, into about two wheelbarrows’ worth of soil in a span of several weeks.

Loved ones are allowed to keep the soil to spread, just as they might spread the ashes of someone who has been cremated — or even use it to plant vegetables or a tree.

“It gives meaning and use to what happens to our bodies after death,” said Nora Menkin, executive director of the Seattle-based People’s Memorial Association, which helps people plan for funerals.

Supporters say the method is an environmentally friendly

alternative to cremation, which releases carbon dioxide and particulates into the air, and conventional burial, in which people are drained of their blood, pumped full of formaldehyde and other chemicals that can pollute groundwater, and placed in a nearly indestructible coffin, taking up land.

“That’s a serious weight on the earth and the environment as your final farewell,” said Sen. Jamie Pedersen, the Seattle Democrat who sponsored the measure.

He said the legislation was inspired by his neighbor: Katrina Spade, who was an architecture graduate student at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, when she began researching the funeral industry. She came up with the idea for human composting, modeling it on a practice farmers have long used to dispose of livestock.

She tweaked the process and found that wood chips, alfalfa and straw created

a mixture of nitrogen and carbon that accelerates natural decomposition when a body is placed in a temperature- and moisturecontrolled vessel and rotated.

A pilot project at Washington State University tested the idea last year on six bodies, all donors who Spade said wanted to be part of the study.

In 2017, Spade founded Recompose, a company working to bring the concept to the public. It’s working on raising nearly $7 million to establish a facility in Seattle and begin to expand elsewhere, she said.

State law previously dictated that remains be disposed of by burial or cremation. The law, which takes effect in May 2020, added composting as well as alkaline hydrolysis, a process already legal in 19 other states. The latter uses heat, pressure, water and chemicals like lye to reduce remains.

Cemeteries across the

country are allowed to offer natural or “green” burials, by which people are buried in biodegradable shrouds or caskets without being embalmed.

Composting could be a good option in cities where cemetery land is

scarce, Pedersen said. Spade described it as “the urban equivalent to natural burial.”

The state senator said he has received angry emails from people who object to the idea, calling it undignified or disgusting.

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Wednesday, May 22, 2019

MSU Reporter • 3

News

What it feels like to lose your first pet MICHAEL MCSHANE STAFF WRITER Current President Donald Trump is beginning to show signs of a possessive attitude towards his favorite news network, Fox News, after lashing out at Fox for doing the unthinkable – interviewing a Democrat.

Trump, it seems, is getting jealous at the very idea of Fox News covering any politician from the other side of the political spectrum as he lashed out at Fox for their coverage and interview of Democratic Party nominee, Pete Buttigieg.

With a fiery twitter rant that bewildered the entire media industry, Trump showed his lack of basic understanding of what a news network is supposed to do.

Even with the arrival of Joe Biden’s candidacy, Buttigieg still remains near the top in the Democratic Primary.

Buttigieg is indeed a potential dark horse who is making his name known in the political world, so Fox News interviewing him isn’t out of this world, even with their conservative leanings.

Trump’s outrage over the interview only serves to show that Trump sees Fox News just like any of his White House staff.

Beholden to him and his wishes, and to not dare even think of giving any airtime to his rivals.

Except, Trump forgets that Fox News isn’t a part of his staff, nor should Fox News ever be.

Trump’s presidential powers doesn’t allow him to dictate who a news station can interview.

It goes against the First Amendment and a fundamental belief in what news media is and has been.

Fox News may be rightleaning and they may take Trump’s side on many things, but this they cannot stand for.

Trump should not be allowed to bully Fox into being his personal news outlet nor should Fox News take it.

This should be the moment that Fox News actually shows itself as actually being a member of the journalistic body it says itself to be by standing its ground against Trump’s attack.

MADISON DIEMERT EDITOR IN CHIEF If you are someone who has a pet or who has had a pet, you know how amazing they can be. They can be your companions, your life-long friends and give you love and support all their lives.

If you have ever had the pleasure to have a pet in your life, you also probably know how hard it is to lose one.

I personally have only ever had three pets my whole life: My Yorkshire Terrier, named Boyboy (I was seven), my boxer, Zeus (I was obsessed with Greek mythology) and an overweight cat appropriately named Butchy (my sister named this one).

Fortunately, these pets have always been in my life and I have never had to worry about losing one of them, until yesterday.

My family acquired Boyboy a few months after my sister died in a car accident.

My dad thought having something to care for was a good idea for my mom after my sister passed, so Boyboy was brought into my sevenyear-old life.

