RRHS Freshman Autumn Sage in the Junior Miss America Beauty Pageant

On March 6-8 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Autumn Sage will be competing in the Junior Miss America Beauty Pageant. She currently holds the title of Junior Miss Eastern America. She will be up against ten to fifteen other girls in the categories of Swimsuit, Beauty, Runway, Interview, and Spokesmodel. 

Autumn's platform is St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.  To raise money for her cause, she holds a pageant of her own.  The pageant's name is Hope for a Cure. She plans on going to the hospital over the summer to draw pictures with the kids. This love to be with the kids all started because of "Mr. Strong," Thomas Musser; his story touched her heart and made her want to become a pediatric nurse at St. Jude.

She started pageants when she was two months old. "This has always been something mom and I can bond over," she says.  She loves to do pageants because she gets to play dress-up. She also notes that it was very hard to make it to this point in her pageant career, saying, "I had to learn how to do interviews and walk in heels." 

She is hoping to win Junior Miss America. If she wins, she will hold her title for a year, perform 200 hours of community service, and get to watch the Miss Virginia pageant. 

If you see Autumn around school, wish her luck on her upcoming competition. 

- Kaylee Patrick

Florida cat back from the dead

In Tampa Bay, Florida, a cat named Bart was struck by a car. Sadly his owner put him to rest and buried him, but after just five days he, somehow, was alive and clawed his way out of the grave. Although he may be alive, he has a lot of recovering to do, says the New York Post. The owner of the pet could not afford a vet, so he took him to the humane society. Bart has a ruined eye, facial wounds, and a broken jaw, but soon will be recovered. Bart is supposed to be undergoing surgery very soon.  Even though it's a bit of a cliché, cats really do have nine lives, and Bart can live the other eight of them happily.

-Kierra Gertz

NBA Season Review

As the NBA All-Star Break is this weekend, there are already some big teams jumping out to a big lead in their conferences. In this article, I will evaluate the top two seeds in both conferences, who is struggling that was projected to be good, and one team out of the playoffs that seem to be on the rise in each conference. Starting with the Eastern Conference: the Atlanta Hawks are the top team with a 42-10 record, an incredibly impressive season so far. Led by center Al Horford and PG Jeff Teague, Atlanta has proven to everyone that they can be great, especially after missing the playoffs last season. In the number two seed are the Toronto Raptors, and with a 35-17 record, they are led by incredible point guard Kyle Lowry, who is starting for the Eastern Conference All-Star Team. The team that everyone expected to be great this year, are the Cleveland Cavaliers, and they are underachieving horribly. According to ESPN, the Cavaliers are starting to look like they should, and with a 32-21 record, they seem to have found their rhythm. LeBron James and company are playing great basketball right now, as they are 9-1 in their last ten games. Even with this run, they are still sitting in the fifth seed in the playoffs, but things seem like it could get better. The team that I think is on the rise and will make the playoffs are the Charlotte Hornets. They are 22-29, but still take the seventh seed right now in the playoffs, and have players such as Al Harrington and Kemba Walker, who each have the potential to go off on a tear each and every night. Don't be surprised if you see them in the playoffs at season's end.

Moving on to the Western Conference, and I refer to them as the powerhouse of the NBA. The top team is the Golden State Warriors, and they have been absolutely incredible this year. They are 31-5, and their rookie head coach Steve Kerr has the record for most wins in five losses, with 30! They are very well-rounded, but their superstars are the Splash Brothers, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. These two are three point specialists who can drive when necessary to give you the points you need. The Warriors are my favorite at this point in the season to win it all, but many teams could contest. The second team in the West are the Portland Trail Blazers. Led by Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge, two potential all-stars. This team has a 30-9 record, and if it weren't for the Warriors playing as well as they have this season, they would be on top of the conference by a good number of margin. Lillard is very clutch, and a great point guard, and is seen as the young leader of the team. The team that is not necessarily meeting expectations are the San Antonio Spurs. Although they have a pretty good record at 26-13, they are seventh in the conference, where everyone thought the defending champs would be in the top seeds. With Kawhi Leonard out with an injury, they are struggling to win games. My team that I feel is on the rise are the Phoenix Suns. This team at first glance may not look very good, but they will make you pay for saying that. Led by SG Goran Dragic and PG Eric Bledsoe, this team is 29-23, and in the eighth spot right now. I don't see this team making a run in the playoffs, but I can see them maybe moving up to the seven or six spot at season's end. 

