VOL. 105 No. 9
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2015
NTDAILY.COM
CRIME
PARKING
T.R.I.A.D. founder faces 3 counts of indecency with a child
From left to right, Denton Moped Army members Krissi Oden, Jake Knight and Brittany Kirkland hang out at Jake’s garage on October 13. Ranjani Groth | Staff Photographer
By Alex Helm Staff Writer @alex_helm The founder of the Transgender Intersex Alliance of Denton, A.J. Aguinaga, was arrested Oct. 13 by UNT police and charged with three counts of indecency with a child, according to university officials. Aguinaga, 22, who remains in custody at the Denton County Jail, could face A.J. Aguinaga up to 20 years in prison for the second-degree felony offenses charged against him. The crimes, UNT officials said, occurred in the General Academic Building from Sept. 14 through Sept. 25. Two incidents allegedly occured in a General Academic Building bathroom, UNT spokeswoman Margarita Venegas said. An additional incident occured at an offcampus house. Police received a report on Oct. 9, which led to an investigation and Aguinaga’s arrest on Oct. 13. At the university level, sexual misconduct sanctions can range from residence hall removal to expulsion, university spokeswoman Kelley Reese said. According to the Texas penal code, indecency with a child is sexual contact with a person younger than the age of 17. Because the alleged victim is below the age of 18, no information was reported about the victim, Reese said. There is a question of child safety in the GAB, but Reese said children should be safe now. Aguinaga could not be reached for comment. UNT Police are currently investigating. Check in with ntdaily.com for updates as they occur.
By Eline de Bruijn Staff Writer @debruijneline
Moped Army rides vintage vehicle around streets of Denton By Kayleigh Bywater Senior Staff Writer @Kayleighbywater When Nathan Williams rides around Denton, he gets stares and questions. As he zips down the road, he weaves around objects in his way, experiencing the sights and sounds of Denton. Williams does not ride a motorcycle or bike, but a hybrid
of the two: a moped. Since he started riding, Williams has been hooked. His love for mopeds prompted him to start a Facebook group called Moped Army Denton, which currently has around 120 members. The group allows local moped owners to get together and ride. “Live fast, ride slow is my motto,” Williams said. Mopeds were extremely popular in the late 1900s.
By Joshua Legarreta Staff Writer @YouOpenTheChest
Friday H: 77°F L: 65°F Saturday H: 70°F L: 59°F H: 70°F L: 58°F Monday H: 72°F L: 57°F Tuesday H: 74°F L: 54°F Wednesday
TRENDING
SEE MOPED ON PAGE 6
Martinez’s herb collection contains mugwort, catnip, ginger and valerian. Meagan Sullivan |Associate Visuals Editor
After leaving Catholicism, Megan Martinez began researching witchcraft. Martinez would soon find comfort in reading about spells and performing them, diving deeper into the craft after graduating high school and coming to UNT. While her mother was initially worried, Megan said she eventually understood when she saw there was no harm in it. As a practicing Wiccan and witch, Martinez is not the average student. She said it’s just another facet of her life, though many may be wary of her beliefs. “Witchcraft isn’t a religion, it’s a lifestyle,” Martinez said. “Magic isn’t very theatrical.”
In witchcraft, magic is the core energy that drives all. Through the use of catalyst items – herbs, spices and special rocks – witches can interact with the world around them in different ways, though the methods differ from person to person. “There’s no right or wrong way to practice witchcraft,” Martinez said while sifting through her box of catalysts, including a curvy, blackhandled knife known as an Athame. “I like to use magic to change stoplights, light my cigarettes and heal people.” Martinez’s friend Katherine, who requested to not have her last name mentioned for safety reasons, had a different experience getting into witchcraft because she grew up with it. Katherine claims to have a blood lineage tracing back to the town of Salem in colonial Massachusetts,
SEE WITCHES ON PAGE 7
FOOTBALL
@ntdaily @thedose_ntdaily @ntd_sports
#BackToTheFutureDay
Wednesday was Back to the Future Day which celebrated the day Marty McFly traveled to Oct. 21, 2015 to save his children in ‘Back to the Future II’
#JoeBiden
Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. announced on Wednesday that he would not run for president.
#StarWars
The official trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which will come to theaters Dec. 18, was released.
#PaulRyan
Republican Paul Ryan announced Tuesday that he would run for House Speaker.
