Final Four Finally Here

This year's NCAA tournament has been nothing short of exciting, as March Madness is about to come to a close. The Final Four is set, with the Villanova Wildcats facing the Oklahoma Sooners, and the North Carolina Tar Heels going up against the Syracuse Orange. According to ESPN, the first game will be #2 Nova and #2 Oklahoma, with an obvious superstar in this game in Buddy Hield. He has been lighting the tournament on fire, and has led the Sooners to the Final Four, and in my opinion, he will lead them into the championship. The next game is the 1 seed Tar Heels against the 10 seed Orange. Syracuse has been the biggest surprise in the tournament this far, as they have become the first number 10 seed in the Final Four ever. This being said, I think that Syracuse can pull off this upset, as they beat the #1 UVA Cavaliers before this game. I personally believe that Hield and the Sooners will win the Big Dance over the Orange, but only time will tell!

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-Blake Holmes

U.S. Soccer Stays in Race to World Cup

Following the U.S.A.'s loss to Guatemala in the World Cup qualifiers on Good Friday, Coach Klinsmann of the U.S. had a decision to make when it came to the lineup. According to SBNation, Klinsmann started Brad Guzan, Edgar Castillo, Geoff Cameron, Steve Birnbaum, DeAndre Yedlin, Michael Bradley, Kyle Beckerman, German Zusi, Gyasi Zardes, Clint Dempsey, and Bobby Wood. This lineup had not previously played together as a team, and as a result, there was no prior chemistry. Despite this, the U.S. bounced back and stomped Guatemala 4-0 in Tuesday's bout. If the U.S. were to lose, their World Cup hopes would have been in doubt. Luckily, there is breathing room for now.

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-Isaiah Addair 

Soccer Season Starts Out Uneven

The soccer season has started, and it is already rocky. The first soccer game was against Narrows. Rural Retreat's Thomas Brown scored first against Narrows, with the score 1-0 at the end of the first half. During the second quarter Narrows scored once tying up the score, 1-1. Zach Smith was kicking the ball over the railroad tracks and in the stands during game one. The final score for the soccer game was 1-1. Rural Retreat had already, after the first game, tied up the win record for last season. The second game of the season was against Patrick Henry. Patrick Henry is a well-trained team. During the first half Patrick Henry scored 5 points,with the score 5-0 with Patrick Henry taking the lead. During the second half Rural Retreat was trying out the new goalie, Isaiah Addair. Rural Retreat didn't score any during the second half once again. Patrick Henry scored 3 points during the second half, making the final score 8-0 with Patrick Henry taking the win. 

-Hannah Addair 

Customer Saves The Day

At a 7-Eleven outside of Seattle on Sunday, a Washington man came into the store swinging a hatchet around threatening the customers, then made his way to the clerk. At that point, he had badly injured the clerk causing minor injuries to the abdomen. Just a few seconds later, a customer inside the gas station fired a pistol at the suspect, which killed him instantly. They have not released his name yet, but officials described him as a 60 year old man who gets coffee from there every morning and is from Seattle. Another detail they released was that he would most likely not get a charge because he was carrying a concealed carry permit and it would be considered self defense. According to http://www.foxnews.com, King's County Sheriff's Sergeant Cindi West stated, "This could have been a lot worse, the clerk could be the one laying there on the floor dead right now." Police have still not figured out the reason for the attack and have not yet identified the attacker himself, but they estimated he looks to be in this 40's. -Aeriel Corvin

The End of the MACC Season

Saturday, March 19, was the last MACC match of this MACC season. Every team played Carroll except science and they played Galax. The first two teams to go Saturday were science and social studies. Science beat Galax during the season by 12 points. During tournament, Galax came back and won 70-48. The social studies team played Fort Chisewell. Fort Chisewell is very strong on their social studies team.  Fort Chisewell destroyed Rural Retreat 75-28. English and math were the next two teams to go up. Rural Retreat played Carroll during the quaterfinals. The score was tied at the end of the directed round,but during the toss-up round Carroll buzzed in every question. The final score for english was 76-35 with Carroll defeating Rural Retreat.  The second to last team to play was math. The math team only has two members. Rural Retreat was also defeated by Graham. The final score for the math round was 50-15, with Graham taking the win. Sadly, Rural Retreat didn't have any of these teams go on to semi-finals. The final team to go for Rural Retreat was all-around. All-Around played Carroll, and it was tied at the end of the directed round. During the toss-up round Rural Retreat was winning the whole time. With two questions left Carroll takes the lead. Trevor Tidewell for Rural Retreat buzzed in for the last question and got it correct: 55-51, with Rural Retreat taking the win. All-Around made it to semi-finals, against Galax. This round was a very intense match, and it ended in tears. Galax and Rural Retreat are both great teams. Rural Retreat was leading at the end of the directed round. Then at the end of the toss-up round Galax took the win, 60-35. This tournament ended in tears for Rural Retreat. Rural Retreat is losing a bunch of seniors. It was a great season with the seniors.We had memories, laughs, and tears. This group of seniors will never be forgotten. 