Many questions are apparent in the NBA and many answers will be revealed as the season continues. Will the Golden State Warriors cruise to their fourth Larry O'Brien trophy; or will Atlanta be an underdog in the East this year? All of this and more will be answered as we near closer and closer to the All Star Break.

Source

-Blake Holmes

Literary Spotlight: Life Through Faded Eyes: Part 3

Monday, when I went back to school, all I could think about was what my dad had challenged me Friday night.  I’ve only got one week to join a club and a sport, two things I have never done in my life.  So I started thinking what might actually suit me.

First I thought about sports.  What about football?  No, definitely not.  What was I thinking?  Then I considered doing track or cross-country to tone it back, but I heard the coach is really strict, and the practices were really hard physically and mentally.  I wasn’t exactly in shape, so all of those were out of the question, and honestly I don’t need that kind of stress in my life.  It wasn’t until Tuesday when I was talking with my friend Theodore that I got an idea.

I asked him:  “Do you play any sports?”

“What about an academic sport?” he asked.  I didn’t even know academic sports even existed.

“I don’t think that would count, but what the heck, tell me about it.” I gave in.

“I’m the captain of the chess team!” Theodore said, eyes lighting up and bouncing up and down like he had to pee.  “I’ve led the chess team to a total of three tournament victories!”

“Three?” I asked, somewhat skeptical, “how many chess matches have you been to?”

“Let’s not talk about our losses,” Theodore said, on a more depressing note.

So after talking to Theodore, I joined the chess team, even if their number of losses were numerous and hidden by only three victories.  (Theodore called it being positive, but I just said it was deceptive.)  Great.  There is one thing checked off of my list.  Now I only needed to join a club.  I asked Mrs. Brandywine for a list of all the school’s clubs, because she likes keeping lists of everything.  You know about those teachers who have multiple cows when one paper isn’t filed correctly.

The list had Pep Club (too peppy), FBLA (What does that even stand for?), NHS (Don’t you have to be smart for that?), Anti-Bully club (Um, no.), Interact Club (I’m not good at helping people.), Debate Club (I laughed till I cried.), and Hug Club (what the crap?).  None even seemed remotely interesting.  I didn’t fit into anything, and honestly, I was beginning to wonder if the challenge was even doable.

Still yet, throughout the week, I kept thinking about the clubs.  I asked all my friends, and even my enemies, what clubs they were in.  Most people were in multiple clubs, and I came across at least thirty that were in Hug Club (what the crap?).

Before I knew it, it was Thursday, and I still hadn’t joined a club.  That night, my dad reminded me of our challenge.  Great.  He still remembered, and he was being serious.  Friday, when I went into history class, Mrs. Brandywine said:

“Charlie, sweetie, your father told me about your…” she paused to think of the correct word, “'deal.' So I signed you up for Mr. Trenton’s club.” She explained with her glasses sliding off her nose.

“And what club is that?” I asked.

“Interact Club,” she said.

“Oh, God,” I said to myself.

