Five Things You Need To Know: Nov. 3

1.) Ebola nurse breaks quarantine

After Ebola nurse Kaci Hickox broke her quarantine earlier this week to go on a bike ride, a Maine judge issued an order that she must stay three feet away from others temporarily. The order will force Hickox to submit to monitoring, tell officials about all of her movements and avoid public places.

Hickox does not have ebola, but she was initially quarantined to allow the 21 days of incubation to pass to ensure that she was not contagious. The concern is raised because she was treating Ebola patients in West Africa before she returned to the U.S.

2.) Commercial spaceship explodes in test run

The first commercial attempt at spaceflight crashed in a test run Friday, killing one pilot and seriously injuring others. The SpaceShipTwo ship, was part of the Virgin Galactic program, which began the process to commercialize spaceflight years ago, when budget cuts reduced the NASA program.

In a press conference on Saturday, Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson said that the company plans to continue improving their aircraft despite this setback. Meanwhile, federal investigators are beginning what could be a year-long process of sifting through the wreckage in the hopes of discovering what went wrong.

3.) Elections on Nov. 4

Kansas elections will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 4, and the typically Republican state has drawn national interest over the rising popularity of independent candidate Greg Orman. Drama over the senate race began months ago, when Democrat candidate Chad Taylor dropped out of the race.

Without Taylor in the running for the senate seat, Orman began to gain a substantial following in Kansas. Suddenly, the seat that three-term senator Pat Roberts expected to easily reclaimed was coming under threat.

Roberts sticks close to a conservative Republican agenda, opposing Obamacare and leaning right on issues such as immigration, taxes and gay marriage. As an independent, Orman would not have to caucus with either the Republicans or the Democrats. Instead, he is campaigning with the goal of making his own decisions based on what he believes is best for his state.

Voting will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

4.) East hosts annual can drive

This week, East will begin the annual can drive to benefit the Johnson County Christmas Bureau. The Christmas Bureau provides assistance to low-income families in the area during the holiday season. During its annual nine-day Holiday Shop, clients can receive clothing, food, gifts and other holiday necessities.

The East can drive will take place from Nov. 3 through Nov. 24. Students are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to the hallway on the fourth floor.

5.) Athletes must turn in paperwork 

Any athletes interested in trying out for winter sports must turn in their physical and athletics packets to athletic coordinator Gayle O’Grady before tryouts begin. All paperwork is available in the main office and online at smesports.org. This does not apply to fall athletes, who already turned in their paperwork at the start of the previous season.