Additional Student of the Month Interview

Source #2: Teachers

Questions and Answers (in blue)

Name: Mrs. Spencer

1. Why did you choose this student to be Student of the Month?
This student showed exceptional qualities and was very involved in school activities. He was overall a very good student.
2. Who decides Student of the Month?
The teachers decide the Student of the Month; we write recommendations and submit them for a vote.
3. How do you announce the Student of the Month?
We pull the student out of their class and give them an award that explains why they got the award.
4. What effect does Student of the Month have on the other students?
 I feel like having a Student of the Month really encourages other students to get more involved in their school and try their hardest both in academics and extracurriculars.
5. What is the purpose of Student of the Month?
Our goal is to try and get more students to excel in their academics and extracurriculars. More positivity and hard work is important in a good education.

Source #3: Former Students of the Month.

Name: Mikayla James, 12th grade
1. What was it like when you were Student of the Month?
Being the Student of the Month was an awesome experience. I got to eat lunch with the principals, which was actually really fun, and more people recognized and congratulated me.
2. What can a student do to have a better chance at becoming Student of the Month?
Get more involved and have a better personality. Those characteristics really stand out over those who don't.
3. Why were you chosen as the Student of the Month?
When I was chosen during my Junior year, I was in just about every club or sport - soccer, volleyball, yearbook, art club, and National Honor Society. However, I don't think that's the main reason why I won. My friend also got picked, and she wasn't as involved as me, but she was always happy and participated regularly in school.
4. How did you react when you were picked as Student of the Month?
When I found out that I had been picked, I danced around a little bit.. I know it sounds weird, but I was really excited; I wanted this award so much.
5. How does having a Student of the Month change the school's reputation?
I feel like having a Student of the Month makes the school look more involved. It shows that the students here care about how they represent themselves and their education is important to them.

Inverted Pyramid

Lead:

Who: Aaron Flores
What: Won Student of the Month award
When: The beginning of this past month
Where: Bowie High School
Why: He has a lot of positivity and helps the school by doing things around the community.
How: The teachers voted on students that they think would be fit for this award.

This past month at Bowie High School, sophomore Aaron Flores won student of the month, as decided by a vote conducted by the teachers because of his positivity and help around the school.

My Top Story of the Century

Wilbur and Orville Wright Fly the First Powered Airplane, 1903.

On December 17, 1903, the Wright brothers were the first people to successfully fly a powered airplane. They were able to make their own manufactured equipment and over seven hundred successful gliding flights before reaching the powered airplane success. The plane went down, but that was after flying their aircraft in the perfect wind and air conditions.

I think this was one of the top news stories of the 1900s because it was the successful creation of something new. This new machine brings a new aspect of future life and transportation. Without this story and these brothers, the airplane wouldn't be around and life today wouldn't be as efficient.

Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther King Assassinated in Memphis, Tn. 1968.

On April 4, 1968, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. He was shot in the back of the head while standing on his balcony in Memphis, Tennessee. The murder was soon found to be committed by James Earl Ray, who pleaded guilty and was sentenced 99 years in prison.

I think that this article was one of the top news stories because of how well known Martin Luther King. Jr. was. He was a civil rights leader and changed the views of many people while he was alive. His speeches and proclamations influenced the country as a whole. There is even a holiday dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. and how he fought for his rights.

Structure of DNA Discovered, 1953.

On February 28, 1953, two men named James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the structure of DNA. They showed that the DNA was composed of a double helix. They claimed to have discovered the "Secret of Life", and they weren't exaggerating. This was the first accurate model of DNA known to science. 

I think that this article was one of the top news stories because it was a breakthrough in the scientific discovery of DNA. Without this discovery, people wouldn't be able to use DNA in testimonies and other science experiments. This opened new windows and advanced the science behind DNA and what it is capable of.

CE 1.4

1. The pope will be in the United States for 6 days in New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C.

2. The terms of occupancy limits are: No more than six unrelated guests, no more than 10 guests total, no more than two people per bedroom, plus two, and no assembly of more than six people outside, and no outside gatherings allowed after 10p.m.

