Overdose D eaths by the years...

The bill introduced on Jan. 17 would make the sale of any drug resulting in someone’s death carry up to a 25-year sentence. This puts it on same level as an attempted murder and killing somebody while driving intoxicated. Currently, the maximum charge that can be pursued against someone who sells a drug following in death is for the distribution itself, which is only a Class C felony. Prosecutors could also charge dealers with involuntary manslaughter, a Class D felony, which has a maximum sentence of five years. The only drug exempt from this bill is Marijuana. Another exemption this bill creates is for Iowa’s ‘Good Samaritan’ law, in which legal protections for a person who calls emergency services when they or someone else is experiencing an overdose, is provided. The ‘Good Samaritan’ law encourages those who witness a drug overdose to stay and call 911. Generally, overdose witnesses under the law won’t be arrested, charged, or prosecuted for possession/delivery of a controlled drug and if they act in good faith. The bill was passed through subcommittee on January 25 with a vote total of 2-0.

Taking a step towards preventing youth substance abuse and violence, Bird drafted the bill with an eye toward saving lives. At the same time addressing what is “an imbalance in how the law treats such cases,” Bird said in a press release. Referring to the currently low charge. She drafted the bill with an eye toward saving lives.

“This bill was drafted to prevent overdose deaths and hold drug dealers accountable. Drug overdose is the leading cause of death for young adults ages 18 to 45. There’s no safe amount of an illegal drug,” Press Secretary Alyssa Brouillet said.

In Iowa, there’s been an alarming increase in overdose deaths. Bird aims to address the rising rate of overdoses here in Iowa.

“We must stop overdose deaths and hold drug dealers accountable,” Brenna Bird said in a press release.

Overdose deaths have increased at an annual rate of 3.93 percent over the last three years. In 2020, the count of deaths caused by drug overdoses was 419. Opioid-related deaths had increased by 35 percent during the pandemic. In 2021, the count had jumped even more with 463 overdose deaths. And in 2022, the number rose again, with a total of 470 deaths.

“This bill will toughen sentences, equip prosecutors for the war against dangerous drugs, and reduce drug-related deaths,” Bird said in a news release on Jan. 26.

On Jan. 24, 2023, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a new law, House File 68, commonly known as the “School Choice” bill. This bill will have a significant impact on all schools in Iowa, particularly the Des Moines Public Schools district. The bill allows parents to help pay for private schools if one chooses to send a child to one with an education savings account. However, opponents of the bill argue that this will divert taxpayer money from public schools to private ones, with no government oversight over where the funds will go directly.

Under the new law, the state government of Iowa will use taxpayer money to fund private school student education through educational savings accounts, which will provide $7,598 a year per private school student to spend on tuition and other education expenses. This is the same amount of state aid given to public schools per student. Opponents of the bill argue that this is money that could have been spent on public school funding, which is already struggling due to rising inflation.

While the Iowa State Legislature approved a 3 percent ($107 million) increase in public school funding, some argue that it is not enough to keep up with inflation, and that the $107 million fund for public education is just giving back money that would’ve been a bigger amount back to public schools in smaller amounts. However, House Speaker Pat Grassley views the 3 percent increase as sufficient and called it a “very solid number,” Grassley said in a statement.

Many believe that this new law will negatively impact public schools, including teachers and students at East High School. They fear that the diverted funds will lead to fewer resources and opportunities for public schools. Overall, the bill remains a controversial topic, with both sides presenting valid arguments.

One side argument being that this claw gives parents who would like to send their kids to private school but can’t and if they already pay state educational tax then they should be able to use government funds obtain an education of their own choice, but one fatal flaw with this bill is that while it now gives parents who would like to send their child to private education a chance to do so, it doesn’t take into account that private schools could always just raise their admission fees, with the law seemingly only really helping parents who already go to private schools.

One student with an opinion about the new changes is Mikaela Treptow, a sophomore, Treptow voiced her opinions about the law when asked about the following questions.

Q1: Do you think that the vouchers will harm public schools?

A: “I think that it will not be beneficial to public schools because it will be taking away the money that would have been going into public schooling, limiting the access that public schools have.”

Q2: Even with the 3% increase to public school funds, do you think this will offset the balance between public and private school education?

A: “I think that it would definitely offset the balance, because it would just be even more money going into these private schools. Limiting even more of the money that public schools are already lacking. Causing public schools to fall even lower, lacking the funds to gain equipment to help learning, staff, etc.”

Q3: Do you think our fund from the state, which makes up 57% of our funds, will be effected by this law?

A: “Oh for sure, I do think that the funding we get from the state would decrease with this. Because most or almost all of it comes from the state and tax payers, if part of this money that we are already lacking, already need more of to increase our learning would end up going to private schools. That already have this money and can pay for the good equipment and good teaching etc. It would definitely cause public schooling to become worse.”

Q4: Do you understand why they would pass a law like this?

