From Down South

Suppose you were tasked to find a friend in a nationwide game of hide and seek. The boundaries are endless. The person could be sitting in their dorm watching countless episodes on Netflix or they could be in Alabama giving a speech on behalf of Morningside College. You are able to contact them over phone, but they are constantly on the move. 

This may seem like a wild goose chase. However, this is no fairytale, this is what the friends of Jemar Lee go through everyday. 

Jemar Lee is a college sophomore at Morningside College. A proper one at that. Lee is apart of countless student led organizations. Currently, he is enrolled in over 4 college courses. He works for and with his college, and he travels every 3 weeks to speak on behalf of Morningside. The list goes on and on. However, that is the name of the game. His day to day schedule is precisely what makes him impossible to find. 

Tyler Wright, a friend of Lee mentioned “one day you will see him in the cafeteria, but then the next day you’ll ask to hang out and he will be in another state.” Last month, Lee travelled to Alabama as an ambassador for Morningside College. His task was to create and present a slideshow to other colleges across the United States and show them what methods and practices Morningside College takes part in. It is an important job for a young man, however his monthly trips to Alabama, Texas, and others only prove that his whereabouts are always changing.

If you are lucky, you may find him walking down Morningside Avenue. Yes, you found him, however, be careful, because depending on who trails behind him decides whether he will talk to you. This is because, on top of working as an ambassador, Lee also works in the admissions department at Morningside. This means, he might be on the job when you see him. Commonly, he is tasked to give an incoming freshman and his/her family a tour. Hannah Bals once was one of these freshman. She mentioned “Jemar was my tour guide. He knew a lot about the college, and honestly made it seem perfect. Little did I know that him and I would be close friends, now.”

You saw him earlier, he could not talk, now where is he? 

He will never skip a class, unless he happens to be in another state. He will never miss a workout either. So check his class, or maybe even the gym. However, if you still have not found him you must ask him yourself. He noted that “I am very busy, all the time. However, I am only paving the way for my future, so I can not help if my friends can’t find me. I will eventually turn up.” 

It may sound insensitive, but it is true. Jemar Lee is constantly on the move. He is working for his future so he can become successful. For his friends, they respect that because that is the job of every college student, to work for your future. So, if you’ve caught yourself twisted in the endless game of Jemar Lee, just know where ever he is, he is bettering himself. 

In recently released CNN article, reporter Steve Almasy covered the story of Lee Hall. Over 25 years ago, Hall murdered his ex-girlfriend in her home. He was sentenced to death on Thursday, however he did not choose the common method. Hall decided he would want to be killed via electric chair. According to CNN, this was only the forth execution by electric chair this whole year. He was pronounced dead after 8 minutes, after a series of shocks continuing to raise in voltage.

This article was very easy to follow, however I think it left out some very key points. The report left out how he killed his ex-girlfriend and how he was convicted. Nevertheless, the article was meant for the public or anyone who was searching for news. It was outlined well and very straight forward.

Authorities are searching for answers after explosion in the Mega City Mall Foodcourt.

Two are dead and over one hundred injured after a sudden explosion, at 9:53 this morning, occured on the outskirts of the food court. Police say they are not sure how the explosion happened but they are “proceeding with the idea that it was incidental.”

Police have interviewed two eye witnesses, one of which would be, Tyler, a mall security officer. Tyler was on the scene when the explosion happened and evacuated civilians as quickly as possible proceeding the accident. In his statement he told authorities that two men, one wearing a Briar Cliff shirt, walked in the foodcourt and planted a box of exploding donuts. Police will follow this story, however, they believe faulty electrical wiring could be to blame.

Police stated “We are in the process of looking through the food courts security camera footage.”

The investigation is planned to be timely and thorough. More questions will be answered at the press release today at 2 p.m.

Concerning the next couple days, the mall will be closed until the “structural integrity of the mall is assessed.”

Imagine juggling four college classes, work, multiple student led organizations, physical training, and travelling cross-country once every three weeks. It may sound hard for some, but that is the day to day for Morningside College sophomore, Jemar Lee.

Lee is just a small part of a large family that resides in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Cedar Rapids is the city Jemar Lee grew up in, and in most cases it is easy to tell. Not only does his civil and proper nature reflect most city men and women who work in the tallest skyscraper downtown, but he fits the description of a, for lack of better words “city boy.” He takes pride in his wardrobe, a selection of plaid button up shirts, tight fitting blue jeans, and the occasional nike sweatpant. Most would consider his daily clothing choice to be quite unusual for a college student, but his daily activities that of which include meetings with professors, work, and creating his own major prove otherwise.

