Richland Chronicle April 13th, 2021

CHRONICLE Richland

Vol. XLVII Issue 16 April 13, 2021

A student publication

Students contemplate Pg. 3 climate change

• Chauvin trial enters defense phase

Pg. 2

• Remembering YaphetKotto Pg. 4 • BET pioneer makes virtual pit stop

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Pg. 6

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2 NATIONAL

April 13, 2021

Jurors hear testimony in trial of ex-officer Chauvin Janssy Sanchez/Cittlaly Cipriano Staff Writers

As the trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin nears a close, jurors are considering what may result from their verdict. The judge in the case has refused to sequester the jury, according to The Associated Press. Chauvin, who is white, is on trial for subduing George Floyd, who was Black, by pressing his knee against Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds until he passed out and refusing to administer CPR, causing Floyd’s death.

“Ultimately, your honor, the question becomes: Will the jury be competent to make a decision regardless of the potential outcome of their decision?” Chauvin’s attorney Eric Nelson asked while arguing that the jury should be sequestered.

The defense will take up their case next, bringing in their own medical experts. It has not been determined whether Chauvin will testify.

“I also hope for something to come from outside the courtroom,” said Richland Campus student Joshua David. “Hearing him [Chauvin] admit that what he did was wrong and to have footage of him saying that. I want to hear it from his lips.”

The trial began on March 29, almost a year after video surfaced of Chauvin restraining Floyd until he died.

Those looking to prosecute pointed to the video, making the case that it was clearly a homicide.

“Chauvin was not consistent with Minneapolis police policies and training,” said prosecutor Jerry Blackwell.

Chauvin’s defense team argued there was a plethora of evidence besides the infamous video—essentially asking for the jury’s consideration toward what they will bring forth as evidence.

“Something wasn’t right,” Jena Scurry, a Minneapolis Police Department 911 dispatcher testified when asked what compelled her to call the sergeant on Chauvin and his squad.

She had become concerned with the length of time officers were taking with the situation, prompting her to mistakenly conclude that the surveillance footage had frozen at one point.

The defense sought to undermine the dispatcher’s authority to speak on police conduct.

“I watched the chief testify,” Max Gil, a new student at Richland said. “He was asked if what Chauvin did was part of his training.”

The chief’s testimony opened up the trial to determine police training and protocol.

MPD Chief Medaria Arradondo fired all

Photo The Associated Press

Defense attorney Eric Nelson, left, speaks to his client, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on April 13 during Chauvin’s trial for the killing of George Floyd.

of the officers involved in Floyd’s death and called the incident “murder,” according to AP. “Minneapolis agreed to pay $27 million to Floyd’s family to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging the city allowed a culture of excessive force, racism and impunity to flourish in its police force,” Arradondo said.

Sgt. Ker Yang testified April 6 about the essential components of the de-escalation process for police.

“When the intensity is increasing, and you have distance and time, you want to bring it down not increase it,” Yang said.

“The case is made in the video. You clearly see him [Chauvin] using excessive force,” said Richland student Omar Vasquez. “He [Floyd] was alive before the knee on his neck.”

A pivotal focus of the trial has been uncovering what exactly caused Floyd’s death. Dr.

Andrew Baker is the medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Floyd.

“In my opinion, the law enforcement subdual, restraint and the neck compression was just more than Mr. Floyd could take by virtue of that, those heart conditions,” Baker said.

Nelson, as part of the defense team, argued against this saying that it was the drugs in Floyd’s system that killed him, not Chauvin’s restraint. He has also speculated that “Chauvin’s knee was on Floyd’s shoulder blade,” according to AP. “Those who turn a blind eye, I think they are scared to come to terms with how things really are,” Richland student Jaylen Mitchell said. “Every time something happens to a Black person it is just swept away. They always find ways to dehumanize the victims.”

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Officer meant to draw Taser, not handgun The police officer who fatally shot a Black man during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb apparently intended to fire a Taser, not a handgun, as the man struggled with police, the city’s police chief said April 12.

Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon described the shooting death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright as “an accidental discharge.”

It happened as police were trying to arrest Wright on an outstanding warrant. The shooting sparked violent protests in a metropolitan area already on edge because of the trial of the first of four police officers charged in George Floyd’s death.

“I’ll Tase you! I’ll Tase you! Taser! Taser!

Taser!” the officer is heard shouting on her body cam footage released at a news conference. She draws her weapon after the man breaks free from police outside his car and gets back behind the wheel.

After firing a single shot from her handgun, the car speeds away, and the officer is heard saying, “Holy (expletive)! I shot him.”

President Joe Biden urged calm following a night where officers in riot gear clashed with demonstrators. The president said he watched the body camera footage.

“We do know that the anger pain and trauma amidst the Black community is real,” Biden said from the Oval Office. But, he added, that “does not justify violence and looting.”

Gannon said at a news conference that the officer made a mistake, and he released the body camera footage less than 24 hours after the shooting.

Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott called the shooting “deeply tragic.”

“We’re going to do everything we can to ensure that justice is done and our communities are made whole,” he said.

Wright’s family hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represented the Floyd family in its $27 million settlement with the city of Minneapolis.

Speaking before the unrest, Wright’s mother urged protesters in Brooklyn Center, a city of about 30,000 people on the northwest border of Minneapolis, to stay peaceful and focused on the loss of her son.

Biden referred to her comments, saying “we should listen to Daunte’s mom calling for peace and calm.” The president said he had not yet called the family but that his prayers were with them.

Shortly after the shooting, demonstrators began to gather, with some jumping atop police cars. Marchers also descended on the Brooklyn Center Police Department, where rocks and other objects were thrown at officers, authorities said.

–The Associated Press

April 13, 2021

LOCAL/CAMPUS 3

Students test drive a climate change simulator Angela Ly

Managing Editor “It’s at a point where we need to do big things now. Things are starting to fall apart as we wait for things to accelerate. It’s better to spend more money now,” said Dallas College Sustainability Education Coordinator Lori Delacruz Lewis in regard to global sustainability efforts.

Delacruz Lewis hosted the virtual seminar “Climate Simulation and Careers” on April 7 and explored the major contributors to rising global temperature and emerging green professions using the interactive En-ROADS Simulator. According to Delacruz Lewis, this is the same simulation platform used to form the Paris Agreement, an international treaty used to address climate change.

One hundred and ninety-six nations are working to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius as one of the goals of the Paris Agreement. Seminar attendees looked at Delacruz Lewis’ shared screen and called out different features to adjust, such as taxing fossil fuels, increasing energy efficiency and reducing deforestation, and viewed the results.

“This is going to have to happen at a much higher level, an industry level, where investors are going to have to say ‘you have to change your way. We’re going to have to change our ways.’ They’re going to have to take a hit on their dividends to make a change and that’s going to be very, very hard to do,” she said. The simulator registered a noticeable reduction of global temperature when paired with providing subsidies or financial

incentives for supplying renewable energy.

With each action taken, students could see how each feature increased or decreased global temperature.

“If we get to +2 [in temperature increase by 2100], we should celebrate,” she said.

Some changes resulted in minimal results on their own, but Delacruz Lewis emphasized that by making adjustments in all the listed categories – energy supply, transport, buildings and industry, growth, land and industry emission and carbon removal – limiting global warming to +1.5 degrees Celsius by 2100 is possible.

The same applies to constituents and corporations, according to Delacruz Lewis. Though citizens have a role to play in combating the rise in global temperature, real change occurs at a larger scale.

“It’s getting businesses to change what they do,” she said, using the plastic pollution crisis as an example. “It’s not because we’re bad at recycling. It’s because the industries keep producing more and they don’t use material that comes from recycling content in their products like they should. So this is going to have to happen at a much higher level, an industry level.”

According to Delacruz Lewis, the use of misinformation about climate change is similar to advertising jargon once used to sell cigarettes.

