Richland Chronicle April 25, 2017

Vol. XLIII Issue 27 April 25, 2017

Earth Day on campus Pg. 3

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Richland Student Media

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Richland Student Media

2 NATIONAL/LOCAL

April 25, 2017

The decline of citizenship

CHRONICLE Richland

Editorial

Our republic’s citizenship is in decline. Not citizenship in terms of population but of interest in democratic participation by our fellow Americans. According to the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania, only a quarter of Americans can name all three branches of government, the poorest showing on that particular question in half a dozen years.

The decline of this basic knowledge is dangerous to the well being of the union. We have taken the responsibility, with the help of experts at Richland College to write a crash course on some essential fundamentals of democracy in the United States.

CHECKS AND BALANCES/ THREE BRANCHES The system of checks and balances is a paramount factor in the United States government for limiting power in each branch of government. It determines how far each branch can go before being stopped by another.

One of the three branches of government is the executive branch that enforces laws (president), the legislative branch that writes laws (Congress) and the judicial branch (Supreme Court) that interprets if laws are constitutional.

Government professor Kathy Yates mentions that “media should do a better job educating students. I am always shocked that my students know so little, sometimes they are surprised to know we have three branches of government.”

VICE PRESIDENT Another issue is the obsession with the president of the United States who is often seen as the almighty and sole savior of the republic every four years. In reality the presidency

requires working with Congress to pass legislation and the courts to approve them. The vice presidency is often neglected when in fact they serve as a close adviser to the president as well as conducting nominations in the Senate. They must be prepared to immediately assume the presidency if the president dies while in office.

To date, four presidents have died of natural causes and four have been assassinated on the job. According to the APPC, a survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults in August of 2016 found that 87 percent could name the Democratic presidential candidate, 84 percent could name the GOP presidential candidate, 37 percent could name the GOP candidate for vice president, and 22 percent could name the Democratic candidate for vice president.

“The top of the ticket is the presidential candidate, that’s the candidate that gets the most attention from the media. We don’t pay attention to things that we need to pay attention to,” said Yates.

WAR AND PEACE It is often misinterpreted that the president can declare war for no reason like an emperor.

In fact, the president must ask Congress for a declaration of war, although it may send troops for a limited period of time.

It’s absurd that people seeking U.S. citizenship are tested on basic civic knowledge as opposed to a native-born citizen. We all can do better to fulfill our duties individually.

Democracy is a fancy term for self-government, in which the people work together to improve their own lives. The right to vote alone should be sacred to us because it’s not promised for everyone else in the world. If you don’t like your mayor, senator, or president their days are numbered and the power is in our hands like a weapon.

As Theodore Roosevelt once said, “A vote is like a rifle, its usefulness depends on the character of the user.”

- Editorial Board

Informed debate is a crucial part of citizenship.

Image courtesy Library of Congress

Dallas issues cite and release marijuana policy HARRIS SADIQ

RichlandStudentMedia.com

Managing Editor

The city of Dallas is changing the enforcement of laws regarding marijuana, also known as pot or weed. Beginning Oct.1, Dallas Police will begin enforcing a “cite and release policy”.

Anyone caught with less than four ounces of marijuana will get a ticket and a day in court.

Four ounces is equivalent to 96 grams, or about four sandwich bags full. That may seem more than an occasional user would carry but the fine can be up to $4,000 plus jail time if they don’t follow all the rules. School zones, like Richland, are exempt from this policy.

The Dallas City Council voted 10-5 for the new policy that is intended to refocus police time to more urgent issues. The city ordinance makes Dallas the first city in the state to make pass such regulations related to marijuana.

History professor Dr. Clive Siegle compares the efforts to decriminalize pot to the prohibition of alcohol. Reformers in the late 1800s

banned the sale of alcohol in some states.