GNOMI

Continued from page 1 Using gnomi, users can now look at and perceive what they are reading beforehand and make distinctions on whether they should completely believe what is in the article.

More than anything else, gnomi’s main goal is to have every opinion at the table. The app is a way to be able to read articles from both the conservative and liberal side without having to go from one news site to the other.

A very liberal news article is planted right next to a very conservative article which brings in a side of bipartisanship hard to find in today’s politics.

Gnomi is completely free and available in the app store.

At the time, he was so tiny that he fit right in my dad’s hand.

I was in love with him the moment I saw him. I always wanted to hold him, train him to do little tricks with treats, and let him sleep with me.

(That never really happened because I always rolled on him.)

I think I just have this thing for little animals. They need us so much, and it makes me really connect with them and want to care for them.

started stinking because of his rotting teeth. He was my best friend and I could not have asked for a better dog.

He was there for me every time I came home to visit from college, ready to climb into my lap and lick the crap out of me, to beg me for food and wait for me to sneak him out of his kennel so he could sleep with me.

Yesterday morning, around 6am my 12-year-old sister found him in his kennel, unresponsive to her calls. I

“If you have ever had the pleasure to have a pet in your life, you also probably know how hard it is to lose one.”

So Boyboy really became my dog, rather than the family’s dog. Every time I would come home for school, he’d be on my porch barking at me, running around my feet, ready for me to give him love and kisses. And even though he’d always try to chew on my Littlest Pet Shop toys, I still gave him that love.

I was blessed 14 long years to love Boyboy endlessly, even when he started to have accidents around the house more often and his breath

got the call at 6:43am from my mom that my best friend had just passed away.

Fortunately, I was home the day before he passed and got to spend the whole day with him.

We believe that he suffered from a second stroke, as his left leg was spasming and not functioning properly and he couldn’t lift his head up to look around.

All he could do was lay on my chest while I tried to massage his leg, and it broke

51646 US Hwy. 169 North Mankato, MN 507-388-2953

my heart. If I had known that Boyboy was to pass the next morning, I would not have driven all the way back to Mankato.

My dad buried him in our front yard with his favorite blanket, right under the cross we put up for my sister.

My little sister then made him his own little cross for us to remember him by, naming him our “beloved pet and brother.”

Coincidentally, yesterday was May 20th, the day my sister also died 15 years ago.

I’m not sure if this was just a coincidence, but I have reasons to believe it wasn’t.

So this was my experience in losing my first pet, who was also the first love of my life.

And not only that, but I was also grieving the loss of my sister, so many years ago.

Boyboy was in my life for over half of it, and now I can’t imagine visiting home and having him not be there to greet me on our porch.

My heart goes out to anyone else who has lost a dog, a cat, or anything other pet. I never really thought about this day and what it would be like, but it is worse than I could have ever imagined.

I can only think about how happy he was when he was with us, and how lucky I was that I got to be his dog-mom.

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4 • MSU Reporter

Wednesday, May 22, 2019 EMAIL THE EDITOR IN CHIEF:

School is over, so now what?

Things to do in Mankato over the summer break

MADISON DIEMERT

madison.diemert@mnsu.edu

OR AT reporter-editor@mnsu.edu

SUMMER 2019 FALL 2015

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Madison IN Diemert. ..................389-5454 EDITOR CHIEF: Rae Frame.............................389-5454 NEWS EDITOR: Maria Ly...............................389-5450 NEWS EDITOR: SPORTS EDITOR: Nicole Schmidt. ......................389-5450 Andrew Neururer.................................

SPORTS EDITOR: A&E EDITOR: Luke KolbyLonien............................389-5227 Spomer......................................

MARIA LY NEWS EDITOR School is over. No more hiding out in the library cramming last minute information in your head for a big exam. No more struggling to meet with group members to finish class projects. No more lugging over your textbook, skimming through bits and bits of useless text for a 20-minute quiz. Now that school is over, now what?

Specifically, for the people left behind in the remnants of the college town of Mankato, what is there to do?It’s simple.

Get fat. Spend money.

Explore nature. Find yourself.

Get crazy.

Drive down Riverfront Dr. and you can find a vast array of entertainment. Grab a cone at Mom and Pop’s as you walk down the sidewalk that overlooks all the little shops.

As you enjoy the delicacy that is an old-fashioned vanilla cone, walk into Dork Den as you geek out and play Settlers of Catan with your good old buddies.

Walk further down and you can find yourself at the Coffee Hag or the Filling Station.