-Dylan Crigger

Recipe: Bruschetta and Cheese Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients:

1 can (14 and 1/2oz.) Italian style diced tomatoes, undrained
1 and 1/4 cups Kraft shredded Low-Moisture Part Skim Mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup of basil
1 pkg (6 oz.) Stove Top stuffing mix for chicken
8 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (2lbs.)
1/3 cup Kraft roasted red pepper Italian with Parmesan dressing

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, to fix stuffing get a bowl add the tomatoes, the mozzarella, basil, and dry stuffing mix, now stir until its moistened. Take the chicken breast, roll them out with a rolling pin, or beat them with a mallet so your able to fit more stuffing. Repeat until larger and thinner. Now place the chicken in a casserole dish and spread the stuffing on a chicken breast, now roll it together. Do this to all the chicken, if you would like sprinkle cheese on them, and or Italian dressing, now put in the oven for 15 minutes. Enjoy!

- Kierra Gertz

New Craigslist Killer

Listed on Craigslist was a Mustang Convertible for $1. The Runions, a married couple, were interested, reports the Washington Post.

Elrey "Bud" (69) had driven one when he got back from the Vietnam War and wanted to get back behind the wheel of another one. Runion then posted this message on Craiglist: "Prefer red or black interior and top … with an automatic.   Call or text Bud.”  After a short time he had a reply. He and his wife (June, 66) took off to a place three hours south of their home to get the car. 

The plan was for he couple to return Thursday night, so you can imagine the alarm their family felt when on Friday the couple didn't answer texts or calls. Daughter Virginia Owens was shocked, saying this in an AOL interview about her father: "He would have certain protocols and security measures he would follow. He would always say 'meet someone in a very lit parking lot.' Dad was the type to think of the 'if-then' situations and 'if this happened then this is what you need to do.'" 

On Monday, the car was found submerged in a lake with the couples' bodies in it. They had both been shot in the head. 
Ronie Jay Towns (alleged killer) appeared in Telfair County Court on Tuesday. The judge denied bond and Towns left in handcuffs and a prison uniform. 

-Haley Vannatter

ELF 100 Palette Tutorial

  NYX HD eyeshadow base

 NYX waterproof eyeliner in aqua

 NYX jumbo pencil in milk

Brown eyeshadowfrom ELf 100 Palette (applied to crease)

 Yellow eyeshadow from ELF 100 Palette (applied on top of the NYX jumbo pencil)

 Medium blue eyeshodow from ELF 100 Palette (applied ontop of the NYX eyeliner)

 ELF black eyeliner $1 (applied to lashline)

 one coat of Covergirl Clump Crushes Lash Blast Mascara in black

 An added coat of Maybeline Big Eyes Mascara in black

 ELF Black eyeliner in black $1 (in water line and tight line)

 Added Maybeline Mascara to low lashes

Final result

Products used on the eyes (Brows: ELF brow kit in medium)

-Haley Vannatter

Recipe: Baked Potato Soup

Baked Potato Soup

To make this delicious soup you will need:
                                                            

12 slices of bacon

2/3 cup margarine                                                   

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

7 cups milk

4 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed

4 green onions, chopped

1 1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

First cook your bacon in a skillet. After it browns, crumble it, and set it aside. Now in a crock pot melt the margarine, add in some flour and pour the milk in often until the consistency is thick. At this point  add the potatoes and onions stirring all very seldom. Lastly, you're going to  mix in bacon, cheese, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Keep cooking, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted within the mix. Now put it in a bowl and enjoy!

-Kierra Gertz

Worst Super Bowl Commercials Ever

The Super Bowl was a great game but let's talk about the commercials. The commercials during the Super Bowl are typically supposed to be funny, but they were the opposite of funny this year. This year wasn't really about funny commercials; they were more about touching people, from Nationwide to Microsoft. The best commercial has to go to Budweiser because everybody loves a cute little puppy and the horses. Everyone held their breath when that wolf came out and tried to attack the puppy but we all know the horses would not let that happen. The funniest commercial has to go to Clash of Clans-- who else to get to be in it then Liam Nesson. Overall, though, the commercials could have been a whole lot better. I'm expecting much better next year.