“By the late 1800s you had dry and wet states,” said Siegle. Alcohol was made illegal to sell or produce in the U.S. through the 18th Amendment in 1920. Constitutional amendments are proposed by Congress or two-thirds the state legislatures and then ratified by threefourths of the states to become the law of the land. “When you do something on a constitutional basis you’re really doing a law that will stick,” Siegle said.

The Jazz Age of the 1920s however was filled with bootleggers and underground bars known as speakeasies where illegal booze was sold and consumed. Enough Americans regularly disregarded the law that it eventually became unpopular and the amendment was repealed in 1933.

“The reformers worried that excessive use of alcohol led to domestic violence but typically ethnic groups where alcohol was a part of the daily diet were much less prone to having those types of problems,” said Siegle.

A famous writer of the era, F. Scott Fitzgerald,

did not find prohibition to cure his alcoholism, which eventually contributed to his death.

Fitzgerald once said, “First, you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you.”

According to Siegle, the enforcement of prohibition was a “burden on law enforcement.”

“Police were busting speakeasies and arresting accountants, school teachers and people who were on a night out. Not criminals. Not the people making the stuff. None of it,” said Siegle.

In comparison to Dallas’ cite and release policy, Siegle sees this as reverse prohibition.

“Rather than trying to close a petty crime shut, you’re opening it up step by step,” he said.

In other words the Dallas Police Department is not tolerating weed but changing its priorities to increase the efficiency of law enforcement. How it will actually work in Dallas has yet to be seen, but it’s an interesting experiment in how America deals with the problems of drugs and crime.

Image courtesy The Associated Press

Denver resident smoking at a legal marijuana social club.

April 25, 2017

CAMPUS 3

Students go green at Richland’s Earth Day celebration YEN NGUYEN Staff Writer

Richland college students celebrated Earth Day a bit sooner than the official date of April 22. On April 18 the Richland Student Green Team collaborated with facilities, staff and faculty on a number of campus-related activities.

With the motto “Transforming our Campus into a Sustainable Living Laboratory,” the activities were an effort to raise students’ awareness about sustainability and encourage them to get a deeper understanding of the importance of building a “sustainable local and world community,” according to their flyer.

Richland Earth Day activities included presentations about sustainability, energy conservation, recycling and environmentally friendly products. About 20 students donated their time to clean up Lake Thunderduck.

Students also took part in some exciting tours around campus, including a short walk of the Nursery Education Center guided by a member of Texas Trees Foundation, the LeCroy Monarch Butterfly Tour and Geology Walking Tour hosted by Facilities Sustainability and the Geology and Environmental Science faculty.

The 2017 Earth Day celebration also offered a chance for students to meet and talk with members of the Student Green Team about scholarships and paid volunteer opportunities.

Larrisa Rubio, secretary of the Student Green Team, encouraged her peers to be a part of the

Geology and environmental science professor Tara Urbanski, left, leads students on a geology walking tour.

Staff Photo Yen Nguyen

“It’s really rewarding to be on the Student Green Team. You learn so many things about organizing, giving, and contribute to helping Richland and the entire environment.” community to learn skills and keep the environment healthy.

“It’s really rewarding to be on the Student Green Team. You learn so many things about organizing, giving, and contribute to helping Richland and the entire environment,” said Rubio.

Antoni Prieto Loresto, communication manager of the Green Team, shared his experience. “I learned about the lake, the land, the native [plants] and the history of the area, which totally blows me away,” said Loresto.

“This is one of the reasons I was encouraged to keep going and keep making Richland greener, better and more environmentally friendly.”

Sonia Ford, coordinator of Facilities Sustainability, emphasized the Student Green Team benefits including officer leadership training, paid part-time internships and housing scholarships for transferring students.

Ford urged students to apply for positions in the group and win the scholarships. “I want you to be more than you can be,” said Ford.

“It is all about you. You get to take advantages of the resources and the opportunities. You can do it. You can make it happen.”

Staff Photo Harris Sadiq

Sonia Ford recruits students to the Green Team.