“The tobacco industry hired people to go out and say smoking is not dangerous.

Scientists have proven that it causes lung cancer, and they lost. Now they have the tobacco industry paying huge billions and

Photo courtesy Lori Delacruz Lewis

En-ROADS Simulator demoed at event has also been used at the Paris Accord. billions of dollars in fines to states,” she said.

“The same, exact people are doing the same thing for climate change. They’re going out, and they’re designed to say that ‘this isn’t true’ and it’s the same exact people that are using the same exact arguments that they used in the tobacco industry.”

Dallas College students have several opportunities to get involved in the climate

conversation. She recommends taking Geographic Information System courses for those interested in pursuing a career in sustainability. She noted that every student also has access to a free GIS account and can email her at Ldelacruz@dcccd.edu for more information. A list of Dallas College Sustainable U events is available on the Dallas College website.

Hannah Spohn Staff Writer

Elections have been difficult this past year, with a pandemic and many national controversies, but Dallas City Council District 13 is making it work with virtual meetings, events and participation in a meet-the-candidate forum. Hosted by the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce, the April 9 forum was informative in introducing the District 13 candidates, their policies and helping voters determine who they want to represent them.

The rather large District 13 area stretches 23 square miles across North Dallas. It and is home to the first Costco Business Center in Texas and the Preston Hollow neighborhood.

The District 13 candidates, including Leland Burk, Da’On Boulanger-Chatman, Ryan Moore, Max Smith and Gay Donnell Willis, are seeking to fill the seat being vacated by Jennifer Staubach Gates. The event was moderated

by Jeff Kitner, president of the NDCC. The forum opened with opening statements.

“I’m ready to start on Day 1 because of my years studying government, policy and law,” said Moore, a tax attorney in North Dallas.

Boulanger-Chatman is a teacher and

musician.

“I love what I do and I know that our time on this planet matters, and I hope that you can see from listening to me that our time is well spent when it’s for the service of others.

That’s what I’m about,” he said.

While Boulanger-Chatman discussed being of service to others, Donnell Willis considered the workforce.

“Our school children today are our work community and workforce tomorrow. The parents they go home to need to be upskilled.

I’m a strong believer in workforce development,” she said. Donnell Willis says her campaign is about neighborhoods first.

Burk, a real estate investor, also discussed ways to advance Dallas. “As a council member, I’ll be working every day to promote smart growth, fight wasteful spending wherever I see it, protecting taxpayers, improving basic services like roads, parks, libraries. We need to expand affordable housing in Dallas and, of course, police and fire protection,” Burk said.

Smith is a retired civil engineer with experience in construction for DART and other projects. Smith considered running from an economic standpoint.

“I’m running primarily because we’re overtaxed. Our tax rate is one-third higher than

Houston and San Antonio; 77.6 cents per hundred dollars, versus Houston and San Antonio at 56 and Austin at 45,” he said.

Smith cited an increase in property taxes at 7% per year over at least 10 years while incomes have increased just 3%.

The candidates were asked how they would deal with issues, such as budgeting, public safety, the pandemic and taxes.

One question was, “What do you think is the most effective and fiscally responsible strategy to improve public safety for the residents of District 13, and do you think public safety is funded at the right level, or could you seek to increase or decrease the amount allocated to public safety?”

“Police will tell you they don’t solve crimes.

Communities solve crimes, but they won’t come forward to help the police unless they feel that they’re truly not in an adversarial role,” said Donnell Willis.

Burk said, “We’re going to have to make the investment [with police officers.]

We’re going to have to hire the officers, and we’re going to have to pay them to keep them.

But we’re doing more of that now, we just have to focus on retention.”

“We need to have some respect for the community that has to endure all this crime

and start doing something about it. I think that the idea that police are oppressive are [sic] largely a matter of the rhetoric that people hear from the council and from the media,” Smith said.

Moore responded: “Something we can also do as council members and communities is give a strong sense of support to our officers and that’s going to involve people being involved and feeling like you’re a part of this process.”

