Political cartoon: The Cost of War
The Cost of War
By Angel Melendez, Grade 12
Category Archives: National/World News
Bentley Law holds drunk drivers accountable for child support
About 43% of car accidents involve drunk drivers in the United States. About 10,850 people have passed away every year because of drunk driving crashes. In Austin, Texas, a new law was made in which drunk drivers who have killed a parent or parents have to pay child support until the kids turn 18.
The law took effect on September 1, 2023. This law was made after a fiery car crash that killed Cordel, Lacy, and their four-month-old son, leaving behind Bentley and Mason under their grandparent’s care. Cecilia Williams, the grandmother of Bentley and Mason, and the mother of Cordell, said that kids of this circumstance no longer have parents and she wants people who cause that sort of pain to be held accountable. She believes they should pay child support for the consequences of their actions.
At the moment, four states have passed the law. Tennessee was the first to pass the law, along with Kentucky, Maine, and Texas. Cecilia Williams is hoping that by December of this year, all 50 states will have passed this law. She also hopes this law prevents people from driving drunk and helps the victims who are struggling.
Student loan debts remain major problem in U.S.
By Jennifer Iraheta-Delcid
Whether you want to become a teacher or a doctor, both require a degree and education. Students all over the U.S have been experiencing overwhelming stress with the fact that they owe so much money from their loans. Student loan debt has grown a huge amount over time. Those debts determine which dreams students can achieve and which ones will simply stay a dream.
Student loans have increased tremendously over the past few decades. For example, as of March 2023, around 44 million U.S borrowers owed more than $1.6 trillion in Federal student loans. The average total student debt continues to be about $30,000 dollars. In the 1980s and ’90s, many high school students did not attend colleges and universities and those who did less than half borrowed money. On the other hand, in 2022, almost two-thirds of high school graduates attended college and took out loans. Student debt surpasses auto and credit card debt which shows how tremendously it has grown.
Student debt affects more than your ability to independently cover your living expenses and enjoy a decent standard of living. It also affects your dreams and your mental health. While you worry about your academic performance and finding a well paying job, you also have to worry about paying back your student debt. Having to pay back your loans can take many years, which can force you to sacrifice your dream job for one that financially supports you better. Student loan debt can cause high levels of stress and worrying thoughts. This takes a big toll on your mental health and well being.
Student loan debt is a major problem in the U.S that I hope gets fixed. It affects many students’ ability to accomplish their dreams due to the large amount they have to pay back. It impacts their levels of stress and worry as many other expenses need to be paid. Paying the students’ debts through loan forgiveness or reducing the cost of higher education would boost the nation’s economy by a huge amount while also benefiting everyone.
EDITORIAL: Immigration ban is illegal and wrong
Protest at BWI Airport Over Trump’s Executive Order on Immigrants, Refugees. (By Deb Belt 0
By Sartre Ndebaneza and Amadou Bah,
Most Americans are questioning if President Trump’s executive order restricting immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries is legal or illegal. The order appears to be illegal because it puts limits on a particular group of people. Trump’s order is unconstitutional because it targets only one religion. The editors of the Patterson Press believe that everyone should be welcomed and treated fairly in the U.S. regardless of their religion, ethnicity and national origin. The beauty of the U.S. is its diversity. Immigrants also contribute a lot to America’s economy. What is still not understandable is why Trump kept people from those seven Muslim countries from re-entering the country when they were legal residents who already had green cards and had not done anything wrong.
Patterson and NAF Students Help Create Prosthetic Hands For Those In Need
Engineering students share the limelight with their teachers, Mr. Yates (left) and Ms. Ball (right) (Photo: Northrop Grumman)By: Amadou Bah
By Amadou Bah,
Students from two Baltimore high schools (Patterson & National Academy Foundation) had the chance to create prosthetic hands for children around the world. Both Mr. Yates and Ms. Ball selected six students to go on the field trip on Oct. 3, 2016.