-Collin Aker

Kentucky Best Team in College Basketball

It's halfway through the college basketball season and Kentucky has still not lost a game. But that's not surprising when they had the best recruiting class this season. They have six team members that average over ten points per game. They have so much talent, if someone is having an off night they have three or more different members to put in. Kentucky has two platoons that the coach uses, both having equal amounts of talent. People say that if Kentucky were to start losing would they mix up the platoons, putting the best players out on the court, but the only thing bad about that is that they would have to actually be losing to give some concerns on if they should mix platoons. If Kentucky continues on the way they're going, they will win the NCAA Tournament with no one coming close to beating them.    

Feature: Our Beautiful Moon

We only have one moon, but do you know how many different types of full moons? Well, I can tell you we have a lot!

Many different cultures have different names for the different full moons, these include: the Chinese, Celtic, Old English, and New Guinea cultures are a few. Native Americans used the moon phases to keep track of the seasons. They gave them each individual names for the reoccurring ones.

Many if the tribes had different names for the full moon. Some of the most well full moon names come from the Algonquin tribes who lived in the New England and westward to Lake Superior. They also had some of the greatest effects with early European settlers, so the settlers started using the idea of naming the moons.

The names aren't the only ones to have been used. Here are some of the most common names used among the Natives:

January: The Wolf Moon

•       The January snow falls deep in the woods and the howling of the hungry wolves can be heard in the cold winter air.

February: The Snow Moon

                The snow piles even higher in February, giving its name.

March: The Worm Moon

               The snow starts to melt and the ground softens, and the earth worms start to poke their heads out. 

April: The Pink Moon

               The flowers began to appear and other signs of spring appear like sprouting of grass.

May: The Flower Moon

               Flowers come into their full bloom and the corn is ready to be planted.

June: The Strawberry Moon

              Strawberry picking season reaches its highest peak.

August: The Sturgeon Moon

              The sturgeon is a large fish common in the area of the Great Lakes and is easily caught during this time. The reddish look that the moon has leads some other tribes to call it the Red Moon.

September: The Harvest Moon

             The Native American tribes start to gather their crops like corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and rice. The moon gives off a strong light allowing the European farmers to work late into the night finishing the harvest.

October: The Hunter's Moon

            The fields are all bare and reaped, with the leaves falling and the deer are getting fat, ready to hunt and eat. The hunters can ride over the fields easily and find the game.

November: The Beaver Moon

           The beavers are busy building and getting ready for winter, and time to set the beaver traps for more food and their warm furs.

December: The Cold Moon

           Winter comes taking the temperatures to the coldest.

      The full moon and Jupiter from France on February 3, photo by Jean-Baptiste Feldmann.

-Faith Hamman

How-to: Draw Captain America

Artists, ASSEMBLE! Want to draw one of Marvel's most iconic superheroes? Then be prepared to learn before Hydra gets you!

Materials required: Pencil, Sharpie and/or markers, crayons/coloring pencils.

Step 1: Draw three circles. Add guidelines in the large circle.

Step 2: Add four finger-like limbs to the body of the figure.



Step 3: Near the guidelines, add two half-circles and a curved line.



Step 4: Draw in the pupils and add two little wings on his helmet

Step 5: Add details, such as the star on his chest, the iconic shield, and the 'A' on his helmet.

Step 6: Use the pencil harder to trace over the sketches. Rotating helps get any harder part easier to trace.



Step 7: Trace the picture, filling in the pupils and adding his boots and belt. 

Step 8: Color in the drawing. and you're done!

- Catherine Cober

How To Even (Just in case you can't)

In the modern world, it is important that one knows how to even.  Evening allows one to act and react with correctness, and if you are stuck in a period where evening has become difficult, you can't always get back to the even world.  Isn't that odd?  Here are some basic tips on how to even, just in case you can't.