Staff Photo Yen Nguyen

Yonathan Trejo, left, and DeShon Lee help clean up Lake Thunderduck.

Edward Sesay, left, Larissa Rubio and Tony Prieto Loreto help pull trash out of Lake Thunderduck.

RichlandStudentMedia.com

- Larrisa Rubio

Staff Photo Harris Sadiq

4 MOVIES

April 25, 2017

'The Fate of the Furious' races big names onto the big screen RICKY MILLER Entertainment Miller

Preposterous, inane, ridiculous, far-fetched and goofy are just a few of the adjectives I use to describe “The Fate of the Furious,” the eighth entry (egad!) into the road-racing feature film series that has actually gotten better with age.

I really did not care for the first four entries in the series because they had no substantial plots, twists or storylines. A two-minute cameo from Vin Diesel at the end of “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” does not justify my time or emotional investment in a flick that was doomed from the word “go.”

To me, the whole quartet was just a bunch of silly time wasters and not worth the time or energy to view the whole package. They went so far as to trick viewers into making the fourth chapter, “Fast and Furious,” by taking out the word “The” from the title! That is the dumbest way of misleading viewers to return to a franchise that was near death.

I began to care about this series in the fifth chapter when they brought Dwayne Johnson into the mix. He has screen presence and I think that goes back to his days as “The Rock.” His alter ego made faces

Images courtesy www.imdb.com

Charlize Theron and Vin Diesel star in "The Fate of the Furious."

by shifting his eyes and cocking his eyebrows.

Gone are the street racing days of Paul Walker and Diesel, since those times have led to modern day cops and robbers actioners.

To me, the only real car in the early entries was the car Dom ( Diesel) drove, a 1960s era Dodge Super Sport.

Going back to “Fate,” this is the first chapter without Walker's character involved in the story. Instead, we are treated to a corrupt and evil Charlize Theron pulling the strings as Cipher, a reprehensible villain who causes the aforementioned Diesel and his Dominic Toretto character to essentially turn on his extended family.

Also cool in this entry is the appearance of Oscar-winner Helen Mirren as the matriarch of brotherly villains Deckard (Jason Statham) and Owen (Luke Evans). Mirren and Theron, breathe new life into the corny proceedings.

Returning as well is Kurt Russell as “Mr. Nobody,” along with the aforementioned Johnson. New to the mix is Scott Eastwood (“Suicide Squad”) as Little Nobody, a higherup suit who works for Russell.

The storyline here involves a Russian submarine, the God’s Eye (a plot device from the seventh chapter), and a forgotten lover, Elena (Elsa Pataky), from a previous chapter.

The reins on this were handled by F. Gary Gray, who worked with Theron on 2003’s update of “The Italian Job.” I liked that one, giving it a B- when it came out. “Fate,” like Diesel’s return as Xander Cage in “xXx: the Return of Xander Cage,” is a complete mess of over-the-top scenarios involving illogical situations and ridiculous outcomes. To see a grown adult man on the ocean riding a motorcycle with skis is so far beyond ludicrous, one just has to chuckle. It is, however just fun to watch on the big screen.

I hate to admit it, but this chapter delivers the goods big time. It is also so far-fetched that one will leave the theater smiling.

Grade: B-

RichlandStudentMedia.com

C+

Image courtesy Carol Gayler

Nancy Cartwright will be at this year's fest.

USA Film Festival returns to Dallas

HENRY PHAM Staff Writer

The 47th Annual USA Film Festival features more than two dozen movies ranging from feature films and guest appearances to short films and film classics. The festival takes place April 26 to 30 at the Angelica Film Center in Dallas and other locations throughout the city with many free programs on the schedule.

Highlights include voice artist Nancy Cartwright (the voice of Bart Simpson on “The Simpsons”) in her screenwriting debut with the feature film “In Search of Fellini,” the awards program for the 39th Annual International Short Film Competition, Student Short Film Competition and a screening of the film “Revenge” by animator Bill Plympton in partnership with underground cartoonist Jim Lujan.

