June 30, 2020 - Utah Statesman - Utah State University

Page 1

Week of June 30, 2020 www.usustatesman.com (435) 797-1742 TSC Room 118 Free single copy NEWS | Fall break canceled

LIFESTYLES | To Kill a Mockingbird

SPORTS | Merrill to the NBA?

USU announced some changes to the fall semester to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. What are they?

“To Kill a Mockingbird”: Why Americans should read this 60-year-old wake up call

Sam Merrill NBA Draft preview: Where will the legendary Aggie land?

see PAGE 3

see PAGE 2

see PAGE 4

STALLED

PS5 Revealed

How COVID-19 has stifled Logan’s plastic bag ban

PHOTO COURTESY OF Sony By Sydney Dahle LIFESTYLES CONTENT MANAGER

Originally announced in 2019, the long-awaited PlayStation

5 has finally been revealed, exciting fans all over the world.

There are two versions of the console: One is a sleek, thin ver-

sion that is completely disc-less and will use online streaming and downloads, and one is a standard model with a Blue-ray player. As opposed to the standard hard-drive, the PS5 will use a solid-state drive that can hold up to a terabyte of data.

The design, white with black accents as compared to the pre-

vious all-black consoles, is set to release later in 2020. Similar PHOTO BY AP Photo/Lisa Rathke In this June 18, 2020, photo, Steve Picazio loads groceries into his car at Shaw’s grocery store in Berlin, Vt. Vermont’s ban on single-use plastic bags takes effect July 1, while some other states have postponed theirs amid the coronavirus pandemic. By Maggie Mattinson NEWS STAFF WRITER

The

COVID-19

cleanliness due to COVID-19

over what?

plans even more.

our life support system (the

have changed the council’s outbreak

has greatly affected Logan’s efforts to be the third city in

Utah to eliminate the use of plastic bags.

Most notably, many busi-

nesses have stopped allowing patrons to bring reusable

bags in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus.

On Feb. 5, Logan City Coun-

cil, along with the Solid Waste Advisory Board, made

a timeline change affecting the plastic bag ban. They decided that rather than imple-

menting the ban on April 22

as previously planned, they would opt for a transition to the ban. The transition would last through July 31 to allow

businesses more time to ad-

just to the new city standards. New guidelines for safety and

In an interview with KSL

News, Jeff Young, Richmond mayor and chairman of the

Cache County Solid Waste Advisory Board, said the new

rules for cleanliness and sanitation would force the coun-

cil to rethink the bill. Young

added that they know the ban will be difficult for businesses. During this time of eco-

nomic recession, their main

The health of

environment)?” Davies said.

recycling and litter the com-

game as well as “Horizon Forbidden West” and an enhanced

“The COVID-19 situation il-

lustrates that, as we move

forward, we need to do so in a holistic manner. We need to take into account the full collection of social, environmen-

ban since its proposal last spring.

“If they have indeed said

they need to ‘prioritize business,’ I would ask, at the expense of what?

Prioritize

environment,

contaminate

munity when blown out of garbage cans or landfills.

Miles Morales. There will also be a new “Ratchet and Clank” version of “Grand Theft Auto V.”

Unfortunately, the price for the PS5 is unknown, but it cer-

They also said thin plastic

tainly will cost an arm and a leg. This isn’t including all the ad-

animals.

an HD camera, a pulse wireless headset and a media remote.

bags could be dangerous to However, even with all the

ditional accessories such as a “dual sensing” charging station, Sony also stated that the console will support an “overwhelm-

tal and health concerns. A

support, the proposed ban

ing” amount of the 4,000 PlayStation games existing today.

is to prioritize the well-being

from the community.

boosted frequency on PS5 so that they can benefit from higher

holistic, responsible approach of our community.”

In February 2019, city coun-

plastic bags in Logan stores.

involved with the plastic bag

In addition to the new console comes new games, including

a sequel chapter to the PS4’s “Marvel’s Spiderman” following

them, he said.

professor at USU, has been

ports and better isolation.

plastic bags are bad for the

cil member Herm Olsen pro-

Robert Davies, a physics

depending on the space. It will also have USB-A and USB-C

our citizens? The health of

focus should be on doing

whatever they can to support

Supporters of the ban said

to the new Xbox Series X, it can be placed vertical or horizontal

posed a ban on single-use The ban was met with great support from Utah State Uni-

versity students and some residents of Logan. Olsen

proposed the ban on a city level because waiting for it

to come through state legislation would be a “forever

was met with some dissent Opponents of the ban said

the

inconvenience

might

drive business out of town.

We’re expecting backward compatible titles will run at a

or more stable frame rates and potentially higher resolutions,” Sony said back in March.

Fans seem genuinely excited about this console, much more

Small business owners re-

than when the Xbox Series X was announced. As more games

added expense of providing

play, the more excited the internet gets. Of course, that hasn’t

minded the council of the

paper and reusable bags. Council member Jess Brad-

are shown with their stunning graphics and fascinating gamestopped the memes from rolling in.

Others are deciding between the PS5 and the Xbox X simply

field said the ban was an-

on design.

should be trusted to make

will look like by September.

ti-business, and individuals their own conscious choices.

prospect.”

In the end, the council unansee “Bag Ban” PAGE 5

There’s still time for changes, so who knows what the console

—sydney.dahle@aggiemail.usu.edu @dillydahle

USU gymnastics adds All-American to coaching staff By Dalton Renshaw SPORTS CONTENT MANAGER

Utah State gymnastics head coach Amy Smith announced the

addition of an All-American to its coaching staff Wednesday;

former UCLA Bruin Gracie Kramer joins the Aggies as a volunteer assistant coach, for the 2021 season.

“We are beyond thrilled to announce the addition of All-Amer-

ican and national champion Gracie Kramer to our Aggie family,” Smith said. “She will be filling the role of our volunteer as-

sistant coach, and creative content and social media manager.” Kramer graduated from the Southern California gymnastics

powerhouse in 2020, where she spent the past four seasons.

She helped the Bruins capture a national championship in 2018 and was honored as an All-American on floor in 2019 and 2020.

January 2020 the Aggies met UCLA during a tri-meet in Pro-

vo, in which Kramer posted a 9.950 on floor and 9.725 on vault.

“Gracie is one of the most dynamic floor performers of all

time,” Smith said. “Her performance quality is beyond mes-

merizing. I am so excited for her to get to Logan and start

working with our team. Her passion and enthusiasm for our sport is infectious and she will make an immediate impact, and

we are so excited she has decided to come on board and help continue to build our program.”

Kramer was dominant in her senior season, becoming UCLA’s

top-ranked performer on floor and ranked No. 3 nationally.

She recorded a perfect 10 on floor against Washington on Jan. 31, and averaged a team-high 9.938 on the event during the

season. She placed first on floor in five meets and her last six floor routines went 9.9 or higher.

The native of San Clemente, Calif. graduated from UCLA in

June of 2020 with a degree in sociology.

“I am truly honored to accept a position with Utah State and

to work with Amy, Erik (Lewis) and Amanda (Wellick) in cre-

ating a championship culture and program,” Kramer said. “I

am both humbled and excited for the privilege to support this team of talented gymnasts as they strive for academic and athletic success.”

—sports@usustatesman.com @drensports

PHOTO COURTESY OF USU Gymnastics All-American and national champion Gracie Kramer has joined the USU gymnastics coaching staff.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.