“I think that it’s important that we highlight the great activities and the great mitigations they have implemented in the past years,” Boulanger-Chatman said.

The candidates were also asked about their approach to homelessness and the challenges of underserved communities along with questions about their favorite parks and restaurants.

The event was sponsored by the Friends of the Dallas Public Libraries and the League of Women Voters.

Overall, the forum was an engaging, virtual way to connect with candidates and hear their positions on the issues live, something that people are not always able to do. Interested voters can research the candidates in before voting by visiting www.Vote411.org.

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Council District 13 candidates meet in forum

4 ENTERTAINMENT

April 13, 2021

Actor Yaphet Kotto, known for his roles in ‘Alien’ and ‘Live and Let Die’ dies at 81 Ricky Miller

Entertaiment Editor Yaphet Kotto, the American actor known for his roles in film, television and theater, passed away March 15. Kotto, for all intents and purposes, may have been best known as a film actor.

Early in his career, he delved into appearing in plays like “The Great White Hope” on Broadway, but spent the majority of his career in film.

Kotto’s big-screen debut was in the drama “Nothing but a Photo The Associated Press Man” in 1964. It was one of the American actor Yaphet Kotto, on July 12, 1998.

first movies to tackle the color barrier, even pre-dating Stanley Kramer’s “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” in 1967.

Kotto was also in the first Roger Moore-led James Bond tale, 1973’s “Live and Let Die.” He then segued to Paul Schrader’s ensemble drama “Blue Collar” in 1978. The next year was a big one for Kotto. He starred in director Ridley Scott’s Oscar-winning ensemble drama “Alien.” He played Parker, the overly opinionated crew member.

Throughout the 1980s, Kotto worked constantly, always bringing a certain gravitas to each role he played. A personal highlight for me was seeing him as FBI agent Alonzo

Moseley in director Martin Brest’s “Midnight Run,” an action-comedy that starred Robert De Niro as Jack Walsh. It also featured Charles Grodin, Dennis Farina and Joe Pantoliano in supporting roles.

Kotto hit it big in the 1990s with a role on TV’s “Homicide: Life on the Street” (1993), in which he starred as Baltimore cop Lt. Al Giardello. He appeared in all 122 episodes of the show and received an Emmy nomination for the role.

The 81-year-old actor died at his home in the Philippines, according to published reports. He is survived by his wife and six children.

Ricky’s picks for the 2021 Academy Awards

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Ricky Miller

Entertaiment Editor The Academy Awards are coming up again on April 25. The hostless program will air from Union Station Los Angeles and the Dolby® Theatre with a British hub from a yet-to-be determined location due to international travel restrictions, according to The Associated Press and the Oscars.org website.

The award for Actress in a Leading Role will undoubtedly go to Frances McDormand for “Nomadland.” But there is a dark horse in the race with Andra Day’s turn as Billie Holliday in the little-seen “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.”

Another upset could come in the form of Viola Davis as a blues singer in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Also nominated is Vanessa Kirby in “Pieces of a Woman” and Carey Mulligan in “Promising Young Woman.”

Expect McDormand to win for “Nomadland,” but don’t be surprised by any of the aforementioned upsets either.

The nominees for Best Actor include a plethora of strong performances with Anthony Hopkins in “The Father,” the late Chadwick

Boseman in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” Steven Yeun for “Minari,” Riz Ahmed for “Sound of Metal” and Gary Oldman for “Mank.”

All of these dynamic stories featured amazing performances. Yeun is the first person of Korean-American heritage to be nominated for the Best Actor Oscar. There have been Japanese-Americans nominated in the past, like Mako in “The Sand Pebbles” starring Steve McQueen in 1966. I think this one will undoubtedly go to Boseman for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”

The Best Director category has a couple of female nominees with Chloé Zhao for “Nomadland” and Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman.” Also in the running are David Fincher for “Mank,” Lee Isaac Chung for “Minari” and Thomas Vinterberg for “Another Round.” I think Zhao has this one geared for the win, since it will only be the second woman to win the award for directing in Oscar history. The other was Kathryn Bigelow in 2008 for “The Hurt Locker,” which traced a soldier’s affinity for dismantling weapons of mass destruction.