For more information visit: www.usafilmfestival.com

Jason Statham, left, and Dwayne Johnson star in the lastest entry in the "Furious" franchise, "The Fate of the Furious."

“Your Name” – This amazingly beautiful animated entry is a story about changing places, a catastrophe from a meteor and daily life in the Korean countryside told through the eyes of two high school-aged students. It was kind of strange, but it mesmerized me to no end.

A

“Power Rangers” – This fun little update of the animated young adult series is actually better than I expected. It is not the old goofy and immature hijinks of 8-year-old kids, but set more for teens and ‘tweens.

With Bryan Cranston.

C+

“Smurfs: The Lost Village” – This animated entry, which is not as obnoxious as the previous chapters, follows characters on a race through an enchanted forest filled with charming creatures. There is no blend of live action and animation, since this one is all animated.

C

“C.H.I.P.S” – Dax Shepard writes and directs this update of the television series that ran from the late 1970s to the early ‘80s. It is amusing to see Michael Peña talk about his aversion to women wearing yoga pants. Vincent D’Onofrio, Adam Brody and Kristen Bell co-star.

C

“The Belko Experiment” – Some people seem to love violence and this movie is full of it. The film is set in a skyscraper in a South American jungle where everyone is instructed to kill their colleagues.

–Ricky Miller

D+

April 25, 2017

FERNANDO RODRIGUEZ Staff Writer

The sounds of strings echoed throughout Fannin Hall as the Richland guitar ensemble performed 14 pieces by Spanish, Renaissance and student composers in ensemble’s spring concert April 18.

Jan Ryberg, the director of the ensemble and guitar professor at Richland, was very satisfied with the performance. “It went pretty well,” Ryberg said. “I tell my students I’ve never seen a perfect concert. I went to the greatest guitar concert last night. A guy I consider to be the greatest guitarist in the world and he made mistakes. The main thing is you keep going.

You gather yourself. You find your place. You just keep going.”

The concert began with a performance of “Antequera Sale El Moro” by Miguel de Fuenllana, a baroque piece from the 16th century as the ensemble plucked their strings gracefully and brought the classical piece back to life to the ears of the audience.

The students also played the original composition “Solamente Tu” by Raymond Guerra, a former guitar ensemble member. Guerra was in the audience to witness the performance and was happy with the execution of the piece.

“I was pleased. They performed it very well and I liked it,” said Guerra.

The ensemble also performed another original piece by Liam Tankersley, a current member of the ensemble. “Theme in Canon

in G Minor” was performed for the first time that night. Tankersley said smiling, “It went OK the first time, but I have confidence that it will go better the second time we perform it.”

One of the final pieces played was “Cancion De Los Mariachis,” a traditional Spanish song with flamenco roots reflected in the style and rhythm. The song was performed with precision and excellence as everyone strummed to the beat. Several solos were performed during the song that captured the style of the piece while revealing the creativity of each player.

The ensemble performed “Capricho Arabe”

by Francisco Tarrega performed by Ryan Lawrence near the conclusion of the concert.

“It’s something I’ve always loved and a piece I wanted to learn for a very long time. I never really felt like I could and eventually earlier this year I was at that the level to learn it and ended up being there so I could,” said Lawrence.

The piece was melodic, beautiful and well executed. The audience was silent as the waves resonated through the room allowing the people in the audience to open their ears and listen to the hard work of Lawrence’s performance.

The concert presented a variety of unique styles and variations of playing. Different guitar players with different skill levels came together to deliver an exciting night of guitar music. The guitar ensemble is a class offered at Richland and is open to everyone who wants to join. “I want anyone who’s interested to join [the ensemble],” said Ryberg.

Logan lovingly leads lads and ladies to lofty levels PETE SHANNON Staff Writer

Fannin Hall was filled with song during performances by the three Richland vocal ensembles led by professor Melissa Logan, April 11.