Students from Patterson High School and National Academy Foundation (NAF), had the chance to pair up with volunteers from Northrop Grumman for a hands-on experience. The students had the guidance of one volunteer from Northrop Grumman for each table, with the exception of Amadou Bah, who had the guidance of two volunteers. All students also had the materials from 3D printers as part of a program that organizers said “keeps rapidly growing every year.”
Those involved in the program hope developing a prosthetic hand will not only change the life of the child that will use it, but also the ones that are assembling it.
Prosthetic Hand Assembled by Students (Photo: Northrop Grumman)
The program is part of Manufacturing Week. Overall, 13 Northrop Grumman campuses across the country are doing the same project with students.
“Last year we did this event and we just loved it,” Ingrid Vaughn, vice president of manufacturing for Northrup Grumman, told WBALTV. “We were able to produce 160 hands, and we distributed them to Enabling the Future. So that was really a first-year big hit, so we are trying to do the same thing this year.”
When students are finished, the hands will go to a child in need anywhere in the world, thanks to the nonprofit, e-NABLE.
Patterson AFJROTC March at Veterans Day Parade
Patterson AFJROTC students in the Veterans Day Parade (Photo: AFJROTC)
By John Dingzon,
On Veterans Day, Lieutenant Colonel Jones and Technical Sergeant Smith took over 20 Air Force Junior ROTC students on a field trip to a parade honoring veterans. The students all marched downtown through the Baltimore City Council. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was there for the veterans and many retired military vets that fought and have survived. JROTC students from multiple schools marched in the parade alongside survivors of the Vietnam War, the Korean War, and World War 2. Some of the battles the World War 2 veterans fought in include the Soviet Union, the Pacific, the Battle of Manila, the Battle of Corregidor, and the Battle of Pearl Harbor. The first woman who joined the National Guard also attended and were on stage giving speeches.
“[The] Veterans Day Parade is a community service project we try and do every year. It is an opportunity [ . . . ] for the cadets to celebrate and to honor the veterans. And it is a chance for the public to see the Patterson Junior ROTC as the representatives of the military community. We are very proud of our students,” Colonel Jones said.
The Air Force Junior ROTC believe the Veterans Day Parade was a success, marching to honor the veterans that survived WW II. They are looking forward to performing again next year.
Ms. Ball Wins “Teachers are Heroes” Award
Ms. Ball, winner of ABC2 Teacher Hero award (Photo: Amadou Bah, Patterson Press)
By John Dingzon,
This year’s nominee of Teachers are Heroes was Ms. Sharon Ball. She was nominated by her colleague Mr. Nicolas Yates. Ms. Ball used to be an Engineer; now she’s a teacher at Patterson High school. She teaches Engineering classes, coaches Robotics, and mentors students in STEM programs.
She won the award of Teachers are Heroes, sponsored by MEW & ABC 2 News. Ms. Ball said when she found out she won, “I was surprised and excited.”
Ms. Ball would like to thank her colleague Mr. Yates for getting nominated so she could receive the award of Teachers are Heroes.
The Election of 2016
Hillary Clinton vs Donald Trump (photo is copyright free)
By Faran Nadeem,
As we all know, the election of 2016 is only a couple days away. This time it’s going to be big. The reason for that is some people still don’t know who are they are going to vote for.
The Narrator, also known as Tyler Durden (a famous actor and artist), says on his website, “Voting for president is like picking out which gun you wanna get shot from”. Amadou Bah, a student at Patterson High School, chooses Donald Trump because he says, “Its better to have an idiot rather than a criminal”. On the other side Sartre Ndebaneza, another Patterson student, chooses Hillary Clinton because according to him, “bad is better than worst”. So maybe this time people don’t have a favorite person they are going to vote for; they will just choose the one which they think is the lesser of two evils.
There is an interesting debate going on between the two candidates, Trump and Clinton. Donald keeps bashing Clinton about her emails and Clinton is bashing Donald by calling him a bully. According to BBC News,”Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has looked past a fresh inquiry about her emails to label Donald Trump a ‘bully’ who insults women.” Also according to the BBC News, Clinton is about 1% ahead of Trump in the polls (11/06/16).
