7Maskless Events

Joe Biden is inaugurated as president

Abby Gorman Editorial Editor Adalia Luo DPS Editor

On Jan. 20, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took the oath of o ce and o cially became the president and vice president of the United States. Harris, sworn in by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, made history as the rst Black, AsianAmerican and woman as vice president.

Some changes to the inaugural ceremony were made in order to comply with social distancing guidelines. Attendance was reduced to about a thousand guests, a small crowd in comparison to the amount that typically gathers across the National Mall; for reference, it is estimated that 1.8 million people attended Barack Obama’s rst inaugural ceremony in 2008.

Security issues were also of concern following recent events at the Capitol. As a result, much of the city’s transportation was put on halt, and 25,000 National Guard troops were deployed to the surrounding area, a larger perimeter than in years past.

Also notable about the ceremony was former Pres. Donald Trump’s decision to not attend; although former Vice President Mike Pence was present, this is the rst time an outgoing president has not attended since 1868. e ceremony featured several guest speakers and performers, including the national anthem sung by Lady Gaga and the invocation led by Rev. Leo J. O’Donovan. Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman read a poet she wrote for the occasion following the recent events at the Capitol, titled “ e Hill We Climb.”

Biden delivered a 21-minute inaugural speech addressing the nation. “To overcome these challenges, to restore the soul and secure the future of America, requires so much more than words. It requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy: Unity,” Biden said. “Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this. Bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation. And I ask every American to join me in this cause.”

Salute- Following the ceremony, Biden and Harris visited Arlington Cemetery to perform the traditional wreath-laying event at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Abby Gorman/ Prowler Acacia’’’ Day of Service provides for all

Sarena Kabir News Editor

Beth Neal, vice president of the Acacia PTA Board, hosted a food drive on Jan. 17 at Acacia Elementary School in order to help those in need of food. People across the entire community were able to come together and donate about 4000 pounds of food to Adelante Comunidad Conejo.

According to their website, Adelante is an organization that strives to “address concerns within the Conejo Valley Spanish speaking community regarding opportunities and services o ered to our children in the local public schools.”

Neal came across Adelante because of Dr. Betsy Connolly, former school board trustee, and Carol Shelton, one of the board members of Adelante. “I said ‘Listen, if I can pull together like a drive-thru food drive, where people just drive through our little circle, pop the trunk, you know, we take the stu , you say goodbye... If I can pull that o , can you open up Adelante on Monday the 18th so we can drop o the donations?’ [Shelton’s] like, ‘Yeah, totally,’” Neal said. is is Neal’s third year of hosting this drive; however, this year’s drive was especially successful despite the pandemic. “ e community support was just overwhelming. I do believe that we’re in that weird time, where people are…aching for a way to help their neighbor and they don’t know how,” Neal said. “I [also] think for our volunteers, [that there was a] boost to their mental health by being able to help somebody. I think they probably received more

Unity- As the Acacia PTA Board hosts their food drive, Acacia teachers Ms. Nystrom, Ms. Sonstegard and Ms. Villanueva helped bring bags of food for collection. “We had teachers from Acacia...packing bags. It was defnitely

a nice way to do something for someone else, and feel safe.” Beth Neal said. Beth Neal/With Permission gi s that day than they ever expected because they were able to do something and feel good.”

Democrats take government trifecta with twin victories in Georgia

Carter Castillo Features Editor

Democrats have o cially won control of the presidency, the House of Representatives and the Senate a er Jon Osso and Raphael Warnock won their special elections in Georgia. On Jan. 5, Georgia held two runo elections, one between incumbent appointed Republican Sen. Kelly Loe er and Democrat Warnock for a two year term in a special election. e other race was between incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue and Democrat Osso . Both Loe er and Perdue have conceded their races.

Runo elections were triggered because no candidate received over 50 percent of the vote in either of the general elections. Republicans only needed to win one seat to maintain their Senate majority, but Democrats needed to win both races to create a 50-50 Democrat-Republican split in the Senate. is would give Vice President Kamala Harris the tie breaking vote where she will hand Democrats the slimmest Senate majority since 2000.

With the power of the Senate now in the hands of Democrats, they will control a government trifecta for the rst half of Biden’s presidency, with both the executive and legislative branch being run by Democrats. Democrats still face many challenges, in large part due to the Senate libuster that requires 60 votes to end debate on any topic. However, Senate control does at least give Biden a ghting chance for his policies.

Carter Castillo/Prowler

6opinion Panther Prowler • Jan. 22, 2021 Maskless events endanger countless lives

Dhruv Patel Ad Team Sarena Kabir News Editor

During the holiday season, multiple maskless events took place locally. ese events sparked much controversy amongst locals in regards to whether or not it was ethical to not wear masks. e smart choice would obviously be to wear masks, but others feel the need to not follow health guidelines.