Seventeen male singers of varying vintages called the RichMen, began the program with "The Dawn's Awake," a joyful celebration of the sunrise by Laura Farnell. This was followed by the sacred piece, "Pie Jesu"

by Mary Lynn Lightfoot and "Fill A Me Up!" a spiritual by Pepper Choplin sung a capella to the beat of a conga drum played expertly by accompanist Wana Hong.

The RichMen filed off stage to be replaced by a choir of 15 women known as Vox Femina. The women delivered four exquisite songs, opening with "Deo Dicamus Gratias" by Victor Johnson, giving thanks to God. Then came "Down in the River to Pray," by Matthew Culloton, an a capella spiritual. At this point the group used written scores, and sang "Lunar Lullaby" by Jacob Naverud.

As a final work, they smilingly sputtered a

clever ditty taken from Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" called "Lobster Quadrille" by David Eddleman.

A mixed chorus of men and women was labeled on the program simply as Chamber. They completed the concert with four sonorous pieces including works by Whitacre, Rossini, Choplin and Paulus.

Perhaps even more inspiring than the luscious sounds coming from the stage was the animated directing and intense preparation demonstrated by Logan. During one of the breaks she came to the microphone to brag on her singers and thank them for their dedication and hard work.

It was indeed impressive that so much of the performance was sung a capella and without the aid of musical scores.

Even more notable, however, was Logan's energy and expertise at the podium. Sometimes serene and sometimes quick, her two hands kept an unfaltering beat and were continuously at work coaxing the glorious voices to their very best. To the singers' credit, all eyes were fixed on those hands and their vocal cords responded in kind. It was that kind of day.

RichlandStudentMedia.com

PLUCKING THE STRINGS

MUSIC 5

6 CAMPUS

April 25, 2017

Get the support that you need at TRiO

THU NGUYEN Staff Writer

Walking alone on the academic path without any guidance is not an easy task. That’s why TRiO, a Richland student support service organization, is available to guide students towards educational success and future careers.

Started at Richland as SOAR in 1993, TRiO provides its members with support services to help them successfully achieve their academic and professional goals. Services include academic advisement, tutoring, assistance in financial aid application, scholarships, university field trips, college transfer assistance, college success workshops, career exploration and cultural enrichment opportunities.

Anita Jones, TRiO director, said, “I think one of the benefits is that we try to give them [the students] is a sense of ownership, so that they can ask the questions that they need, so that when they go to the two-year college they’re not intimidated. They know where to go at Richland and they know other resources.”

The most important thing that TRiO offers is connection with each student.

“We are a family. Our advisers always give our students time,” Jones said. “Before we provide tutoring advising, we say ‘How is your day?’ ‘What is going on?’ We’re involved.”

“They are not only there to help you succeed in education, they’re actually there as well, not just any sort of counselors, but they can listen to you when you feel stressed, overwhelmed or whatever. Not everybody has that time, but with TRiO you get that benefit,” TRiO member Victorine Arkoma said.

Although members of TRiO come from many different backgrounds, they all see TRiO as a place to stop by when they struggle with academic problems. Eden Kassa, has been a member of TRiO since 2014. She had a hard time with developmental math last semester.

“I’ve noticed that TRiO has helped me a lot academically with my classes, financial aid with the grant aid and motivating me to do better in school,” said Kassa. “It [TRiO] is also helping me to maintain a good routine to study if I have an exam or homework and helping me with time management as well because I am really bad at it.”

To join TRiO and receive benefits, students must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

Students must be enrolled at Richland College

STUDENT MEDIA LEADERS Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Design Editor Copy Editor Entertainment Editor Page-Layout Editor Photo Editor

Staff photo Thu Nguyen

Anita Jones, left, TRiO’s director Victorine Arkoma, student member Eden Kassa.

