Shutdowns in space: What Mars rovers and NASA scientists have in common
By Nicki Rosenberg, The Archer School for Girls
February 21, 2019
After 15 years of exploring the red planet, the Mars Opportunity rover died Feb. 12. After the rover team's attempt to contact it on Tuesday was unanswered, NASA shut down Opportunity's mission. This, however, was not the only shutdown NASA was concerned about this week. The government agency was facing another...
Longest-ever government shutdown affects local citizens
By Alexa Davis, Freedom Area Middle School
February 12, 2019
On Friday, Jan. 25, President Donald Trump signed a bill to reopen the government for three weeks after a 35-day shutdown. A partial government shutdown started in the United States on Dec. 21, 2018. A partial shutdown is the result when Congress fails to pass a budget for the country. When a shutdown...
Low Country businesses and organizations step in to provide for furloughed workers
By Ryan Okpych, Summerville High School
February 8, 2019
As the government shutdown continues into its 35th day, many Low Country restaurants and stores have begun to provide for workers affected by the shutdown, such as those working at the Charleston International Airport with TSA. “To the many businesses and individuals in the greater Charleston community...
Longest Government Shutdown in U.S History
By Tonia Bloomingberg, Klein Cain High School
February 8, 2019
Throughout the nation, January brought an abounding amount of stress to federal employees and contractors. Over 1.8 million Americans were denied pay and left out of work, 1 million of which are contractors who will not be seeing back pay. After rewriting history by setting a new record for the longest...
No Budget, More Problems
By DJ McInturff, Herrin High School
February 7, 2019
Complete economic free fall, the closure of schools, the unemployed forming into unimaginably long breadlines, violence in the streets, an entire country in disarray-- these might be some of the images that come to mind when you hear the words “government shutdown” in every headline on every news...
Federal employee describes government shutdown hardships
By Zoe Alvarez, Vidal M. Trevino School of Communications and Fine Arts
January 31, 2019
The name have been changed to protect this federal employee’s identity Robert Matthews is one of the 800,000 employees who had been affected by the government shutdown. He had little concern when he first heard of the shutdown as he has been through several. “I really did not give much thought...
The Bug: 2018-2019 government shutdown is making history
By Justyne Bernal, Vidal M. Trevino School of Communications and Fine Arts
January 31, 2019
The issue to shut down the government was stalled by Congress on December 5, 2018, meaning that federal employees would still receive a paycheck. However, after fighting towards no shutdown the fight was lost after 16 days. On December 22, 2018, President Donald Trump shifted the lifestyle of government...
Students show growing dismay after month-long government shutdown
By Noah Raaum, St. Paul Academy and Summit School
January 31, 2019
One month in Martin Luther King Jr. Day—a day of celebration, service and progress—marked the 32nd of the longest government shutdown in United States history. Over the course of a month, numerous federal services have gone dormant, half a million federal workers have lost their wages, and Congr...
Sophomore shares his government shutdown experience
By Zoe Alvarez, Vidal M. Trevino School of Communications and Fine Arts
January 29, 2019
Esteban Rocha is one of the many children of federal employees who are being affected by the shutdown. He is a sophomore VMT creative writing student. Like many others, he did not anticipate the length of this government shutdown; he assumed it would last a couple of days. Little did he know it would...
What the government shutdown means for Coppell
By Nicolas Reyes, Coppell High School
January 29, 2019
Uncle Sam has been tagged by a kid named Government Polarization in a game of freeze tag that affects every American. As Washington D.C stands still, the rest of the nation is teeming with uncertainty. About 800,000 federal workers are not being paid; 500,000 of them are being forced to work regardless....
Affecting the masses: South Forsyth families and how they deal with the government shutdown
By Kate Haas, South Forsyth High School
January 28, 2019
Since December 27th, the United States government has been in a government shutdown, leaving thousands of government employees unpaid but still required to go to work. Employees have now missed two paychecks, which is taking a toll on families across America. Before working for the government, future...
Dance student explains family’s government shutdown challenges
By Zoe Alvarez, Vidal M. Trevino School of Communications and Fine Arts
January 28, 2019
Krista Lopez is one of the 800,000 federal employees’ children who is currently dealing with the effects of the shutdown. She is a sophomore VMT dance student. She described her feelings as concern and confusion when she first heard about the government shutdown on December 22, 2018. Her parents...
Not Shut Out by Shutdown
By Jordan Doss, Clarksburg High School
January 28, 2019
Due to a disagreement between the democratic and republican party, the United States government went into a shutdown December 22. Trump requested $5.7 billion for the development of the wall between the US and Mexico, but the Democrats denied his plea. The following day the shutdown began and is currently...
Federal shutdown causes local pain
By Charlotte Spears, Henry. W. Grady High School
January 28, 2019
For 35 days, one fourth of the federal government has been shutdown due to a dispute between Congress and the President over a spending bill allocating money to build a southern U.S. border wall. The now longest-running partial government shutdown is tightening its grip on the 800,000 employees impacted. ...
Furlough frenzy: Government shutdown impacts Whitman community
By Zara Ali, Walt Whitman High School
January 24, 2019
The current government shutdown—now in its 30th day—is the longest in U.S history. The shutdown has kept around 800,000 federal employees from receiving pay, including many parents in the Whitman community. In an informal survey of five classes, twelve students said at least one of their parents ...
Government shutdown jeopardizes Big Bend trip
By Sophie Gillard, St. John's School
January 24, 2019
Additional reporting by Ashley Yen As the partial government shutdown finishes day 29 with no end in sight, the eighth grade Big Bend trip is threatened by Congressional inaction. For the first time in 41 years, students may not have the opportunity to camp for a week in Texas’ best-known nation...
For these three Knights, cost of government shutdown hits close to home
By Gregory James, McCallum High School
January 24, 2019
Junior Acacia Burnett doesn’t have to tune in to CNN or check the president’s Twitter feed to learn about the effects of the government shutdown. For Burnett, the effects of the government shutdown are personal. Because of the shutdown, her mother, Aphrica Farrow, is close to being out of a job ...
Government hits wall
By Blake Loria and Caroline Ragland
January 24, 2019
The partial government shutdown, which started Dec. 22, 2018, is the longest government shutdown in U.S. history as of Saturday, Jan. 12. The shutdown is in response to President Donald Trump's demand for a $5.7 billion proposed border wall budget and the Senate and House Democrats, who say they w...
Shutdown won’t immediately impact SCCC students
By Michelle Mattich, Seward County Community College
January 24, 2019
It’s day 26 of the government shutdown and the longest in the history of the United States. Government workers are not being paid and many offices are closed while congress and President Donald Trump battle over funding issues. How does this shutdown affect Seward County Community College students?...
Government shutdown hits home
By Dani Orloff and Noah Orloff
January 24, 2019
For senior Jack Ostrovsky, the government shutdown is more than simply a news headline. According to Ostrovsky, his father, a federal worker for the Internal Revenue Service, has been out of work for three weeks because of the shutdown. “Like many federal workers, (my father) wants to get back into ...