3. Volkswagon altered their cars to where the cars have software that evades emissions controls.

4. The Dallas Cowboys are sending in Matt Cassel as the back-up quarterback while Tony Romo is recovering.

5. Samsung and the Texas Lehigh Cement Co. might not expand their business if tough new emission rules are passed.

Short Answer:

In this article, students of cities around the state of Texas wrote a legal brief arguing how their lives and education could thrive better if they had the money to make it happen. They argued how the students don't have a say in these decisions, even though they're the ones affected by it. I think that these students are truly remarkable for giving the students a voice in something that affects their education. They really looked into all of the facts and wrote convincing arguments. I respect them, because what they accomplish, if any, affects me as well as it does them. I feel like their efforts will be heard. Even if their initial argument doesn't get approved right away, the idea is still brought up, and that inspires more people to stand up and have a voice in this decision. It will definitely mean something for the future of education. I learned that the state finance system for public education doesn't give much to schools, especially ones that need the extra support to stay functioning. The students' electives and classes are being cut because the state finance system doesn't give them money to keep it running. In conclusion, the system doesn't give enough to the schools. They under appreciate programs such as music and drama, which serves great value to the students.

Student of the Month Interview

Source 1: Student of the Month

Source 2: Teachers that decide Student of the Month

Source 3: Former Students of the Month

Questions: (Answers in blue)

Name: Aaron Flores, 10th grade

1. Why were you chosen as Student of the Month?
Because of my positivity and things I've done around the school.

2. Who decides the Student of the Month?
The teachers, who vote on the students.

3. When was the Student of the Month announced?
The first of the month. They announced it on the announcements.

4. How did they tell you that you were Student of the Month?
The pulled me out of class and gave me an award.

5. How many students are chosen for Student of the Month during a school year?
One boy and one girl every month.

6. What made you stand out over the other students?
The positivity I bring into a classroom, and I am in a lot of clubs.

7. What happens when a person is Student of the Month?
They get recognized by the principals and get to eat lunch with them.

8. How did you react when you found out who was Student of the Month?
I was really happy and it really affected me to be more positive.

9. Where are the Students of the Month recorded or displayed?
By the basketball gym.

10. What does it mean to be Student of the Month?
It means a lot. It gives you more recognition by classmates and principals.

11. How long has Student of the Month been going on?
Since my Freshman year.

12. What effect does Student of the Month announcements have on the students?
It got me a lot more friends because people recognized my great work and positivity.

13. What is the purpose of Student of the Month?
To recognize kids who really put effort in school and great work.

14. Where is Student of the Month decided?
In the front office by the teaching staff.

15. What makes for an appropriate Student of the Month?
Positivity, a light to happiness.

16. How does it affect a student if they are chosen as Student of the Month?
It encourages other students to be great.

17. What can a student do to give them a better chance at becoming Student of the Month?
To do all their classwork, be positive, and do anything to help the school community.

18. Is there ever more than one Student of the Month? When?
There's one boy and one girl every month, so more than one gets chosen.

19. How does having a Student of the Month change the school's reputation?
I think it would make the school better because they choose students who excel.

20. Can a person win Student of the Month more than once? When?
Yes, if a person is really excelling over the other students and has a lot of positivity.

Assignment 1: School Uniforms Interview

Source 1: The head of the school board.
Source 2: The teachers.
Source 3: The principal.
Source 4: The students having to follow the dress code (more opinion-based information).

Questions:
1. Why was the dress code enforced?
2. When was the dress code enforced?
3. Explain how the dress code is enforced.
4. How do you feel about the new dress code policy?
5. How will the new dress code affect the school?
6. What is the new dress code policy?
7. How was the new dress code created?
8. What are the consequences for not following the new dress code?
9. Who created the new dress code?
10. Who will be enforcing the new dress code?
11. Why was the dress code not enforced before?
12. How does this dress code compare to the policy before?
13. Why is there a need for a new dress code?
14. What is your opinion on the new dress code?
15. How will this new dress code change the way the school operates?
16. What is the communities' overall reaction towards this new policy?
17. Who came up with the new dress code?
18. How will families react to the new policy?
19. How strict will this new dress code be?
20. What is the school trying to achieve will these new restrictions?

CE 1.3

1. The Republican party presidential debate was held at the Museum in Simi Valley, California.

2. The Bernhards' major concern about the Megabus is the terminal's 6am to midnight operating hours, which they feel aren't optimistic.

3. Uber wants to expand their service to East Austin because they claim that one in three trips demanded by Uber trips go to or come from in East Austin. They don't have enough drivers for the area.

4. Five things that the new Athletic Director at UT is going to bring are to mend fences with the Texas Exes, embrace the coaches, say thank you, keep the trains moving, and finish the Nike deal.