[or another community college] and meet one [or more] of these criteria: Be a first generation college student, meet federal income guidelines, be physically challenged or learning disabled.

Over 90 percent of TRiO members graduate successfully each year. The COE handbook states that “More than 1,200 colleges, universities and agencies across the country offer TRiO programs today.”

Application forms can be found online under TRiO student support services on the Richland College website. Students can also get them at the TRiO office, Room C225B from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

RLC Garland grant

JEANS IN THEIR GENES

KEVIN LAVENDER

RichlandStudentMedia.com

Staff Writer

Staff photo Quan Tran

Staff photo Aly Rodrigues

Above: Teddy Nguyen, left, Zoë Randle, Amina, Amal Azab and classmates help turn old jeans into new shoes.

Left:Tracing a stencil over the jeans that will be made into shoes.

Students at Richland College, in conjuction with Richland Collegiate High School, recently worked on a service learning project with the Sole Hope organization to covert old jeans ans tire treads into shoes for children in Uganda. Students completed 800 shoes pieces that will be assembled into the much needed footwear for Uganda children whose bare feet are often subject to parasitic infections due to the lack of shoes. Leftovers from the process were donated to recycling centers and local charities.

CHRONICLE Richland

Richland College’s Garland campus received a Skill Development fund grant for $804,845 from the Texas Work Force Commission (TWC). The signing ceremony took place April 13. The grant will be used by the Garland campus to create or update 430 jobs at nine Dallas County Manufacturers’ Association (DCMA) companies.

“Richland College Garland Campus appreciates the ongoing confidence that the Texas Workforce Commission and area manufacturers place in us,” said Richland College President Dr. Kay Eggleston. “We remain ready to anticipate and exceed expectations in training delivery for these business partners and other business partners in our Garland community and beyond.”

Paul Mayer, the CEO of the Garland Chamber of Commerce as well as the DCMA, also spoke at the ceremony saying, “Garland is extremely proud to be a manufacturing community.”

The grant will support training in the area of software design providing students with the opportunity to be hired by companies like AutoCAD, ARC Flash, Lean Manufacturing, CPR, Microsoft Office, and Six Sigma Green Belt.

Alessandra Rodrigues Harris Sadiq Quan Tran Joyce Jackson Ricky Miller Ahlam Maryam Al Mahrooq Ibrahim Al Taha

ON THE COVER

Students help clean Lake Thunderduck.

Staff Photo Harris Sadiq

COVER AND FONTS

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

STUDENT MEDIA STAFF Tru Armstrong Drew Castillo Maria Etetere Gloria Gergen Zoë Gilbert Chassedy Johnson Kevin Lavender Thu Nguyen Yen Nguyen Kammonke Obase-Wotta

Marisol Orozco Jorge Perez Henry Pham Esther Reese Fernando Rodriguez Pete Shannon Kathleen Spurger Joe Stumpo Tommy Thompson Dara Wimea

STUDENT MEDIA ADVISERS Erica Edwards Jack Fletcher Meg Fullwood

David Goodloe Tim Jones Larry Ratliff

ISSUE DATES May 2

May 9

AWARDS

ACP Newspaper Pacemaker Winner, 2016 CMA Two-Year Radio Station of the Year 2015 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 ACP Pacemaker Winner, 2000, 2001, 2007 ACP Pacemaker Finalist, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007 ACP Online Pacemaker finalist, 2007, 2008 Nearly 300 Texas college journalism awards since 2000

CONTACT INFORMATION

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Letters must be the work of the writer and must be signed. For identification and verification purposes, letters also must include the writer’s classification (grade level), full name, address and telephone number, although address and telephone number will not be published.

Editorial Policy The Chronicle is the official student-produced newspaper of Richland College. Editorials, cartoons, columns and letters are the opinions of individual students and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other individual student writers, editors, advisers or the college administration. © Richland Chronicle 2017

COLUMNS 7

April 25, 2017

Tru Grit “While there’s no statistic for lineup equality, it’s hard to ignore how lopsided Texas’ starting nine has been thus far.” That from R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports clarifing the Rangers problems this season. Currently in last place in the their division, only Elvis Andrus and Nomar Mazara have been putting up impressive numbers, while the rest of the batting lineup is below expectations.

