News
Odysseus makes it to the moon
A spacecraft by the name of Odysseus landed on the moon at 6:23 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, making it the first privately owned American spacecraft to successfully complete a lunar landing. Odysseus, built and managed by Intuitive Machines, took flight on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket a week prior and made several laps around the moon before touching down near the lunar South Pole.
Biden and Trump face-off on immigration and border control
United States President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump each traveled to the United States-Mexico border in Brownsville, Texas on Feb. 29, 2024. While visiting, Biden made a clear effort to try and work alongside Trump on a new immigration bill. Trump, however, seemed uninterested in working together, and has declined Biden’s offer.
Ruling on frozen embryos in Alabama could have major consequences
On Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, there was a ruling set by Alabama’s Supreme Court that will significantly affect couples who attempt to conceive in the state. The ruling, although vague, states that embryos are considered minors and that “negligence lawsuits could proceed,” due to this proceeding. Thus, the process of freezing embryos or in-vitro fertilization (IVF) could be considered forms of childbirth within the state.
Global Day of Action: Hands Off Rafah aims for ceasefire in Gaza
On Saturday, Mar. 2, 2024, the Answer Coalition organized marches for the Global Day of Action for Rafah. The marches were organized in dozens of cities across the country, including Washington, D.C. One of the action listings was in Geneseo, NY, on the corner of Main Street and Route 20A. Many students and local residents of Geneseo and Livingston County participated, including members of organizations such as the SUNY Geneseo Peace Action group, as well as the Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace (GVCP), and the local Democratic-Socialists of Americas (DSA).
US soldier commits self-immolation in protest for Gaza
On Feb. 25, 2024, at 1:00 p.m., outside of Washington, DC’s Israeli Embassy, 25-year-old Aaron Bushnell committed self-immolation as an extreme act of protest against the treatment of the citizens in Gaza. Bushnell live-streamed this act on Twitch—an online video-sharing service. The footage documented the Bushnell walking up to the gates of the building, explaining that he would “no longer be complicit in Genocide,” before continuing to speak, dousing himself in lighter fluid as he did so, then lighting himself on fire. This act has gone viral online, not only for its extreme nature, but for the light it shines on the issue at hand: As Bushnell put it, “I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest. But compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it’s not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal.”
The ongoing battle over Trump's eligibility on Colorado’s ballots
Since November 2023, there has been an ongoing legal case over whether former president Donald Trump should still possess the ability to hold and run for office in the upcoming presidential election. Multiple media outlets have added their two cents to the discussion as to whether the Jan. 6, 2020 riot goes against section three of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. According to USAToday, "...the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Trump is disqualified from the race because of the 14th Amendment, Section 3. The post-Civil War-era provision bars anyone who has ‘engaged in insurrection’ from holding office again.”
Car crashes into local sorority house
On Monday, Feb. 19, 2024, at around 11 a.m., a car crashed into the Royal Lady Knight’s (RLK) house—the home of a local sorority at SUNY Geneseo. The residents of the house were understandably startled when their house abruptly shook and the sound of a crash echoed through the rooms of the house and the surrounding area. Katherine Pallavicini—one of the residents of the RLK house—stated, “It felt like an earthquake, I somehow knew there had to be a car somewhere in the house.” Luckily, there were no injuries sustained by the residents of the home, and no known injuries sustained by the driver of the vehicle.
Gorilla and giraffe lives lost at separate Western New York zoos
This month has been difficult for Western New York zoo lovers as the Buffalo Zoo and the Seneca Park Zoo have both been hit with losses. The Buffalo Zoo announced the death of Koga, their silverback western lowland gorilla, on Thursday, Feb. 15, while the Seneca Park Zoo mourned the death of baby giraffe PJ just two days later on Saturday, Feb. 17.
Importance of emergency alerts on Geneseo’s campus
Following the gas leak that occurred on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, students and their parent(s)/guardian(s) have provided an uptick in questions and concerns about the Emergency Alert System that SUNY Geneseo currently has in place. Geneseo utilizes the NY-Alert Emergency Alert System which is powered by Everbridge, and was established by the New York State Emergency Management Office (SEMO). This system is used by Geneseo and 24 other SUNY state-operated campuses, alongside 28 community colleges in the state.