A: “I do see why this might have been a good idea, allowing parents to have more of a choice as in where their kid could be getting schooling. But if they want that good teaching and good environment from a private school, the money and time spent in making sure their kids get in and all that would be incredibly helpful to making our public schools have the same teaching and environment that they want from the private schools. If the money going into these private schools, being taken from public schools already lacking in money would have stayed in the public schools, environment that they want from the private schools. If the money going into these private schools, being taken from public schools already lacking in money would have stayed in the public schools, could be a factor in helping our schools grow and become better.”

When it comes to the balance between public and private schools, it seems that only a short few people will benefit from this voucher program, while many others think in the long run that this will only hurt public education in the states.

As the school choice bill takes effect, its impact on Iowa’s education system remains to be seen. While some believe it provides parent with more options for their children’s educational possibilities, other people in the states, and especially public educators and students, fear that the school choice bill will only harm public education in the state even more so. As the discussion of this law will certainly continue, the future of Iowa’s education system remains uncertain.

The annual inflation rate for the United States is 6.4 percent for the 12 months ended January 2023 after rising 6.5 percent previously, according to U.S. Labor Department data, making the 3 percent increase to public education one that democrats have criticized the republican legislator for not being an increase that significant and that the 3% increase isn’t keeping up with inflation.

The percentage rate of where DMPS funding was from during the fiscal year of 2022 not a doll. This is the Sad Case of The Boy in the Box. This is only one of many cases that involve an unknown child that goes missing.

Polk County has 18 private school districts with 6,908 private enrollment, the highest in both throughout the state.

When the police arrived at the scene where the Boy in The Box was found, he was naked, his body had bruises, his face seemed to be drained of blood, he was wrapped with a flannel blanket, and he was inside a box that used to contain a bassinet. They were unsure of his age and assumed he was between the age of four-six years old. They determined him to be malnourished because his ribs were visible through the skin located on his chest and that he had died from being beaten to death, specifically blunt force trauma to his head. After analyzing the body, medical examiners found multiple scars and bruises on his body that were located on his foot, chin, and forehead. There were multiple healed scars on his ankle and groin that seemed to be surgical scars and the medical examiners also suggested that he had recently been inside a body of water because his right hand and feet were both wrinkled. They also found that he had thrown up prior to his death and found baked beans inside his stomach. The boy’s growth was also determined to be stunted because the analysis of the bones showed that he had been experiencing beatings, and malnourishment. This led to the idea that the boy was suffering abuse before his recent death, and that he possibly died a few days or weeks before his body was found, however the exact date could not be determined. Though these tributes were evidence, the investigators still could not find the identity of the boy…

Multiple detectives tried to pursue the case and identify the boy, but none of them could find any evidence to determine who he could be. There were also no missing people reports to help them determine who the boy could be, which led to even more questions that were left unanswered about the boy. After numerous dead-end leads, many theories went by “M” who claimed the boy was named “Jonathan” and that her abusive mother had purchased him from another family. The woman had claimed that “Jonathan” was beaten to death by her mother because he had vomited out his dinner of baked beans. Then, her mother tried to bathe him which caused the boy’s body to become wrinkly. This at first, was believed to be true because the autopsy did find baked beans inside the boy’s stomach, and his fingers and feet were determined to be wrinkled. But the police could not prove her claim due to the lack of evidence that was provided from her statement. This claim, yet again, would then eventually become another dead-end lead, leaving the boy’s identity to continue to remain an unsolved question…

In the next couple of decades, this sad case continued to remain cold, with even the world referring to the Boy in The Box as “America’s Unknown Child.” This reminder was set onto his gravestone, implying that possibly he would never be able to be identified. But when society thought all hope was lost, in December 2022, after 65 years, investigators finally figured out the long, unsolved mystery of “who is Boy in The Box?” case, the case the occurred in Cedar Rapids, Iowa? This case was recommended by East High Student Chandler Formaro. It’s bizarre to think that a crime that would go unsolved for 40 years would ever occur in Westdale Mall, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “This case was pretty interesting because it happened here in Iowa, but what I thought was interesting was how it showed the advancements of technology when it came to forensics and stuff,” Formaro said. This case is sure to leave you appalled! This case is also well known by some of East High teachers and staff, so don’t forget to ask them about this case and hear from their

The identity of Boy in The Box is actually “Joseph Augustus Zarelli,” and he was born on Jan. 13, 1953, in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, United States. The investigators were able to discover Zarelli’s identity through genetic genealogy. They recorded his official age to be four when he departed and was found inside the box in the Fox Chase Neighborhood Woods. They also took his DNA and were able to detect his relatives on his mothers’ side and identify his father. They also found that he had three other living siblings, but the names of both the parents and living siblings will not be released due to privacy reasons. The killer of Zarelli was also not identified. This fact is very upsetting, knowing that he may never get justice for his death. But now that his identity is finally solved, he will know that thousands of people will not have to worry about him being referred to as “America’s Unknown Child,” or as the mystery, “The Boy in The Box.” This was the Sad Case of Joseph Augustus Zarelli, and how he was discovered in Feb. 1957.