One Last Wish

Make-A-Wish foundation is all about helping kids with life threatening diseases. The foundation started when a 7-year old boy named Chris Greicius was diagnosed with leukemia. From the beginning of his diagnosis, they knew he probably wasn’t going to make it. Chris had wanted to be a police officer, and Agent Tommy Austin was bound to make that happen. One day, Chris and his family were gifted with seeing a police motorcycle, helicopter, and a patrol car. Along with that, Chris even got a hat, a uniform, and his own badge. They even got Chris a small battery-operated motorcycle that he rode through cones to become an official Department of Public Safety officer. Four days after his dream came true, Chris passed away. Agent Tommy Austin says, “He was only seven years, 269 days old when he died. But he taught me about being a man. Even though he was only a boy. I can tell you that because of meeting Chris, I am an entirely different man.” Ron Cox said the same thing. He said he didn’t fear death anymore, because he knew Chris would be there waiting for him.

After going to Chris’s funeral, members of the community  began to hear what they had done for him. This is when they thought every kid should deserve this. That summer, a group of people came together and made it official, the Make-A-Wish foundation. By the following spring, they had made $2000 and were able to grant their first official wish. The first Wish kid, Frank Salazar, had three wishes. He wanted to be a fireman, go to Disneyland, and ride in a hot-air balloon. With the help of the organization, all of Frank’s wishes came true. The day he came back home, he was sent to the hospital, where he passed away later that night.

Currently, in 2016, more than 270,000 children in the US have had their wishes granted. Make-A-Wish even has a fundraising lacrosse team here in CT. Each player on the team has a goal to raise $500, which all goes to help kids experience one last great thing. In my opinion, Make-A-Wish is a fantastic organization and it helps so many kids get that one last chance to do something remarkable. If make-A-Wish wasn’t a foundation, then so many kids wouldn’t be able to have their dreams come true. When kids are on their trip, it helps them forget that they have a life-threatening illness. I believe that everyone should live life to the fullest, and Make-A-Wish gives kids that option.

~Kaylee

Does the Government Dislike Families with Homeschooled Kids?

Recently on May 5th, Kentucky government raided a family’s home, arrested the father, and took away the ten children in the family. This was simply because the government disagreed with the family’s lifestyle and educational decisions, because all ten children in the family are home schooled. On that Wednesday of May 5th, police entered the home, and even blocked the road leading to the home. The mom of the family, Nicole, was home with her two oldest sons. The police immediately took the children, and Nicole was then arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Later, the father of the family, Joe, was forced to give up the other eight children or be arrested for felony charges. The  police’s main argument in this situation is that the children were not being treated properly, but the neighbors say they always see everyone having a good time.

Police Seize 10 Children From Off-Grid Family Because They’re Homeschooled

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In my opinion, this is both horrible and ridiculous. Parents should be allowed to make their own decisions on their children’s education. Police coming and taking that away is wrong in every possible way. Just because this one family’s life is a little bit different, doesn’t mean that they should be punished for it. The police even say that the children were living in bad conditions, and their needs weren’t being met, yet Joe and Nicole post weekly pictures on Facebook showcasing their kids. The kids look completely healthy, and their house looks like any other. The family’s neighbors also observe them often, and say that there is nothing wrong with them at all, and they are one-hundred percent happy. Yet, police are still trespassing into the family’s house, and also stealing loved ones. This makes me wonder: is the government out to get homeschooled kids?

~Connor

#iftheygunnedmedown

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On August 9th, a black teenager named Michael Brown was fatally shot by a white police officer in Ferguson, MO.  There are many different views of what happened on that night.  One side claims that unarmed Brown had his hands in the air to surrender but the officer shot him several times anyways.  A witness (the friend that was with Brown) claimed that Michael Brown and him were walking down the middle of the road unarmed when a police officer confronted them and said to move.  They said they would move in a minute but then the police officer pulled Brown into his car through the window.  After they struggled, the police officer shot Brown.  Then, Brown put his hands in the air to surrender but the officer shot him several more times anyways.

Another side claimed that Brown attacked the officer in his car and tried to take his gun.  It was claimed that the officer only shot Brown for self-defense.  Social media is playing a huge part on how the public is forming opinions about the case.  A new hashtag is circling around sites such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter called #iftheygunnedmedown. People are using this hashtag to gain support for Brown after media created a negative image of him to change people’s opinions about the case.