It’s your right to vote. Everyone who is 18 or older should go and vote for the candidate you like the most.
Clown scares sweep the nation
“Killer Clown”
By Christian Pietrowski,
Clown scares have been a hot topic in the news lately. People dressed as clowns have been seen following people around. There have been reports of people having clowns following them in every state except Hawaii.
The clowns follow people around, acting scary. In some cases it has caused schools to close because there have been clowns near the school. Even if some reports are true there are some cases where people where lying about seeing clowns. For example, three middle schoolers from Annapolis, Maryland called the police claiming to see clowns following them but when the police investigated they found out from security camera footage that the kids where lying and trying to cause a ruckus.
Yet many cases around the United states have been found to be true. According to FOX News and The New York Times there have been 12 arrests of people dressing up as clowns to scare people and also 12 people have been arrests for filing a false police report. The clown sightings first began to be reported in late July or the beginning of August. The clown sightings started in South Carolina. The first report was from a mom saying she was at a park with her two kids and her son saw a clown trying to lure the kids into the woods with him. Thankfully, no one has been killed by these clowns that people are seeing.
Be cautious if you see a clown but don’t be too scared unless the clown is in an odd place.
iPhone 7 Vs. Galaxy Note 7 (REVIEW)
Note 7 vs iPhone 7 (graphic by Faran Nadeem)
By Amadou Bah and Faran Nadeem,
Recently–if you haven’t noticed–the iPhone 7 just released on Sep. 16, 2016 and the Galaxy Note 7 was released on the 19th of August 2016. While the Galaxy Note 7 is having some problems, both are good phones. According to CNN, “Samsung is recalling millions of new Galaxy Note 7 smartphones worldwide after reports of the devices catching fire while charging. Samsung said Friday it had found problem with the battery in some of the phones and was halting sales. In the coming weeks it will offer customers a new product for free to replace all 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 that have been sold.” Overall, The Galaxy Note 7 is the hottest phone out in Samsung market. Faster, much better display, better camera, stronger screen, easier to use, easier to transfer data, easier to backup. Galaxy does everything iPhone does and has far more useful features, making multi-tasking very easy.
The iPhone 7 has added new features like the Dual camera, battery life, higher basic storage option and IP67 water resistance. Yes, the headphones jack has been removed which is a con for it. According to Yahoo Finance, “Whilst the loss of the headphone jack means more space for a bigger battery, the loss of a stalwart feature is – at least initially – a negative. For those of you with expensive headphones, there’s a lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack connector that comes with the iPhone 7, but accessories are notoriously flimsy and easy to lose. If you’re in the market for new headphones, you’ll be limited to wireless and lightning compatible products, wiping out a whole raft of options. If you want to charge your iPhone whilst using wired headphones, however, you’ll have to fork out for a $49 lightning dock. The additional costs of removing the headphone jack keep racking up. Next year is also the 10th year of the iPhone. So if you’re close to upgrade time, it might be a good idea to wait. The iPhone 7 is very much a small upgrade on the 6S, whereas next year’s promises something more special to commemorate a decade of Apple smartphones.” Even though the headphones jack has been removed, the Apple Company still offers adapters if you still use regular headphones.
One interesting fact is that Apple finally teamed up with Nintendo to release Super Mario Run for iOS. It’s also a stock jump that’s more directly driven by Nintendo’s actions than Pokemon Go was. Since Super Mario Run is being developed by Nintendo, the company can expect a bigger cut of the revenue from the game’s success than it could with Pokemon Go, which was developed by Niantic, and published by The Pokemon Company.
According to Nintendo Team, The Super Mario Run is set to release in December for a fixed price, with a set of in-app purchases that Nintendo has yet to fully detail.
In my conclusion, both the iPhone 7 & Galaxy Note 7 are good phones for staying in contact with your family and friends or conducting any other type of business with someone. If you look at the chart below you will see some comparison between both phones.
(Source: via YouTube – EveryThingApplePro)
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