In the morning you will never fail to find Lee in his college classes. However, anytime past twelve is a hunt. You may find him in the admissions office on the campus of Morningside College, as he works there 3 days out of the week for an unset amount of hours. Or you might find him on Morningside Avenue giving an incoming freshman and his family a tour. If you have yet to find him that is no surprise. Lee is always on the go, but that only uncovers the drive he has to be successful.

During an interview with Olivia Christiensen, a close friend of Lee, she stated “Jemar is one of the most put together college students I have ever met. He balances school, work, and fun everyday without fail.” 

Lee, intentionally, pushes to be the best version of himself. He strives for greatness and takes any opportunity that can set him apart from other students here at Morningside.

This morning, Midland Zoo lost the life of their oldest polar bear. Homer, a 16 year old female polar bear, was found unresponsive at 7 a.m. this morning by her caretaker. The cause of her death is still under investigation. Homer’s exhibit counterparts, Yukon and McKenzie, were removed from the habitat for precautionary measures and are being cared for by the veterinary staff. Homer lived a long, normal, life here at Midland Zoo. A life fit for the wild. Including hunting for trout, playing in snow, and engaging with others of her kind. Although a huge loss, we, Midland Zoo, plan to be completely transparent and release the results of the necropsy to the media in a couple of weeks.

Cedar Rapids is the city Jemar Lee grew up in, and in most cases it is easy to tell. Not only does his civil and proper nature reflect most city men and women who work in the tallest skyscraper downtown, but he fits the description of, for lack of better words “city boy,” almost to a tee. He takes pride in his wardrobe, a selection of plaid button up shirts, tight fitting blue jeans, and the occasional nike sweatpant. Most would consider his daily clothing choice to be quite unusual for a college student.

In recently released Vox article, reporter, Delia Paunescu covers the timeline of the Iranian government and their decision to shut the whole country’s internet service down. On November 15th, Iran announced their plans to raise fuel prices by over 50 percent. Enraged Iranian people ran out into the streets in protest. As a response, the government shut down the whole countries internet service. The government contacted every internet provider within Iran and forced them to shut down. After 5 days, the government decided to release the punishment and are, currently, restoring internet service. In addition, Paunescu includes Iran’s plan to create their own internet service called “Intranet.” This new network will be used by any and all Iranian people if passed.

This article was very well written and had many sources to back the information. The sources included some United States citizens aware of the situation, however most of the sources were Iranian people themselves. The article appealed to just about anyone who wants to know about world news, and also for those who are not aware the strict and harsh government Iranians have to deal with everyday.

Sophomore year of high school, Makaelyn Glienke, joined her school’s cross country team. The story, however, was not that of a picture book.

Glienke, the summer after her freshman year, joined a morning running club. To her surprise, her high school’s cross country coach was in the club too. When her sophomore year started, and season rolled around, the coach just put her on the team.

Glienke enjoyed every minute cross country and the new people she met from it.

Fast forward a few years and Makaelyn was a college junior at Morningside College. She still had the competitive drive within her, but had nowhere to invest it. Then she crossed paths with a family friend who owned a cross fit gym, so she joined.

Makaelyn Glienke now goes to cross fit 3 times a week and enjoys every moment of it. She takes pride in her work ethic during workouts and continues to keep her athletic stature because of it.

Just an hour ago CNN released a brief article about the Saugus High School shooting. Today, a 16-year-old sophomore opened fire at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California. Two students, ages 16 and 14, were killed and 3 others were wounded. The suspect, reportedly, drew a .45-caliber pistol out of his backpack and began to open fire during passing period. After just a couple of seconds, the shooter then shot himself, and is now in “grave condition” in a local California hospital.

This article was very easy to follow, but I do not believe it was set up well. It gave a brief explanation of when, where, and who were involved. However, as today played out, the reporter kept updating the article without deleting past reports. Nevertheless, this article was breaking news, so it is evident that the intended audience was Americans wether it be parents of high school students, teachers, the government, etc.

As I walked back to my dorm room, this morning, I passed a man getting water from the drinking fountain. I walked past the man, but he seemed familiar. We turned around simultaneously, and, to my surprise, it was my friend Ke’andre Evans. We greeted each other with a simple “good morning” and continued to our rooms.

Ke’andre was wearing a grey nike hoodie with maroon accents. He wore black sweatpants and black shoes. He had a look of joy, tucked under his straggly black-haired beard and dark skin tone, when he saw me. He had his hood placed on top his circle-like head, but from past encounters I am aware of the fact that Dre has short and curly black hair that resembles a buzz cut. Standing a couple inches taller than myself, I’d say he is about six-foot two-inches.