Big leaps made to make space surgery possible
Earlier this month, the three-inch, two-pound surgery robot spaceMIRA—standing for Miniaturized in Vivo Robotic Assistant—was jettisoned off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. From there, it was sent to a space station that sits approximately 250 miles above Lincoln, Nebraska, where surgeons would begin the first simulated procedure using the device in a zero-gravity environment.
Trump’s hush money case leads to election concerns
On Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, Donald Trump was assigned a trial date of Monday, Mar. 25, 2024. He is accused of exchanging hush money during the 2020 election amid a sex scandal. It appears that Trump and his team's focal concern is how this trial and scandal might jeopardize his current presidential campaign.
Buffalo shooter faces federal death penalty charges
There have been new updates relating to the tragedy that left 13 people shot inside and around an east side Buffalo Tops Friendly Market in a premeditated hate crime on May 14, 2022. The shooter, a white male who was 18 years old at the time of the shooting, traveled several hours from his hometown of Conklin, New York, to an eastern Buffalo neighborhood known for having a predominantly black population. It is reported that Payton Gendron wore heavy tactical gear to protect himself and carried a semi-automatic rifle.
Super Bowl celebration ends with tragedy in Kansas City
Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024 was set to be a joyous celebration in Kansas City following the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl LVIII victory. Amidst the celebration, however, two minors set off gunshots at the team’s parade just outside Kansas City’s Union Station.
Geneseo gas leak leaves students, staff, faculty inconvenienced
On the morning of Feb. 20, 2024, around 9:45 a.m., an emergency alert went out to members of the Geneseo campus community. Faculty, students, and staff alike were advised of the following: “Contractors have hit a gas line in the area of Milne Library. Please avoid University Drive in that area. In addition, Blake Hall, including the Multicultural Center, has been closed temporarily while the issue is resolved.” About 10 minutes after this alert was sent out, an additional alert was released stating that the Integrated Science Center (ISC) and Newton had also been evacuated as a precaution.
King Charles diagnosed with cancer
On Feb. 5, 2024, a statement was released from Buckingham Palace revealing that King Charles III had been diagnosed with cancer.
The Tobago Oil Spill and Its Consequences
On the morning of Feb. 7, 2024, the neighboring Trinidad and Tobago — countries found off the Northeast border of South America’s residents— awoke to a mysterious sight: their coast was “blackened” by an oil spill from a mysteriously capsized ship. This ever-present ecological issue has left scientists and officials stumped. Currently, there is no exact quantity of oil excreted, no party being held responsible, and no known intention behind the act. The impact of this event on the area’s marine life is clear.
The Rise Of COVID Cases In The United States
Towards the beginning of January 2024, the number of COVID-19 cases began to rise at a consequential rate in the United States. Although the amount of cases has risen, fortunately, hospitalizations have stayed at a lower rate than in previous years. When United States citizens first experienced COVID-19 in 2020, hospitalizations were teetering at around 100,000 cases and deaths were at around 30,000 per week. In the first week of January 2024, hospitalizations were around 35,000, and death tolls had dropped to 1,600 weekly. Thus, it is evident that the rates have lowered an exceptional amount.
A moderated discussion with Angela Davis
On Feb. 9, 2024, the Geneseo Student Association (GSA) collaborated with the Office of Diversity and Equality to engage the Geneseo community in a moderated discussion with Angela Yvonne Davis.
Hunger continues to grow in Gaza
Since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 3, 2023, one in four people are now starving in Gaza. Even before the war commenced, more than half a million people in Gaza were facing hunger as simple groceries like flour cost upwards of $200. As a result, it has become public knowledge that families are struggling, such as the ones in Gaza who were grinding hay and animal food as a substitute for flour because of the lack of resources due to war. Yet, since the war has continued, animal food and hay have gotten increasingly more expensive, thus, making it difficult for families to receive or create any flour at all. The problem of being unable to prepare or obtain any food source may spiral into severe cases and heightened commonality of malnutrition.
The importance of sustainability
As time goes on, the need for sustainability only increases. Luckily, there are ways in which each person can include practices of sustainability into their own lives. Simply understanding the components of sustainability and incorporating them into your life can help foster a more environmentally-conscious society.