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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.