Political Cartoon: ‘COME AND TAKE IT’
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Adjunct combats PTSD
Aboard the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy, Petty Officer Third Class Aaron Thomas was woken in the middle of the night by a loud whistle. “General quarters! General quarters! All hands, man your battle stations!” he heard the loudspeaker bark, as a siren blared.
The night of Nov. 22, 1975, just two weeks into its deployment in the Mediterranean Sea, the John F. Kennedy collided with the guided missile cruiser USS Belknap. Jet fuel sprayed from ruptured fuel lines aboard the carrier, igniting fires on the two ships that burned for three days and claimed the lives of eight sailors.
The collision and the events that followed it left a lifelong impression on Thomas, who is now a visual communications adjunct at Brookhaven College. After serving two years of active duty, Thomas was honorably discharged from the Navy and left to find a way to move forward.
Opioid epidemic kills thouands
By Sam Mott
Art Director
In 2017, over 47,000 people died in America due to opioid abuse, according to the National Institute of Health. In Texas that same year, according to the NIH, prescription opioid abuse caused more deaths than fentanyl or heroin abuse: while fentanyl abuse caused 348 and heroin abuse 569, prescription opioid abuse accounted for 646.
Suffice it to say that many people have been affected by addiction. Many don’t even know when someone close to them is suffering from addiction until it is too late.
The Brother Project, a Dallas-Fort Worth group founded in August, is trying to help by ridding addiction of the stigma it carries and encouraging people to seek help. The project tells the stories of people who suffered from opioid abuse in Humans of New York-style Facebook and Instagram posts.
Brookhaven hosts Texas House Select Committee hearing
By Jacob Vaughn
Editor-in-Chief/Music Editor
Tech companies need to be more involved in detecting online threats, Danny Coulson, a former deputy assistant director for the FBI, said to a panel that came to Brookhaven College. The obstacle, he said, is securing tech companies’ involvement.
The Texas House Committee on Mass Violence Prevention and Community Safety, a committee created after the El Paso and Odessa mass shootings in August, met at Brookhaven Oct. 10. The committee hearing is one of several to be held across the state.
Continue reading Brookhaven hosts Texas House Select Committee hearing
Storm ravages D-FW
By Malen Blackmon
Managing/Sports Editor
October 20 was a night of chaos and terror as at least nine tornadoes swirled through North Texas, tearing apart homes and businesses leaving behind an estimated $2 billion in damages, according to CNN.
There were no recorded deaths or serious injuries, according to CBS. But thousands of Texans were left without a home or power after an EF-3 tornado spun its way through Dallas. One of the tornados swept through Preston Hollow, a neighborhood less than six miles from Brookhaven.
Vaping-related illnesses on the rise in US
By Malen Blackmon
Managing/Sports Editor
In the wake of the vaping crisis that has left people dead or in hospitals fighting for their lives, the Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed that a woman in North Texas died in October from a lung disease associated with the use of electronic cigarettes.
More toys should be gender-neutral
By Mykel Hilliard
In September, Mattel, the company that created Barbie, announced The Creatable World, a gender inclusive doll line that features customizable dolls with different wardrobe options including wigs that can be styled with short or long hair, pants, skirts or both.
I work for an after-school program and one of my students identifies as nonbinary. Over the years, I have researched, asked their parents questions and worked closely to make sure they feel safe and respected at our program. When I showed them the line of nonbinary toys Mattel was going to release, they lit up with excitement.
Alumnus knocks out UFC debut
Sweat dripped from Miles “Chapo” Johns’ body while he battled the pain from his swollen ear. He just went three rounds in a 135-pound face-off with Canadian fighter Cole Smith. Johns took elbows, punches and kicks to the head during his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut against Smith Sept. 14.
Activists want Dallas Police Association president out
By Jacob Vaughn
Editor-in-Chief/Music Editor
Protesters gathered outside the Dallas Police Association building in the Cedars near sunset. They held signs reading “Mata Gotta Go” and “Resign Mata,” calling for the firing of DPA President Mike Mata. The activists allege Mata broke police protocol after one of the department’s former officers, Amber Guyger, shot and killed Botham Jean, an unarmed black man, in his own apartment, which she said she mistook for hers.
Continue reading Activists want Dallas Police Association president out
Mental illness in film ‘Joker’ serious
By Matthew Brown
Layout/Web Editor
The new psychological thriller “Joker” is a raw new take on an old and popular DC villain. This time, though, there is no Batman to pierce the darkness. The movie follows Arthur Fleck, the man who becomes the Joker, exclusively, chronicling his long descent into madness.