-Hannah Addair

A Georgia Boy's Dream

After a long, hot, tiring day, Mason Tyler is looking forward to a Friday night by a bonfire catching up with his buddies, or so he thought. He goes in and cleans up a little, then climbs up in his '78 Chevy and cruises to the field. There's no trouble, no alcohol, just a bunch of guys talking about trucks and work, but tonight something changed from the tradition. He climbs down out of his truck and walks towards the fire. His best buddy Cody greets him and introduces him to the most beautiful girl he's ever seen. She had a dark tan and smelled like Georgia peaches. Her name is Harper Rose, and it's a Georgia boy's dream to get with her. They hit it off instantly and made small talk sitting on his tailgate. Soon the night wasn't young anymore, and he had to go with a hope that he would see her again.

-Destinee Testerman

Lady Vols Softball

                According to the University of Tennessee Sports News, the Lady Vols softball team has played 26 games with an overall record of 21 wins and five losses. They currently have nine wins at home with zero home losses, three conference wins with zero conference losses and 11 wins and three losses in neutral tournament play.

                Their first tournament, the Kajikawa Classic, was played in Tempe, Arizona. The Lady Vols played six different teams (Creighton, BYU, Fresno State, Arizona State, San Jose State, and Northwestern) with a tournament record of 4-2, beating Creighton, BYU, San Jose State, and Northwestern.

                They later played in the Tennessee Invitational at their home field in Knoxville, Tennessee. They played, and beat, all 3 teams (UAB, Green Bay, and St. John’s) with a tournament record of 5-0.  The Lady Vols took four of the games by slaughter rule and one game by a final score of 4-0.

                The Lady Vols will play this weekend, starting tomorrow, March 18, against Florida, in Florida.  This will be the first time this season that they play their rivals, the Florida Gators.   The SEC Tournament will be played May 11^th, 12^th, and 13^th with the championship game played on May 14^th.

-Allie Pertee

Golden State Warriors: The G.O.A.Ts?

This year, there has been one NBA team with a pretty good start to the season. In fact, it's the best start in NBA history, with the closest team to them having lost one more game than them. The Golden State Warriors, with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson at the helm, are 62-7. This is absolutely incredible as there are only 13 games left in the 82-game NBA season. The only team that is close to them is the San Antonio Spurs, who recently beat them, and they have only lost 10 games this season! The Warriors can go 11-2 for the rest of the season and still break the record for most wins in an NBA season, as the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls went 72-10. If you step back and look at the bigger picture, the Bulls had great players like Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. Another cool thing about the Warriors is that their head coach has a chance to be a part of the two best teams in NBA history, as he was a player for that great Bulls team. They would have to lose three games for the rest of the season to lose the record, which would be the worst stretch of the season for them. The only things bad about their record are the teams that they have lost to. Four of their losses are to teams with losing records, including the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Denver Nuggets. Even with these losses, they have had one of the best seasons in NBA history, and it will be an exciting postseason.

-Blake Holmes

Sweet 16 is Set

This year's NCAA Tournament has had many different twists and turns, as we come even nearer to the NCAA Championship. There have been many upsets, like Yale taking out Baylor, Arkansas- Little Rock beating Purdue, and Middle Tennessee State destroying brackets everywhere by beating Michigan State. This being said, the Sweet 16 is here, and the matchups are set. They go as follows.

Sweet 16 Matchups

1 Kansas vs. 5 Maryland

3 Miami vs. 2 Villanova

1 Oregon vs. 4 Duke

3 Texas A&M vs. 2 Oklahoma

1 UNC vs. 5 Indiana

6 Notre Dame vs. 7 Wisconsin

1 UVA vs. 4 Iowa State

11 Gonzaga vs. 10 Syracuse

ESPN has the North Carolina Tar Heels as the best team in the tournament right now, followed by the Kansas Jayhawks and Virginia Cavaliers.

-Blake Holmes

RuPaul's Drag Race hosts first double-elimination of the season

Having just begun its 8th season, critically acclaimed reality show, RuPaul's Drag Race, is off to an amazing start, featuring some of the strongest queens the series has ever seen. Acid Betty, Bob the Drag Queen, and Kim Chi are front-runners in the competition thus far. This week's episode featured one of the show's infamous group dance challenges, which pits the queens against each other in a choreographed dance number. Chi Chi Devayne (a trained dancer and performer) shone through, winning the challenge as a team captain. Unfortunately, Dax ExclamationPoint and Laila McQueen (also in the bottom last week) did not stand out, and thus had to lip-sync for their lives. In a shocking turn of events, RuPaul eliminated both of them, telling them to sashay away. As the episode drew to a close, she pulled out a cell phone and proceeded to have a conversation with an unknown queen, implying that an eliminated queen will return next week. Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure: this may be the best season of Drag Race yet.

-Cade Tickle

First Four Begins

March Madness is beginning, as the First Four will take place, a round before the true tournament begins. The teams go as follows: Vanderbilt vs. Wichita State, Tulsa vs. Michigan, Holy Cross vs. Southern, and Florida Gulf Coast vs. Fairleigh Dickinson. The Vanderbilt-Wichita game and the Tulsa-Michigan game will decide who will be eleven seeds, and the Holy Cross-Southern and FGCU-Fairleigh Dickinson games will decide two number 16 seeds. This round is often considered irrelevant by many, because the odds to win another game are not very high for the winning teams. After this round, the Big Dance goes in full swing, as the Round of 64 begins.
-Blake Holmes

Hooch Henley

Fellow newspaper student Wyatt "Hooch" Henley leads an interesting life. Just recently, Hooch was invited to talk to the Board of Education and present his art. I decided to meet with Hooch in an interview.

