News Article #2 Final

Texas’s new abortion law has people thinking if it will permeate among other states, Morningside students think differently.

Texas has recently put into place a new law on abortion that makes getting an abortion illegal after 6 weeks. Which is the most restrictive law on abortion the United States has ever seen. Bryce Kremer, a second year student here at Morningside, does not believe the law will have much effect, if any, on Morningside or the state of Iowa.

Morningside students are rather oblivious to the the new Texas law. Talking to several students, male and female, it was clear they had no real knowledge of the happenings in Texas. After informing them about the new law, the reactions were all the same. “Texas does its own thing all the time, this is no different, I don’t see it being a problem in Iowa,” said Tate Kounkel.

Kounkel was not shy about expressing how he felt regarding the law. Saying, “the state of Texas as a whole is very religious, so killing babies is the worst of the worst in their eyes.”

Kayla Eilander, a sophomore on the track and field team here at Morningside, has other thoughts on the issue. She does not like the new law in Texas because of the fact that most women do not know if they’re pregnant at 6 weeks. She also believes that most people will just find a way around the law anyway.

Morningside students, although not very aware of the Texas law, have some varying viewpoints. The biggest divide seems to be between men and women. Despite the difference in opinion of whether abortion is right or not, both sides agree that they don’t think the law will effect Morningside or the state of Iowa.

News Comment #6

Ted Cruz thanks ‘God’ after reports of Zodiac Killer found (yahoo.com)

I liked this short article that took a bit of a lighter, funnier tone about the new alleged Zodiac killer. The article focused on Ted Cruz being “off the hook” now that Gary Poste has been allegedly linked to the murders. I thought the the article was well written as well as short, sweet, and to the point. I liked how they included the tweet that Cruz sent out with the GIF of Robert Downey Jr. I found this funny because RDJ starred in the Zodiac movie which is one of my favorite movies.

John Gonsler Story

John Gonsler, the former police/corrections officer turned college professor is exactly 50% of Morningside’s criminal justice department.

Gonsler has been a Professor at Morningside for three semesters now. When searching for a job as a Professor, he narrowed his search to two schools, Morningside being one of them. Morningside was intriguing to him because a new criminal justice program was forming.

Professor Gonsler has been in the criminal justice field of work for most of his adult life, first as a police officer in Flint, Michigan, where he is originally from. “if the people don’t kill you, the water will,” Gonsler said about Flint.

Gonsler’s time as a police officer and later a corrections officer helped him realize that he did not want to do that for the rest of his life. Instead, he applied to Master’s programs and was accepted into one. For his Master’s he became penpals with the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. Receiving five letters from him until he “pissed him off.”

Now that Professor Gonsler is settled into his new position at Morningside University, he has more time for some of his hobbies. He enjoys working out, walking his dog, hunting, “very unsuccessfully”, and playing music is his band.

Gonsler plays the guitar and the bass in his band. He has a love for music that he says was heavily influenced by the Beatles. Sporting a biker mustache paired with a button down shirt, jeans, white puma basketball shoes, and an extensive collection of tattoos, Gonsler is not the stereotypical musician.

When asked what they thought of Professor Gonsler one student said that he had interesting stories and was a master of keeping everyone interested. Although Professor Gonsler said he is quite shy, he does know how to hold a room.

interesting stories, kept everyone interested.

Last Conversation

My roommate, Tate, came into the room at approximately 9:20am. While he was walking in he was watching a video, I couldn’t tell what the video was about but I assumed it was a TikTok video. I groggily woke up to see what the commotion was and he pleasantly looked at me and said “hi”, while waving at me. I greeted him back and laid my head back on the pillow for a few more minutes. When I finally got out of bed I noticed he was wearing his Spark Train hat, his favorite, as well as shorts and a t-shirt. I noticed that the curls in his hair are not very tight anymore. I realized he had just gotten back from another class.

News Comment #5

How abortion laws in the U.S. compare to those in other countries – Washington Post

I found this article very insightful. I was not expecting a lot out of the content of the article but I was mistaken. I actually really enjoyed the content and how it was formatted/written. I didn’t realize just how radical our abortion laws are compared to the rest of the world. I also liked how they included a graphic to really visualize what was already being said. Good article that was written well.

Interview #1

Jolina is a freshman at Morningside University and she is from Germany. In Germany the Covid regulations are more strict than in America, but Jolina prefers the American regulations. Public transportation in Germany requires masks and clubs and bars just reopened recently.

Jolina found it difficult adjusting to American Covid regulations compared to what she was used to in Germany. “I bought like 50 masks” she said. With Morningside being in green she doesn’t really use those masks.

School became more difficult for Jolina during Covid. Online lessons would be hard to focus on, “I would play video games because of how boring it was” she said.

The most difficult part of the lockdown in Germany for Jolina was not being able to play soccer. She was able to play a couple months before coming over to America which was good because she is on the Morningside soccer team.

News Comment #4

‘The Conjuring’ House Is Asking $1.2 Million (Spirits Included) – WSJ

First of all who in their right mind would buy this house for any amount of money??? The evidence of spirits living there is insane, I know there is money to be made in it but I don’t think it is worth it.

The article was really well written. I liked the pacing of it. It was an easy read and an interesting read. The lead really hooked me because I loved the conjuring movies. A lot of what makes the article interesting has to do with the Hollywood effect.

Scavenger Hunt

I was hunting a red rubber band and a musical recommendation. I immediately went to the admissions office in search of both. I knew someone in that office had to have a red rubber band and I was right. The first person I talked to was Cindy Holsworth, who is the front desk worker for the admissions office. She immediately gave me a red rubber band without hesitation saying, “I’m a little bit of a rubber band hoarder”. She was very excited when I told her she was my first stop and I told her that I was 1 for 1 on items.

My next need was a music recommendation. I asked two people this question, Cassie Chilton and Colleen Knapp. They were both happy to answer the question for me. Cassie recommended “Popular” from the musical, Wicked. I really enjoyed the song because I used to watch the musical when I was younger. Colleen wanted me to listen to “Mississippi Squirrel” by Ray Stephens. She immediately began laughing after she gave her suggestion. However, I really didn’t mind the song, not my favorite, but not bad. When I asked Colleen for a song she immediately said “Don’t put baby in a corner” to which everyone laughed.

My hunt was short but full of interesting and fun conversation.

News Comment #3

What is the ‘Birds aren’t real’ movement? Why is it gaining momentum across the US? (republicworld.com)

Birds Aren’t Real

The article details the origins of the “Birds Aren’t Real” movement and how it is gaining supporters at a rapid rate. I thought the article was not very well written. It felt as if they didn’t want to entertain the movement but had to write about it to keep their job. The article felt artificial and forced. However, it was interesting to read about the origins of the movement because I didn’t previously know that.

Lead Writing #2

Armed robbery at BJ’s Drug on 450 Stanley Street is over in less than a minute.

Last night at approximately 8:30 p.m. two men wearing ski masks entered the store. One of the men held a gun on the owner, Barney Joseph Jr, while the other took $382.65 from the cash register. The men left in a car parked at the curb in front of the store with its motor running.

Joseph kept a pistol under the counter but decided not to use it. Joseph told police he could have reached for the gun, but felt it unwise. During the robbery Joseph recalled his father’s death that occurred during a holdup at the same store.

“Yes, Dad resisted, I guess. Anyway, they found him shot to death, his own gun in his hand, and a bullet in the store’s ceiling. I’d rather part with my money than my life,” he said.