5. The sculptures on the 1st Street Bridge are unique because it changes shape and rotates, and while doing so it runs rain data and lake levels through an algorithm.

Short Answer:

I think that this story about a boy who made his own alarm clock shouldn't have raised as many concerns. Yeah, the clock looked like a bomb, but he didn't intend to raise any concerns, he is just a very bright student that likes to create and fix things. I personally think that his ability to create things out of different objects is really cool and creative. I don't think that the issue would have been as much of an issue if the Ahmed was white. People probably assume that since he's a muslim, he has to be doing something wrong, which he wasn't. Not all muslims are terrorists or want to hurt people! I think that the school officials who did this should be punished, but not fired. If I was a teacher, I would be concerned if a student brought a bomb look-alike to school, no matter the race. I think they we're just trying to be safe, although the extremity of the situation was uncalled for. No, I don't think that the boy should be compensated for this action in particular, but I feel like he should be rewarded for his amazing ability to create these creative objects. This in a way showed people what he is capable of creating.

Headlines, Links and Photos

1. Crane Crashes into Saudi Mosque, Killing Dozens

2. Texas responds to bands having to buy tickets at UT games

3. Cuba to Release 3,522 Prisoners Before Pope Francis’ Visit

4. Bio box: Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, mayor of Baltimore

5. Donald Trump announces he now owns all of Miss Universe Organization

6. Magid: Are Apple features like 3D Touch gimmicks or life savers?

7. 'SNL's Pete Davidson honors firefighter father killed on 9/11

8. Serena Williams upset by Roberta Vinci in U.S. Open semifinal

9. NASA just released the clearest ever picture of Nix, Pluto’s tiny moon

10. Federal researchers urge older adults to aim for much lower blood pressure

11. Apple and Other Tech Companies Tangle With U.S. Over Data Access

Current Event 1.2

1. A typical homeowner will save $14.

2. Two similarities: 1. The human-like creature walked upright like a human and had hands and feet like humans. 2. The creature must have found a way to create artificial light using a torch, which is more than the mental capacity of any other creature not like a human would've been able to accomplish.

3. I think that Ben Lecomte has good intentions for swimming across the Pacfic Ocean, but it sounds a bit extreme. There are many dangers in the ocean that he is exposing himself to, and I don't think it's smart on his part.

4. Two things available: camera improvements and new sensors that enable quicker access to different settings and options.

5. Although the flying car sounds nice, I would rather own the smart clothing, because I feel like it would be of more use to me and it would most likely be cheaper than a flying car. I think that the Solar Power phone case is the coolest, because it doesn't look too bulky, it protects your phone, and charges it without a battery.

Short Answer:

I do think that Chacon got the money he deserved. He was badly beaten up by an officer, which is not okay, especially when the officer didn't have a very good reason for doing so. I think that just being a shady person isn't a crime, especially if they aren't breaking the law or hurting anyone. Then for an officer to hurt them over that and end up costing the officer lots of money is a fair reward for the shady person. They didn't have any lawful reason to be beaten up for it, and they shouldn't have to take the hit for just acting weird. Yes, I believe that Chacon deserved that money. I think that the maximum amount a person should be granted for not being killed in an incident like this one should be capped at $100,000 because although their life wasn't taken from them, they still got hurt, and medical bills are expensive. There was also the cost of emotional distress. I think that the right amount of money that a family should be granted if someone is killed is around $1 million. I know that money is nothing compared to the life of a person, but this person is was killed for unnecessary reasons. I think that we're seeing more of this today because officers think they can get away with this kind of stuff, being in more power than the average citizen, etc. They are abusing their power and that needs to stop.

News Ethics

Using the 'Holocaust' Metaphor

Ingrid Newkirk, the CEO of PETA, launched a campaign called "Holocaust on Your Plate", which released images of an animal slaughterhouse compared to the concentration camps from the Holocaust.  Ingrid and the campaign run by PETA claim that they are protected by their freedom of speech. Because of these recent photos, there has been controversy over if this campaign is ethically wrong, despite the campaign's freedom to release these photos.

In my opinion, "Holocaust on Your Plate" is ethically wrong. I understand where PETA is coming from, and this would have been a truthful comparison if they had compared it to something not as big as the Holocaust. Yes, they were trying to make a point, and they certainly shocked people, but a topic as intense as the Holocaust should not be compared to animal slaughterhouses, despite the slight correlation.