Texas is in the top five in the A.L. in home runs and runs scored but nearly at the bottom in other offensive and defensive categories.

They have yet to solve their pitching problems. Martin Perez is the only starting pitcher who is below 3.00 earned run average.

It won’t get any better in May as the Rangers face nine teams, including the division-leading Houston Astros, the dangerous Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox and the Toronto, a team that knocked the Rangers out of the playoffs in back-to-back years.

Richland baseball Richland’s baseball squad will soon wrap up its season and at the moment is hovering around the .500 mark, going up against Metro Athletic Conference (MAC) leaders Brookhaven and Cedar Valley. Outfielder

Blaine McCullars leads the team and the MAC with a .465 batting average. Nick Ludwig, Anthony Escobedo and Michael Gallo are also in the .400 club.

Soccer Congrats to FC Dallas’ U18 for becoming the first Major League Soccer (MLS) academy to win the prestigious Dallas Cup. They defeated Monterrey, 2-1 on April 16 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco. Meanwhile, the senior FC Dallas club along with Sporting Kansas City are the only two MLS clubs with a goose egg in the loss column. That’s a good thing as they trail behind Portland for tops in the West. The MLS is seriously growing. They added Atlanta United FC and Minnesota United FC this season with more teams coming soon.

Football Former NFL star Aaron Hernandez reportedly committed suicide inside his jail cell in Massachusetts. Hernandez was serving life in prison for first degree murder of Odin Lloyd and was recently found not guilty for the 2012 double murder of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. His death occurred just hours before Hernandez’s former team, the New England Patriots, visited President Trump at the White House in Washington, D.C. Hernandez leaves behind a fiancée and their 4-year old daughter.

The investigation into his death is continuing.

In the CBS Sports NFL head coach rankings for 2017, the Cowboys Jason Garrett is

at No.17. Garrett should’ve been in the Top 10 but that’s just a CBS poll. The Patriots’ Bill Belichick is No. 1. Mike McCarthy of the Green Bay Packers is ranked second with the second-best winning percentage of any active coach behind Belichick. Andy Reid? Yes, even though the Chiefs have not secured an AFC title game in eons. Pete Carroll, Mike Tomlin, Sean Payton and John Harbaugh? Yes, because those guys won the Super Bowl with a powerful defense.

The 2017 NFL Draft kicks off Thursday and the Cleveland Browns own the top pick. It may not be as glamorous as the movie “Draft Day,” but the Browns can certainly try. All eyes at the moment are focused on Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett.

Although previously dealing with an ankle injury, Garrett left the combines in Indy with great results. The Tampa Bay Bucks’ Desean Jackson could be joined by another roadrunner receiver in the NFL by the name of John Ross. The Washington Husky ran a 4.22 in the 40-yard dash despite having surgeries on his knees and shoulder.

The NBA and NHL playoffs continue and if you’re a Mavericks or Stars fan, you really don’t care because neither team is in it. Since the Rangers are down early, you can check out FC Dallas soccer. Those Frisco boys have become the hottest ticket in town.

-Tru Armstrong

the time was how I had nothing to wear to the funeral. Everything I owned was for someone who weighed in the 300-pound range. The clothes I now own fit someone who weighs between 175 and 190. I had to buy new slacks at Target the day before the service and probably should have gone with a smaller size.

When I met friend and former classmate Anne Marie Ross at the service, she remarked that the black jacket I wore was “too big” on me. I loved the comment just as much as I enjoyed hearing her sing the memorial songs.

If Ed was looking down from the heavens to see who was at his funeral, he would have had no trouble finding Anne Marie. His spirit would just follow her booming operatic voice.

