The Highlander
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE
For the week of Tuesday, February 20, 2024
VOL. 72, ISSUE 17
SPORTS
est. 1954
THE KENYAN’S DEATH MARKS A TRAGIC END TO A SHORT YET INCREDIBLE CAREER ENDED TOO SOON.
Marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum and coach Gervais Hakizimana killed in car crash KIANOOSH NOOSHI Assistant Sports Editor
Kelvin Kiptum and his Gervais Hakizimana were killed in a car crash last Sunday as millions were watching the Super Bowl around the world. Members of the global athletics and the marathon running community have paid tribute and mourned the loss of an exceptional athlete in the infancy of his prime. Sebastian Coe, President of World Athletics, described the loss of Kiptum as “an extraordinary athlete with an extraordinary legacy, whose presence will be profoundly missed … On behalf of all World Athletics, we send our deepest condolences to their families, friends, teammates and the Kenyan nation.” The Kenyan, who was only 24 years old at the time of his death, was one of the marathon’s rising stars, after bursting onto the scene in 2022 at the Valencia Marathon with a time of 2:01:53. This made him only the third man ever to break the sub 2:02:00 mark and was done using a negative
split strategy. What was more incredible however was that with this performance, Kiptum had set the fourth fastest time of all time in his first marathon race ever. Kiptum’s next race marked his World Marathon Major debut at the London Marathon in April of last year. There he broke his personal best with a time of 2:01:25 in rainy conditions beating the second place runner by almost three minutes, another decisive victory. This marked the second fastest time in history in only his second marathon ever, all at only 23 years of age. Kiptum’s third and final marathon before his untimely death was the Chicago Marathon in October of 2023. In this race while still only 23 years old, Kiptum smashed the World record time set by Marathon Legend Eliud Kipchoge by 34 seconds with a time of 2:00:35. It was the first time in history that an official non-
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
► SEE KIPTUM PAGE 15
RADAR A FREE SHOW, IN-STORE SIGNING AND SOULFUL SOUNDS ON A SATURDAY. The Charities grace the Penrose Record Room stage BOBBI MONAE MANDOUR Contributing Writer
As the leaders of creating a more eclectic, happening music scene in Downtown Riverside, the Penrose Record Room, hosted a live, in-store performance with the funk & soul band, The Charities on Saturday, Feb. 10. The band originally hails from Hermosa Beach, California, with its members currently being dispersed throughout various groovy coastal cities. It was an afternoon of firsts for many: the first time for The Charities to play a show in Riverside, the first time for some showgoers visiting the Record Room and the first celebration for The Charities’ release of their debut 7-inch record on Nu-Tone Records with “Bring Your Love” on the A-side and “Angel Eyes” on the B-side.
OPINIONS
CALIFORNIA’S 2024-2025 BUDGET IS FUNDING LEGAL SLAVERY.
The prison industrial complex is a blight on California YSABEL NAKASONE Opinions Editor
The Charities played on the shop’s red-curtained corner stage, tucked into the room just enough to provoke the curious wanderers outside the basement entrance to be allured by the music and come on in. The six musicians hit the stage at 4 p.m., starting their set with stripped-down renditions of some earlier singles from their “Alma” EP. Two microphones, five singers, and minimal drums throughout the set highlighted the group’s talent, which made the performance feel like an episode of 1990s’ “MTV Unplugged.” By the time they started playing the new singles, the shop was at maximum capacity, with fans, new and old, grooving and swaying to Brock Van Pelt’s sweet vocals, and the whole band’s charming vocal harmonies.
The state of California incarcerates its citizens at a rate of nearly 550 persons per 100,000 people in prisons, jails, immigration detention centers and juvenile justice facilities. California is imprisoning a greater portion of its own population than nearly every other democratic country on the planet. The issues caused by the continued expansion of the prison industrial complex are not only harmful to prisoners but to Californians, and it is a system that takes advantage of the public’s unfeeling attitude towards prisoners. Recently, Gov. Gavin Newsom has approved approximately one billion dollars in raises for corrections officers and hundreds of millions towards prison building. Prisons are costing Californians
► SEE CHARITIES PAGE 14
an arm and a leg when there is a $38 billion budget deficit. Meanwhile, climate programs were slashed, funding for addressing homelessness and earmarked for universities was delayed and social services were hit with budget cuts. The state of American prisons is horrifyingly appalling, so it would not be objectionable if this money were going towards bettering the living conditions of prisoners. In fact, the U.S. and its population are making money off of prisoners in a stunning violation of basic human rights. A recent investigation by the Associated Press tied major brands and food companies, like McDonald’s and Walmart, to prison labor. Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of agricultural ► SEE PRISONS PAGE 7
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RADAR 11
SPORTS 15
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