The Media's Foul Ball

During a Chicago Cubs Baseball game, a fan tried to catch a foul ball, preventing the outfielder from catching the baseball. Immediately after, he was taken out of the game after bring threatened by other fans, who claimed that the man was the reason that the Cubs didn't go to the World Series. Then, a Chicago Sun Times reporter revealed the man's name, saying that he was doing nothing morally wrong by releasing the information to the public.

In my opinion, I don't feel like the fan's identity should have been released to the public. Even without anyone knowing his name at the time of the incident, he had to be taken out of the game after he was threatened by other Cub's fans. He was already in danger even being an anonymous fan. That is his life, yes, he made a mistake, but he shouldn't be severely punished for it.

Publishing Drunk Drivers' Photos

Starting in the new year of 1998, the Anderson Newspaper decided that they would publish drunk drivers that were convicted of drinking and driving in their newspaper. This was started as an attempt to reduce the amount of drunk drivers on the road. Shortly after, many local residents were calling the publisher, pleading that their pictures wouldn't be published in the paper. There has been controversy whether this is appropriate for a newspaper to publish publicly.

In my opinion, I can see where the newspaper is coming from, publishing drivers' names to make a statement. However, I don't think that this is the right way to convince people. In one incident, someone even tried to commit suicide after realizing that his name was going to be in the newspaper. Therefore, I don't think that people should feel the need to risk their lives in order for a paper to make a point.

News Values

1. Novelty - This article most likely catches the attention of people, as it did with me because it's about an unusual animal species that is coming in conflict with a drilling company.

Found at the Austin American Statesman.

Judge sides with drillers, lifts rare bird’s protections

Lesser prairie chicken off threatened species list after oil groups’ suit.

ByAsher Price asherprice@statesman.com  

   In a win for oil and gas interests, a federal judge removed special habitat protections for an imperiled prairie grouse, whose range includes parts of West Texas, after ruling that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service didn’t follow its own rules when it put the animal on a threatened species list.

   Senior U.S. District Judge Rob Junell struck down the threatened species designation of the lesser prairie chicken, known for its colorful spring mating display and stout build.

   Drillers say they will continue conservation efforts

   — including ceasing of some operations during the lesser prairie chicken’s breeding season — but the decision to de-list the species appears to remove a federal hammer in case the drillers abandon those pledges.

   “There’s not that threat that the federal government can step in and cease actions,” said Ben Shepperd, president of the Midland-based Permian Basin Petroleum Association, one of the plaintiffs in the case.

   The petroleum association and several New Mexico counties argued — and Junell agreed

   — that the Fish and Wildlife Service failed to properly evaluate a regional plan developed by five states (Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado) to conserve the prairie chicken. The plan calls for industry and landowners to pay an enrollment fee to help finance conservation efforts.

   Junell ruled that the Fish and Wildlife Service acted “arbitrarily and capriciously” by not giving the regional plan a chance before making the threatened species listing in April 2014.

   A threatened listing means the species is likely to become in danger of extinction within the foreseeable future; it is a step below endangered and allows for more flexibility in how the Endangered Species Act’s protections are implemented.

   The wildlife service has considered the lesser prairie chicken to be in trouble for at least 15 years. Once abundant across much of the five states, the lesser prairie chicken’s historical range of native grasslands and prairies has been reduced by an estimated 84 percent. In 2013, its population declined to 17,616 birds, an almost 50 percent reduction from the 2012 population estimate. The states’ conservation plan has a population goal of 67,000 birds.

   The judge’s decision “is a win for local governance, about states getting together for conservation efforts that work,” said Stephen Robertson, executive vice president of the petroleum association.

   But, he added, there are “still a lot of questions out there about what (the decision) is really going to mean into the far future.”

   The federal government is now weighing its options.

   “We are very disappointed with the judge’s decision and are now considering options in conjunction with our legal counsel,” said Brian Hires, a Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman.

   Noah Greenwald, endangered species director of the Center for Biological Diversity environmental group, condemned the ruling.

   “This decision turns the Endangered Species Act on its head by concluding the Fish and Wildlife Service should have given the benefit of the doubt to the oil and gas industry, rather than a species that has seen its habitat and populations vanish,” Greenwald said in a statement. “The lesser prairie chicken was first identified as needing protection in 1995, yet the oil and gas industry did nothing to ensure its survival for 20 years until regulations were proposed to protect it.”

