Daily Toreador The
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 4, 2013 VOLUME 88 ■ ISSUE 68
www.dailytoreador.com
Serving the Texas Tech University community since 1925
Winter weather may hit Southern Plains this week NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Winter weather is in the forecast for the Southern Plains later this week, with snow, sleet and freezing rain expected. Despite temperatures in the 60s and 70s on Tuesday, it’s supposed to get chilly on Wednesday. A winter storm watch was posted for parts of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas ahead of a storm that’s forecast to arrive Thursday and Friday. Snow is expected fall in southcentral portions of Oklahoma starting Thursday— north of Lawton but south of Norman. South of that and into Texas, ice will be the main concern. It was nearly 70 degrees in Oklahoma City on Tuesday afternoon, but some residents were already stocking up for a winter storm. At a Buy For Less in northwest Oklahoma City, 62-year-old Kathy Hire was picking up dog treats, fruit, oatmeal, hot dogs, bread, canned beans and other items. The retired librarian lives alone and said she likes to be prepared ahead of time. “It’s supposed to be cold tomorrow and then with the snow and ice, I thought, ‘Hey, I’ll just get it now,’” she said. Hire said she doesn’t mind the changing weather because she keeps busy listening to Christmas music, watching movies and reading if she’s stuck inside. Groceries aren’t the only thing Hire usually stocks up on ahead of a storm — she also makes sure to fill up the gas tank. “I always fill up the car with gas just in case I need to rescue a friend or family member,” she said.
North Texas experiences 2.7 magnitude earthquake RENO, Texas (AP) — A part of North Texas where at least 19 earthquakes happened in November has recorded another minor quake. The U.S. Geological Survey says a 2.7 magnitude earthquake happened at 9:44 a.m. CST Tuesday in Parker County. The quake was centered a mile east-southeast of Reno, in an area about 20 miles northwest of Fort Worth. USGS initially listed Tuesday’s earthquake as 3.4 magnitude but later downgraded the figure. The Parker County Sheriff ’s Office had no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the area’s first confirmed earthquake of December.
OPINIONS, Pg. 4
twitter.com/DailyToreador
Carol of the Lights Texas Tech hosts 55th annual holiday tradition
PHOTO BY EMILY DE SANTOS/The Daily Toreador
By ALI WILLINGHAM Staff Writer
Texas Tech students, faculty, staff and alumni filled the Science Quad and Memorial Circle for the 55th annual Carol of Lights celebration on Tuesday night. The celebration, one of Tech’s largest and most well-known traditions, continued many traditions to which the crowds had become accustomed. Residence Halls Association manager for student leadership development, Craig Kuehnert, said the ceremony started at about 6:30 p.m. with a musician from the school of music, Tom Hughes, playing a performance from the carillon tower. Hughes played some Christmas carols, he said, leading up to the official kickoff at 7 p.m. “Right at 7 o’clock, we have our traditional procession,” Kuehnert said. Kuehnert said the procession starts off with the Saddle Tramps starting off near the Broadway entrance and proceeding all the way through to the front with their bright red torches. This year, however, there were no Saddle Tramps’ bright red torches to kick off the porch procession. The change did not go unnoticed by the crowd, although the exact reasoning behind the change was not made clear. Calls made to Saddle Tramps were not immediately returned. Despite the confusion by the change, the longstanding tradition did not disappoint the crowd. After the Masked Rider and Raider Red made their way through the crowd, Kuehnert said there was a volley between the trombone and combined choirs. As well as that, he said, RHA was excited to have Tech President M. Duane Nellis speaking, had yet to see
Carol of Lights. “And, of course, it all builds up to the moment when the lights get flipped on and the 25,000 Christmas lights light up the campus,” Kuehnert said. As the lights flipped on, the crowd oohed in unison at the red and white Christmas lights. Cody Mitchell, a junior agricultural communications major from Lenora, said he was looking forward to the celebration because he had never seen it and he’d been at the school for a while. He decided to finally attend the event because he wanted to see the Carol of Lights before he graduated, he said. “I decided to buck up and get this off my bucket list,” Mitchell said. Clint Horsley, from San Angelo, attended the celebration along with his wife and Tech alumna, Ashlee Horsley, as well as their five-year-old and two-yearold children for the second year in a row. Ashlee Horsley, from Midland, said her favorite part is when the lights come on. It puts her in the Christmas spirit, she said. “You can feel the energy of the crowd,” Ashlee Horsley said. The Carol of Lights just starts the holidays off, he said. For him, Clint Horsley said, Christmas has started right then and there once the lights flip on. “Everybody goes crazy and it’s a great time,” Clint Horsley said. The couple said they think the tradition will be one they continue for years to come. As their kids get older and they begin to understand more, Ashlee Horsley said, it’s going to be even more fun. “It’s a unique tradition that the school has going on,” Clint Horsley said. ➤➤awillingham@dailytoreador.com PHOTOS BY LAUREN PAPE/The Daily Toreador
Skinner: Time with The Daily Toreador valuable, treasured
INDEX Crossword.....................5 Classifieds................7 L a Vi d a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Opinions.....................4 Sports.......................7 Sudoku.......................2 EDITORIAL: 806-742-3393
ADVERTISING: 806-742-3384
BUSINESS: 806-742-3388
FAX: 806-742-2434
CIRCULATION: 806-742-3388
EMAIL: news@dailytoreador.com