Photo Courtesy of City of Mankato, Minnesota Government Facebook

Grab a cup of joe as you walk over to the Once Read used book store and reminisce and explore new and old titles.

Not far from downtown, you can further empty your wallet and your pockets as you venture into Vagabond Village, a hip thrift store filled with vintage and stylish clothes. Try an outfit or two.

Put on some rings. Or simply color using their community crayons on their nice comfy couch located near the storefront.

With lots of time left in the day, the sun continues to beat down on dusty crusty Mankato. It would be a waste to not spend the day in nature.

Only a 15-minute drive from downtown Mankato, you can find yourself exploring Sibley Park as you walk along their scenic pathways and pet

goats in their local petting zoo.

You can further your adventures in nature by crossing the town to Minneopa State Park where you can enjoy their stunning waterfalls and hiking trails.

Bring a camera and snap pictures in this Instagram worthy scenery.

After all the stress of finals and life in general, you may find yourself in need of de-stressing but too broke to do anything about it.

Find yourself and contemplate about life as you take a stroll to the many little playgrounds across Mankato. Swing on a swing as you question how you got through the semester and what to do with your life now.

Take out your binoculars as you watch the birds land on

a tree nearby. Look at your reflection in a puddle, find peace. Summer goes by fast, and as we all know peace does not last.

After attempting to find yourself, forget about your troubles in downtown Mankato as you legally bar hop from Rounders to Red Rocks as you get crazy off of an Adios and a shot of tequila.

Get groovy on the dance floor as the lights flash down on you as you laugh with strangers and acquaintances.

Be safe. You get into an Uber as it drops you off back at your dingy apartment. You wake up remembering parts of your day and none of your night.

You start the day again wondering, “What do I do now?”

ADVERTISING SALES: VARIETY EDITOR: Cody VanDenEinde...............389-5097 Matthew Eberline................... 389-5157 Nathan Norman....................389-5453 ADVERTISING SALES: BUSINESS MANAGER: Mac Boehmer........................389-5097 Jane Tastad. .......................... 389-1926 Brandon Poliszuk....................389-5453 Josh Crew..............................389-5451 ADVERTISING DESIGN/ Jacob Wyffels........................

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POLICIES & INFO POLICIES & INFO

• If you have a complaint, suggestion or would like to point out an error made call Editorsuggestion in Chief Rae •inIfthe youReporter, have a complaint, or Frame like at 507-389-5454.

The Reporter would to point out an error made in will correct any errors of fact or misspelled the Reporter, call Editor in Chief Madison Diemert 507-389-5454.

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Reporter is free to all percent from Student Activities fees. The students and faculty, but to start a subReporter is free to all students and faculty, scription, please call us at 507-389-1776. but to start a subscription, please call us Subscriptions for the academic school at 507-389-1776. Subscriptions for the year are $55.00 and subscribers will academic school year are $55.00 and subreceive will the paper threewithin to fivethree days scribers receivewithin the paper after to fivepublishing. days after publishing.

Letters exceeding exceeding400 400words wordsmay maynot not •• Letters be accepted. accepted.The TheReporter Reporterreserves reservesthe the be right to to edit editletters letterstotofitfitspace spaceororcorrect correct right punctuation.The TheReporter Reporterreserves reservesthe theright punctuation. right to publish, not publish, at its disto publish, or not or publish, at its discretion. cretion.must Letters mustyear, contain year, major or Letters contain major or affiliation affiliation with the or university, or lack therewith the university, lack thereof.

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“What do you like to do on a typical summer day?”

BERNARD BOATENG, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

JOSH SNAPP, ECONOMICS

KOLBY SPOMER, ANTHROPOLOGY

“Run as fast as I can.”

“Work out and listen to music.”

“Watch bad movies.”

MADISON DIEMERT, ENGLISH STUDIES

BOSAYBAH LY, ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

“I go to Minneopa and get icecream at Mom and Pop’s.” “I like to play with my dogs and ukelele.”

Compiled by Maria Ly

DONATELLO HUANG, COMPUTER SCIENCE “Honestly, I just drink.”

MSU Reporter • 5

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Have a story idea or a comment?

Minnesota State University, Mankato

EMAIL

A&E Editor Kolby Spomer

kolby.spomer@mnsu.edu

Highland Park Theatre looks to entertain throughout the summer

MADISON DIEMERT EDITOR IN CHIEF The Highland Summer Theatre is Minnesota State University, Mankato’s professional summer theatre. There are four productions that are presented in a 9-week period in both the newly-renovated Ted Paul Theatre and the Andreas Theatre.