“The Thomas Crown Affair” (1968) – Early in his career, Yaphet Kotto was a baddie in this great caper film directed by Norman Jewison that has one of my all-time favorite actors, Steve McQueen. This Oscar-winning film also featured Oscar-winner Faye Dunaway.

Yaphet Kotto Edition

A-

Photo The Associated Press. ©A.M.P.A.S.®

The Oscars statuette on display at the 91st Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon in 2019.

The Best Picture nominees are an eclectic group to say the least. In no particular order, they are “”Promising Young Woman,” “Nomadland,” “Mank,” “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “Sound of Metal,” “The Father” and “Judas and the Black Messiah.” I think

“Live and Let Die” (1973) – The first film to feature Roger Moore as James Bond also featured Kotto as Mr. Big, aka Kananga, who tries to thwart Bond’s mission.

With Jane Seymour who played Solitaire, a tarot card reader.

B+

“Alien” (1979) – This great Ridley Scott-directed film is an outer space story featuring Kotto in a prominent role as Parker, one of the crew members fighting a Xenomorph. Sigourney Weaver headlined this Oscar-winning tale as Lt. Ellen Ripley.

A+

“Nomadland” has this one in the bag. I could be wrong. No one could have predicted that “Parasite” would ever be the big winner a couple of years back.

The 93rd Academy Awards will be broadcast on ABC starting at 7 p.m.

“Midnight Run” (1988) – Kotto was terrific as FBI agent Alonzo Mosley in this film featuring Robert De Niro as a bounty hunter who must deal with Charles Grodin’s idiotic tax evader. Directed by Martin Brest.

A+

“Homicide: Life on the Street” (1993-1999) – This gem of a TV series featured Kotto as recurring character Sgt. Al Giardello.

He was in all 122 episodes of the show’s run. Kotto was nominated for an Emmy Award for his performance.

-Ricky Miller

A-

April 13, 2021

LOCAL 5

A figurine of world-famous Bob’s Big Boy greets customers at the front counter of Del’s Charcoal Burgers, which has been in business for 64 years in Richardson.Staff

Photo Aiden Biddle

Del’s Charcoal Burgers serves up tasty fare Ryan Bingham Duff Staff Writer

After 64 years and six changes in ownership, Del’s Charcoal Burgers is still serving juicy burgers to Richardson residents— even during a pandemic. According to owner, Iranian native Hossein “Hoss” Taherzadeh, the doors of this iconic local restaurant have been open

for more than half a century.

Taherzadeh said that from the design of the restaurant down to the menu, very little has changed. In addition to traditional hamburgers, the restaurant serves sweet potato fries, salmon burgers, California chicken sandwiches and a veggie burger. The most popular choice among the patrons, however, is The Texas Cheeseburger, stacked with two beef

patties, two slices of cheddar cheese, mayo jalapenos, lettuce, tomato and bacon. “Turkey bacon,” he said, which makes the burger halal, or confirming to the dietary customs of the Islamic faith.

When Taherzadeh first came to America he had big dreams. He attended the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business while working

part time at a restaurant to pay his tuition.

“You meet people, you make your living, so what is better than that,” he asked with the broadest smile. “We are not going to give it [the restaurant] up. We are going to keep it for many generations,” he said The rest of the review can be read at our website, richlandstudentmedia.com.

6 CAMPUS

April 13, 2021

Debra Lee and a lifetime of bringing diversity to media Marley Malenfant Staff Writer Debra Lee may have been the most powerful woman in television to date. The ex-chief executive officer and chairman of BET ran the TV network for 13 years, from 2005-2018. During her tenure, she greenlit programs like “The Game,” “The New Edition Story,” “Black Girls Rock” and others.

Lee had a hand in hip-hop culture by providing a platform for artists with the BET Hip-Hop Awards.

