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St. Lucie West Wal-Mart store opens
About 30 people started gathering in front of the new Supercenter’s doors at 7 a.m.
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College student missing
A sex offender released from a Minnesota prison in May was arrested and charged with kidnapping in the disappearance of a college student that disappeared last month while talking on her cell phone.
According to the USA Today article, Alfonso Rodriguez, 50, was arrested Monday in Crookston, where he lives. Dru Sjodin, 22, a University of North Dakota student, has still not been found. She has been missing since Nov. 22 when she left her job at Columbia Mall, about 30 miles from Crookston, according to the article.
Rodriguez is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday in Crookston to begin proceedings to extradite him to North Dakota.
Sjodin's boyfriend, Chris Lang, called the student's roommate, saying he had received two phone calls from the missing student. The first was cut off and Lang heard Sjodin say, "Oh, my God," before the phone went dead. During a second phone call, there was only the sound of static and numbers being pressed, according to the article.
What the article does not make clear, is whether it is believed Lang received the phone calls at the time of the alleged abduction. Nor does it say when Lang called Sjodin's roommate to see if she was OK.
Unfortunately this is not the first case of a missing student. In 1994, 19-year-old Emory University student Shannon Melendi was allegedly abducted from a softball field in the afternoon on a Saturday. And in 1989, a University of Florida student, Tiffany Sessions, vanished while exercising neat her Gainesville apartment. Neither of the cases were solved.
Dru Sjodin's brother, Sven, told a local television station that the arrest is only one piece of the puzzle in her disappearance.
"We have the same mission as before ? to find her," he said. "Having her back with us is the only way to complete it."
Hopefully the family will have her back soon.
Bubba cubed
A 39-year-old Springfield man legally changed his name last month to Bubba Bubba Bubba to reflect his childhood nickname, according to a Salon article.
"I kind of like to laugh and joke, and it's something silly to kind of poke fun with," Bubba Bubba Bubba said.
Bubba, the former Raymond Allen Gray Jr., has been going by that name for years, according to the article. A co-worker started calling him Bubba Bubba Bubba in jest, later another co-worker mistakenly thought that was his real name.
Bubba's new name became official Nov. 20 and he already has a new driver's license and work identification card.
If this is what it takes to make Bubba happy, then I say go for it, but don't be ridiculous about it. What's the big deal about keeping Bubba a nickname? From now on, all of this man's legal documents are going to be signed Bubba Bubba Bubba, how seriously is he going to be taken? I'm hoping he took all these things into consideration before make the change permament.
- Check out the BBC's Newsround, a forum to discuss what weird names people have heard from around the world.
- Also, read about how people are making his or her Instant Message screen name their legal name.
Moscow fire
A fire on Monday in a Moscow dormitory killed at least 32 people and injured 139 students. Many of the students had to jump from the five-story building because the exits were blocked.
The fire engulfed most of the dorm at Patrice Lumumba Friendship of Peoples University, according to the Salon article. The building served as a quarantine facility for newly arrived foreign students needing medical checks before starting their studies.
According to the article, witnesses said the fire engines were slow to start action as they jammed into a narrow access road blocked by parked cars.
"Students had to do it themselves, holding mattresses for those who were jumping out," Nafafe Tengna, a third-year journalism student from Guinea said.
But Moscow fire safety department spokesman Yevgeny Bobylyov said the firefighters arrived on time and did their job well.
A preliminary investigation pointed to an electrical problem, according to the article.
The article goes on to talk about Russia's rate of fire deaths and it gives some background on the university, but no where is there a comment from a school administrator - not even the obligatory "we're so sorry this happened, we are doing everything we can to investigate this" response.
Why were exits blocked? If there was a delay in response time from emergency units, what is going to be done? What is the school going to do to improve the living situation of its students, and where are the displaced international students going to be living?
I can only imagine it is more difficult to gather this kind of information from Russian officials, but the article should at least state that the questions were asked, and that the journalist is still looking for the answers. Otherwise, it just looks like sloppy journalism.
For more information on Russia, check out the CIA's World Factbook.
What's that smell?