The Highland Summer Theatre is also many times an MSU student’s first professional debut, and the theatre uses professional actors as well.

This summer, the Highland Summer Theatre will be putting on four shows. The first, “Baskerville”, debuts on May 29th through June 1st. “Baskerville” is a Sherlock Holmes mystery. This show is by Ken Ludwig, an award-winning playwright

Photo Courtesy of Facebook

and theatre director.

The comedic play follows Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson as they try to solve the mystery of “The Hound of Baskervilles,” their most

notorious and mind-boggling case yet. The show features over 40 characters with only five actors.

The next show to hit the stage is “A Gentleman’s

Guide to Love and Murder”, which will be set to play in the Ted Paul Theatre, June 12th from June 15th.

“A Gentleman’s Guide” is written by Robert L. Freed-

HIGHLAND page 6

Game of Thrones Finale Review KOLBY SPOMER A&E EDITOR Game of Thrones, the mega-hit, generation defining phenomenon, has finally ended. And hoo boy, was that a bad way to go out.

The show, which for years had been praised for its deep and thoughtful writing, has now turned into a by the numbers fantasy adventure, and fans of the show are not having it. As one of those fans, I personally am pretty bummed about all this and would love to complain about it. So, if you would, please indulge me as I complain about the show and explain why I hate the past

two seasons.

To really appreciate the show’s demise, one must understand what it was at its peak. The show is now famous for its thoughtful and intelligent writing, its captivating political games being played, and the engrossing

Photo courtesy of theFacebook

character arcs. Many believed, for a long time, that the whole show was actually an intense behind the scenes chess match between two characters. Sadly, the past two seasons have taken all

of that and thrown it into the ocean, and replaced it with some s!@#$y battle scenes and uninspired writing. The characters themselves have all seemingly lost about 40 IQ points, because nobody

makes any sense anymore.

Nearly every character

GOT page 8

6 • MSU Reporter

A&E

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Hoffman pleads guility in college admissions scheme

Photo courtesy of the Associated Press

Continue of Highland Continued from page 5 man, who also wrote the lyrics, and the music is by Steven Lutvak. “A Gentleman’s Guide” is the 2014 Tony Award Winner for Best Musical and follows Monty Navarro, an outsider in his own family. Monty’s poverty-stricken mother passes away and he realizes that he is the ninth in line to inherit a dukedom.

This musical follows Monty as he decides to do away with the other eight heirs who are in his way, and the way he goes about killing off his family members. All of whom are played by the same actor.

The third show in the lineup will be in the Andreas Theatre and is titled “Shadowlands”, by William Nicholson. “Shadowlands” is on from June 26th to June 29th and is the true love story of none other than C.S. Lewis, famous author of “The Chronicles of Narnia”.

The show follows him and his lover, American poet Joy Davidman, while Lewis goes

through personal struggles of pain and grief.

Highland Summer Theatre will go out with a bang with the famous musical, “Sister Act”. The musical, playing from July 9th to July 14th, will be in the Andreas Theatre and was written by Bill Steinkellner, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Glenn Slater. This comedic musical tells the tale of an aspiring disco singer who unfortunately ends up in a convent. In this protective custody, the singer forms friendships with the Sisters and pushes through her struggles.

All the performances will be at 7:30om.

Students and the public alike can buy tickets from both the MSU Theater’s website and the box office.

If you would like to buy season tickets, you may do so through mail only. The season tickets are 66 dollars for all four shows and guarantees your seat.

Of course, if season tickets

do not suit your needs, you can always buy single tickets.

The single ticket prices are different for all the shows and goes as follows: “Baskerville”: 16 dollars for adults, 14 dollars for senior citizens and children. “A Gentleman’s Guide”: 22 dollars for adults, 19 for senior citizens and children. “Shadowlands”: 16 dollars for adults, 14 dollars for senior citizens and children. “Sister Act”: 22 dollars for adults, 19 for senior citizens and children.

Don’t forget to get your tickets to experience a multitude of talent and escape into worlds of their very own.

BOSTON (AP) — “Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty Monday in the college admissions bribery scheme, the biggest name to do so in a scandal that has underscored the lengths to which some wealthy parents will go to get their children into top universities.

The Emmy-winning actress, 56, could face prison time after she admitted to participating in the nationwide scam, in which authorities say parents bribed coaches, rigged entrance exams or both to game the admissions system.