Currently a board member with AT&T, Proctor and Gamble, Burberry and Marriott, she recently launched a consulting firm to boost diversity on corporate boards.

Lee was the keynote speaker, closing out the Dallas College Women’s History Month Speaker Series on March 31. She shared stories of her experience working in the entertainment and publishing industries.

Although Lee was successful in business, she did not plan to work in media. Her legal career began in 1981 and she served as a clerk for the U.S. District Court in D.C. In 1986, she was hired as vice president of BET’s legal affairs department. By the time Lee became CEO, she had increased the production budget and pushed for more original programming.

“I never expected to contribute to a media network,” she said. “I thought I would argue cases in front of the Supreme Court. That didn’t happen but I was able to land at BET and make sure they were in excellent legal shape and also moved into the business aspect of it and created programming that was authentic. I decided I liked the creative part I was doing.”

Lee often credits her parents for pushing her to go as far as she did in education. Born in 1954, the year Brown v. Board of Education was decided, Lee said her father encouraged her to leave North Carolina in pursuit of an Ivy League education. She

attended Brown and Harvard universities. Other than her parents, role models were almost nonexistent and that translated to mass media.

Media then wasn’t what it is now: There weren’t many Black women on TV young Black girls could admire. Lee credited a Motown group that inspired her as a young woman and the work she did later at BET. “The Supremes were the first Black women I saw on TV,” she said. “I loved them. I loved their outfits. I loved their voices. I loved their poise and their elegance. I wasn’t a fan of the bouffant wigs but that was their brand. My family gathered around the TV when they were on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show.’ So if I could pick to be anyone, I would’ve wanted to be Diana Ross.”

Early on at BET, she overcame a lot of learning curves. After acquiring former co-founder, Robert L. Johnson’s position with the company, she had many people telling her what she should do and how she should run things.

Lee said some people who meant well could have undermined her because of her position of power. She learned not to take it personally, adjust and create her own style of management.

“You have advertising sales division telling you what you can do,” she said. “You have a program division telling you what they can’t do. I learned over the years that when it really came down to it, I was the one that was going to be held responsible for our programming and the quality of our programming, so I started making the decisions myself. I would take input from people and consider it but I found my voice and started making decisions that way.”

Of the many shows Lee produced, she’s proudest of “Being Mary Jane” and “Black Girls Rock.”

Mara Brock Akil, the creator of “Being Mary Jane,” pitched the show to Lee and she accepted it on the spot.

Lee was confident the show would appeal to young, professional Black women who could see themselves on TV. The goal for these shows was to

CHRONICLE Richland

STUDENT MEDIA LEADERS Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Design Editor Entertainment Editor

ON THE COVER A state of drought.

Photo: Pexels

BACK COVER 2020 TIPA awards won by the Richland Student Media team.

Graphic: Barbara Gandica Martinez

COVER AND FONTS Certain cover fonts are provided by the following www.nymfont.com – www.bvfonts.com

STUDENT MEDIA STAFF Aiden Biddle Melanie Castaneda Cittlaly Cipriano Reagan Davis George Dolak Ryan Bingham Duff Dave Freeman

Nabeela Iqbal Marley Malenfant Jalen Rainey Janssy Sanchez Hannah Jade Spohn Keith Sproull Jerry Weiss

STUDENT MEDIA ADVISERS Erica Edwards Credit: Fortune Live Media

BET Networks CEO, Debra Lee, at the 2012 Fortune Live Media’s Most Powerful Women Summit. have representation, something that wasn’t thought to be possible when she was younger.

“I didn’t do any research. I didn’t ask the advertising folks what they thought. I didn’t ask the marketing folks what they thought. I just liked the show,” she said. “It spoke to me as a Black professional woman. I loved the fact that it was a modern show. I think we should tell our history but I like seeing us in modern situations.”

Keeping up with the Chronicle, April 13 edition Down 1. Candidates from District 13 are running for Dallas ____ ________.