I believe that Michael Brown was innocent.  I believe this because there were many witnesses that said he put his hands up in surrender and also everyone interviewed that knew him said that he was a “gentle giant” and a good kid.  Also, I believe this because there were several cases before him where a white police officer killed a black man that was giving no harm.

~Courtney

Woman Buys Groceries for Thief That stole Her Wallet?

After a man walked behind Oklahoma resident Jessica Eaves, she soon realized that her wallet was missing, and she decided to take action. In a normal situation, the police would have been notified immediately and this man would have been arrested on an account of theft, but this was not the case in this situation. Soon enough, Jessica confronted him and told him that she thought he had somethings of hers, and would give him two choices. Either to give back the wallet and she would forgive him and pay for his groceries, or she would call the police. This obviously startled him, and “He reached into his hoodie pocket and gave me my wallet. He started crying when we walked up to the front. He said he was sorry about 20 times by the time we went from the pickle aisle to the front. He told me he was desperate. The last thing he said was, ‘I’ll never forget tonight. I’m broke, I have kids, I’m embarrassed and I’m sorry.’”(Eaves) Good acts of kindness may be rare these days, but this is surely a heartwarming messaging showing what good can do.

A second chance was given that could have even changed this man’s life. Using common sense, you might assume that a woman buying groceries for a thief after he steals her wallet might not seem logical, but you would never know what he was going through until you asked him. He might be able to get help or a job after realizing what he was doing.  I can only wish more people were like Jessica Eaves, in doing the thing that is right by her own standards and not by what society thinks. Everybody should learn from this good act of kindness that she performed. Would you like to know you changed someone’s life around? I’m most definitely not saying that next time someone tries to steal from you to go ahead and hand your wallet to them, but to think before you act and remember the story of Jessica Eaves and what she did to help someone. Are you willing to make a difference as well?

~Annie

House explosion in Stamford, What caused it?

As you may have heard, there has been a major house explosion in Stamford, CT.  “The explosion at 305 Webbs Hill Road happened at about 2 p.m., and a next door house was damaged too.” says Police Chief Jonathan Fontneau.  Although officials aren’t sure what caused this massive explosion, a combustible gas tank could be to blame.  “The house received a delivery of 280 gallons of propane about a month ago.”  Ted Jankowski, Stamford’s director of public safety, stated.   Thankfully, nobody was in the house at the time of the explosion, however, the owner of the home was outside and taken to the hospital shortly after the tragedy.

Personally, I don’t feel very comfortable being in homes heated by propane.  Oil feels like a safer option because it explodes less frequently.  This unfortunate, horrible disaster was hard to fathom when I came home from school and saw the news report on TV.  This wasn’t the only one recently reported,  I can also remember a propane explosion in Ohio that happened not too long ago.  It was a devastating tragedy that left me ‘feeling blue” for a while after it happened.  These poor situations happen all the time and I think someone should put a stop to it.  Innocent people should not have to deal with these kinds of problems.

~Mike

Cheshire High School Threat

On October 1st, students at Cheshire High School discovered a note written on a boys bathroom wall that said “people will die on/in school on October 2nd according to the Mayans.” Soon after the note was found and reported, Mr. Solan (principle of CHS) sent an email to all parents, informing them that the town will be taking extreme precautions tomorrow (October 2nd) at the school. The next day on October 2nd, Cheshire police were stationed outside of the high school and were there the rest of the week. Located on the local town website, cheshirepatch.com, is a copy of the email that was sent to parents and a more indepth rendition of the story.

Now this whole note could have been either a prank or something very serious. Personally I am quite happy about how the town reacted to the threat. They took it into their own hands and kept the school and students safe. I would like to take this time to thank the Cheshire Police for protecting our school even it was just a joke, their help was very close to our hearts. I believe that every situation no matter how big or how small, our town should do everything in their power to do the right thing and keep us safe. When I first heard about this “note” my first thought was about why would someone do this? I had gotten a text from a CHS students telling me that there was a rumor about someone bringing a gun to school. After I had gotten the text and the minute I saw my parents later, my mom showed me the email that someone had gotten and later posted on Facebook. It all tied together, it wasn’t just a rumor, this was something very serious. I am happy to say that the students of Cheshire High School are safe and will stay safe thanks to the police.