1.  Count to ten.  Sometimes to regain your evenness, you must calm yourself down.  Counting to ten is also a good choice because ten is an even number.  Avoid counting to odd numbers like nine, or fifteen, especially prime numbers like five and thirteen.  Prime numbers are the demons of odd.  If you can't count to ten, don't worry!  Repeating the number ten over and over can have a similar effect in the end.

2.  If counting to ten, or repeating the number over and over does not convert you to even, try purchasing coffee.  Coffee is scientifically proven to increase evenness in 94% of females, and 87% in males.  The best coffee to purchase to regain the ranks of the even is Starbucks.  While you're at it, you can get some pastries too.  Pastries are known to expedite the chances of evening.

3.  If Starbucks doesn't help, then you might have a serious case of the odd, which results in speechlessness, blond moments, and meaningless giggling.  If these side effects of odd are present in you, then it could be very serious.  Withdraw all the money from your bank account, and purchase the latest iPhone available, multiple times if needed, until symptoms disappear.  WARNING!  This method will only work with iPhones of the latest model, not previous iPhones, or other types of smart phones.

4.  If you have bought all Apple's stock of phones, or you don't have the money to continue this treatment, then the odd has already infected your brain.  This could be fatal, so follow this last treatment carefully:  Take as many selfies with other people as you can.  It is said that if one takes 1,000 selfies with their friends (which would really be a togetherie), then there is a chance the Starbucks Goddess will bestow upon you good health.  This happens to include being able to even.  It's a last chance hope, but it isn't impossible.

Not being able to even can lead to severe oddness, which in turn can be fatal.  These steps are designed to help all people with enough money to return to evening.  If oddness has stolen your even, and evening is too odd to even even, then being odd could even be the oddest way to even take your evenness.  Ok, now I can't even....

10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10........

-Dylan Crigger

"Life Itself"

"Life itself"

inspired by Walt Whitman's "O Me! O Life!"

Life.

Life is like a white piece

of paper.

Make it what you want to.

It's annoying at first

Trying to figure out

what you're going to put 

on it.

I've got it. I've got it.

No I don't life's not

good. I can't make 

it what I want.

Done. I'm done.

-Cailie Pollard

Literary Spotlight: "The Wind"

"The Wind" 

inspired by Robert Herrick's

 "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time"

The wind is like life,

Life passes fast and it's over.

So flow with the wind.

Let life go.

Life will take you where you need to go.

At the right place,

at the right time.

Don't try to change your direction.

The wind will take you places

that you need to go.

Don't take time trying,

trying to figure out where you're supposed to go.

Go with the wind while you have time.

Someday,

someday,

it will stop blowing.

-Cailie Pollard

Literary Spotlight: "The Choice"

"The Choice"

inspired by Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken"

Is it right,

is it wrong?

Should I,

Should I not?

There's two ways.

One could be right 

and one could be wrong.

It could change my life.

I'll go this way.

It's like a two way street.

Both ways could be different

or the same.

I'll choose right,

but wait.

It changed it all.

Everything is different.

It all changed.

Can it be the same,

Will it be the same?

I can't tell.

- Cailie Pollard

The Rights and Wrongs of Super Bowl XLIX

The 2014-15 NFL season has come to a close, and the New England Patriots are the champions. It is a pretty impressive feat, considering that they were faced with consequences that included being down by ten at the start of the fourth quarter, and rallied back to take the lead by four, which ended up being the final score, 28-24. Many great things happened in this game, but with good things come bad things, so the following plays are the rights and wrongs of Super Bowl XLIX.

RIGHT: The Seahawks' decision to go for the touchdown instead of the field goal before the end of the first half was a very good decision. They had enough time on the clock to maybe have to kick the field goal even if they didn't score the touchdown, and it ended up working in the long run. Plus, they got the ball back at the half and if they did not get it, then there was not much harm done.


RIGHT: The half-time show was actually a right, mostly because Katy Perry's voice did not change as much live as others' would. I remember the Black Eyed Peas' Super Bowl performance and it was just awful; they were completely different live than in the studio, which in this case is not a good thing. Katy Perry actually sounded pretty good, not to mention the surrounding acts were good too.