Q: How did you get your nickname?
Hooch: The movie Turner and Hooch. He was slobbery and nasty, and that describes how I was as a baby.

Q: When did you begin to draw?
Hooch: Probably in Art in Pre-K was when I first drew and realized I was good at it.

Q: Did you enjoy talking to the Board of Education?
Hooch: I don't know. It was very nerve-wrecking. I was nervous.

Q: Was there anything in the board meeting that stood out to you?
Hooch: Mrs. Graffham is not getting her teaching license renewed next year because she "is not a good fit." There was a lot of support for her there.

-Isaiah Addair

DC Universe Online Game

DC Universe Online for the PS3, PS4, Xbox One, and PC, is a well-regarded online multiplayer game. The player starts off his journey by creating a character with their choice of super power, mentor, and weapon. The player also gets to choose what colors and outfit to wear. Players have a choice of being a hero or villain; villains team up with villains like Lex Luthor while heroes team up with heroes such as Superman. Players can level up and unlock new weapons and gear while teaming up with other online players to complete missions and save the world from the villain Brainiac.
There is also a "Hero v. Villain" game mode to participate in where players may play as legends.

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-Isaiah Addair

Conferences or Districts: Which is Better?

Throughout my high school career, there have been many changes in the teams that the high school athletics face. In my freshman year, we had things called districts, and we represented the Hogoheegee District along with George Wythe, Patrick Henry (PH), Chilhowie, Northwood, and Holston. Nowadays we represent the Mountain West Conference 46, which loses Holston and Patrick Henry and replaces them with Galax and Fort Chiswell. If a person asks me which system is better, I would personally say that districts are better than conferences. The reason I say that is when you win a district game, you win against the people you most likely know. For example, when Rural Retreat beats George Wythe in any sport, it increases the pride that the students have for their school. The same way goes with Holston or PH. However, if we beat Galax, people don't care as much as a local rival. The passion of our school's athletics increases when we play and beat our local rivals. It also feels more important when you play them in a game, you feel a lot more passion playing George Wythe and the Hogo rivals than when you play Bland or Galax. I believe that the conference should be abolished and districts be brought back, because I miss the passionate play of the Hogoheegee District.

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-Blake Holmes

FFA Trip Photos

                               

                                         

-Laura Midkiff

Feature: American Sniper Chris Kyle

History’s greatest American sniper, Christopher Scott Kyle, was born on April 8, 1974, in Odessa, Texas, according to his Wikipedia page. Chris was a United States Navy SEAL and the most lethal sniper in U.S. history, with over 160 kills officially confirmed by the Department of Defense. He went to college at Tarleton State University before achieving the rank of Chief Petty Officer during his ten years on active duty in the Navy. This great sniper earned many medals in the Iraq War. Chris has been the inspiration for amazing movies and wonderful books, including the movie, American Sniper, and the books, American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History, Unti American Sniper Novel #1, and American Gun: A History of the U.S. in Ten Firearms. Kyle was married in 2002 to a lovely woman named Taya Kyle. On February 2, 2013, Kyle was shot dead at a shooting range near Chalk Mountain, Texas. He was not the only one horribly shot that day; his friend, Chad Littlefield, age 35, was also killed.  Eddie Ray Routh, a former Marine who was accused of killing Christopher, was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

-Kelly Quinley

Shane'O'Mac is Back

Shane McMahone has come back to WWE! His sister Stephanie McMahon was leader over Monday Night Raw, but he wants the business in better hands . . . his. He came back and shocked everyone there, even his father, Vincent Kennedy McMahone. All of the audience was ecstatic that Shane'O'Mac was back! His dad gave him the opportunity to try to get in control of Monday Night Raw, but he has to go up against the world's greatest, the Undertaker. He said that he has much respect for the Undertaker, but he will be over Monday Night Raw. During this time, the Undertaker tells Vincent McMahone that his son's blood is in his hands, not the Undertaker's. Vincent then tells the whole WWE Universe that he restates his son as something else besides his son. The WWE Universe booed him as he left the stage, and Shane says that his father has lost respect for him. Shane also states that he has lost more than him, but also his grandsons. Vincent Kennedy McMahone also tells the whole world that he is grateful for his biggest success, Stephanie, and disappointed in his worst mistake, Shane. Shane lets it slide while he is ready to try to win the WWE Monday Night Raw.


-Kelly Quinley

Two teen sisters found a year after their disappearance

Ky-Lea Fortner, 16, and Shaeleen Fitch-Fortner, 14, were reported as runaways after last being seen April 27, 2015, while waiting to board a school bus. The two teen sisters were found Wednesday at a home in Vestal, New York. Vestal is about 15 miles from the Susquehanna Valley School in Conklin, where they were last seen. According to MSN, they were initially reported as runaways, but now authorities say the sisters were kidnapped. Police arrested Amanda Hellman, 29, who was a resident of the house where the sisters were found. Hellman, described as a "family acquaintance," has been charged with second-degree kidnapping. Both of the girls were turned over to the Broome County Family Services.

- Faith Hamman

Spring FFA Trip a Success

FFA members from Rural Retreat, Fort Chiswell, and George Wythe high schools, including myself, enjoyed a six-day trip to Florida, returning home yesterday. It was a long, tiring trip, if you ask any member who went. The trip was March 8th-13th and included many tours. We stayed at the Florida FFA Leadership Center in Haines City, which was about an hour from Orlando. We had some free time when all the members were able to interact. Some went fishing, which included an alligator hunt in the dark, and Mr. Alexander took some time to go canoeing on the lake. The tours included going through a citrus packaging plant, a family-owned and operated cattle ranch, and a tour of greenhouses at Walt Disney World. The greenhouse tour showed how they supply the flowers and greenery for all four Disney parks. As always, we had fun and learned a lot along the way.