The University of Minnesota has come up with a new and peculiar way of dealing with tree poachers. The university is spraying anything that could pass for a holiday tree with a skunk scent.
For years, Christmas tree thieves have been sawing down trees in the middle of the night, according to a USA Today article. When asked why use a skunk scent, grounds superintendent Les Potts responded:
"Can you think of anything worse?"
I suppose not. According to the article, cold weather masks the smell. But warm, indoor air releases it. The best part to this story is Potts doesn't really know what the campus is going to smell like when warm weather hits the campus in the spring.
Who on the campus' administration approved this method of dealing with tree poachers and why didn't they think this plan through? What's going to happen come March when the warmer breezes come, spreading the stench of skunk all over campus?
Not to worry though. According to Jim's Hunting & Outdoor Site, there is a trusty way of getting rid of skunk scent.
"Mix one quart of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide with 1/4 cup of baking soda and one teaspoon of liquid soap. Soak the [object] in water and scrub with the mixture, then rinse with warm water."
I hope Potts gets a hold of this concoction in time for next semester, lest the campus reek of skunk.
Members only
A federal court ruled Monday that an exclusive school may continue its Hawaiians-only admissions policy. The court rejected a discrimination complaint from a student who said the policy violated his civil rights.
U.S. District Judge Alan Kay said the admissions policy at Kamehameha School passed muster because of the school's unique historical circumstances. Because the private school receives no federal funding, it should not be held to the same scrutiny as a public school, according to the Salon article.
The lawsuit was filed in June on behalf of an unidentified non-Hawaiian student who claimed the admissions policy discriminates on the basis of race in violation of federal law. The student's attorney said he will appeal, according to the article. A hearing was set for Tuesday in a separate civil rights challenge to the schools' admissions policy.
Members of the school's board of trustees cried and hugged one another as the ruling was said. Trustee Douglas Ing said in a press release, "Judge Kay's ruling is important because it recognizes Kamehameha Schools' role in improving the capability and well-being of Hawaiians through education. We understand today's ruling will be appealed and that we face another legal battle in Judge Ezra's courtroom tomorrow, however, we are hopeful that the U.S. judicial system will recognize the importance of Kamehameha to the Hawaiian community and the entire state."
Initially I thought the ruling was ridiculous. Why should a school be allowed to limit its admissions? But it is a private school, partly funded by a trust from the will of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop. The same regulations cannot apply to it than to a regular public school. Also, the school does admit non-Hawaiian students - just once there are openings after Hawaiians who meet the criteria have been offered admission. While maybe not the most fair system, the opportunity is still made available for anyone to study at the school. Lots of schools are selective and while it is not normally based on heritage, if this school can perhaps keep Hawaiian traditions and values intact, perhaps it is worth it.
There will be no dancing cheek to cheek
For the first time in 143 years, students at Wheaton College will be attending a dance on campus. To prepare for the festivities, students were taking dance lessons in classrooms and asking friends who knew how to dance for help.
Not since the Civil War had there been a dance on Wheaton's campus, according to the USA Today article. Under a new set of rules, called the Community Covenant, students may dance, but should avoid behavior "which may be immodest, sinfully erotic or harmfully violent."
This is only an example of some of the rules at Wheaton. It was not until the '60s that the school allowed students to attend the movies. It wasn't until the '90s that students and faculty were permitted to dance with spouses or relatives at family events. Also, nine months ago, Wheaton eased the ban on alcohol and smoking for faculty and staff. They can now drink or smoke off campus, as long as it is not in front of undergrads.
I guess I took advantage of never going to a school that regulated so much of my social life. But how were the students so responsive and cooperative with these kind of rules? Not to mention faculty; it seems extremely unfair for a school to dictate what a person can and cannot do with his or her spouse or family.
Administration officials say lifting the dance ban will help get students ready to deal with the real world after they graduate.
"Students need to learn how to make responsible choices," said Sam Shellhamer, vice president for student development. "We want to make students learn how to think critically, be discerning and learn how to make wise choices."
If wise decisions mean refraining from "sinfully erotic" behavior, then Wheaton has prepared students well, but if these choices should involve anything of real substance, I hope there is something else in that Covenant of theirs that will suffice.