2. The first baseball stadium to reopen at 100% capacity for their 2021 home opener.

3. The keynote speaker who closed out the Dallas College Women’s History Month Speaker Series.

6. The nickname of Del’s Charcoal Burgers’ owner.

Across 4. Last name of the actor who starred in “Nothing but a Man.” 5. Derek Chauvin is on trial for the death of ______ _______.

7. En-Roads Climate Simulator helped shape the ________ Agreement.

Answers 1. City Council 2. Globe Life 3. Debra Lee 4. Kotto 5. George Floyd 6. Hoss 7. Paris

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Dara Jones Angela Ly Barbara Gandica Martinez Ricky Miller

Tim Jones

Jack Fletcher

James Ragland

Meg Fullwood

Larry Ratliff

ISSUE DATES April 27 May 11

STUDENT MEDIA AWARDS Student Organization Community Service Award, 2019 Student Organization of the Year, 2019 CMA Pinnacle Two-Year TV Station Award, 2018 CMA Two-Year Radio Station Award, 2018 ACP Newspaper Pacemaker Winner Award, 2016 ACP Best of Show Award, 2015 ACP Photo Excellence Award, 2015 CMA Newspaper of the Year Finalist, 2014 1st Place – TCCJA Overall General Excellence, 2014 2nd Place – Pinnacle College Media Award, 2014 1st Place – TIPA Sweepstakes, 2005 3rd Place – TIPA Online, 2005 & 2006 Over 270 Texas college journalism awards since 2000

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April 13, 2021

SPORTS 7

Texas Rangers allow 100% capacity at Globe Life Field Manager Chris Woodward a feeling of nostalgia, but he wished it had ended on a good note.

“It felt like a real game. It felt like we were back to the old days when we had full capacity, was hoping we’d see how loud our stadium got if we gave them something to cheer about. Unfortunately, we didn’t do that,” Woodward said.

Masks are still required at the park and only credit cards can be used at the concessions, according to the Texas Ranger’s website.

The biggest summer classic is known as the MLB All-Star Game where the best players of that season are rewarded with the experience to play the best in the game. That game was to have taken place in Atlanta, Georgia, home of the Braves, but due to off–field issues, the All-Star Game was relocated.

The change of venue was in response to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, signing sweeping changes of state election rules. In addition, Abbott was invited to throw out the ceremonial first pitch of the Ranger’s home opener, but declined citing the move of the All-Star Game and the ongoing political fight over voting rights with Corporate America.

“I have decided that the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport is by relocating this year’s AllStar Game and MLB draft,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred told AP. “Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box.”

The All-Star Game will take place July 13 in Denver, home of the Colorado Rockies.

– The Richland Chronicle Staff

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Photo The Associated Press

Fans stand for the national anthem before the season home opener with the Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays at Globe Life Field, April 5.

The Texas Rangers fell to the Toronto Blue Jays 6-2 in the home season opener April 5 at Globe Life Field, but the score was not the headline. It was the least concern, not only to sports fans, but all of America.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott lifted the mask mandate March 10, declaring it was no longer needed to limit the spread of COVID-19, according to The Associated Press. The move gave Texas businesses the freedom to fully reopen to the public, the first state in the country to do so. The Rangers announced they would be the first stadium to open to 100% capacity for their 2021 home opener.

Reaction was mixed with some saying it was a terrible idea and more than 35,000 fans coming out to see the game. The Rangers announced a sellout, filling 38,000 of the 40,000 seats in Globe Life Field, which opened for last year’s limited season.

Texas was first once again.

April 5 was the first time Rangers fans could experience the new stadium but not the first time for Major League Baseball fans. In October 2020, the World Series was played at Globe Life Field. It was the neutral site during the pandemic with 28% capacity of fans, another moment of Texas being the first.

With the first 100% capacity game in the books there were different emotions from the field.

“It was nerve-wracking. It felt like my debut all over again, early in the game was probably the coolest moment of my career to this date,” Rangers’ shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa told AP. With the Rangers losing 6-2 in their opener, it was step back to normal. The sellout gave Rangers

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