Royals Celebrate Win With Parade
The Kansas City Royals 2015 World Series Champions held their championship parade in downtown Kansas City on Nov. 3. According to Mayor Sly James, there were over 800,000 loyal Royal fans attending both the celebratory parade and the rally. Many school districts in the Kansas City area, including the Shawnee Mission School District, called off school to allow kids to watch the parade.
Initially it was unclear if there should be school, however sophomore Jack Workman felt that it was perfectly acceptable to get the day off.
“I would thank the superintendent if I saw him,” Workman said. “It needs to be like a holiday when we win things like that, because it doesn’t happen in Kansas City that often.”
The parade began at the Sprint Center, then looped through downtown to eventually reach Union Station, which was the site of the celebratory rally. Some people arrived downtown as early as 7 a.m. to claim a spot. Sophomore Caroline Ehrich was one of those people, leaving her house at 6:30 a.m. to claim a spot for the rally.
“We ended up really close to the stage,” said Ehrich. “We were on the left side of the stage about ten rows back.”
Russian Plane Crashed
A Russian plane was destroyed flying over the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt on Oct. 31, killing all 224 people on board. Initial reports indicated that the crash was caused by a mechanical failure, but after a Sinai-based terrorist organization linked to ISIS claimed responsibility, things became unclear. A report from a senior U.S. defense official told NBC News that U.S. radar picked up a “bright flash” of light in the area and at the time of the disaster. There have also been reports of “sounds of explosions” on the black boxes of the plane. All of these things point to a terrorist attack.
Despite the attack taking place in Egypt, sophomore Ben Dollar is still concerned about safety.
“If I were on a large international flight coming into the United States I would definitely be concerned,” Dollar said. “Even on a large flight inside the States would make me uneasy.”
After this incident, some intelligence officers are suggesting heightened security on planes headed for the U.S. ISIS reportedly attacked the Russian plane because of Russia’s move to intervene in Syria and prop up dictator Bashar Al-Assad. The Russians are working together with the Syrians to curb ISIS expansion in Syria. This is the first of many expected initiatives ISIS is instating to resist against the Russian presence in the region.
Chipotle Experiences E. coil Outbreaks
Chipotle closed 43 of its restaurants in Washington and Oregon after reports of customers getting E. coli from the food.
E. coli is a bacteria that is typically harmless, according to the Center for Disease Control, but there is one harmful strand called E. coli O157:H7. It causes patients to experience severe abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea and vomiting in some severe cases. E. coli is found in contaminated water or foods, such as raw vegetables or undercooked ground beef. In an official statement made by Chipotle, the company talks about finding solutions to the outbreak.
“The safety of our customers and integrity of our food supply has always been our highest priority,” said chairman and co- CEO of Chipotle Steve Ellis. “If there are any opportunities for us to do better in any facet of our sourcing or food handling, from the farms to our restaurants, we will find them.”
Junior Danny Tapp still goes to Chipotle despite the reports of foodborne illnesses going around.
“It’s not necessarily Chipotle, it’s probably the providers of the meat or vegetables,” Tapp said. “Since the outbreak isn’t happening that close to Kansas City I’m not as frightened.”
Forty-three people from Washington and Oregon were sickened with the virus. Of those 43, 14 were hospitalized for their symptoms. This small outbreak of E. coli from Chipotle reminds people to be watchful of the pink meat and slimy veggies that people consume.