By Alec Hennesy

Staff writer

Pictured above: Xi Jinping, leader of China

China has been in the news a lot. Whether it is over trade embargoes or Hong Kong Protests, or even a genocide allegation in the Xinjiang desert, China has been a familiar face on news outlets across the globe. Frequently becoming heavily criticized by most sides of the media, China has been more covered than Russia in recent times, and usually not in a positive light. 

This coverage begs the question: is all of this hate justified? Is China a misunderstood country or are they the new top threat to the U.S.? 

Is China friend or foe?

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The Shooting of Richard Lee Richards

By Joseph Gray IV

Staff Writer

Pictured above: 61-year-old Richard Lee Richards

In Arizona, a tragic event unfolded in front of a Walmart that left 61-year-old Richard Lee Richards dead at the scene. 

Richards, a disabled man in a motorized wheelchair, was shopping at Walmart when he allegedly swiped a toolbox and attempted to leave the store without paying, reported by the New York Post. Ryan Remington, the on-duty officer on assignment at the Tucson Walmart, was alerted of the alleged shoplifting.

Remington approached Richards in the parking lot, asking to see his receipt. According to Police Chief Chris Magnus as reported by CNN, when asked to show his receipt, “Instead of providing the receipt, Mr. Richards brandished a knife and said, ‘Here’s your receipt.’” 

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Students comment on HCPSS school lunch options 

By Morgan Prater

Staff Writer

Pictured above: one serving of HCPSS school lunch

Many students that go to a Howard County Public School have had the school lunch and have noticed the loss of variety in the options this year. A couple years ago, schools used to have more options including cookies, sparkling water, barbeque subs, and nachos.

Now, it seems like the lunch options are always the same. There only appears to be pizza and chicken nuggets and occasionally, mozzarella sticks. There is nothing wrong with these options, but there is no more variety. 

Another problem with the lunch is the portion sizes. Many students feel as though they aren’t receiving enough food for lunch. This is unfortunate considering the fact that for some people, this is their only meal of the day. The reason for small portion sizes is most likely because of Covid-related health risks and problems with getting more shipments of food in stock.

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The Controversial Rising Star: The Staircases

By Joseph Lee

Backpage Editor

Pictured above: One of Hammond’s new staircases following renovations

After the Hammond renovation, there was a certain excitement that the student body had about coming back to school. It had been years of advocating, and the Hammond community wanted the renovation to finally happen. It being held off by the school board mixed with the previous year being all virtual, we couldn’t wait to see what was new with the building.

With the school being one story for so long, the new stairs and upper level helped set the renovation into reality. From a new hallway to new classes, it was an exciting start to the year. 

The classes on the upper level were where all the new English and English-related classes, like Yearbook and Journalism, were. Since Hammond High School requires English classes to be taken every year to graduate, that means every student, unless taking an HCC course, has to enroll for at least one. This also means they always have to use the stairs every year and if they want to take an extra English elective, they are going upstairs several times a day. 

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