I then realized why she got the lead role in the play, “Guys and Dolls,” our senior year.

I could speculate as to what happened to Ed, but I am not going there. Instead I’m going to recall the fond memories. No one will argue that Ed liked to make everyone laugh in high school. Such is the reason our senior class voted Ed “Most Humorous,” according to my ‘87-‘88 high school yearbook.

He always had some quick-witted comment to offer and no one cared, even if it was on the slightly raunchy side. I found it ironic that the week of his funeral I saw a movie poster for the upcoming “Baywatch” movie starring Dwayne Johnson. The poster showed two beach balls and a surfboard in the center that was an obvious reference to the male anatomy with the tagline, “Lifesaving takes a pair.” I have a feeling Ed would have liked that.

In high school Ed called me Stumpo Joe: Action Adventurer, modeling my name after

the fictional archeologist Indiana Jones played

by Harrison Ford in the film series. That name was later expanded by another friend, Kelly Reed, who turned the name into a sequel, “Stumpo Joe and the 7 Temples of Doom” with the movie tagline, “He didn’t like the first one so they gave him seven more.”

I only saw Ed a couple of times after graduation in the 1990s. I ran into him at the Bookstop in Mesquite where he worked and at the Blockbuster Video on Northwest Highway in Garland where he and his parents were customers. After graduating from the University of Texas at Dallas, Ed worked as a programmer for a number of companies in information technology.

I found it hard not to get emotional when they played “Ave Maria” at the service. It was also sad to hear Ed’s mother tell everyone not to worry about Ed because she knows he is in a “better place,” but adding that she is not.

Ed was her only son and there is nothing more tragic than having a parent outlive their child.

I’ve lost quite a few friends and former co-workers over the past 15 years. I attended a couple funerals, others I regrettably did not because I had too many of my own problems and was not ready to say goodbye to those I had lost.

Maybe it is true to quote what one character said in the movie “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (2008) that “We seem to have reached the age where life stops giving us things and starts taking them away.”

The mystery of life: The give and take of it A guy named Joe Looking at the list of students who have died in the 50-plus years since Bishop Lynch High School in Dallas opened, I have always seen the Class of 1988 as the healthiest, or perhaps the luckiest.

Only one student from our class passed away and that was in 1995. If I were to count the two others from our class who didn’t

Photo Courtesy Joe Stumpo

Class of 1988 (Left to right): Joe Stumpo, Chris Todora, Ed Schwille and Nick Rhea

graduate with us who also passed away, then that makes it three.

On March 17, that number jumped to four when friends and fellow alums learned that classmate Ed Schwille passed away at the all-too-young age of 47. No one I asked knows what happened. The news of his death shocked everyone.

My response when Ed’s obit was posted on social media was, “No!” All I could think of at

- Joe Stumpo

UPCOMING EVENTS All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated.

Today

Noon to 1 p.m. i

Comedian Jason Chenry Asian Pacific American Herritage Month Fannin Performance Hall 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

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Richland string orchestra and chamber ensembles Fannin Performance Hall Room F102 7 :30 p.m.

Spring concert 2: “Turning” i wind symphony, string orchestra, chamber ensembles Fannin Performance Hall

Wednesday

Noon to 1 p.m. i

Comedy hour Sabine Hall, Room SH117

Wednesday - Saturday 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

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Richland Theater Department presents: “Barbecue Apocalypse” by Dallas playwright Matt Lyle Arena Theater, Fannin Hall Intended for ages 17 and up

Registration for May semester, summer and fall Thunderduck Hall 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Thursday

12:30 to 2:30 p.m. i

Richland Internal Film Series: “Wolf Totem” (PG-13) Sabine Hall, Room SH117 7 p.m.

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Richland Theater Department presents: “Spring Opera Scenes Concert” Wichita Hall, Room SH116 Final exams: May 8-11

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Great expectations: that’s how the ball bounces

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April 25, 2017

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