On Dec. 13 and Dec. 23, actor Kirk Cameron organized a gathering at the ousand Oaks Mall. To celebrate the holiday season, hundreds gathered to engage in Christmas caroling while not wearing mandated masks. is type of attitude to California’s directives is unacceptable as these guidelines are put forward to protect citizens’ health. Wearing a mask is the rst and nal step you need to protect yourself and others from COVID-19, and not being cooperative with these regulations is only hurting you and the people around you. Yes, Christmas is a time when people come together and celebrate with their families, but 2020 was di erent. Despite the struggles of not seeing family and friends, people need to put these feelings aside and think about the greater good for everyone.

Not only so, speci c protocols, such as the closure of outdoor dining was also put in place, in order to slow down the spread of COVID-19. However, at the Cronies Bar & Grill in Agoura Hills, students and families gathered to protest the outdoor dining ban on Dec. 7. ese people showed up to the grill, without wearing masks. e only reason the ban was reinstated was to combat the new uptrend of cases and Ventura County’s reentry into the purple tier. Rejection of this law only leads to more infection and the only way for COVID-19 to eventually go away is to stop the spread. People trying to reject these laws right now will only hurt themselves in the future when they cannot enjoy the pleasures of life they used to have pre-COVID.

Obviously, the smart thing to do is stay home or wear a e general public are not the only people su ering from COVID-19. Prisons around the U.S. have been experiencing high numbers of cases and deaths of guards and prisoners.

According to the New York Times, there have been over 480 thousand infected guards and inmates; among them, at least 2,100 deaths. Because there are limited guards and protection due to the pandemic, many jails are moving their prisoners mask, but it does not seem to be as simple for those who are unconcerned with the consequences of the pandemic. is time period is one that a ects everyone, not just one person. If other countries are able to be completely free of COVID-19, then so can America. All we need to do is stay home, and wear a mask.

Maskless - Hundreds of maskless carolers sing outside the TO Mall, adorning candles and other festive items. These carolers were rebelling against the mask mandate in Ventura County and were standing very close together, defying the six feet distance regulation.

Prison inmates need better Covid-19 protocols

Gwen Buchanan Back Cover Editor

Sarena Kabir/Prowler together and combining facilities.

However, this is the last thing the prisoners need at the moment. Almost all inmates live in poor conditions with overcrowding, lousy ventilation and extremely low sanitation. How are the inmates supposed to keep themselves safe when their already overcrowded prison is being combined with another?

Even if these people are criminals, they deserve the right to keep themselves safe and healthy by maintaining a six feet distance from one another.

Prisoners are four times as likely to be infected with

COVID-19, and twice as likely to die from the infection.

Yet, when some states attempted to decrease overcrowding by releasing minor o enders early, they were contested by the public and politicians with criticism. is situation is no longer a question of protection of the general public and has become a moral con ict to whether we save the inmates from severe infection rates. ese people do not have the choice to stay home or social distance, and yet the people outside of prisons are still struggling to do so.

What makes a criminal is the mistreatment of society or of individuals, yet aren’t we doing exactly that? Shoving people together into poor living spaces is not the moral way to treat human beings, even those who have committed crimes. If we as a people turn a blind eye to the sick and dying, and cannot nd it in ourselves to respect the health and wellbeing of prisoners, our actions are no di erent than those of a criminal.

Geocaching inspires adventures

Parker Bohl Staff Writer

e wind leans on the bushes as I wander down the path, I check my map and begin to search for a small box, hidden creatively in plain sight. I am geocaching. For me, few activities now o er motivation to exercise or a safe way to go outside, but geocaching provides both.

What is a geocache? It’s a container hidden in a public space with a piece of paper inside it for geocachers who nd it to sign. You can nd the coordinates of geocaches by going to the website geocaching.com or using their app. ere are a lot of reasons I love geocaching. First, it is great exercise. From hiking on trails to riding my bike around my community, it gives me a reason to go outside and exercise. Second, there’s this terri c feeling of exploration and excitement that comes from searching for a stealthily hidden treasure. Some containers I have found include a small magnetic bolt at the bottom of a fence, a rubber piece of steak and a removable fencepost cap with a discreet handle. ere are some cachers renowned for hiding intensely challenging caches and others known for leaving worthwhile treasures, and even some known for their cryptic descriptions and messages, giving their nds and hides an air of fantastic mystery. ere has never been a better time to get into geocaching. It’s been around for 20 years, and this means you can nd secrets hidden from the general public for over 20 years. ere are 20 years of culture to dive into and 20 years of innovation and constant creativity to participate in! Due to the pandemic, there are not many safe outdoor physical activities, but this happens to be one. Geocaches, especially on hiking trails, have very few people, if any, nearby. Geocaching has never been more accessible or bene cial.

Geocaching has created many memorable moments for me, and I’ve only just gotten into it. Every time I set out to nd a cache, whether I succeed or not, I come home with another story. It can add an element of interest to the dullest of days and gives you an opportunity to adventure.