   The decision by a judge to vacate an endangered or threatened species listing is “extremely rare,” said Melinda Taylor, a University of Texas law professor. Taylor is part of a legal team that represents conservation bankers who are trying to sell credits to industry to offset impacts on prairie chicken habitat.

2. Human Interest - This article is concerning to people and catches their attention after discovering that someone was shot and the shooter/s haven't been found yet.

Found at the Austin American Statesman.

Hunt for 3 suspects widens after Illinois officer’s death

By Don Babwin Associated Press

   FOX LAKE, ILL. — Authorities broadened the hunt Wednesday for three suspects wanted in the fatal shooting of a popular Illinois police officer, even as they acknowledged that they had no indication the men were still in the area where the slaying happened.

   After an intensive 14-hour “grid search” of homes, railroad tracks and marshland in the village of Fox Lake, the manhunt turned to the painstaking detective work of chasing down tips, collecting and reviewing surveillance video and interviewing residents near the crime scene. Meanwhile, new search teams rippled out into subdivisions beyond the initial 2-square-mile perimeter established on Tuesday. At least 100 investigators were on the ground.

   A major challenge for investigators was the lack of a description of the suspects beyond the vague one that came from the officer, who told dispatchers he was pursuing three suspicious men

   — two white, one black — moments before he was shot.

   “That was the only description provided,” said Lake County Major Crimes Task Force Cmdr. George Filenko, the lead investigator on the case. “So of course we’re getting the public calling in every time they see that match of three individuals or even two individuals. We’ve closed out those leads completely as being unsubstantiated.”

   Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz, a 30-year police veteran, was shot Tuesday morning while pursuing three men he spotted on his way to work along a roadway with nothing around but open fields and abandoned-looking businesses, Filenko said. Gliniewicz told dispatchers the men ran into a swampy area, and he requested a second unit.

   Backup officers found him about 50 yards from his squad car with a gunshot wound. He died soon after.

   Filenko said there was no indication he was intentionally targeted, though authorities did not rule out that possibility.

   The initial search for his killers involved law enforcement agencies from across the state. Some wore tactical gear and toted high-powered rifles. Officers took up positions on rooftops and along railroad tracks and scanned the terrain through rifle scopes and binoculars. Others leaned out of helicopters with weapons at the ready.

   On Tuesday night, they declared the initial search zone clear, allowing investigators to begin poring over the crime scene and surrounding area.

   Still, they knocked on doors with caution.

   “I believe that the search teams did a thorough job, but I know there have been a number of national incidents where suspects have cleverly escaped or hidden in place,” Filenko said. “So anything’s possible.”

3. Conflict - This article is about the conflict between the City Council and the Austin Police Department over the issue of adding new police officers next year.

Found at the Austin American Statesman.

Council not sold on plan to add cops

Austin police chief wants more than 80 new officers next year.

By PhilipJankowski pjankowski@statesman.com  

   The Austin Police Department’s push for more than 80 new officers next year appears to be on the ropes as City Council members are exploring other options as they weigh the city’s proposed budget.

   Police Chief Art Acevedo wants the new officers as part of a five-year plan that would give police officers more free time to be out in the community making personal contact with residents and business owners. Police leaders say they need to hire 410 patrol officers over the next five years to increase the amount of uncommitted time for officers from its current level of 19 percent to 30 percent.

   But some council members are balking at the cost and question the philosophy behind community policing.

   District 8 Council Member Ellen Troxclair has proposed reducing all new police hires for next year, including more than 20 civilians, to a total of 53. Meanwhile, District 5 Council Member Ann Kitchen has proposed cutting the total number of officers hired to 41.

   Council members also have been skeptical of the amorphous nature of the police proposal. The Police Department currently has no way of tracking how officers would spend their uncommitted time while on the job, and it had no readily available model from other cities to compare.

   On Tuesday, Mayor Steve Adler said he was generally supportive of the idea of community policing.

   “But the thinking is perhaps the Police Department had not thought that through, that there wasn’t a best-practices model,” Adler said during a budget workshop meeting.

   Council Member Don Zimmerman has stated multiple times that the idea of improving community relationships by having more police officers spending time looking to “throw a football with a kid” didn’t make sense, in light of the “abysmal” rate at which Austin police solve crimes.

   The department has a projected clearance rate of 14.3 percent for violent crimes and property crimes, such as burglary and auto thefts, which is above the national average for a large city.