Huffman pleaded guilty in federal court to paying an admissions consultant $15,000 to have a proctor correct her older daughter’s answers on the SAT. She also considered going through with the plan for her younger daughter before ultimately deciding not to, authorities say.

The consultant, Rick Singer, arranged for the cheating by having students obtain permission for extra time on the exams through diagnoses for things like learning disabilities, and then taking the exams at his testing center, prosecutors say.

In court, Huffman explained her daughter had been seeing a neuropsychologist for years and been getting extra time on tests since she was 11 — an apparent attempt to explain that her daughter’s doctor had no part in the scheme.

“I just didn’t want to create the impression that neuropsychologists have any part in this,” a tearful Huffman said before stopping to collect herself.

Sentencing was set for Sept. 13. Because she agreed to plead guilty, prosecutors said they would recommend four months in prison, but the judge could choose not to put her behind bars at all.

She arrived at court holding the hand of her brother Moore Huffman Jr. and did not say anything to journalists. In court, she wore a gray dress and a sweater and sat flanked by her attorneys while her brother watched from the front row. Her husband, actor William H. Macy, didn’t attend.

Huffman had apologized in a statement last month and said she will accept the consequences. She said she “betrayed” her 18-year-old daughter, who was not aware of her plan.

“This transgression toward her and the public I will carry for the rest of my life. My desire to help my daughter is no excuse to break the law or engage in dishonesty,” Huffman said.

Investigators have said Macy, 69, was with her when admissions consultant Rick Singer explained how he could arrange for the cheating because he “controlled” a test center. Both Huffman and Macy agreed to the plan, authorities say, but Macy has not been charged. Prosecutors have not explained why.

California businessman Devin Sloane also pleaded guilty Monday to paying $250,000 in bribes to get his son into the University of Southern California as a fake

AP page 7

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Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Detective Pikachu Review

KOLBY SPOMER A&E EDITOR When Nintendo partnered with Game Freak in 1995 to create a game about catching, battling, and training cute little creatures, they most likely didn’t realize the full extent of what would happen. Since then, that game has expanded into the most successful trading card, an extremely successful anime tv show, and tons of sequel games. The most recent addition to this massive franchise is the live action film Detective Pikachu.

Many fans were initially hesitant to the idea of the film. A live action Pokemon movie sounded like it would never work. Thankfully, due in large part to lead actor Ryan Reynolds and the writers clear love of the source

MSU Reporter • 7

A&E

material, the movie defied the odds and was, at worst, just okay.

The film’s plot is pretty barebones, the acting outside of Reynolds is pretty trash, and the direction was pretty uninspired. However, due to the reputation video game movies have, this was all expected. What wasn’t expected were all the positives the movie had.

The three biggest factors into what made the movie good were the writing, Pikachu’s charm, and the heart the film contains. The writing was pretty great across the board, with a few exceptions here and there. The film essentially allows Reynolds to create a PG version of his now famous Deadpool character. The jokes are pretty good and adults along with children will be laughing.

Pikachu and the Pokemon surrounding him help keep the film afloat, as they charm even the most cold-hearted movie-goer. They’re all adorable, and fit into the film very well. The artistic decisions

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made to adapt the different types of creatures from the games pays off, as they look realistic enough but still keep their cartoonish features.

The heart of the film makes it nearly impossible to dislike, as it is clear from the first scene that the folks behind the scenes are fans themselves. They cared about this movie deeply, and wanted to make something that fans and newcomers could appreciate.

While all of this is great and I would recommend anyone see this movie, I think older folks should keep things in perspective. This movie’s target audience is children.

It isn’t made for us. During the film, I sat next to a fiveyear-old who wanted to get a better view of everything.

At one point halfway through the film I was getting a little bored, so I started kinda looking around. While doing this I caught a glance of the kid, and he was completely engrossed in the screen. This, to me, is better evidence than anything else that the movie works.

Over the next few years, I expect Pokemon will have a renaissance, with films and games selling better than they ever have. If this movie is any indication of what the future holds for the franchise, fans are in for a pretty great time.

AP Continued from page 6 water polo recruit. Officials say he bought athletic gear and worked with a designer to create a bogus photo of his son playing the sport for the application.

Huffman and Sloane are among 14 parents who agreed to plead guilty in the biggest admissions scandal ever prosecuted in the U.S., known as “Operation Varsity Blues.” The scandal involves prestigious schools across the country and has also embroiled prominent college coaches.