-Molly Michaud

Death Threat at Cheshire High?

On October 1st, a note was found in a boys bathroom stall at Cheshire High. The note said that on October 2nd, according to the Mayan calender, people would die. Parents were emailed and many panicked. The student absence rate burst through the roof on Tuesday. Although many people panicked, they had no reason to; there were many policemen in and around the school. There were news vans recording the school for footage as well. It seemed as though it was going to be a hectic day filled with panic and chaos. However, it ended up just the opposite. Principal Solan said it was a “pretty normal” day besides the cops and television vans around school.

In my opinion, the whole thing was a bit drawn out. I think Principal Solan did the right thing by calling the cops in but I think the students at other schools were overreacting. Many students came to Dodd on Tuesday saying “I’m never going to see my sister again!” or “My brother is going to get shot”. Obviously I’m glad nothing happened but I think people need to stop overreacting. All in all, no one got hurt and that is good but next time, don’t freak out, especially if you don’t know the specifics.

~Kristen Reid

Mexico City Madness

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Imagine this: standing in a shopping plaza, looking around and seeing a bunch of 10-14 year olds in purple screaming as loud as they can. This is what you would have seen if you were in Mexico City’s main plaza earlier this week. Justin Bieber was performing a free concert that thousands of people would be attending. There was an estimated number of about 5,000 police going to be on duty at this event. Their job was to keep Justin safe and all of the bystanders in a calm matter. They knew this would not be the case. Fernanda Gutierrez Aparicio was one of Bieber’s crazy fans that attended his concert. She and her mother had been camping out for a week to get to the front of the performance, only returning home to use the bathroom and check up on the family. She was in the front of the pack waiting to get in and was sickened because “ people were crushing you, not letting you breathe. They were jostling each other and it got to the point that you couldn’t move.” Fernanda said.

This would be amazing. Imagine Justin Bieber having a free concert and being close enough to go?  Imagine him making a video talking about the concert you are at! Imagine seeing Justin Bieber’s face in person. I would die. I would be camping out for a month if my parents would allow. I think that the police of the managers should have made  free but you had to get a ticket.  This would have been a lot less crazy and you wouldn’t have to wait for a week in a tent. They could control the crowd and keep everyone safe. I believe that Justin Bieber should have a concert in every state and you are only allowed to go if you live in that state. This would regulate the crowds and everyone is happy! Justin, please come to Connecticut soon!

~Vivian Bronson

Arrested for Cheering?

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This past week in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina there was an average high school graduation. Before the ceremony began the principle strictly insisted that there will be no cheering after each names is individually called and security is in the crowd. One mother didn’t understand why this was so important. So when her daughter’s name was announced, she got up and just called out,  ‘Yay, my baby made it!’. After sitting a police officer came up and put handcuffs around her wrists and took her away.

Many are asking whether these police overreacted or not. I don’t understand why it would matter if she cheered. Yes, we all know graduations are very long, especially when there is cheering after each name, but these kids have worked so hard for 12 years and they can’t even be applauded for it? Her own daughter said to reporters that now she would remember her graduation as the day her mom got arrested. She ended up being fined about $300. All just for cheering out of place. This is ridiculous. This parent should have been able to show her admiration of her daughter and how proud she is for her.

~Karalyn Wright

Deadly Encounters

The men and women who are sworn in to protect the people have heavily broken public trust. Within 48 hours, the Meriden Police Department was responsible for two deaths. The two deaths were inflicted when officers used a taser to calm the suspects. In one night both suspects from the incidents died. These suspects could of been taking down without a taser but since the laziness of the officers, in my opinion,  they were tasered.

The taser that the Meriden Police Department issues is a X26. This taser usually delivers a blast of 1,200 volts, while a blast of 120 volts can severely hurt someone. Do you think tasers are too powerful? Fifty percent of the tasers manufactured after 2005 have more voltage than advertised.

 

I think that tasers are way too high powered. It should not take something this lethal to retain a suspect being that if the person is shot in the wrong spot they could die.  Also if a person has an unknown respiratory or circulatory problem a shot from the X26 could do more than hurt them. Officers should not need to hurt someone that much and in my opinion they are assaulting the suspects. There are also numerous reports of the tasers being more powerful than advertised so,  these guns can become a great danger because of improper testing by the company. Tasers have enough power to kill someone.

~Paul Dumaine