-Laura Midkiff

Richard Simmons Explains Absence

According to ABC News, Richard Simmons has been absent from the public since 2013, and was rumored to be held against his will in his home. "I am not kidnapped," Simmons told an ABC News reporter. Simmons said he was taking time off, and "doing things he [hadn't] done in a very long time." The last appearance Simmons made was during the 2013 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Fans of Simmons were concerned that he was being held captive in a Hollywood Hills mansion. Simmons will be coming back into the the public eye shortly, he says.

-Hannah Addair

One Million Dollars Awarded to Teacher

According to CNN, a Palestinian teacher was awarded $1M for her contributions to her profession of teaching elementary-aged students. At a ceremony located in Dubai, she was awarded the Global Teacher Prize. She accepted the award and stated that it was "a win for all teachers in general and Palestinian teachers in particular." Something that she also said was "Believe in your ideas, work on them, convince people of your ideas, challenge the whole world, convince people of your ideas so you can spread them and you will find yourself here."

-Destinee Testerman

Student Photography Feature: "Black and White"

- Faith Hamman

Amtrak Train Derailment

According to CNN, early this morning, March 14, an Amtrak train bound for Chicago derailed in a Kansas location. At least 32 of the passengers were injured, but a report says the injuries are not life-threatening. The remaining passengers and crew members were taken to a nearby 4-H Center for Red Cross assistance and to find alternate ways to their destinations. There has been no report of what caused the accident at this time, but crews are hoping to find out the reason for it soon.

-Laura Midkiff

Op-Ed: Donald Trump a Good or Bad Vote?

If you are like my family or a lot of other people I know, then you really don't want Trump as our president because of the way he is campaigning or the things he has promised to do, like the fact that he wants to build a wall in between the United States and Mexico, and send the illegal immigrants back. But if you listen to what I tell you, then I might change your mind. Don't get me wrong; I am not trying to defend him in any way but I think he might be a good vote because I don't see him doing anything that he said he wants to do. One: he technically he can't send back all of the immigrants, because if he does then he would be sending back a quarter of our population and a quarter of our workforce. Now that might not seem like a lot, but trust me-- that percentage of our workforce is largely the work that we as a country don't want to do . . . the hard labor that we as a country don't really even know how to do, including Trump. Why would Trump send back probably 80 percent of his own employees? I think that Trump is actually going to do pretty much the complete opposite of what he said he was going to do. In a magazine when Trump was supporting Hillary Clinton, when asked about him running for president he said that if he ever did he would run on the Republican ticket because the Republicans are stupid and would be like sheep and follow him. That is what he is doing right now. So if you're Republican, in my mind you don't want to vote for him, but if you are a Democrat, then I honestly think you should vote for him.

-Justice Williams

Little Caesars Drive Thru is Hot

A couple nights ago after I went to the movies, I went through Little Caesars' newly opened drive-thru in Wytheville, VA. The pizza tasted great and it took about a minute to go through the whole line. It was nice not having to get out of the car after a long day of prom dress shopping and movie watching. I'm so excited they opened a drive through, so now if it is raining I won't have to run and risk dropping my pizza.

-Cailie Pollard

Dog waits two weeks for dead owner

A faithful dog waited over two weeks for his murdered owner in Houston last month, reports USA Today. His owner, Hatem Abuharbid, was murdered at a gas station where he works. The dog waited in front of his owner's apartment door. When someone saw that he was waiting for his dead owner, they took him in for a week and then sent him to Abuharbid's brother's  home. 

-Trinity Akers

Review: Fuller House

Fuller House was added to Netflix on February 26. It was thirteen episodes full of laughter, tears, and memories. All of the old cast members returned except Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (Michelle Tanner). Fuller House coordinates very well with Full House. In Full House, Danny Tanner's wife died in a car accident caused by a drunk driver, and in Fuller House, D.J. Fuller's husband died saving people's lives as a firefighter. D.J and Danny both have kids, but D.J has three boys instead of three girls. The show is loved by millions, so they had to make it family-friendly for many age groups. They did add to Fuller House more cursing and inappropriate jokes, for the older audience. The show brings back many memories for a lot of people.  

-Hannah Addair

Medal of Honor Presented to SEAL Edward Byers

According to CNN, a Medal of Honor was presented to a certain Navy SEAL on Monday morning. That Navy SEAL is Edward Byers, who was presented with this medal because of his actions in rescuing an American held hostage by Taliban insurgents. Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Byers received a medal for valor combat that only five other SEALs have ever received, presented to him by President Barack Obama. "Ed is defined by a deep sense of humility, he doesn't seek the spotlight, in fact he shuns it. He's the consummate quiet professional," Obama stated. "Today's ceremony is truly unique -- a rare opportunity for the American people to get a glimpse of a special breed of warrior that so often serves in the shadows." During the December 2012 operation, "his courageous actions" and "selfless service" was highlighted by the White House. As a defense official stated in an unclassified summary, Byers "displayed superior gallantry, extraordinary heroism at grave personal risk" and is "unquestionably deserving of the Medal of Honor."