   “We pay a lot of taxes for the police to solve crimes, not to build relationships, but to solve crimes,” Zimmerman said last week. “But they’re not mutually exclusive. Because when you go to solve those property crimes, you’re going to build relationships, good relationships for the people that need your services.”

   The department proposes to hire 24 officers at the beginning of the fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1. An additional 58 would be hired six months later.

   But those new hires wouldn’t hit the streets as full-fledged officers until more than a year and a half after their hire dates, after they complete police acad- In the light of several incidents across the country, and specifically the case against former Austin police Detective Charles “Trey” Kleinert, who has been charged in the on-duty killing of Larry Jackson Jr., Austin police feel building relationships through community policing is more urgent than ever.

   “I think everybody realizes that the legitimacy of what we do and how we do it is under a level of scrutiny that it’s not been under in decades,” police Chief of Staff Brian Manley said. “That’s why these relationships are so important at this time.”

   Generating community engagement by giving officers more uncommitted time is a pendulum shift away from how officers’ time on the job has changed with the increased use of technology.

   Data-based policing and other technology has led to more time spent in patrol cars and behind desks than time spent walking the beat and generating leads through positive relationships with residents and business owners.

   “In the ’80s and ’90s, I think we didn’t have enough technology so it required us to get out a little bit more,” Assistant Chief Troy Gay said. “Right now, we are a very reactive department, and we have very little time to get out of our cars to have a positive interaction.”

 

4. Impact -This article about migrants fleeing countries and being prevented and killed really makes me wonder how this is going to impact our world and the people in it. Will this change a system in the future?

Found at the Austin American Statesman.

Chaos mounts outside Hungary train station

Migrants pour into capital as leaders search for solution.

Dan Bilefsky, Rick Lyman and Anemona Hartocollis ©2015 The New York Times

   BUDAPEST, HUNGARY — A ragged metropolis of thousands of weary and bedraggled migrants continued to rise Wednesday outside Keleti train station.

   The Hungarian authorities, saying they were merely obeying European migration regulations, continued to keep migrants out of the station, despite having allowed thousands onto westbound trains Monday.

   At the same time, the desperate migrants fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Afghanistan — most of them hoping to reach Germany — continued to pour over the border from Serbia, where the construction of a razor-wire fence seems to have barely slowed them down.

   While European ministers squabbled and made preparations for a series of meetings to discuss the crisis, the squalid city outside Keleti grew and festered, developing new suburbs by the hour.

   “We are sleeping in trash,” said Ramadan Mustafa, 23, a chef from the Syrian city of Qamishli. “We don’t know what to do. It’s a matter of human rights.”

   Hundreds of thousands of migrants have been seeking refuge in Europe, only to find themselves confronted with a patchwork of incoherent asylum policies across the 28-member European Union. At the same time, anti-immigrant sentiment, stoked by far-right political parties, is fostering a backlash in some countries, including Britain, France and Hungary.

   Keleti was not Wednesday’s only flashpoint.

   At least 11 migrants drowned trying to make the sea crossing from Turkey to Greece — from which they hoped to begin the difficult journey to Hungary. A photo of a police officer cradling a drowned child’s body on a Turkish beach became a worldwide social media meme for the crisis.

   One of the proudest glories of the European Union — the ability to travel freely, without border checks, from Estonia to Portugal — was splintering under the pressure.

   Police officers from Hungary and adjoining nations conducted spot checks on trains, demanding documents from suspected migrants.

   Still, German authorities expected more migrants to find ways to evade the restrictions

   — and even hinted that, with a possible agreement on handling the crisis in the works, some might even be permitted to travel directly from Budapest in coming days.

 

5. Prominence - This article is about Obama and his recent success with an issue. Since he is our current president and does things on account of our country, he is very newsworthy.

Found at the Austin American Statesman.

Obama has the votes for Iran deal

Md. senator’s support means nuclear accord can survive rejection.

By Karoun Demirjian and Carol Morello Washington Post

   WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama scored a major foreign policy victory Wednesday after securing enough votes in the Senate to preserve the nuclear deal with Iran, which has come under intense criticism from Republicans and some Democrats.

   The agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions, struck by international negotiators in Vienna in July, was the subject of an intense lobbying campaign in recent weeks by both the administration and the deal’s opponents in advance of an expected vote as early as next week on a resolution to block the deal’s implementation.

   Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., on Wednesday morning said she would back the agreement, making her the 34th senator to pledge support for the Iran deal in the Senate. This means that opponents will not be able to collect the two-thirds supermajority vote needed to override Obama’s promised veto of any legislative attempt to dismantle the nuclear pact.

   “No deal is perfect, especially one negotiated with the Iranian regime. I have concluded that this Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is the best option available to block Iran from having a nuclear bomb,” Mikulski said in a statement explaining her decision.

   In recent weeks, all eyes have been focused on about a dozen undecided senators    — including Mikulski — whose votes were seen as potentially making or breaking the deal. The pressure on those lawmakers has been intense, as the deal’s champions and detractors have wielded everything from entreaties to campaign threats in trying to win their votes.

   Congress secured an unorthodox role for itself in the negotiations earlier this year by passing legislation demanding a chance for lawmakers to review the accord that the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany were negotiating with Iran to rein in Tehran’s nuclear development program.

   The deal they struck trades promises from Iran to mothball centrifuges, cut enriched-uranium stockpiles and accept tight oversight in exchange for a stage-by-stage lifting of sanctions that have hamstrung the Iranian economy.

   Lobbying groups and lawmakers opposed to the deal have spent countless hours and millions of dollars in an effort to block its implementation.

   Since the agreement was reached in July, they have complained that it doesn’t do enough to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and, at best, only delays its pathway to becoming an armed nuclear state. Even those on the fence have openly worried that Iran might funnel some of the money that gets pumped back into its economy after sanctions are lifted into nefarious activities, including funding groups that pose a direct threat to Israel.

   “The only reason the ayatollah and his henchmen aren’t dancing in the streets of Tehran is they don’t believe in dancing,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who is also running for president , said after Mikulski’s announcement.

   Israeli news media reported Mikulski’s declaration as a clear loss for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has spent years warning that a nuclear Iran poses an existential threat to Israel. Earlier this year he took the extraordinary step of directly confronting Obama in a speech before Congress.

   But Obama and his proxies have argued that the deal is the best agreement they could have secured, that there is no alternative to it but war with Iran and that those angling to rip up the current deal and call Iran back to the negotiating table do not have a viable alternative.

   Secretary of State John Kerry stressed these points and responded to criticism of the deal in letters he sent to the Senate and House on Wednesday, in which he called Israel’s security “sacrosanct” and noted that the United States and Israel were working out a memorandum of understanding to “cement for the next decade” what he called “unprecedented levels of military assistance.”

   That assistance is expected to include advanced F-35 fighter aircraft, funding to develop newer defense systems, and efforts to identify and destroy tunnels that could be used in efforts to harm Israeli citizens. Obama and Netanyahu have already spoken about countering threats to Israel , Kerry noted.

   In Israel, the immediate reaction was muted.

   One senior Israeli official close to Netanyahu said, “Whatever is going on in Congress does not change the dangers facing the Middle East from the agreement as it has been currently presented.”

   A second Israel official indicated Netanyahu will keep attacking the deal.

   “The prime minister has a responsibility to point out the flaws of an agreement that endangers Israel, the region and the world — and he will continue to do so,” he said.

6. Proximity - This article is written about UT, which is a campus in Austin, and it was also located in the Metro and State section of the newspaper.

Found at the Austin American Statesman.

UT students showcase solar home for contest

NexusHaus team one of 20 in Department of Energy competition.

ByAsher Price asherprice@statesman.com  

   University of Texas students and faculty are hustling to finish a state-of-the-art house capable of consuming no more energy than it produces and no more water than it collects, one they hope will win a federal competition that prizes sustainability.

   NexusHaus is the name of the house that UT students are entering into the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon competition.

   The 850-square-foot house, built in a sleek, modular style, will be measured on everything from market appeal to affordability.

   The building, which will be shipped to California on Sept. 24 for the competition, is still very much under construction, with a ribbon-cutting on Tuesday evening held amid half-finished walls.

   But the NexusHaus team, which involves more than 60 students from UT and the Technische Universität München in Germany, has already come a long way.

   It was one of 20 selected for the prestigious competition out of more than 150 teams that applied, and six of those 20 finalists, including Stanford and Yale, have already dropped out, say members of the UT team.

   “It’s a war of attrition,” said Charles Upshaw, a graduate student in mechanical engineering who is a team captain of the project.

   In keeping with the architectural vernacular of Central Texas, the building is designed in a “dog-trot porch” configuration, with two rectangular modules connected by a 12-foot breezeway, allowing for cross-ventilation.