TIMELINE
people in Denton ride mopeds,” Williams said. “It’s this overarching community that people don’t really think about.” Kyle Salter, a Moped Army member and owner of Kyle’s Scooter Shop, has been a part of Denton’s moped community for more than 10 years. Most of the people in the group come to him
Campus witches practice magic
7-Day Forecast
H: 71°F L: 48°F
Williams said the word “moped” comes from a clever combination of the words “motor” and “pedal,” as mopeds have pedals but are also motorized. On Wednesdays, group members meet at Lucky Lou’s before they go on a ride. They host “wrench nights,” where they work on one another’s mopeds, and they even buy and sell mopeds on their Facebook page. “It is insane how many
LIFESTYLE
Today H: 72°F L: 62°F
Sunday
Parking tickets can be appealed
New quarterback taking the reins By Reece Waddell Senior Staff Writer @ReeceTapout15
The Mean Green quarterback carousel may be finally coming to an end. At least, that is what newlyappointed interim head coach Mike Canales and junior DaMarcus Smith hope. North Texas has rolled out four different starting quarterbacks since its Heart of Dallas Bowl victory following the 2013 season, and so far the program has been unable to find an answer. In 2014, former
head coach Dan McCarney used three different men under center, but none were able to get the Mean Green offense rolling, with the team scoring 21 points or fewer in seven of its games. Enter DaMarcus Smith. “I have to try and not worry about how the quarterback position has been here the last couple of years,” Smith said. “That can kind of mess with you mentally, especially with the struggles that we’ve had. But I know if I play my game and keep it simple, I’ll be fine.” For Smith, the struggle was
simply getting on the field, as the junior missed the entirety of spring practices after the NCAA ruled him ineligible. Smith committed to North Texas in December of 2014 and officially completed his transfer at the end of the fall semester, taking classes in the spring of 2015 to earn his eligibility back. After being cleared by the NCAA in May, the quarterback was finally able to start taking snaps. “He missed 15 practices and 25 days of football,” Canales said. “In the progress of his development as it took its shape, as a coach you’re like,
DaMarcus Smith Dylan Nadwodny|Staff Photographer SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 8
A piece of white paper on the windshield is something so thin and frail, but such an item can morph into a costly burden. No one enjoys getting a ticket, but at UNT, parking citations can be appealed. A parking ticket appeal is an option for drivers who feel they were following parking rules but were still cited. Appealing a ticket isn’t always successful, but it doesn’t cost anything and can lead to change. UNT Parking and Transportation Services allows people to appeal tickets online at unt.edu/transit. Drivers click ‘‘appeal citations” and log in with their EUID and citation number. Read and accept the user agreement, enter contact information and select the appeal reason from either medical emergency, signage error, vehicle problems or other. Drivers can detail their appeal using up to 1,000 characters and can attach up to three photos. When Student Government Association president Adam Alattry received a ticket for obstructing traffic at the end of September. His ticket was $35, but he wanted to appeal because he felt he hadn’t done anything wrong. “I was kind of in shock because it said I was obstructing traffic when I obviously wasn’t,” Alattry said. “One thing I would recommend for students is to take pictures before they get into their
SEE PARKING ON PAGE 2 REVIEW
The Dose: ‘Steve Jobs’ and Aaron Sorkin’s depiction of genius By Nicholas Friedman Editor-In-Chief @NMFried “It looks like Judy Jetson’s Easy Bake Oven!” When 19-year-old Lisa JobsBrennen yells those words at her father on the roof of the Flint Center just five minutes before the unveiling of the blue iMac, the entire point of Steve Jobs comes into focus. The man was flawed. Director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin crafted a stretched retelling of the life of a genius. Michael Fassbender stuns as Jobs, nailing everything from mannerisms to dress. Stellar performances by Kate Winslet as Joanna Hoffman, Seth Rogen as Steve Wozniak and Jeff Daniels as John Sculley fill out a cast-packed runtime. Events are tweaked and arguments are amplified from reality, but the lives of those around Jobs are changed as the man falls into his work and ultimately finds success. Steve Jobs is about interacting with a hard-shelled man. Once Sorkin combed the source material, author Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs, he knew what kind of film he wanted to write. “When I’m writing something, it’s all I can think about when I’m brushing my teeth or driving my car,” Sorkin said during a roundtable discussion Wednesday afternoon. “I didn’t just want to dramatize the biography.” And he didn’t. Sorkin adapted
SEE REVIEW ON PAGE 7