-Destinee Testerman

Literary Spotlight: "Ohana"

Ohana means family

We have each other's backs

We love with all our hearts

We may not be blood

Our skin may be different colors

But we love one another

That's all that matters

Forget blood

Love makes family

-Hannah Addair

Kevin Gate upcoming concert!

Kevin Jerome Gilyard, also known as Kevin Gates, American rapper, will be performing a concert  Monday, February 29th in Knoxville, TN. The concert is called "The International."  Tickets are very affordable online, going for $30 each for general admission. Tickets for premium balcony seats will be $100. General admission only includes getting in the door. 

-Briona Snavely

The Bachelor-Episode 8

For this week's episode of The Bachelor, Ben went to each girl's hometown. He spent the day on a date that each girl planned.

First he went to Amanda's hometown in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. When he arrived at the beach to meet Amanda she told him that her two daughters would arrive soon. Amanda hadn't saw her kids since she left and Ben got to meet them for the first time. Both of the little girls loved him even though they were a little shy at first. After spending time with Ben and her girls Amanda could really see herself marrying him. When they left the beach the girls were tired and cried the whole way home which was kind of suprising to Ben. When they arrived at Amanda's parents house the family was excited to meet Ben. Her family really liked Ben but just didn't know if he would be ready to be a dad already. Amanda's mother talked to her and just wanted her to be happy and thought that Ben could do that for her. Later that night before Ben left he read the girls a bed time story. He really connected with the girls by telling them the love story between him and Amanda.

The next woman Ben visited was Lauren B., who lives in Marina Del Rey, CA. Lauren had created a date where they just walked the streets and did basic things. They ate lunch at food carts in town which had basic American foods like grilled cheese and hamburgers. Then they went to a wine museum and sampled wines in a romantic setting. The rest of the evening they spent with her family. Lauren's family welcomed Ben with open arms and all talked to him to make sure he wouldn't hurt Lauren. Her sister Mollie stole Ben and talked to him to make sure he loved her sister. When Mollie started to question Ben he started to cry and she said that's all she need to know and hugged him. Then Mollie questioned Lauren to make sure she was ready and she cried too. Mollie said they would make a great couple and so did the rest of the family.

Caila was the next woman visited by Ben in Hudson, OH. They went to the toy factory that her father is the CEO of and built their own toy house. Caila's father was skeptical about the whole thing but told Caila that her mother and him fell in love fast so he didn't see why they couldn't. Caila's mother was very supportive of it all.
Last but certainly not least Ben went to JoJo's hometown in Dallas, Texas. When JoJo went to her house she found roses and a letter at the door assuming that they were from Ben. After reading part of the letter she realized they were from her ex boyfriend. She called her ex and told him that she had no feelings for him anymore. Ben showed up at JoJo's house and she was honest with him about everything that had happened. She told him she was in their relationship for the long run and he said the same. They stayed at JoJo's house and just hung out until it was time to go meet her family. Both of JoJo's parents talked to her and Ben and were supportive towards the relationship. Then when it came time for JoJo's brothers to have a word with Ben they were very skeptical of their relationship. They told Ben they didn't trust him. Even though her brothers didn't support them JoJo and Ben still remained a strong couple.

At the rose ceremony, Ben sent Amanda home heartbroken but he felt his relationships were stronger with the other girls.

-Cailie Pollard

Make a unique ornament with your dog's paw print

You will need-

• 1 cup of salt
• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup of water
• aluminium foil
• a pan
• a good size bowl
• a straw/pen
• ribbon
• paint
• something to write on the paint with
• glitter
• glue 

1. Mix all ingredients together (salt, flour, and water).

2. Ball up small amounts of dough.

3. Push dog's paw into the middle of the dough.

4. Lay on aluminium foil.

5. Punch whole for ribbon to go through.

6. Bake for 1 hour on 420 degrees then check to see if hard yet, if     not put in for longer.

7. After cooled paint the whole ornament and let dry.

8. Write dog's name and/or year of event.

9. Place thin layer of glue on the outline and inside of the paw print.

10. Sprinkle glitter on glue.

11. Put the ribbon through it and tie.

After you're done hang up for everyone to see, but only after taking a picture of your dog(s) with them.

-Cailie Pollard

Fashion with a Cause

A popular clothing line and website, Ivory Ella, is banding together to help save the elephants. The site describes their actions, saying "Ivory Ella is an online based retailer that strives to introduce the most virtuous aspects of commercial and charitable practices into a business. Our mission is to provide thoughtful, upstanding individuals with high quality products and subsequently donate 10% of our net profits to Save the Elephants & other causes. Our aspirations give us the ability to serve as a link between the preservation of a beautiful creature, and a community of faithful patrons." The site sells shirts, hats, jackets, and even water bottles. As said, 10 percent of their profit goes to help save the elephants. As they say, "To put it simply, we make clothes for a good cause." 

-Lyndsay Wright

Kardashian Controversy

According to hollywoodlife.com, Kanye West put his input in on the controversy with Kim Kardashian West. Kim Kardashian has been posting nude photos on Instagram and Twitter. Kanye West slams all of Kim's "haters" on his latest Twitter rant. "Kim is our modern day everything," Kayne told hollywoodlife. Kim posted on Snapchat a video of her clapping back to all of her "haters". She was bopping to one of Lily Allen's songs. One of the hollywoodlife's writers said, "Good for Kim, she is taking care of the haters herself."