   Equipped with its own solar array, a rainwater collection unit, and a gray water system to direct used water from a shower and sink to a garden rather than the sewer, the building is meant to be as efficient as possible while maintaining steady, uniform indoor environmental conditions and allowing its inhabitants to make use of the same appliances as in most U.S. homes.

   This concept house, which the team has spent two years designing and now building, costs roughly $250,000 to produce, said Michael Garrison, a UT architecture professor who is overseeing the project.

   Following the competition, it will be used as staff housing at the McDonald Observatory near Fort Davis.

   But the long-term goal is to mass-produce the house at no more than half that cost, to use, essentially, as garage apartments around Austin. For now, the team is concentrating on finishing the concept house. “We’ve been working frantically to get it all finished,” Upshaw said.

   The month of May was essentially washed out because of heavy rains, he said.

   “It gives me a greater appreciation for construction management,” he said.

   The Solar Decathlon is a competition held every two years that promotes the use of solar technologies in buildings.

   This year’s competition will be in Irvine, Calif. The homes that make it to California will be open to the public free of charge, giving visitors the chance to gather ideas to use in their own homes and learn how energy-saving features can help them save money.

 

7. Timeliness - This article shows timeliness because it's talking about sports that just recently happened or are going to happen in the next few days.

Found at the Austin American Statesman.

Altered roster enters playoffs

Several new arrivals join Express heading into PCL postseason.

By Kevin Lyttle klyttle@statesman.com  

   Now that the Round Rock Express know they’re in the Triple-A playoffs, they can spend a little time on introductions.

   The Pacific Coast League postseason starts next Wednesday night at Dell Diamond, with Round Rock playing either Oklahoma City or Iowa in a best-of-five series. Tickets are on sale for the first playoff contests at the Dell in four years.

   The Express (75-63), who return home this Labor Day weekend to close the regular season, have seven players who weren’t with the team at the start of the week. They lost four players when the Texas Rangers expanded their roster Tuesday.    “When you have two clubs in playoff races, you serve the big-league club first,” Round Rock manager Jason Wood said on Wednesday. “That was the first wave. There will be a second wave at some point.

   “But you can’t just completely deplete this team that’s won 75 games, and the Rangers understand that. We do a good job throughout the system developing players, and we’ve got replacements in Double A who will fill some shoes.”

   Lewis Brinson, for one. The 21-year-old Brinson, who’s listed as the Rangers’ fourth-best prospect, according to MLB.  com  , will pair with 20-year-old Nomar Mazara, the second-ranked prospect, to cover the corner outfield spots. Wood batted them 1-2 Tuesday night, and they combined to go 4 for 8 with four runs scored and three RBIs.

   “It’s exciting to see what they can do at the top of the lineup,” Wood said. “We don’t have a prototypical leadoff hitter. Lewis has got some speed and power. Nomar hits the ball all over the park. They’re an interesting mix.”

   Brinson, who started the year in Class A, is batting .324 with 19 home runs and 66 RBIs. Mazara, recently promoted to Round Rock from Double-A Frisco, is batting .290 with 14 homers and 68 RBIs.

   Versatile Drew Robinson could be a big help, too.

   “He can play all over the infield or in the outfield and has a lot of power,” Wood said of the 23-year-old who clubbed 21 homers at Frisco this year.

   Round Rock also retains core players like veteran infielders Ed Lucas and Thomas Field, center fielder Jared Hoying and catcher Brett Nicholas.

   “These guys have done such a good job all year,” said Wood, who has won division titles the past three years at three different minor-league levels. “They’re happy with the environment they’re in, and every one has a plan and sticks to it. At this level, they know their role. For my staff, it’s not really about developing them, it’s more about keeping them comfortable.”

   The Express front office received word that Round Rock had clinched the divisional title Tuesday afternoon, but the coaching staff didn’t tell the players until that night after a 10-5 victory at Nashville.

   “We enjoyed a few cold (alcoholic) beverages,” Wood said. “It’s too bad we couldn’t be at our park, but we’ll celebrate at home this weekend.”

   The four games with Iowa will be critical to the I-Cubs, who still have a chance to overtake Oklahoma City in their division and end up as Round Rock’s playoff opponent.

   “We’ll give guys some rest for the postseason, but Iowa has a lot at stake, so we’ll go after them,” Wood said. “We take a lot of pride in how we play at home.”