The parents are accused of paying Singer to bribe coaches in exchange for helping their children get into schools as fake athletic recruits. Singer also paid off entrance exam administrators to allow someone else to take tests for students or fix their answers, authorities say.

Some parents and coaches who have agreed to plead guilty are cooperating with prosecutors against current or future co-defendants, but Huffman is not known to be among them.

Singer has pleaded guilty to charges including racketeering conspiracy. He began working with authorities last year and secretly recorded his conversations with actress Lori Loughlin, Huffman and other parents in the hopes of

getting a lenient sentence.

Some parents have decided to fight the charges, including “Full House” star Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, who have pleaded not guilty to paying $500,000 in bribes to get their daughters into the University of Southern California as crew recruits, even though neither is a rower.

Loughlin and Giannulli, who are also charged with money laundering conspiracy, have not publicly commented.

Huffman was a star of ABC’s “Desperate Housewives,” which won her an Emmy Award in 2005. She was nominated for an Oscar for playing a transgender woman in the movie “Transamerica.”

Experts differ on whether Huffman’s swift acceptance of responsibility will leave her with an acting career.

After she agreed to plead guilty, Netflix officials said that a film starring her, “Otherhood,” would not be released as planned in April and that a new date would be determined. A limited series featuring Huffman on the Central Park Five case is expected to debut this month.

8 • MSU Reporter

A&E

“IGOR” ALBUM REVIEW JULIA SLAUGHTER GUEST WRITER Tyler, the Creator has made an effort throughout his career not place himself in his own creative box, even coming on the scene and distinguishing himself by eating a cockroach.

On May 17th, the artist

will overpower the vocals to the point of non-recognition of the artists that are featured on the album such as Lil Uzi Vert, Cee Lo Green, Kanye West, Solange, and so on.

The love story begins with his song, “Earfquake”, which brings in a pop-like essence to the album with light piano melody.

The structure of the album focuses on the instrumental and melody rather than the lyrics for a good reason. Igor takes you on a journey of what it’s like to love someone who doesn’t love you back, by making you feel the emotions with the main character.

Tyler wants the listener to experience the album by

“Igor is an exploration of music and how it can be used to ignite reactions in the listener without lyrics”

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

GOT Continued from page 5

has been ruined by the past two seasons, and it breaks my heart. Tyrion Lannister, portrayed by the enigmatic Peter Dinklage, has been described throughout the series as the smartest man in Westeros. He has survived his whole life using his brain and wits. This season, he decided it would be best to put all of the women and children in a crypt while an army of the dead led by a creature that could resurrect said dead attacked the living.

Daenerys Targaryen, played by the lovely Emilia Clarke, has been established as a woman who desires power, but maintains a good set of morals and cares for innocent lives. She burned thousands of people alive

this season and decided that she was the only person in the world whose opinion mattered. Earlier in the season she even claimed herself that she wouldn’t “sacrifice the innocent to win”.

There are at least fifteen other examples of characters acting much different than they had before, and I think it all stems back to the writer’s choice to “subvert expectations” instead of create anything resembling a cohesive ending to this huge story.

These past two seasons have been extremely disappointing, Maybe the books will provide a more satisfying ending. Until then, I suppose I’ll just have to make do with the first six seasons.

3-WEEK SUMMER CLEANING JOBS: released his sixth album, Igor, that aims to evoke a story of falling in and out of love.

This album reveals a sort of maturity that Tyler has gained over the years, moving from angsty, aggressive rapping that can be found in previous albums like Goblin and Wolf, to a sound that involves more pianos and synth that carries the angst in a more subtle tone.

Igor opens with an overwhelming synth bass beat that lasts about 20 seconds in the song, “Igor’s Theme”.

This synth is heard throughout the album, and at times

The album, moves from this almost pop sound to songs that are a little more gritty like, “New Magic Wand”, which brings back the strong synth with layered vocals singing, “Please don’t leave me now”.

The album brings the listener through ups and downs with these differing sounds and leaves with the final song, “Are We Still Friends?”

The song is a more slowed ballad that closes out with a light tone, that the character is expressing how he wishes to remain friends with the person who cannot love him back.

connecting with how the music makes you feel, something he accomplishes with distorted, layered vocals snd heavy synth sounds.

Igor is an exploration of music and how it can be used to ignite reactions in the listener without lyrics or even on-key singing.

Overall, listening to this album with expectations that it will resemble any of his past sounds will leave the viewer disappointed, because as Tyler has stated “Don’t go into this expecting a rap album.

Don’t go into this expecting any album. Just go, jump into it.”

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