-Hannah Addair 

A First Lady to Remember

Nancy Reagan, the wife of the 40th president of the United States, Ronald Reagan, died at her home in Los Angeles March 6th. The cause of death was congestive heart failure. Mrs. Reagan played a big role with her husband's political career. "Without Nancy, there would have been no Governor Reagan, no President Reagan," said Michael K. Deaver, who was a longtime aide and close friend to the family who passed in 2007. 

Nancy and Ronald met as actors on the set of the 1957 film Hellcats of the Navy. According to Detroit News Time, Nancy was Reagan's most trusted adviser during his term. Nancy also started a program called "Just Say No," which was aimed at young people and campaigned against drugs. "Drugs take away the dream from every child's heart and replace it with a nightmare, and it's time we in America stand up and replace those dreams," she said in a speech.  Her work led to 12,000 Just Say No clubs being set up across America.

1981 Inauguration Day parade
Source 

- Faith Hamman

MACC Senior Night; Science defeats Galax

Monday, March 7, was senior night for MACC. The scores didn't turn out as planned. The first team to go up Monday was English. The English match was close going into toss-up, but when toss-up started Galax was on fire with the buzzers. The final score for English was 85-15 with Galax taking the win. The math team was the next team up. Math was again a close match during the directed round. During the toss-up round Galax slaughtered Rural Retreat. The final score for math was 59-20. The third team to go up Monday was science. Science is a team full of seniors, so they wanted to make their last official match before tournament, a match to remember. Rural Retreat defeated Galax Monday night in science for the first time in at least 5 years. Rural Retreat was ahead during the whole match, directed and toss-up. The final score for this match was 70-58, with Rural Retreat finally taking a win against Galax. The fourth team to go up Monday was social studies. Social Studies was ahead during the end of the directed round, but during the toss-up round Galax was dominating Rural Retreat. The final score for the social studies match was 63-45 with Galax taking another win. The final team to go up Monday was all-around. All-Around is also a team full of seniors, and even though Rural Retreat didn't win it was a very close match. Rural Retreat was winning,but with an early buzz in Galax took the lead and won by 3 points. The final score for all-around was 45-48 with Galax winning. This was the last match for all of Rural Retreat's seniors. It was a bittersweet moment, Monday night. This season was full of tears, laughs, and lots of memories. We will miss all of the seniors, and we love them all.

-Hannah Addair

Review: The Lacs

The Lacs are an American musical duo which performs country rap: half country and half rap, all in one. The duo is composed of Clay "Uncle Snap" Sharpe and Brian "Rooster" King. One of my favorite of their songs is called "Wylin." They are not the only band that sings country rap; there is also Colt Ford, Upchurch the Redneck, Lenny "Uncle Cooper"  Cooper, and many more. The Lacs started their band in 2002, according to their Wikipedia page.

-Kelly Quinley

Op-Ed: My Opinion on Abortion

Pregnancy is one of the most beautiful and powerful moments for a woman; it's breathtaking and overall just an overwhelming experience. But not every woman feels the same way. Everyone goes through different struggles. According to AbortionNO, over 121 million abortions were performed in the United States in 2005 alone. That's a shocking number . . . millions of innocent lives not even begun yet, lost. My personal opinion on abortion is that it should not be legal anywhere except in some cases such as rape and health issues. Many women want to blame abortions on not being "ready" to take care of a child, not meeting income requirements, or not having time in their lives to be responsible for another human being. I think if you claim you're not ready or don't have time, then you should have thought about that before you went into the bedroom. 

Then there are teen pregnancies, which often have some of the same excuses but are very different. Teen pregnancies are obviously a challenge for women to continue school and care for a child, but that's why they have adoption agencies. Instead of terminating the pregnancy, maybe give someone that may not be able to have children a chance as well. Don't put your carelessness  on your child. Who knows who they could have grown up to be? Maybe the next president, scientist, superstar . . . we'll never know because, sadly, their life was ended before it could even start. 

-Aeriel Corvin

Student Feature: Aeriel Corvin and Motocross

Ever since I was around eight or nine years old, motocross has always been a big part of my life. It's always been one of my favorite hobbies; it's just overall exciting. I get an adrenaline rush every time I'm behind the handlebars. The definition of Motocross according to Wikipedia is "a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits." But the definition to me is pure happiness. I got my first dirt bike for my ninth birthday; it was a 65cc Honda, which was perfect for me at the time because I was pretty tall for a nine-year-old. But, there are sometimes consequences and some of them might not be too fun. About four years after that, I was riding one afternoon and I hit a large rock and wrecked. I flipped over the handlebar and broke five of my left ribs. I will never forget that summer; it was the most memorable yet painful. I've had other wrecks, but that was beyond the worst. I've had plenty of cuts and bruises here and there, but nothing major has convinced me to stop riding. I was a little hesitant, but I never gave up and will continue to ride. It's very exciting, and it makes you feel like you're flying. That is what drove me to motocross; when I watched my brother race I loved the fact that he would go very high up in the air. You can get up to 15 feet-- it just depends on your bike and of course, yourself. That's my favorite part of dirt bike riding by far. I've come a long way from a curious child to who I am today. Currently, I own a 150cc Suzuki dirt bike. There are many different types and brands of bikes. For example Yamaha, Kawasaki, Honda, and KTM all make different sizes and styles of dirt bikes. Your job is figuring out which one suits you the best based on your height and weight. Motocross is a very dangerous sport.  According to The Top Tens, it is ranked at #10 of the most dangerous sports. That it is; many professional racers have suffered life-threatening injures, getting put into comas and much more. That's why you wear the protective equipment such as a helmet, long-length pants, gloves, and boots, all preferably bright-colored to minimize the risk of accidents. Chest and knee pads can also be worn for added protection. Dirt bike riding and or racing is very fun but you have to be mature enough to participate in it. If not, you can obviously get badly injured or even hurt someone else if you are not careful. 