RIGHT: Julian Edelman was a right, mostly because of the big touchdown that he caught at the end of the game that gave the Patriots their game winning lead. He had a fantastic game, and really played a huge role in winning the game.

The fight that occurred after the game was given away by Seattle's offense started by the Seahawk defense and Patriots offense, believe it or not was not a right or wrong in my book, for a number of reasons. The first reason is that it showed that the Seahawks had some frustration and they got to show it, and that can be a good thing. Nobody was hurt in the fight, so nothing really bad came from it. It does say something about Seattle's sportsmanship, but they just lost the Super Bowl, so I feel like anyone else would do the same thing.

WRONG: Finally, one of the worst decisions I have ever seen in my life, Pete Carroll telling the offense to throw the ball at the end of the game that led to the interception, made me feel sick to my stomach. The first point is the Seahawks have one of the best RB's in the league in the backfield with Marshawn Lynch, and he has already played well, so why not give the ball to him, considering you only need one yard?! Also, not only was it one yard, they had 25 seconds left, which is plenty of time for at least two plays, and they had a timeout remaining! If Lynch didn't get the touchdown, they could have just taken that final timeout, and chances are, the Seahawks would have scored. I do not blame Russell Wilson for throwing the pick, because he did what his coach told him to do. All the blame goes to the offensive coordinator, and Pete Carroll.

Overall, I believe that it was a good game that was hard fought. The Patriots played well, but I look at this game as if the Pats didn't win the game, but the Seahawks just gave it away. All of this because of a bad decision with the game on the line. My prediction for the Super Bowl next year will be the Green Bay Packers vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers, a rematch of the 2010 Super Bowl where the Packers were victorious, 31-25. Goodbye football, and we will miss you heavily until next season.

Source: ESPN

-Blake Holmes

Va. Governor Falls Off Horse and Breaks Seven Ribs

According to TIME, Governor Terry McAuliffe is currently recovering from being thrown off his horse, while on a safari with his family in Africa. He is being treated at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond with seven broken ribs. The governor has continued to work on his regular schedule. He even delivered his annual State of the Commonwealth address the following Wednesday with his injuries.

-Faith Hamman, Makayla Kowalski, and Cailie Pollard

The Perfect Headphones

For many years, people have yearned for, nay, CRAVED the perfect headphones. According to IFLScience.com, this craving is finally being addressed tenfold. Created by German start-up company Bragi, "The Dash" earbuds are the world's first wireless, waterproof ear buds. You may do a double take on that last sentence.
    
Bragi was able to make these wonders of modern technology via a Kickstarter campaign, where they raised almost 3.5 million dollars by only 16,000 backers. Money well-funded, as not only are the ear buds wireless (a beauty itself) and waterproof, but they also have 4GB of music storage, can play music by Bluetooth connection to a device, have excellent noise-cancelling capabilities, act as a fitness trainer, have an accelerometer to control them via hand gestures (these keep getting better and better), can tell you what the weather is going to be like if you look up, and can answer a phone call if you nod. 


They come to markets in April, with an acceptable price of $299. Acceptable is used fittingly, as these ear buds have all of these features, along with being lightweight and waterproof to up to one meter. I wouldn't mind paying $299, if I had that kind of money. Be on the lookout for these beauties in April.

