Current Events for December 17th

Local News On Wednesday morning, the Indiana Department of Education posted the results of the ISTEP test issued last August. Not surprisingly, Anderson Community Schools were below average, with 38 percent of 10th graders passing both the math and English portions of the test. The only two schools above state average were Valley Grove and Killbuck Elementary schools. ACS had the lowest average score in the surrounding area. Hmm… maybe if ACS spent more time and money teaching than checking dress code, maybe we would do better. Source: http://www.heraldbulletin.com/local/local_story_346111224.html Iraq/ Afghanistan On Wednesday, Iraqi police found a mass grave north of Baghdad in the Diyala province. There were at least 16 bodies found, all male. Local police believe that the al Qaeda was responsible for the murders and the grave. Another grave was found that contained 17 civilians who had been kidnapped. 2 other mass graves have been found this December, with a total of 38 corpses. Source: http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/12/13/iraq.main/index.html National News Tapes destroyed by the CIA in 2005 have come into question in the past week. However, the Bush administration and Attorney General Mukasey don’t want to pursue investigation on the subject. They claim that the tapes aren’t relevant to any judicial inquiries. The tapes contained the interrogation of two al Qaeda suspects, where interrogators used “unusual” methods. Source: http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/15/cia.tapes/index.html Health News A recent study done at St. Lawrence University found that college students who pull all-nighters have a lower GPA than those who don’t. Many college students don’t get adequate sleep because of excessive caffeine and time management. The body’s internal clock has trouble managing when it cannot get the sleep it needs. While many students think they are getting extra studying time at 4 o’clock in the morning, they are actually harming themselves, and will probably perform poorly on exams the next day. Source: http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/wayoflife/12/14/all.nighters.ap/index.html State News Julia Carson, a representative for Indiana, died peacefully on Saturday. Carson announced in late November that she had terminal lung cancer, and wouldn’t be seeking re-election in 2008 to the House. She had been involved in politics since the 1960’s and worked for the welfare of the poor and disadvantaged. Her family has announced that her funeral will be held December 22nd, after she lies in state in the rotunda at the Indiana Statehouse. Source: http://www.theindychannel.com/news/14861677/detail.html Science/ Technology News The H.L. Hunley, a Confederate submarine used during the Civil War, was found 12 year ago off of the Charleston coast and was raised in 2000. But a now a pocket watch has been found on the sub that may give clues as to what happened the night it sunk. Experts have discovered that the watch didn’t wind down slowly but was stopped immediately at 8:23. Historic reports claim that the Hunley sank at 9 p.m., close to the time of the watch. But now scientists are confused as to why the watch stopped so quickly and if that reason is why the Hunley sank. Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22266374/ Election News Just 3 weeks before the Iowa Caucus, Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama are in a dead heat for the Democratic lead. At the last debate in Iowa, Clinton tried to portray herself as a President of change, while Obama talked about federal budget and the war in Iraq. A month ago, most thought that Hilary Clinton would automatically be the Democratic nomination, but Barack Obama has become more popular and taken away Hilary’s lead. Source: http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/13/dem.debate.preview/index.html World News The Kenyan First Lady Lucy Kibaki is believed to have slapped a government official who introduced her by the wrong name. And not just any name, the name of the alleged second wife of the Kenyan President. Authorities have erased the tape of the First Lady slapping the official, and no charges have been filed. This comes just as President Mwai Kibaki is going up for re-election on December 27th. He is currently trailing in the polls, and Lucy Kibaki’s behavior probably won’t help him. Source: http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/12/14/kenya.slap.ap/index.html Business News Many businesses are worried by the lack of customers and spending that has been taking place in December. Despite the abundance of sales and discounts, another slow weekend occurred just before Christmas. Online retailers also fell short and didn’t live up to the goals that had been set. Businesses are hoping that last-minute shoppers will pour in this week and boost profits. Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22285952/ Sports News For the second time in a row, the Highland boy’s basketball team beat Anderson. Wednesday night proved to be a success for the Scots, with a score of 47-45. At one point in the game, the Indians led the Scots by 9 points. But Highland’s good defense in the second half helped them to come back in the 3rd quarter. During the 3rd quarter HHS kept Anderson to 4 points, while scoring 15 points themselves. Lead scorers were Anderson’s Troy Taylor and Highland’s Tyson McKinney. Anderson’s coach Ron Hecklinski called his team’s performance pathetic and said that Highland deserved to win. Of course Indian fans gave excuses and said that AHS was the better team and should have won, and the Herald Bulletin wrongly predicted the outcome of the game, but HHS prevailed and won anyways. Source: http://www.heraldbulletin.com/sports/local_story_346233120.html?start:int=0