-Aeriel Corvin   

Literary Spotlight: The Dreamcatcher

Every night, I sleep with a dream catcher hanging above my bed. A long time ago, the Indians came up with a solution to cure people from nightmares; a dream catcher. It's a cute little circle with thread inside of it, with feathers and beads dangling down from it. They say it captures your bad dreams and sends them away for good...and on December 1, 2016 I believed it. Ever since I was a little girl, I kept having awful dreams of some green ugly creature chasing me in the woods. Same dream every time, that's why it was so unusual. Finally, a few months ago I went to see a specialist dealing with those kind of things, but we had to travel 2 states away every month and we couldn't afford it anymore. So that was a temporary solution unfortunately. My birthday was a week or two ago and my uncle made me a dream catcher, he claimed it would "scare my bad dreams away". When everyone left I threw it under my bed and my mom made me get it and hang it up. "Hey, you never know it might work. Don't knock it out before you try it!" she said. I sighed as I pinned it on my ceiling almost falling off my bed in the process. That night I slept peacefully, and that's what scared me the absolute most. At 6:00 am I woke up for school with a smile. I yawned and sprawled out on my bed, feeling so relaxed. Then it hit me, "What the heck!" I yelled. My mom and dad rushed up the steps as fast as they could. "What's wrong? Are you alright?" they shouted. "For once, I actually am." I replied with the biggest smile I think I've ever had in my 15 years of living. They left my room calmly, as soon as the door shut I got up on my bed and examined the strange object that hung above me while I slept. "What are you?" I said confused. I was truly a little scared. In the past, absolutely nothing could help me with my bad dreams. From medicine to therapy nothing could conquer them. But this cheap looking thing did. I turned around for maybe 3 seconds and felt a tap on my shoulder. I jumped and turned back around. Nothing was there. "Am I dreaming?" I thought to myself. Then in my mirror I saw the green thing in person after all these years, it was me...

-Aeriel Corvin

Kelly Clarkson Makes History

We all know Kelly Clarkson is a very successful American singer and songwriter. On March 7th, she made Billboard history. Of course, Clarkson won the first season of the hit TV show, American Idol. According to Billboard, she became one of the first American Idol contestants with 100 Billboard #1 hits. Her recent song, "Piece by Piece," has hit number two on the charts this week and is rising. The video for "Piece by Piece" features her adorable one-year-old daughter River Rose Blackstock. She definitely deserves it!  

Uproar Over Adidas Advertisement

For Valentine's Day, the popular shoe brand Adidas caused an uproar for some people on Instagram and other social media sites. They posted a picture of a same-sex couple showing their love for each other and their stylish sneakers. The caption read, "The love you take is equal to the love you make," which caused a tremendous response from Instagram users and customers as well. One person commented on the picture claiming they would buy their shoes from Nike from now on, and Adidas commented back with funny emojis according to website The Mary Sue. Following this, Instagram actually promoted the picture. 

This is not the first time this has happened, sadly. Campbell's Soup aired a commercial a few months ago consisting of two fathers and their son, which eventually got removed because of the excessive calls and complaints it received. The negativity floating through the air didn't spoil Adidas's warm heart. They still continue to post and talk about equality, and they aren't going to let the haters bring them down. 

-Aeriel Corvin

Bodies Around the World

A new site, mybodygallery.com, is helping to show women and men all around the world just how many body types there really are. On this page, women and men of all ages can put in their height, body shape, weight, shirt size, and pant size, and get pictures of what their body type may look like to other people. This site can help boost confidence, help people understand different body types, and even help people get over eating disorders by reading the success stories of others provided on the site. All people can participate in this online body-sharing website, and mybodygallery encourages everyone to do so. 

-Lyndsay Wright 

UNC beats rival Duke to take home another win

On March 5th, the North Carolina Tarheels basketball team celebrated a win over the Duke Blue Devils. The final score was 76 to 72. According to Fansided, this was the most-watched college basketball game of the 2015-2016 season. These rival teams never fail to make for a close and intense game, so this comes as no surprise. This game also resulted in UNC capturing the 2016 ACC regular season title. The Tarheels look forward to progressing in their season, and hope to continue to bring home more success.

-Lyndsay Wright

Book Review: The 5th Wave is Out of This World

       The 5th Wave, a novel by David Yancey, is about a teenage girl, Cassie, who lives a normal life. That is, until the "Others" come. No one knows where they came from or why they were here. But one thing is obvious; they are ending the human race. They do so in what they call waves. The first wave: no more power; second wave: earthquakes/tsunami; third wave: plague; fourth wave: invasion. The first four waves kill seven billion people, leaving only a few left for the fifth wave. When Cassie's little brother is captured by the Others, she will do everything she can to get him back. Even if that means trusting someone in a world where she shouldn't trust anyone.
       The 5th Wave is full of excitement, love, and action. I love how the book is written in different points of view. You know what nearly every character is thinking. It helps you understand the characters and their motivations. It can make choosing a favorite character difficult, though. You learn to like them all in one way or another. This book was written more for the teen audience, but I think anyone who has an itch for sci-fi and action would enjoy it. Even if you aren't into sci-fi, there is more to this book to enjoy. It was recently made into a motion picture, which follows the story line, but changes and misses a few important details of the book. However, it is understandable considering they had to fit 457 pages into less than two hours. I easily give this book five stars. 