-Kevin Brown, Freelance Writer

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake

To make delicious Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake, you will need:
                   
           3(8oz) packages of cream cheese
           3 eggs
           3/4 cup of sugar 
           1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
           2 (16.5oz) rolls of chocolate chip cookie dough
  
Then you will need to preheat your oven to 350 degrees and coat a 9 by 13 inch glass pan with cooking spray. Then mix together all the ingredients, except the cookie dough, in a large bowl until well mixed. Next, slice your cookie dough into 1/4 inch circle slices, and put one layer down on the bottom of your pan, pressing so there are no holes in the dough. Next, add your mix, then top with the other roll of dough. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until golden and the center is slightly firm. Let cool, then refrigerate. Serve in slices when well chilled, but I bet you will not want to wait to eat them!
                                                                  - Kaylee Patrick


           

Literary Spotlight: The Little Box

The familiar buzzing moves the device across the table
My eyes try to read her like a book in another language
Yet, I fail once again to hear the beautiful ring of her voice 
How rare it is to hear voices in a super market, at work, in my own home
I yearn to know what makes her laugh, what makes her cry 
Instead, the messages are secrets hidden beyond my reach
Another life hides so deep within the little box
A life that I try so desperately to see, to understand 
A blanket draped over our faces to hide behind the words
Words that we don't have the courage to let escape from our lips

It makes us so brave, yet so coward
If the box was left alone, I would know
The knowledge of another life would be mine 
I would know her, I could finally read her
I would know what makes her laugh, what makes her cry
I could open a door that has been shut in my face
My dear daughter, her cheeks warm against the pillow 
Dreaming of things that will forever be hidden 
There it lies.  Next to her warm cheek and dreaming mind
The key to the unknown has been placed in my hand

But wait, like dreams, the unknown will always be hidden 
Her head will lift from the pillow and she will still be mine
My lips touched her forehead.  I didn't need to know 
The box was not a home 
Moments of precious silence warms my soul
In the moments of the unknown, I find her.  I know her.
The unknown creates her laughter 
The unknown creates her tears
And I, her mother, create her comfort.  Her home. 

-Makayla Kowalski

Oreo Brownies: Best on the Planet

Oreo brownies are a delicious treat created by a family friend and perfected by my stepmother.

 First, you are going to need these:

• A 9"x 13" dish 
• A roll of pre-packaged cookie dough 
• Brownie mix 
• 1 pack of Oreos  (your choice) 
• Non-stick spray 

 Follow these easy directions: 

1. Spray the grease onto the bottom of the dish.   
2. Layer press the roll of cookie dough on the bottom of the dish. 
3. Place Oreos in rows on top of the cookie dough. 
4. Mix box of brownie mix per directions on box and pour over Oreos.  
5. Bake at 350-375 degrees for approximately 45 minutes; make sure to test with a toothpick for doneness. 
6. Once done, take safely out of oven and leave to cool for 30 minutes. Enjoy! 

 -Thomas Brown 

Deflate Gate: Weather or Sabotage?

The New England Patriots beat the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship game to make it to the Super Bowl. The question is, did they cheat in that game? According to ESPN, eleven of the game balls for the Patriots were found to be two pounds under the required weight, which is a huge advantage for a QB and a WR, because it is easier to grip and catch the football. The Patriots did beat the Colts very badly; this probably doesn't do much to the score, but the league as a whole could take a big hit if the Patriots are found to have messed with the footballs themselves. Everyone will look at the league as if they give cheaters the big glory, and New England will be hit with ANOTHER scandal, this one coming after Spygate. Spygate was another big cheating situation the Pats were found to be guilty of, back when they won three Super Bowls in four years in the early 2000's, and this was where they were caught video-taping the other team's practices and caught with tapes of the opposing team's signals. The Pats then knew what they were calling because of their signs, and could therefore stop it. The Pats have really played fantastic football this year, and they would deserve making the Super Bowl, if only they did not feel like they needed to cheat to win. It is not definite whether the Patriots tampered with the game balls, but there is some evidence to support they did. It could be because of the weather, as it was very cold and raining on that fateful day, but I feel like if it were the weather, it would not have deflated that many. I also find it as strange that all of the footballs deflated but one of them. That just seems like a specific number of footballs to be "randomly" deflated. I hope that this year's Super Bowl is a good one, but I have to go for the Seahawks if this turns out to be true, because I don't side with cheaters.

Source: Imgur

-Blake Holmes