-Makayla Kowalski

Kelly Clarkson on American Idol's Farewell Performance

The 15th and final season of American Idol aired February 25 with Harry Connick, Jr.. Jennifer Lopez, and Keith Urban back as judges. As usual, Ryan Seacrest is the host. Thousands showed up for auditions with the hope of being on the final season of the beloved singing competition. We are expected to see many familiar faces from previous seasons throughout the last episodes. The first familiar face was Kelly Clarkson, the first-ever American Idol winner. She sang a song she wrote called "Piece by Piece." She originally wrote this song explaining how her father walked out on her when she was young, and how her husband has stayed for her little girl and baby boy on the way. She had herself, the audience, and the judges all in tears. She later explained that she was hormonal and singing a heartfelt song on the LAST season, she just couldn't help but bawl. However, the audience did not mind. Kelly received a standing ovation from the judges while the crowd chanted her name. The season is off to a great start with many more surprises to come. 

-Makayla Kowalski

Sports Illustrated Cover Considered a Breakthrough

Sports Illustrated has recently been making headlines with their new cover photo: a swimsuit shoot featuring plus-sized model Ashley Graham. According to Glamour, Graham has been a plus-sized model in the past, and has landed a job as Sport’s Illustrated first plus-sized model. Graham’s plus-size physique has attracted major attention to the issue, making it popular worldwide. This cover can be considered a breakthrough for the plus-sized community.

-Lyndsay Wright

Military Couple Shot Down

Tragedy in Augusta, GA: A military couple was attacked in their homes earlier this month, according to Fox News. The shooter "left the husband dead and the wife critically wounded, in their home,” said investigators. The husband was in the Army and the wife is in the Air Force. Grovetown Public Safety Chief Scott Wheatley didn’t give the victims' names or ranks. The husband was declared dead on the scene, and the wife was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. There is an ongoing investigation.

-Kelly Quinley

Tatum Family Growing

According to Hollywood Life, Channing Tatum and his wife Jenna Dewan-Tatum have a huge surprise! Guess what? Yep!! It’s a baby! The Tatum family is going to keep growing. Channing is hoping that the little bundle of joy that is on the way will be a baby boy, because he is being outnumbered by girls in the household. Everyone is saying that any baby that Channing and Jenna have together will be amazingly beautiful.

-Kelly Quinley

Donald Trump and the KKK

Recently, David Duke, a white supremacist and KKK leader, publicly endorsed Donald Trump. Trump was asked whether or not he would distance himself from such endorsement, and he seemingly sidestepped the question. According to NPR, Trump said he would not condemn a group he knew nothing about. This is understandable and seems innocent; however, when asked about the KKK, Trump said it would be unfair to condemn a group that is “fine.” The reporter then asked about David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan once again, and Donald Trump responded with, “Honestly, I don’t know David Duke.” His excuse for this was that his earpiece was malfunctioning, but it is strange how there were some things that were heard.

-Isaiah Addair

New Disney Princess: Moana

Moana is Disney’s newest princess and her story will be releasing on November 23, 2016. Moana is to be voiced by fourteen-year-old native Hawaiian, Auli’i Cravalho, according to People magazine. Moana’s new demigod friend, Maui, whom she meets on her travels, is going to be voiced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

-Faith Hamman

Some of the Most Anticipated YA Books This Year

1. The Glass Sword (Red Queen #2) – The second book of this series follows Mare after her narrow escape from King Maven, who was once her friend. Publication date: February 9th 2016.

2. Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) – Follow Kaz Brekker and his crew on a new mission of saving one of their kidnapped team member with facing old and new enemies. Publication date: September 22nd 2016.

3. The Crown (The Selection #5) – Twenty years after the events of The One, America and Maxon’s daughter, Eadlyn, holds a Selection of her own. Publication date: May 3rd 2016.

4. Untitled (Throne of Glass #5) – This as-yet untitled book is the 5th installment of the Throne of Glass Series. The new Queen Aelin Galathynius has many new trials to face, especially with an inexorable war coming. Publication date: September 6th 2016

5. The Beauty of Darkness (The Remnant Chronicles #3) – This is the third and final book of the Remnant Chronicles. Princess Lia and Prince Rafe have just escaped from the kingdom of Venda and are trying to find their way back home. Publication date: August 2nd 2016.

6. Truthwitch (The Witchlands #1) – This new series is about two young witches, Safiya and Iseult, who always seem to find trouble around every corner. Follow these girls as they try to fight for their freedom. Publication date: January 5th 2016.

7. The Glittering Court (The Glittering Court #1) – Adelaide is an Osfridian countess who runs away from her arranged marriage and poses as a servant. To start a new life in Adoria, the New World, she must join the Glittering Court. Publication date: April 5th 2016.

*The first books of the series are in the library.

For more information on these books you can visit www.goodreads.com.

- Faith Hamman